For some reason a lot of southern women married young. I think it was to get away from a big family with too many mouths to feed or since women were considered property of the father, maybe to avoid sexual abuse. Or the sons moved out and needed a wife to take care of them and maybe children from a first wife. I have several lines where the women married very young. Unfortunately, marrying at 11 is not that uncommon. Lynda

>For some reason a lot of southern women married young. I think it was to get away from a big family with too many mouths to feed or since women were considered property of the father, maybe to avoid sexual abuse. Or the sons moved out and needed a wife to take care of them and maybe children from a first wife. I have several lines where the women married very young. Unfortunately, marrying at 11 is not that uncommon. Lynda< Some very valid points you make Lynda. We forget sometimes I think, that we cannot apply 20th and 21st Century principles to 18th and 19th [or beyond] Centuries. Sharon

My grandfather married his children's "nanny" when my grandmother died. I don't know if anything was "going on" before her death... or if they married because she was living there and it would "look" better. There were 4 young children in the family. They grew to love her as their mother! This 2nd "mother" was very young...but 11?...I've not run into that in my family... Mary in SC That's strange, half my ancestors are WOMEN!! At 11:42 AM 08/17/2000 -0400, lynda wilson wrote: >For some reason a lot of southern women married young. I >think it was to get away from a big family with too many >mouths to feed or since women were considered property >of the father, maybe to avoid sexual abuse. Or the sons >moved out and needed a wife to take care of them and >maybe children from a first wife. >I have several lines where the women married very young. >Unfortunately, marrying at 11 is not that uncommon. >Lynda > >

Good Afternoon, My GrGrandpa John Robinson married a 17 year old girl who died at age 31 of child birth complications with her 15 child. He was 35 when he married the first time. They lived in Carroll County, GA. The following year, at age 63, he married Martha Fain who was 17 at the time. That wedding took place in Cass County, GA where her parents lived. GrGrandma Martha gave him 5 more children including Grandpa William Fain Robinson. Men marrying younger women seems to have been the norm in those days. Any man who can father 20 children, all legal, must have been one hell of a man. Angus "Scotty" Robinson

Hello all GA listers, I want to thank each of you for your responses on my question about marrying at 11. I'm almost certain that to be her age due to the marriage date of her parents. The man that she married, turned out to be quite a monster. The deal is; they would have married abt 1887/88 due to the first child being born in 1888. However, a cousin found a marriage record of her marrying a man in 1886 with the same first name different last name. We havent quite figured out if he may have gotten into trouble in GA/AL as well, and changed his name, or if she married twice. Now, I personally have not seen this record of the 1886 marriage, and do not know for fact that this is my gg grandmother. According to the 1900 census, she was 24 and had been married for 12 years, which still, only makes her 12. This is my own finding and I have a copy. Due to the fact we have no 1890 census, I cannot compare, and the fact that her husband (my gg grandfather) lost his mind in 1902, I cannot even compare with 1910. Although she remarried before 1904 her next two boys by this marriage always carried my gg grandfathers name. Reason unknown, Unless she just wanted all her children to have the same last name....got me....Anyway, thanks for all the answers, Who knows, maybe one day I'll wake up with a fresh mind, and all the answers will be right in front of me. Here's hoping!! ; ) Again, Thanks to all, for all of your help, Sharla Linex