My Revolutionary War Patriots - Abner Poland, Jr. of Essex, Massachusetts

 

Abner Poland's Badge of Merit certificate

signed by General George Washington

This is #9 in my series of Revolutionary War Ancestors. 

Abner Poland, Jr. was born on 17 May 1761 in Chebacco Parish, Ipswich, Massachusetts (now the town of Essex),  the son of Abner Poland and Dorothy Burnham.  Last week I featured Abner Poland, Sr. in  sketch #8 because he was also a Revolutionary War veteran.  Abner, Jr. married Sarah Burnham on 20 March 1783.  She was the daughter of Westley Burnham and Deborah Story.  In a funny twist, Sarah's brother was Westley Burnham, another of my Revolutionary War ancestors.  Also, her sister Deborah was Abner Poland Sr.'s second wife (his first wife was also a Burnham).  Abner Poland was a mariner and fisherman in the coastal town of Essex, which is on the Essex River. 

Abner, Jr. and Sarah had eight children, four boys and four girls.  I descend from their eldest daughter, Sally, who married Henry Burnham (another Burnham!).  

As a young man, before his marriage in 1783 at the age of 22, Abner Jr. enlisted in the local militia on 15 January 1776 (he was barely 15 years old) as a private in Captain Abraham Dodge's Company under Colonel Moses Little's 12th regiment.  He was discharged on 14 May 1776. 

The following year Abner Jr., was listed on the muster rolls of the Continental Army under Colonel Joanthan Cogswell's 3rd Essex Regiment under Brigadier General Farley.  He joined Capt. Burnham's company (another Burnham!) under Colonel Jackson for a term of 3 years. He was listed as "Corporal, age 19 yrs, stature 5 feet 8 inches complexion fair; hair, dark; occupation, farmer, birthplace, Ipswich; residence, Ipswich; enlisted 17 Dec 1779 by Lt. Michael Jackson at West Point".  He ended up serving in the Continental Army for seven and a half years all the way to the Battle of Yorktown!  

Abner Poland, Jr. applied for a pension at age 57 years from his farm in Enfield, New Hampshire.  On his application found in the National Archives he stated "he first enlisted for one year, re-enlisted for three years, re-enlisted for a third time, serving seven 1/2 years total.  He received an honorable discharge in writing at Newburgh, NY.  He was in battles at Hubbardston, Stillwater, Monmouth, and Yorktown.  He received the Badge of Merit, the highest decoration.  W-152-B.L. Wt 48 71-100 1795  George Washington." 

I was excited to learn that he recieved the Badge of Merit from General Washington, and I found the award online, but it was a poorly scanned copy. I couldn't make out the signature.  So I actually took a trip to the National Archives in Washington, DC to see the document for myself. It was really signed by George Washington!  You can read all about this adventure in another blog post (see below for the link). 

The Battle of Yorktown was in 1781, with the surrender of the British on October 19th.  General Washington went to his headquarters at Newburgh, New York, and Abner received his certificate from Washington there in 1783. He married in 1783, probably upon returning home to Chebacco Parish, Ipswich.  

In the Registry of Deeds, Grafton County, Woodsville, New Hampshire, Book 57, page 162, we can read that Abner Poland, 2d of Ipswich, Massachusetts purchased a farm at Enfield, New Hampshire on 4 May 1812 for $850 from William Williams, Jr. of Enfield. Abner is listed in the 1830 census as living in Enfield.  He died at Enfield on 14 January 1835 and is buried in Lot 46 of the Oakgrove Cemetery, bhind the Community Church in Enfield.  

Abner Poland, Jr. became a pensioner, but was removed from the rolls for possessing too much property! Later he was placed back on the pension rolls.  His widow, Sarah, applied for a pension on 1 February 1837 and received $88 per year, which began on 4 September 1837 [Pension number 1586]. She died testate in Canaan, new Hampshire at the home of her daughter, Endor and son-in-law Elijah Gove.  [See The Polands of Essex County, Massachusetts by Lloyd Orville Poland, page 225, and also see The History of Canaan, NH by W.A. and J. B. Wallace].   

