USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > History of Plymouth county, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 233
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1115
HISTORY OF PLYMPTON.
outh. The last-mentioned road is that which leads to what is called " parting ways."
At the March meeting in 1708, William Shurtleff was again chosen town clerk, and the succession of incumbents of that office up to the present time has been as follows:
1709-10. William Shurtleff. 1800-11. Elijah Bisbee.
1711-27. Isaac Cushman. 1812-51. Lewis Bradford.
1728-31. Ignatius Cushing. 1852-58. William H. Soule.
1732-38. Joseph Thomas. 1859-61. Isaiah S. Ripley.
1739-79. Josiah Perkins. 1862-71. William Perkins.
1780-86. Zephaniah Perkins. 1872. Barzillai E. Wright.
1787-94. James Churchill. 1873-82. Lewis B. Parker.
1795-95. Elijah Bisbee. 1883-S4. Josiah P. Hammond. 1799. Joshua Loring.
The succession of incumbents of the Board of Se- lectmen has been as follows :
1708-10 .- Caleb Loring. Samuel Sturtevant, Benoni Lucas. 1711-12 .- Caleb Loring, Isaac Cushman, Benoni Lucas. 1713-21 .- David Bosworth. Isaac Cushman, Benoni Lucas. 1722-23. - David Bosworth, Isaac Cushman, Jr., Benoni Lucas. 1724 .- David Bosworth, Isaac Cushman, Jr., Samuel Bradford. 1725-27 .- David Bosworth, Isaac Cushman. Jr., Benoni Lucas. 1725-29 .- David Bosworth, Ignatius Cushing, Benoni Lucas. 1,30 .- David Bosworth, Ignatius Cnshing. Joseph Lucas. 1.31 .- Samuel Bradford, Joseph Thomas, Joseph Lucas. 1.32-33 .- Samuel Bradford, Joseph Thomas, David Bosworth. 1734 .- Samuel Bradford. Joseph Thomas, Joseph Lucas. 1735-38 .- Barnabas Shurtleff, Joseph Thomas, Josiah Perkins. 1739-40 .- Benjamin Weston, Samuel Shaw, Josiah Perkins. 1741 .- Joseph Thomas, Samuel Shaw, Josiah Perkins. 1742 .- Joseph Lucas, Samuel Shaw, Josiah Perkins. 1743-44 .- Joseph Bridgham, Benjamin Weston, Josiah Perkins. 1745-46 .- Joseph Bridgham, George Bryant, Josiah Perkins. 1747 .- Roland Hammond, George Bryant, Josiah Perkins. 174S .- Samuel Shaw, George Bryant, Josiah Perkins. 1749 .- Roland Hammond, George Bryant, Josiah Perkins. 1750 .- Roland Hammond, George Bryant, Josiah Perkins. 1751 .- Benjamin Weston, Abel Crocker, John Bradford. 1752-54 .- Benjamin Weston, Benjamin Shortleff, John Brad- ford.
1755-57 .- Roland Hammond, Zebedee Chandler, Gideon Brad- ford.
1758-66 .- Samnel Lucas, Zebedee Chandler, Gideon Bradford. 1767-70 .- George Hammond, Zebedee Chandler, John Bryant. 1771 .- Gideon Bradford, Zebedee Chandler, Samuel Lucas. 1772-73 .- Gideon Sampson, Ignatius Loring, George Hammond. 1774 .- Gideon Bradford, John Bryant, George Hammond. 1775 .- Gileon Sampson, John Bryant, Thomas Savery. 1776. Samuel Lucas, Zebedee Chandler, Jabez Newland. 1777 .- Gideon Sampson, Zebedee Chandler, George Hammond. 1778 .- John Bryant, Isaiah Cushman, George Hammond. 1779 .- John Shaw, Isaiah Cushman, Gideon Sampson. 1780 .- Thomas Gannett, Elijah Bisbee, Francis Shurtleff. 1781 .- Thomas Gannett, Elijah Bisbee, John Shaw. 1762-84 .- Thomas Gannett, Elijah Bisbee, Francis Shurtleff. 1785 .- Thomas Gannett, Isaac Churchill, William Atwood. 1786 .- Thomas Gannett, Nehemiah Cobb, Ebenezer Soule. 1787 .- John Bradford, William Atwood, Stephen Ellis. 1788-89 .- Samuel Lucas, Gideon Bradford, William Ripley. 1790 .- Thomas Gannett, Gideon Bradford, William Atwood. 1791-Thomas Sampson, Jonas Whitman, Stephen Ellis. 1792 .- Thomas Sampson, Gideon Bradford1, Stephen Ellis.
