18th Century Costumed Guide Biographies
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These are the Freedom Trail Players' historic characters, the regular citizens of Boston and Massachusetts who were at the front line of the revolt against Britain, played on their walking tours of the Freedom Trail. For special events–corporate and conventions–the Players also play the more famous men and women of the Revolution such as Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, Abigail Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, Charles Dickens, Jane Austin and many more men and women of the 17th and 18th centuries. Hannah Adams
Crispus Attucks
Nathaniel Balch
As his dear friend John Hancock lay dying, he called Nathaniel to his side and dictated the minutes of his will in which he specifically directed that his grand stone mansion, standing alongside the newly built Massachusetts State House, should be left to the commonwealth as a governor's mansion. Why he should summon a hatter rather than a lawyer to compose his will is curious. John Hancock died intestate. His family struggled to hold on to the mansion, losing it in the early 1800's.That great house in which so much mirth and history had been shared over a bounteous table was finally torn down; and to this day, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts provides no official residence for its governors. Fanny Campbell
Mary Clapham
Susannah Farnham Clarke
Richard Dale
He was an officer on Lexington until she was taken by the British. Imprisoned in England, Dale twice escaped, and made his way to France. His next position was as a Lieutenant on board the Continental warship Bonhomme, commanded by John Paul Jones. He performed valiantly during her desperate fight with HMS Serapis on 23 September 1779. For the remainder of the war, Dale served in the frigates Alliance and Trumbull, and was Commanding Officer of the privateer Queen of France. Mehitable Dawes
William Dawes
Like Revere, Dawes was asked by patriot leader Dr. Joseph Warren to escape Boston with word of the British Advance on Lexington. Unlike Revere, Dawes chose an overland route, managing by unknown means to pass through the checkpoint on Boston neck. From there he proceeded to Lexington after alerting the Roxbury militia. Despite the fact that he had begun his ride hours before Paul, he found upon arrival that Revere had beaten him there by half an hour thanks to the advantage of a shorter route facilitated by a boat ride across the Charles' River. From there, Dawes and Revere made for Concord. Along the way, Revere was captured by British soldiers and William Dawes fell off of his horse and out of the history books. William Dawes was a leather tanner, and after the Revolution, a successful grocer. He fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill and became a major in the Continental Army, serving as an army commissary. Dawes had a reputation as a stout fellow who didn't take any guff- he once pushed a British Redcoat who made an inappropriate remark towards his beloved wife Mehitable. Nathaniel Ellis
Nathaniel was part of the Militia in 1779 that protected the port of Falmouth from British raids as they were hitting various ports along the coast for provisions. The Battle of Falmouth, as it came to be called, was where Nathaniel Ellis made his mark. There, he and about fifty other men repulsed a 200-man invasion of British soldiers attempting to take the city by force from tall ships. The colonists won that day, but alas, Falmouth was later burned by the British but not when Nathaniel was present. Captain Michael Finch
Captain Michael Finch was an officer and adjutant with the First Foot Guards.The detachment consisted of 15 privates from each of the 64 companies of Foot Guards and the appropriate addition of officers. The Guards wore the standard red coat with royal blue facing, collar and cuff colors.Captain Finch would have come from a family of substantial means, often aristocratic in origin. His uniform was elaborate, and, therefore, expensive and had to be paid for by the officer himself. The average British officer transported three coats and no less than 20 shirts. British social class consciousness demanded that he always maintain strict dress code, even during war. Jean Gordon
Dorothy Quincy Hancock
Shortly after this, at the advanced age of 28 (a decided 'old maid' by contemporary standards!) she married John Hancock. They had two children, a daughter Lydia, who died at the age of eight months from a childhood illness; and a son John George Washington Hancock. This young boy was nine years old when he had a tragic accident while ice skating on Frog Pond, on Boston Common, and died. The couple was survived by no children. Dorothy outlived John by some 40 years, eventually marrying Capt. James Scott, whom she also outlived. Moses Michael Hays
Barzillai Lew
With wages from his military service, Barzillai and Dinah purchased a large tract of farmland on the far side of the Merrimack River.They built a house near Varnum Avenue and Totman Road. As active members of the community, he and his wife served as musicians at the Pawtucket Society Church on Mammoth Road, which in 1832 organized the first anti-slavery meeting in Lowell.
