[joathome]

Well, since they had no means of earning it, do you have a better way for them to acquire property? :)

And lets not forget that divorce was NOT at all prevalent. IF they got property through marriage, it was usually after a death. You know, I'm sure it hasn't dawned on you, but some husbands actually WANT to provide for their wives after death.

sheesh

[William Terrell]

And lets not forget that divorce was NOT at all prevalent. IF they got property through marriage, it was usually after a death. You know, I'm sure it hasn't dawned on you, but some husbands actually WANT to provide for their wives after death.

Why yes, death was the major reason for women to acquire property from marriage. The property was frequently split between the widow and the children with the widow getting the lion's share, and, get this, if a note was owing on the property, the bank could just go fly a kite; the property couldn't be taken to satisfy the note (in most cases). Men had a habit of dying much younger than their wives, so over several generations, women managed to hold a lot of real property.

It should be noted, at that time, land taxes owed couldn't be satisfied by taking the property; the title was placed in escrow and couldn't be sold until the taxes were paid but it could still be passed to inheritors.

Husbands didn't have to explicity provide for their widows in this way. It was without question that the widow and children inherited the property, not like to today. Having a hard time understanding your point.