[APG Public List] The title "Mrs." in 1740 New England

[Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer]

The _History of the Town of Hampton Falls, New Hampshire..._ by Warren Brown
includes a transcription on marriage records for a time relevant to my
research. The record I'm interested in reads: "1741...April 3, John Duty and
Mrs. Jane Boynton, both of Newbury [Mass.]."

Of the 34 couples listed on this page, 17 of the women are listed as "Mrs.
Jane Doe," and only one of them has a notation that she is the widow of XYZ
Doe. Having half of the women being married in a two year period being
widows seems a very high percentage, especially when only one of them is
specifically identified as a widow.

Is it probable that the title "Mrs." is used for the 16 women not identified
as widows as a term of social respect, or is it probably that all of them
are widows?

Thanks for any comments!

Christine

-- 
Christine Crawford-Oppenheimer
Hyde Park, NY

Author of: Long-Distance Genealogy:
Researching Your Ancestors from Home
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