The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-06-07

SOME OF THE ODDITIES OF OLD TIME
cOURTSHlPS.

How Early Marriage For Both Women
and Men Was Encouraged, but Heavy
Penalties Attached to Sly wooing-wid-
! ows and Widswers Had tbs Best of It.
AS the chief and only object Of girl of
colonial times was plainly to get married,
1t Is evident that the steps that led her to
marriage were of much importance. She
was early taught by precept and few
rare and deplorable examples to dread and
shun being an old maid. The traveller,
John Dunton, wrote In 1874:
ut Is true an old or superannuated maid
In Boston is thought such curse as moth
ing can exceed 1t, look'd on as dismal
spectacle"
He adds that unmarried women were
called "thornbacks. The state of old
maidism was reached at an early date.
Higginson wrote Of an "ancient maid" of
90. The letters Of Mary Doning, daughter
Of Emanuel Doning, John Winthrop's
brother-in-law, show how bitterly her par
ents resented her remaining unmarried
till about % years of age. And letters OF
her father show his modification at not
''early matching" his children. The evi
dences of family records, of gravestones,
Of church lists, show that unmarried
women were few.
Lone men, as Shakespeare called them,
were, Of course, equally discouraged
Bachelors were eyed askance and with
much suspicion. They were watched by
ministers, elders, deacons, magistrates,
heads of families; the tithing man wst
ordered to have "spetial eye out" op
them. They were not permitted to live
alone or to choose their place of resi.
dence, but had to go with whom and where
the court assigned, and II they resented
this treatment were sold for a term Of serv.
ice. In many of the colonies they had t1
pay a tax II they remained unmarried after
a certain age.
All was not smooth sailing when the re.
stricted and watched bachelor decided to
marry and gain freedom. He could NOT
"make motion of marriage to any
young woman In the community without
obtaining the consent of her parents,
guardians or near kinsfolk. The whip.
ping post and cat o. nino tails awaited
him IL he "inveagled the affections of any
maid or maidservant' by making love tt
her without proper permission. have
often wondered whether the marked ut.
tractions and charms Of widows In colo.
NAL days were not somewhat due to the
fact that man could court them without
being watched, or being given permission,
or rendering account. so
Many laws restricting unlicensed love.
making can be found In court records OF
colonial days, but the New Haven magis.
trates severely specified the "invesgling'
~ by speech, writing, message, company
keeping, unnecessary familiarity, disor.
dcrly night meetings, sinful dalliance,
gifts or (ss final blow 10 inventive Low.
ers) In any other way"
II may plainly be seen that II a sly WOO.
er were hauled mp for "ipvesgling" and
threatened with the whipping post and
stocks bold sweetheart bad very simple
way Of thwarting the magistrates. when
Goodman Tuttle Of New Haven found that
Jacob Murlin had been kissing Sarah
.TuttIe, bic daughter, without leave OF
1icspse, he angrily brought suit against
Jacob for invsieling 6arah's affections
Anairs were lookius dark for jacob and