My Revolutionary War Patriots - Nathaniel Treadwell of Ipswich, Massachusetts

 

The Agawam Hotel in Ipswich, Massachusetts

was formerly the Treadwell Tavern, before the

mansard roof and porches were added.

This is Patriot #6 in my series of blog posts about ancestors in the Revolutionary War.  Nathaniel Treadwell, my 5th great grandfather, was baptized in Ipswich, Massachusetts on 28 October 1753. He was the son of Jabez Treadwell (1713 - 1780) and Lucy Haskell (1715 - 1769) of Ipswich. There were many Nathaniel Treadwells in the Ipswich records, inclusing another cousin named Nathaniel Treadwell who owned another inn in Ipswich.  It was not fun unraveling all these different men from the records!

Nathaniel's father, Jabez, died on 22 December 1780 when Nathaniel was a young man and before he married. Nathaniel received bequests from his father, Jabez', Last Will & Testament, "I give and devise to my two sons Samuel Treadwell & Nathaniel Treadwell and to their heirs and assigns forever, my new barn, my land at Timber Hill so called & my little pasture (so called) my upland and salt marsh at the Hundred, one old upland Right at Jeffries Neck my lot of marsh at Plumb Island called Staniford's Lot, one half for quantity and quality, of my thatch bank adjoining pine creek called Staniford's Bank, to be equally divided between them. Provided notwithstanding, if my said son Samuel, who is now absent, shall never return, my will is, that the one half of my new barn and orchard above given to my said son Samuel, shall be and remain to my said son Nathl and to his heirs and assigns forever;" (Note: Samuel did return). He also received a share of his father's church pew in the First Parish Church at Ipswich and a share of the "husbandry tools".  [Will of Jabez Treadwell, 13 Nov 1780, Ipswich, Essex Co., MA: Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991, Essex - Probate Records, Roll:Treadwell, E-Treadwell, J, 1828-1991: Published at Ancestry.com. 

On 17 July 1786 Nathaniel married Mary Hovey in Ipswich.  She was born about 1751 and died 15 January 1832 in Ipswich, outliving her husband by about ten years. Her parents and ancestry are a mystery to me.  There were many Mary Hoveys in the records, too, in Ipswich and other Essex County towns. I have not been able to figure out her history, even though my Mayflower lineage papers back to Isaac Allerton pass through Nathaniel Treadwell and Mary Hovey. My lineage was accepted, and I'm still working on finding out more about Mary Hovey.

On 19 April 1775 Nathaniel was part of the local militia under Captain Nathaniel Wade. They answered the Lexington Alarm and marched to Mystic on the 21st and then to Cambridge, serving for 3 weeks.  They returned home to Ipswich on 5 June 1775.  Nathaniel Treadwell then reenlisted on 1 August 1775 in Colonel Little's regiment, and again he reenlisted in his cousin William Treadwell's company for three years.  He was discharge on 10 October 1780 and marched home 240 miles. The DAR lists Nathaniel Treadwell as patriot #A116294. 

Nathaniel and Mary had five children, all sons.  Nathaniel, Jr., born in 1787 served in the War of 1812 and was a prisoner in Dartmoor Prison.  Jabez, the second son born in 1788, is my 4th great grandfather, and he married Elizabeth "Betsey" Jillings Homan in 1811.  John, born in 1790 removed to Boston as a cabinet maker. Samuel was born in 1793, and William was born in 1797. 

In 1806 Nathaniel Treadwell built an inn at what is now 26 North Main Street in Ipswich, across from the Congregational Church and common.  He kept his tavern until 1818 and passed the business on to a cousin, Moses Treadwell. This in was renovated in the mid 1800 with Victorian trim, a new roof line, front porches, and a eventually a Victorian style tower. At that time it was known as the Agawam Inn.  It is still standing. Under the ownership of theTreadwell family, the inn entertained many dignitaries such as Daniel Webster, President Monroe, and General Lafayette, who dined there on 3 August 1824. 

On 12 July 1820 Nathaniel Treadwell applied for a Revolutionary War Pension, under file number S33827.  The file reads: "enlisted on the first of January 1776 in Capt. Abraham Dodge's Company & Col. Moses Little's Regiment on the Continental establishment for one year and served the whole of that term and was discharged in 1777. enlisted in Capt. William Treadwell's company & Col. Cranes Regiment of Artillery on the Continental establishment & both in the Massachusetts line for three years & served the whole of that time & was discharged. And after that served three months in the militia at West Point. was in the battles of Long Island, White Plains, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth & Stony Point, is aged sixty eight years, infirm & unable to labor, his wife Mary is aged sixty nine years, and cannot perform much labor, his family consists of himself and wife only". 

Nathaniel Treadwell died in Ipswich on 2 January 1822 and is buried in the Old Burying Ground.  His wife died on 15 January 1832 and is buried nearby in the same cemetery. Both gravestones survive and are legible. 

"Descendants of Thomas Treadwell", by William A. Robbins, 

New England Historic Genealogical Society Register, Volume 60, July 1906, page 294. 

The Jabez Treadwell Family Register, son of Nathaniel, 

and my 4th great grandfather.  My line descends from his

daughter, Eliza Ann, born in 1812, barely visible in this

image (just below the tear in the document).  

