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{{short description|American Revolutionary War figure}}
]]]
{{Infobox person
</ref>]]
| name = Molly Stark
| image = Molly_Stark_Statue.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = Statue of Molly Stark in ]
| birth_name = Elizabeth Page
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1737|02|16}}
| birth_place = ]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1814|06|29|1737|02|16}}
| death_place =
| resting_place = ]<ref name=VR1894/>
| nationality =
| other_names =
| occupation =
| years_active =
| known_for =
| spouse = General ] (m. 1758)<ref name=RH1925/>
| children = 11, including ]
| relatives = ]
}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name = Molly Stark House
| image = Molly Stark House Historical Marker.jpg
| caption =
| type =
| locmapin =
| coordinates = {{Coord|43.14930|-71.63013|type:landmark|display=inline}}
| location = 346 Stark Highway North, ]
| area =
| built = c. 1759
| architect =
| architecture =
| governing_body =
| owner =
| designation1 = New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places
| designation1_date = January 27, 2003<ref name=NHSRHP/>
| designation1_number =
| website =
}}
], built c.&nbsp;1769, is located on the ] (]).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thecolonelwilliamsinn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ColWilliamsInnHistory.pdf |title=The Colonel Williams Inn: A Short History |website=thecolonelwilliamsinn.com |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref>]]


'''Molly Stark''', née '''Elizabeth Page''' (February 16, 1737 &ndash; June 29, 1814)<ref name=RH1925>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/64195797/stark-called-wife-molly-her-name-was/ |title=Stark Called Wife "Molly"; Her Name Was "Elizabeth" |newspaper=] |location=] |page=4 |date=August 20, 1925 |accessdate=November 28, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> was the wife of General ], made famous by his battle cry during the ]. Described as "mother of 11 children, homemaker, patriot, and defender of the household",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm43BC_Elizabeth_Page_Molly_Stark |title=Elizabeth Page "Molly" Stark |website=waymarking.com |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref> there are locations and landmarks named for her in at least four states.
'''Molly Stark''', née '''Elizabeth Page''', (February 16, 1737 &ndash; 1814) campaigned for smallpox vaccination. She was mentioned in a battle call because she was the wife of ] general ] and she has a state highway named after her.


==Biography==
==Life and significance==
Elizabeth "Molly" Page was born on February 16, 1737/8<ref>{{cite book|title=Vital Records of Haverhill, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849 Vol 1 Births|date=1910|publisher=Topsfield Historical Society|location=Topsfield, MA|pages=237–328}}</ref> to Puritans Caleb Page and Elizabeth Merrill.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=John Stark: Maverick General|last=Rose|first=Ben Z.|publisher=TreeLine Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-9789123-0-7|location=amazon preview|pages=41-43; 142}}</ref> She was born in ] <sup></sup>, moved with her family to ], around 1755 <sup></sup>, and was the daughter of the first ] of ], Caleb Page <sup></sup>. Her mother died when she was five, and she was adopted by her aunt, Ruth Wallingford, a widow with ten children of her own. She spent ten years with the Wallingfords<ref name=":0" />. She later returned to live with her father in Starkstown in 1752 at the age of 15. Her father owned slaves, which was not common in New Hampshire.<ref name=":0" /> She married John Stark on August&nbsp;20, 1758. Together they had 11 children, including their eldest son ].<ref name=":0" /> The Molly Stark house still stands in Dunbarton at Page's Corner. Elizabeth Page was born in ], on February 16, 1737,{{efn|Haverhill vital records list "Elisabeth Page" with a birth date of "Feb. 16, 1737-8"; ''see ]''.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/10055/images/dvm_PrimSrc000086-00119-1 |url-access=subscription |via=] |title=Vital Records of Haverhill, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849 Vol 1 Births |date=1910 |publisher=Topsfield Historical Society |location=Topsfield, Massachusetts |page=237}}</ref>}} to Puritans Caleb Page and Elizabeth Merrill.<ref name=rose/>{{rp|47}} Her father was "a successful merchant, militia captain, and surveyor."<ref name=rose/>{{rp|47}} Her mother died when she was five, and she was adopted by her aunt, Ruth Wallingford, a widow with 10 children of her own.<ref name=rose/>{{rp|47–48}} She spent 10 years with the Wallingfords, then returned to live with her father in Starkstown (current ]) in 1752 at the age of 15.<ref name=rose/>{{rp|48}} Her father owned slaves, which was not common in New Hampshire.<ref name=rose/>{{rp|48}} She married ] on August&nbsp;20, 1758;<ref name=RH1925/><ref name=rose/>{{rp|49}} it was apparently John Stark who gave his wife the nickname of "Molly".<ref name=rose/>{{rp|49}} Together they had 11 children,<ref name=RH1925/><ref name=rose/>{{rp|51}} including their eldest son, ].<ref name=rose>{{Cite book |title=John Stark: Maverick General |last=Rose |first=Ben Z. |publisher=TreeLine Press |location=] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-9789123-2-1}}</ref>{{rp|51}}


