Mehitabel Hodges, 18th Century Gift of Mrs. Sophia L. McDonald, 63.46.1 One of the oldest dolls in the United States, Mehitabel was brought to America from Europe in 1724 by Gamaliel Hodges, a sea captain from Salem, Massachusetts, as a gift for his daughter Anstiss. Mehitabel was handed down through seven generations of Hodges' descendants before making the Museum of the City of New York her home.http://www.mcny.org/toy18.htm