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18-Year-Old Guy Is Looking For A Wife In 1865 And His Newspaper Ad Will Make You Want To Marry Him Now

Back in the 19th century, Tinder and Craigslist weren’t exactly a thing yet, so people had to find other ways to search for a mate. Advertising yourself in a local newspaper was one of them, and that’s exactly what this eligible bachelor did in 1865. Now, in 2017, we all wish we could transport him to the future and take him up on the offer.

The 1800’s were a simpler time in many aspects, and thus, people had simpler wants and needs. If someone had land, agriculture, and a suitable home, they were pretty much set for life. This 18-year-old suitor from Aroostook County, Maine, had the whole package, plus a “good set of teeth.” Talk about dreamy! The clipping has gone viral, with almost 40 thousand upvotes on Reddit and a whole host of reactions – mostly from today’s single ladies who would love to go live on his farm and make him a decent wife. “He had me at ‘my potatoes are bully,'” one Facebook user commented.

We may never know if this old-fashioned Prince Charming managed to find his happily ever after, but given the fact that there was a shortage of young and able-bodied men during his era, we’re sure an eager maiden snatched him up in no time. Check out his sweet and humorous letter below, and let us know if you’d do the honors of keeping him company in the comments!

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What do you think ?

POST

Bambi 7 years ago

We need a follow-up. Did he marry eventually? Who did he marry? Was he happy? Did he have kids? Any living relatives? I NEED TO KNOW!!!!!!

106points

Manuel Ha 7 years ago

He probably died cause of Typhus, Cholera or Syphilis before he reached adulthood.

20points

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Trout Fishing 7 years ago

Some folks have researched him and came up with John Morrison through a name on the original post in Harper's Weekly and census records.Yes, according to the census in 1870 he was married to Clara Morrison, and had a 3 year old daughter, 2 year son, and a baby boy under the age of 1. Many thanks to Moe Lane: http://moelane.com/2017/06/20/adventures-in-research-tracking-down-the-19th-century-maine-guy-who-wanted-a-wife/

13points

Daria B 7 years ago

That's left to the audience to decide. ^_-

6points

C Weissinger 7 years ago

I live in Aroostook County, Maine and If the article had included his name, I could have found out for you. So sad he was not identified. BTW we still grow oats and potatoes that are BULLY!

2points

Naima Ivansdóttir 7 years ago

YES

1point

TC 7 years ago

Willing to "buy bread-and-butter, hoop-skirts and waterfalls" for his loved one is still a plus for any woman today.

72points

Melissa Wyatt 7 years ago

The equivalent of a modern man willing to buy tampons for his girl.

28points

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lazy panda 7 years ago

This is actually how my grandpa found my grandma! He posted an ad in a big newspaper saying that he was looking for a wife who would come help take care of the family farm! They ended up having three boys and lived on that same farm until they were in their early 90's!

60points

Tiffany Harding 7 years ago

Aww snap! He's got 9 sheep, buckwheat, AND wants to buy me a hoopskirt! I'm sold!

34points

rainstarr 7 years ago

To Full Name (below) - She meant she was going to buy HIM, meaning, take him up on his offer. How could you possibly think it was the other way around, sheesh

1point

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John L 7 years ago

He obviously has great marketing skills, doesn't he? The ladies know a good thing with they read about it. ;D

18points

Orshie Von B 7 years ago

I need a timemachine, like real quick!

14points

M O'Connell 7 years ago

I did some research, and our gentleman is likely to be one of these 18 men, (goo.gl/2oUgJb) who would have been 18 in 1865, and got married during that year. I was unable to determine which newspaper the ad came from, so it could be narrowed down if we knew when the personal was posted.

13points

M O'Connell 7 years ago

Ok, so the above appeared in Harper's Weekly, September 2, 1865, but appears to be a re-hashing of something that appeared in the Wheeling (WV) Daily Intelligencer on 7/27/1865. If the whole thing isn't just a fiction, that cuts the above list of men in half.

11points

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Susie Stock 7 years ago

Imagine if he had 12 sheep, the women would be all over him.

9points

Katinka Min 7 years ago

'person of a female persuasion' - lovely and inclusive phrase that we should use today, too.

8points

Leeana Halloran 7 years ago

Most 18 year olds now could not or would not clear a 1/4 acre. He is 18 going on 30. Bet his body was in fine shape too.

7points

Blue Cicada 7 years ago

He was an adult at 18. My students THINK they are "grown up" & know it all, but they are years away from the maturity this man showed.

1point

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Bethany 7 years ago

Aw the last sentence lol

6points

Allie Orona 7 years ago

Would like to note for those who don't know: "Bully" in that time basically meant "awesome".

