The temporary migration of males and the power of females in a stem-family society

Abstract

The phenomenon of men's migration from Auvergne to Spain in the 19th century is studied through the eyes of married peasant women. These migrants' wives had to change their way of life during their husbands' long absences, not only in bringing up their offspring, but also in hiring servants, and overseeing the work in the fields — often working there themselves. In many cases, they assumed full financial responsibilities. These women wrote to their husbands in French, although they spoke a country dialect. Unlike most of their neighbors, they developed their intellectual capacities and broadened their horizons. Their letters reveal how dignified and levelheaded the migrants' wives remained, and how they wanted to show themselves to best advantage. The men's letters, written in paternalistic tone implying the wives' submissiveness, were full of advice about how to cope with material difficulties. These peasant women were completely different than the bourgeois women of the same century: they learned to make decisions by themselves and take on a myriad of responsibilities, which often required self-sacrifice. Because of them, households were not disrupted.

Keywords:

• Temporary migration
• Stem-family society
• Peasant woman
• Migrants' wives
• Female heirs
• The power of females
• Correspondence
• Auvergne-19th century

Notes

1 I have studied that migration from the masculine angle in Les Auvergnats de Castille (Duroux, 1992).

2 The notarial deeds in the French Consulate in Madrid were one of the sources for this study, but, above all, it is based on accounts of family reconstitutions and letters. Out of 138 letters, 21 were written by women because the migrants rarely brought their letters back home.

3 Maury-Pigot family documents, Saint-Vincent, Cantal. Wedding dates, descendants Les Mirandes (Sauvat), from 1833 to 1913; descendants Les Chabannes (Méallet), from 1798 to 1882.

4 Vermenouze family documents, Crandelles, Cantal. The reconstitution, which is more than 300 pages long, is the work of Dr. Pierre Vermenouze.

5 Authentic unpublished document. Nozières family documents, La Ségalassière, Cantal.

6 Vermenouze family documents, Crandelles, Cantal.

7 It is extremely difficult to extrapolate. On the one hand, factual information is very weak, and, on the other, comparative material is lacking because the existing monographs concern Crandelles, Saint-Paul-des-Landes, and Naucelles — three bordering parishes that, in fact, demarcated a Spanish “retreat.” The average number of children per family was 4.5 for Crandelles (1690–1790), 4.4 for Saint-Paul-des-Landes (1750–1850), and 4.3 for Naucelles (1750–1850) (Pounhet, 1975).

8 Ratié family documents, Ally, Cantal.

9 Roquetanière-Calvet family documents, Riom-ès-Montagnes, Cantal, translation.

10 Puyraimond family documents, Rilhac-Xaintrie, Corrèze.

11 Translator's note: the original spelling mistakes have been reproduced in the French text. This is an example of what the equivalent mistakes in English might be. I deliberately chose not to “translate” other spelling mistakes so as not to confuse the reader.

12 Roquetanière family documents, Riom-ès-Montagnes, Cantal. Letters by Marie-Rose Vermenouze (Crandelles) and her husband Jean-Pierre Laveissière (Navalcarnero), 1829–1834.

13 Duroux, family papers, le Pomeyrol, Rilhac-Xaintrie, Corrèze; Letters by Marie-Jeanne Charel from “Pomeyrol” and Jean-Louis Réveilhac from “Malbert,” 1825–1829. The Réveilhacs left Castile to go to the Hérault region.

14 Roquetanière-Calvet family documents, Riom-ès-Montages, Cantal.

15 See Duby (1986, p. 421); italics supplied.

16 Cantal departmental archives, M. Rames' notarial deeds, March 20, 1848.

17 Madrid consulate archives, notarial deeds: no. 20, 1852; no. 96, 1822; no. 140, 1862.

18 Oustalniol family documents, Saint-Paul-des-Landes, Cantal.

19 Roquetanière family documents, Riom-ès-Montagnes, Cantal.