Mackintosh earned the phantom title of "Captain General
of the Liberty Tree," derived from the magnificent elm
which served as the outdoor rallying point of the Sons of
Liberty, He was a founding member of the revolutionary organization,
but was ultimately pushed out and replaced by Thomas Wharton
Jr., who would later become Governor of Pennsylvania.
While Doctor Prescott was gone, Red Coat reinforcements arrived from Boston and proceeded to burn down the home and shop of Lydia Mulliken and her family. She survived. But that night sealed Lydia's claim to fame.
Dr. Samuel Prescott
On the night of April 18th, 1775, Dr. Prescott was visiting with his fiancé, Miss Lydia Mulliken at her house in Lexington, MA. Departing late in the evening, he began his ride home to Concord, at which time he bumped into Paul Revere and William Dawes on their way out to Concord from the Hancock-Clarke house. He accompanied them and escaped British troops who attempted to arrest the trio. Dr. Prescott was the only rider that night to successfully reach Concord. After joining the Continental Army as a medic, Dr. Prescott accompanied Henry Knox to Ft. Ticonderoga and helped to liberate Boston from the British siege. He then volunteered aboard a privateering ship and was captured by British troops. He was sent to a POW prison in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he died in his cell of cold and starvation in 1777.
She was accused of being a traitor and a spy. Officers on both sides of the conflict defended her honor. She died in 1785 at age 58. Elizabeth Murray is buried in Kings Chapel Burial Ground and her grave is no longer marked.
Rachel Revere
Susanna Rowson
Susanna returned to America in 1793 to join an acting company based out of Philadelphia and acheived considerable success and fame. She also continued to write and publish her works. Her "Charlotte Temple" became America's first best selling novel, and her play "Slaves of Algiers" was shockingly feminist for its time and met with controversy which only increased her renown. In 1796 she moved back to Boston to join the Federal Street Theatre, before retiring from the stage forever a year later. She opened a girl's school in Boston and dedicated the rest of her life to the education of young women. She never had any children of her own, but provided for a large family including her husband's illegitimate son, two adopted daughters, and the widow and daughters of her half-brother. She finally retired in 1822, and died in 1824.
Serving for a little over one year, Deborah was stationed in upstate New York, where her regiment maintained control over uproarious Loyalists who refused to support the Revolution. She engaged in hand-to-hand combat and suffered a musket ball wound to her upper thigh. Rather than expose her true identity, Deborah dug the musket ball out of her leg with her knife and wasn't discovered until she later fainted from a fever. The punishment for a woman impersonating a man was severe, but Deborah had deceived her entire regiment and the Continental Army. On October 23, 1783, General George Washington hand delivered a notice of honorable discharge to Deborah, making her not only the first woman to serve in the American Military, but the first to be honorably discharged. After her military service ended, Deborah continued to work diligently, touring the country, speaking about her military experiences. "The American Heroine," as Deborah was coined, was the first professional female lecturer. Deborah Samson married Benjamin Gannet in 1785 and together they had three children. Her life spanned nearly seven decades and she passed away in Sharon, MA on April 29, 1827 in a home built by her son, which still stands today. On May 23, 1983, Governor Michael J. Dukakis named Deborah Samson "The Official Heroine of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."
Mercy Otis Warren
Young Mercy insisted on being educated alongside her brothers, and read Shakespeare, Pope and Milton. When her older brother James attended Harvard College, he would bring home new ideas and books to share with Mercy. Still, Mercy was a proper young woman, marrying James Warren, and bearing five sons. She occasionally wrote poetry about personal losses and the beauty of nature, but inspired by her outspoken brother James, and her close friendship with John and Abigail Adams, Mercy began to turn her pen to more political topics. In 1772 she wrote her first play "The Adulateur" a satire featuring a Governor Hutchinson-like villain and became the first female American playwright. The play was so popular that names from the play were used as pseudonyms for their real life counterparts. Other plays soon followed. Because of strict Puritan laws against theatrical performance, Mercy's plays were not performed, but were published anonymously in local newspapers and pamphlets. She also published patriotic themed poems, including one commissioned by John Adams to celebrate the triumph of the Boston tea party. The masterwork of her writing was a three volume history of the Revolution titled History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution. Mercy died in 1814 at the age of 86. Richard Waite
Phillis Wheatley
Wheatley achieved international renown, traveling to London to promote her book and being called upon as well as received by noted social and political figures of the day — including George Washington, to whom she wrote a poem of praise at the beginning of the war, and Voltaire, who referred to her "very good English verse." Wheatley was a supporter of the American Revolution, but the war hurt the publication of her poetry. Wheatley lived in poverty after her 1778 marriage to John Peters, a free black Bostonian. Although Wheatley advertised for subscriptions to a second volume of poems and letters, she died before she was able to secure a publisher. Her final manuscript was never found. Wheatley died alone on December 5, 1784, at age 31. George Wright
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Hannah Adams, born October 2, 1755, was the first professional woman writer in America.
