A lot of people think modern dating is harder than in the past, but I think it’s just different.
Sure, people barely know how to hold an in-person conversation anymore, but at least you’re not limited to the half a dozen other people your age that live in walking distance.
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These days you can meet and chat with people from all over the world.
The difficulties of modern dating stem more from having too many choices than from not having enough. Meeting someone new can be as simple as a swipe left or right.
Of course, such a vast amount of options has also made people lazy.
Guys in previous generations couldn’t get away with just writing “hey” and sending it via the Pony Express. Paper wasn’t cheap and the ladies expected fine words and proper penmanship.
But what do you do if you’re a man in 1865, living in the middle of nowhere and in want of a wife?
You posted a classified ad! This sort of thing wasn’t uncommon for the time.
It’s probably hard enough to find a wife in rural Maine without a local club or PlentyOfFish, let alone back then.
1865 was a pretty crazy year, after all.
It’s probably familiar from history classes. The Thirteenth Amendment was passed, the Civil War ended, Lincoln was assassinated, and Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th President of the United States.
And in Aroostook County, Maine, one young man was looking for a wife.
Max Roser, a researcher at the University of Oxford, shared this personal ad from 1865 on Twitter, where it gained a ton of attention.
In it, the unknown 18-year-old explains that he has a good set of teeth and is a patriot. He has a plot of land for farming, his crops are high quality, and he has plenty of livestock.
He admits to wanting to get married but not knowing how to do it.
He wants to buy nice things for a lady love.
The part about waterfalls sounds particularly romantic, but sadly, it’s more likely about clothes.
I struggled to find any other sources for the explanations given by @SheSternly, but it seems plausible.
Given the matter-of-fact way the suitor lists his assets, he could be simply informing any lady reading that she’ll have fine clothes and not be expected to work the land.
Which is a pretty good offer.
Considering the time and place, there were probably many widows in search of a new husband.
To modern ears, that sounds so sexist, but in 1865 it would have been very difficult for a young woman to fend for herself and the Civil War left many on their own.
Plus, he’s got good teeth and the oats and potatoes are “bully.” What more could you ask for?
