Marriage on the Border

"Fredette's study offers a lively glimpse into the private world of love, marriage, and divorce. The author's research into the court cases of separating couples reads, at times, like a collection of salacious tales of love found and lost. Perhaps it is such mining of often overlooked court records that makes this work a must-read for those interested in the personal lives of men and women living on the border."—Virginia Magazine of History & Biography

"Marriage on the Border is a compelling look at how the war impacted romantic relationships. Even with all the math, it is a 'sweet read.' Some incidents ring all too true for today, and some that make the reader laugh out loud. 'How did she NOT see that coming??' is one of my go-to comments for several of the divorces. I recommend this book for those interested in the Confederate homefront and women's history."—Emerging Civil War Book Reviews

"Fredette identifies in the antebellum border states a shifting sentiment in favor of more progressive divorce and family law compared to the rest of the South. This relative liberalization continued through the Civil War years, despite the Southernization of regional identity in the post-war border states. Marriage on the Border offers a cutting-edge work of nineteenth-century gender and family studies as well as a fascinating window into the social history of the Civil War era in the Upper South."—Aaron Astor, author of Rebels on the Border: Civil War, Emancipation, and the Reconstruction of Kentucky and Missouri

"Marriage on the Border leaves no doubt that the tumult of the Civil War and emancipation reached deeply into the most intimate spaces of the border South. Vivid stories of marital conflict, culled from personal papers and legal records of white residents, anchor this fine study. Fredette identifies a unique practice of 'mutuality' in this region where the North and South met and thus offers an eye-opening perspective on the culture of the border South in the Civil War era."—Amy Murrell Taylor, author of Embattled Freedom: Journeys through the Civil War's Slave Refugee Camps

"Marriage on the Border is a fascinating study of how geographical and cultural identity affected attitudes about entering into and leaving marriage contracts. Fredette's innovative use of sources has allowed her to uncover both the ideals and realities of marriage in the border South. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the social history of the South, and this volume makes a significant contribution to the history of the Civil War era and women's history."—Anne E. Marshall, author of Creating a Confederate Kentucky: The Lost Cause and Civil War Memory in a Border State