The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-19
AUCTION FOR WIVES.
It Was Held Under the Greenwood
Tree In the Old Colonial DAYS.

From the earliest settlement of the
colonies there has always been defect
in the distribution of women in this coun-
try. 1t is a historical fact that while
one section has always suffered from an
| embarrassment of riches another has
pined in a needless privation. At the out
set of American colonization the wilder
ness was hungry for men to till it, and
thousands of The idle laborers of London
and Bristol poured into the new Eldorado.
Robert Beverly, in his History of
Virginia. published IN 1I05 and 1922, says:
Those that went over to that country
first were chiefly single men, who had not
the incumbrance of wives and children
in England; ana if they had, they did not
expose them to the fatigue and hazard
Of so long a voyage, until they saw how
it should fare with themselves From
hence 1t came to pass that When they
were settled there in a comfortable way
of subsisting a family, they grew sensible
of the misfortune OF wanting wives, and
such as had left wives in England sent
for them, but the single men We're put TO
their shifts.
hopes but that the plenty in which the
lived might invite modest women of small
fortunes to go over thither from Eng
land. However, they would not receive
any but such as could carry sufficient
certificate of their modesty and good be-
havtor Those, if they were but moderate
ly qualified in all other respects, might
depend upon marrying well in those days,
]
planters were so far from expecting
money with a woman that twas a COM
mon thing for them to buy a deserving
wife that carried good testimonials of her
! character, at the price of 500, and make
themselves believe they had bragain.
In one year Sir Edwin provided a
these were 80 agreeable young women
poor but respectable to furnish wives
to the colonists. This new commodity was
transported at the expense of the colony,
/ cx11I 70 fhn 1nr1f l,1
! following year another consignment was
made of so young maids of virtuous edu-
cation, young, handsome and we'll recon-
mended. A wife in the first lot sold gen
orally for 100 pounds of tobacco, but as
| the value of the new article became
known in the market the price rose and a
wife would bring $50 pounds of tobacco
| A debt for wife was of a higher dignity
than other debts, and to be paid first"
THE AUCTION.
In letter still in existence dated
London, Aug. q, 1921, and directed to a
worthy colonist of that settlement. the
writer says:
1--WE send you in the ship one widow and
| II maids for wives for the people of Vir-
| ginia. There hath been especial care had
in the choice of them, for there hath not
one of them been received but upon good
| concentrations.
TN case they cannot be presently mar
red we desire that they may be put with
several householders that have wives.
| But the Writer OF TINS ep1Stle mad little
reason to fear that any of the .'maidens
faire" would be left over. The archives
| of Virginia prove that these first cargoes
of young ladies Were put up at auction
beneath the green trees of jamestown,
! where probably the most anxious and in
! terested crowd of auction habitues ever
known in the history of the world were
gathered, and sold for 120 pounds of leaf
! tobacco each, and it was ordered that this
debt should have precedence of all others.
The solitary "one widow went along with
the others. for they could not be par
ticular in those days. The good minister
| of the colony no doubt had a busy time
that day. He did not mention any fees,
! nor did the bridegroons think of tender
ing any. All was JOY and gladness.
THE OLD COMPLAINING.
There exists in the United States to-
day the same defective distribution of
| women IS existed in the colonies 27S years
ago. Indeed, it is an economical, as well
as u social defect, that the distribution of
women in the country is so imperfect
that, while Massachusetts has $4,000 more
women than men, and while in every city
and hamlet from the Atlantic to the Mis-
I sissippi spinsters bloom and fade I'M
plucked by the raverent hand of eager
youth we frequently hear of a lonely
bachelor in the far west addressing a let
ter 10 the United States commissioner of