For the truly curious:

A blog post on my TREADWELL lineage: https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/02/surname-saturday-treadwell-of-ipswich.html  

A blog post on my brickwall ancestor, Mary Hovey, wife of Nathaniel Treadwell:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/08/surname-saturday-hovey-another.html  

My ALLERTON lineage which passes through Nathaniel Treadwell and Mary Hovey (descendants of Isaac Allerton, Mayflower passenger):   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/07/surname-saturday-allerton-mayflower.html  

To read more about the Nathaniel Treadwell Inn AKA Agawam House:   https://historicipswich.net/agawam-house-26-north-main-street/ 

Massachusetts Soldiers & Sailors of the Revolutionary War ["Massachusetts Soldiers & Sailors of the Revolutionary War", Vol. 16, Pg. 35, (Compiled from the Archives) Prepared & Published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth..., Wright & Potter Printing Co., State Printers, Boston, 1896. Published online at Archive.org 

New England Historic Genealogical Society Register, Volume 60, July 1906, page 294

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, The National Archives, NARA M804. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files. Roll: 2411: Treadwell, Nathaniel #S33827. Published on Fold3. Accessed Jun 2019  

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

#2 in this series,  Andrew Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts:   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  

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots - Nathaniel Treadwell of Ipswich, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 21, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-nathaniel.html: accessed [access date]). 

My Revolutionary War Patriots - Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts

 

Yours truly and granddaughter in front of the

Munroe Tavern in Lexington, Massachusetts

This is Patriot #2 I have written about for this series on my Revolutionary War ancestors.  Major Andrew Munroe was born 31 March 1764 in Lexington, Massachusetts, the son of Andrew Munroe (1718 - 1766) and Mary Mixer (1727 - 1783).  His mother was married three times, first to Daniel Simonds, second to Andrew Munroe and third to Caleb Simonds.  Caleb had been married three times, too, and with his second wife, Susanna Converse had a daughter named Ruth Simonds.  Ruth was Andrew Munroe's step sister, and they married 22 March 1785 in Burlington, Massachusetts. 

Andrew Munroe was the great grandson of William Munroe ( about 1625 - 1718), a Scots Prisoner of War who was captured at the Battle of Worcester in 1650 and sent in chains to be sold into servitude on the docks of what is now Charlestown, Massachusetts.  He lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts briefly and then removed to Cambridge Farms, now known as Lexington, Massachusetts in a part of town near the Woburn line that became known as "Scotland".  He had fourteen children by three wives, and left many descendants in Lexington and Middlesex County who eventually fought in the Revolutionary War. 

When Andrew was only eleven years old the Battle on Lexington Green took place.  Many members of his Munroe family were at this battle, including his uncle William Munroe who was captain of the Lexington Militia.  Several family members were killed including his two uncles, Robert Munroe (1712 - 1775) and Jonas Parker (1722 - 1775), who was married to his father's sister, Lucy Munroe. I'm sure that this event shaped Andrew's life in many ways, since he enlisted in the war very young.  At age 16, on 15 July 1780, he enlisted in the Continental Army for six months under the command of Capt. James Cooper in the 16th division. He served under Brigadier General Patterson at Camp Tottoway on 25 October 1780 for another six months.  Later Andew enlisted as a private in the Danvers Militia Company, where he served from 1796 to 1817.  He applied from Danvers for a pension on 14 August 1832.  

Andrew and Ruth were married in Burlington, and had two chidlren born in Woburn.  His next two children, twins Andrew and Ishmael, were born in New Grafton, New Hampshire on 1 April 1789.  Andrew had been given a land grant in New Grafton for his military service.  It doesn't appear that he stayed very long in New Grafton, but returned to Danvers, Massachusetts where seven more children were born. 

I couldn't find his being promoted to Major in his military records, but his gravestone at the King's Burial Ground in Peabody (formerly part of the town of Danvers) read:

"In the memory of Major Andrew Munroe Formerly of Lexington Soldier of the Revolution who died Aug. 7, 1836 aged 73 Erected by his daughter Mrs. Mary T. Taylor."   

I descend from the youngest child of the eleven children, Luther Simonds Munroe (1805 - 1851) who married Olive Flint, daughter of John Fint and Phebe Flint (second cousins), on 3 September 1826 in Reading, Massachusetts.  

More information on Major Andrew Munroe for the truly curious: 

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolution

History and Genealogy of the Lexington, Massachusetts Munroes by Richard S. Munroe, 1966

Report of the Committee Appointed to Revise the Soldier's Record by Danvers, Massachusetts, 1895 (see page 142) 

other blog posts about Andrew Munroe and the Munroe family:

2012 "Surname Saturday - Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts"   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-munroe-of-lexington.html  

2012 "5 November 1789, George Washington Dined Here!"   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/11/5-november-1789-george-washington-dined.html  

2013 "He married his step sister?"   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/02/he-married-his-step-sister.html  

2015  "The woeful life of a colonial woman"  (about Mary Mixer Munroe)   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-woeful-life-of-colonial-woman.html  

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

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots - Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 10, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-major.html: accessed [access date]). 

