Chap. 427.—An ACT to amend and re-enact sectious 2216, as amended by au act
approved January 17, 1896; 2224, as amended by an act approved December 17.
1895; 2225, as amended by an act approved Jannary 28, 1896; 2228, 2240, 2250.
and to repeal section 2233 of the Code of Virginia.

Approved December 12, 1903.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That sections
twenty-two hundred and sixteen, as amended by act approved Jan-
uary seventeenth, eighteen hundred and nincty-six; twenty-two hundred
and twenty-four, as amended by act approved December seventeenth.
eighteen hundred and ninety-five; twenty-two hundred and twenty-five,
as amended by act approved January twenty-cighth, eighteen hundred
and ninety-six; twenty-two hundred and twenty-cight, twenty-two hun-
dred and forty, and twenty-two hundred and fifty of the Code of Vir-
ginia be amended and re-enacted so as 1o read as follows:

§ 2216. Marriage license; by whom issued.—L very license for a mar-
riage shall be issued by the clerk of the circuit court of the county, or of
the corporation or hustings court of the corporation in which the female
to be married usually resides; and in case the latter is a non-resident of
the State, then by the clerk of the circuit court of the county or of the
corporation or hustings court of the corporation in which the marriage
is to be solemnized; or, if the office of the clerk be vacant, or if from
any cause the clerk is unable to issue the‘license, by the judge of the
circuit court of such county, or the mayor of such corporation, who shali
make return thereof to the clerk as soon as there may be one: provided,
however, that when the residence of a female to be married is within the
limits of a city, the license for such marriage shall be issued by the
clerk of the corporation or hustings court of such city: provided, further,
that all marriages of females residing within jurisdiction of a corpora-
tion or hustings court, which have been heretofore solemnized by virtue
of a license issued by the clerk of the court of the county wherein a city
was or is situated, shall be as valid as if such license were issued by the
clerk of such corporation or hustings court.

§ 2224. Marriage within certain degrees prohibited——No man shall
marry his mother, grandmother, stepmother, sister, daughter, granddaugh-
ter, half-sister, aunt, son’s widow, wife’s daughter, or her granddaughter
or ‘step-daughter, brother's daughter, or sister's daughter. If any man
have heretofore married his brother’s widow, or the widow of his broth-
er’s or sister’s son, or his uncle’s widow, such marriage is hereby declared
to be legal and valid, and exempt from the penalties prescribed by ex-
isting laws.

§ 2225. The same.—No woman shall marry her father, grandfather,
step-father, brother, son, grandson, half-brother, uncle, daughter’s hus-
band, husband’s son, or his grandson or step-son, brother’s son, sister's
son, or husband of her brother’s or sister’s daughters.

§ 2228. Register of marriages.—The county clerk of every county and
the clerk of every corporation court shall keep a book, to be called the
register of marriages.

§ 2240. Auditor to make abstracts of marriages for general assem-
bly.—Such copies shall be filed and preserved in the said auditor’s office,
and from them the auditor shall prepare annually an abstract of mar-
riages in each county and corporation, and make a report upon said rey-
istrations to the general assembly at each regular session.

§ 2250. Penalty on clerks for neglect of duty—If any clerk of a court
or county clerk fail to perform any duty required of him under this chap-
ter, he shall forfeit ten dollars for every such offense.

2. Be it further enacted, That section twenty-two hundred and thirty-
three of the Code of Virginia be, and the same is hereby, repealed.

3. This act shall be in force from its passage.