Captain Jonathan Willson

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"Memento mori

In Memory of Capt.

Jonathan Willson, who

was Killed in Concord-

Fight April 19th AD 1775.

In the 41st year of his Age."

Captain Willson was born in Groton, MA in March 1735/36 and was baptized on March 28, 1735/36. The only other record of his early life and family is an entry in the Bedford, MA probate records where he was placed under a guardianship in 1749. His parents may have died, or otherwise couldn't care for him. More research is needed.

He married Elisabeth Stearns, widow of John Bacon, on October 8, 1761 in Bedford. They had one child together, a son named Jonathan, in 1763. Captain Willson also helped raise his wife's surviving children from her first marriage. Also of note is that Elisabeth was 14 years older than Jonathan--quite unusual for the time period.

Captain Willson commanded a company of men from Bedford who marched on the Concord and Lexington Alarm of April 19th, 1775. He was killed in the afternoon near Meriam's Corner in Concord during a skirmish with the retreating British regulars on their way back to Boston.

After his death his body was brought back to Bedford and laid to rest in the Old Burying Ground. Captain Willson's gravestone was carved by John Park, and the estate paid him 2£ for it in April of 1776.

Three of his stepsons served in the American Revolution as well, and they likely marched with him on the Concord and Lexington Alarm. Two of them survived the war, but Abijah Bacon died less than two weeks after his stepfather.