A judge was asked to decide whether a marriage could begin with nothing more than a handshake back in 1915 San Francisco.
Frank Wells said that he and Refugia Wells had lived as husband and wife for nineteen years, without a church, a license, or a formal ceremony. Their marriage, he claimed, began when they shook hands and agreed to take on the duties of matrimony.
When Refugia died, her relatives challenged his right to administer her estate. But the court sided with the “handshake husband,” giving legal weight to one of the simplest marriage vows imaginable.
Establishes Legality of Handshake Marriage
SAN FRANCISCO, California. — The legality of a “handshake marriage” was upheld today by Superior Judge Graham when he granted letters of administration to the estate of Refugia Wells to Frank Wells, an engineer.
Wells declared Refugia and he lived together for 19 years without a marriage ceremony other than the formality of shaking hands and mutually agreeing to assume the relations of matrimony.
Relatives of the deceased failed to impress the judge with the superiority of their claims over the “handshake husband.”
Source: Daily Capital Journal. Salem, Oregon. August 14, 1915.