Born in Medfield, Massachusetts, and having learned Greek and Latin from Harvard boarders
at her family's home, she published her first book in 1784, An Alphabetical Compendium of
the Various Sects Which Have Appeared from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Present
Day. After lobbying the federal government in 1790 to pass the first copyright law, Adams
wrote several other books which earned her the respect and assistance of prominent Boston
intellectuals who then gave her access to their libraries. A distant cousin of John Adams,
Hannah died in 1831 and is interred in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Crispus Attucks was a dock worker born around 1723. He is listed in the Massacre court
record as mulatto, which in 18th century Boston meant he was not "pure" white.
With the last name of Attucks, he was probably Natick Indian, as that is a Natick name.
In addition, he was possibly the same person listed as a runaway slave by a local slave
owner. This fact suggests possible African heritage, though Indians were also slaves in
17th-18th century Boston. Attucks was involved in protests against the British Regulars,
and that he was shot in the chest, at close range and killed in the Boston Massacre, by
a soldier of the King's 29th foot regiment. Regardless of these particulars it is known,
from his actions leading up to his death, that he did perceive himself to be a part of
the locals, calling himself a "Nor'endeh."
Nathaniel Balch was a hatter in the old town, and a finer hat could not be found anywhere
on Freedom Trail. He was a very close friend of a John Hancock, who gained great renown
for his leadership in our country's founding. John Hancock was a witty fellow and would
frequently invite Nathaniel to his many splendid dinner parties. Nathaniel's witticisms
never failed to "set the table in a roar." During Hancock's administration as
the first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Nathaniel was a constant
companion who sometimes jibed him as "King Hancock."
Fanny Campbell was born in Lynn, Massachusetts. She was a tomboy with an appetite for
adventure. Her fiancee, William Lovell, taught Fanny all he knew about sailing. Just before
the start of the Revolution, Fanny received a letter from William, whom she had not heard
from for a year. In the letter William explained that he had been in a Cuban prison for the
past six months. Fanny, upon hearing the news, decided that she was going to rescue her
fiancee. She joined the crew of a British merchant ship disguised as a man. While aboard,
she convinced the crew that their captain was going to impress them all into the Royal Navy.
They decided they would rather overthrow the captain and become a pirate ship than risk
being impressed into the Navy! Fanny led the crew to Cuba and saved William and ten other
Americans held prisoner in Havana. She returned home to Lynn, married William and raised a
family while William continued to fight as a privateer during the war.
Mrs. Mary Clapham lived and rented rooms in a house next to the Exchange Tavern
on King Street, close by the State House, Customs House and right in the thick
of things on the night of March 5, 1770—the night of the "horrid massacre"
when five Bostonians were killed and six wounded by British soldiers. On the
anniversary of that terrible event each year, she placed illustrations of the
events in the illuminated windows of her home, along with stirring and patriotic
verses, for the enjoyment of her fellow Bostonians—anywhere from 10,000
to 12,000 people might pass by to admire them. Her fame came to an end in March
of 1776, however, for there was no one but Tories left in Boston in March of
that year—her only boarders English soldiers, and to add insult to injury,
her daughter ended up running off to marry one of them!
Susannah Farnham Clarke was born on May 20th, 1745 in Boston. She was the daughter
of Richard Clarke, a wealthy loyalist tea merchant in Boston. Much of Mr. Clarke's
tea was destroyed during the Boston Tea Party in 1773. Susannah married painter
John Singleton Copley on Nov 16th, 1769. They bought a house on Beacon Hill.