Stark gained historical notoriety due to her husband's battle call of "''There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories. They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!''" before engaging with the British and Hessian army in the ]. Stark is also known for her success as a nurse to her husband's troops during a ] epidemic and for opening their home as a hospital during the war. In late November 1778, she petitioned the New Hampshire Court "praying for leave to inoculate herself and family for the Small Pox," but was denied by state authorities who continued to ban inoculation for fear that it would spread the disease.<ref name=":0" /> Molly Stark gained historical notoriety due to her husband's battle call of "''There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories. They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!''" before engaging with the British and Hessian army in the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nhmagazine.com/stark-raving-lunacy-3/ |title=Stark Raving Lunacy |website=] |date=August 31, 2007 |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref>{{efn|Variants of General Stark's battle cry include "There boys are our enemies; to-night they must be ours or Mollie Stark's a widow"<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/64193561/untitled/ |title=(untitled) |newspaper=] |location=] |page=2 |date=July 9, 1877 |accessdate=November 28, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> and "Tonight the American flag floats from yonder hill, or Molly Stark sleeps a widow".<ref name=rose/>{{rp|114}} }} Stark is also known for her success as a nurse to her husband's troops during a ] epidemic and for opening their home as a hospital during the war.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhhistory.org/object/253003/page-elizabeth |title=Page, Elizabeth: Notes |website=nhhistory.org |publisher=] |accessdate=November 28, 2020 |quote=From 1906 N.H. DAR (Molly Stark Chapter) text}}</ref>{{efn|Possibly apocryphal, as sourcing dates this event to the ] (1758 Battle of Ticonderoga) which took place a month before the Starks were married.}} In late November 1778, she petitioned the New Hampshire Court "praying for leave to ] herself and family for the Small Pox," but her request was denied by authorities who feared it could spread the disease.<ref name=rose/>{{rp|132}} She died on June 29, 1814, and was interred in ].<ref name=VR1894>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/64194559/molly-stark/ |title=Molly Stark |newspaper=The Vermont Record |location=] |page=1 |date=October 26, 1894 |accessdate=November 28, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>


==In New England== ==Legacy==
Molly Stark's name remains in popular use on "a dizzying array of schools, parks, streets and businesses of every description bearing her name",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.virtualvermont.com/history/mstark.html |title=Molly Stark (1737 – 1814) |website=Virtual Vermont |date=20 August 2018 |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref> "for reasons never fully explained by anyone".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://newengland.com/today/living/humor/so-who-was-this-molly-stark-woman/ |title=So Who Was this "Molly Stark" Woman? |magazine=] |date=October 1, 2005 |via=newengland.com |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref>
Stark is honored throughout ] and ] with many businesses, streets and schools bearing her name, as well as the ]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vtstateparks.com/mollystark.html#aboutUsDropdown|title=Vermont State Parks/Molly Stark State Park|last=|first=|date=|website=Vermont State Parks|archive-url=|archivedate=|dead-url=|accessdate=March 24, 2018}}</ref> in ] and a statue of a gun-toting Molly which overlooks the ]. There was a gazebo next to the statue, but, during Hurricane Irene's visit in 2011 which flooded downtown Wilmington, the gazebo disappeared. The inn on the other side was badly damaged, but, the statue stood tall, and never moved. Also named for her is the ], otherwise known as ], which crosses southern Vermont and is thought to be the route used by General Stark on his victory march home from the ]. Molly Stark Mountain is one of the Green Mountain peaks on the ], just south of ] and north of ]; the adjacent peak is Baby Stark.


