Maria E. Guild (1815-1898)
Mark Guild (1806-1868)
Maria E. Guild was born in Boston on October 17, 1815, the only daughter of Jacob and Hannah (Gould) Guild (lot 40), and the great granddaughter of Capt. Aaron Guild. The family returned to South Dedham from Boston when she was 7 years old. Her father built a house at the corner of Washington and Howard Streets, a home she remained in throughout her life. As a girl, she attended the first service held in the village by the Universalist Society and continued her church work throughout her life.
On June 22, 1834, she married Mark Guild (1806-1868), who was the son of Abner and Sarah (Dean) Guild, and the grandson of Moses Guild (1725-1789). Three of the couple’s children died at a young age: Maria in 1837, Sarah in 1841, and Walter in 1851. They are buried in the family lot (lot 65) as are Mark Guild’s parents, Abner and Sarah.
Mark Guild was a cabinet maker and served as the postmaster in South Dedham from 1857 to 1861. He died of consumption on October 13, 1868 and was also interred in the family lot.
Maria E. (Guild) Guild died on Saturday, March 19, 1898. The primary cause of her death was recorded as “consumption of the old-fashioned type, aggravated by la grippe (influenza).” According to the Norwood Advertiser & Review, she was a pleasant, patient woman who enjoyed her many friends and her hobby of hand work. The newspaper noted that “her hands were never idle” and that she continued her needlework even when she was ill. She also “retained all her faculties until the end.” Maria Guild was survived by a granddaughter.
