Polly Spaulding was born 24 January 1806, the oldest child of Isaac and Lucy (Emery) Spaulding.
Polly's grandfather, Benjamin Spaulding, was a teacher and Revolutionary War soldier in Townsend, Mass. Polly was born into a family where the daughters received some education. Surprisingly, some writing of Polly's survives today because a niece of hers - born long after Polly's death - became a pioneer in Gold Hill, Colorado and her personal papers were donated to a local repository. That story, and Polly's letters, are here:
http://onerhodeislandfamily.com/2012/09/05/how-to-use-nucmc-to-perform-a-miracle/
From her letters you can tell that Polly was a sincere girl, struggling to live up to her own religious ideals. She married at age 23 Eli Baldwin, a local carpenter, on 28 May 1829. They owned part of a house and a barn on the road leading from Townsend Harbor to Lunenburg. Within four years, Polly and Eli had a daughter and son, Catherine and Edward, and Eli died in Boston. From her surviving letter after her husband's death, it is clear that both families helped the young widow.
Based on the existence of a will for Polly written in the months before her death, it seems clear Polly died from illness, and her death was expected. Her siblings were given guardianship of the children.
Polly's obituary in the Farmer's Cabinet, Sept 20, 1839 reads as follows: "In Townsend, Ms. Sept. 10, widow Polly Baldwin, aged 33. She died like a saint sleeping in the arms of Jesus. Printers in Penn. &c."
Polly's grandfather, Benjamin Spaulding, was a teacher and Revolutionary War soldier in Townsend, Mass. Polly was born into a family where the daughters received some education. Surprisingly, some writing of Polly's survives today because a niece of hers - born long after Polly's death - became a pioneer in Gold Hill, Colorado and her personal papers were donated to a local repository. That story, and Polly's letters, are here:
http://onerhodeislandfamily.com/2012/09/05/how-to-use-nucmc-to-perform-a-miracle/
From her letters you can tell that Polly was a sincere girl, struggling to live up to her own religious ideals. She married at age 23 Eli Baldwin, a local carpenter, on 28 May 1829. They owned part of a house and a barn on the road leading from Townsend Harbor to Lunenburg. Within four years, Polly and Eli had a daughter and son, Catherine and Edward, and Eli died in Boston. From her surviving letter after her husband's death, it is clear that both families helped the young widow.
Based on the existence of a will for Polly written in the months before her death, it seems clear Polly died from illness, and her death was expected. Her siblings were given guardianship of the children.
Polly's obituary in the Farmer's Cabinet, Sept 20, 1839 reads as follows: "In Townsend, Ms. Sept. 10, widow Polly Baldwin, aged 33. She died like a saint sleeping in the arms of Jesus. Printers in Penn. &c."
Polly Spaulding was born 24 January 1806, the oldest child of Isaac and Lucy (Emery) Spaulding.
Polly's grandfather, Benjamin Spaulding, was a teacher and Revolutionary War soldier in Townsend, Mass. Polly was born into a family where the daughters received some education. Surprisingly, some writing of Polly's survives today because a niece of hers - born long after Polly's death - became a pioneer in Gold Hill, Colorado and her personal papers were donated to a local repository. That story, and Polly's letters, are here:
http://onerhodeislandfamily.com/2012/09/05/how-to-use-nucmc-to-perform-a-miracle/
From her letters you can tell that Polly was a sincere girl, struggling to live up to her own religious ideals. She married at age 23 Eli Baldwin, a local carpenter, on 28 May 1829. They owned part of a house and a barn on the road leading from Townsend Harbor to Lunenburg. Within four years, Polly and Eli had a daughter and son, Catherine and Edward, and Eli died in Boston. From her surviving letter after her husband's death, it is clear that both families helped the young widow.
Based on the existence of a will for Polly written in the months before her death, it seems clear Polly died from illness, and her death was expected. Her siblings were given guardianship of the children.
Polly's obituary in the Farmer's Cabinet, Sept 20, 1839 reads as follows: "In Townsend, Ms. Sept. 10, widow Polly Baldwin, aged 33. She died like a saint sleeping in the arms of Jesus. Printers in Penn. &c."
Polly's grandfather, Benjamin Spaulding, was a teacher and Revolutionary War soldier in Townsend, Mass. Polly was born into a family where the daughters received some education. Surprisingly, some writing of Polly's survives today because a niece of hers - born long after Polly's death - became a pioneer in Gold Hill, Colorado and her personal papers were donated to a local repository. That story, and Polly's letters, are here:
http://onerhodeislandfamily.com/2012/09/05/how-to-use-nucmc-to-perform-a-miracle/
From her letters you can tell that Polly was a sincere girl, struggling to live up to her own religious ideals. She married at age 23 Eli Baldwin, a local carpenter, on 28 May 1829. They owned part of a house and a barn on the road leading from Townsend Harbor to Lunenburg. Within four years, Polly and Eli had a daughter and son, Catherine and Edward, and Eli died in Boston. From her surviving letter after her husband's death, it is clear that both families helped the young widow.
Based on the existence of a will for Polly written in the months before her death, it seems clear Polly died from illness, and her death was expected. Her siblings were given guardianship of the children.
Polly's obituary in the Farmer's Cabinet, Sept 20, 1839 reads as follows: "In Townsend, Ms. Sept. 10, widow Polly Baldwin, aged 33. She died like a saint sleeping in the arms of Jesus. Printers in Penn. &c."
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