by Martha Hutchens
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| image by LiliGraphie, deposit photos |
The most famous business devoted to connecting men and women seeking partners was The Matrimonial News. Every edition opened with this declaration:
“Women need a man’s strong arm to support her in life’s struggle, and men need a woman’s love.”
The paper also posted its rules in every issue and enforced them strictly. Each advertisement had to include a description of the advertiser’s appearance, their social and financial standing, and the type of person they hoped to correspond with. Ads were identified by number, since even then people hesitated to publish their names and addresses. Replies were sent to The Matrimonial News, marked with the ad number, and then forwarded to the advertiser.
Other magazines and newspapers entered the field as well. The New Plan, published in Kansas City between 1911 and 1917, existed solely to unite lonely hearts. Women who placed ads in its pages agreed to reply to every inquiry they received that also included return postage. While these periodicals specialized in matchmaking, general newspapers carried matrimonial notices too. Even the New York Times published such ads.
Some entrepreneurs went beyond advertising and attempted to organize groups of women to travel west together. Asa Mercer is the most famous of these, but the Benton brothers and Eliza Farnham made similar attempts. Few of these ventures succeeded, and even fewer operated as genuine businesses.
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| image by @IgorVetushko, deposit photos |
Advertising was only part of the equation; people also had to receive the papers. Not everyone could afford a subscription, especially in rural areas, and mail delivery there was often slow and sporadic. Much like families would later gather around the radio in the 1940s, communities in the 1800s gathered to hear newspapers read aloud. Sometimes this became a feature designed to draw customers into a business such as a general store, saloon, or barbershop. In some cases, a designated reader was even paid for the service.
Many people of the era, especially in the West or in immigrant communities, couldn’t read or write. Others could, but relied on “creative” spelling or had long since forgotten their grammar lessons. What was a lonely heart to do? Pay someone to write letters on their behalf. This was usually a local service rather than a large enterprise. A schoolteacher, for example, might earn a little extra by drafting letters to family back east—or to potential brides and grooms far away.
As with any market, opportunities for fraud appeared quickly. Problems ranged from simple deception, such as exaggerated descriptions or “enhanced” appearances once a woman arrived, to more organized schemes. The Matrimonial News itself warned readers of potential trickery. Inserts listed ways a man might be deceived and even declared that in such cases the marriage need not stand.
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| image by @Nebasin, deposit photos |
The most notorious scams came from so-called matrimonial bureaus. These offices advertised themselves as one-stop shops: they would post ads, exchange letters, translate correspondence, and even arrange photographs. In reality, many kept only a handful of pictures on hand and circulated them widely. Letters sent by hopeful clients often never left the office.
Some businesses sought to profit after the vows were spoken. In San Francisco, a popular honeymoon destination, hotels competed for newlywed trade. Managers offered flowers or other enticements to attract couples. One hotelier boasted of hosting as many as forty newly married couples at a time, with an average of twenty-five.
Matrimonial ads were big business in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They created work for printers, readers, and letter-writers; offered profits to railroads, hotels, and editors; and inevitably spawned scams. Even today, mail-order bride stories remain one of the most enduring tropes in romance novels—still supporting small businesses, though in a very different way.
Best-selling author Martha Hutchens is a history nerd who loves nothing more than finding a new place and time to explore. She won the 2019 Golden Heart for Romance with Religious and Spiritual Elements. A former analytical chemist and retired homeschool mom, Martha occasionally finds time for knitting when writing projects allow.
Martha’s debut novel, A Steadfast Heart, is now available.
When his family legacy is on the line, rancher Drew McGraw becomes desperate for someone to tame and tutor his three children. Desperate enough to seek a mail-order bride. But when the wrong woman arrives on his doorstep, Drew balks.
Heiress Kaitlyn Montgomery runs straight from the scandal chasing her toward a fresh start on a secluded ranch. She strikes a bargain with Drew—a marriage convenient for both of them.
But the more Kaitlyn adapts to ranch life and forms a bond with Drew’s children and their enigmatic father, she realizes that this ranch is where she is meant to be. And then her past catches up with her…
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