USA > Massachusetts > History of the Military company of the Massachusetts, now called the Ancient and honorable artillery company of Massachusetts. 1637-1888, Vol. II > Part 12
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May 19, 1777, Benjamin Phillips (1755) is named by the town as one of those persons "inimical to these states, and should be apprehended and confined." He died at Lincoln in May, 1792, aged seventy-six years.
John Joy (1755). AUTHORITIES: Boston Records; Sabine's American Loyalists; Records of St. John's Grand Lodge.
Henry Perkins (1755). AUTHORITY : Boston Records.
Benjamin Phillips (1755). AUTHORITIES : Boston Records; Sabine's American Loyalists.
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Francis Whitman (1755), shipwright, of Boston, son of Francis and Elizabeth Whit- man, of Boston, was born Dec. 24, 1716. He married, Oct. 27, 1743, Sarah Pain. He was second sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1758. He never held any office in the town of Boston. Elizabeth Whitman, a widow, who made her will in Boston in 1760, mentions Francis Whitman (1755) as her son. The latter was, doubtless, an only child, and "it is not ascertained that he left any posterity." "With him, probably, ended the descendants in the male line of the first Francis," - grandfather of Francis (1755).
Samuel Whitwell (1755), merchant, of Boston, son of Samuel and Elizabeth Whit- well, was born Dec. 30, 1717. He married, June 13, 1749, Elizabeth Kelsey. He was a very prominent member of the Old South Church ; was a deacon, served on important committees, and often represented the church, with others, in church councils. At the sign of the Golden Candlestick, corner of Ann and Union streets, near the market of Boston, he kept a hardware store, and his residence was in Wing's Lane (Elm Street). His nieces, daughters of his brother William, named Elizabeth and Mary, married respec- tively, William Homes, Jr. (1766), and Col. Josiah Waters, Jr. (1769). He was fourth sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1759.
Samuel Whitwell (1755) was clerk of the market in 1763, warden in 1765, and informer of deer from 1764 to 1769 inclusive. He was an overseer of the poor from 1769 to 1783 inclusive. At the town meeting held March 6, 1770, occasioned by the massacre in King Street by the soldiery the preceding night, information was given by several persons as to what they had heard the British soldiers say, and what they had seen them do. The number of these persons being so great, the town selected a com- mittee, of which Samuel Whitwell (1755) was one, to take their depositions. Dec. 7, 1774, he was one of a committee chosen to carry into execution the resolutions of the Continental Congress, and Oct. 16, 1776, he was chosen to consider the grievances of certain petitioners in regard to the forestalling of provisions and the necessaries of life in the Boston markets. He was identified with the militia, and was an officer in the Continental Army.
Dr. Samuel Whitwell, son of Samuel Whitwell (1755), a physician by profession, was an army surgeon in Col. James Jackson's regiment, and died at Newton, November, 1791, aged thirty-eight years. He delivered the oration, July 4, 1789, before the Massa- chusetts Society of Cincinnati, of which he was a member.
Samuel Whitwell (1755) died June 8, 1801, aged eighty-four years, and was " buried from his late house in Cornhill."
The Record of the Artillery Company for 1755 is as follows : -
" April 11th. 1755. The Company being under Arms, it was unanimously Voted, That the Rev. Mr. Thaddeus Maccarty of Worcester be desired to preach the next Artil- lery Election Sermon, and that the present Commission Officers of the Company, Capt Ralph Hartt [1739], Lt John Welch [1736] & En. Joseph Edwards [1738], and John Phillips, Esq. [1725], the Treasurer, be a Committee to wait on him and desire the same.
" Attest : JOHN LEVERETT, Clerk.
" May 4th. The Company being under arms, Capt Ralph Hartt [1739], one of the committee to wait upon the Rev. Mr. Thaddeus Maccarty to desire him to preach the
Francis Whitman (1755). AUTHORITY : Bos- ton Records.
Samuel Whitwell (1755). AUTHORITIES : Boston Records; Hill's Hist. Old South Church.
