tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.comments2024-03-14T13:25:20.613-05:00Boston 1775Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8888125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-51163250394769174392024-03-13T23:46:43.843-05:002024-03-13T23:46:43.843-05:00Because that myth is so widespread, and repeated i...Because that myth is so widespread, and repeated in some apparently authoritative places, it’s hard to blame people for believing it. <br /><br />John McCurdy’s book <i>Quarters</i> does a good job of explaining the historical reality. He says the Quartering Act was more like another tax, in kind instead of in money. Another modern lens for understanding the law is as an unfunded mandate forcing communities to pay for something they might or might not want.<br /><br />The modern misunderstanding of the Quartering Act fits a pattern of how we’ve come to understand “liberty” in individual terms more than as the freedom of the community. For example, we think of a trial by jury as a defendant’s right, but the Revolutionary generation also saw the power of a local jury to decide cases (including going against judicial instructions) as a community right. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-72852194732715108592024-03-13T15:49:47.701-05:002024-03-13T15:49:47.701-05:00It is a HUGE myth in America that the British forc...It is a HUGE myth in America that the British forced private homeowners to feed, clothe and house British soldiers. It's a myth that dies hard, even when you show people the illogic of that idea.steenkinbadgershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11786861131385768726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-21427490625468081802024-03-10T13:59:56.806-05:002024-03-10T13:59:56.806-05:00Wonderful addition to the Blackburn oeuvre, and a ...Wonderful addition to the Blackburn oeuvre, and a very appropriate gesture by Mrs. Herdeg.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-18990282854078524292024-03-07T21:24:12.934-05:002024-03-07T21:24:12.934-05:00The Irish Society, later the Charitable Irish Soci...The Irish Society, later the Charitable Irish Society, was founded in Boston on St. Patrick’s Day in 1737. That was a club and mutual-aid organization made up of men born in Ireland, all Protestant. <br /><br />The group continued to have an annual meeting, but (contrary to what its website now says) that dinner didn’t fall on 17 March again until 1794. By the 1800s that was the designated date, unless it fell on a Sunday. By that time the bar against Catholics was dropped. <br /><br />Thus, one can say that some Bostonians celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in 1737, but not that Boston as a community did. So far as I can tell, there was no procession or any other public display, and certainly no governmental involvement. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-64351674358350029202024-03-07T06:37:37.764-05:002024-03-07T06:37:37.764-05:00In my feed, a claim that Boston's St. Patrick ...In my feed, a claim that Boston's St. Patrick Day celebration dates to 1737 caught my attention. It seems most unlikely to me that Boston was celebrating St. Patrick's Day so early, at least publicly. There is always the possibility of a few Irishmen gathering at a tavern or the home of one of their number to celebrate. And we know that the army (at least the officers) did observe St. Patrick's Day. <br />What does your research say about Boston celebrating St. Patrick's Day as early as 1737?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-76895460842755970932024-03-04T19:15:19.702-05:002024-03-04T19:15:19.702-05:00No one has written a book on Molineux. In fact, he...No one has written a book on Molineux. In fact, he didn’t even rate an entry in the Dictionary of American Biography. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-52830383174096429862024-03-04T10:36:15.450-05:002024-03-04T10:36:15.450-05:00John, sounds very interesting. Please do record.John, sounds very interesting. Please do record.Bill Welschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15863420251691187222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-91273283883146680392024-03-04T10:05:35.139-05:002024-03-04T10:05:35.139-05:00Perhaps you should write a book on Molineux himsel...Perhaps you should write a book on Molineux himself. I can't think of anyone who has.steenkinbadgershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11786861131385768726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-73757921264521106082024-02-26T16:55:05.133-05:002024-02-26T16:55:05.133-05:00Some baffling errors about the Boston Massacre and...Some baffling errors about the Boston Massacre and its aftermath in the third episode of the <i>Tenfold More Wicked: Entitled</i> series, unfortunately. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-79338125185071655672024-02-17T16:42:09.678-05:002024-02-17T16:42:09.678-05:00There’s so much missing or foggy information that ...There’s so much missing or foggy information that many scenarios could be possible, but here‘s what I think is most likely.