Beschreibung:
<jats:p>The last few decades have witnessed a new interest in the study of the family in colonial America. By concentrating on single communities, historians have been able to assemble increasingly complex demographic information that has shed new light on colonial society. Until recently this research has been primarily concerned with New England communities where the necessary information is most complete, but in the last few years several studies have appeared which deal with the Chesapeake region of Maryland and Virginia (Demos, 1965, 1968, 1976; Greven, 1966, 1967, 1970; Lockridge, 1966, 1970; Vinovskis, 1972; Walsh and Menard, 1974; Rutman and Rutman, 1976; Smith, 1978). The early results of the most recent research offer an interesting contrast to the demographic patterns established in New England, and even passing comparisons of the two regions suggest a wealth of differences which must have played important roles in creating distinct colonial societies.</jats:p>