===Vermont===
The Molly Stark cannon, or "Old Molly", bears her name, and is kept by the New Boston Artillery Company in ].
Stark is honored in Vermont by the ] in ],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vtstateparks.com/mollystark.html#aboutUsDropdown|title=Vermont State Parks/Molly Stark State Park|website=Vermont State Parks|accessdate=March 24, 2018}}</ref> and a statue of Stark holding a child and ] in downtown Wilmington near the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=23291 |title=Elizabeth Page "Molly" Stark, 1737 – 1814 |website=HMDB.org |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref> Also named for her is the ], otherwise known as ], which crosses southern Vermont and commemorates the route used by General Stark on his victory march home from the Battle of Bennington.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/64178208/pageantry-and-speaking-open-new-molly/ |title=Pageantry and Speaking Open New Molly Stark Trail |newspaper=] |location=] |page=6 |date=September 8, 1936 |accessdate=November 28, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> There is also a Molly Stark Elementary School in Bennington.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mollystark.svsu.org |title=Molly Stark Elementary School |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref> Molly Stark Mountain is one of the Green Mountain peaks on the ], just south of ] and north of ]; the adjacent peak is Baby Stark.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nhmountainhiking.com/hike/molly/info.html |title=Hiking Molly Stark Mountain |website=nhmountainhiking.com |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref>


===New Hampshire===
The Molly Stark Chapter of the ] is located in ], New Hampshire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dar.org/national-society/become-member/chapters-by-state/NH|title=NEW HAMPSHIRE - State and Chapter Web Sites|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref>
The Molly Stark House still stands in Dunbarton at Page's Corner, denoted by a ] (]);<ref name=ByNumber>{{cite web |url=https://www.nh.gov/nhdhr/markers/documents/markers_bynumber.pdf |title=List of Markers by Marker Number |website=nh.gov |publisher=New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources |date=November 2, 2018 |accessdate=July 5, 2019}}</ref> it was added to the ] in 2003.<ref name=NHSRHP>{{cite web |title=New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places |url=https://www.nh.gov/nhdhr/programs/state_register_listinged_prop.htm#listingsdate |publisher=New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources |accessdate=November 25, 2020}}</ref> The Molly Stark cannon, or "Old Molly", bears her name, and is kept by the ] Artillery Company, denoted by a New Hampshire historical marker (]).<ref name=ByNumber/> The Molly Stark Chapter of the ] is located in ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nhsodar.org/chapters.html |title=Chapters |website=New Hampshire Daughters of the American Revolution |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref>


==In Ohio and Minnesota== ===Ohio===
Numerous revolutionary war veterans settled in ], so the General and his wife were honored there. Molly Stark Park is located in ], ], in northeastern Ohio. It is the grounds of the former Molly Stark Hospital, which served as a ] ] in the 1930s. It became a state hospital for the mentally ill and the aged, and closed in 1995. In 2009 the Stark County Commissioners released the grounds and former hospital to the Stark County Park District. After ] the old hospital is to be demolished, and more hiking and bicycling trails, and picnic grounds added. Numerous revolutionary war veterans settled in ], so the General and his wife were honored there. Molly Stark Park is located in ], ], in northeastern Ohio.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://starkparks.com/parks/molly-stark-park/ |title=Molly Stark Park |website=starkparks.com |date=2 October 2015 |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref> It is the grounds of the former Molly Stark Hospital, which served as a ] ] between 1929 and 1956 and as a general hospital and geriatric facility until 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://abandonedonline.net/location/molly-stark-sanatorium/|title=Molly Stark Sanatorium|last=Cahal|first=Sherman|date=2018-06-12|website=Abandoned|language=en-US|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-11-11}}</ref> In 2008, the county park board offered to buy the hospital and its grounds for a dollar, and the county opened the first public park in the township in April 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://starkparks.com/wp-content/uploads/MSP-Short-History.pdf |title=Molly Stark Park Short History |website=starkparks.com |accessdate=November 28, 2020}}</ref>