Abner and Sarah Poland

Enfield, New Hampshire

For the truly curious:

My trip to the National Archives to see Abner Poland's certificate from George Washington:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-archives-good-news-bad-news.html  

George Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, NY:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/03/george-washingtons-headquarters-at.html  

My Poland lineage:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/surname-saturday-poland-of-essex-county.html  

#1 Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, NH:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-colonel.html  

#2  Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, MA:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-major.html  

#3 Jonathan Flint of Reading, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-jonathan.html   

#4 Daniel Glover of Marblehead, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-daniel.html  

#5 Levi Younger of Gloucester, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-levi.html  

#6 Nathaniel Treadwell of Ipswich, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-nathaniel.html 

#7 Captain Westley Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-captain.html  

#8 Abner Poland, Sr. of Essex, Massachusetts    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_02014071889.html   

-------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots - Abner Poland, Jr. of Essex, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 28, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_0416714129.html: accessed [access date]). 

My Revolutionary War Patriots - Abner Poland of Essex, Massachusetts

 

Essex, Massachusetts - The former Chebacco Parish of Ipswich, Massachusetts

This is blog post #8 on my series of stories about my Revolutionary War ancestors.

Abner Poland, baptized 17 October 1736 in the Chebacco Parish of Ipswich (now the town of Essex), on Cape Ann, Massachusetts, was the son of John Poland (1693 - 1777), a weaver from Chebacco Parish,  and Abigail Davis of Gloucester.  She was the daughter of James Davis (1685 - 1742) and Abigail Mettcalfe.  

Abner married Dorothy Burnham on 3 April 1761 and had seven children, three boys and four girls.  I descend from the oldest son, Abner Poland, Jr. (1761 - 1835) who was also a Revolutionary War veteran. Dorothy was the daughter of John Burnham and Rachel Smith, baptized on 26 June 1737 in the Chebacco Parish, and died on 7 April 1789.  Abner remarried for a second time to Deborah Burnham, the widow of Nathaniel Emerson, on 5 December 1792.  She was the daughter of Westley Burnham and Deborah Story.  Deborah Burnham Emerson Poland was denied a widow's pension under Abner's name because she had already filed under Nathaniel's name! I have not found a gravestone for Abner, Sr. or his wives. 

Abner Poland, Sr. served as a private from 1 January 1777 to 1 February 1777, in the Chebacco Parish company of Captain Abraham Dodge, in the 12 regiment of the Massachusetts line under Colonel Moses Little.  Later he served in the militia at Newport, Rhode Island and was at the taking of Burgoyne and his Army, in the Battles of Long Island, White Plains and Harlem Heights.  he was honorable discharged in New Jersey. 

Abner Poland received a pension for his service, number 10,055 at $8.00 per month beginning on 6 April 1818.  His pension application lists that he owned 18 acres of pasture land and tillage, a small house, a small barn and 2 cows in Essex.  He signed his will on 17 May 1804, which was probated on 20 July 1824.  At age 84 years (in 1822) he was blind.  He died on 9 February 1824 at age 86. 

Since both Abner Poland's were in the same war, and both lived in the same town.  The records are sometimes hard to untangle.  An Abner Poland was an American prisoner of war at Forton Prison, England, imprisoned on 2 April 1778.  He was kidnapped off the ship "Hawk".  I'm not sure if this was Abner, Sr. or Abner, Jr.  The older Abner Poland was not in the military records in 1778.  The younger Abner Poland was in the Continental Army from 1 March 1777 to 31 December 1779. There was an Abner Poland, III, but he was not born until 1781. 

 I'll be writing up Abner, Jr.'s sketch for next week's blog post. He will be Patriot #9 in this series. 

For the truly curious:

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolution, Vol. XII, p. 490 for the line about Abner Poland.

New England Historic Genealogical Society Register Vol. 33, p. 37 ["American Prisoners at Forton Prison, England, Abner Poland, prize of ye Hawk.  Comitted to prison 2 Apr. 1778"]

A blog post with Abner Poland's will:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/10/last-will-and-testament-of-abner-poland.html 

My Poland lineage: https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/surname-saturday-poland-of-essex-county.html  

This series about Revolutionary War Patriots

#1 Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, NH:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-colonel.html  

#2  Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, MA:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-major.html  

#3 Jonathan Flint of Reading, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-jonathan.html   

#4 Daniel Glover of Marblehead, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-daniel.html  

#5 Levi Younger of Gloucester, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-levi.html  

#6 Nathaniel Treadwell of Ipswich, Massachusetts   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-nathaniel.html  

#7 Captain Westley Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-captain.html  

---------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots - Abner Poland of Essex, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 21, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner.html: accessed [access date]). 

