[LMB] Age at first marriage

[Mark Allums]

Azalais Aranxta wrote:
> On Fri, 4 Apr 2008, Adam Ek wrote:
> 
>> On Apr 4, 2008, at 1:51 PM, Mark Allums wrote:
>>> I am told that there was a frontier-era saying that the ideal ages for
>>> bride and groom were thus:  The bride should be half the groom's age,
>>> plus seven years.
>> I first read that in The Number of the Beast, but the character
>> attributed it to Little Women.
> 
> So if a boy marries at 14 (legal in some places) his bride is the
> same age as him, but at 16, she's 15, at 18, she's 16, at 20,
> she's 17, at 22, she's 18, at 24, she's 19, at 26, 20, at 28, 21,
> at 30, 22...?
> 
> But very few of the stories I've heard involving 14 year old
> brides involved boys under 20.
> 
> Of course it means also that at 43, I'd have to marry a man who
> is 72 @@;;;  no thanks!
> 
> This strikes me as a rule more often honoured in the breach.
> Either that or a rule that assumes bridegrooms are no younger
> than 18 and no older than 34, at which one gets a 24 year old
> bride.
> 
> ~malfoy, imagining some 40 year old in 1890 being censured for
> marrying someone under 27, and successfully rolling to
> disbelieve...if he had money she'd have been considered wise to
> accept him.

I think it was a statement that encouraged marrying young.


-- 
Mark Allums