More than four centuries of continual human inhabitance in around the region of New England, and especially Eastern Massachusetts, has created one of America's richest archeological areas in terms of concentrated colonial graveyards. The slow but steady progression of scientific advancement, medical sanitation, and social structures obviously leads to the lengthening of one's lifespan in connection with modernity, but due to the particular gender inequities in place during this era, it is reasonable to assume that females did not benefit in equal proportion to their male counterparts. The average age at the time of death has undoubtedly changed as time has progressed, but further study is needed to test for correlations between gender and the lengthened lifespan afforded by living in later eras. By studying the dozens of colonial headstones collected within Medford's Oak Grove Cemetery, and recording pertinent data regarding birth and death dates, gender, and family affiliation, an informative table has been developed from which broader theories on this hypothesis can be extrapolated and tested.
Cemetery Archeology Project
More than four centuries of continual human inhabitance in around the region of New England, and especially Eastern Massachusetts, has created one of America's richest archeological areas in terms of concentrated colonial graveyards. The slow but steady progression of scientific advancement, medical sanitation, and social structures obviously leads to the lengthening of one's lifespan in connection with modernity, but due to the particular gender inequities in place during this era, it is reasonable to assume that females did not benefit in equal proportion to their male counterparts. The average age at the time of death has undoubtedly changed as time has progressed, but further study is needed to test for correlations between gender and the lengthened lifespan afforded by living in later eras. By studying the dozens of colonial headstones collected within Medford's Oak Grove Cemetery, and recording pertinent data regarding birth and death dates, gender, and family affiliation, an informative table has been developed from which broader theories on this hypothesis can be extrapolated and tested. The following field study summarization details the processes and methodologies used to determine the connection between gender and lengthened lifespan as time progressed in Eastern Massachusetts colonial era, including data collection, graphical representations used to aid in the interpretative process, and any conclusions that can be drawn following an empirical analysis.
Background and History of Oak Grove Cemetery
Considering the archeological implications of this research study, it is necessary to begin with a review of the site's historical role in Massachusetts' colonial development. The development of the land on which Oak Grove Cemetery is situated began as early as the 1600's, with settlement of the area beginning with Thomas Brooks of the Brooks Estate. When the town of Medford realized its need for additional burial grounds in 1853, a purchase was made from the Brooks Estate to acquire the 12 acres of land on which Oak Grove Cemetery now resides. Throughout over 300 years of continuous use there have been dozens of families from Medford's history books to have members interred at the site, including the Washburns and the Whytes.
Data Collection Methodology
Multiple visits were made to the Oak Grove Cemetery and a particular section of the graveyard was used to compile data. The information contained on a total of thirty-five headstones was recorded, including first and last names, gender, birth and death dates, age at the time of death, as well as an assortment of descriptors associated with their headstones. The original data set was then divided into a number of specified lists, such as those containing only males and/or females, groupings by family name, and ordering the data by birth or death date. Graphs were also generated to provide visual aids to improve the ability to decipher observable trends, patterns, or other aspects of the data which may confirm or reject the original hypothesis that females did not experience the same scale of lengthened lifespan as their male counterparts.
Examination of Compiled Birth and Death Date Data
By averaging the ages of death for all of the seventeen (17) males in the data set, as well as the eighteen (18) females, it was possible to calculate the average age of death for each gender. For the thirty-five (35) subjects studied in this section of Oak Grove Cemetery, males were deceased at an average age of 63.65 years, while females were deceased at an average age of just 59 years. If one presupposes an average lifespan for this historical era of 60 years, the average difference of 4.65 years of lengthened life afforded to males represents an additional 7 per cent of lifespan simply on the basis of gender. While there may exist certain physiological tendencies which lead to males living for a longer time than females, the variety of socioeconomic disadvantages imposed on females during this historical era would appear to have had a prohibitive effect on the lengthening of life.
Another aspect of this study which bears further consideration is disparity between those who died before the turn of the 20th century, and those who died during the last years of the 19th century:
- for males who were deceased during the 1800's, the average age at the time of death was 54.85 years, while females were deceased at an average age of 43.63 years, for a difference of -- 11.22 years between genders.
- for males who were deceased during the 1900's, the average age at the time of death was 69.8 years, while females were deceased at an average age of 71.3 years, for difference of +1.5 years between genders.
You’re 82% through this paper. Sign up to read the full paper.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.