Matrimony, Inc.
I want no brainless dandy of foppish fool, but a practical man who can drive a coach or rock the cradle, hoe the garden or attend the ball-room.
— 1855 personal ad in a Wisconsin newspaper
Though we don’t often review nonfiction here on Picking Books, we couldn’t help but review this little history book. In Matrimony, Inc., Francesca Beauman takes a look at the emotional, practical, and sometimes less-than wholesome reasons people have turned and continue to turn to personal ads in the United States. Beauman approaches the history of personal ads with both sympathy and humor. To the quote above, she writes, “Don’t we all, sweetheart.”
Matrimony, Inc. Summary
Bauman notes that though personal ads were first used in England (by 1660 England had its first satirical marriage ad), they became ubiquitous in America, a rapidly evolving country, still in its infancy. “These ads provided a vital service,” Bauman writes, “particularly for white settlers on the American frontier. The homesteading land policies of the U.S. government encouraged marriage by making it hugely financially worthwhile: with just an ‘I do,’ you could get 640 acres of land and a working partner.” Without personal ads, white settlers, who were predominantly male, had a hard time finding a mate. Bauman notes that during the Gold Rush in California, there were two hundred men for every woman.
Matrimony, Inc. Book Review
Because of the unique obstacles to marriage posed by the American Revolution and westward expansion, Bauman spends the bulk of the Matrimony, Inc. discussing the personal ads that appeared before 1900, which is unfortunate because after 1900, things got interesting.
It’s in this later part of Matrimony, Inc. that Bauman discusses Belle Gunness, the most prolific female serial killer of all time. Bauman also rushes through information about personal ads from the 1960s to today, but the sexual revolution and rapidly evolving technology have proven to be as important in the history of personal ads as westward expansion. Despite her brevity however, Baumann succinctly hits all the major points here.
Overall, Matrimony Inc. is interesting, despite being thin on information about America’s most recent personal ads. For example, Baumann points out the linguistic nuances of America’s early personal ads. She interweaves America’s history as it relates to personal ads and shows when personal ads have been used for nefarious purposes. She notes that personal ads have been criticized since their invention and argues that though cultural norms have changed, the broad criteria by which people judge potential mates stays the same. Baumann keeps things fun and light, adding humor where appropriate while being sensitivite to the lonely souls she references in the book.
Matrimony, Inc.
by Francesca Beauman
