re: #115 ralphieboy

Pre-marital sex among engaged couples has always been more-or-less tolerated, it is said to be one of the reasons for the tradition of the engagement ring: as a security payment in case the groom-to-be runs off and leaves the family with “damaged goods”.

An extremely high number of babies in early America were born less than nine months after the wedding. These weren’t shotgun weddings, either, but it was assumed that after a couple had made their intentions clear, they might get started on a family.