The "Marriage Vows In Today's World vs. Yesteryear's World" Story

It was an ordinary day.  I was recently reading about woman's property rights that were severely limited until the late 19th century in most of America according to a story in "The Scribbler" column in Lancaster's Sunday Newspaper.  In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, single women could own land, but married woman could not.  When a woman married a man, her property became her husband's property under a legal principle called "coverture."  This included wages she might earn while married as well as any property she owned.  If her husband would die before she did, she would be entitled to a portion of his estate which was known as her "dower."  It would consist of one-third of her husband's estate.  If they happened to have children, one-half of the husband's estate would go to the children.  The remainder of the estate went to the husband's family.  There was only one way that this law could be changed.  The couple would have to draw up a contract before they got married which would outline a woman's right to property she had acquired before marriage.  These contracts are much like prenups that exist today.  One local marriage contract saw Susanna Frank, of 

Warwick Township, being engaged to George Houck, of Cocalico Township.  In an appearance before Justice of the peace Peter Martin in October of 1805, before the wedding, Susanna presented her list of requirements in the event of her husband dying.  After an appraisal of her deceased husband estate, she would receive up to 75 British pounds as well as a good and sufficient Dwelling House and stable with a garden and two acres of land.  She was also to receive annually multiple bushels of wheat, rye, Indian corn and potatoes; multiple pounds of pork, beef, flax and wool; and seven cords of firewood.  She also could take as many apples as she wanted from the orchard.  She could have a cow and one ton of hay and one ton of straw each year.  And, every year she would receive 7 pounds, 10 shillings.  Now, this prenuptial was rare with most widows receiving far less under a system that some people today would term quaint and others sexist.  Can you imagine what the prenuptial agreements might be today?  About the only ones who would benefit today would be the lawyers who would have to spend hours and hours writing up all the items that either the husband or wife wanted had they been the one to survive their wedding and the death of a spouse.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.