Within Her Power

<p>This is an engaging and comprehensive study of property-owning women in the colony of Tidewater, VA during the 17th & 18th centuries. It examines the social restrictions on women's behaviour and speech, opportunities and difficulties these women encountered in the legal system, the economic and discretionary authority they enjoyed, the roles they played in the family business,their roles in the later, trans-Atlantic trading framework, and the imperial context within which these colonial women lived, making this a welcome addition to both colonial and women's history.</p> <p>List of Illustrations and TablesList of Standard AbbreviationsAcknowledgementsIntroduction: As if I had been in a new world1. The Ghost Family: Inheritance, Property, and Step-Families2. Hardships upon Women: Anglicization and Property Law3. As though I my self was pr[e]sent: Women with Powers of Attorney4. The Ordinary Women: Business Women and the Local Courts5. A Little Purse to Herself: Cash, Credit, and Shopping6. Madam & Co.: Gender, Family, and Trade EnterprisesConclusion: Any thing will I agree to for the common goodNotesBibliographyIndex</p>