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The 1820's was a time of transition. Premarital pregnancy around 1800 was very common in New England (according to Hindus and Smith, at least, nearly 30% of all pregnancies). But by the 1820's the ideal of both female and male chastity were being strenuously espoused enough by the emerging middle class that someone could certainly feel some angst about a premarital pregnancy. This was the moment when Sylvester Graham was attracting large audiences for his lectures on male chastity. Now since this was a rural setting and involved displaced New Englanders, perhaps there was cultural lag. Then again, this was an aspiring lawyer, so maybe he was tuned into emerging ideals more fully. 10-20 years later I would certainly suspect this was a family secret they might want to hide. There are lots of books and articles that could provide context. Considering the frontier setting and the involvement of New Englanders, I would definitely look at Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's Midwife's Tale. She has a section which engages this topic directly. Nancy Cott's classic article "Passionlessness" will certainly help illuminate the wife's perspective, as well as Ruth Bloch's classic article on the gendered meanings of virtue. On the emerging ideal of male chastity, you could check out my book Seduced, Abandoned, and Reborn: Visions of Youth in Middle Class America, 1780-1850. Also consult Clare Lyons' Sex Among the Rabble. But lots of older works also shed light on these matters, so mine our footnotes too. Rodney Rodney Hessinger Associate Dean Associate Professor of History Hiram College Hiram, OH 44234 (330) 569-5466
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