Chapter Namesakes

History of chapter names sources came in part from "You Named It, Massachusetts DAR," complied by Organizing Secretary, Bernice G. Picking, 1977-1980, and "Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution, Chapter Histories 1977-1992," compiled by MDAR State Historians Louise Leonesio and Carol J. Boulris, 1994.

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 Aaron Guild Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Norwood and was named for Aaron Guild Esquire, also known as Major Aaron. When a messenger from Lexington came, Aaron Guild was ploughing. He left his son, took down his favorite king's arm, and departed immediately for the scene of action, arriving in time to aid in firing upon the British troops who were hastily returning to Boston.  

Abiah Folger Franklin Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Nantucket and was named for Abiah Folger.  She was the daughter of Peter and Mary Folger of Nantucket. She married Josiah Franklin of Boston, a widower with seven children, and during their marriage, they had ten more. Her sixth child was Benjamin, who was considered the most outstanding statesman of all times. Many of the qualities that made him outstanding can be traced to his mother's influence.  

Amos Mills-Lucy Jackson Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Wellesley. At times, chapters join forces and merge. Amos Mills was born in West Needham, the first man from his community, now known as Wellesley, to give his life for his country in the cause of freedom. Lucy Jackson Chapter, NSDAR, was located in Newton Lower Falls, whose namesake was born in 1754. Her father was a lieutenant in the French and Indian War and a direct descendant of Edward Jackson, who came to America in 1643 and was the fourth settler of Newton. Lucy was a valiant woman, whose husband, Moses Souther, died when she was twenty-five, leaving her with four small children and a farm. She did the farm work alone and raised her children, exemplifying the virtues of courage and determination.  

Attleboro Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Attleboro. Although not named for a Patriot, this chapter paid homage to Joseph Peck, who was one of the persecuted English gentries who fled to America in 1638 in the ship Diligent. His grandson, Hezekiah Peck, came to Attleboro in 1706. The home he lived in was destined to be destroyed for a new street, but the Attleboro Chapter, NSDAR, bought this house converting it into a historic house museum.

Betty Allen Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Northampton. Betty was born Elisabeth Parsons in 1716 in Northampton. She was the bride of Joseph Allen. They had thirteen children, eleven of who lived to maturity. Her sons were actively engaged during the American Revolutionary War, one son a lieutenant, another captain. Thomas Allen, her fifth son, was called the "Fighting Parson." After the war, Reverend Thomas Allen became active in political affairs. Her eighth son, Reverend Moses Allen, joined the Continental Army as a chaplain. The ninth son, Solomon Allen, a minuteman in 1776, commanded the guard that conveyed Major Andre, the spy, from the place of his capture to West Point. Solomon was discharged as a major. 

Boston Tea Party Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Boston. On December 16, 1773, a band of men disguised as Indians boarded the ships in the harbor and dumped about $75,000 worth of tea into the Boston Harbor; this act of violence was considered the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.   

Brigadier General James Brickett-Old Newbury Chapter, NSDAR, located in Haverhill, is another chapter that merged and joined forces. Brigadier General James Brickett was the highest-ranking officer in Haverhill during the American Revolutionary War, and a physician by trade. During the French and Indian Wars, he served as a surgeon's mate, in 1768 he was one of the organizing members of the first fire company; and he was elected captain in 1774 of the First Artillery Company. In 1775 he was promoted to full colonel, 1776 brigadier general, and was given command of the Massachusetts levies for the northern army. He returned to his medical practice following his army service, holding many public offices in the town and in the Commonwealth until he died in 1819. He never received recompense for monies he spent for the health and welfare of his troops; neither the Commonwealth nor the Federal Government claimed responsibility to remunerate him for his expenses. In naming the chapter for Newbury, the chapter members believed one man should distinguish himself above the others. It was decided to name the chapter for itself, Old Newbury because a large number of men rendered active revolutions in this area.

