"...Rev John Smith aged 53 years a resident of Middlefield Ot Co., N.Y. who being duly sworn, deposes and says, that he is a Minister of the Gospel residing at Middlefield Otsego Co NY; that as such Minister of the Gospel he did unite in marriage William Swart of Meredith Del Co. NY and Polly Houghtaling of Davenport at Meredith on the 22nd day of October 1850; that there is no public record of said marriage, as deponent verily believes; that deponent neither made, nor authorized to be made, any public church record of said marriage; that is was not customary among the people of said County, at the time of said marriage, to record marriages in Town or County records, nor required by the laws of said County or States, as deponent is informed and believed; and that deponent derived the facts of said marriage from * A private memorandum kept by himself."
