Two Children Who Died in a Fire — Jane Kittredge

B. 27 Mar 1704 in Billerica, Massachusetts
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, 1703 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. The Kittredge family was a large clan in Billerica, and when Jane came of age, she made the acquaintance of her cousin, Thomas Kittredge. After a romantic encounter, she became pregnant, giving birth to an out-of-wedlock son named Thomas on April 10, 1727. About a month later, on May 25th, Jane and Thomas got married.

Having a child like that was unacceptable in Puritan Massachusetts, even if the two parents got married afterwards. So early the following year, she and Thomas were summoned to appear before the March 1728 court in Charlestown to answer for the “crime of fornication.” It’s interesting that Jane’s parents went through the same thing after they got married and already had a child. In Jane’s case, Thomas did appear, but she was said to be in a “sick and weak condition,” and the judges apparently accepted this excuse for her absence. A few months later, Jane had a second child, a son named Jonathan, so she may have been unable to travel to court because of her pregnancy.

Then a terrible tragedy struck the family. On October 5, 1729, Jane left her young 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 they 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. 

Report in the October 13, 1729 edition of The New-England Weekly Journal.

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