Katherine Austen (1629–1683)

Katherine Austen, née Wilson, was born in London, England, a daughter of Robert Wilson, a draper, and his wife Katherine. In 1645, at about age 16, she married Thomas Austen, a lawyer, with whom she had three children. He died in 1658, naming Katherine in his will as executrix of his estate and guardian of their children. She had to defend several lawsuits and other challenges to her family's property rights. Book M: A London Widow's Life Writings, a manuscript consisting of 114 folios, was written over a period of six or seven years after her husband's death. It includes autobiographical material, interpretations of dreams (her own and others), historical commentary, prayers, letters, financial documents, and meditations written in rhyming couplets.