Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts was first settled by English Puritans in 1629 and was first incorporated in 1631 as Saugus.
In 1721, Boston had a terrible smallpox epidemic. Citizens fled the city and spread the disease to the other colonies. Inoculation was introduced during this epidemic by Zabdiel Boylston and Cotton Mather.
Hannah Richards Stocker was born in 1717 in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Crispus Richards and Sarah Collins.
They had one daughter, Thankful Stocker, who was born in March 1739/40 in Lynn.
Hannah died on March 5, 1739/40 when she was about 23 years old. She probably died of complications of childbirth. She is buried in the Old Burying Ground, Lynn.
Here lyes ye body of
Mrs Hannah
ye wife of
Mr John Stocker
who died
March ye 5th
1740
in her ?? year
After she died, John married Ruth Breed who was born on September 30, 1721. Ruth was the daughter of Joseph Breed and Susannah Newhall.
John died on August 7, 1810.
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.
Some Puritans gave their children hortatory names (from the Latin for “encourage”) like Thankful, hoping that the children would live up to them. The names were used for several generations.
The use of the term ye to mean the derives from Early Modern English, in which the was written "þe," employing the Old English letter thorn: "þ."
Ye is also the plural of thou.
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.