Visiting Our Ancestors in Lexington, Massachusetts

 

This summer we took our granddaughter to see Lexington, Massachusetts.  She had been reading a book called Sam, the Minuteman, by Nathaniel Benchly.  This is an "I can Read" level 3 book about a fictional young man that witnessed the Battle of Lexington. One day while she and I took turns reading this book I mentioned that her ancestors were at this battle, and that the houses of some family members still stand in Lexington.  A few months later we took a short day trip to see these sights! 

The first place we visited was the Munroe Tavern.  It was owned by members of the Munroe family.  Seven members of the family were mustered on Lexington Common on 19 April 1775.  Our ancestor, Andrew Munroe, was only eleven years old on that day.  This was about the age of Sam, the Minuteman in the book.  We don't know if Andrew witnessed the battle, but chances are that he was nearby.  His two uncles, Robert Munroe and Jonas Parker (husband to his Aunt Lucy Munroe), were the first two men killed on Lexington Green. His cousin William Munroe (1742-1827) owned the Munroe Tavern.

On 19 April 1775 William Munroe had to leave his family and join the minutemen on Lexington Green.  He left his wife and children, and a handyman named John Raymond.  The British Regulars marched right down the road in front of the house towards the town common.  The women and children fled to the woods, and John Raymond stayed to protect the house.  The British killed Raymond, and commandeered the tavern as a field hospital.  On the retreat, after the battles of Lexington and Concord, the house was used to treat the British wounded, and then it was set on fire when they left. Fortunately the house survived. 

In 1789 President Washington toured the new United States and stopped in Lexington, Massachusetts to have a meal with the Munroe family at their tavern.  The table, chair, and even the dishes Washington used were carefully preserved by the Munroe family. These items are still on display at the Munroe Tavern, on the second floor. I've also blogged about this event, and you can read about it HERE. 

In the tavern room, on the first floor, the British Regulars shot a bullet into the ceiling.  The Munroe family preserved this evidence of the event and it is still visible today.  

The downstairs part of the Munroe Tavern is a museum dedicated to telling the story of the Battle of Lexington from a British viewpoint. This was a controversial move by the Lexington Historical Society several years ago.  The upstairs rooms tell the story of the Munroe family and their view of that day nearly 250 years ago. In the bedroom are many family artifacts. I blogged about the rebranding of the Munroe Tavern HERE. 

A colonial costume!  It was fun trying on different outfits at the Munroe Tavern.

Nana dressed as a "Redcoat"!

It was fun to bring my granddaughter to see these sights and to learn about her ancestors.  However, discussing war and death with an eight year old was interesting, too.  She had lots of questions. "Why did they fight?" and "Why did the Red Coats kill  John Raymond?" and "Why did the Red Coats fight the minutemen?" and the inevitable "Why do we have wars?".   If you bring young children to see battlefields and cemeteries, and if they see or read stories about war and oppression you must be prepared to answer these questions. And be prepared to answer the more philosphical questions about war with "Everyone has questions about that" or "I wish I knew that, too".  We weren't surprised at the questions, but tried to answer as truthfully as possible.  Not all history is easy. 

We placed pennies at the monument on Lexington Green where the slain minutemen are buried.

"This Monument is erected

By the inhabitants of Lexington,

Under the patronage & at the expense of

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

To the memory of their Fellow Citizens,

Ensign Robert Munroe, Messrs. Jonas Parker,

Samuel Hadley, Jonathan Harrington, Junr.

Isaac Muzzy, Caleb Harrington, and John Brown

of Lexington & Asahel Porter of Woburn,

Who fell on this field the first Victims to the 

Sword of British Tyranny & Oppression,

On the morning of the ever memorable

Nineteenth of April, An. Dom, 1775.

The Die was cast!!!"

On our way back walking from the Lexington Green we saw this house facing the battlefield.  We wondered if this was another member of our Munroe clan.  When I was home I looked up the names Marret and Nathan Munroe.  They were father and son.  Marrett Munroe (1713 - 1798) was married to Deliverance Parker, the sister to Captain  John Parker of the Lexington Minutemen, and cousin to Jonas Parker mentioned above.  Marret's son Nathan Munroe (1747 - 1829) served under Captain Parker's command on the day of the battle across the street from his house, with six other Munroe men. 

For the truly curious:

The Munroe Tavern at the Lexington Historical Society website:   https://www.lexingtonhistory.org/munroe-tavern   

The Munroe Tavern at Wikipedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munroe_Tavern_(Lexington,_Massachusetts)  

and several blog posts:

"Rebranding History" 26 September 2011  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/09/rebranding-history.html  

"Surname Saturday - Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts" 30 June 2012   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-munroe-of-lexington.html  

"Cousins at the Battle of Lexington" 15 April 2010    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/04/cousins-at-battle-of-lexington.html  

"Read how a family history fib spread in 1889, and is still spreading today!" 29 January 2015 (about Washington's visit to the Munroe Tavern in 1789)   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/read-how-family-history-fib-spread-in.html    

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Visiting Our Ancestors in Lexington, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 12, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/09/visiting-our-ancestors-in-lexington.html: accessed [access date]). 