<br /><br />Sylvanus Lowell’s second wife, named Elizabeth, gave birth to Harrison and then died shortly afterward in 1791 when he was still an infant. The captain quickly remarried and moved the whole family to Maine. <br /><br />The captain’s third wife, also named Elizabeth, raised Harrison and his other children, as well as her own. Harrison thus grew up not knowing his biological mother and loving his stepmother. Like some of his siblings, he remembered his stepmother in how he named his own children.<br /><br />Harrison Lowell went into politics in Maine. He may have presented himself as a Maine native; he had no memories of his first months in Massachusetts, after all. Given the family history, that meant he had to have been born <i>after</i> the family move, so he calculated his age and birth year based on that. <br /><br />One possible additional clue would be where the name “Harrison” came from. Does it appear in the ancestry of either Elizabeth Lowell, and if so which one? J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-735672925975895282024-02-16T15:39:19.573-05:002024-02-16T15:39:19.573-05:00Any chance that Col. Harrison Lowell was an offspr...Any chance that Col. Harrison Lowell was an offspring from Sylvanus' third marriage, to the second Elizabeth? That would mean that the 1791 birth year on his gravestone was in error, but the 1799 baptism date could still be correct if it had been delayed.<br /><br />A July 1792 birth, for example, would conveniently come about 9 months from when Sylvanus married the second Elizabeth. If, as you say, she was about 36 when she married Sylvanus in October 1791, then she would have been about 37 the following July; so it's within the realm of possibility.<br /><br />On the other hand, Elizabeth's gravestone, on FindAGrave, says she was age 90 when she died in September 1839; that would make her about 43 in July 1792, so it seems less likely.<br /><br />Nevertheless, FindAGrave says that Harrison's first daughter, born 1823, was named Elizabeth McCard Lowell, and McCard appears to have been the maiden name of Sylvanus' third wife, the second Elizabeth. Harrison also had a son, William, born 1836, who was given the middle name McCard.<br /><br />Sylvanus, the second Elizabeth, Harrison, and William are all buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Biddeford, Maine, as are several other Lowells from later generations, presumably children and grandchildren of Harrison.<br />Charles Bahnenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-56887927091365655722024-02-10T22:25:42.865-05:002024-02-10T22:25:42.865-05:00Grubb doesn’t in the least dispute that there was ...Grubb doesn’t in the least dispute that there was wartime inflation. He argues that the <i>cause</i> of that inflation was different from how it’s typically portrayed. <br /><br />Grubb also seems to say that the Continental notes weren’t meant to circulate at face value, like our paper money, but to trade at a lower value that would grow as the redemption date neared. But when that redemption became too outlandish for people to believe in, even that reduced value collapsed. <br /><br />At least some of the Continental Congress’s fiscal resolutions were published in the newspapers. I don’t know if they all were. That was similar to how the pre-war colonies operated with their notes. J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-19787287311139004252024-02-09T17:54:25.777-05:002024-02-09T17:54:25.777-05:00To say that Grubb's "corrective" is ...To say that Grubb's "corrective" is intriguing is far too generous to Grubb. The Continental currency stated right on it that it "entitled the bearer to receive XX Spanish milled dollars or the value thereof in gold or silver, according to the resolution of Congress passed XX" No person accepting these pieces of paper was in a position to get a copy of the specific resolution of the Congress, and in most instances, each successive resolution merely referred to some prior resolution. People accepted these pieces of paper in exchange for goods and services, and were told they could hand them along to others in exchange for their goods or services. They supposedly could be used to pay taxes. Grubb's "corrective" notwithstanding, that's called "money." <br /><br />I'm familiar with the wreckage from all this in the town budget of Lincoln, Massachusetts. In 1775, the town's annual budget was £143. In 1778, it was £196. In 1779, it was £4,200, and in 1780, it was £23,219. No doubt the same occurred widely in other towns. When the war came to a close and Massachusetts reformed its currency, the town treasurer's books starting showing something that had vanished for years -- accounts settled with farthings.Don Hafnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00730644193136024857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-62202514570850226512024-02-09T15:32:24.167-05:002024-02-09T15:32:24.167-05:00Farley Grubb has been working on the issues [!] of...Farley Grubb has been working on the issues [!] of the Continental dollar for years, and two of his older draft papers are available online:<br /><br />“The Continental Dollar: What Happened to It After 1779?”