In
a recent newsletter of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS),
the result of a recent survey was posted. It asked about: Ancestors’
Experiences with Love and Marriage. I thought the results were very interesting.
Some
of the results of the NEHGS survey are as follows:
·
14%,
At least one of my ancestors had an arranged marriage.
·
21%,
At least one of my ancestors had a broken engagement.
·
36%,
At least one of my ancestors had a fiancé or spouse who was killed in a
war.
·
15%,
At least one of my ancestors had a spouse who died within six months of their
wedding day.
·
32%,
At least one of my ancestors died within six months of a spouse's death.
·
15%,
At least one of my ancestors was involved in a bigamous marriage.
·
45%,
At least one of my ancestors was married more than three times.
·
5%,
At least one of my ancestors was reunited with a long-lost love.
·
60%,
At least one of my ancestors was married 60 years or more.
I
could probably say yes to every question, except the bigamy one I believe. But
it would take some time to go through my whole family list. Of the past five
generations of my, and my wife’s direct ancestral lines this is what I can
answer about the length of their marriages at least. All of the marriages ended
with the death of one partner, none in divorce:
|
Relationship
|
Wayne
|
Linda
|
||
|
|
Years
|
Dates
|
Years
|
Dates
|
|
Parents
|
35
|
1939-1974
|
45
|
1931-1976
|
|
Grandparents
|
45
|
1914-1959
|
32
|
1902-1934
|
|
58
|
1895-1953
|
14
|
1908-1922
|
|
|
Great-grandparents
|
1
|
1891-1891
|
46
|
1857-1903
|
|
35
|
1884-1919
|
<43
|
1868-bef
1911
|
|
|
48
|
1866-1914
|
47
|
1880-1927
|
|
|
29
|
1851-1880
|
|
|
|
|
2nd
Great-grandparents
|
35
|
1855-1890
|
48
|
1802-1850
|
|
41
|
1851-1892
|
<35
|
1846-bef
1881
|
|
|
<20
|
1848-bef 1868
|
<18
|
1833-bef
1851
|
|
|
51
|
1854-1905
|
60
|
1851-1911
|
|
|
8
|
1838-1846
|
<21
|
1850-bef
1871
|
|
|
54
|
1840-1894
|
|
|
|
|
57
|
1801-1858
|
|
|
|
|
43
|
1817-1860
|
|
|
|
|
3rd
Great-grandparents
|
44
|
1826-1870
|
<74
|
1787-bef
1861
|
|
58
|
1819-1877
|
<41
|
1820-bef
1861
|
|
|
38
|
1823-1861
|
<46
|
1825-bef
1871
|
|
|
24
|
1827-1851
|
<13
|
1828-bef
1841
|
|
|
20
|
1825-1845
|
|
|
|
|
51
|
1820-1871
|
|
|
|
|
abt 29
|
1804-ca 1833
|
|
|
|
|
38
|
1811-1849
|
|
|
|
|
abt 55
|
1783-ca 1838
|
|
|
|
|
38
|
1790-1828
|
|
|
|
The
furthest back I can go is to my 8th great-grandparents who married
in 1630. He died in 1657 and she in 1685, so their marriage lasted only 27
years.
It’s
an interesting exercise to see the longevity of your ancestors’ marriages. The
short ones are all too sad, especially that of my paternal great-grandparents
which last only one year when she died of pthisis (tuberculosis). I wrote about
her on 23
June 2015.
The analysis also tells you that there is still a lot of work to do in finding when, where and how people married and long their union lasted.
It’s
also great when you have a photo taken on a special day such as this one for
Linda’s 2nd great-grandparents, James & Mary Walker in Elgin,
Moray, Scotland on their 60th wedding anniversary, 6 February 1911.
Linda and I will celebrate 46 years together next Monday!
Wayne
Shepheard is a volunteer with the Online Parish Clerk program in
England, handling four parishes in Devon, England. He has
published a number of articles about various aspects of genealogy and is a past
Editor of Chinook, the quarterly
journal of the Alberta Family Histories Society. Wayne also provides
genealogical consulting services through his business, Family History Facilitated
