All this talk of names and other cultural details has caused some unanswered questions to surface. Perhaps someone knows the answer to these questions: Preaching at the Preacher? Rev. Rufus Wells (1743 - 1834)m. Sarah Porter daughter of Rev. Nehemiah Porter and Rebecca Chipman (John m. Hope Howland, Samuel, John). When Sarah died, Rufus went into a deep depression. He did not show up to preach for several Sundays. So, Nehemiah and another local preacher came to preach a morning and afternoon service...to encourage the parishioners. The two pastors and discussed their messages with each other. During one of the services, the other local pastor was to deliver a sermon on dementia. As this pastor came to the pulpit, Rufus showed up for service. Aghast, the preacher looked towards Nehemiah for instructions on what to do. If we were to put into modern English Nehemiah's response, it would be something like "Preach it brother!". So, a shaky pastor preached a sermon on the dementia of Rufus. Rufus, realizing that the sermon was about him, decided that he was in trouble. He "snapped out of it" and began fulfilling the duties of his calling once again. Question: How did people in this time frame define and view "dementia"? An Ox in Exchange for a Wife? Col John Thacher (1638 - 1713) m. first Rebecca Winslow (1643 - 1683; father Josiah). From a lister on the MA Barnstable list comes the revelation that: "On July 15, 1683, Mrs. Rebecca Thacher, wife of Col. Thacher, died, and 'many lamentable verses' he wrote on the occasion. Before the ink was dry with which he penned the elegies, he thought of Miss Lydia who was then twenty-two and unmarried. Common decency require that he should wait three months before proposing to marry her, but passing the house of the widow Gorham one evening, he saw his son Peter's horse hitched at the door. Mistrusting that Miss Lydia was the object of his visit, Col. Thacher on the morrow privately asked his son if he thought of marrying Miss Lydia. The young man blushed, and frankly admitted that to be the object of his visit. 'Now,' said the Colonel, 'if you will agree to discontinue your visits, I will give you my black oxen.' Peter accepted the oxen, and the Colonel married Miss Lydia 5 months and 16 days after the death of his first wife, whom he had so deeply lamented and in most dolorous rhymes." Lydia Gorham's grandfather was John Howland. Question: Was this a common exchange in these times or did my grampa John just lack tact? It is also said that John and Rebecca visited the Gorham house shortly after Lydia was born. As he held Lydia in his arms, he was reported to have asked Rebecca to kiss Lydia for she would be kissing his second wife. Eagerly awaiting a reply, Cathy B.