Brothers marry sisters even today with heighthened mobility. It may have something to do with the leadership of the Creator. Ever considered that?????? -- George and Sherry IN GOD WE TRUST -------------- Original message from "Robert Carpenter" <rcarpenter2@charter.net>: -------------- > Dwayne and all, > > I find this discussion to be fascinating and yet very challenging. I am > only offering my penny's worth. > > Dwayne is right. There has to be a reason for this family connection. My > grandfather was a family of 2 brothers marrying 2 sisters. But both > families attended the same church! I have 2 brothers also marrying 2 > sisters in the post Revolutionary era. They were close neighbors and both > ended up in the Lutheran Church. > > In your example so many of the same family marrying so many others is truly > fascinating. Take away religion, neighbors, and that leaves only a few > options. > > There is the possibility that both had known each other previously, either > in Europe or in early America. Or as someone else has suggested, there may > be a familial relationship heretofore unknown. > > While religion is taken out of the equation, it may not completely be. So > many of our early pioneers sought religion in so many different ways. In > North Carolina where I have done most of my research, language dictated many > marriages among religous groups. Also here few Anabaptists were able to > continue their unique religious practices into the 19th Century. I have > noticed some amount of conformity between Anabaptist and Reformed belief > systems. > > What a unique problem. Trying to isolate it without proper documentation is > going to be very challenging. > > I wish you good luck, > > Robert Carpenter > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Janet Rogers" > To: > Sent: Monday, March 24, 2008 1:56 PM > Subject: [BRE] Explaining the Frantz-Garst Marriages > > > > Tossing in my 2 cents worth here - > > > > Could it have been the 1st marriage was the catalyst for the others? > > Let's say Ann and Mark meet at a Love Fest and then marry. Letters > > home, > > from Ann, would then no doubt describe the personalities of the others in > > the home, causing a desire to meet. > > Let's then say that Ann and Mark wish to build a home, and Ann's family > > comes to help build, meeting Mark's family. Friendships, attractions and > > bonds are made. Other letters are exchanged by Ann to her family with a > > line > > or two that reads, "Rebecca, Jacob finds your sense of humor attractive, > > or > > Johann, Mary was very impressed with your strength.." > > There next comes another Love Fest, another marriage and down the line. > > It is not inconceivable that these matches came about through letters > > home and the functions of marriages and funerals as well as the church's > > Love Fest. > > A bad crop at one end of the county could have led to others in the > > church helping that family in other ways or helping them to build a home, > > barn, maybe purchase cattle or seed. Just because you are separated by a > > great distance then, didn't mean there wasn't communication of some sort. > > Was there some sort of cattle auction there that all farmers attended > > to > > acquire stock? How about the once a month or season trek to a main town to > > gather supplies that couldn't be home grown, (coffee, sugar, cloth, oil > > for > > lanterns, fat or wax for candles). There is always family gossip at these > > times. > > Then there is always word of mouth. One neighbor dies and his funeral > > is > > attended. One of the mourners writes a letter home and the information is > > passed to others. This could have been the same with letting eligible men > > and women know who was available for marriage. > > > > Blessings > > Janet > > > > > > ------------------------ > > Search the Archives at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/BRETHREN > > ------------------------ > > Support Our Sponsoring Agency > > The Fellowship Of Brethren Genealogists (FOBG) > > For further information contact Ron McAdams mailto:McAdamsr@hotmail.com > > ------------------------ > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > BRETHREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > ------------------------ > Search the Archives at http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/BRETHREN > ------------------------ > Support Our Sponsoring Agency > The Fellowship Of Brethren Genealogists (FOBG) > For further information contact Ron McAdams mailto:McAdamsr@hotmail.com > ------------------------ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > BRETHREN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in > the subject and the body of the message