I have found in numerous ancestry lines that some couples get married on one date and perhaps 3-4 months later the newlywed couple welcome their first child. Why is this? I live in Minnesota, U.S. and, I discovered, tracing my ancestors after they arrived in this country that this type of scenario was also happening here. I discovered that my ancestors lived on farms, very rural areas and were isolated from churches. Young couples would take up house keeping together and have a first baby together. A few times a year a traveling minister would visit an area and perform weddings, baptisms, funeral (memorial) services. Now, this is not unique to any one nationality as I have worked on a family member that is of Irish descent and lived in the southern part of the U.S. and found the same scenario there as well. Is this what was happening in pre-20th century families in Finland.
Thank You
Janice
Marriage dates and first born dates
Re: Marriage dates and first born dates
Yeah, this was often the case in rural areas in Finland. Young couples perhaps lived together in the boy's home so that if she did not become pregnant then marriage maybe never took place. There was a pressure to ensure that descendancy is forthcoming. This did not please the church but what I have read about the phenomenon, it was purely logical from the farmers' point of view, not a moral issue at all since it was accepted by the girl's parents as well. It would have been immoral not to marry in such cases if the pregnancy had started.
Re: Marriage dates and first born dates
Hello Timotk
Well, that was interesting learning about the customs of those days. As I said, we had traveling ministers that would handle the needs of the country parishners in all aspects of their lives - cradle to grave. I had one ancestor that was a judge in Finland, came to America and was a traveling minister. Maybe the money was good. It must have been a lucrative job when you consider he was one person handling every citizens needs and would charge for each one, each wedding, each funeral, each baptism. How times have changed.
Thank you for getting back to me so soon. Must early morning in your neighborhood. It's not even midnight here yet.
Thanks again for your help.
Janice
Well, that was interesting learning about the customs of those days. As I said, we had traveling ministers that would handle the needs of the country parishners in all aspects of their lives - cradle to grave. I had one ancestor that was a judge in Finland, came to America and was a traveling minister. Maybe the money was good. It must have been a lucrative job when you consider he was one person handling every citizens needs and would charge for each one, each wedding, each funeral, each baptism. How times have changed.
Thank you for getting back to me so soon. Must early morning in your neighborhood. It's not even midnight here yet.
Thanks again for your help.
Janice