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THE PEOPLE OF CONCORD: REUBEN BROWN HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF CONCORD: REUBEN BROWN 1725 A house was erected on Concord’s Lexington Avenue (either that, or an existing house was completely updated and rebuilt on that location, that had once been the home of the Reverend Peter Bulkeley). You know what? – It’s still there. Church services separate from those in Concord began at this point in Bedford. HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF CONCORD: REUBEN BROWN These are the “Two Brothers Rocks” on the bank of the Concord River at Bedford: In 1723 some white people, including some white people from Concord, had petitioned for and had obtained some western lands. In this year such a petition was again successful, at least for some: A similar petition was made in 1725, and granted, so far as relates to Concord; the six families belonging to Chelmsford to continue in the west parish of that town.1 VALUATION.— From the returns of the assessors in the offices of the secretary of the Commonwealth and the town clerk, I [Dr. Lemuel Shattuck] have compiled the following tables, which will afford interesting information, illustrative of the wealth of the town at different periods. The only articles mentioned in the valuations of personal property, taken under the province charter, were horses, oxen, cows, sheep, swine, slaves, and faculty. The total valuation of personal and real estate, in 1706, as reduced to our present [1835] currency nearly according to the received tables of depreciation, was $9,898, and for several subsequent periods, was as follows.2 Year. Polls. Horses. Oxen. Cows. Sheep. Swine. Tot. Value. 1719 310 272 454 704 814 422 $12.695 1. Lemuel Shattuck’s 1835 A HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF CONCORD;.... Boston: Russell, Odiorne, and Company; Concord MA: John Stacy (On or about November 11, 1837 Henry Thoreau would indicate a familiarity with the contents of at least pages 2-3 and 6-9 of this historical study.) HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF CONCORD: REUBEN BROWN Year. Polls. Horses. Oxen. Cows. Sheep. Swine. Tot. Value. 1725 375 326 562 975 1371 551 12.071 1740 359 278 474 866 —— 550 7.623 1753 442 298 542 1024 1166 510 50.002 1760 335 268 301 813 627 418 44.306 1771 371 216 422 951 706 375 44.940 2. Ibid. HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF CONCORD: REUBEN BROWN 1748 May 28, Tuesday (Old Style): Reuben Brown was born in Sudbury, Massachusetts to Jotham Brown and Hepzibah Brown. HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF CONCORD: REUBEN BROWN 1770 Having learned the saddler’s trade as an apprentice to his father, Reuben Brown came to Concord, Massachusetts and established a saddling business. Dr. Timothy Minott, Jr.’s mortgage for the property that is now the Colonial Inn had at this point been paid off in full. Between this year and 1775 a single-story heavily timbered structure, that eventually would become the central building of the inn, would be erected at the west end of what is now its east wing. This new addition would have its 1st use as a Provincial storehouse during the Revolution. In the spring of this year Concord moved its 1754 wooden gaol so that it would be closer to the tavern on South Bridge Road, where the prisoners could be fed. This required “rollers” (tree trunks) and 26 pairs of oxen. HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF CONCORD: REUBEN BROWN 1773 In Concord, Ephraim Wood, John Flint, and Timothy Wheeler were Selectmen. In Concord, Ephraim Wood was again Town Clerk. In Concord, Abijah Bond was again Town Treasurer. James Barrett was Concord’s Deputy and Representative to the General Court of Massachusetts. Daniel Bliss and Duncan Ingraham, loyalists, were appointed Justices of the Peace in the town of Concord. Reuben Brown got married with 19-year-old May or Molly or Polly How, who had been born in Sudbury, Massachusetts to Ezekiel Howe (1712-1796) and Bathsheba Stone Howe (1724-1821). The couple would make their home in Concord, Massachusetts in the house presently at 77 Lexington Road. Disambiguation: Among their children would be 2 sons named Reuben, the initial one of whom would be born and die during February 1781, and the following one would be born during December 1781 and die during 1854. Reuben Brown would serve as a lieutenant during the American Revolution and would be contracted to outfit several companies (an undertaking that would cost him $1,000 out of pocket). On April 19th, 1775, he would be dispatched to obtain information about British activity and to circulate the news that the army had fired upon the local militia at Lexington, resulting in fatalities. Reuben