While I was a berrying, and he a haying: Sex In and Out of Marriage, 1640-1840
Tue, Apr 22
|Richard Salter Storrs Library
How pure were the Puritans? Did the Pilgrims stray from “The Path?”


Time & Location
Apr 22, 2025, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Richard Salter Storrs Library, 693 Longmeadow St, Longmeadow, MA 01106, USA
About the Event
How pure were the Puritans? Did the Pilgrims stray from “The Path?”
Dennis Picard takes a look at legal and church records from the 17th to the early 19th century to help fill in a more complete story of sex within and outside of marriage during that timeframe in New England. Come hear some stories drawn from those records and learn more about the real lives of the early European residents of our region.
While working on the staff of Old Sturbridge Village in the late 20th century, Dennis Picard filled the role of first lead interpreter of religion and later, government & law. In those capacities he had the opportunity to comb through such records as justice of the peace ledgers and Congregational Church proceedings. Those dusty documents – and many others – revealed a side of our early history not often discussed in public forums.
This program sponsored by…