Hannah Tompkins Jones was born on December 21, 1641, in Concord, Massachusetts Bay Colony, a time when the New World was still in its infancy, marked by the struggles of early settlers. Her parents, John Tompkins and Margaret Goodman, were among those who braved the Atlantic to carve out a life in a land far from their native England. Hannah grew up in a large family with six siblings, a common practice in those times to help with the labor-intensive farm life and to counter the high infant mortality rate.

In 1660, at the age of 19, Hannah married Hugh Jones in Salem, New Hampshire. Hugh, originally from Somerset, England, was a farmer, a typical occupation in the agrarian society of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The couple settled down in Salem, where they welcomed a large family, including sons John and Samuel, and daughters Hannah, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Deborah. Life for Hannah was typical of women in the 17th century, centered around domestic duties and child-rearing, with little opportunity for education or participation in public life.

The Tompkins-Jones family lived through a turbulent period in New England history. The Massachusetts Bay Colony, while offering freedom from religious persecution that many settlers sought, was also a place of strict social order and religious conformity. Women like Hannah had limited rights and were expected to adhere to the rigid norms of Puritan society.

Economic challenges were a constant companion for early settlers. The harsh climate and rocky soil of New England made farming difficult, and families like Hannah’s had to be self-sufficient, growing their own food and making their own clothes. These challenges were compounded by the constant threat of conflict with Indigenous peoples, as the settlers’ expansion increasingly encroached on native lands.

In 1672, tragedy struck when Hannah passed away on May 10th in Salem, leaving behind her husband and children. Her death, coming at the young age of 30, was not unusual in an era when life expectancy was low due to diseases and the hardships of colonial life. The cause of her death is not recorded, but it could have been due to any number of the common ailments of the time or complications from childbirth.

Hannah’s life, though short, was emblematic of the experiences of many women in the early years of American colonization. Her story reflects the resilience and fortitude required to build a life in a new world, the joys and sorrows of family life, and the strictures of a society that was still finding its footing in an untamed land. Hannah’s legacy lives on through her descendants and the historical records that capture a glimpse of life in the early Massachusetts Bay Colony.