Although she tried to stay neutral during the mounting resentment toward the British,
in 1773 things turned violent toward her side of the family. Seeing that they could
no longer live safely in Boston, Susannah and her children left Boston for London to
meet with John. Much of their property was given up to the rebels and they would never
see American soil again. Susannah died in 1836.
Richard Dale was born in Virginia, and went to sea at the age of twelve and had
captained ships before he turned 20. During the revolution he joined the Virginia
navy. He briefly joined the loyalist forces but was captured by the Continental
Brig Lexington. That vessel's captain convinced Dale to return to the American
cause.
Mehitable was born in Boston in 1751
to the well-respected May family. On May 3, 1768, at the age of 17, she married
a man who narrowly missed being a "notable historical figure"—William Dawes,
one of the riders chosen to send a message of warning on the night of April 18, 1775.
The famous ride to Lexington and Concord is usually attributed to Paul Revere,
on account of the popular poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. William's role,
though often overlooked, was just as daring as Revere's. Despite the risk, Mehitable
proudly supported her husband. William's love for Mehitable was so ardent that he
is said to have pushed a British soldier to defend her honor against the "Lobsterback's"
rude remarks. The two were finally separated on October 28, 1793, when Mehitable
died at the age of 42. Though he remarried, William named the firstborn daughter
of his new wife Mehitable. Once he passed away in 1799, William was buried alongside
his darling Mehitable, in the May family plot.
William Dawes, or "Billy Dawes" as he was sometimes called, is also often
referred to as 'the Other Midnight Rider' due to his participation in the same events
of April 18, 1775 that made Paul Revere a house hold name.
Nathaniel Ellis was born in Harwich, MA in 1734 to Joshua Ellis and Thanksful (Nickerson)
Ellis. His Great-Great-Grandfather, Lt. John Ellis, immigrated to Salem as a part of the
"Great Migration" of English Separatists (or Puritans) who settled New England.
Capt. Michael Finch served on the First Regiment of Foot Guards that came to the American
colonies to assist the regular army in its struggle with the colonial rebels seeking
independence. The Guards were the sovereign's personal bodyguard and because the
revolution was supported by a greater portion of the population, their services were
required. Orders were issued from Guards Headquarters in London to form a detachment
for service in the American theater taken from the three regiments of Foot Guards;
the First Foot Guards, Coldstream or second Guards; and the Third or Scots Guards.
Jean Gordon was a widowed ex-slave who bought her freedom while working as a tavern
wench at the Salutation Tavern. The Salutation Tavern is run by another widow (they
find themselves to be sisters in spirit, quiet as it's kept). Gordon learned how to
read and write by asking children to share their lessons of the day with her. With that
knowledge she writes little notes to Paul Revere, a North End neighbor, to let him know
of haphazard mutterings and movements of British habitués of the tavern.
Dorothy Quincy, born in 1747, was the youngest of 10 children. By all accounts she was
well-educated, well-spoken, and good company - capable of keeping up with the men's
political disputes. Dorothy, having been invited to join the Hancocks at a family
property in Lexington, become a witness to the events of the Battle at Lexington in 1775.
Moses Michael Hays was one of the most prominent Jewish citizens in 18th-century Boston.
Born in New York City in 1739 to Dutch immigrants Judah and Rebecca Michaels Hays, he
inherited his father's shipping business and brought it to Boston from Rhode Island ahead
of the British occupation of Newport in 1776, accompanied by his wife, Rachel Myers.
Before leaving he was asked by 76 Rhode Islanders to sign a declaration of loyalty to the
American colonies that included the phrase, "upon the true faith of a Christian." Hays
publicly objected to the phrase and refused to sign, instead offering a letter affirming
his belief that the Revolution was a just cause. Only after it was agreed to omit the
Christian portion of the oath did Hays affix his name. With no synagogue in Boston, Hays
conducted services in his home. He lived on Hanover Street in the North End near his very
good friend, Paul Revere. He was among the first in Boston to underwrite shipbuilding, trade
and insurance to the newly opened Far Eastern markets. In 1785, he became a founder and
the first depositor of the Massachusetts Bank, still doing business today as TD Bank
Corporation. As part of the Jewish commandment to dispense charity, Hays provided financial
support to beautify Boston Common, establish theaters, and endow Harvard College. Hays died
in 1805 and was remembered in the secular press as "a most valuable citizen...now secure in
the bosom of his Father and our Father, of his God and our God." He was buried in the
Colonial Jewish Burial Ground in Newport, RI.
