C. Ward wrote : "Would it have been highly unusual for someone to remarry
four months after the death of their spouse, in the last quarter of the
eighteenth century? Have any other subscribers found similarly brief mourning
periods before remarriage?"


I have seen re-marriage occur as soon as a month after the death of a spouse
in families that I have tracked back as far as 1600 or so. After the American
Revolution, once things were a bit more settled, I think it was more
"customary" to wait longer. But, considering the life span, the constant
concern for utter survival, and the need to provide a mother/father for
children still at home, I am NOT surprised at the lack of a waiting period.
Afterall... in a given situation, if the survivor decided to wait a YEAR to
re-wed, they themselves could perish, leaving their children completely
orphaned.

Just a thought.

Jon Strickland
Atlanta (but still a Virginian!)

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