Mary Sargent

Mary Turner's portrait is in the House of Seven Gables, over the mantle (copy of image is a famous paining by John Singleton Copley of Mary Turner Sargent. A much larger and clearer image of the portrait can be found here. The painting was completed shortly after Mrs. Sargent’s marriage to Daniel Sargent of Boston who hailed from a very wealthy family of merchants and ship owners. Daniel Sargent was a Federalist and served in the Massachusetts legislature for a time and as a state senator. He was also a first captain in the Boston Light Infantry.

Mrs. Sargent was born in Salem, Massachusetts, where many of America’s first millionaires lived. She was born in what is now the House of the Seven Gables made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel by the same name. Per the House of Seven Gables website no papers of [Mrs. Sargent’s] have been found, but the recent discovery of the letter books kept by her niece, Judith Sargent Murray, are revealing important information. In these letter books---in which Judith made copies of her correspondence to family and friends---the letters to or about Mary describe her as a woman of integrity, selflessness, and compassion. Mary was born to John and Mary Osborne Turner of Salem, Massachusetts. Her great-grandfather John Turner of Salem built what would become known as "The House of the Seven Gables," he died 09 Oct 1680 and is buried in Charter Street Burying-Ground, Salem. John Singleton Copley captured Mary's beauty in her portrait painted in 1763 now at the deYoung Museum of Fine Arts, San Francisco; the Ray and Dagmar Dolby gallery 2nd floor. Mary married Daniel Sargent of Gloucester on 3 Feb 1763; they had seven children: Daniel Sargent, b: 15 June 1764 and d: 1 April 1842(Memorial # 21703395) ; Ignatius Sargent, b: 1 Nov 1765 and d: 18 Jan 1821; John Turner Sargent, b: 27 Mar 1769 and d: 10 Feb 1813; Henry Sargent, b:25 Nov 1770 and d:21 Feb 1845; Mary Osborn Sargent, b:30 Sept 1780 and d: 12 Sept 1781; Winthrop Sargent, b: 31 Jan 1783 and d: 11 Jan 1808; Lucius Manlius Sargent, b: 25 June 1786 and d: 2 June 1867.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 10 2020, 1:47:23 UTC