Cooley, Thomas J., Pointe Coupee, Louisiana, to Archbishop Anthony Blanc, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1859 September 10

Cooley writes as a Catholic who needs clarification of some matters regarding the Church. Is there an impediment of a marriage between a widower and his wife's niece? Does it matter if the man has children by the first marriage who are still alive? Is such an impediment part of Church rules, or is it dogma? Can the Church grant dispensation, and to whom should application for dispensation be made? If the couple marries with a dispensation, are they in sin? Is the marriage wrong in essence? Their pastor, Father Francis Mittelbronn, has been consulted, but they feel the need of consulting higher authority. Many of the townspeople consider such marriage a sin. :: VI-2-b A.L.S. 3pp. 12mo.