Elizabeth Saltonstall

Biography

Elizabeth Saltonstall was born on May 11, 1690, a daughter of Gurdon Saltonstall and Jerusha Richards. Her father’s work as minister of New London, a port on Connecticut’s southeastern coast, followed by his governorship, placed her within a household closely connected to the colony’s religious and political institutions. Her mother died in 1697, when Elizabeth was seven.

She married Richard Christophers, who held several New London offices, and had seven recorded children. Their first son, Richard, was born in 1712. Daughters Elizabeth, Mary and Sarah, son Joseph and two daughters named Katherine followed. The first Katherine died in infancy in 1725.

Elizabeth’s own role becomes especially clear in her husband’s will. Made in December 1735, it named her sole executrix. Richard died the following January; probate in February placed the settlement of his estate under her authority.

On August 26, 1736, she married Isaac Ledyard, a New London merchant. Their intentions had been published earlier that month. Only a month after the wedding, her eldest son Richard died at twenty-four, leaving a young widow and two small daughters. The year thus brought Elizabeth widowhood, responsibility for an estate, remarriage and the death of an adult child.