THE WEDDING IN YE DAYS LANG SYNE.
By Rev. Anson Titus.
The story of courtship and marriage is ever fascinating. It is new and fresh to the hearts of the youthful and aged. A few words upon the marriage day in the early New England will not be without interest. September 9, 1639, the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony passed a law ordering intentions of marriage to be published fourteen days at the public lecture, or in towns where there was no lecture the "intention" was to be posted "vpon some poast standinge in publique viewe." On this same day it was ordered that the clerks of the several towns record all marriages, births and deaths. This was a wise provision. It at once taught the people of the beginning and of the designed stability of the new-founded government.
The course of true love did not run smooth in these early days any more than to-day. Parents were desirous of having sons and daughters intermarry with families of like social standing and respectability. But the youth and maid often desired to exercise their own freedom and choice. On May 7, 1651, the General Court ordered a fine and punishment against those who "seeke to draw away ye affections of yong maydens." In the time of Louis XV, of France, the following decree was made: "Whoever by means of red or white paint, perfumes, essences, artificial teeth, false hair, cotton, wool, iron corsets, hoops, shoes, with high heels, or false tips, shall seek to entice into the bonds of marriage any male subject of his majesty, shall be prosecuted for witchcraft, and declared incapable of matrimony." The fathers of New England may have made foolish laws, but this one in France at a later time goes beyond them. The seductive charms of the sexes they deemed could not be trusted. Wonderment often comes to us of the thoughts and manners of the sage law-makers when their youthful hearts were reaching out after another's love.
The marriage day was celebrated with decorum. The entire community were conversant of the proposed marriage, for the same had been read in meeting and posted in "publique viewe." The earliest lawmakers of the Colony were pillars in the church, and though they did not regard marriage an ordinance over which the church had chief to say, yet they desired an attending solemnity. In 1651 it was ordered that "there shall be no dancinge vpon such occasions," meaning the festivities, which usually followed the marriage, at the "ordinary" or village inn.
The marriage of widows made special laws needful. Property was held in the name of the husband. The wife owned nothing, though it came from the meagre dowry of her own father. When the husband died the widow had certain rights as long as she "remained his widow." These rights were small at best, though the estate may have been accumulated through years of their mutual toil and hardships. We have notes of a number of cases, but give only a few. We omit the names of the contracting parties. "T—— C—— of A—— and H—— B—— of S——, widow were married together, September ye 28th, 1748, before O—— B—— J.P. And at ye same time ye sd H—— solemnly declared as in ye presence of Almighty God & before many witnesses, that she was in no way in possession of her former husband's estate of whatever kind soever neither possession or reversion." An excellent Deacon married an elderly matron, Dorothea ——, and before the Justice of Peace "Ye sd Dorothea declared she was free from using any of her former husband's estate, and so ye sd Nathaniel [the Deacon] received her." The following declarations are not without interest. "Ye sd John B—— declared before marriage that he took ye sd Hannah naked and had clothed her & that he took her then in his own clothes separate from any interest of her former husbands." Again a groom declares: "And he takes her as naked and destitute, not having nor in no ways holding any part of her former husband's estate whatever." We have also the declaration of a widower on marrying a widow in 1702, who had property in her own name, probably gained by will, "that he did renounce meddling with her estate." These declarations evidence that the widow relinquished, and that the groom received her without the least design upon the estate. It has been intimated that in a few instances these declarations became a "sign," but we can hardly credit it. The "rich" widow was taken out of the matrimonial problem.
The following affidavit is spread on the town records of Amesbury:
"Whereas Thomas Challis of Amesbury in ye County of Essex in ye Province of ye Massachsetts Bay in New England, and Sarah Weed, daughter of George Weed in ye same Town, County and Province, have declared their intention of taking each other in marriage before several public meetings of ye people called Quakers in Hampton and Amesbury, and according to yt good order used amongst them whose proceeding therein after a deliberate consideration thereof with regard to ye righteous law of God and example of his people recorded in ye holy Scriptures of truth in that case, and by enquiry they appeared clear of all others relating to marriage and having consent of parties and relations concerned were approved by said meeting.
Now these certify whom it may concern yt for ye full accomplishment of their intention, this twenty-second day of September being ye year according to our account 1727, then they the sd Thoms Challis and Sarah Weed appeared in a public assembly of ye aforesd people and others met together for that purpose at their public meeting-house in Amesbury aforesd and then and there he ye sd Thoms Challis standing up in ye sd assembly taking ye sd Sarah Weed by ye hand did solemnly declare as followeth:
Friends in ye fear of God and in ye presence of this assembly whom I declare to bear witness, that I take this my Friend Sarah Weed to be my wife promising by ye Lord's assistance to be unto her a kind and loving husband till death, or to this effect; and then and there in ye sd assembly she ye said Sarah Weed did in like manner declare as follweth: Friends in ye fear of God and presence of this assembly whom I declare to bear witness that I take this my Friend Thoms Challis to be my husband promising to be unto him a faithful and loving wife till death separate us, or words of ye same effect. And ye sd Thoms Challis and Sarah Weed, as a further confirmation thereof did then and there to these presents set their hands, she assuming ye name of her husband. And we whose names are hereto subscribed being present amongst others at their solemnizing Subscription in manner aforesd have hereto set our names as witness."
Then follow the names of groom and bride, relatives on either side, and then the names of members in the assembly, first the "menfolks," then the "womenfolks." The names all told are forty-one. Among them is that of Joseph Whittier, which name with those of Challis and Weed have long been honored names in Amesbury.
The marriage gift to the husband on the part of his parents was usually a farm, a part of the homestead; the dowry to the young bride from her parents was a cow, a year's supply of wool, or something needful in setting up house-keeping. If the homestead farm was not large the young couple were brave enough to encounter the labors and toils of frontier life, and begin for themselves on virgin soil and amid new scenes. It required bravery on the part of the young bride. But there were noble maidens in those days. The cares and duties of motherhood soon followed, but the house-cares and the maternal obligations were performed to the admiration of later generations. The fathers and mothers of New England were strong and hardy. Their praises come down to us. Witnesses new and ancient testify of their worth and royalty of character.