First Aspen marriage confirmed from 1882 after records request

Pitkin County Clerk and Recorder’s Office has confirmed Aspen’s first marriage license was issued in 1882 after a records request was made from the first couple’s descendants.

Mike Vaughn Cummins contacted the office while researching family history ahead of his daughter’s wedding this summer, a press release states, which occurred July 26 in Estes Park. Cummins requested a marriage certificate dating back more than 140 years, from the May 16, 1882, wedding of his great-great-grandparents Hannah Vaughn and William Crann in Aspen.

“This request was a wonderful reminder of the Clerk and Recorder’s role in preserving and safeguarding the community’s history,” Patricia Nadon, Recording Department supervisor, said in the release. “These records connect us not only to our families, but also to the story of Aspen itself.”

Nadon confirmed that Book A, the first marriage record book for Aspen, lists Vaughn and Crann’s certificate as the very first entry on page one. County Judge Joseph King officiated the marriage at 2 p.m., the certificate confirms, with Jack Martin and Mrs. Maggie Buckmaster serving as witnesses.

Every marriage in Pitkin County since that date remains on file in the Clerk and Recorder’s Office.