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next Artillery Election Sermon, reported to the Company that he had accepted the same. The evening being spent at Ensign Edwards' [1738], it was Voted, That thirteen pounds six shillings and eight pence, lawful money. be paid by the Treasurer of this Company to the Commission Officers towards defraying the charges of the dinner upon the ensuing Election day, and the Company to dine with them. Attest : JOHN LEVERETT, Clerk.
"June 2'd 1755. The Company being under Arms, it was Voted, That the Com- mission Officers, Capt Ralph Hartt [1739], Lt John Welch [1736], & Ensign Joseph Edwards [1738], with the Treasurer, John Phillips, Esq. [1725], be a committee to wait upon the Rev. Mr. Thaddeus Maccarty, and return him the thanks of this Company, for his Sermon this day preached.
Attest : SAMUEL TORREY, Jun., Clerk.
" The Company being under Arms, it was Voted, That the above committee return the thanks of this Company, to Mr. John Leverett [1750], the former Clerk, for his past service. Attest : SAMUEL TORREY, Jun. Clerk."
Rev. Thaddeus Maccarty, of Worcester, delivered the Artillery election sermon of 1755. He was a son of Capt. Thaddeus and Mary Maccarty, and was born in Boston, July 18, 1721. He sailed with his father on several voyages, but being unable to endure the hardships of a sailor's life, he earnestly turned to studying, and graduated from Harvard College in 1739. He afterwards pursued the study of theology, and, Nov. 3, 1742, was ordained as pastor of the church in Kingston, Mass. On account of difficulty arising from his invitation to Mr. Whitefield to occupy his pulpit, the meeting-house being forcibly closed against him, he resigned that pastorate, Nov. 3, 1745.
The church in Worcester invited Mr. Maccarty to preach as a candidate, as it also did Rev. Jonathan Mayhew. They both preached, but the church gave Rev. Mr. Maccarty a unanimous call to become its pastor. He accepted, was installed June 10, 1747, and preached his own installation sermon. He was a decided Whig during the Revolution, and worked earnestly in the colonial cause. He died July 20, 1784, aged sixty-three years, and in the thirty-seventh year of his ministry at Worcester. Sept. 8, 1743, he married Mary Gatcomb, of Boston, who died Dec. 8, 1783.
1756. The officers of the Artillery Company elected in 1756 were : John Welch (1736), captain ; Thomas Drowne (1737), lieutenant ; William Taylor (1738), ensign. Nathaniel Baker (1751) was first sergeant ; William Heath (1754), second sergeant ; Daniel Jones (1754), third sergeant ; Thomas Dawes, Jr. (1754), fourth sergeant, and Samuel Torrey, Jr. (1752), clerk.
The board of overseers of the poor for 1756 illustrates the influence and standing of prominent members of the Artillery Company in the town. The board consisted of twelve members, of whom five were members of the Artillery Company, viz., Jacob Wendell (1733), Daniel Henchman (1712), Edward Bromfield (1732), John Phillips (1725), and Ebenezer Storer (1732).
Mr. Drake makes special mention of the death of Edward Bromfield (1732), who died April 10, 1756. His father joined the Artillery Company in 1679, and rejoined it in 1707. Edward, Jr. (1732), "was a gentlemen of great benevolence, and was much
Rev. Thaddeus Maccarty. AUTHORITY : Sprague's Annals of American Pulpit.
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beloved by the people for his public spirit and upright dealing." His oldest son, Edward (Harvard College, 1738), died Aug. 18, 1746, aged twenty-three years.
The following-named officers enlisted for Crown Point before April 15, 1756 : Col. Nathaniel Thwing (1736), in Col. Wendell's (1733) company ; Major Moses Deshon (1737), in Lieut .- Col. Henchman's (1712) company ; Capt. Carnes (1755), Capt. Phil- lips (1755), Capt. Russell (1745), Capt. Jackson (1738), Capt. Hartt (1739), Capt. Symmes (1734), Capt. Savage (1738), Capt. Greenough (1740), commanded companies.
The members of the Artillery Company recruited in 1756 were : William Bell, James Bennett, Seth Blodgett, Daniel Boyer, Benjamin Brown, Jr., Jonathan Cary, Jonas Clark, John Deming, Benjamin Dolbeare, Robert Jenkins, 3d, Edward Proctor, Nathaniel Ridgeway, Samuel Ridgeway, Jr., John Wood.
