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Philadelphia, Inquirer
Contributed by Harrison

Description: Delaware's youngest Bride at Age 13 Years.
Date: December 7 1909

Newspaper published in: Philadelphia

Source: GBank

Bayard, Delaware, December 7, 1909:

Richard Banks, 18 years old of Williamsville in Sussex county Delaware, a son of James A and Ann Banks, took to himself a "child wife", supposed to be the youngest girl ever married in Delaware, when he was married to Miss Orma Hickman, age 13, daughter of the late Theodore and Maggie Hickman, who have during the past ten years moved to Bayard from Cape May county in New Jersey. The wedding was held with the full consent of her mother and was solemnized at the home of her widowed mother. The young girl is well developed for her age d easily passes for sixteen years old. She is perfectly happy with her new husband telling friends she found the one she loved. The bride was born and bred in this country but has seen very little of life outside of her family farm home. she and the husband will reside at the farm which her mother owns.

Richard Warren Banks lived until June 1967 before he died near Bishop, Worcester county, Maryland. Orma died in 1978. both are buried in Carey's Cemetery at Frankford, Delaware.  Sometime after 1921 the family moved to St. Martins Neck in Worcester county where Richard became a carpenter, giving up a short span of farming. They had five children, daughter Edna born 1912, daughter Zenia born 1916, son's Arthur born 1919, Clifton born 1921, all in Delaware and their last son Richard Warren Banks Jr., born 1927 in Worcester Maryland.