52 Ancestors 2025: Family Secret? Not Quite—But an Interesting Discovery

If there are any deep family secrets, no one has told me—but while researching various family lines, I’ve found that marriage dates and birthdays can be quite intriguing. Society in earlier times may have had a reputation for being prudish, but young people were just as drawn to each other as they are today.

I previously shared the stories of my great-great-grandparents, William Peter Cossairt (also spelled Cozart) and Nancy Tharp (read her story here), who lived in 1840s Warren County, Ohio. The marriage record pictured above is from 1843, and it appears that Nancy was 16 or 17 years old, as her father had to give his in-person consent for the marriage. Just two months later, Nancy gave birth to my great-grandfather, David (his story is here). Clearly, she was already pregnant at the time of their wedding.

Curious about how this situation would have been described in the 1840s, I consulted ChatGPT to see if the term “shotgun wedding” was in use back then. Here’s what it had to say:

In 1840s America, a shotgun wedding likely wouldn’t have been called that yet, as the phrase didn’t become widely used until the late 19th or early 20th century. However, the concept certainly existed. People might have referred to it as a forced marriage, hasty marriage, marriage of necessity, or even a marriage under duress. In more colloquial or regional terms, it might have been described as being married in a hurry or making an honest woman of her.

In some communities, especially in rural or religious settings, such a situation might have been framed as doing the right thing or a matter of honor. Local customs would have influenced the terminology, but the social expectation to legitimize a pregnancy or preserve family reputation was certainly present.

William was 26 years old at the time of their marriage—considerably older than Nancy. Were they young neighbors, caught up in the moment? Given the status of women and girls at the time, was there some duress or coercion involved?

We may never know the full story behind their marriage, but their family lines—and their legacy—lived on.