The Perils of Maternal Health Women often died in childbirth in the late seventeenth century. In this instance, neither mother nor newborn survived. Lois Sprague, twenty-four years old, and her unnamed infant died on April 6, 1696. The skull with wings at the top of the gravestone was a typical symbol of death and heavenly ascension. American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA / Bridgeman Images