5points

Ana T. 7 years ago

any man owner of his own property is gold now a days.

4points

Natalie Powell 7 years ago

#husbandgoals

4points

Kaitlyn Linde 7 years ago

Haha this is how I imagine the profiles for men on the dating site "Farmers Only"

4points

Angie Hamilton 7 years ago

Can I take this offer?

4points

Cassie 7 years ago

You had me at waterfalls.

3points

Stille20 7 years ago

I think I saw this profile on match.com

3points

Kimpee Olivar 7 years ago

These advertisements were common in the old days. Unfortunately just like mail order brides of today, some of these men turn out to be not who they are saying.

2points

Seong Jin 7 years ago

Awwww cute~

2points

Daniel Losinger 7 years ago

I didn’t know anybody lived in Aroostook County, Maine in 1865.

1point

Robert Newberg 3 years ago

He sounds like a real weiner😎

0points

Maria Campbell 6 years ago

My heart is all a pitty patter....I must move to Maine and see if I can look him up. ;)

0points

Edwardo OBrien 7 years ago

This is a picture that my great grandfather had taken in a studio in Quebec or Levis probably 10 or 20 years after that classified ad. I'm sure the intention was to land a dame, which he did. They moved to 'The County' (Aroostook) took up a Concession (what this guy called a State Lot). I don't know about waterfalls but he did get her pregnant 17 times, and the butter they made themselves. The buckwheat from up there is out of this world and in spite of their poverty disease like Typhus, Cholera, and Syphilis are rare. edouard-59...4b120b.jpg

0points

Julie Langley 7 years ago

I'm sure he found someone, and led a happy life full of bread and butter, waterfalls and hoop skirts..he was a true poet-who could not want this guy? What a romantic!

0points

Bonnie Erickson 7 years ago

waterfall?

0points

Izabella Borowiak-Miller 7 years ago

This is so cute!

0points

Sally Magraw 7 years ago

Aww bless him, hope he found his happy ever after

0points

Gilda 7 years ago

he wants to buy bread and butter hoop skirts and waterfalls its like I want to buy eggs tank tops and rainbows is it 19th century slang?

0points

sans. 7 years ago

id marry him

0points

Leni 7 years ago

It's cute but um nah I'm good mate.

0points

Leni 7 years ago

Kinda reminds me of the Dutch show 'boer zoekt vrouw' (farmer searching for wife) tho

0points

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Pippa Runs 7 years ago

Why can't I find the picture to read?

0points

Pi... 7 years ago

"I'd be obliged to let u carry on with ur pursuit of me, good sir.But great balls of fire, I'd thank u to be civil n not mention my skirts!"

0points

Adele Maestranzi 7 years ago

Can someone please define "waterfalls"? Other than the ones found in nature, obviously.

0points

Peter Iorns 7 years ago

The 19th century equivalent of spam email Russian brides? Actually I'm sure I had one recently that mentioned prize winning potatoes & keen abilities with a scythe.

0points

Maria Beilschmidt 7 years ago

He just doesn't know how to do it! This is the dictionary definition of totes adorbes

0points

cool sun 7 years ago

I was thinking guys were at least 20....

0points

Uno. playero 7 years ago

This is cool past life, when animals is near, when you living with nature, staing on earth with naked feets.... You don't need a money...... You don't depend of anybody...... All of that is lost...... Good set of teeth :-) - is it important for womans, like a first question?

0points

Gayle Bynum Cardosa 7 years ago

He should have stuck to the rivers and the lakes he was used to.

0points

cool sun 7 years ago

Sweet, but marry so young?

0points

Megan Spainhour 7 years ago

19 back then was not that young

7points

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Celeste Spaniel 7 years ago

Not so unusual. You can get married at 16 here in the UK! :)

4points

Danny Root 7 years ago

Back then people married and had kids in their early teen years (usually girls though) because life expectancy was so much shorter back then. So they would have as many kids in as little time as they could. Even having children back then was a dangerous thing.

3points

Jonathan Eatsalot 7 years ago

yeah, still don't want to marry him

0points

Sulman Ashraf 7 years ago

Haha 😂 amazing

0points

Jeannette Treusch 7 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Fay 7 years ago

It would be strange for him to be patriotic to another country considering the guy was from the US and posted the ad in a US newspaper ...

14points

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POST

Bambi 7 years ago

We need a follow-up. Did he marry eventually? Who did he marry? Was he happy? Did he have kids? Any living relatives? I NEED TO KNOW!!!!!!

