Illinois Marriage Record Circa 1846

[AlanR83]

I am looking to find a marriage record for a John C (Curry) Watson born in Tennesse circa 1819 to a Sarah (Sallie) Hall born in Illinois. From the 1860 census record they were living in Illinois and I can see the age of their eldest child William Watson was 13, so marriage was probably around 1846. I'm looking to find the marriage record to find the name of John's father - i'm looking to trace John's father's nationality.

[shellyesq]

I wouldn't have high hopes of getting parents' information off of such an early marriage record.  There are Illinois marriages here - https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1680829 - but no parents' names seem to be listed for any from that era.

If John lived until 1880, that census would ask for parents' places of birth.

[oldohiohome]

This tree at familysearch has an earlier daughter in that marriage, Sarah born in Illinois in 1843, so they might have married earlier, if the tree is correct.
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L2QV-GTH

The tree also says John was born in Ashland, Wayne County, TN on 10 April 1818. No real sources for the exact place or date, so give them the benefit of the doubt and say they got it from a family Bible. If so, what Watson families were in Wayne Co. TN in 1810 and 1820?

[oldohiohome]

could this be them
 Illinois, Compiled Marriages, 1790-1860
Name:    H. C. Watson
Spouse:    Sarah Hall
Date:    14 Jul 1842
County:    Gallatin
State:    Illinois
Source:    Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT
Microfilm:    0969484

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1850 Saline Ill
with daughter Sarah, sons William Francis, and James
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M859-6PR

[oldohiohome]

do you have ancestry.com? do you have his will?
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=9048&h=1284504&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=60525

if not, I will at least abstract it for the genealogy info, if you like.

[oldohiohome]

here's the source for John C Watson's exact DOB
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/176501328/john-c_-watson

[oldohiohome]

could this be them
 Illinois, Compiled Marriages, 1790-1860
Name:    H. C. Watson
Spouse:    Sarah Hall
Date:    14 Jul 1842
County:    Gallatin
State:    Illinois
Source:    Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT
Microfilm:    0969484

The marriage is in Volume 1, page 206, evidently in Gallitin County Marriages
https://gallatin.illinoisgenweb.org/BrE-K.html
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Saline County was formed 25 February 1847 by an act of the state legislature which divided Gallatin County in two parts.

https://thesouthern.com/news/local/ben-gelman-southern-illinois-saline-county-has-a-rich-history/article_9bb6ae33-0e06-51e8-bd58-6f1924abc02c.html

So they were married in Gallitin Co before it split to form Saline County. In other words, they didn't move to another county after they were married, the border just changed.

[oldohiohome]

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1850 Saline Ill
with daughter Sarah, sons William Francis, and James
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M859-6PR

The full transcription:
1850 Census Curran Precinct, Saline, Illinois
October 17, 1850

John C Watson, 26, laborer, RE: $200, born in Tennessee
Sarah Watson, 23, born in Tennessee
Sarah Watson, 7, born in Illinois
William Francis Watson, 4, born in Illinois
James A Watson, 1, born in Illinois
John Hall, 21, laborer, born in Illinois

other Halls on this page, including possibly Sarah (Hall) Watson's parents:

Jonathan Hall, 63, born in North Carolina
Sarah Hall, 58, born in North Carolina
& family

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M859-6PR

The tree at familysearch says Sarah (Hall) Watson's parents were Jonathan Hall and Sarah Huckabee, both born in NC. I don't know yet if the tree is correct.

[oldohiohome]

The tree also says John was born in Ashland, Wayne County, TN on 10 April 1818. ...  If so, what Watson families were in Wayne Co. TN in 1810 and 1820?

But you have to work back one census at a time. Here is the 1840 census for the two Watsons in Gallitin County that show up in a search on familysearch. There is always the chance that there were others who were not indexed correctly.
Robert is probably in the western part of Gallitin County, the part that became Saline Co. I think Hugh is in the part that stayed as Gallitin Co.

1840 Census Saline Precinct, Gallatin County, Illinois

Robert Watson
2 males age under 5
2 males between 5 and 10
1 male between 15 and 20
1 male between 30 and 40

1 female under 5
1 female between 10 and 15
1 female between 20 and 30

see image 11 to id the location
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHB8-ZJC

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1840 Census Bear Creek, Gallatin County, Illinois
Hugh Watson

1 male under 5
1 male between 10 and 15
1 male between 15 and 20
1 male between 40 and 50
1 male between 60 and 70

1 female under 5
2 females between 5 and 10
1 female between 10 and 15
2 females between 15 and 20
1 female between 30 and 40
1 female between 40 and 50

see image 7 to id the location
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHB8-ZTK

These men might or might not be brothers, with Hugh having his or his wife's parents in the home.

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Robert Watson shows up in Saline Precinct, Saline County in 1850, saying he was born in Tennessee:

1850 Saline Precinct, Saline County, Illinois
Robert Watson, 46, born in Tennessee
and family
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M859-Q3L

He has a son John in the household. So if your John Curry Watson is a son of either of the two men, then he would be Hugh's son. But I'm not sure of that yet, and I haven't found Hugh yet in 1850, if he was still alive.