Escaping Matrimony

Antonio T. Bly is the Peter H. Shattuck Endowed Chair in Colonial American History at California State University, Sacramento.

Antonio T. Bly’s Escaping Matrimony is a remarkable example of the power of social history to unlock the voices of ordinary women and men. Pulling together a seemingly disparate collection of newspaper ads and flyers, Bly provides the reader with a new understanding of 18th marital discord, the always unstable balance of power between wife and husband, and the way in which assumptions of masculine and feminine roles present themselves in the public display of marital grievances. At the same time, this rich collection of “elopement documents” reveals the role these announcements played in creating and sustaining a community ethos. Scholars of the 18th century will welcome this treasure trove of primary sources.

• Acknowledgments“Bed and Board”: An Introduction to Reading Advertisement Regarding the Peculiar Business of Eloping Spouses.Note on NoticesNote on NewspapersChapter 1: Elopement Advertisements in the Southern ColoniesChapter 2: Elopement Advertisements in the New England ColoniesChapter 3: Elopement Advertisements in the Mid-Atlantic ColoniesAppendix A: Anthony AfterwitAppendix B: Benjamin Franklin to John AlleyneAppendix C: David Ramsey’s A Sermon on TeaAppendix DGlossaryAbout the Author