Widowhood in New France: Consequences and Coping Strategies

Widowhood in New France: Consequences and Coping Strategies

Widowhood in New France: Consequences and Coping Strategies

Widowhood in New France: Consequences and Coping Strategiess

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Référence bibliographique [4586]

Richter, Molly G. 2003. «Widowhood in New France: Consequences and Coping Strategies ». French Colonial History, vol. 4, p. 49-62.

Fiche synthèse

1. Objectifs


Intentions :
« After an overview of the existing -sparse- scholarship, it analyzes statistical findings from a population sample for four rural Montreal parishes between 1713 and 1763. It then considers the aftermath of widowhood and the repercussions for family members left behind, before concluding with a discussion of remarriage. Historical widowhood has many different components. This article focuses on three of them. First, demographic matters: the sheer statistics of widowhood and of remarriage as it divided along gender lines. Second, the legal system under which widows and widowers lived in New France, and how it affected them. Third, the interplay of household economics and family survival. » (p. 50)

2. Méthode


Échantillon/Matériau :
« For this study, I requested all marriages interrupted by the death of a spouse in the four parishes of Boucherville, Longueuil, Pointe Claire, and Lachine between 1713 and 1763, and obtained a sample of 253 couples.The original sample was, however, reduced to 175 by rejecting couples that did not live in the four parishes for the majority of their married lives, or that involved a previously married partner (in order to avoid cases of serial widowhood and remarriage). » (p. 52)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé


« Cet article discute le veuvage féminin et masculin en Nouvelle France au dix-huitième siècle. Pendant l’Ancien Régime, le veuvage était un fait normal qui frappait sans faire de distinction. Mais, les méthodes employées pour assurer la survie d’une famille rompue, le comportement de l’époux survivant, et les possibilités qui lui étaient ouvertes furent influées par son sexe. Quelques-uns des plus importants problèmes du veuvage - les stratégies utilisées par le survivant, le rôle de la parenté et de la communauté, et les ramifications des deuxièmes noces sur les enfants et les biens du premier lit - sont abordés dans cet article. » (p. 49)