Benjamin Flagg was born in Worcester, MA on March 10, 1746 to Benjamin and Abigail (Chadwick) Flagg. Both the Flaggs and the Chadwicks (also spelled "Chaddick") were among the earliest families to settle in Worcester. Benjamin was the eldest of his parents' eleven children. Both Benjamin's father Benjamin and his grandfather Benjamin lived in Worcester. Benjamin's uncle Asa Flagg also had a son named Benjamin. This man was born in Worcester (of course!) in 1751 but moved t

Asa Ward was born in Worcester, MA on February 17, 1747/8 to Daniel Ward and Mary Stone. He was the eighth of their nine children. His father had been married previously, though only one of his two step siblings lived long enough to meet him. Daniel Ward came to Worcester around the time it was established as a town in 1722 and had a house and farm on the west side of Main Street close to the town common. He held many public offices including Town Selectman and keeper of

John Moore was born in Worcester, MA to Asa and Sarah (Heywood) Moore on May 3, 1746. His mother was one of the first white children born in Worcester, and her family was among the earliest white families to settle there. John was the second of his parents' eight children. He was one of three John Moores living in Worcester during the American Revolution and is difficult to figure out which man did which service in some cases. Adding to the fun are the many different spelli

Benjamin Newton was baptized in Worcester, MA on April 6, 1755. He had likely been born a week or so before to Phineas and Abigail (Drury)Newton. Benjamin had two older brothers, one older sister, three younger brothers (one of whom died as an infant), and 5 younger sisters. Having twelve children was not uncommon for the time. During the Revolutionary War he served as a Private in Captain Hodge’s Company while they were stationed in Rhode Island from May through July of 17

Benjamin was born on October 25, 1746 in Shrewsbury, MA to Phineas and Elizabeth (Moore) Heywood. He was the eighth of their eleven children. The births of his five oldest siblings were recorded in neighboring Worcester, MA, so the original family farm was likely there. From a young age he was trained as a carpenter and housewright and was fairly skilled, but was more interested in scholarship than pursuing a trade. Benjamin studied hard and entered Harvard in 1771, showin

Benjamin Chamberlin was born in Pepperell, MA on December 20, 1761. He was the youngest son and ninth of the ten children born to Phinehas and Lydia (Williams) Chamberlain. In 1771 Phinehas died in debt, and Lydia divested much of their property to pay off those debts. She died in 1773 and Benjamin and his other minor siblings likely went to live with family members until they came of age. Benjamin enlisted in the Continental Army from New Braintree in Worcester County, MA

"He was an Englishman by birth, came to this country about the year 1766 on board a British frigate, from which he deserted. In 1775 he joined the American Army, in which he faithfully served during the whole Revolutionary War."

John Adams was born in Milton, MA on July 23, 1761 to Andrew Adams and Ruth Wadsworth. I am a little suspicious of the service that was attributed to him by his family. John Adams is an extremely common name in Massachusetts, especially in and around the Boston area where he was from. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors gives the following service for John Adams of Milton: Corporal in Capt. Vose’s Company in Col. Heath’s Regiment in 1775, and in 1778 served at Castle Island

Azor Phelps was born in Sutton, MA to Henry and Sarah (Rounday) Phelps on October 13, 1761. He was the third of their five children. At the age of 18 Azor served as a Private in Captain Alton’s Company in Colonel John Rand’s Regiment. This Regiment was raised out of Worcester County to support the Continental Line in 1780. After the Revolutionary War Azor was a Captain in the local Sutton militia. He married Mary Tenny Holman in 1784, and they had seven children: Mary/Poll

David Bigelow was born on September 19, 1730 to Daniel and Elizabeth (Whitney) Bigelow. Like his brother, Colonel Timothy Bigelow, he was born on the family farm in Worcester, the land of which is now in Auburn. Working as a carpenter in his teenage years, he fell from the roof of a barn on which he was working and badly broke his leg. He had a good surgeon but remained crippled for the rest of his life. David married twice. He and his first wife, Sarah Eaton, were marri

