Marriage after death of parent
I have a question about why I am seeing my 17th & 18th century Austrian (Steiermark) ancestors frequently marry just months after a mother or father dies? They are of the farmer “Bauer” class and often the eldest son does not marry until they are in their 30s or 40s and immediately after the parent passes away. Does this have something to do with property inheritance? Some historical context would be greatly appreciated!
Respuestas
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This is a good article about inheritance of farms in Austria: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3158804. In Styria couples had common ownership, so that might have contributed to getting married after inheriting the farm from their parents--that would guarantee an heir (the wife) so that it would stay in the family. Men also sometimes married later because of mandatory military service.
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Thanks thats a very useful article! Although at times it can be unclear what time period it is referring to. And good advice, the military service is something I forgot to consider.
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