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Daughter Ballard and a Number of her Children here. Mrs Partridge & Smith allso. Revered Mr Tappin Came and Converst swetly and mad a prayer adapted to my Case.

This is the last entry in Martha’s diary, and it contains a mention of everything she values most in life. The family she devoted so much time and energy to raising and helping pays their final respects to her. Two of her neighbors are there, signifying her beloved community network and the medical cycle of which she was a part. Her lifelong faith is supported by the presence of Mr. Tappin. Throughout her life, she gathered by the deathbeds of others, and members of the community now gather by her deathbed to offer what assistance they can. The moment is a perfect summary of and homage to her seventy-seven years of life. Though Martha lives for a few more weeks, she ends her diary here as part of her effort to order the diary as she always wanted to order her life. If she had the strength to write this entry, odds are she could have had the strength to write more, but she chose not to do so. She wrote the diary so that people would know how she lived, not how she died, and she seems content with the way her recorded life ends.

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