... or the typical life of an 18^th century woman.

We all know that life expectancy has increased enormously thanks to medical science and it is difficult for us to imagine the meaning of child mortality. But this idea can get another dimension when we take a closer look at someone’s official data. 

Let us for example have a look at the life of Marie Caroline HOCKAY. With the information found in the acts, we can acquire a relatively accurate picture not only of her own life, but also of that of most women in the 18^th century.

Marie Caroline Hockay was born on October 31^st, 1737<•>, as the fourth child in a family of eight. We know very little about her until 1757 when she married Théodore François DELPERDANGE (born in 1728). Together they will have 10 children.

Their first child, Théodore François, was born in 1758. More data about him are not known to us. In January 1760  Bernard Joseph was born. He died one month later on February 17^th. In the same year October 1760 Catherine was born. She will die at the age of 6, on November 13^th, 1766.

In October 1762 Anne Marguerite was born. Two years later, in October 1764 Jean François was born. He will die two years later on September 7^th, 1766.

On July 6^th, 1766 Jean Joseph was born. In 1767 there was a seventh child Marie Catherine. On August 17^th, 1770 François Michel was born who however will die in the same year on November 26^th. One year later, in October 1771 it was Théodore François Noël’s turn. He will also die some months later, on February 12^th, 1772.

Eventually in February 1774 the tenth child François Joseph was born. This child will also die one month later on March 24^th.

Totally happy Marie Caroline HOCKAY’s life may not be called. Six of the ten children she gave birh to died before the age of 7. Moreover her younger three children all died when they only had some months.

Only four of her children might have given her grandchildren. But only for 2 of them we found proof that later in life they married, had children and thus carried on the family.

Her fourth child Anne Marguerite will later on marry Guillaume Lorencin and give birth to four children. Her sixth child Jean Joseph will become a shoemaker and marry Catherine Thérèse Grousse. Together they will have 8 children. He will die in 1809 at the age of 42.

Unfortunately Marie Caroline herself could not witness all this : barely one month after the death of her youngest child on April 19^th, 1774 <•> she herself died, only 37 years old. The cause of her death is not mentioned in the acts.

As living in the 20^th century we can only feel happy that the life of an average woman (and man!) has improved so much !