This is all so interesting because of course the law of the Leverite
required men to marry their older brothers' widows.  Under the Catholic
Church, special indulgences were granted for a fee to allow such a
marriage--Henry VIII received one so that he could marry his brother
Arthur's widow, Catharine of Aragon.

I suspect that the Church of England posted such rules but did not because
it really could not enforce them, particularly not in the colonies.

Edmond Morgan makes the point in American Slavery, American Freedom, that
the reason it is hard to trace the succession of fortunes from the tobacco
boom of 1618-1630 to the latter 17th century is that scholars have failed to
trace inheritance through the women's line.  He notes that when the names
associated with the FFVs first arrived in Virginia, after the Restoration in
England, they not only brought wealth but they also married wealth.  This
wealth then was associated with the Randolphs, Carters, Lees, Washingtons,
Jefferson, etc, etc, but had been accumulated by women with multiple
husbands and a penchent for good health.  Surely the brothers of the dearly
departed, say in 1650, saw the advantage of marrying their brother's widow,
both for the sake of the integrity of the family and also for maintaining
the fortune within certain social bounds.

Harold S. Forsythe
Golieb Fellow
New York University, School of Law
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rowe, Linda" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 5:34 PM
Subject: Re: 18th-c VA re-marriages of widows/widowers


If I recall the original question about marriage, it had to do with the
frequency with which widows and widowers married the sisters and
brothers of deceased spouses. (I don't now recall whether other kindred
relationships were mentioned.) I'll just throw this out there for your
consideration. There was (and is) "A Table of Kindred and Affinity,
wherein whosoever are related, are forbidden in Scripture and our Laws
to Marry together" in every (Church of England) _Book of Common Prayer_.
There are 30 forbidden relationships for men and 30 for women. Number 17
on the list for a man is "Wife's Sister" and #17 for a woman is
"Husband's Brother." If I remember correctly, there is evidence that the
Table of Affinity was posted in some parish churches in colonial
Virginia. Interesting, no? I've no idea whether the table actually
figured in anyone's thinking once you get beyond not marrying immediate
blood relatives (such as grandmother, grandfather, father's sister,
father's brother, and so on). The Table of Affinity did not find its way
into laws passed by the colonial General Assembly, as far as I know.

Linda H. Rowe
Historical Research
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
757-220-7443

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