<br />https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w13770/w13770.pdf<br /><br />“The Continental Dollar: Initial Design, Ideal Performance, and the Credibility of Congressional Commitement”<br />https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w17276/w17276.pdf<br /><br />The latter states that there may have been concerns about British counterfeiting in late 1777 and early 1778, but the Congress responded by swapping all bills from two emissions with later emissions. His implication is that the effect of that threat was limited, and not on the same level as the redemption concerns discussed in the book. <br /><br />The book does discuss the state issuing their own notes, but I don’t know how their problems relate to loss of faith in the value of the Continentals.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-16760866735841174092024-02-09T07:57:29.301-05:002024-02-09T07:57:29.301-05:00I too was intrigued by the JAR review. It's to...I too was intrigued by the JAR review. It's tough that the book is so expensive as I will have to try to borrow it from a library. I am interested to see if he mentions the problem of states issuing their own money (as they had before the war). I know Connecticut bills became worthless.Seldennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-60142571834307374602024-02-09T04:31:59.667-05:002024-02-09T04:31:59.667-05:00Did the book touch on British attempts at sabotagi...Did the book touch on British attempts at sabotaging the system with counterfeiting? I was under the impression that was at least a small part of the problem as well.Benedict Gomezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12454691279599394875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-80499591999683001892024-02-06T23:54:26.042-05:002024-02-06T23:54:26.042-05:00I live in the shadow of Bunker Hill all my 70 year...I live in the shadow of Bunker Hill all my 70 years and have always been proud of my Towns great History. OLD IRONSIDES also around the corner.. I just finished reading Christian Di Spignas "Founding Martyr" about Dr.Warren. Fabulous read about a true American Hero. I have seen frontal views of Warrens skull and see he was shot below his left eye which excited the rear. The Google search I saw determined that it was close range from a pistol. Dr. Warren was covering for the soldiers retreat from Breeds Hill and was not hiding or shot while retreating. His colorful garb worn with white britches and waistcoat made him a marked man as the British knew him well as the fervent, incendiary Patriot that he was. There are not to many American Heroes one could place above this man.His actions, writings and involvement in every battle or skirmish up until his death reveal his courage, calmness and orations as well as his belief that Liberty and Freedom are more important than life itself..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-67460017899628812192024-02-04T10:51:31.489-05:002024-02-04T10:51:31.489-05:00If she was actually the thirteen-year-old Sally Ed...If she was actually the thirteen-year-old Sally Edwards (who would go on to marry Paul Revere's son 7 years later) then the sexual encounter that resulted in her pregnancy may very well have been by a man much older than she. This would have been rape (for in Colonial Boston she would be considered a minor until the age of 14.<br />In all the salacious insinuations of Sally Edwards being impregnated by Warren, no one comments that, if in fact it was true, the child was raped by him! (Which is contrary to all known about his moral character and professional standing in the community and well beyond, and not to mention his knowledge of obstetrics and the extreme danger for a pregnant 13 year-old! )<br />Let's take time to consider this 13-year-old Sally Edwards. Her mother died in 1771. Her father in 1773. She had an older brother and 3 younger siblings. Her father had remarried and now his 5 children were the responsibility of their stepmother. This is not a good situation for any 13 year-old! One can only imagine her vulnerability.<br />Boston was occupied by British soldiers. Sailors came in and out of the port town. Might Sally have been raped by one of them? Or, could she have sought comfort in the arms of another Boston teen?<br />Regardless -- she was only 13 years-old and a VERY high risk pregnancy even with today's medical care.<br />She delivers her baby. She's forced to stay with Ames until the British evacuate Boston. Could the account of her misbehavior by Ames have been brought on by PTSD (after a potential rape)? Or even post-partum depression? Or both? In 18th century Boston neither mental health issue would have been considered. In 18th century Boston most would have blamed this female's plight blamed on her -- little comfort would have been offered.<br />Isn't it time to stop the unfounded and fantasized speculation of Warren being a pedophile rapist and consider the plight of this child whom more likely Warren was trying to help.Janet Uhlarhttp://www.janetuhlar.