1793-94 .- Thomas Sampson, Isaac Lobdell, Stephen Ellis. 1795 .- Caleb Loring, George Sampson, Gideon Bradford. 1796-99 .- Caleb Loring, Stephen Ellis, Asa Sherman. 1800 .- Isaac Wright, Stephen Ellis, Zenas Bryant. . 1801 .- Seth Cushing, Nathaniel Carver, Thomas Sampson. 1802 .- Seth Cushing, Stephen Ellis, Isaac Wright. 1803 .- Isaac Churchill, Henry Leonard, Peleg Wright. 1804 .- Stephen Ellis, Caleb Loring, Peleg Wright. 1805 .- Stephen Ellis, Isaac Wright, Zephaniah Perkins. 1806 .- Stephen Ellis, Isaac Wright, Seth Cushing. 1807-10 .- Caleb Loring, Isaac Wright, Oliver Parker. 1811 .- Caleb Loring, Isaac Wright, Levi Bradford. 1812 .- Daniel Soule, Lemuel Bryant, Oliver Churchill. 1813-14 .- Oliver Parker, Lemuel Bryant, Isaac Wright. 1815 .- Oliver Parker, Elijah Bisbee, James Cushing. 1816-17. Oliver Parker, Elijah Bisbee, William Perkins. 1818 .- Jonathan Parker, James Cushing, William Perkins. 1819 .- Janathan Parker, John Bradford, Billya Wright. 1820 .- Jonathan Parker, Spencer Holmes, Zenas Bryant, Jr. 1821. - Jonathan Parker, Martin Hayward, Zenas Bryant, Jr. 1822. - Philemon Fuller, Oliver Parker, Martin Hayward. 1823 .- Philemon Fuller, Oliver Parker, Isaac Wright. 1824 .- Jonathan Parker, Martin Hayward, Zenas Bryant. 1825 .- Jonathan Parker, Martin Hayward, Ebenezer Lobdell. 1826 .- Jonathan Parker, John Sampson, Josiah T. Ellis. 1827-29 .- Jonathan Parker, Pelham Holmes, Josiah T. Ellis. 1830 .- Martin Hayward, Pelham Holmes, Josiah T. Ellis. 1831-32 .- William Perkins, Richard Cooper, Jr., Josiah T. Ellis.
1833 .- Zenas Bryant, Jr., Zaccheus Sherman, Oliver Churchill. 1834-36 .- Joseph Sherman, Richard Cooper, Jr., Josiah T. Ellis.
1837 .- Martin Perkins, Richard Cooper, Jr., Josiah T. Ellis. 1838 .- Zenas Bryant, Isaiah Churchill, Willard Ellis.
1839 .- Zenas Bryant, John Sherman, Richard Cooper, Jr. 1840 .- Zenas Bryant, John Sherman, John P. Ellis.
1841 .- Thomas M. Harrub, John Sherman, John P. Ellis. 1842 .- Thomas M. Harrub, Zaccheus Parker, John P. Ellis. 1843 .- Isaiah Churchill, Zaccheus Parker, Daniel Perkins. 1844 .- William M. Bisbec, Zaccheus Parker, Daniel Perkins. 1845 .- William M. Bisbee, Cephas Bumpus, Benjamin Warren. 1846 .- Isaac Wright, Cephas Bumpus, Benjamin Warren. 1847 .- Zaccheus Parker, Stephen Clark, James M. IIarrub. 1848 .- Zaccheus Parker, Isaac Wright, Bela Wadsworth. 1849 .- Zaccheus Parker, Joseph Sampson, Jr., Bela Wads- worth.
