Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-06-10
Old Time Courtships.

| AS the chief and only object Of a a,rl
| of colonial times was plainly to get
| married. it is evident that the steps
! that led to her marriage were oi much
| Importance. She was early taught by
! precept, and aifcw rare and dcplorable
examples to dread and shun being an
old maid. The traveller, John Dnnton,
wrote in 1914:
st is true an old or superannualcd
| maid i'm Boston is thought such a curse
as nothing can exceed IL. looked on as
IA dismal spectacle.
He adds that unmarried women were
called 'thornbacks.'' The state of old
| madism was reached at an early date.
Higginson wrote Of an ''ancient maid
of %. The letters of Mary Doning,
| daughter OF Emanuel Doning, John
| Winthrop's brotherin-law, shows how
| bitterly her parents resented her re-
naming unmarried till about . years
of age. And letters OF her father show
| his modification at not early match
! inc" his children. The evidences OF
family records. OF graycstones, OF
church lists. show that unmarried
women were few.
| Lone men, as Shakespeare called
them, were, OF course, equally discour
and with much suspicion. They were
watched by ministers, elders. deacons,
magistrates. heads of families: the
! tithing-man was ordered to have a
'spetial cye-out' on them. They were
not permitted to live alone, nor to
choose their place of residence, but
had to 60 with whom and where the
court assigned, and, if they resented
this treatment, were sold for term OF
service. In many Of the colonies they
had to pay tax if they remained un-
married after certain age.
| All was not smooth sailing when the
restricted and watched bachelor decid-
ed to marry and gain freedom. He
could not make a motion OF marriage
to any young woman in the community
| without obtaining the consent OF her
parents, guardians or near kinsfOlk.
The whipping post and cat-o-nine-tails
awaited him if he ''inveagled the affec-
tons of any maid or maid servant by
making love to her without proper
permission. | have often wondered
whether the marked attractions and
charms or widows In colonial days
were not somewha due to the fact that
a man could court them without being
watched. or being given permission or
rendering account.
Many laws restricting unlicensed
lovemaking can be found in court
records of colonial days, but the New
Haven magistrates severely specified
the ''inveagling' us ''by speech, writ
ing, message, company-keeping, un-
necessary familiarity, disordcrly night
meetings, sinful dalliance, gifts, or las
"a final blow to inventive lovers) in any
other way
1t may plainly be seen that if sly
wooer were hauled up for ''inveagling'
and threatened with the whipping.
post and stocks bold sweetheart had
very simple way of thwarting the
magistrates. When Goodman futile
of New Haven found that Jacob Murlir
had been kissing Sarah Tuttle, his
daughter. without leave or license, he
angrily brought suit against Jacob fol
inveisling Sarah's affections. Affairs
were looking dark for Jacob, and th'
lash of the whip seemed to trembl'
near HIM in the air, when the cour
asked Sarah whether Jacob inveigles
her, and she demurely answered mo.
The magistrate called her ''boult
virgin but he couldn't make her sa,
she was kissed against her will, 81
Jacob went scot-free, to Goodman
Tuttlc's ire. ...
These laws as to the restraint O
lovers were not wholly for the contro
of ignorant and poor folk, nor to pre-
vent the loss of bound servants, a
some historians have imagined. The,
applied to all classes in the community
and were taken advantage of by faith
ers and guardians of all ranks. TIL
governor Of Plymouth colony, Thoma
Prence, did not hesitate to drag hi
daughters love affairs before tn
public. He prosecuted Arthur How
land for ''disorderly and unrighteousl
endeavoring to gain the affections G
Mistress Elizabeth Prence." | have
suspicion that in this case, had Elizs
beth Prence been 'sbould virgin,
she might have truthfnily asserte
that the affections were given by hel
not unrighteously stolen. Lover How
land was ordered Ito refrain and d,
sist," and he paid fine Of pound
Seven wears later, still endeavOring ,