Brown would be successful in business, would become a member of Concord’s Social Circle, and would leave to his heirs a sizable estate. September 15, Wednesday: Hepzibath Brown was born in Concord to Reuben Brown and Polly Brown. HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF CONCORD: REUBEN BROWN “Hepzibath Brown Daur. of Reuben Brown and Polly his wife was Born Sept. 15th. 1773” HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF CONCORD: REUBEN BROWN 1775 March 9, Thursday: Sally Brown was born in Concord to Reuben Brown and Polly Brown. “Sally Brown Daur. of Reuben Brown and Polly his wife was Born march ye. 9th. 1775” April 15, Saturday: An unknown agent provided General Thomas Gage with information on colonial plans to raise a New England army of 18,000 men, 8,000 of them from Massachusetts. An informer wrote that cannon and munitions boxes were being hidden in the woods between “the River and Malden Pond.” Someone named “John Hall,” perhaps a Concord farmer or merchant, reported that there were soldiers deserting from the army and escaping from Boston and reported that there were items of military usefulness, and also some cannon, hidden at Barrett’s farm. When Congress adjourned on the 15th of April, it agreed to meet again on the 10th of May, 1775; but gave authority to the committee of safety, and the members in this neighbourhood, to call an earlier meeting, if necessary. Meantime the committees of correspondence, in conjunction with the citizens, were actively making the military preparations necessary for defence. From a manuscript “account of the provincial stores sent to Colonel Barrett of Concord, partly in his own custody, and partly elsewhere, all under his care,” found among his papers the following facts are obtained. These stores were principally brought here in March by the citizens of the town. There were received from Mr. David Cheever of Charlestown, one of the committee of supplies: 20 loads of stores, containing about 20,000 pounds of musket-balls and cartridges 50 reams of cartridge-paper, 206 tents, 113 iron spades, 51 wood axes, 201 bill-hooks, 19 sets of harness, 24 boxes of candles, 14 chests of medicine, 27 hogsheads of wooden ware, 1 hogshead of matches, cords, irons and balls, 20 bushels of oatmeal, 5 iron worms for cannon, rammers, &c. These were stored at Captain Elnathan Jones’s, Joshua Bond’s, Willoughby Prescott’s, Jonas Heywood’s, Colonel Barrett’s, and the town-house. From Moses Gill of Boston, 11 loads, containing 150 tents, axes, pickaxes, hatchets, spades, wooden spoons and dishes, and canteens, stored at Captain Thomas Hubbard’s, Ephraim Wheeler’s, Willoughby Prescott’s and Ephraim Potter’s. Also received from R. Pierpont: 47 firkins and 2 barrels of butter, stored at Colonel James Barrett’s and Mr. Humphrey Barrett’s; and 55 barrels of beef, stored at Thomas and Elisha Jones’s and 25 barrels at Daniel Cray’s. From Colonel Jeremiah Lee of Marblehead, 6 hogsheads, containing 35 half-barrels of powder, 6 of which were stored at Colonel Barrett’s, 5 at James Chandler’s, 6 at James Barrett Jr.’s; 6 at Ephraim Wood’s, 6 at Joseph Hosmer’s, and 6 at Jonas Heywood’s. This was received in December, 1775 and in the HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF CONCORD: REUBEN BROWN accompanying letter, Colonel Lee writes, “Don’t so much as mention the name of powder, lest our enemies should take advantage of it.” Eight hogsheads more were soon received from Colonel Lee, 6 of which were sent the last of March to Leicester. He also sent to Concord another load, containing tents, poles, axes, and hatchets, stored at Abishai Brown’s; and also 318 barrels of flour, 68 of which were stored at Ebenezer Hubbard’s (which was partly destroyed on April 19, 1775), 66 at Captain Timothy Wheeler’s, 56 at Samuel Jones’s, 23 at Isaac Hubbard’s, 16 at Jonas Heywood’s, 82 at Samuel Whitney’s and 7 at Jonathan Heywood’s. From Elbridge Gerry of Marblehead, 7 loads of salt fish, containing about 17,000 pounds, stored at Elisha Jones’s; 18 casks of wine, 20 casks of raisins and a quantity of oil, (which were carried to Stow); and 47 hogsheads and 50 barrels of salt, which were stored in 15 different places in town; 4 loads of tents, tow-cloth, and canteens, stored at Ephraim Potter’s; 1 bundle of sheet-lead, several hogsheads of molasses and a quantity of linen. From Salem 46 and from Boston 12 tierces of rice, estimated to contain about 35,000 pounds; 20 stored at Ebenezer Hubbard’s, 6 at Thomas Hosmer’s, 3 at Thomas Davis’s, 7 at Stephen Blood’s, 7 at Edward Richardson’s, 5 at Deacon George Minott’s, and the remainder in the town-house. All the stores brought to the town are not mentioned in the above account.
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