Biographies

Abel was born in Middleton, MA on April 4, 1743 to John and Elizabeth Nichols. He was their second child and only son. His other sibling was a sister named Mary who was born two years earlier in 1741. On December 5/6, 1766 he published his intentions to marry Elisabeth Preston. Both of them were residents of Danvers, MA. I can’t find any record of them having children. During the American Revolution Abel served as a Sergeant in Captain Samuel Flint’s Company of Minutemen and

David Wilder was born in Leominster, MA on May 3, 1778 to David and Lucy (Joslin) Wilder. He was one of Leominster’s most prominent citizens, serving his community as a State Representative, a State Senator, a Justice of the Quorum, a member of the Governor’s Council, and the Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mr. Wilder joined the Aurora Lodge in 1803 while it was still in Leominster. He served as the Lodge Master from 1812-1816. Later he served as the District

Corporal Chandler was born on January 13, 1846 to Isaac Washington Chandler, a shoemaker and mariner, and Catherine C. Benson. He was their first and only child. The birth was recorded in Salem, MA, though in his enlistment papers he stated he was born in Norwich, CT. Sadly, his father would drown in 1847 when he was struck by the boom of a ship during a thunderstorm off Cape Ann. He was only 24. His mother married stone mason Thomas Heard the following year. Before the War

This unique gravestone marks the final resting place of Reverend Henry Emanuel Whyman, his wife Louise Maria (Andersson) Whyman, their son Bertil Emanuel Whyman, and Bertil’s wife Gerda Elvira (Wolsey) Whyman. Reverend Whyman was born in Roslags-Kulla, Sweden (near Stockholm) on October 26, 1860 to Henrick A. Whyman and Wilhelmina C. Brunstedt. He came to the US in 1886, and became a citizen in 1888. Reverend Whyman was the Minister of the First Swedish Methodist Church in th

Mary was born to Captain William and Mrs. Abigail (Kendall) Reed in Lexington, MA on April 8, 1695. Both of her parents were originally from Woburn, MA and among the earliest white settlers in the town, arriving around 1685. They made their home in the northern part of the town on the road to Bedford. The Reed family was very prominent and influential in town affairs. On April 8, 1714 she married John Stone. The Stone family came from Cambridge, and was another of Lexington'

250 years ago Gen. Benedict Arnold led an expedition north from Massachusetts to Quebec in an attampt to capture the town. They left at the end of September 1775 and arrived in Canada in December. The battle, which took place in the middle of a snowstorm on December 31, was a disaster for Arnold's forces; every member either was either killed, taken prisoner, or deserted. Worcester lost three men: Captain Jonas Hubbard, Sergeant Silas Wesson, and Private Timothy Rice.

Patience was born on January 2, 1733 to Benjamin and Elizabeth (Winslow) Marston in Salem, MA. Her mother was originally from Marshfield, MA, and was a descendant of Mayflower passenger Edward Winslow. Her father was a Harvard graduate, and a very prominent man in Salem. He served as High Sheriff of Essex County and later as a Justice and Judge. Patience was the third of her parents' seven children. In the She married merchant Elkanah Watson of Plymouth, MA on October 19, 1

Capt. John Williams, Patriot, Mason, and charter member of the Order of the Cincinnati.

Errol was born in Ware, MA to Dwight Foster and Clara Norma (Ayers) Marsh on July 19, 1889. He had an older brother named Ernest who had been born eleven years earlier in 1878. His father was a lumber merchant and manufacturer. Between the 1900 and 1910 US Census the family moved to Westborough, MA where Dwight had found work as a book keeper at a box shop. Coming from a more affluent family, Errol was educated at Worcester Academy. After graduation he went into business wit

Josef was born in Russian-occupied Tajno, Poland in 1873 to Jacob and Catherine Misczkowski. He immigrated to the United States in August of 1913 aboard the Friedrich Der Grosse. He was married at the time of his immigration, and married again soon after in September 1913–his marriage record in Northampton, MA lists it as his second marriage, but the woman might be the same. Her name is Josephine Szener. A description of Josef is also in his immigration paperwork: 5 feet 4 in

