NORWAY — Jean Hankins will discuss the laws that governed widows and their inheritances in a talk called “Until Death Do Us Part: Wills, Widows, Women and Dowers in Oxford County, 1805 – 1820” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, at the Norway Historical Society.

In these times, the idea that laws limited what, if anything, a widow could inherit from her husband is unthinkable. However, that was the plight of women in the 1800’s in Maine.

After she was widowed herself, Hankins began to research how widows in Maine in earlier times lived after they had lost their husbands. What she discovered surprised and often dismayed her.

Hankins searched 250 probate records from the time period to learn about the Dower Laws, as they were called. Ironically they had been put into place to protect women. To illustrate how complex they were, Hankins uses the actual family of Enoch Adams as an example.

Adams’ first wife had died, leaving him with many children to raise. He remarried. That wife bore no children, but upon his death, she was left with his surviving children, a situation not uncommon for second wives. As the surviving widow, she was forced to navigate the complicated Dower Laws.

The Norway Historical Society is located on the corner of Main and Whitman streets. After the presentation, there will be time for questions and answers, followed by refreshments. Call 743-7377 for more information.