Until October 3, 1681, all marriages in Bergen were performed in the
school-house, thenceforth in the church, it was the custom to be
married in the presence of the congregation either by the minister
or the Voorleezer, if by the latter, the record bore the clause "in
the presence of the Court of Bergen." In the early days the usual fee
was f6 in wampum, paid over to the church funds. Often a collection
was taken up among the wedding guests for the poor. There are several
instances of the kind on record. There was no almshouse until recent
years, and in the early days the town paid for the board of the poor,
but the method of arranging the matter sounds very strange nowadays.
It seems from the records that the poor dependent upon the town were
sold to the lowest bidder. Winfield quotes the following: "At Bergen
Town meeting Dec. 15th, 1784, at a public Outcry is sold Enoch Earle
to the lowest bidder for the sum of seven pounds, ten shillings, the
conditions are as follows, the byer is to find the said Enoch Earle a
Good Bed, Washing, Lodging and Victuals, and mending his close; the
Overseers of the Poor are to find all the New Close and then the said
Enoch Earle is to work for the Byer as much as he is able to do until
the year's End."