1850 .- Isaac Wright, Elijah Bisbee, C. C. Bumpus. 1851 .- John P. Ellis, Joseph B. Nye, Alden Miller. 1852-53 .- C. C. Bumpus, Edson Ellis, Harvey Fuller. 1854 .- George W. Sherman, Charles II. Perkius, Isaac Wright. 1855 .- George B. Fuller, Isaiah S. Ripley, Isaac Wright. 1856 .- Joseph B. Nye, Isaiah S. Ripley, Isaac Wright. 1857 .- Joseph B. Nye, Isaiah S. Ripley, William Perkins. 1858 .- Joseph B. Nye, John P. Ellis, Josiah S. Hammond. 1859 .- Zaccheus Parker, William Perkins, James C. Ellis. 1860-61 .- Zaccheus Parker, Ira S. Holmes, Charles H. Perkins. 1862 .- Isaiah Churchill, Alexander Harvey, Charles II. Per- kins.
1863 .- George W. Sherman, Seneca Briggs, Charles H. Per- kins.
1864 .- George W. Sherman, John Sherman, Charles H. Per- kins.
1865 .- William Perkins, John Sherman, George W. Sherman. 1866-67 .- William Perkins, Zaccheus Parker, Ira S. Holmes. 1868 .- William Perkins, James S. Bonney, Ira S. Holmes. 1869 .- William Perkins, John Sherman, Joseph B. Nye.
1116
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH COUNTY.
1870 .- William Perkins, Zaccheus Purker, James S. Bonney. 1871 .- William Perkins, Zaccheus Purker, John Sherman. 1872 .- Joseph 11. Fuller, Zaccheus Parker, Joseph B. Nye. 1873-75 .- John Sherman, Tra S. llolmes, Lomuel Bryant. 1876 .- John Sherman, William Perkins, Lemuol Bryant. 1877 .- Ilerschel E. Briggs, William L. Randall, Josiah P. Hammond.
1878-79 .- Jamos S. Bonney, John Sherman, Frederick M. Harrub.
1880 .- William Perkins, John Sherman, Stephen Churchill. 1881-82 .- Frederick M. Harrub, T. S. Ripley, Lewis B. Parker. 1883 .- Josiah P. Hammond, A. E. Bonnoy, Lemuel Bryant. 1884 .- Josiah P. Hammond, Albert Bonney, Lemuel Bryant.
No record is made of the choice of a moderator until 1724. Who presided at town-meetings before that time, whether the clerk or selectmen or a mod- erator whose clection was not thought worthy of record, there are no means of determining. Since that time the following persons have 'officiated at annual meetings :
1724. Caleb Loring. 1800-1. Isaae Bonney. 1725. Benoni Lueas. 1802. Stephen Ellis.
1726. Benoni Shaw.
1803. Elias Churchill.
1727. Benoni Lucas.
1804. Stephen Ellis.
1728-31. Caleb Loring. 1732. John Weston.
1733-35. Samuel Bradford.
1736-37. Barnabas Shurtleff. 1738. Samuel Bradford. 1739. Barnabas Shurtleff. 1740. Ignatius Loring.
1741. George Sampson.
1742-43. Benjamin Weston. 1744. Joseph Thomas. 1745. Benjamin Weston. 1746-54. George Sampson. 1755. John Bradford. 1756-57. Benjamin Weston. 1758-59. John Bradford. 1760-62. Gideon Bradford. 1763-65. John Bradford. 1766-71. Zebedee Chandler. 1772. Gideon Sampson. 1773-74. Timothy Ripley. 1775. Gideon Sampson.
