One Colonial Womans World The Life And Writings Of Mehetabel Chandler Coit

"This book reconstructs the life of Mehetabel Chandler Coit (1673-1758), the author of what may be the earliest surviving diary by an American woman. A native of Roxbury, Massachusetts, who later moved to Connecticut, she began her diary at the age of fifteen and kept it intermittently until she was well into her seventies...Coit's long life covered an eventful period in American history, and this book explores the numerous -- and sometimes surprising -- ways in which her personal history was linked to broader social and political developments. It also provides insight into the lives of countless other colonial American women whose history remains largely untold" -- Back cover.