MARTHA JUE WIFE TOAlthough these adjectives might call to mind the specific duties of a virtuous wife, I think that they are probably meant to praise Martha as a good Christian rather than as a good woman. The language of patience and submission is evocative of Christian virtues, but is markedly different from the terms in which parts of the Bible describe good wives. In particular, I am thinking of Proverb 31:10-31, which praises the virtuous woman for her industry and managerial skills, not her meekness. While the wives of the Old Testament are generally obedient, they are also resourceful, productive, and courageous. The Puritans were big on the Old Testament, so I think that if the author of this epitaph wanted to praise Martha Jue as a wife, he would have extolled her good works. Instead, he turned to the language of the New Testament and praised her as a Christian.
MIELES JUE AGED 77 YRS
DYED IN Ye FAITH IN PATIENCE
MEEK LOUING SUBMITING
HER SELF TO Ye WILL OF
GOD IN LIFE OR DEATH Ye 15 OF
SEPTEMBER 1683
As far as I can tell, this stone was carved by the man Harriette M. Forbes identified as "The Stone Cutter of Boston." The lightbulb-shaped head, curled eyebrows, and layered feathers on the wings are characteristic of his style.
I'm having some trouble finding Martha Jue in the available histories of Watertown, MA. If anyone has any information on her, please let me know.
3 comments:
After reading your suggestions, I went back and looked in the Watertown genealogies. I couldn't find any Chews or Tues, but I did find an Ives. "Miles" doesn't seem to have been a common name in the area, and there is a Miles Ives. After poking around a bit, I found the Ives Family History Blog, which mentions Miles Ives and his wife, Martha. So I guess that settles it: "Jue" = "Ives."
Thanks for posting this picture and linking to it from my blog. It is always interesting to find new information through the blog. I like what you are doing. It is unclear if I ma related to Miles and Martha. It would have to be a connection from England. Bill
This epitaph has a "U" that is really a "U" ("SUBMITING"), a "U" that is really a "V" ("LOUING"), and a "V" that is really a "v" ("JUE"). It also uses "J" to mean "I" when it occurs at the beginning of a word, but "I" for "I" in the middle of a word.
I'll have to look at some other works by this carver to see if this typographical pattern shows up elsewhere.
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