Published: February 8, 2013
Considering the stereotypes about Puritan New England, you might be surprised to learn that sweethearts in the 18th century were not only allowed to sleep together before marriage – they were encouraged to! The catch? They had to do it within the parents’ home. It was known as “bundling,” and although sex was theoretically not involved, the practice coincided with a huge increase in premarital pregnancy. By the end of the century, 1/3 of all brides were pregnant by the time they reached the altar.
In this episode, the History Guys explore three centuries of pre-marital intimacy. Did economic considerations used to play a greater role in coupling? In what ways have dating practices challenged class & racial boundaries? Has the idea of “romance” itself morphed over time?
Nancy Rose
Many of my Virginia ancestors married their cousins. This was apparently how they met people, not merely to keep the money in the family.
But my great great grandmother was rescued from North Wales by a Union soldier who returned after the Civil war to take her back with him to New York State. Her mother had been away from home, visiting in Warrenton, and asked a general to send someone. He asked his nephew Solomon to ride out to fetch her and bring her back through the lines.
Nancy Rose
On a trip to the Pacific Northwest my teen-age cousin noticed a man/boy walking near the swimming pool and announced that he was the man she was going to marry. They met again later at college on the east coast, and are still married at eighty and seventy-five.