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Deborah Sampson Gannett (1760 – 1827)

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Deborah Sampson Gannett (1760 – 1827) Deborah Sampson Gannett (1760 – 1827) A Local Guide Sharon Public Library 11 North Main Street Sharon, MA 02067 (781) 784-1578 sharonpubliclibrary.org About Deborah Deborah Sampson was born on December 17, 1760 in Plympton, MA to Jonathan and Deborah Sampson. An impoverished family, the Sampsons had 7 children. Deborah’s father, Jonathan, abandoned the family. Deborah worked as an indentured servant, then as a teacher. Physically, she is described as being tall, strong, and agile but plain, with brown hair and eyes. She was intelligent, with a strong knowledge of politics, theology, and war. In 1782, Deborah enlisted in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment under the name Robert Shurtlieff. She saw action in New York against Loyalists and Native Americans. That same year, she was injured in Tarrytown, but escaped discovery by removing a musket ball from her own leg. In 1793, she contracted brain fever in Philadelphia; Dr Barnabas Binney discovered that she was a woman. Though he did not expose her, he did make arrangements for her discharge. As a result, she was honorably discharged in October 1783. While Deborah was away at war, she was expelled from her Baptist congregation for dressing in men’s clothing and enlisting as a soldier. After her discharge, Deborah moved in with her aunt, Alice Walker, in Stoughton. She continued to dress as a man, passing herself off as her “brother, Ephraim,” until she met local farmer Benjamin Gannet. The two married in April 1785 and raised four children: three of their own (Earl Bradford, Mary, and Patience) and one adopted child (Susanna Shepard, a local orphan). Faced with financial problems, Deborah became one of the first female lecturers, describing her military experiences in different cities throughout the northeast. In 1792, the state of Massachusetts recognized Deborah for her service to the country; the documentation bears John Hancock’s signature. In 1804, Paul Revere wrote a letter on Deborah’s behalf to petition Congress for a pension. In 1813, her son built their family home at 300 East Street, Sharon, MA. Deborah died on April 29, 1827 in her family home at 300 East Street, Sharon, MA. She was buried in Rock Ridge Cemetery, located on the same street. Following her death, her husband Benjamin sought and became the first man to be rewarded pension benefits as her widower. Library Resources Works by Deborah An Address Delivered in 1802 in Various Towns in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York [also available through archive.org] Diary of Deborah Sampson Gannett in 1802 [facsimile] Secondary Sources Deborah Sampson, Soldier of the Revolution by Harold W. Felton Deborah Sampson, Continental Soldier, Parts 1-4: the Westchester Connection by Jane Keiter Deborah Sampson: The Girl Who Went to War by Marilyn Gilbert Komechak The Story of Deborah Sampson Gannett: Woman Soldier of the Revolution by Cindy Loomis The Female Review: Life of Deborah Sampson, the Female Soldier in the War of Revolution [also available through archive.org] Women’s Liberation, c. 1781 by George V. Rogers Deborah Sampson Gannett Diner in the Town Hall, Sharon, Massachusetts, April 3, 1902 by Eugene Tappan Our Deborah by R.M. Teed-Sampson Deborah Sampson Gannett (1760-1827), America’s First Woman Soldier: A Source Booklet by Eleanor F. Wachs Vertical File: Related documents, correspondence, etc. Biography Freeman, Lucy. America’s First Woman Warrior. Moody, Pauline. Massachusetts’ Deborah Sampson. Young, Alfred. Masquerade: The Life and Times of Deborah Sampson, Continental Soldier. Junior Biography Burke, Rick. Deborah Sampson. McGovern, Ann. The Secret Soldier: The Story of Deborah Sampson. Stevens, Byrna. Deborah Sampson Goes to War. See also: Sharon, Massachusetts: A History, Chapter 7. Published by the Sharon American Revolution Bicentennial Committee, 1976; revised 2005 by the Sharon Historical Society. .
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