Childbirth was was perilous. Around 1.5 percent of births ended in the mother's death. Since women gave birth to many children, chances of dying in childbirth were quite high.
The town common (commons) was a small, open field at the center of the town which was jointly owned. It was used as a marketplace, a place for the militia to drill, or for grazing livestock.
When he was 23 years old, he married his first wife, Sarah Merriam, on September 18, 1703. Sarah was the daughter of Joseph Merriam and Sarah Jenkins.
Jacob and Sarah had at least one child; Sarah Powers (1705).
Sarah, the mother, died April 15, 1705 when she was 29 years old. She probably died due to complications of childbirth.
He married his second wife, Edith Adams, in 1705 in Chelmsford. Edith was born December 1, 1683. Her parents were Jonathan Adams and Leah Gould.
After they married, Jacob and Edith lived in Littleton on the south side of the Harvard road near the town line adjoining Edith's parent's land.
Jacob and Edith's children included:
Lydia Powers (1713, married Eleazer Robbins),
Esther Powers (1716),
Jonas Powers (1719, married Mary Tyron), and
Edward Powers (1725, married Mary Nurse).
Jacob died when he was 88 years old in 1768 in Littleton. Edith died on November 26, 1776.
Old Style Calendar
Before 1752 the year began on Lady Day, March 25th,. Dates between January 1st and March 24th were at the end of the year. Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) are used to indicate whether the year has been adjusted. Often both dates are used.
Littleton, Middlesex County, Massachusetts was first settled in 1686 by English settlers and was the the location of the Native American village called Nashoba Plantation
Middlesex County, Massachusetts was created on May 10, 1643. The county originally included Charlestown, Cambridge, Watertown, Sudbury, Concord, Woburn, Medford, Wayland, and Reading.
