Editing John Milton (section)

== Family ==
Milton and his first wife Mary Powell (1625–1652) had four children:<ref>Dates in this section are taken from John Milton's autograph memoranda in his Bible, in the British Library, [[call number]] Add MS 32310.</ref>
* Anne (born 29 July 1646)
* Mary (born 25 October 1648)
* John (16 March 1651 – June 1652)
* Deborah (2 May 1652 – 10 August 1727<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Monthly Mirror: Reflecting Men and Manners|publisher=Harding & Wright|year=1810|location=Edinburgh|pages=49|via=Google Books}}</ref>)

Mary Powell died on 5 May 1652 from complications following Deborah's birth. Milton's daughters survived to adulthood, but he always had a strained relationship with them.

On 12 November 1656, Milton was married to Katherine Woodcock at [[St Margaret's, Westminster]].<ref>'Milton, John', in ''Journal of the Society of Arts'', 8 November 1867, p. 755</ref> She died on 3 February 1658, less than four months after giving birth to her daughter Katherine, who also died.

Milton married for a third time on 24 February 1663 to Elizabeth Mynshull or Minshull (1638–1728), the niece of Thomas Mynshull, a wealthy apothecary and philanthropist in [[Manchester]]. The marriage took place at [[St Mary Aldermary]] in the City of London. Despite a 31-year age gap, the marriage seemed happy, according to [[John Aubrey]], and lasted more than 12 years until Milton's death. (A plaque on the wall of Mynshull's House in Manchester describes Elizabeth as Milton's "3rd and Best wife".) Samuel Johnson, however, claims that Mynshull was "a domestic companion and attendant" and Milton's nephew [[Edward Phillips]] relates that Mynshull "oppressed his children in his lifetime, and cheated them at his death".<ref>Johnson 1826 Vol. I 86.</ref>

His nephews, [[Edward Phillips|Edward]] and [[John Phillips (author)|John Phillips]] (sons of Milton's sister Anne), were educated by Milton and became writers themselves. John acted as a secretary, and Edward was Milton's first biographer.