Abstract:
Squire W.O. Bailes' estate lay partly in North Carolina and partly in South Carolina. He owned and operated a farm and cotton gin in the North Carolina part of the estate, but found it to not be as profitable as he would have liked. Because South Carolina marriage laws were so lax, Bailes was able to perform marriages easily in order to supplement his income. Between 1897 and 1902, he performed 527 ceremonies, at varying prices depending on income.