Cape Ann Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Rockport. For more than two hundred years, the people who lived along the coast of New England depended largely on the sea for their living. Every year the fishing fleets went from the eastern coast of New England to the Grand Banks, markets were found overseas, and commercial fishing became a way of life, making it one of the busiest trading towns in New England.

Captain Job Knapp Chapter, NSDAR, is located in East Douglas. A captain in the American Revolutionary War, John Knapp was born in 1739 and died in 1785.  A native of Taunton, little is known about Job Knapp, other than he served several enlistments in the American Revolutionary War. He moved to Douglas before the war and was one of the prominent men in the town.  

Captain John Joslin, Jr., Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Leominster. He was a captain of Leominster Minutemen in Colonel John Witcomb's Regiment which marched to Cambridge on April 17, 1775. His company also marched from Leominster to Bennington on the last day of July 1777 to join forces under Colonel Seth Warner. In 1778, Captain Joslin petitioned the council for additional pay for certain of his men who continued in service until November of 1777. Captain Joslin claimed that although he was discharged earlier, these men had continued in service for about six months longer. He had made up the payroll at a lower rate of wages than they were entitled to, and the petition was allowed in council on April 11, 1778. We honor John Joslin's honesty and his interest in and his consideration for the men who served under him.

Captain Joshua Gray-Jonathan Hatch Chapter, NSDAR, is located on Cape Cod. Born in North Yarmouth, Maine, Joshua Gray came to Yarmouth, Massachusetts, on a sailing vessel at the age of two to live with his aunt and uncle. Early in 1776, General George Washington called for town militias to assemble at Dorchester and Roxbury to protect the city of Boston. Captain Joshua Gray, commander of the militia at Yarmouth, set out at once with a drummer to call out local volunteers. During the night before their departure, families of the men melted their pewter dishes into bullets for the expedition. At dawn, eighty-one men set out on a march to Dorchester. Joshua Gray was a leader in defense of the coast all through the duration of the war. Jonathan Hatch of Falmouth was listed as a private in the company commanded by Captain Ward Swift of Sandwich, and also served as a sergeant in Captain Joseph Palmer's Company, and was sent on a secret expedition to Rhode Island in 1777.

Chief Justice Cushing Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Scituate. William Cushing, Justice of the Supreme Court, was born in 1732; he was a graduate of Harvard University in 1751, and he was admitted to the bar in 1775. During the years 1760-1772, he served as a county official in Maine, which was still a part of Massachusetts. In 1773, he succeeded his father as a judge of the superior court, and in 1774 he married Hannah Phillips. In 1775, Cushing was appointed to the Revolutionary Council of State; and two years later, when John Adams resigned as chief justice, Cushing accepted that position. His most notable act, during the twelve years he was on the bench, was his ruling in the Quock Walker case (1783), that the Massachusetts Bill of Rights implicitly abolished slavery in Massachusetts. In 1788, he was vice-president of the state committee to ratify the Federal Constitution. When the United States Supreme Court was organized in September of 1789, Cushing was the first associate justice appointed. In 1796, he declined the chief justice because of ill health, yet he continued as an associate justice until he died in Scituate, Massachusetts, in 1810.

Colonel John Robinson Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Westford. John Robinson was born in Topsfield in 1735. He married Hulda Perly, niece of General Israel Putnam, and after thirty years moved to Westfield with the reports of better farmlands. He acted for the best interests of the town as a selectman, but when the minutemen and the Committee of Safety were organized, he became an active leader. At forty years old, he attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the local militia, Colonel Prescott's Regiment. On reaching Concord, they discovered that the British troops were already in town. Two bridges were closed off by the British troops. Major Buttrick requested Colonel Robinson to take command but he refused as he preferred to go as a volunteer. Colonel Robinson was said to have carried himself with rare prudence and courage through the battle.