William Bell (1756), bricklayer, of Boston, son of Daniel and Abigail (Cunnabill) Bell, was born in Boston, April 7, 1731. He married, Aug. 9, 1767, Martha, daughter of Abraham and Prudence (Hancock) Hill, of Cambridge. She was a sister of the mother of Gov. William Eustis.
Mr. Whitman (1810) says Mr. Bell (1756) "resided in Hawkins Street," but in 1788-9 he lived in Cold Lane, now Portland Street. He united with the Second Church, Sept. 8, 1782, and became a deacon, He was second sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1762, ensign in 1767, lieutenant in 1771, and captain in 1774, continuing in office until the election of his successor in 1786. He presented the Artillery Company with two espontons, which, after the Revolution, were adopted as the badge of office for the commander and lieutenant instead of the pike and half pike. A senior captain of a regiment before the war ranked as major. It was thus Capt. Bell (1756) gained his rank. He was a strict disciplinarian, and tenacious of adhering to the most ancient ceremonies. The Artillery Company is indebted principally to him for its revival ; and, being advanced in years, he was elected an honorary member, and continued such until his death. Deacon Bell (1756) was admired for his firmness and integrity in private life. The services he rendered to the Artillery Company place him among its most distinguished patrons.
The first time William Bell (1756) is mentioned in the town records is under the date of Feb. 25, 1765, when he and Daniel Bell (1733) were selected to examine a chimney on Prince Street. July 10, 1771, he visited the public schools with the justices and others, and Nov. 11, 1776, he was chosen one of the committee from Ward 6 to collect the account of the damage since the Boston Port Bill. He was elected a warden May 26, 1777. He is first called "Captain " in the records in 1776.
William Bell (1756) is said to have received the Masonic degrees in Seconeto, Nova Scotia. Dec. 27, 1760, he was invited to the Feast of St. John "at Ballard's," in Boston, and in 1763 he became a member of the Lodge of St. Andrew. He continued his membership in that body until his decease, which occurred Nov. 21, 1804.
The following anecdote, "related by a bystander," says Mr. Whitman (1810), in his history of the Artillery Company, exhibits not only "the feelings and conduct of the people," just after the battle of Lexington, but reveals the loyalty to the cause of the colonies possessed by some prominent members of the Artillery Company : -
William Bell (1756). AUTHORITIES: Boston Ed. 1842; Early Records of Grand Lodges in Mass. Records; Whitman's Hist. A. and H. A. Company,
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" In 1775, before the Artillery Company suspended its meetings, the Common was occupied by the British army, and the Artillery Company were refused admittance. Capt. Bell [1756], therefore, marched to Copp's Hill. Soon after the bridge over Charles River was built, there was a complaint against the street at the foot of this bill. It was supposed the proprietors of that part of the hill enclosed from Snowhill Street ought to repair the wharf and street at their own expense. This led to inquiry, in town meeting, to whom it belonged ; some one said it belonged to this Company. Col. Jack- son [1738], their treasurer, was sent for, and declared that he considered it their prop- erty, a mortgage upon it to them having long since run out, and that Capt. Bell [1756], with the Company, had taken possession of it in 1775. Capt. Bell [1756] was then interrogated by Col. Dawes [1754], the moderator : 'Why did you march your Company to Copp's Hill?' Answer : 'I was prohibited from entering the Common ; conceiving this hill to be the property of the Company, I marched them there as a place no one had a right to exclude them from.' Question by moderator : 'Supposing a party of British troops should have been in possession of it, and should have forbidden you entrance, what would you have done?' Answer : 'I would have charged bayonets, and forced my way as surely as I would force my way into my dwelling-house if taken possession of by a gang of thieves.' The late Col. William Tudor, who was then present, said : 'Mr. Moderator, the hill clearly belongs to that Company, and I wish they would execute a quitclaim deed of it to me for a fair price.' The mortgage was discharged afterwards, and the street repaired by the town."