Born in 1743 to Primus and Margaret Lew in Groton,
Barzillai, an African American, was described as "big
and strong with an extraordinary talent as a musician."
He was a member of the English forces in the 1760 war
against the French and Indians serving with Capt. Thomas
Farrington's Company. About 1767, he purchased Dinah
Bowman's freedom for $400 and married her. Early in
the American Revolution, his skills and talents were
called upon again and he served with Captain John Ford
at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775 as a fifer.
Dr. Samuel Prescott was born in Concord, MA on August 19th, 1751. He and his brother, along
with their father and his father before him, were all doctors. His private practice in
Concord was opened shortly before the Revolution. Sometime during his apprenticeship, he
joined the Sons of Liberty, and delivered messages for the Committee of Correspondence for
Concord, often riding to and from John Hancock's and Samuel Adams' houses.
Rachel Revere was the second wife of Paul Revere. They were married in 1773; she was
27 and he was 37. By the time of his famous ride, they had a newborn daughter together.
She went on to bear eight children. Rachel Revere was known for her sunny disposition
and devotion to her children, including the eight children Paul had by his first wife,
Sara Orn. Rachel lived until 1810 and is buried with Paul at the Granary Burial Ground.
It was widely known that Rachel and Paul were close and had a happy marriage.
Susanna Rowson is America's first bestselling novelist and one of America's first
celebrities. Born in England in 1762, Susanna spent her formative years in Boston,
and was 13 when the Revolutionary War began. Her father was a loyalist, and though
he and the family tried to remain neutral during the events of the Boston Massacre
and the Boston Tea Party, after the war began he was unable to hide his loyalty to
the King. He requested permission to leave the country, but it was too late.
Susanna’s father was made a prisoner of war, and he and the entire family were
placed under house arrest. The family lost all of its posessions and property,
and when they were finally able to return to England two and a half years later,
they were left with nothing. Susanna had to go to work to support her family,
first as a governess, and then as an actress and author.
Mercy Otis Warren was born September 14th, 1728, in West Barnstable, the third child and
first daughter of Mary and James Otis Sr. Mercy set herself apart by being a voracious
reader, always hungry for new knowledge and books.
Richard Waite was born in England in the 1590s and was a Boston tailor and a
member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. He received 300 acres
of land for his service as a sergeant in the Pequot War, 1636-1637. He was a
follower of Anne Hutchinson and after stealing some buckskin leather to make
some gloves he was cast out of the First Church in 1639. The next child born
into his family was named "Return" indicating Richard repented and
compensated for his action and was restored into fellowship. In total he was
excommunicated three times, once for the theft and twice for drunkenness; all
three times he was eventually readmitted into the church. Waite became sheriff
of the colony and served as liaison between the Algonquin tribes and the Puritan
government, acquiring some proficiency in the native dialect. He passed away
in 1680.
Phillis Wheatley was the first African American, and the third woman in the
United States to publish a book of poems. Born in 1753 she was kidnapped in
West Africa and transported aboard the slave ship Phillis to Boston in 1761,
where she was purchased by John Wheatley as a servant for his wife.
Young Phillis quickly learned to speak English and to read the Bible with
amazing fluency. Because of her poor health, obvious intelligence, and S
usannah Wheatley's fondness for her, Phillis was never trained as a domestic;
instead she was encouraged by the Wheatleys to study theology and the English,
Latin and Greek classics. She published her first poem in 1767, and six
years later, she published a book, Poems on Various Subjects. That same year,
John Wheatley emancipated her.
George Wright was born November 18th, 1745, in Boston. He followed in his
father's footsteps of becoming a cabinetmaker yet was rumored to have secretly
been involved in theatre. Wright lived his adult life on 5th street
in Boston. George was present at the Boston Massacre on March 5th, 1770.
He also attended the trials as a spectator. A frustrated artist,
Wright lived alone and never married. He died Oct 10th, 1790.