Colonial Daughter Weds for Love

Mary Ann had the typical Colonial upbringing with two older brothers and an older sister, Lucy. She followed in her sisters footsteps in learning the domestic lessons of colonial girls and was herself a big sister to seven younger siblings. This meant that she was well prepared for becoming a wife and mother when the time came for what she hoped would be marriage for love...unlike her sister Lucy's somewhat arranged marriage.

She knew Lucy was fond of Peleg.  He was a fine man, and would be a good provider, and their children would be the links for two closely tied families to be joined together for many generations to come.  With Lucy's marriage, Mary would be free to look for love in a union that would also be blessed by her parents.  By the age of twenty years old, Mary Ann had not found true love.  Little did she know that true love would come from tragedy and a family obligation she once thought was not hers to fulfill.

In the aftermath of her sisters tragic death, Mary Ann, her parents John and Mary, and the youngers were in a state of shock and devastation.   The mourning was twofold for the bridegroom to be, Peleg Rogers.  He had lost his future wife and mother of his children, and it was his fault she was dead.  He was seriously wounded, inconsolable, and bent on revenge.  Mary Ann's nursing and compassion for Peleg touched him deeply.  Her admiration and respect for him grew into something more as he recovered.

It would be eight years of courtship before Mary Ann Pittman and Peleg Rogers would marry. 

Revenge for the death of Lucy was first and foremost on the minds of Peleg and Lucy's brothers Buckner and John along with many of the Colonial Sons of Liberty.  Despite his mourning and injuries, the next month after Lucy's death, Peleg gave a rousing and passionate speech on behalf of the Virginia Sons of Liberty to the First Continental Congress.  His personal tragedy and the attempt on his own life by the British, added fuel to the already outraged colonials over the British Crowns Proclamations and Intolerable Tax Acts levied against the Colonies.

In the following years, Peleg and Mary Ann would be caught up in the Colonials Pre-Revolutionary War events and support for the Continental Congress during  1774-1775.  With Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty, or give me Death", the Virginia Sons of Liberty were thrown into the beginning of the American Revolution.  John Pittman and sons, Buckner, John Ichabod, James Greene, Phillip and even young Timothy served in the Virginia, Georgia and Kentucky Regiments. 

Lucy's memory and Mary Ann's promise to wait for him sustained Peleg Rogers through the war.  In March of 1781 with the adoption of the Articles of  Confederation, and the surrender of Cornwallis, Peleg and the Patriot Colonists were hopeful the end was near.   One year later the Preliminary Articles of Peace set the stage for the Treaty of Paris which formally ended the American Revolutionary War in 1784.

 In May 1782, Mary Ann Pittman became the wife of Peleg Rogers.
They married for LOVE.

A historically based creative writing...Mary Ann and Pelegs love story based on family history research.