1776. Zebedee Chandler. 1777. Gideon Sampson. 1778. Seth Cushing.
1779. Gideon Sampson. 1780-81. Seth Cushing. 1782. Francis Shurtleff. 1783. Isaiah Cushman. 1784. Franeis Shurtleff. 1785-86. Seth Cushing. 1787-88. Thomas Gannott. 1789. Seth Cushing. 1790. Gideon Bradford. 1791. Seth Cushing. 1792. Gideon Bradford. 1793. Seth Cushing. 1794. Elijah Bisbee. 1795-96. Gideon Bradford. 1797-99. Stephen Ellis.
1805-6. Seth Cushing. 1807. Pelham Holmes. 1808-10. Isaae Wright. 1811-13. Zabdiel Bradford. 1814-17. Elijah Bisbee. 1818. Martin llayward. 1819. Marston Sampson. 1820. Pelliam llolmes. 1821. Martin Hayward. 1822-24. Pelham Holmes. 1825-32. Josiah T. Ellis. 1833-36. Arnold Leach.
1837-46. Josiah T. Ellis. 1847. James C. Ellis. 1848. Josiah T. Ellis. 1849-50. Cephas C. Bumpus. 1851. Josiah S. Hammond.
1852-54. Cephas C. Bumpus. 1855. Erastus Leach. 1856. Isaac Wright.
1857-58. Daniel S. MeLean.
1859. George B. Fuller.
1860. Joseph B. Nye. 1861. Daniel S. MeLean.
1862. James C. Ellis.
1863. Joseph B. Nye. 1864. James C. Ellis. 1865-67. George B. Fuller. 1868. Joseph B. Nye. 1869. Herschel E. Briggs. 1870-71. Joseph B. Nye. 1872. llersehel E. Briggs. 1873. George B. Fuller. 1874. John Sherman. 1875-77. Ilersehel E. Briggs. 1878-80. John Sherman. 1881-82. Herschel E. Briggs. 1883. Charles H1. Porkins. 1884. llerschel E. Briggs.
No record is to be found in the town books of the choice of a town treasurer until 1717, until which time it is very probable that the finances of the town were managed by the selectmen. Since 1717 the following persons have been chosen to that office :
1717. Isaae Cushman.
1718-20. Nathaniel Harlow. 1721-32. Caleb Loring.
1733-36. Polyearpus Loring.
1737-61. George Sampson. 1762-66. Zehedee Chandler. 1767-71. Benjamin Weston. 1771-78. Jahez Newland. 1779. Elijah Bisbee. 1780-81. Zephaniah Perkins. 1782-84. Gideon Sampson. 1785-86. Isaiah Cushman. 1787. Johu Chamberlin. 1788. Elijah Bisbee.
| 1789. Benjamin Crocker. 1790-98. Elijah Bisbee. 1799-1806. George Sampson.
1807-31. Jonathan Parker. 1832-37. Josiah T. Ellis. 1838-39. Zaceheus Parker. 1840-41. John Sampson. 1842. Zaeeheus Parker. 1843-62. John P. Ellis. 1863-70. William Perkins. 1871-78. Zaechens Parker. | 1879-82. Lewis B. Parker. 1883-84. Josiah P. Hammond.
The first representative to the General Court was chosen in 1719. It is probable that before that time little interest was felt by the town in matters outside of the organization of its own municipal affairs. In- deed, in many scattering years afterwards the town voted formally to choose no representative. From 1719 down to the year 1857, when representative districts were established by law, making Hanson, Halifax, and Plympton a representative district, the following persons have represented the town in the General Court :
1719-21. Benoni Lueas. 1723. Elkanah Cushman. 1724. Samuel Sturtevant.
1725-26. Isaac Cushman, Jr. 1727-39. Samuel Bradford. 1740-42. William Churchill. 1743-45. Benjamin Weston. 1746-49. William Churchill. 1750-51. Barnabas Shurtleff. 1752. Benjamin Cushman. 1753-57. Isaae Bonney. 1758-67. John Bradford.
1800-1. Seth Cushing.
1802-5. None. 1806. Seth Cushing. 1807. None. 1808-14. Elijah Bisbee. 1815. None.
1816. Jonathan Parker.
1817-18. None.
1819. Jonathan Parker.
1820-27. None.
