A marriage that shocked the nation and prompted legal reforms to prevent similar incidents involved a 22-year-old farmer marrying a 9-year-old girl. Charlie Johns and Eunice Winstead tied the knot on January 19, 1937, in rural Tennessee, where there was no minimum marriage age requirement at the time. Despite widespread criticism, the marriage was technically lawful.
Johns paid a dollar to Baptist preacher Walter Lamb for the ceremony, while Winstead deceived her parents by claiming she was going to buy a doll. Johns misrepresented his young bride’s age to obtain a marriage license, but the truth later emerged that she was only nine years old. Winstead’s mother, Martha, eventually approved of the marriage due to Johns’ property ownership and reputation as a successful farmer.
As the news spread, public outrage grew, leading to calls for legal changes to address child marriage issues in the US. In response, Tennessee quickly enacted a law in 1937 establishing 16 as the minimum marriage age with a waiting period for girls under 18. Despite the controversy, Johns and Winstead remained married for many years.
Eunice briefly attended elementary school in the summer of 1937 but left due to disciplinary problems. The couple resided with Johns’ parents in Sneedville for several years. In December 1942, Eunice gave birth to their first child at the age of 14, and they went on to have eight more children together. Despite their own unconventional start, Johns was displeased when their daughter Evelyn married at 17, claiming her age was falsified to obtain a marriage license.
The couple defied societal norms by staying together for over six decades, with Johns passing away in February 1997 and Eunice in August 2006.