Born April 14, 1714 to John and Susanna Becket, Susannah Babbidge would go on to be one of Salem’s most prominent educators. After marrying John Babbidge at the age of 17, Susannah would give birth to seven children between 1733 and 1744, but after John died young, she was forced to care for them largely on her own. An extremely capable woman, she would go on to educate not only her own children, but many of Salem’s children, operating a school out of her home on 106 Essex Street. She was joined in this endeavor by her oldest daughter, Lydia, who taught classes for young women on the second floor. Many of her children, especially her sons, did not live to reach old age, sailors lives being particularly perilous. By 1800, she had outlived all her children, although she had several grandchildren, and lived with her grandson John, who she had adopted after her son’s death.
Susannah Babbidge made quite an impression, as a teacher and otherwise. Multiple individuals refer to her as ‘corpulent’ and while it does not seem to have slowed her down any, it did make moving freely throughout the crowded school room difficult. To compensate for this, Susannah had a long cane-rod, lengthy enough to discipline the furthest students. If this was ineffective, she would pin the unruly child’s clothes to her own. When Lydia died in 1800, Susannah ended her teaching career of 50 years but remained active until her death in 1804, often walking to the Common to pick berries. In late May of 1804, she came down with pneumonia, which over the next week developed into a fever that ultimately resulted in her death at the age of 90. The Rev Bentley eulogized her, after once again noting her corpulence, as a ‘Superior Woman.’
Records seem to list Susannah’s death date as June 3rd, rather than June 2 as the stone indicates. It is possible the inscription was mistakenly re-carved with the wrong date during extensive restoration work at the end of the 19th century.