1828-29. Jonathan Parker. 1830. None.
1831-33. Jonathan Parker.
1834-36. Josiah T. Ellis. .
1837. None.
1838. Zaeeheus Parker.
1839-40. None.
1841-43. Lewis Bradford.
1844. None.
1778. Gideon Sampson.
1845-46. Cephas C. Bumpns.
1779. Seth Cushing.
1847. Nono.
1848. Elijah Dexter. 1849. None.
1850-51. Joseph B. Nye.
1791. Seth Cushing.
1792. Gideon Bradford.
1793-99. None.
1768. Isaac Bonney. 1769. John Bradford. 1770-71. None.
1772-74. Samuel Lueas.
1775-76. Seth Cushing. 1777. John Bridgham. Thomas Cushman.
1780. Zephanialı Perkins. 1781. Seth Cushing. 1782-90. Francis Shurtleff.
1852. C. C. Bumpus. 1853. John P. Ellis. 1854-56. None.
These lists of names not only show who were the prominent men in different generations, but probably comprehend most of the names of the families at
1117
HISTORY OF PLYMPTON.
different periods dwelling in the town. It will be noticed that new names were constantly making their appearance, and gradually enlarging the circle, once confined to those whose ancestry has already been described. Rev. Jonathan Parker had come in from Barnstable and founded a family which ever since his day has occupied a prominent position in the town. John Avery Parker, of New Bedford ; Oliver Par- ker, the manufacturer ; Jonathan Parker, for many years the treasurer and representative of the town ; and in the present generation Zaccheus Parker and his son, the late Lewis B. Parker, have all illustrated in their character and lives the genuine Puritan spirit and vigor of blood so largely possessed by their an- cestors. William Churchill had come in from Plym- outh, the son of John, who came to Plymouth in 1643, and in him, too, Plympton found a source of pure Pilgrim blood, which has flowed in an untainted stream through the veins of a numerous posterity. Joel Ellis had come in, the son of Samuel, and grand- son of John, the ancestor, who married, in 1645, Elizabeth. daughter of Edward Freeman, and settled in Sandwich probably at the date of its settlement, in 1639. Ignatius Cushing had come in from Scituate, the grandson of Matthew, who came over in 1638, and settled in Hingham, and Edmund Weston, from Duxbury, the son of Edmund, who came to Boston in the " Elizabeth and Ann," in 1635. Nathaniel Harlow had come in from Plymouth, the son of William, who appeared in Lynn in 1637, and after- wards removed to Sandwich, and finally to Plymouth, the ancestor of a family whose name may be found in all parts of the Old Colony ; and Josiah Perkins had come with his father, Luke, from Hampton, where his grandfather, Abraham, was an early settler, and his descendants, too, have been and continue to be men in whom the town often confides the manage- ment of its affairs. Benjamin Soule had come in from Duxbury, who married a Standish, and was the grandson of George Soule, who came in the " May- flower;" and Jabez Newland came, who, having mar- ried a daughter of Ebenezer Standish, of Plympton, settled in the town, and was for a time active in pro- moting its welfare. David Bosworth came in from Plymouth, the son of Benjamin, of Hull, and married Mercy Sturtevant, a daughter of one of the earliest settlers of the town. Ebenezer Standish had come in from Duxbury, the grandson of Miles, and some of his descendants bearing the name may still be found within the limits of the township. Besides these the Lobdells and Shermans and Bonneys and Bis- bees and Haywards and Leaches and Holmes and Gannetts and Ripleys and Fullers and Bryants had
come in from various parts of the Old Colony, all mingling together, and leaving a posterity which exists to-day as frec from foreign ingredients as any community which can be found in the length and breadth of the land.
