For Eliza – Entangled Love In The American Civil War (1859-1865)
Marriage to William Downing in the June of 1859 was a day of great joy for Eliza Anderson. Not solely owing to her love for William, but that she had achieved a standing in the community of Haverhill, Massachusetts, without the support of her parents. Without her parents presence Eliza would have legally needed to be 21 years of age to marry William, she was actually only 19 at the time of her marriage. By recording her age as 22 and her place of birth as “Ireland” Eliza was able to obscure her origin sufficiently for the marriage to proceed. Prior to her marriage Eliza had a very mysterious past, with no trace of her living with her parents in the USA. It is possible that she arrived in America as an orphan, escaping the Great Irish Famine (1845-52) as many children did following the death of their parents, helped by Workhouses and other institutions. So her marriage deceit may be from a wish to progress in the New World rather than a straight defiance of her parents wishes. W...