Lydia (Wood) Simonds (1689 - 1744)

Born 1 May 1689 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, British Colonial America

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 29 Jun 1744 at age 55 in Woburn, MA

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Randy Seaver [send private message] and Seely Foley [send private message]

Biography

The birth of Lydia Wood, daughter of Josiah and Abigail Wood is recorded in the Woburn Town Records. Unfortunately, there is no surviving record showing her marriage, or her siblings' marriages.

There is no definitive proof that Lydia Simonds was the daughter of Josiah Wood. She is placed as the wife of James Simonds based on close connections between the two families. There is no record of marriage or death for Lydia Wood in the Woburn records. Her brother, Samuel Wood, wrote the document confirming the distribution of legacies to the daughters of James Simonds and her sister, Abigail, married Benjamin Simonds.

Lydia did not marry after the death of James. She lived as widow for eleven years. This is fairly unusual behavior for a young widow at this time period. Her six children were between the ages of 9 and 19. Her older boys were undoubtly a help, but it was still difficult for a woman alone. Did she have the funds to hire servants or did her brothers assist her?

The death of Lydia Simonds, widow of ___ is recorded in the Woburn Town Records

Sources