Up to the time when the incipient stages of the Revolution began to appear, little occurred to break the monotony of the town's agricultural life. In those days, and indeed until a very recent period, the fields of Massachusetts were depended upon for the support of its people, and little or nothing for the consumption of man or beast came from beyond its borders. In fact each district and town was ex- pected to raise its own supplies, so difficult were the methods of communication, and consequently those towns which possessed agricultural advantages were thrifty and prosperous. Plympton was favorably sit- uated at the central point of diagonal lines crossing the county of Plymouth, and the quiet which now characterizes its streets and roadways must be in striking contrast to the comparative bustle and ac- tivity which prevailed when it lay on the great thor- oughfares between the various prominent towns of the county. Even up to the time of recent railroad in- tercommunication, Plympton was the chosen spot for political and religious conventions, being equidistant from the remote corners of the county. But though remote from steam communication, and suffering from a general stagnation of manufactures and agriculture and trade, it must not be thought that it has met with its death, and that it is beyond the hope of res- urrection. In the evolution of a new country, with the rapidly-shifting scenes which must attend such a process, there must be at times an overflow here and a drainage there until a level is reached, from and above which a general rise must eventually occur, lifting every locality to a higher plane of prosperity and wealth. Our country, even in New England, is still new ; its waves of population have not yet settled to a rest ; everything is still in a formative condition ; towns here and there may grow rich and others grow poor, but we must be assured that the time will come when the rich will overflow and the poor will begin to prosper and rise.
Concerning the passage of the Stamp Act, which in many towns created serious alarm, little was donc by the town of Plympton. In 1766, when the cost of the disturbances and riots caused by that act began to be counted, a vote was passed in town-meeting expressing the opposition of the town to any payment to the Lieutenant-Governor or others of any compen- sation for the damage which the disturbances had occasioned. In 1768 it was voted to concur with the
1118
HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH COUNTY.
inhabitants of Boston in their determination to cease the importation of British goods. On the 21st of September, in that year, it was voted "to choose a committee of one to go to Boston in order to act with a number of gentlemen chosen in Boston and other towns in the province, to meet at Faneuil Hall on the 22d inst., in order to take into consideration the dangerous situation we apprehend this province is in, inasmuch as Governor Barnard has dissolved the General Court at a time when we apprehend there is danger of a specdy French war, and at the same time we are threatened with being deprived of our civil and religious liberties, and for them to do what they shall think most for the honor of his majesty and the best good and safety of this Province."
On the 11th of July, 1774, it was voted "not to purchase or consume any goods of any kind imported from Great Britain after the 1st of October next, until our liberties are restored." This resolve was passed by a vote of ninety-seven to fifteen. At the same meeting, George Bryant, Seth Cushing, William Ripley, Samuel Lucas, Thomas Savery, and Josiah Perkins were chosen a committee to consider and re- port on the coudition of public affairs, and subse- quently reported as follows :
"We, the subscribers, being chosen a committee to take into consideration the precarious state and dangerous situation in which the public affairs of this Province are now under, and which threaten great distress through all the colonies, beg leave to report.
" In the first place, we recommend unto all to be deeply hum- ble before God, under a due sense of the many aggravated sins which abound in the land in this day of our calamity, which is the foundation cause of all the sorrows and calamities that we feel or fear, and repent and turn to God with our whole hearts, and thus we may humbly hope that God will graciously be pleased to return unto us, and appear for our deliverance, and save us from the distress we are now laboring under, and pre- vent heavier calamities coming upon us. We also recommend this town by no means to be concerned in purchasing or con- suming any goods imported from Great Britain after the first day of October next and until our grievances are removed, and with regard to entering into any combination respecting pur- chasing goods imported from Great Britain, we humbly con- ceive it would be very imprudent to act anything of that nature until the result of the Congress shall be made public, and upon the report thereof we advise the town to be very active in pur- suing the most regular method in order to promote the good of the public and the flourishing state of the same."
It was voted to send the report to the town clerk of the town of Boston, and the same committee, with David Magoon, James Harlow, John Bridgham, John Shaw, Isaiah Cushman, and Isaac Churchill added, was instructed to consider the result of the Congress when reached, and report to the town what action it was expedient to take in the premises.