James Bennett (1756), of Boston, son of James and Abigail Bennett, was born in Boston, Aug. 18, 1734. A James Bennett was published in Boston, Jan. 9, 1775, to marry Susannah Storer. He is not mentioned in the town records, printed by the record commissioners of Boston.
Seth Blodgett (1756), innkeeper, of Boston, son of Caleb and Sarah (Wyman) Blodgett, was born in Woburn, and married Elizabeth Harding, who died April 16, 1808, "in her 78th year." They had one son, Edward, baptized March 17, 1771. Caleb Blodgett was an innkeeper in Woburn. Seth Wyman, an uncle of Seth Blodgett (1756), and for whom the latter was named, was killed in the " Lovewell Fight," in 1725.
In 1767, St. John's Grand Lodge, A. F. and A. M., "ordered the Grand Treasurer to pay to Bro. Seth Blodgett [1756] the sum of £1. 3s. 2p. if. for sundry Expenses at his House," etc. Mr. Blodgett (1756) attended the funeral obsequies, conducted by the Grand Lodge, in honor of R. W. Jeremy Gridley, Sept. 12, 1767.
Royal Exchange tavern was on the southwest corner of Exchange and State streets. This inn gave the name to the street on the east side of it. The tavern dates back to 1727, when it was kept by Luke Vardy. The trouble between Henry Phillips and Benja- min Woodbridge, which resulted in a duel and a death upon the Common, and death in a foreign land, began in this tavern. On the opposite corner of Exchange and State streets stood the custom-house, where the first act of the State Street Massacre was committed.
Sept. 26, 1764, at a meeting of the selectmen, Mr. Seth Blodgett (1756) "was approbated by the selectmen to keep a tavern at the Royal Exchange near the town- house, he having lately hired the same." Oct. 14, 1767, Mr. Robert Stone applied to
Seth Blodgett (1756). AUTHORITY : Boston Records.
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the selectmen for "a license to keep a tavern at their house in King Street lately improved by Mr. Blodgett [1756]," but the license was not then granted. Mr. Stone was, however, its landlord at the time of the massacre, March 5, 1770.
Dec. 28, 1768, the selectmen of Boston notified the assessors that Seth Blodgett (1756), an inhabitant of another town in this province, ought to be taxed here for the real estate he occupies, and the business he does here.
Daniel Boyer (1756), of Boston, son of James and Mary Boyer, was born June 14, 172- (imperfectly recorded). He was published, Jan. 18, 1749, to marry Elizabeth Bulfinch. He served the town as one of the clerks of the market from 1754 to 1758 inclusive, and was again elected in 1763, but declined to serve. He united with the Old South Church, Nov. 7, 1770, and was fourth sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1762.
Benjamin Brown, Jr. (1756), tanner, of Boston and Reading, son of Dea. Benjamin and Mary Brown, was born in Boston, April 5, 1728. His first wife was Hannah Swain. She died in 1771, and his second wife was Elizabeth Wiley, widow of Ebenezer, and daughter of Elias Bryant, of Stoneham. His parents removed to Reading some years prior to the Revolution. His father bought and resided on what is now known as the "Lucius Beebe farm." Benjamin Brown, Jr. (1756), was by trade a tanner. He was a member of the Reading infantry company, and by successive promotions became its captain. He was a colonel in the Continental Army, and, in 1776, served at Ticon- deroga. Subsequently, he was promoted, and, in 1784, held the position of brigadier- general in the militia. He was fourth sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1760.
Benjamin Brown, Jr. (1756), was town clerk of Reading from 1775 to 1777 ; select- man from 1772 to 1776, and in 1778-9, 1781, 1783, 1788, 1791, and 1792 ; representative to the General Court in 1778 and 1809, and a delegate to the first provincial congress in 1774. He also was a justice of the peace, and for many years (1779-1801) was a deacon of the First Church in Reading.
Gen. Brown (1756) sold his farm not long before his death, and removed to the house owned in 1875 by Mrs. Fred B. Eaton, where he died in 1801, aged seventy- three years. It is recorded on his gravestone : "Justice and benevolence sat governing upon his brow; while his generous soul was an alleviating source to the distressed. Judgment and information completed every sentence in his conversation; conjugal affection and parental care added a laurel to his magnanimity ; and in every station of life he was a rich blessing to society, a friend to the community, a prudent and pious counsellor, and a humble member of that religion which now completes his eternal peace."
