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Well, I'm definitely not happy to post this one, but it is does answer a question on whether our Abigail was a legitimate child.
I found in:
The Early Jurisprudence of New Hampshire: An Address Delivered at the Annual Meeting of the N.H. Historical Society, June 13, 1883
By John Major Shirley
Published by Republican Press Association, 1885
Original from the New York Public Library
The act of June 14, I'joi, treated betrothed women as unmarried
women. It put the man and woman offending on the
same legal basis, and provided that they should be "severely
whipped, not exceeding Thirty stripes ; unless it appear upon
Tryal, that One Party was surprised [whatever that may have
been], and did not consent, which shall abate the punishment
AS to such party." 3 N. H. Prov. Papers 224.
It further provided, — "
And if any Man shall commit Adultery, the Man and Woman
that shall be convicted of such Crime before His Majesty's Justices
of the Superiour Court of Judicature, shall be set upon the
gallows by the space of an Hour, with a Rope about their Necks,
and the other end cast over the gallows ; and in the way from
thence to the Common Goal shall be severely whipped, not exceeding
Forty stripes each ; also every person and persons so
offending shall forever after wear a Capital Letter A of two
inches long and proportionable in bigness cut out in Cloth of a
contrary colour to their cloathes, and sewed upon their upper
Garments, on the outside of their Arm, or on their back in open
view. And if any person or persons having been convicted
and sentenced for such offence, shall at any time be found without
their Letter so worn, during their abode in this Province,
they shall by Warrant from a Justice of the Peace, be forth with
apprehended, and Ordered to be Publickly Whipped, not exceeding
Fifteen stripes, and so from time to time, toties quoties"
This act remained in force, and, what is more, was enforced,
until its repeal, June 20, 1792.
Many at this day believe that the scarlet letter immortalized
by the genius of Hawthorne was the creature of his weird and
powerful imagination. On the contrary, in New Hampshire
as well as elsewhere, it was a solemn and bitter reality, as the
following instances show.
At the August term of the superior court, 1719, the following
sentence was passed : "
It appearing to this Court that notwithstanding the frequent
inhibitions & fines that have been inflicted on John Drew &
Rebecca Cook for their adulterous actions that yet in contempt
thereof they still proceed in open lewdness wch. is a scandale
to religion & a palpable breach of his majestys laws. It is
therefore ordered that the said John Drew do forthwith pay as
a fine to His Majesty the sum of £20. otherwise that 20 lashes
be layd on his naked back at the Carts tayle from one end of the
bank to the other & that the said Rebecca Cook at the same time
set in the Cart with her face to the Criminal moreover that the
said Drew ware the letter A during one year on the outside of
his coat in open view under the penalty of ten stripes for such
defect to be inflicted on him by any of his majestys Justices of
this Government & so toties quoties from time to time and that
the said Drew & Rebecca Cook pay all cost & charge." Judge
Smith's Old Records 293, 294.
I had read in another book (Looking next) that John was married to Sarah Field, and had 3 children with her. He was fooling around with Rebecca, and had 2 children with her, then went back to Sarah ( or had never left at that point) and had 1 more child with Sarah.
More to come.
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