Ebenezer Parkman was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1703. Parkman would spent most of his adult life as the reverend in Westborough, Worcester County. In the summer of 1752 he was struck down by an undiagnosed fever, a disease which had already claimed several lives in the district. Bedridden for weeks and unable to eat, Parkman continued to weaken, while concerned family members kept a constant vigil at his bedside. In late August Parkman’s fever started to dissipate. He found enough strength to write in his diary – and to report the reason for his recovery:

“My wife tends me [at] nights and supplies me with breast milky.”

Parkman’s wife Mary sent their one-year-old son Samuel to relatives, so that she could nurse her ailing husband. Parkman Senior recovered fully and lived another 30 years, dying in December 1782.

Source: Francis Wallett (ed.) The Diary of Ebenezer Parkman, 1703-1782. Content on this page is © Alpha History 2019-23. Content may not be republished without our express permission. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use or contact Alpha History.