The tone and spirit of the above report illustrate
both the parochial and municipal complexions which characterized the incetings of the town. In the one we discover the peace-loving spirit of the gospel, which puts its faith in God ; in the other we discover the more secular and practical injunction, "to keep your powder dry." On the 21st of the following Sep- tember, Josiah Perkins, William Ripley, and Thomas Savery were chosen a committee to draw up and report instructions to Samuel Lucas, the representative of the town to the General Court, and the following instructions were subsequently reported and adopted :
" Whereas, we the subscribers, being chosen a committee to draw up instructions for the representative to the General Court, we have done it in the following manner. In the first place, we advise him by no means to be aiding or consenting to any transaction to be done at the General Court that is inconsistent with our charter rights and privileges, and also if in case the Government should adjourn the Court to Boston, we advise him by no means to give his attendance, unless the Government be so good as to remove his forces out of the town."
Samuel Lucas, the representative, was also chosen to attend a Provincial Congress, at Concord, on the 11th of October. On the 3d of January, 1775, Samuel Lucas was again chosen a delegate to Pro- vincial Congress, to be held at Cambridge on the 10th of February. At the same meeting the town voted not to pay the minute-men any regular pay, but in- structed the selectmen to provide for such as could not provide for themselves. In March, 1775, Seth Cushing, who was then acting as representative, was instructed to act as a delegate to Provincial Congress as the successor of Mr. Lucas.
At this time, in the early part of 1775, there were four military companies in Plympton, and these com- panies were called into active service to march to Marshfield on the 19th of April, the very day on which the battles of Concord and Lexington were fought. Unlike other towns in the county, Marsh- field in its municipal capacity had taken ground against the initiatory steps of the Revolution. It had passed in town-meeting resolves condemning the disturbances caused by the Stamp Act, and other re- solves condemning the destruction of tea. Its miost pronounced loyalists had been so seriously annoyed by the patriots of other towns, that, at their request, Capt. Balfour with a company of Queen's Guards, numbering one hundred and twenty men, was sent in January, 1775, to Marshfield for their protection. The presence of these troops was such a menace and insult to the people of the county, that the First Regi- ment of the county militia marched ou the 19th of April to attack them. On the arrival of the regiment at Marshfield, on the 20th, it was found that in conse- quence of the battles of the day before, Gen. Gage
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HISTORY OF PLYMPTON.
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Lemuel Ripley.
Theophilus Rickard.
Josiah Chandler.
Lemuel Rickard.
Isaiah Cushman, Jr.
Jonathan Rickard.
Abner Harlow.
Zachariah Cushman.
Zadoc Weston.
Lazarus Harlow.
Joseph Wright.
Isaac Wright.
Samuel Wright.
Peleg Lawson.
Silas Sturtevant.
Asa Hooper.
Noah Sturtevant.
Nathaniel Bonney, Jr.
Elisha Whitten, Jr.
Joshua Bryant.
Benjamin Blossom.
Isaac Churchill, Jr.
Benjamin Soule.
Nathaniel Harlow.
Caleb Loring.
Ephraim Bryant.
Gideon Sampson.
Joshua Loring.
Luke Perkins.
Ezra Bonney.
Job Holmes, Jr.
Jacob Bryant.
Zachariah Standish.
Job Wright.
Nathaniel Pratt, Jr.
Joseph Wright.
Ebenezer Bonney.
James Bishop.
Samuel Bonney.
Henry Sampson.
David Churchill.
Daniel Soule.
James Magoon.
Nathaniel Fuller.
Abner Hall.
Job Holmes.
Isaac Churchill (3d).
Noah Bosworth.
Noah Bisbee.
Thomas Harlow.
John Bisbee.
Simeon Bonney.
Josiah Ripley.
Samuel Cushman.
William Churchill.
Winslow Bradford.
John Barnes.
Joshua Chandler.
Timothy Ripley.
Nathaniel Rider.
Joseph Ripley.
Peter Thayer.
The members of Capt. William Atwood's company were as follows :
William Atwood, capt.
Thomas Muxam.
James Murdock, Ist lieut.
Gideon Perkins.
Joseph Barrows, 2d lieut.
Benjamin Tubbs.
Elisha Faxon.
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