: I have my own conjecture, derived not from specific
: evidence, but from typical and ordinary events of that
: era, relating to Andrew and Martha.
: The day is June 22, 1724. Andrew looked forward to the
: religious revival meeting. He did not often get
: together with others his age. The meeting would take
: place near the longest day of the year. Hundreds of
: families would gather together to listen to
: Presbyterian evangelists. There would be more than
: 17-1/2 hours between sunrise and sunset. A number of
: stern ministers would hector the attendees about the
: dangers of idle talk rather than devout reading of the
: scripture, but afterwards, there would always be hours
: of drinking, singing, dancing, and story telling, and
: for some, loss of their virginity. Although only 12
: years of age, Andrew had already taken an interest in
: girls. He hoped to see Martha again. She had just
: turned 13, and had flirted with him.
: Soon after Martha became pregnant, Andrew and Martha took
: their marriage vows in a private home. Neither had
: access to a family Bible to record the event. Marriage
: in the local church was out of the question. Martha's
: parents had no money to pay for the church services.
: Human bones protruded through the dirt floor of the
: church.. Water dripped from the leaky roof. There was
: no place to sit and no kitchen to prepare a meal for
: the guests. Beggars beseeched anyone who neared the
: church for whatever they could spare. Bandits lay in
: wait on roads for anyone who dared travel alone or
: unarmed to church.
: Among the early pioneer settlers in Pennsylvania a high
: proportion of women were pregnant when they got
: married; even if they were not, if the baby was born
: before the normal term, they were considered guilty of
: fornication. Pennsylvania Births: Lancaster County,
: 1723-1777, by John T. Humphrey, 1997 (hardcover).
: Accordingly, the parents often were evasive or lied to
: others as to when they got married.

Thanks for the cool perspective.

Makes me wonder about my own ancestors, who were married when she was about 14, with a newborn baby boy that same year in Westmoreland.