“Six Children of Abijah & Sarah Childs”
Old Burying Ground, Lexington, Massachusetts
In the space of eighteen days in August–September 1778, Sarah (13), Eunice (12), Abijah (11), Abigail (7), Benjamin (4), and Moses (3) all died—most likely from smallpox or a similar epidemic that ravaged even rear-area towns during the Revolutionary War.
Their father, Abijah Childs, had stood with Captain Parker’s Minute Men on the Battle Green just three years earlier. He and Sarah survived the loss and are buried a few steps away.
A quiet reminder, steps from the 2026 Patriots’ Day crowds, that the cost of liberty was borne not only by those who carried muskets, but by the families who waited at home.
The Children (with approximate birth/death details drawn from Lexington vital records and the monument)
Moses Childs – died August 19, 1778, age ~2–3 years
Benjamin Childs – died August 24, 1778, age ~4 years
Eunice Childs – died August 23, 1778, age ~12 years
Sarah Childs – died August 28, 1778, age 13 years 8 months
Abigail Childs – died August 29, 1778, age ~7 years
Abijah Childs Jr. – died September 6, 1778, age ~11 years
A seventh child, Isaac, survived and is not listed on the stone. The monument itself is unusual for colonial graveyards—large, communal, and heartbreaking in its simplicity. It is frequently photographed and discussed by visitors because of the sheer scale of the family tragedy in such a short time.
The Parents
Abijah Childs (1738/1739–August 3, 1808): A Lexington resident (born in nearby Waltham) who answered the call on April 19, 1775. He served as a private in Captain John Parker’s Company of Minute Men—the very unit that stood on the Green that fateful dawn. He lived another 30 years after the children’s deaths and is buried nearby with a separate headstone.
Sarah Cutler Childs (June 15, 1734–March 3, 1812): Born and raised in Lexington; married Abijah in October/December 1763. She outlived her husband by about four years. Both parents’ graves are located immediately behind the children’s monument