===Minnesota===
Molly Stark Lake in ], is named for her.<ref>{{cite book|last=Upham|first=Warren|title=Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ShcLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA402|year=1920|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|page=402}}</ref> ] in ], is named for her.<ref>{{cite book|last=Upham|first=Warren|title=Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance|url=https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog|year=1920|publisher=Minnesota Historical Society|page=}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}} {{reflist|30em}}


==External links== ==External links==
* at abandonedonline.net
*
* at Vermont State Parks
*
* at hmdb.org
*
*
*


{{DEFAULTSORT:Stark, Molly}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Stark, Molly}}
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]

Latest revision as of 21:59, 30 December 2023

American Revolutionary War figure
Molly Stark
Statue of Molly Stark in Wilmington, Vermont
BornElizabeth Page
(1737-02-16)February 16, 1737
Haverhill, Massachusetts
DiedJune 29, 1814(1814-06-29) (aged 77)
Resting placeManchester, New Hampshire
SpouseGeneral John Stark (m. 1758)
Children11, including Caleb Stark
RelativesHarriet Lane Huntress
Molly Stark House
Location346 Stark Highway North, Dunbarton, New Hampshire
Coordinates43°08′57″N 71°37′48″W / 43.14930°N 71.63013°W / 43.14930; -71.63013
Builtc. 1759
NH State Register of Historic Places
DesignatedJanuary 27, 2003
The Colonel Williams Inn in Marlboro, Vermont, built c. 1769, is located on the Molly Stark Trail (Vermont Route 9).

Molly Stark, née Elizabeth Page (February 16, 1737 – June 29, 1814) was the wife of General John Stark, made famous by his battle cry during the American Revolutionary War. Described as "mother of 11 children, homemaker, patriot, and defender of the household", there are locations and landmarks named for her in at least four states.

Biography

Elizabeth Page was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on February 16, 1737, to Puritans Caleb Page and Elizabeth Merrill. Her father was "a successful merchant, militia captain, and surveyor." Her mother died when she was five, and she was adopted by her aunt, Ruth Wallingford, a widow with 10 children of her own. She spent 10 years with the Wallingfords, then returned to live with her father in Starkstown (current Dunbarton, New Hampshire) in 1752 at the age of 15. Her father owned slaves, which was not common in New Hampshire. She married John Stark on August 20, 1758; it was apparently John Stark who gave his wife the nickname of "Molly". Together they had 11 children, including their eldest son, Caleb Stark.

Molly Stark gained historical notoriety due to her husband's battle call of "There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories. They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!" before engaging with the British and Hessian army in the Battle of Bennington. Stark is also known for her success as a nurse to her husband's troops during a smallpox epidemic and for opening their home as a hospital during the war. In late November 1778, she petitioned the New Hampshire Court "praying for leave to inoculate herself and family for the Small Pox," but her request was denied by authorities who feared it could spread the disease. She died on June 29, 1814, and was interred in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Legacy

Molly Stark's name remains in popular use on "a dizzying array of schools, parks, streets and businesses of every description bearing her name", "for reasons never fully explained by anyone".

Vermont

Stark is honored in Vermont by the Molly Stark State Park in Wilmington, and a statue of Stark holding a child and musket in downtown Wilmington near the Deerfield River. Also named for her is the Molly Stark Trail, otherwise known as Route 9, which crosses southern Vermont and commemorates the route used by General Stark on his victory march home from the Battle of Bennington. There is also a Molly Stark Elementary School in Bennington. Molly Stark Mountain is one of the Green Mountain peaks on the Long Trail, just south of Camel's Hump and north of Route 17; the adjacent peak is Baby Stark.

