Sarah Goodhue

Sarah Whipple Goodhue (3 November 1641–23 July 1681) was an American Puritan writer from New England who is remembered for her work The Copy of a Valedictory and Monitory Writing, written seven days before her death.

Biography Goodhue was born on 3 November 1641 in Ipswich, Massachusetts to a family of middle-class merchants. She was the only child of Elder John and Susannah Whipple. As a child, Sarah was exposed to the multifaceted activities of her father, which included politics, schooling, the general court, and his rule as elder of the church. Sarah Goodhue learnt to read and write, unlike many girls of that era. They had their first child within ten months of being married, and they had nine children in total. Goodhue explained the timeliness of her writing was due to a premonition she would die in childbirth: She also expressed concern at leaving her husband to look after so many children alone, urging him to place some in the care of relatives.