References
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In reply to:
Re: Elizabeth (Sheldon) Sunderland died when????
Dana Wiegman 4/26/11
Ah. References for the statement that academic studies have shown that the average age for the first marriage of Colonial New England women was not so young as often believed . . . I would begin with the work of Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.
Wikipedia has a piece on her . . . she is a Harvard University professor who has written and lectured extensively on the role of women in early America.
Her two books: "A Midwife's Tale: the Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785 - 1812" and "Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England 1650 - 1750" both have extensive bibliographies for further study.