A photo of Mary Munroe Sanderson (1748 - 1852) who witnessed the Battle of Lexington, Massachusetts

This is an amazing old photo of Mary Munroe Sanderson (1748 - 1852) from the collections of the Boston Public Library.  Thank you to my sister's friend, who shared a copy to her from Facebook (see the link below).  We all share Munroe ancestry!

Mary Munroe was born 10 October 1748 in Lexington, Massachusetts.  She married Samuel Sanderson of Woburn on 27 Ocotber 1772 and had six children.  On 23 September 1852 the women in Lexington had a fundraising party for Mary Munroe Sanderson, who was more than 100 years old and suffering from severe arthritis.  The party raised $300, and she died a month later, aged 104. She died on 15 October 1842 in East Lexington, and is buried at the Old Burying Ground.   Her epitaph reads:

Mary Munroe relict of Samuel Sanderson
Born in Lexington Oct 10, 1748
Died in East Lexington Oct 15, 1852
Age 104 years 5 days
A witness of the first revolutionary conflict, she recounted its trying scenes to the last. The vitality of her Christian faith was envinced by cheerfulness under severy bodily infirmity for more than twenty years.

Mary is the daughter of William Munroe and Rebecca Locke.  William Munroe is the brother of my 6th great grandfather, Andrew Munroe (1718 - 1766).  These are the generations that lived through the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and the American Revolutionary War.  The Sanderson House still stands next to the Munroe Tavern in Lexington, Massachusetts.  

Mary's husband, Corporal Samuel Sanderson [from the Hudson History of Lexington, Volume II Genealogies]: He was sergeant in a detachment from Lexington militia company commanded by Capt. John Bridge, service 5 days; detachment reported on command at Cambridge from 11 May to 15 May 1775, by order of Committee of Safety; also corporal, pay-roll of a detachment from Lexington militia company commanded by Capt. John Parker, service 2 days; detachment reported on command at Cambridge from 17 June to 18 June 1775, by order of Committee of Safety; also private, Capt. John Briges company, Col. Eleazer Brook’s regiment, service from 4 March to 8 March 1776, 5 days; company stationed in Roxbury.

From Canavan Papers Vol I:  To the east of Munroe Tavern is the Sanderson place, in 1775 this long low house was occupied by Samuel Sanderson and his wife Mary Munroe Sanderson, to whom he was married in 1772. With them was his brother Elijah. These two Sandersons were cabinetmakers. At a later period Elijah lived in Salem and from time to time sent venture of cabinet to France and Spain where they sold well, for the old New England joiner was an artist and made all kinds of woodwork from Pine coffins to the most beautiful desks and sideboards.

(Mary) …She was the daughter of one of the Munroe’s in that part of Lexington known as Scotland, and was born in 1748. She married Sanderson in 1772, he worked at his trade as a “Jiner” in the basement of the house, and his wife often held a candle as he made a coffin. When he heard that the British were coming he piloted his wife over to her father’s carrying his babe, and accompanied by a little girl who was at their house. Over at Scotland they found the mother getting breakfast and the brothers at first did not believe the report. After the British retreated Mary returned home and found a good many things had been stolen. Her cow (which was a good part of her marriage portion) had been killed; and a wounded British soldier was stowed away in her bed. She cried out “ I wont hae him there. Why didn’t you knock him on the head?” But the town authorities insisted he be taken care of. Those who lived on that part of Lexington called Scotland had a little of the Scottish accent and Mrs. Sanderson kept it all her life. The soldier begged for Tea but she refused. “what for should I gae him tae for? He shall hae none.” The wounded man refused to eat or drink unless the food was tasted by some of the family.

The Sandersons moved to Lancaster in 1776 but after her husbands death she returned ot Lexington and died there in 1852 at the age of 104.

I don't know the year this photo was taken, but she looks like she was very elderly at the time.  

For the truly curious:

The Facebook link with the photo of Mary Munroe Sanderson:   https://www.facebook.com/HistoricPhotographs/posts/pfbid031uXGDheW6iDLa5tvAN1ZT1xg5PxffwdrF7bpyfrkcKHq3wgK8Xk8iEfqQt1QFPhxl   

The Sanderson House:   https://www.lexingtonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3514/Area-AD---Sanderson-House---Munroe-Tavern  

This sketch of Mrs. Mary Sanderson is from the Locke Family Association website:  www.lockegenealogy.org  It is from the book Book of the Lockes: A genealocial and historical record of the descendants of William Locke, of Woburn, Massachusetts, by John Goodwin Locke.  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A photo of Mary Munroe Sanderson (1748 - 1852) who witnessed the Battle of Lexington, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 7, 2023, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2023/03/a-photo-of-mary-munroe-sanderson-1748.html: accessed [access date]). 

Patriots Day

The Battle of Lexington re-enacted on 19 April 2000.
The re-enactment always takes place in the gloom of dawn, just like in 1775

Patriot’s Day was traditionally celebrated in Massachusetts and Maine on April 19^th, the anniversary day of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775.  Nowadays it is celebrated on the nearest Monday to the 19^th, and unfortunately most people now call it “Marathon Monday”.  However, in the towns of Lexington and Concord, it is still commemorated with much fanfare, including re-enactments of the battles and skirmishes, gatherings of militia, historical lectures, music, and memorial services.