MIT New House 50th Reunion

 

Vivian Hir, Class of 2025

presented a history of New House

A few months ago we attended an interesting reunion at MIT.  It wasn't a class reunion, or a family reunion, but it was a 50th anniversary of my husband's dorm (known at MIT as a living group).  I thought about how little genealogists use college, school, or university records, and this reunion created a lot of epherma, presentations, and photographs that will end up at the MIT archives.  Someday someone will want to see those records.  They list names, occupations, degrees, hometowns, and other pertinent information, and all of it is of interest to family historians.

I have done research at the archives at Simmons University, Acadia University, Boston University, University of New Hampshire and other schools. I've found not just academic records and yearbooks, but also journals, sermons, news clippings, photographs, books and other interesting items.  All of it was useful and helped to flesh out the bones on some ancestors for whom I only had vital records. 

The New House 50th reunion featured some great presentations which were shared electronically with partipants at this reunion, and some artifacts that were on display.  Of special interest was a large format book with the signatures of all the residents of New House.  We had fun searching for Vincent's name, and the names of his classmates in the book.  There were also construction plans, renovation charts, newsclippings, and photos on display. 

This register had the date, name, class year, major, 

dorm room, home address, etc. of every resident of New House

At the reunion Vivian Hir, class of 2025, a resident of New House, gave a great presentation on the history of New House, which was built in the 1970s to stem an overcrowding issue on the MIT campus.  Construction began on a site next to MacGregor House, at 500 Memorial Drive, the site of Joyce Chen's restaurant from 1969 - 1974.  The new dorm was designed by Spanish architect Josep Lluis Sert.  It was six units connected by a street level corridor, creating many independent living communities.  Three units faced the Charles River, and 3 faced the athletic field.   

New House opened in September 1975 and House 1 was Chocolate City (African American) and Russian House, House 6 was French House and German House.  Later Spanish House and other living groups were added.  Vincent lived in House 3 (known as New Three Stooges).  In 2007 iHouse opened to promote international development, social justice and activism. In 2022 New House 2 became Juniper, an all female Black community.  There are nine different living groups at New House currently. 

In July 2015 there was a flood due to a burst pipe which damaged Houses 1, 2, and 3.  Students were moved to the nearby Hyatt hotel.  In 2016 another pipe burst.  MIT contemplated demoliton or full repair.  It was decided to renovate, which took several years, as each unit was restored .  The school decide to fully remove walls and change the separate units into one fully integrated dorm, but keeping the living groups.  

The history presentation was followed by a lunch and tours of the renovated New House.  We couldn't find Vincent's old rooms, because the renovations had completely removed the rooms, walls, corridors and lounges to create new dorm rooms, living spaces, kitchens, and maker spaces. It was strange to not see the old familiar spaces, but extremely interesting to see the new ideas and new students enjoying the building. 

Events like this reunion used the MIT archives, interviews, the libraries and more to create presentations, and then those presentations will be archived in turn.  Think of all the events, reunions, and more that are being archived at colleges, and your ancestors (or you!) might be named and described in detail.  

New House 3

New House current floor plans

Former New Three Stooges

residents of New House 3 

A group shot of all the reunion participants

New Three Stooges (New House 3) residents in 1978

For the truly curious:

MIT ArchivesSpace:  https://archivesspace.mit.edu/  

MIT Libraries:   https://libraries.mit.edu/distinctive-collections/  

MIT Facility Archive Collection:  https://campusplanning.mit.edu/what-we-do/facility-information-systems-fis/facilities-archive/  

New House webpage:  https://newhouse.mit.edu/   

This webpage has a good description of the history and renovations at MIT's New House:   https://www.goodyclancy.com/project/new-house/  

New House at MIT Facebook page:   https://www.facebook.com/mitnewhouse/  

---------------------------

To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "MIT New House 50th Reunion", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 22, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/mit-new-house-50th-reunion.html: accessed [access date]).