Timothy Merrifield was born in Deadham, MA on January 4, 1739 to Thomas Merrifield and Mary Anderson. He was baptized two months later in nearby Natick, MA on March 18. Timothy was the second of their eight children, and their oldest son. In December of 1764 he published his intentions to marry Keziah Allen of Natick, but the marriage never happened. On May 22, 1766 Timothy married Lydia Cheney, and they had two children, both of whom died in their infancy. Lydia also die

Daniel Baird was born in Leicester, MA on November 13, 1742 to Thomas and Elizabeth (Walker) Baird. Baird also appears as "Beard", "Bard", and "Bierd" (spelling during the 18th century was very fluid). He married Jane Smith in 1768, and they had six children: Patty, Daniel, Thomas, Lewis, Betsey, and Polly. Their farm was in the southeast part of Worcester near what is now the Millbury line along the Grafton Road, and in addition to farming Daniel ran the Baird Tavern. Dan

Nathan Patch was born in Ipswich, MA to John Patch and Mercy Potter on April 8, 1735 and baptized on October 5, 1735. He was the seventh of their nine children. He filed intentions to marry Hannah Whipple on December 14, 1756 and they were married soon after. They had two sons: Henry born in 1757 and baptized in neighboring Danvers, and Joseph born around 1759. Hannah died giving birth to Joseph, but the boy survived. The following year Nathan married Eunice Adams of Worce

Photos of the William McFarland house taken by Harriette Merrifield Forbes William McFarland was baptized in Marblehead, MA on July 19, 1722, and was the oldest surviving of his parents' eight children. His parents, John and Margaret, were "Scots-Irish" (Presbyterians) and had come to the Worcester area to settle in the late 1720s. Their land was located in the northeast part of Worcester on what is now Salisbury Street in the area near Assumption College. In 1740 the old

Samuel Harrington was born around 1754 in Eastern Massachusetts to Joshua and Mary Harrington. He and his brother Noah moved to the Worcester area from eastern Massachusetts some time before the Revolutionary War. Samuel was a Private in Capt. Bigelow’s militia company and marched from Worcester on the Lexington Alarm on April 19, 1775. At some point during or very shortly after the war he moved to Dorchester, MA On November 19, 1782 he was joined in marriage to Silence Ro

Humphrey Bigelow was born in Shrewsbury, MA on September 4, 1761 to Samuel Bigelow Jr. and Phebe Rand. He was their fifth child and only son. He served in the Revolutionary War as a private under many different captains from 1776-1781. Humphrey was only fifteen years old during his first term in Captain Moses Harrington’s Company in Colonel Dike’s Regiment (and probably lied about his age) beginning in December of 1776. His last service was in Capt. Daniel Bowker's Compan

Samuel Bridge was born in Boston, MA on June 19, 1734 to Ebenezer Bridge and Mary Roberts. He married Mary Goodwin in Worcester, MA on March 1, 1757. They had seven children: Samuel, Mary (died young), Ebenezer, William, James, Benjamin, and Joseph. Active in the community, at various times he served as a hog reeve, juror, warden, constable, school committee, market clerk, surveyor of highways and collector of highway taxes, and fence viewer. Samuel was a landowner, and w

"Far from this world of Toil and Strife, They're present with the Lord, The Labours of their Mortal Life End in a large Reward."

John Tatman was born in Worcester on May 5, 1746 to Jabez Tatman and Sarah Goodkin. His grandfather, Daniel Goodkin, was the first Sherriff of Worcester, and one of its earliest settlers. The Tatmans first came to Worcester in the 1730s and were among the earliest white settlers on Packachoag Hill and the surrounding area. During the American Revolution John was a Private in Captain Timothy Bigelow’s Company. They marched on the Lexington Alarm on April 19, 1775 and helped

Jeffrey Hemenway's birth was recorded in Boston, MA on July 15, 1737, and as an infant was given to Ebenezer Hemenway, Jr. of Framingham to foster. The census and other vital records list Jeffrey as "mulatto", which is an antiquated term for someone who is of mixed heritage. Likely Jeph, as he was known, was of Native American, African, and European descent. Jeffrey's first military service was as a soldier towards the end of the French and Indian War under Captain John Nix