Over the years I have blogged about Patriot’s Day and the Battle of Lexington many times, because my Munroe ancestors and kin were present at this conflict.  You can find a list of these links below. 

My most poignant memory of Patriots Day is the time we attended the 225^th anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of Lexington.  I cried as I watched my 5^th great uncles Robert Munroe (1712 – 1775) and Jonas Parker (1722 – 1775) (married to Lucy Munroe) be bayonetted and killed by the British Regulars on Lexington Green. I wept as I watched the women and children re-enact recovering their bodies and carrying them away.

To my family this was an act of horror and terror as much as the Boston Marathon bombing which took place on Patriots Day in 2013.  I can imagine how my 4^th great grandfather, little Andrew Munroe (1764 – 1836), who had just turned eleven years old, felt as he witnessed the Battle. By the end of the Revolutionary War he was an officer (he was made a Major) and received a bounty land grant in New Grafton, New Hampshire. Eyewitness accounts of the battle read just like eyewitness accounts of modern terrorist events, or scenes of war anywhere in the world.

In a few years there will be a 250th commemoration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord (in the year 225).  Just like the recent 300^th anniversary of Nutfield, New Hampshire, or next year’s 400^th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower in Plymouth, Massachusetts, this will be a large celebration with actors, re-enactors, politicians, parades, ceremonies, memorials and parties.  But for some people it is a commemoration of the day their loved ones died, or suffered great hardship as a war began in the American Colonies.

This is how many American of native descent feel about the upcoming 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower.  I'm glad that the Wampanoag nation is participating in the 2020 anniversary, and it is because of their cooperation with the events that we are calling this a commemoration, not a celebration.  Although I'm looking forward to the Plymouth 400th, and the Lexington Battle 250th, I'm feeling just like I did when Salem remembered the 300th anniversary of the events of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.  I had three ancestors hanged that year, several others imprisoned and accused, and many others suffered.  1992 was a time of remembrance, not celebration. Just like Patriots Day every year. 

After the battle

Women and children tend to the dead and wounded

My daughter and I react to the first shots of the "battle"

The British Regulars as they left Lexington for Concord

When we visit Lexington we leave flowers
at this grave site for the men who died at the 1775 battle.

Some of the many Nutfield Genealogy posts about Patriots Day and the Battle of Lexington:

Eyewitness to the Battle of Lexington-

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/04/eyewitness-to-battle-of-lexington-19.html  

Cousins at the Battle of Lexington-

  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/04/cousins-at-battle-of-lexington.html 

The 225^th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington Green- https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/patriots-day-225th-anniversary-of.html 

The 225^th Anniversary of the Battle of Concord Bridge-  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/patriots-day-19-april-2000-225th.html  

18 April 2000, the day before the 225^th anniversary – https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/patriots-day-18-april-2000-day-before.html  

Answering the Alarm from Hudson, New Hampshire-  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/04/patriots-day-answering-lexington-alarm.html 

Munroe Tavern becomes a Public Museum-

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/03/munroe-tavern-becomes-public-museum.html 

Rebranding History- https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/09/rebranding-history.html 

Tombstone Tuesday – Battle of Lexington-  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/04/tombstone-tuesday-battle-of-lexington.html 

Surname Saturday – Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts-  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-munroe-of-lexington.html 

How a Family History Fib Spread in 1889, and is still spreading today!  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/read-how-family-history-fib-spread-in.html 

Hezekiah Wyman and the Legend of the White Horseman- https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/hezekiah-wyman-and-legend-of-white.html 

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Patriots Day”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 19, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/04/patriots-day.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ MASTERS of Watertown and Cambridge, Massachusetts

MASTERS / MARSTERS / MASTERSON

My 11^th great grandfather, John Masters (about 1581 – 1639) was a tavern keeper.  He is of unknown origins, but he used a Lady Barrington as a reference in a letter written on 14 March 1630/1.  In his book The Great Migration Begins, Volume 2, page 1236, the author Robert Charles Anderson states that this is a clue to his origins being in Essex, England as a servant with one of the Puritan gentry families.

John Masters, his wife Joan, and children arrived in New England with the Winthrop Fleet in 1631.  He first lived in Watertown where he was a freeman on 18 July 1631.  He then removed to Newtowne (now Cambridge) in 1633.  He was licensed to keep a tavern in Cambridge on 3 September 1635.  The History of Cambridge, by Lucius R. Paige, 1877, page 609, states that his house was located on what is now Ash Street, near Brattle Street, near the current Harvard Divinity School campus.  He died on 21 December 1639, two days after making his last will and testament.  His wife died five days later. He named his three daughters in his will, and the grandsons (Abraham and Nathaniel) by a son who had predeceased him. 

