Esther Hayden | |
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Born | Esther Allen 1713 |
Died | 1758 |
Nationality | American |
Known for |
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Notable work | A Short Account of the Life, Death and Character of Esther Hayden |
Spouse | Samuel Hayden |
Esther Hayden (1713–58) was an American poet who is known for her poem A Short Account of the Life, Death and Character of Esther Hayden (1759), written on her deathbed.
Hayden was born in 1713. [1] She was the daughter of Samuel Allen and the identity of her mother is unknown. [2] [3] Hayden was married to Samuel Hayden of Braintree, Massachusetts and together they had nine children. She died on February 14, 1785, aged 45 after experiencing over a year of serious illness. [1] [2]
Short Account of the Life, Death and Character of Esther Hayden (1759) may have been published as a memorial to Hayden. The volume includes a short testimonial by an anonymous author and a longer tribute by a "near Relative". This near relative describes Hayden as a woman who "strove for Grace and Holiness, / That Christ might be her Part", and who "Appear'd a precious Saint." [2]
The poem written by Hayden is entitled Composed About Six Weeks Before Her Death, When Under Distressing Circumstances. [3] It consists of a verse of 167 lines dedicated to her family and friends. [1] Like many deathbed statements written at the time, the poem urges them to Christian devotion and expresses concern for their religious character. [2] She also describes her own religious insecurities as she laments her physical and mental pain, her "wasting sickness" and her "fear to die". [1]
Although this is Hayden's only extant work, the poem suggests the hand of an experienced writer. [2]
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