Colonel Thomas Lothrop - Old Colony Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Cohasset and is two chapters that merged. Thomas Lothrop served as a private and a lieutenant in the French and Indian War. He was an active participant in town affairs in times of peace. A member of the Committee of Inspection and the Committee of Correspondence, he entered the American Revolutionary War army as a captain very early in the war. He was commissioned second major Colonel Benjamin Lincoln's Regiment, the 3rd Suffolk, and in 1776 was commissioned as first major and later lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Suffolk. He was in command of the forces at Nantasket in 1778. He had twelve children and served as the town moderator, town clerk, selectman, and representative until he died in 1813. In 1906, seven members of the Colonel Thomas Lothrop Chapter, NSDAR, were his descendants. Old Colony Chapter, NSDAR, was the third chapter founded in the state and took its name from the fact that it drew its members from Cohasset as well as Hingham. This section was known as the "Old Colony." 

Colonel Timothy Bigelow Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Worcester. Bigelow was born in 1739 in Worcester. He distinguished himself for his ability to lead from the time he was a youth. He followed the trade of blacksmith, the trade of his immigrant ancestor. He loved books and had a small library. He married Anna Andrews, the daughter of a wealthy neighbor. He was one of the few men who served from the beginning to the end of the American Revolutionary War. He was a leader in the American Political Party, the Sons of Liberty, and a member of the Committee of Correspondence. Timothy Bigelow trained his company of minutemen on Old Worcester Common. They marched on April 19, 1775, from Worcester to Cambridge in response to the Lexington Alarm. He was promoted to the rank of major and he was given command of a division of Arnold's army in the expedition to Quebec. Later, he was captured and exchanged. On his return to Massachusetts, he was commissioned as a colonel and commanded the regiment of Worcester men which joined General Gates' army in the march north. Congress, realizing how much back pay was due him for his eight years of service, granted him 23,040 acres of land in Vermont, in lieu of money. Due to health and finances, he was unable to cope with the post-war inflation. He remained at West Point after the army disbanded, and was in command of an arsenal in Springfield.   He returned home in ill health, with no money or future. His property was sold; and Colonel Bigelow, burdened with debt, was imprisoned on February 15, 1790. He died a little more than a month later at age fifty-one. He is considered one of the most distinguished and daring Patriots of the American Revolutionary War, ready to hazard his all, whether life or property, for the cause in which he believed.

Colonel Timothy Pickering Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Salem. Timothy Pickering was born in Salem in 1745 and graduated from Harvard University in 1763. He was a lawyer and held many local offices in Salem. In 1766, he joined the militia; and in 1775 published a manual of drill and discipline which was widely adopted by the Continental Army until it was replaced in 1779. He held many government and military positions, and in 1777 was appointed Adjutant General by George Washington. In 1786, he moved to Pennsylvania; and in 1789, was commissioned to organize the new Luzerne County and to settle land-claim disputes with the Connecticut settlers.  He applied to President Washington for the position of postmaster general. Instead of the postmaster general, he was given a commission to negotiate treaties with the Seneca Indians. In 1791 he was given the position of postmaster general and served until 1795. In time he became secretary of war, head of the state department, and secretary of state under John Adams. Intrigues against John Adams resulted in his dismissal in 1800, and he returned to Massachusetts. During the War of 1812, he advocated secession for the New England states.

Colonel William McIntosh Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Needham. Colonel William McIntosh married Abigail Whiting. He served in the French and Indian War, moved to Needham where he lived for almost forty-nine years, and died in 1813 at 91 years old. He served in the American Revolutionary War as colonel of the first Suffolk County regiment of state militia and was called by General Washington "a good officer and a brave man." He served as selectman of Needham for twelve years and a representative in the general court. In 1779, he was a member of the convention that formed the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1788, he was a delegate to the convention which ratified the Constitution of the United States.   

Contentment Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Dedham. The general court of Massachusetts was petitioned on September 3, 1635, by a small group of Watertown men for permission to form a plantation some two miles above the falls of the Charles River. The land provided an abundance of fish in the Charles River. There were plenty of turkeys, ducks, wild pigeons, quail, geese, partridge, deer, bears, and rabbits. Strawberries were in abundance in the spring, followed by blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, and wild grapes. The land was lush for farming. The colonists found such content in their newly established community that they gave the name Contentment to their settlement, which is now known as the town of Dedham.