106points

Manuel Ha 7 years ago

He probably died cause of Typhus, Cholera or Syphilis before he reached adulthood.

20points

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Trout Fishing 7 years ago

13points

Daria B 7 years ago

That's left to the audience to decide. ^_-

6points

C Weissinger 7 years ago

I live in Aroostook County, Maine and If the article had included his name, I could have found out for you. So sad he was not identified. BTW we still grow oats and potatoes that are BULLY!

2points

Naima Ivansdóttir 7 years ago

YES

1point

TC 7 years ago

Willing to "buy bread-and-butter, hoop-skirts and waterfalls" for his loved one is still a plus for any woman today.

72points

Melissa Wyatt 7 years ago

The equivalent of a modern man willing to buy tampons for his girl.

28points

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lazy panda 7 years ago

60points

Tiffany Harding 7 years ago

Aww snap! He's got 9 sheep, buckwheat, AND wants to buy me a hoopskirt! I'm sold!

34points

rainstarr 7 years ago

To Full Name (below) - She meant she was going to buy HIM, meaning, take him up on his offer. How could you possibly think it was the other way around, sheesh

1point

Load More Replies...

John L 7 years ago

He obviously has great marketing skills, doesn't he? The ladies know a good thing with they read about it. ;D

18points

Orshie Von B 7 years ago

I need a timemachine, like real quick!

14points

M O'Connell 7 years ago

13points

M O'Connell 7 years ago

11points

Load More Replies...

Susie Stock 7 years ago

Imagine if he had 12 sheep, the women would be all over him.

9points

Katinka Min 7 years ago

'person of a female persuasion' - lovely and inclusive phrase that we should use today, too.

8points

Leeana Halloran 7 years ago

Most 18 year olds now could not or would not clear a 1/4 acre. He is 18 going on 30. Bet his body was in fine shape too.

7points

Blue Cicada 7 years ago

He was an adult at 18. My students THINK they are "grown up" & know it all, but they are years away from the maturity this man showed.

1point

Load More Replies...

Bethany 7 years ago

Aw the last sentence lol

6points

Allie Orona 7 years ago

Would like to note for those who don't know: "Bully" in that time basically meant "awesome".

5points

Ana T. 7 years ago

any man owner of his own property is gold now a days.

4points

Natalie Powell 7 years ago

#husbandgoals

4points

Kaitlyn Linde 7 years ago

Haha this is how I imagine the profiles for men on the dating site "Farmers Only"

4points

Angie Hamilton 7 years ago

Can I take this offer?

4points

Cassie 7 years ago

You had me at waterfalls.

3points

Stille20 7 years ago

I think I saw this profile on match.com

3points

Kimpee Olivar 7 years ago

These advertisements were common in the old days. Unfortunately just like mail order brides of today, some of these men turn out to be not who they are saying.

2points

Seong Jin 7 years ago

Awwww cute~

2points

Daniel Losinger 7 years ago

I didn’t know anybody lived in Aroostook County, Maine in 1865.

1point

Robert Newberg 3 years ago

He sounds like a real weiner😎

0points

Maria Campbell 6 years ago

My heart is all a pitty patter....I must move to Maine and see if I can look him up. ;)

0points

Edwardo OBrien 7 years ago

0points

Julie Langley 7 years ago

I'm sure he found someone, and led a happy life full of bread and butter, waterfalls and hoop skirts..he was a true poet-who could not want this guy? What a romantic!

0points

Bonnie Erickson 7 years ago

waterfall?

0points

Izabella Borowiak-Miller 7 years ago

This is so cute!

0points

Sally Magraw 7 years ago

Aww bless him, hope he found his happy ever after

0points

Gilda 7 years ago

he wants to buy bread and butter hoop skirts and waterfalls its like I want to buy eggs tank tops and rainbows is it 19th century slang?

0points

sans. 7 years ago

id marry him

0points

Leni 7 years ago

It's cute but um nah I'm good mate.

0points

Leni 7 years ago

Kinda reminds me of the Dutch show 'boer zoekt vrouw' (farmer searching for wife) tho

0points

Load More Replies...

Pippa Runs 7 years ago

Why can't I find the picture to read?

0points

Pi... 7 years ago

"I'd be obliged to let u carry on with ur pursuit of me, good sir.But great balls of fire, I'd thank u to be civil n not mention my skirts!"

0points

Adele Maestranzi 7 years ago

Can someone please define "waterfalls"? Other than the ones found in nature, obviously.

0points

Peter Iorns 7 years ago

The 19th century equivalent of spam email Russian brides? Actually I'm sure I had one recently that mentioned prize winning potatoes & keen abilities with a scythe.

0points