Jonathan Cary (1756), keg-maker, of Boston, son of Capt. Jonathan (1740) and Sarah Roy [Ray] Cary, was born July 9, 1725. He resided in Henchman's Lane.
Jonathan, Sr. (1740), was quite prominent in town affairs, but Jonathan, Jr. (1756), is mentioned in the records only as taking the census of the town in 1776, when he was selected as a census taker from Ward 5. In the militia he attained the grade of captain. A Jonathan Cary was published to marry Sarah Putnam, June 17, 1771.
Daniel Boyer (1756). AUTHORITY: Boston Records. Benjamin Brown, Jr. (1756). AUTHORITIES: Boston Records; Eaton's Hist. of Reading.
A copy of a letter written by Mr. Brown (1756)
to his wife, from Ticonderoga, dated Aug. 31, 1776, may be read in the Appendix, pp. 1711-1712 of Mr. Eaton's " History of Reading."
Jonathan Cary (1756). AUTHORITY : Boston Records.
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Jonas Clark (1756), brazier, of Boston, son of Joseph and Margaret Clark, was born in Boston, Aug. 1, 1726. He married, (1) Oct. 2, 1749, Elizabeth Lillie, daughter of William and Mary Lillie, born May 8, 1723 ; (2) Prudence -, who died Dec. 13, 1789, aged sixty-seven years. He resided in Black-horse Lane (Prince Street), where he died Nov. 30, 1790, aged sixty-four years.
He was first sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1762, and ensign in 1770. Ensign Jonas (1756) was a nephew of Capt. Timothy Clarke (1702). He was clerk of the market in 1766, and, July 14, 1761, was appointed by the selectmen one of the town watch.
John Deming (1756) was a merchant in Boston. He was published, (1) Jan. 30, 1745, to marry Mary Howell. He married (published), (2) Feb. 13, 1752, Sarah West. She died June 16, 1783, and he married (3) Sarah How, Sept. 19, 1783. Elizabeth Deming, wife of John (1756), died Oct. 3, 1793, aged sixty years, and was buried from his dwelling on Newbury (Washington) Street.
Capt. Deming (1756) was third sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1762, and ensign in 1771. He served as one of the clerks of the market from 1754 to 1757 inclu- sive ; made the general walk or visitation of the town Feb. 21, 1763, being appointed from Ward 12, and, July 10, 1771, visited officially the public schools. He united with the Old South Church, June 21, 1741, and was an active member for more than half a century. In 1779-80, he was appointed on a committee to "methodize " the State accounts, and also to settle with the Continental soldiers of the State.
Benjamin Dolbeare (1756), merchant, of Boston, son of John and Sarah Dolbeare, was born July 24, 1711. He married, (1) June 18, 1741, Hannah Vincent, who died June 2, 1763 ; and, (2) March 29, 1764, Elizabeth Dowding, who died in May, 1789. Benjamin Dolbeare (1756) died Jan. 26, 1787. He resided in Wing's Lane, now Elm Street.
Edmund Dolbeare, and his sons John and Joseph, came to America from Ashburton, County Devon, England, about 1664. The sons learned the trade of their father, who was a pewterer. Benjamin Dolbeare (1756), son of John, carried on the pewterer's and ironmonger's trades in the same shop in Dock Square which his father occupied. John Dolbeare died June 20, 1740, when the business was taken charge of by Benjamin (1756).
March 13, 1748, the town proceeded to consider "what it is best to do with their lands and buildings at the head of dock formerly leased to Mr. John Dolbeare, deceased." Mr. Benjamin Dolbeare (1756), "son of the aforesaid Mr. John Dolbeare," showing that his late father's lease had not expired, that article in the warrant was dismissed.
Benjamin Dolbeare (1756) was third sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1761. He was prominent in town affairs. He was elected constable in 1738, but paid the fine rather than serve ; tithing-man in 1752, and served as overseer of the poor for twenty consecutive years, - from 1757 to 1776, - and, declining to serve longer in that office, the town voted, March 11, 1777, " that the thanks of the Town be & hereby are given
Jonas Clark (1756). AUTHORITY: Boston Records.
