Wondering why I can't find evidence of the Watson/Read marriage

Question

Benjamin Franklin's friend Joseph Watson married Deborah Read Franklin's sister Frances Read in 1725. I'm very curious why I can't find a record of this marriage.

The Reads were members of Philadelphia's Christ Church and Deborah's marriage to her first husband John Rogers was recorded there on 5 Aug 1725.

Joseph was a Quaker and his birth is recorded in Quaker records in Falls Township while his death is recorded in Quaker records in Philadelphia.

Their marriage doesn't seem to be recorded in either Christ Church or Quaker records, so where were they married?

In my imagination, Deborah and Frances had a double wedding at Christ Church since we know they married at about the same time. Ben Franklin described Joseph Watson as "a pious, sensible young man, of great integrity", so I imagine he would have done "the right thing" and not have a common law marriage.

Answer 1

Don't know about marriage record, but she is mentioned as DIL in Thomas Watson's will dated 1737

Pennsylvania, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993 for Thomas Watson

Bucks

Abstracts of Wills, 1685-1825

Comments

Yeah, the marriage definitely happened. I'm just mystified why her sister's marriage the same year is documented but hers isn't.

I'm writing a piece of fiction that uses them as characters and I'd like to follow the facts if I can.

In case anyone's interested, the fiction is about James Ralph's abandoned wife and child (my ancestors) and these relationships tie into that relationship.

---

Colonial Friends records fall into one of four categories

• they're a microfilm or scan of the original records, some so amazing you know everybody who went to the wedding and what time people were born
• they're the work of a member of the same meeting in the Victorian era, who pored over the originals and assigned everyone they could find under the most likely set of parents (mistakes were made...)
• just the men's minutes, so you know the "business" of who got drunk and cussed but nobody's vital statistics
• don't exist (eaten by mice? used for scrap paper? never microfilmed and still just sketchily described by Haverford?)

This should be a meme, let me know if you make it before I get to it.

---

But on a happier note, while the published Christ Church transcriptions available online probably have errors and missed entries the wonderful news is any of us can volunteer to help transcribe beautiful newly scanned copies in the Philadelphia Congregations Early Records project!

---

That's awesome. At some point this weekend, I'll dig into the Christ Church account book and at minimum transcribe the page with the Deborah Read / John Rogers wedding for the project and if I'm lucky I will find what I'm looking for!