Jerusha Howe was born in Sudbury, MA July 6, 1797. She lived at The Wayside Inn and died here on February 27, 1842, at the age of 44 from consumption (Tuberculosis). She was the oldest child of Jerusha Balcom Howe (1767-1842) and Adam Howe, Sr. (1763-1840), son of American Revolutionary War patriot Col. Ezekiel Howe (1720-1796). Three of her siblings survived into adulthood, Lyman Howe (1801-1861), Adam Howe, Jr. (1805-1857), and Abiel Winthrop Howe (1807-1845). Lyman, known as the “Squire,” inspired the character of the “Landlord” in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Tales of a Wayside Inn, and was the last of the Howe family innkeepers and proprietors.

Jerusha never married or had children. Many decades after her death, stories that referenced her educated status, musical skills, and close bond with her parents and brothers appeared in magazines and newspapers. These articles also told tales of lost love—sometimes an English fiancé, other times a farmer in Marlborough. While entertaining and fanciful, these articles were not first-hand accounts and were often full of historical inaccuracies. And, more importantly, we have nothing in our archive to substantiate these stories. No letters to or from the object of her affection, no mention of a fiancé, and no diary entries lamenting a missing or fallen suitor.

Read more about How's Tavern HERE.

To see images of members of the Howe Family, click HERE.