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 To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html