My Heroes... Sarah Cobb Paine

Wife of Founding Father Robert Treat Paine. It's sad so little is known of these remarkable women.

She was educated as other well-to-do daughters were at the time. She bore 8 children, 4 boys and 4 girls. That's it. The next few pages are about her husband and wayward son.

The oldest son was lost to yellow fever, while another was persona-non-grata for marrying the daughter of theatrical parents. He returned to the family fold near his death from consumption. The family took in his wife and children.

Nothing more is shared in "Wives of the Signers." I did a quick search and found little else about her.

It is worth noting she survived the birth of eight children and raised them all to adulthood. She helped her daughter by marriage and her grandchildren. No small feat.

She died 2 years after her husband at the age of 72.

She may have been miserable, or she may have been happy. She must have been courageous and strong to be married to a man bent on defying the most powerful country in the world and to survive the birth and raising of 8 children.

Courage and strength are both things I want to develop in my life.