John Milton

John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, most famous for his blank verse epic Paradise Lost. He is also remembered for authoring the brief epic Paradise Regained, the closet drama Samson Agonistes, the monody Lycidas, and Areopagitica, a prose work that condemns pre-publishing censorship.

Married Life

In June 1642, Milton married 16 year-old Mary Powell. A month later, she visited her family and didn't return. Over the next three years, Milton published a series of pamphlets arguing for the legality and morality of divorce, the first entitled The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, in which he attacked the English marriage law as it had been taken over almost unchanged from medieval Catholicism, sanctioning divorce on the ground of incompatibility or childlessness.

Related Topics:
1642 - Marriage

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In 1645, Mary finally returned. In 1646, her family, having been ejected from Oxford for supporting Charles I in the Civil War, moved in with the couple. They had 4 children: Anne, Mary, John, and Deborah. Mary died on May 5, 1652 from complications following Deborah's birth on May 2, which may have affected Milton deeply, as evidenced by his 23rd sonnet. In June, John died at age 15 months; it is not known if Anne or Deborah survived to adulthood. However, Mary is known to have survived to adulthood. Though the date of her death is not known, it is known that she married John Maugridge. They became the parents of a daughter, Mary Milton Maugridge in 1669. This grandaughter of John Milton died on February 2, 1740 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. She was the wife of George Boone III. They had nine children, all born in England. The three oldest children came to America, acquired land and established a homestead. On October 10, 1717, George Boone III, his wife, Mary Milton Maugridge Boone, and their six younger children arrived in Philadelphia. In 1720, one of their sons, Squire Boone, was married to Sarah Morgan. They had eleven children, including American frontiersman, Daniel Boone. John Milton was the great great grandfather of Daniel Boone. ("Compass: A Newsletter for Descendants, Genealogists, and Historians;" The Boone Society, Inc.; Vol. 9 Issue 2, April 2005; Pg 17.){{disputed}}

Related Topics:
1645 - 1646 - Oxford - Charles I - Civil War - May 5 - 1652 - May 2 - Daniel Boone

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On November 12, 1656, Milton married Katherine Woodcock. She died on February 3, 1658, less than 4 months after giving birth to their daughter, Katherine, who died on March 17.

Related Topics:
November 12 - 1656 - February 3 - 1658 - March 17

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On February 24, 1663, Milton married Elizabeth Minshull, who cared for him until his death.

Related Topics:
February 24 - 1663

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