Bubbe's Place: Stories

An Engagement Agreement

Here are the conditions and the solemn agreement between both parties who, on one side, Mindel daughter of Mikel presenting her son Tzvi, and on the other side, Shlomo, son of Abraham, representing his daughter, Esther Yente. When we asked her she accepted, so the groom, Tzvi, will marry her in a chupah Kidushin K’dat Moshe V’Israel. They also accepted not to hide from each other any kind of money, but to control their wealth and property equally and will live with love like everyone else. Mindel Krafchenko, representing her son, the groom, solemnly agrees to distribute the money of the dowry and she also solemnly promises to provide clothes and shoes to her son the groom for the weeing, clothes for weekdays, and for Shabbat, and for holidays, as customary, including pillows, and sheets, blankets as customary, and also gifts to the bride as customary. Shlomo Gubenko in representing his daughter, the bride, promised to pay the money of the dowry in the amount of 10,000 rubles, and he gave that into the hands of the groom. He also solemnly promises to provide clothes and shoes to her son the groom for the weeing, clothes for weekdays, and for Shabbat, and for holidays, as customary, including pillows, and sheets, blankets as customary, and also gifts to the groom as customary.

The wedding will be whenever both sides agree. The expenses of the wedding will be paid by the father of the bride. There will be a penalty on whomever breaks the agreement of half of the dowry.

The guarantor from the side of the groom is Moshe Simoff ben Shlomo David; the guarantor from the side if the bride is Yakov Shepatovsky ben Zion. Both sides agree to compensate the guarantors so they will not have any damages.

Signed today, Friday Sedra Terumah, the first of Rosh Hodesh Adar, the year 5680, here in the town of Koshovato.

Aside: In the ketubah, marriage contract, it listed the amount that Shlomo would pay for the dowry. Your Bubbie and Zeide couldn't stop laughing as they read Aunt Yetta’s ketubah. They both insisted it was a made up sum to show how valuable she was. No one in their family had that kind of money.