Women and the Law of Property in Early America

by Marylynn Salmon

Book Overview

In this first comprehensive study of women's property rights in early America, Marylynn Salmon discusses the effect of formal rules of law on women's lives. By focusing on such areas such as conveyancing, contracts, divorce, separate estates, and widows' provisions, Salmon presents a full picture of women's legal rights from 1750 to 1830.

Salmon shows that the law assumes women would remain dependent and subservient after marriage. She documents...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807842443
• ISBN13: 9780807842447
• Release Date: February 1989
• Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
• Length: 285 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

You'll learn how far we've come!

I read this book to learn what records might exist for a divorce and dower in connection with genealogy research. It is extremely thorough and detailed for the several states Salmon researched. It was very enlightening about the legal status of women, especially how their situations varied state to state. Some readers may find the book a rough go--the law can be a very dry subject. As an attorney myself, I appreciated the hair splitting differences she presented. I found even the notes and extensive bibliography useful for locating other materials to read.