John Masters must have had a rebellious streak.  Winthrop wrote of him on 5 July 1632 “The strife at Watertown congregation continued still; but at length they gave the separatists a day to come in, or else to be proceeded against.  At that day, all came in and submitted, except John Masters, who, though he were advised by diverse ministers and others, that he had offended in turning his back upon the sacrament, and departing out of the assembly, etc., because they had then admitted a member whom he judged unfit, etc.; yet he persisted.  So the congregation (being loath to proceed against him) gave him a further day, 8, at which time he continuing obstinate, they excommunicated him; but, about a fortnight later, he submitted himself, and was received in again.” [The History of New England from 1630 to 1649, by John Winthrop, Volume 1, page 97] 

I descend from John Masters’ unknown son through his grandson, Nathaniel.  I also descend from his daughter Elizabeth who married first to Edmund Lockwood, and second to Cary Latham. 

Nathaniel Masters has an interesting story.  He lived for some reason in Plymouth, Massachusetts where he probably married about 1631.   He is mentioned in a letter by Governor Bradford of Plymouth in February 1632.  Then he was mentioned in a New London, Connecticut record in 1651 for “fornication” before his marriage with Ruth Pickford (his wife).   This brings up a number of questions such as– Why was Nathaniel in Plymouth? Why did the fornication take place in New London (Pequott Harbor)?

Besides connections to Plymouth, Massachusetts and New London, Connecticut, Nathaniel received a land grant in York, Maine in 1666.  He became a freeman in Wells, Maine in 1670, and then was back in Manchester, Massachusetts in 1702.  He had seven children, and I descend from his daughter Lydia who married Josiah Littlefield.  She was killed by Indians on 10 August 1707 on her way home from Boston, along with her son Josiah, Jr.  Josiah, her husband, was killed by Indians in Wells, Maine in 1712 just a few years after spending two years in captivity in Canada. His second wife, Elizabeth Hilton, was killed by Indians in 1738. 

Some MASTERS resources:

The Great Migration Begins, by Robert Charles Anderson, Volume II, pages 1234 – 1236 for a sketch of John Masters.

Essex Institute Historical Collections, Volume 36, page 157

Surname Saturday post for PICKWORTH - https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/12/surname-saturday-pickworth-of-plymouth.html 

Surname Saturday post for LOCKWOOD -  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/surname-saturday-lockwood-of-cambridge.html  

My MASTERS genealogy:

Generation 1:  John Masters, born about 1581 in England, died 21 December 1639 in Cambridge, Massachusetts; married to Joan Unknown about 1606. Four children.

Lineage A

Generation 2: Elizabeth Masters, born about 1612 in England, died 14 April 1712 in New London, Connecticut; married first to Edmund Lockwood; married second to Cary Latham about 1685.  Eight children.

Generation 3: Jane Latham m. Hugh Hubbard

Generation 4:  Lydia Hubbard m.  John Burrows

Generation 5:  Desire Burris m. Moses Gore

Generation 6:  Desire Gore m. Thomas Ratchford

Generation 7: Elizabeth Ratchford m. David Lyons

Generation 8:  Thomas Ratchford Lyons m. Ann Skinner

Generation 9:  Isabella Lyons m. Rev. Ingraham Ebenezer Bill

Generation 10:  Caleb Rand Bill m. Ann Margaret Bollman

Generation 11:  Isabella Lyons Bill m. Albert Munroe Wilkinson

Generation 12:  Donald Munroe Wilkinson m. Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

Lineage B:

Generation 2:  Unknown Masters.  Two sons named in John Masters’ will (Nathaniel and Abraham)

Generation 3:  Nathaniel Masters, died 1 July 1708 in Manchester, Massachusetts; married about 1653 to Ruth Pickworth, daughter of John Pickworth and Anna Unknown. Seven children.

Generation 4:  Lydia Masters, born about 1661 in Wells, Maine; died 10 August 1707 in Wells; married before 1688 to Josiah Littlefield, son of John Littlefield and Patience Unknown.  He was born about 1662 in Wells and died 26 April 1712 in Wells.  Seven children.

Generation 5: Anna Littlefield m. Jacob Perkins

Generation 6:  Stephen Perkins m. Comfort Chesley

Generation 7:  Mary Perkins m. Nathaniel Batchelder

Generation 8:  Jonathan Batchelder m. Nancy Thompson

Generation 9:  George E. Batchelder m. Abigail M. Locke

Generation 10:  George E. Batchelder m. Mary Katharine Emerson

Generation 11:  Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 12:  Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ MASTERS of Watertown and Cambridge, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 29, 2018, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/12/surname-saturday-masters-of-watertown.html: accessed [access date]).

City Square, Charlestown, Massachusetts - and so many ancestral connections!

City Square, Charlestown, Massachusetts *

In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the Boston “Big Dig” Central Artery project moved all the roads to the tunnels and bridges under City Square in Charlestown.  An archeology project done on the site revealed the foundations of Gov. John Winthrop’s 1629 Great House and the Long family’s Three Cranes Tavern.  

Yours truly, standing in the Three Cranes Tavern footprint

As a Long descendant, I waited a long time to go see the newly developed park at City Square.   Restoration of this area into a park didn’t begin until the mid 1990s.

