Minnie Preiss

Mrge reg. 016993-02 North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Co.
Louis Rhody, 27, bachelor, laborer, Lutheran. Born and residing North Dumfries Twp. Parents John Rhody and Mary Schaff.
Minnie Preiss, 26, spinster, Lutheran. Born Wellington Co., residing North Dumfries Twp. Parents Leonhard Preiss and Barbara Schutte.
Witnesses Louis Rhody and Minnie Preiss
On Feb. 5, 1902, at North Dumfries, by C. C. J. Maass
By license.

The original marriage registration, as filed with the North Dumfries clerk, has an error in that it shows the bride and groom as their own witnesses. This of course is incorrect. We would have no idea as to who the witnesses were except for the following:

The Ontario Genealogical Society has a link to records as presented by the Waterloo County branch. This includes extensive records for St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Preston, at which Rev. C. C. J. Maass, during this era, was the clergyman.

The Waterloo branch of the OGS presents records for St. Peter's church, which include marriages for 1902, and this records the marriage of Louis Rhody and Minnie Preiss. Unfortunately, these records, while readable, are not downloadable. Still, if you subscribe to the OGS and then, further, have paid the extra fee for the subscription to Waterloo County, the images are available and (mostly) readable.

For our purposes, the St. Peter's Church image for the Rhody-Preiss marriage is number 336. This gives us the correct names of the witnesses, namely Annie Preiss, Melinda Preiss, Henry Rhody, Dumfries.

The bride's place of birth is written poorly, but appears to be Clifford, which is in Minto Township of Wellington County. The clerk at North Dumfries has only written Wellington County. Looking over census information, it's probably more accurate that Minnie was born in the township (Minto). Clifford was likely the postal address, or the family might say that the lived 'near Clifford.'

Rev. Maas does note in the church record that the marriage was in North Dumfries. Since both the Rhody and Preiss family apparently were resident in North Dumfries, it is probable that the marriage was at a residence and rather more likely that it was at that of the bride.

A further note: Minnie's father's given name is sometimes rendered as Leonhard and sometimes as Reinhard. Perhaps both were correct. In any event, the above marriage registration as it appears in the church records does show his first name as Leonhard.