John Deming (1756). AUTHORITIES : Boston Records; Whitman's Hist. A. and H. A. Company, Ed. 1842.
Under date of Nov. 24, 1775, Ezekiel Price wrote in his diary : "In the afternoon, uncle John
Deming called here [Stoughton ], on his way to Col. Gridley's."
Benjamin Dolbeare (1756). AUTHORITIES : Boston Records; Hill's Hist. of Old South Church, Vol. II., pp. 53, 54; Whitman's Hist. A. and H. A. Company, Ed. 1842; New Eng. Hist. and Gen. Reg., 1893.
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to Mr Benjamin Dolbeare [1756] for his faithful services as an Overseer of the Poor for many years past." He visited the public schools in 1759, and during eleven years - between 1750 and 1767- made the general walk or visitation of the town with the prin- cipal citizens of the place, according to the custom of those times.
Benjamin Dolbeare (1756) owned the covenant, Feb. 21, 1741-2. A month later, his son, Benjamin (Harv. Coll., 1763), was baptized. The latter was lost overboard in the spring of 1767, when returning from London to Boston. A stone has recently been uncovered on the building 16 and 17 Dock Square, with the inscription : "Rebuilt 1746 by B. Dolbeare."
John Dolbeare's tomb, erected in 1725, was No. 50 in the Common Burial-Ground. Benjamin Dolbeare (1756), his two wives, and daughter Sarah, were buried there.
Robert Jenkins, 3d (1756), merchant, of Boston, son of Robert and Elizabeth Jenkins, was born in Boston, April 6, 1725. He was published to marry Persis Kent, March 22, 1760. He was fourth sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1761, clerk from 1765 to 1767, ensign in 1769, lieutenant in 1772, and its captain in 1790. He served as clerk of the market in 1766. He was a member of Trinity Church, Boston, and was clerk of the parish.
In the early Masonic records, the names " Robert Jenkins " and " Robert Jenkins, Jun.," frequently occur, and it is difficult to distinguish between them, as the word " junior " is sometimes omitted.
Capt. Jenkins (1756) died Aug. 20, 1797, aged seventy-three years, and was buried from his home in Summer Street, the Artillery Company, in uniform and with side arms, preceding the corpse. His widow married Dea. Moses Grant.
Edward Proctor (1756), merchant, of Boston, son of John and Hannah Proctor, was born in Boston, Aug. 28, 1733, and died Nov. 1, 1811, aged seventy-eight years. He was published to marry Judith Clark, Sept. 26, 1754. She died March 15, 1790, aged fifty-eight years. He married, Aug. 22, 1790, Mary Adams, and the Centinel announced " Mary Proctor, consort of Col. Edward Proctor [1756], died November [1], 1790, aged 44 years." He married, June 16, 1791, Hannah Atkins, who died Oct. 31, 1832, aged eighty-seven years. His grandfather, Edward, joined the Artillery Company in 1699.
Col. Edward (1756) was an importer of West India goods, at the sign of the "Schooner," in Fish (North) Street, at the North End, before the Revolutionary War, after which he was in the auction business at No. I Union Street. He was a prominent citizen of Boston, an officer in the local military, an ardent patriot, a member of the Tea Party, was one of the committee selected by the town to obtain the resignations of the consignees of the tea, and commanded the guard detailed to watch the tea ship " Dartmouth " on the night of Nov. 29, 1773. .
The proclamation of the " King of the Mohawks," of which a fac-simile is given on the next two pages, appears to be in Col. Proctor's (1756) handwriting. The original was in the possession of the late Mr. Jeremiah Colburn, of Boston.
In connection with his West India goods store, it would seem that for a time he kept a tavern. In the selectmen's minutes, under date of Jan. 31, 1764, we are informed
Edward Proctor (1756). AUTHORITIES : Bos- Rambles in Old Boston; Early Masonic Records. ton Records; Crane's Tea Leaves of 1773; Porter's
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