# "By the power vested in me" - Where?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 2, 2026, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089 "2026-08-02T02:50:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/36 "2026-08-02T21:31:16Z")

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I was doing some genealogy research recently, and came across the following for Harris County, Texas in the early 1970s. The key legal document was the marriage license, and it gave permission for the following personnel to officiate the marriage at that time:

> [@](#):
>
> To all licensed or ordained Christian Ministers and Priests, Jewish Rabbis, or Officers of Religious Organizations, which Officers are duly authorized by the Organization to perform marriage ceremonies, Justices of the Supreme Court, Judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals, Justices of the Courts of Civil Appeals, Judges of the District, County and Probate Courts, Judges of the County Courts At Law, Courts of Domestic Relations and Juvenile Courts, Justices of the Peace and Judges of the Federal Courts of this State, Greeting:
> 
> YOU, ОR EITHER OF YOU, ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED TO JOIN  
> In the Holy Union of Matrimony…

So this county appeared to allow just about any licensed or ordained religious official that was authorized by their own organization to perform marriages to do so. Nothing about ship captains though… 😉

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