Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1978 The mpI act of the Revolution on Local Government: Concord, Gloucester, and Pittsfield, 1763-1789. (Volumes I and II). Patricia Lynch Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Lynch, Patricia, "The mpI act of the Revolution on Local Government: Concord, Gloucester, and Pittsfield, 1763-1789. (Volumes I and II)." (1978). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 3208. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/3208 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 7815632 LYNCH, PATRICIA the impact OF THE REVOLUTION ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT# CONCORD, GLOUCESTER, AND PITTSFIELD, 176Sel789o (VOLUMES I AND II) THE LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AND AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COL,, PH.D., 1978 U niversi^ M ic rd rilm s International 300 n . z e e b r o a d , a n n a r b o r , mi a biob © 1978 PATRICIA LYNCH ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE IMPACT OF THE REVOLUTION ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT: CONCORD, GLOUCESTER, AND PITTSFIELD, 1763-1789 Volume I A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana state University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy xn The Department of History by Sr. Patricia Lynch, S.B.S. A.B., Villanova University, 1962 M.A., Villanova University, 1967 May, 1978 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study was made possible in part by grants received from the Warrick Memorial Fellowship from Louisiana State University, the Southern Fellowship Fund, and Xavier University through a Basic Grant for Developing Institutions. The author expresses grati­ tude to her Congregation, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, to her community at Xavier University Convent, and to Xavier University of Louisiana for leave to pursue doctoral studies. Appreciation is expressed to the Department of History at Louisiana State University and to Dr. Robert A, Becker under whose guidance this study has been completed. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. t a b l e of c o n t e n t s page Volume I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................... ii LIST OF TABLES.............. iv ABSTRACT . vi INTRODUCTION..................................... 1 Chapter I. COLONIAL CONCORD........................ 17 II. REVOLUTIONARY CONCORD................... 84 III. COLONIAL GLOUCESTER..................... 161 Volume II IV. REVOLUTIONARY GLOUCESTER................ 231 V. COLONIAL PITTSFIELD..................... 296 VI. REVOLUTIONARY PITTSFIELD................ 382 VII. CONCLUSIONS............................. 481 BIBLIOGRAPHY......................... 500 VITA...... 515 XiX Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OP TABLES page Volume I Table 1. Colonial Concord High Town officers, 1763-1774..................... 32 2, Average Age on First Entering High Town Offices, Concord, 1763-1774............. 34 3. Revolutionary Concord High Town Officers,' t 1763-1789...................... 100 4. Average Age on First Entering High Town Offices, Concord 1763-1789........... 103 5. Colonial Gloucester High Town Offices, 1763-1774............ ....... 171 6. Average Age on Beginning High Town Offices, Gloucester, 1763-1774.................. 176 Volume II 7. Revolutionary Gloucester High Town Officers, 1763-1789.................... 246 8. Average Age on Beginning High Town Offices, Gloucester, 1775-1789 .................. 251 9. Colonial Pittsfield High Town Officers, 1763-1774.................. 303 10. Average Age on Beginning High Town Offices, Pittsfield, 1763-1774.................. 308 11. Revolutionary Pittsfield High Town Officers, 1763-1789............. 391 12. Average Age on Beginning High Town Offices, Pittsfield, 1763-1789...... 394 13. 1784 Pittsfield Valuation Summary ..... 397 XV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES (continued) Table Page 14. Pittsfield Militia Officers in High Town Office........... 399 15. patterns of Office Hpldingo............. 489 16. High Town Officers Who Also Served as Justices of the Peace, 1763-1789..... 493 17. Average Ages on First Entering Particular High Town Offices ............ 494 18. Wealth of High Town Officers............ 498 V Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. a b s t r a c t This dissertation studied the high town officers in three Massachusetts towns, the farming community of Concord, and fishing/merchant community of Gloucester, and the frontier town of Pittsfield, from 1763 to 1789 to discover whether or not the Revolution had sufficient impact to bring about a change, not only in leaders, but in the kind of leaders chosen. Collective and individual bio­ graphical sketches of the hundred and sixteen men who served as moderators, town clerks, selectmen, treasurers, and representatives form the bulk of the study. The biographies were drawn from town meeting minutes, tax and valuation lists, probate, business, genealogical, church, and militia records. Some evidence of economic standing was found for all but a handful of the leaders. Common leaders served whatever was the usual tenure in high town office,, then reappeared only in committee assignments or tax lists. But each town had a group of larger leaders who served longer and often held multiple offices for many years. The towns not only retained their colonial officers, but these leaders often brought the towns into and through the Revolution, and in some cases continued in office into the 1790s. When they VI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. were replaced it was by men from similar economic and social backgrounds. Even the merchant community of Gloucester had only one Tory to replace when the Revolution came, and the wealthiest men apparently took a turn in high town office as something they did as they prospered, rather than using it as a source of political power. Most town leaders came from families long established in town, and they were often related by marriage to the families of other high town officers. Most of them fell into the top quarter of taxpayers or were prosperous to wealthy by the time they were elected. But newcomers and less pros­ perous men also served, and for some men militia service, education, or business experience was an acceptable substitute for minor offices where most began town service. The numerous and demanding minor offices held by many larger leaders indi­ cate how extensively they were involved in the daily life of their towns. Trusted high town officers usually dominated the Committees of Correspondence, Safety, and Inspection, as well as those dealing with schools, roads,