New Hampshire

The Molly Stark House still stands in Dunbarton at Page's Corner, denoted by a New Hampshire historical marker (number 111); it was added to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2003. The Molly Stark cannon, or "Old Molly", bears her name, and is kept by the New Boston Artillery Company, denoted by a New Hampshire historical marker (number 146). The Molly Stark Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is located in Manchester.

Ohio

Numerous revolutionary war veterans settled in Ohio, so the General and his wife were honored there. Molly Stark Park is located in Nimishillen Township, Stark County, in northeastern Ohio. It is the grounds of the former Molly Stark Hospital, which served as a tuberculosis sanatorium between 1929 and 1956 and as a general hospital and geriatric facility until 1995. In 2008, the county park board offered to buy the hospital and its grounds for a dollar, and the county opened the first public park in the township in April 2009.

Minnesota

Molly Stark Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, is named for her.

Notes

  1. Haverhill vital records list "Elisabeth Page" with a birth date of "Feb. 16, 1737-8"; see Dual dating.
  2. Variants of General Stark's battle cry include "There boys are our enemies; to-night they must be ours or Mollie Stark's a widow" and "Tonight the American flag floats from yonder hill, or Molly Stark sleeps a widow".
  3. Possibly apocryphal, as sourcing dates this event to the Battle of Carillon (1758 Battle of Ticonderoga) which took place a month before the Starks were married.

References

  1. ^ "Molly Stark". The Vermont Record. Fair Haven, Vermont. October 26, 1894. p. 1. Retrieved November 28, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Stark Called Wife "Molly"; Her Name Was "Elizabeth"". Rutland Herald. Rutland, Vermont. August 20, 1925. p. 4. Retrieved November 28, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places". New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  4. "The Colonel Williams Inn: A Short History" (PDF). thecolonelwilliamsinn.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  5. "Elizabeth Page "Molly" Stark". waymarking.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  6. Vital Records of Haverhill, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849 Vol 1 Births. Topsfield, Massachusetts: Topsfield Historical Society. 1910. p. 237 – via Ancestry.com.
  7. ^ Rose, Ben Z. (2007). John Stark: Maverick General. Lincoln, Massachusetts: TreeLine Press. ISBN 978-0-9789123-2-1.
  8. "Stark Raving Lunacy". New Hampshire. August 31, 2007. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  9. "(untitled)". Rutland Herald. Rutland, Vermont. July 9, 1877. p. 2. Retrieved November 28, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  10. "Page, Elizabeth: Notes". nhhistory.org. New Hampshire Historical Society. Retrieved November 28, 2020. From 1906 N.H. DAR (Molly Stark Chapter) text
  11. "Molly Stark (1737 – 1814)". Virtual Vermont. 20 August 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  12. "So Who Was this "Molly Stark" Woman?". Yankee. October 1, 2005. Retrieved November 28, 2020 – via newengland.com.
  13. "Vermont State Parks/Molly Stark State Park". Vermont State Parks. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  14. "Elizabeth Page "Molly" Stark, 1737 – 1814". HMDB.org. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  15. "Pageantry and Speaking Open New Molly Stark Trail". North Adams Transcript. North Adams, Massachusetts. September 8, 1936. p. 6. Retrieved November 28, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  16. "Molly Stark Elementary School". Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  17. "Hiking Molly Stark Mountain". nhmountainhiking.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "List of Markers by Marker Number" (PDF). nh.gov. New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. November 2, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  19. "Chapters". New Hampshire Daughters of the American Revolution. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  20. "Molly Stark Park". starkparks.com. 2 October 2015. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  21. Cahal, Sherman (2018-06-12). "Molly Stark Sanatorium". Abandoned. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  22. "Molly Stark Park Short History" (PDF). starkparks.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  23. Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 402.

External links

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