Family life in many cultures during this time period involved an extended family living together under one roof, meaning the married couple and either the bride or the groom's parents and then whatever children the bride and the groom had. Up to four generations could live together under in one household. It is not known if this was the situation that Jeanne Dumée found herself in before the death of her husband, but this is the situation that was common for most women and families of the time period.[4]