Col. Seth Bannister

Colonel Banister was born in Brookfield, MA on December 7, 1739 to Seth and Francis (Hinds) Banister. He was the third of their nine children.

On January 8, 1773 he married Marcy Warriner of nearby Brimfield. They had three children: William in 1773, Liberty in 1775, and Seth in 1778. All three lived to marry and have children of their own.

Colonel Banister served as a Captain for the town of Brookfield during the Revolutionary War in the 4th Massachusetts. He also marched on the Alarm of April 19, 1775 and served as adjutant staff under Colonel Ebenezer Learned.

He joined the Fayetteville Masonic Lodge of Charlton, MA in 1799–this Lodge often met at the home of Salem Towne, whose house is open to visitors at Old Sturbridge Village. In 1809 he became a Senior Warden of the Meridian Sun Lodge in Brookfield, where his son Liberty had served as treasurer.

Colonel Banister passed away in Brookfield on November 7, 1819, and was laid to rest in Brookfield Cemtery.