Lewis was born in Walpole, MA on June 10, 1824 to Silas and Maria (Fisher) Fales. He moved to Milford, MA in his late teens, and became an architect. In 1862 Lewis married Sarah A. Wheelock of Mendon, MA. The couple never had children, but they did adopt and raise two of his nephews who had been orphaned. Sarah Adelaide Wheelock was born on March 29, 1829 in Mendon, MA to Andrew and Louise (Hill) Wheelock. Her passport application in 1892 gives the following description: 5’3”

Martha was born in around 1746 into a family with the surname of Clark. She married Dr. Peter Green in Hopkinton, MA on July 27, 1769. They had filed their intentions on May 28. Martha died during childbirth on June 8, 1770. Her husband remarried in 1773 and moved to Concord, NH. He named his eldest daughter Martha in his first wife's honor, and she lived to be 68. She rests with her stillborn babe at her side in Harvard Center Cemetery in Harvard, MA. Her gravestone was ca

Joseph was a farmer, stable master, and horse trader. His oldest son George worked with him. Joseph also owned shares in two merchant ships.

Jonathan was born in Waltham, MA to Jonathan and Mary (Harrington) Bond on April 22, 1736. His family moved to Westborough, MA around 1740. In 1759 he married Ruth Tyler, and the family moved to the Brookfield/Sturbridge area. The couple had seven children including twin girls Sarah and Ruth. Jonathan served as a Lieutenant during the Revolutionary War in one of the Worcester County regiments. After the War he was a town Selectman, and a Deacon in the Second Parish Church of

Edwin was born in Dedham, MA on March 24, 1833 to Ezra W. and Linda D. (Guild) Taft. He was the second of their six children. Edwin attended Leicester Academy and graduated in the early 1850s. He married Sarah Frances Southwick on June 6, 1863 in Groton, MA where they were both living. They had at least two children: a daughter Fanny born around 1868 and a son Frank born in 1869. By trade Edwin was a watch maker and jeweler. He worked for the American Watch Company for most o

Cuff Trot was born into slavery around 1746, probably in/around Dorchester, MA. He was brought to Burlington, MA in 1751 when his enslaver, Abigail Wiswell, married Rev. Thomas Jones and moved there. Cuff was a veteran of the American Revolution, and likely the Seven Years War as well. It is recorded that he helped John Hancock and Samuel Adams evade the King’s soldiers on April 19, 1775. He was freed in the early 1780s, but chose to stay with Mrs. Jones for the rest of his l

"Hoc monumentum inter multos gemitus, multasque lachrymas, instauratur, in memoria Johannis Flagg..."

Francis was born on December 16, 1891 to Charles and Betty Johnson in Waterbury, CT. He was the oldest son of their seven children. Before the War Francis was employed as a wire worker at Wright Wire Company in Worcester, MA. He lived on Greenwood Street in the Quinsigamond Village neighborhood of Worcester not far from his work. Francis was drafted during World War I as a Bugler with the 17th Field Artillery in the 2nd Division. In his draft paperwork he is described as bein

Henry was born on November 6, 1846 to Harvey N. And Harriet E. (Nye) Parsons. His birthplace is listed in both Bangor, ME and Woodstock, NB, Canada. He worked in a lumber mill in Boscawen, NH where he met and married Jennie P. Thurston on January 11, 1870. They had five children together. In the 1880s they moved to Hopedale, MA where Henry worked as a woodworker for the Draper Machine Company and later the Hopedale Machine Company. Jennie died in the early 1900s, and by 1910

Elias was born in Millbury, MA to Elias Whitney and Sylvia F. (Adams) Boyden on May 7, 1832. He was the fourth of their eleven children, which included two sets of twins. Elias senior was a blacksmith. In the early 1850s Elias junior moved to the Rockdale District of Northbridge, MA and worked as a machinist in one of the local mills. He married Fidelia Smith in 1854. In 1855 Elias senior died, and Sylvia moved in with her son and daughter-in-law. Elias and Fidelia had th