M. 25 May 1726 in Billerica, Massachusetts
Husband: Thomas Kittredge
D. 25 Jun 1779 in Tewksbury, Massachusetts
There were many ways a mother could lose a child in the 18th century, but Jane Kittredge suffered the tragedy of having her first two die in a terrible accident.
Jane was born on Mar 27, 1704 in Billerica, Massachusetts to John Kittredge and Hannah French. She was one of 12 children. Jane’s father was a doctor, but he died when she was only 11-years-old. Jane married her first-cousin, Thomas Kittredge, on May 25, 1726 in Billerica, and they soon had two sons, Thomas and Jonathan, born a year apart.
On October 5, 1729, Jane left the boys in the care of 12 year-old girl while she and her husband Thomas attended church service. The girl saw that some hogs had gotten loose and went out to the cornfield to retrieve them. Unfortunately, while she was gone, the house caught fire with the children inside, and the young boys both died.
The New-England Weekly Journal reported about the fire a week later, an early example of journalism in America. Perhaps a contributing factor in the event was that Jane and Thomas lived about six miles from the Billerica meetinghouse, making it difficult to bring young children to Sunday services. Just a few years later, their area would be split off to form the town of Tewksbury, and with it came a new meetinghouse closer to home.
Thomas and Jane Kittredge's family in Billerica's town records.
Jane went on to have six more children, one who died young and one who died serving in the French and Indian War. Jane died of dysentery and dropsy on June 25, 1779 in Tewksbury (which was formerly a part of Billerica). Her husband survived her, dying in 1794.
Children:
1. Thomas Kittredge — B. 10 Apr 1727, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 5 Oct 1729, Billerica, Massachusetts
2. Jonathan Kittredge — B. 28 Jul 1728, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 5 Oct 1729, Billerica, Massachusetts
3. Abigail Kittredge — B. 6 May 1730, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. William Bell, about 1751
4. Thomas Kittredge — B. 9 Nov 1731, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 16 Jan 1806, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; M. Anna Thorndike (1736-1824), 24 Sep 1755
5. Joshua Kittredge — B. 26 Feb 1734, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 1756
6. Sarah Kittredge — B. 4 Jun 1736, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; M. Nathaniel Hunt, 1 Nov 1753, Tewksbury, Massachusetts
7. Joanna Kittredge — B. 1 May 1742, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; M. Joseph Kittredge, 27 Sep 1770
8. Mary Kittredge — B. 20 Jul 1744, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; D. 25 Dec 1747, Tewksbury, Massachusetts
Sources:
The Kittredge Family in America, Mabel T. Kittredge, 1936
Vital Records of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849, 1912
