Charlotte Observer
Contrary to the general belief that men wait longer before marrying now than they did in the past, the Mecklenburg county marriage records show that the average male marrying age here is almost identically the same as it was 40 years ago.
On the other hand, the Mecklenburg woman has raised her average marrying age from 22 years and 9 months in 1885 to 25 years and 2 months in 1925.
In 1885 men married at the average age of 29 years an din 1925 somewhat less than 30.
Eliminating the second marriages of widows and widowers at an age considerably in advance of the “first-timers,” the average first marriage age is estimated to be between 27 and 28 years for the men and about 23 for the women.
The slightly increased average for men and the almost three-year increase for women is attributed partly to the present educational system, which has for years been claiming increasingly longer periods of youth before graduation.
Enter Business
Another controlling reason why women wait longer now before marrying that did their mothers is that commercial and business life welcomes them, causing hundreds of Charlotte and Mecklenburg girls to enter offices and work for several years before agreeing to give their time exclusively to homes of their own.
The high percentage of marriages among business girls, however, belies the thought that they, as a rule, prefer business life to home keeping. The whirl of business keeps them engaged for a time—until they announce a different sort of engagement.
A business man who employes large numbers of young women as clerical helpers, questioned, said that he had never made a careful estimate of the average business life of girls but was inclined to think that three years would be a generous estimate of the class which had not adopted business as a career. The estimate coincides with the marriage averages.
Comparison of the two widely separated years also reveales that there were fewer old men who marry young girls. In 1885 there were six men of 50 years or more who married girls under 30. During the 12 months ending with August 1st, 1925, there were but three.
The total number of marriages in 1885 was 245. The annual record 40 years later was 848, an increase of about 350 per cent.
In rare instances do the records show how men marry women older than they. It frequently occurs, however, that the bride and bridegroom are of the same age.
18 for the Girls
Of all ages 18 is the most frequently seen in the female column. It is explained that 18 years is the minimum age at which a girl may marry with parental consent. It is also the age at which hundreds of girls graduate yearly from the high schools.
Hardly able to wait until the eventful day when they may have their liberty, literal scores of Mecklenburg girls annually marry at the earliest age possible for them.
The marriage record carries the names of the ministers who performed the marriage ceremonies of those entering wedlock 40 years ago. A few of the names appearing most frequently follows: Rev. Jos. Blount Cheshire Jr.; Rev. R.A. Miller, Rev. J.G. McLaughlin, Rev. G.D. Parks, Rev. W.A. McDonald, Rev. W.M. Robey, Rev. G.R. White, several of whom are still ministering to the people.
From page 4 of The Concord Daily Tribune, Tuesday, August 25, 1925.
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1925-08-25/ed-1/seq-4/
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