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Archiver > Scioto-Valley-OH > 1999-08 > 0934604706


From: John Auten <>
Subject: Using the Averages
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 23:25:06 -0500 (CDT)


fyi

L. John Auten
302 S. Second St., #405
Champaign, IL 61820-4140
(217/355-2288)
<>


USING THE AVERAGES

If you are at a dead-end trying to trace early pre-1850 ancestors, here are a
few clues that may lead to finding that elusive documentation. Generally,
there are three generations per century.
The average age for men to marry was about 24-seldom before age 20. The
average age for women to marry was 20-seldom before age 16. First marriages
were usually between couples near the same age. Women usually outlived their
husbands, but older widowers frequently married much younger women who had
never been married. Births usually occurred at two-year intervals. Frequently
the first child was born a year after the marriage. Child bearing generally
ended about age 45.

Men usually married women from their neighborhood, but if a "non-local" woman
shows up, check the man's former home. Often men returned to their former
residence to find a wife. Families and neighbors usually migrated from their
old homes together, and women rarely traveled alone. If you cannot find an
older parent, chances are he/she "went West" with a son or daughter and
son-in-law. If you find an ancestor with a "virtue" name (Patience, Hope,
Charity, etc.) consider a New England heritage. Children were often named for
grandparents, both male and female.

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