Diseases have transformed history and the lives of our ancestors.
The Cummings Memorial is available on Amazon.com.
Guardianship is when a court gives an adult custody of a child and/or the responsibility of managing the child's property. Before women could own property, guardians were appointed for their minor children if their husband died.
Abigail Estey Cummings was born on January 8, 1692/93 in Topsfield, Essex County, Massachusetts. Her parents were Isaac Estey, Jr. and Abigail Kimball.
She married Joseph Cummings on May 22, 1712 in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Joseph was born on January 26, 1689/90. He was the son of John Cummings and Susannah Towne.
Their children included:
Joseph Cummings (1713),
Jacob Cummings (1717, married Mary Marble),
Abigail Cummings (1721, married Ebenezer Sibley),
Daniel Cummings (1724), and
Moses Cummings (1726).
They shared the "Hobbs-Bell" house with his brother John according to the provisions of his father's will.
Joseph died on December 24, 1729 and she died on January 10, 1729/30 of smallpox.
Their children were placed under guardianship:
Thomas Potter of Ipswich was appointed guardian of Joseph,
Jacob Peabody of Ipswich was appointed guardian of Jacob, Joseph Cummings of Ipswich of Moses, Aaron Estey of Topsfield of Daniel, and
John and Mary (Estey) Perkins were guardians of Abigail. (The Cummings Memorial, p. 36)
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.
Three daughters of William Towne and Joanna Blessing were wrongly accused of practicing witchcraft in Salem. Rebecca Towne Nurse, Mary Towne Estey, and Sarah Towne Bridges Cloyes were persecuted in 1692. The children of people in the line below are all descendants of Mary Estey.
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.
Smallpox is caused by of two viruses: Variola major and Variola minor. Symptoms include a rash and blisters. The mortality rate for V. major is 30–35% and for V. minor is about 1%. Long-term complications include scars, blindness, and limb deformities.
