Emory T. Green was born Sep 1873 the son of Charles Green born 11 Oct 1814 and Angelina Louisa Wilson born 20 Nov 1844. Louisa was 34 years her husbands junior. They were married in 1860 when Louisa would have been 15 years of age. Charles would have been 46, our social mores have changed since the 1800, but even for that period of time the age difference would have been unusual. Our collective consciousness has the false impression that people in the 1800's got married at a extemely young age; but this is usually not historical the case. Records indicate that people during this people did get married in their late teens and early twenties; this trend continued up until the 1960's as the predominate age period for people to join in marriage contracts. The Census records for 1900 confirm the age difference of the couple, as does their tombstone in Pleasant Hill Cemetery. The Green union is the exception to the marriage age of the day, not the norm. The Union lasted for over 40 years so they had a successful marriage.
Another myth is that divorce did not happen in 1800's. First off to be historically honest, mortality was an issue in people wanting to remarry. As spouses did pass and there were quick remarriages; especially if there were infant or young children to be looked after; but divorces did take place, but they were rare.
Marriage because of death was more common depending on the financial and emotional needs of the surviving spouse. One case in point is Amanda Doyal, one of the interned in Howard Cemetery, the widow of Aaron Frazee; financially Amanda did not need to remarry, even though she had three boys in the household that were young; therefore she never does. Having male children was a boon for Amanda as it provided a need farm work force. Now a female in a similar situation that did not have the financial means; would have more likely than not, remarried to provide for her children. Similar to a man in a situation like Oscar Cook the husband of Mary Wiley Cook one of the interned in Howard Cemetery. Oscar is left with two small children when Mary dies in 1858, what does he do; he does what most men do during this time, he remarries. Who does he marry; he marries Charity Wiley the sister of Mary. Some spouses would plead on their death bed that their unmarried sister looked after the husband and children. The dying female would feel an obligation to her spouse and children to find a solution, while they are also dying. I know in present day this may sound absurd, but in the obituary of Nellie Stoker Smith(see Sketch under that name) it even states this being the case. These are not typically long drawn out deaths, but these woman had to forethought to make arrangements for their households even after there deaths. Woman knew the household and children were their obligation, even after death; and if they could they would prepare for the transition to life without them. If a new spouse was not suggested, it would have been encouraged. Children would have been fostered out to family member, until a new spouse was attained. Sometimes these children remained with the foster families their entire lives, usually the foster family had a familiar tie to the children; but not always. Couples with no children could greatly benefit from extra labor around the farm. Yes children were used as family farm labor, and accomplished work that we would not even think of letting a child do in today's "me" generation. This is not to disparage the society of today, but we do in general have a more individual ideal of the collective in the family, instead of the group dynamic that was found in the families of the 1800. We don't have to work as hard to just provide a life for the family. Families in the 1800 were more driven by the obligation to not only the nuclear family, but also the extended family and community in general. How society worked in the 1800's even in the microcosm of Perry Township is very valuable to getting to know the people of historical community, and what impacted on their lives.
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