Then, just recently, Linda Hall Little, another genealogy blogger, sent me a photo of the weathervane atop the fountain at City Square Park.  She lives in Charlestown just a block away.  When I saw the weathervane (a crane of course!) I knew I had to feature it on “Weathervane Wednesday” (see yesterday's post) and I also knew I had to feature the park and the memorial to the Long family Three Crane’s Tavern. 

[Also, I descend from Governor John Winthrop's sister, Lucy Winthrop (1601 - 1669) who married Emanuel Downing.  So, Governor Winthrop, who lived in the Great House for three months, was my great uncle 10 generations removed]

Fountain at City Square
featuring a crane weathervane* 

The foundation stones of Three Crane tavern

An exhibit nearby shows the floorplan of the tavern and Great House,
and plots of land owned by members of the LONG family

Great House and Three Cranes Tavern
1629 - 1775
This reconstructed foundation outline represents the tavern
uncovered by archaeologists during the 1980s.  Postholes
from the Great House timbers were also found among the
stones.  Concrete bands have been added to complete the
outline of the two story tavern.  The building was burned
during the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.

When I told Linda that I knew the history of the weathervane because I was a Long descendant, she ran over to the park and took dozens of photos for me.  I’m using some of her photos here, and also some of my own photos.  My family was so excited when they saw Linda’s photos* – so we went to see it ourselves a few weeks later and took more photos!  Thanks, Linda! 

History:

In 1630 the Winthrop fleet carried 700 Puritans on 11 ships to New England.  They settled in Charlestown and Governor Winthrop built his Great House.  When the colonists moved to Boston (due to poor water quality in Charlestown) the Great House became a meeting house, and then a tavern in 1635 run by Robert Long (my 9^th great grandfather) and his family.   The tavern remained in the Long family for 140 years until it was burned to the ground during the Battle of Bunker Hill.  In fact, most of the neighborhood burned to the ground.  

Afterward, the area was cleared and became a market.  Market Square was named “City Square” in 1848 when the town of Charlestown became a city.

That is not the only family connection I have to this spot.  In 1650 the tavern was waterfront property.  Ships from England entered Boston Harbor and the entrance to the Charles River right in front of what is now City Square.  The ship John and Sara docked here on 11 November 1651 and the human cargo on board,  272 Scots Prisoners of War from the Battle of Worcester, were sold on the wharf to the highest bidders by Thomas Kemble.  Two of my ancestors, William Munroe (and his two brothers) and Alexander Thompson.  Several other ancestors, like Francis Wyman of Woburn, had several Scots prisoners of war as servants in his tannery.  I can imagine that drinks were sold swiftly at the tavern on the day those Scots were sold into servitude.

For the truly curious:

My blog post about the LONG family in Charlestown

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/02/surname-saturday-long-of-charlestown.html

My blog post about my WINTHROP connection, and descent from Lucy Winthrop:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/09/surname-saturday-winthrop-of-england.html  

“Secrets of the Three Cranes Tavern” by Amy Laskowski, for the Boston University website, posted November 9, 2014 http://www.bu.edu/today/2014/boston-archaeology/

Passenger list  (actually a “statement of goods” record) of the John and Sara prisoners of war, 1651

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/08/ship-john-and-sara-prisoners-of-war.html

My blog post about William Munroe (about 1625 – 1718), SPOW, http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-munroe-of-lexington.html

My blog post about Alexander Thompson (about 1636 – about 1696), SPOW  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-thomson-thompson-of.html

Affectionately known as “SPOW” or Scots Prisoners of War, the online research community is administered by Teresa Hamilton Rust at these four separate websites:

Scottish Prisoners of War Facebook Community

https://www.facebook.com/scottishprisonersofwar?fref=ts

Scottish Prisoners of War website by Teresa Rust  http://scottishprisonersofwar.com/

SPOW Yahoo Group   https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/scottish_war_prisoners/info

Scottish Prisoners of War DNA project:

https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/scottish-po-ws/about/background

Some books:

Emigrants in Chains, by Peter Wilson Coldham, 1992

Directory of Scots Banished to the American Plantations 1650 – 1775, by David Dobson, 2010

 Linda Hall Little's genealogy blog Passage to the Past

https://passagetothepast.wordpress.com/about/   
All photos marked with * are from Linda, otherwise they were taken by Vincent Rojo

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "City Square, Charlestown, Massachusetts - and so many ancestral connections!", Nufield Genealogy, posted September 29, 2016,  ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/09/in-1970s-80s-and-90s-boston-big-dig.html: accessed [access date]). 

Dear MUNROE cousins, Revolutionary War Buffs, Scots Prisoner of War (SPOW) Researchers, and Family Historians

Munroe Tavern before the "Red Coat Museum" renovation

Earlier this week I received this very interesting email from a reader whose mother lives on Tavern Lane in Lexington, Massachusetts.  She read my blog post “Rebranding History”*  from 2011, which described the renovations of the Munroe Tavern in Lexington from a historical home of the Patriotic MUNROE family into “The Redcoat Museum”.    I’ve been watching how the home the Munroe family donated to the Lexington Historical Society has changed its mission from honoring this family that lost so much during the Battle of Lexington, into a museum honoring the British Regulars that attacked their homestead and village.

