Transcription of headstone: Unity, Consort of Mr. Joshua Durant
died 29 Nov 1781, aged 20
Unity Clark was the daughter of Deacon Simeon Clark & his wife Betsey “Betty” Hall. She was the second daughter born to the couple. She is my husband’s 1st cousin 5x removed. Her headstone is one of the oldest ones I have a picture of. I took this photograph myself during a visit to Keene, New Hampshire, with my husband, back in 2010. This headstone and others back in Keene were the oldest I had ever seen and I found it fascinating to try to imagine the lives of these ancestors. Unity Clark was born 12 Jan 1762 in Keene, New Hampshire. Here is a record of her birth.
New Hampshire, Births and Christenings Index, 1714-1904
Name: Unity Clark
Birth Date: 12 Jan 1762
Birth Place: Keene, Cheshire, New Hampshire
Gender: Female
Father's Name: Simeon Clark
Mother's Name: Betty
FHL Film Number: 1000376
At the age of 18 years she married Joshua DURANT. They were married on 19 May 1780 in Keene, Cheshire, New Hampshire. Here is a record of their marriage.
New Hampshire, Marriage Records Index, 1637-1947
Name: Unity Clark
Marriage Date: 19 May 1780
Event Type: Marriage
Marriage Place: Keene, Cheshire, New Hampshire
Gender: Female
Spouse Name: Joshua Durant
Spouse Gender: Male
FHL Film Number: 1000984
On 29 Nov 1781 Unity Clark Durant died, at the age of 19 years. How sad to have died so young. Here is a record of her death.
New Hampshire, Death and Disinterment Records, 1754-1947
Name: Unity Durant
Gender: Female
Birth Date: abt 1761
Death Date: 29 Nov 1781
Death Place: Keene, New Hampshire, USA
Age at Death: 20
Unity and Joshua were only married for 1 year 6 months and 10 days before her death. Joshua Durant lived to the age of 79 and went on to marry two more times. He was a Revolutionary War soldier.
What was Unity’s cause of death? I don’t know & have not found a record that reveals that information. It could have been childbirth or any number of other illnesses or diseases.
I’d like this young lady to know that 234 years after her death, she is remembered
.
You can visit her memorial on findagrave.com. Memorial #19071723.
There are a couple of excellent books published about this area of New Hampshire.
1. History of Cheshire & Sullivan Counties, New Hampshire, D. Hamilton Hurd (1886) This book may be viewed on Ancestry.com or at Archive.org
2. A History of the Town of Keene from 1732 to 1874, by S. G. Griffin, M.A. (1904)
This book may be viewed at Archive.com or you may download it from the Keene Public Library
Both of these publications are excellent references for the study of that area of New Hampshire.
OTHER POSTS THAT YOU MAY FIND INTERESTING
BOOKS-WHY WE STILL NEED THEM-Which ones are in your library?
HISTORICAL & FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETIES - Great Resources for your research
If you think you might be related, even remotely, to anyone mentioned in any post on this blog, please contact me!
Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright © 2010-2015 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION
My guess, based on how early in her marriage her death occured is that her death is related to childbirth. She may have had either a still or live birth that was not properly cleaned up after and may have died as a result of infection. Have you checked the vital records at that time to see if there were any Durant babies born or died around that time? Another cause could have been an epidemic. If you notice a lot of other people dying within a few weeks of her, or find information about an epidemic in a local history, that can be a good clue. Very nice headstone, but such a tragic death!
ReplyDeleteMiriam. I completely agree that the most probable cause would be child birth. I have not checked the records for a Durant baby born or stillborn, so thank you for that suggestion. My husband's side of the family is fun to research. I love the NH and Mass records. The Hall family were prominent members of early life in Keene, NH. Thanks for you comment and thanks for stopping by.
DeleteP.S. I see your info comes from an index. If you consult the actual record, it may list the actual cause of death.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'll see if I can view the actual record on family search. If not, I will make a note to look for it when it am at the FHL in June.
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