What Happened To Eunice Winstead? After getting married to her neighbor, who was 23 years old, at the age of 9, Eunice Winstead became a famous historical figure. The present generation was shocked to learn of child marriage back then.
The information was dated to 1940, when Neal Harvey, a census enumerator, wrote down a family’s name. Four persons made up the odd family in Hancock County, Tennessee.
Farmer Henry N. Johns, age 65, his wife Mary J., age 67, and son Charlie, age 27, made up the family of four. The family’s first three members were typical, but the fourth member astounded the census taker.
Eunice Winstead, the daughter-in-law of the farmer, and wife of Charlie was just 12 years of age. The census data was not incorrect, and only her name was misplaced on the data. Let’s find out the details.
What Happened To Eunice Winstead?
Eunice Winstead was subject to child marriage at the age of 9 with 18 year age difference husband, Charlie Johns.
The case of child marriage was first reported during the census calculation. Charlie Johns and Eunice Winstead were married there on 19 January 1937.
The news of the shocking wedding spread quickly in the mainstream newspaper, sparking outrage nationwide. The story was covered by big newspapers back in the days with headline-grabbing netizens’ attention.
The story was presented on the front page with pictures of the lanky farmer and his flaxen-haired child bride. The small town of Sneedville was flooded with journalists, reporters, and flashes of cameras.
Eunice and Charlie continued their marriage up until the death of her husband in 1997. She survived nearly a decade more than her husband and then left the world in 2006. However, her name has been put down in history.
Charlie Johns’s Wife Married At 9: Wiki Details Discovered
At the moment, Charlie John’s wife Eunice’s name has not been listed on the official site of Wikipedia.
However, her name has been listed in the history textbooks for child marriage at the age of 9. Court clerk, Will Key said that he would not issue a 9-year-old child a marriage license.
But, both sides of the family were very open and positive about the marriage.
Nine-year-old Eunice Winstead Johns and her husband Charlie Johns, age 22, in Sneedville, Tennessee on this date February 2 in 1937. Photo credit: AP. #OTD pic.twitter.com/uaa8t5aNMu
— Dr. Jeffrey Guterman (@JeffreyGuterman) February 2, 2021
Tennessee’s state laws prohibited the issuance of a marriage license if either party were under the age of eighteen without parental permission or that of a guardian.
However, some states didn’t have an age limit if parental consent was provided such as Florida, Indiana, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Social Media Reaction On The Child Marriage At Just The Age Of 9
The modern social media world has gone bizarre after the child marriage of Eunice was discovered. People started giving their opinion on the wedding.
The comment section of the Twitter posts even questioned the nature of pedophilia back in the day. However, the decision of the marriage between the couple was mutual.
Nine-year-old Eunice Winstead Johns and her six-foot mountaineer husband, Charlie Johns, 22, are shown at their home in Sneedville, Tennessee, Feb. 2, 1937. Gov. Gordon Browning of Tennessee called the marriage, which provoked widespread discussion, “Nothing Short of Tragedy.” pic.twitter.com/2ywyOl9Kot
— History in Pictures (@ThisDayinHisto7) February 2, 2020
They eventually plan to build a home of their own and move out of the dwelling in which the girl’s parents also live. The photos of the couple standing together are historic ones.
At first, people thought that the two individuals are brother and sister, only to find their relationship as husband and wife.
