In most of the early states of the United States, a prospective groom took out a bond with the clerk of the county court in the county in which the prospective bride lived. This was done as surety that there was no legal obstacle to the marriage. .... The idea of a bond relating to marriage in colonial Texas, however, was a bit different. more »

Dr. Thomas Rivers Erwin, the son of John and Margaret Rivers Erwin, was born in Davidson County, Tennessee, in 1809. As stated in records of the Board of Land Commissioners of Brazoria County, Erwin arrived in Texas "pre to 2 May 1835." Harriet Hite Reese Cox married Dr. ERWIN in Brazoria County by bond on 25 Feb 1835. more »