Beloved Strangers: Interfaith Families in Nineteenth Century America

by Anne C. Rose

Interfaith marriage is a visible and often controversial part of American life--and one with a significant history. This is the first historical study of religious diversity in the home. Anne Rose draws a vivid picture of interfaith marriages over the century before World War I, their problems and their social consequences. She shows how mixed-faith families became agents of change in a culture moving toward pluralism. Following them over several generations, Rose tracks the experiences of twenty-six interfaith families who recorded their thoughts and feelings in letters, journals, and memoirs. She examines the decisions husbands and wives made about religious commitment, their relationships with the extended families on both sides, and their convictions. These couples--who came from strong Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish backgrounds--did not turn away from religion but made personalized adjustments in religious observance. Increasingly, the author notes, women took charge of religion in the home. Rose's family-centered look at private religious decisions and practice gives new insight on American society in a period when it was becoming more open, more diverse, and less community-bound.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jennifer Payne Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most thought-provoking books I read as part of my research into the private lives of mid-nineteenth century couples. Although focusing mostly on Christian-Jewish marriages, a few Protestant-Catholic families are profiled here. Perhaps the most enlightening was that of William Tecumseh Sherman and his devoutly Catholic wife Ellen Ewing Sherman. They had grown up in the same household and so her religious beliefs were of no suprise to him, yet her devotion sat uneasily with him and his disappointment in two of his sons going into the priesthood (one did go to West Point first) provide a different side to the commander of the March through Georgia. The book focuses largely on families of the Antebellum North and utilizes diaries and letters as well as secondary resources to give a sensitive and fascinating glimpse into a group of people often overlooked by mainstream histories.