Family Stories

Crow-Green Marriage Bond

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Mansfield Crow – Lena Green Marriage Bond

Mansfield Crow and Lena Green are my fourth great-grandparents.  I know very little about Lena other than the name of her father, Zachariah Green.  Mansfield was the son of John Crow.  This bond was issued in Garrard County, Kentucky.

Know all men by these presents, That we, Mansfield Crow and John Hill, are held and firmly bound unto James Garrard, Governor of Kentucky, in the just and sum of fifty pound, current money of Kentucky.  The payment of which well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, our heirs, & jointly, severally and firmly by these presents, sealed with our seals, and dated this 13th day of February 1801.

the condition of the above obligation is such that where there is a marriage shortly intended to be solemnized between the above bound Mansfield Crow and Lena Green for which a license hath issued, now, if there be no lawful cause to obstruct said marriage, then the above obligation to be void, else to remain in full force and virtue.

Mansfield Crow

John Hill

Teste.  Benjamin Letcher

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7 replies »

      • I hate to be contrary but I’m not sure I agree that her name was Lena. here’s why.

        On the marriage bond you have posted, her name is clearly spelled Sena, not Lena.

        On the 1850 census, she is listed as Cena Boyd (wife of George Boyd).

        In Bath County land transactions, she is referred to as Cena or C.

        Her son Zachariah Crow named a daughter Cena.

        Others have listed her full name as being Helcena but I haven’t seen the source for that.

        Cathy

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      • Sorry, I don’t, but I think it may have been before the 1810 census since he’s not listed there. She married at least 2 more times, to Thomas? Osburn or Asburn, and to George Boyd. This isn’t my line. I only got interested because she’s a Green (which is one of my lines) and because of the unusual name. Cathy

  1. Hello, Phyllis, and thanks for this thread posting. It is very helpful.

    First, let me say, I agree that the transcription should be Sena Green and not Lena. I have her in my research as Helcena Green and ( as usual for the 19th century) I have seen her nickname spelled “Sena”, ” Scena”, and “Cena”. The Will document showing her referenced with the spelling of “Seaney Osburn” just adds to the understanding that people just wrote phonetically without the hangups around spelling.

    I have Mansfield and her coming west out from Maryland during the 18th century to Kentucky, then a part of Virginia. It was common for Marylanders to hang together, even though one start out from the Annapolis area and the other from near Baltimore. This couple had one child Zachariah Crow before Mansfield died leaving Helcena a widow and little Zach without a father.

    This where the Osborne family enters the story. Thomas Osborne was the 3rd child of William Osborne (my 3g-grandfather) and his 1st wife Elizabeth. He had 6 siblings (George, Mary, Susan, Nancy, Lucy, & William) living in and around Bath and Clark counties at this time. They mostly spelled the name Osborne when they were writing it themselves. Helcena was just 1 year older than Thomas and apparently they hit it off. Zachariah Crow survived and married Jane. You can find Zacharia and Jane Crow in the 1850 US Census at Bethel, Bath, Kentucky for a full list of their children, including a granddaughter for Helcena, named Cena.

    I would like a favor. Please post a clear citation of where this Marriage Bahn is actually reposed. It is so important.

    James E. Osbourn
    Saint Louis, MO

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