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-15785006869997720002024-01-28T17:19:08.153-05:002024-01-28T17:19:08.153-05:00Yes, and if Kinnison was seventeen years old in 17...Yes, and if Kinnison was seventeen years old in 1781, then he was only nine years old at the time of the Tea Party. And in his eighties when he died in 1852.<br /><br />As the blog posting says, there is evidence Kinnison served at Fort Dearborn. There isn’t evidence he was there at the time of its fall in the War of 1812.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-19006571134156546152024-01-28T15:37:22.172-05:002024-01-28T15:37:22.172-05:00He did serve briefly in American Revolution Mass A...He did serve briefly in American Revolution Mass Archives Vol 9 p.124<br />He did serve briefly in the American Revolution-the American Rev. Mass Soldiers and Sailors series reports that the surname Kennison has several varations including Kennirson[1] .Only David with this surname: "Kennirson. David. Return recruits sent by Massachusetts as portion of her quota of the Continental Army subsequent to Jan. 1, 1781, who were reported unfit for duty; 2d Mass Regt., age 17 years.; statute 4 ft. 9 in..; engaged for town of Lebanon; term 3 years; reported under size." [2] nterestingly Allan Eckert In his winning of America series claims Kinnison was a survivor of the Fort Dearborn [ Chicago] Massacre of 1813 and was taken prisoner by Indians...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-34767091458573049952024-01-26T15:10:46.111-05:002024-01-26T15:10:46.111-05:00Interesting photo. It shows exactly what NOT to do...Interesting photo. It shows exactly what NOT to do with a rammer or sponge: grab it, using your thumbs. If there are any unburnt powder grains and embers in the bore, it will propel the inserted stick out and take your hands with it. Launch it in, but don't use your thumbs. If there is a detonation, you have a better chance of saving your hands in that fraction of a second, if no thumbs are wrapped around the shaft.steenkinbadgershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11786861131385768726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-55627445584006130102024-01-20T05:44:34.241-05:002024-01-20T05:44:34.241-05:00Thank you for the explanation of how this sort of ...Thank you for the explanation of how this sort of fearsome accident could happen. A young man in Fairfield, CT suffered almost the exact same injuries early in the war while firing a cannon at the town battery. Seldennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-5763254384219314622024-01-18T21:36:39.327-05:002024-01-18T21:36:39.327-05:00“Agency” is one of the relatively few bits of jarg...“Agency” is one of the relatively few bits of jargon in history writing, and I don’t think today’s historians use it in the same way as this newspaper editor in 1826. <br /><br />Back in the early 1800s, these older Bostonians reportedly never denied that they had acted to destroy the tea—i.e., they were the agents of its destruction. <br /><br />Today if a historian says those men had “agency,” that conveys an argument that in destroying the tea they were making their own decision to alter their historical conditions rather than be moved along by larger historical forces.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-85729186486303263182024-01-18T21:20:39.282-05:002024-01-18T21:20:39.282-05:00Yes, in the fifteen years since this original post...Yes, in the fifteen years since this original posting, I saw that Abigail Adams’s source was probably Benjamin Hichborn, just out of British captivity and eager to apologize for having lost her husband’s letters to the enemy. <br /><br />Another lesson drawn from studying the people of this period has been <i>not to trust Benjamin Hichborn.</i>J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-32115118413472382972024-01-18T14:01:35.482-05:002024-01-18T14:01:35.482-05:00This seems to confirm my research on my 4th great-...This seems to confirm my research on my 4th great-grandfather Caleb Haskell who marched out of Newburyport as fifer with Captain Moses Nowell's militia company on the 19th. I have found no accounts of them encountering the British on that day and it seems they may have left too late in the day are were stuck with or on the road behind Pickering. There is a record of pay for four days marching, however. Seems they made it to Cambridge before they were recalled when Benjamin Greenleaf of the local Committee of Safety wrote to General Ward asking for their return because of a panic over a possible British landing around the mouth of the Merrimack. Nowell was promoted to Colonel and put in command of a garrison on Plum Island and Caleb joined an newly-formed company under Captain Ezra Lunt at the beginning of May that marched back to Cambridge to join a regiment commanded by Colonel Moses Little. In September he went on detached duty in Captain Samuel Ward's company of Lt. Col. Christopher Greene's battalion with Arnold's Quebec Expedition. On a side note, Caleb's son, also named Caleb, married Fanny Matilda Betts, daughter of Loyalist Dr. Azor Betts, in Canada in March 1815. They moved back to Newburyport some time later.ZombyDawghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01608480990735480437noreply@blogger.com