The Munroe Tavern was formerly a place to honor the MUNROE family.  It told the story of the William Munroe (1742 - 1827) Family, descendants of William Munroe (1625 - 1718) who was a Scots prisoner of War from the Battle of Worcester in 1650.  He was sold into servitude in Massachusetts, but ended up being a property owner in Cambridge Farms, now the town of Lexington, Massachusetts.  William Munroe, 4th, was the militia leader during the Battle of Lexington in 1775.  His home, the tavern, was used by the British as a field hospital and headquarters on the day of the Battle.  The British Regulars then killed his handyman and set the house ablaze before abandoning it upon their flight back to Boston. 

This reader now wrote to me about more changes at Lexington’s Munroe Tavern:

“Since the rebranding of the Munroe Tavern and the opening of the new wing in 2011, the Lexington Historical Society has moved forward and is planning to construct another addition to your family's house.  They plan to expand Munroe Tavern with a barn-like structure featuring a massive display window typically found in retail stores.

 Last week the Society received a variance from the Lexington Board of Appeals to place the new 32 X 24 foot structure a distance of just 7.3 feet from Tavern Lane -- instead of the required 30 feet.  The new addition will house Lexington historical archives that are currently residing in the basement of the Hancock-Clarke house.  After being refused by other Lexington locations, the Society selected Munroe Tavern to build the archive structure.  The Tavern will continue to operate as the Redcoat Museum.

 My Mother lives on Tavern Lane and she is opposed to constructing another addition to Munroe Tavern because it will change the character of the Tavern and the neighborhood.  There is a meeting scheduled on Thursday, February 4, with Lexington's Historic Districts Commission (They oversee the Munroe Tavern Historic district and other notable town districts.) to review the Historical Society's expansion plans for the Tavern.

 We wanted to see if you would be interested in voicing your opinion regarding the changes planned to Munroe Tavern.   We also are interested in your advice on how we can persuade the Commission to stop the construction changes to the Tavern.

 In my Mother's title search documents for her Tavern Lane house there is a copy of the will from James S. Munroe.  In his January 26, 1911 will, as you know, he donated the Tavern to the Lexington Historical Society.  In reading his will I wonder how Mr. Munroe would have weighed in today on the new construction planned to his house.  His will states:

  “…This device is made upon the express condition that said Historical Society shall keep the premises in good repair and forever maintain the same in substantially their present or original condition, shall pay all taxes and other municipal charges and assessments, if any, which may be levied thereon, shall appoint a suitable custodian to have charge thereof, and shall at stated and suitable times open the house for the inspection of the public.  Said Society shall make reasonable rules and regulations for the care of said Munroe Tavern as it may deem expedient, and shall have the right to charge a reasonable admission fee.  If, however, said Society shall refuse to accept this devise, or in case of such acceptance, shall cease to exist, or shall fail to comply with the conditions herein set forth, I give, devise and bequeath said real estate to the Town of Lexington upon the same conditions, but if said Town shall refuse to accept said devise, or having accepted said devise, shall not comply with the conditions herein set forth, I devise said real estate to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts upon the same terms and conditions as above set forth but if said Commonwealth shall refuse said gift, then I device said real estate to my heirs at law… " "

In a separate email she also wrote:

“Here are details on this week's meeting:  The Historic Districts Commission will be holding a public hearing on Thursday, February 4, at 7:10 pm "with respect to the exterior architectural changes of 1332 Massachusetts Avenue (the Tavern), which is located within the Munroe Tavern District."  Also here is the email address for submitting letters to the Commission: historicdistrictscmsn@lexingtonma.gov”

The Public Meeting Notice is at this link:
http://www.lexingtonma.gov/sites/lexingtonma/files/uploads/2016-02-04-hdc.pdf 
and will be held at the Selectman's Meeting Room, 1652 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, Massachusetts at 7 PM.  

And

“Letters should also be copied to fdagle@lexingtonma.gov  (the Commission's assistant who will make sure that everyone on the Historic Districts Commission gets a copy of the letter.)”

The Red Coat Museum in 2011

I will be writing to the Historic Districts Commission of Lexington with my opinions of the project.  I’m not optimistic because my email and mail from before the “rebranding” of the Munroe Tavern to the “Red Coat Museum” received canned replies not very sympathetic to Munroe family members and the descendants of William Munroe. It is my opinion that the original terms of the will were violated with the first rebranding of the Munroe Tavern, and this second renovation and addition are even further violations of the will. But, I'm not a lawyer. Just a descendant. 

I’d love to hear your opinions of the project, too.  Perhaps I will forward them all to the Historic Districts Commission in Lexington in another email.  Please leave your comments below.

For more information on the Munroe Tavern, you can scroll through all the blog posts I have previously written about this historic home here:

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search?q=munroe+tavern

*”Rebranding History” my previous blog post on the renovation of the Munroe Tavern into the Red Coat Museum in Lexington, Massachusetts : 

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/09/rebranding-history.html

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

To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Dear MUNROE cousins, Revolutionary War Buffs, Scots Prisoner of War (SPOW) Researchers and Family Historians", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 3, 2016, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/02/dear-munroe-cousins-revolutionary-war.html:  accessed [access date]).