Thank you. "Grass widow" it is. On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 11:15 AM, Hellier, Cathy <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I think you mean "grass widow," which can mean an unmarried woman who has > a child. It can also mean a woman who is separated or divorced, one whose > husband is temporarily away, or a former mistress. It is a difficult term > to interpret in early records unless one really knows the context of the > situation. > > > Cathy Hellier > Historian > Department of Training and Historical Research > The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation > P.O. Box 1776 > Williamsburg, VA 23187 > 757-220-7442 > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [mailto: > [log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lewis Burruss > Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2014 9:16 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Baptism of bastard children in the Colonial Church > > A "gross widow", by the way, is an archaic term that meant an unmarried > woman who has a child. > > On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 at 8:32 AM, Lewis Burruss <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Baptism of bastard children in the Colonial > > Church An interesting note in the 1677 parish record of baptisms of > > Abingdon parish, Gloucester Co. Va, is this (abbreviations changed to > full words): > > "Thomas, son of Elizabeth White, gross widow, and Dr Daniel, the > > supposed father, was baptized about March 16th" > > > > > > On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 4:51 PM, [log in to unmask] > > <[log in to unmask] > > > wrote: > > > >> I should have known the discussion would veer off the main topic to > >> slavery, though my main question was about bastard children of ANY > >> color being baptized by the Anglican Church, which I had thought was > >> against canon law. (Paul, I didn't mean to imply I only got that > >> notion from *Tess of the d'Urbervilles*--I just threw that in for > >> some humor.)--Craig Kilby > >> > >> Original email: > >> ----------------- > >> From: Jon Kukla [log in to unmask] > >> Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2014 12:47:33 -0500 > >> To: [log in to unmask] > >> Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Baptism of bastard children in the Colonial > >> Church > >> > >> > >> There's plenty of evidence of slaves being baptized in reports back > >> to England, both to bishop of London and in the friends of Dr. Bray > >> stuff like that which John Van Horne edited. > >> Maury's letter struck me as kind of self-righteous ... from a guy > >> who had found a nifty way of taking the moral high ground while also > >> delighting in the fact that he was annoying less than favorite > >> parishioners. > >> On a similar note, a long-time pastor friend once commented that > >> it was too easy to succumb to the temptation of preaching hell-fire > >> and brimstone because it was like telling your parishioners to go to > >> hell. > >> Up in Richmond County when the Anglican rector announced that he > >> was going to answer the baptists in a sermon, his service was so well > >> attended that the balcony, where the slaves worshipped, collapsed. In > >> short, the evidence of slave participation in VA's colonial Anglican > >> is there if ya look for it..... > >> > >> > >> Jon Kukla > >> ________________ > >> www.JonKukla.com <http://www.jonkukla.com/> > >> > >> > >> On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 11:28 AM, Tarter, Brent (LVA) < > >> [log in to unmask]> wrote: > >> > >> > Years ago, Dr. Thomas E. Buckley, SJ, author of the recent > >> > excellent Establishing Religious Freedom: Jefferson's Statute in > >> > Virginia (Charlottesville, 2013), called my attention to a long 10 > >> > October 1759 letter in the Patrick Henry Papers at the Library of > >> > Congress from James Maury, rector of Fredericksville Parish, > >> > evidently sent to Commissary Thomas Dawson. Maury described at > >> > length the objections that some > >> members > >> > of his parish vestry made after he attempted to baptize some > >> > enslaved children during the regular church service. That > >> > indicates, as Craig mentioned, that children of slaves were > >> > sometimes baptized. The > >> vestrymen > >> > did not object to their being baptized, only to their being > >> > baptized > >> during > >> > the regular church service along with children of decent white people. > >> > > >> > Brent Tarter > >> > The Library of Virginia > >> > [log in to unmask] > >> > > >> > Please visit the Library of Virginia's Web site at > >> > http://www.lva.virginia.gov > >> > > >> > > >> > -----Original Message----- > >> > From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history > [mailto: > >> > [log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask] > >> > Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2014 9:47 AM > >> > To: [log in to unmask] > >> > Subject: [VA-HIST] Baptism of bastard children in the Colonial > >> > Church > >> > > >> > Hello all, > >> > > >> > I seem to have been suffering under the illusion ever since reading > >> *Tess > >> > of the Turbervilles* in sophomore English class that the Anglican > >> > church did not allow for the baptism of bastard children.* But in > >> > going through the Christ Church, Middlesex County parish register > >> > for the late 1600s > >> and > >> > early 1700s, I see that there are hundreds of bastard child baptisms. > >> These > >> > usually only name the mother. Also of interest are a considerable > >> > number > >> of > >> > slave children being baptized, which I also found unusual. So, > >> > gentle readers, where did I go astray regarding canon law in colonial > Virginia? > >> > > >> > Craig Kilby > >> > > >> > *Those of you who were forced to read this drivel may recall that > >> > Tess found herself in a family way without benefit of matrimony, > >> > and then the baby died. She then has a nightmare that the devil was > >> > tossing the > >> infant > >> > boy around in the flames of hell on his pitchfork. Our teacher, > >> > dear > >> Mrs. > >> > Timmons, asked the class what this meant. One wag in class quickly > >> > answered her with, "Burn, Baby, Burn!" She was not amused, but the > >> > rest > >> of > >> > the class went into an uproar! > >> > > >> > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> > - mail2web.com What can On Demand Business Solutions do for you? > >> > http://link.mail2web.com/Business/SharePoint > >> > > >> > ______________________________________ > >> > 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 > >> > > >> > >> ______________________________________ > >> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the > >> instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > >> > >> > >> -------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> mail2web.com What can On Demand Business Solutions do for you? > >> http://link.mail2web.com/Business/SharePoint > >> > >> ______________________________________ > >> 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 > > ______________________________________ > 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