​Deborah Sampson Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Brockton. Deborah was born in Plympton on December 17, 1760. She was a descendant of Abraham Sampson who came from England about 1629 and settled in Duxbury. At ten years of age, she was bound out in the home of Deacon Jeremiah Thomas. By the time she was eighteen when her indenture ended, she had learned enough to teach school in Middleboro for two six-month summer terms in 1779 and 1780. She enlisted on May 20, 1782, in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Army for three years using the name "Robert Shurtleff." In appearance, she was five feet seven inches in height, taller than most women, with an erect carriage and strong features. Her sex was discovered by Doctor Barnabus Binney in Philadelphia, where she was hospitalized with a fever. He did not reveal her secret, but quietly made arrangements to end her military service.  Private Robert Shurtleff was honorably discharged from the army by General Henry Knox at West Point on October 23, 1783. While living in Stoughton, Massachusetts, with her uncle and aunt following discharge,

Deborah met Benjamin Gannett, a farmer. They married early in 1785. Three children were born to them in five years: Earl Bradford, Patience, and Mary (Polly). As a pioneer in the field, she toured New England and New York in 1802, delivering a series of lectures. Massachusetts, acting on Deborah's petition in 1792 for pay never received for her military service, passed a resolve. This resolve approved by John Hancock reads in part "that the said Deborah Sampson exhibited an extraordinary instance of feminine heroism by discharging the duties of a faithful, gallant soldier, and at the same time preserving the virtue and chastity of her sex unsuspected and unblemished and was discharged from the service with a fair and honorable character." The report from the Congressional Committee on Revolutionary pensions reads, in part: "The Committee believe . . . they are warranted in saying that the whole history of the American Revolution records no case like this, and furnishes no other similar example of female heroism, fidelity, and courage . . . and there cannot be a parallel case in all time to come." Deborah Sampson Gannett died April 29, 1827. 

Deborah Wheelock Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Uxbridge. In 1910, Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Hayward gave a house as a gift to DAR. Mrs. Hayward was Susan Hortense Taft, daughter of Moses and Sylvia Ann Wheelock Taft. Sylvia Ann Wheelock was the daughter of Jerry and Sukey Day Wheelock, and Jerry was the son of Simeon and Deborah Thayer Wheelock for whom the house was named. Mosses Taft and Sylvia Ann Wheelock were married in the house.

Duxbury Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Duxbury. The town was named after Duxbury Hall, the seat of the Standish family in England. Miles Standish the military leader of the Pilgrims, settled in this town and was buried here.

Faneuil Hall-Old State House Chapter, NSDAR, chapters that merged, is located in Melrose. Peter Faneuil decided that Boston needed a large central market and so, in 1740, construction was begun on such a building in Dock Square. This structure, 40 x 100 feet, was completed in 1742 entirely at the expense of Peter Faneuil, who then presented it to the town. The two-story structure contained a town meeting hall, rooms for public officials, and a market. On January 13, 1762, the structure was almost destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in 1763. During the American Revolutionary War period, the hall was frequently used by American Patriots as a place of meeting, and thus came to be known as the "Cradle of Liberty." In 1805, Charles Bulfinch enlarged the building by forty feet and added a third story, but by 1826 Boston had grown so large that there was no longer room in the hall for a market, so a new market was built and called the Faneuil Hall Market. In 1911, a group of members of Faneuil Hall Chapter, NSDAR, met to discuss the organizing of a new chapter for Melrose Daughters. At the time the Old State House of Boston was being renovated, these women were greatly interested in the project and gave generously of their time and money. In appreciation for their efforts, they were given a piece of wood from the building, and a beautiful gavel was made from it. The Old State House on the corner of Washington and State streets in Boston was built in 1713 on the site of the first "Town House" built fifty years earlier.

First Resistance Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Great Barrington. The first open resistance to British rule in America was made at Great Barrington. A vast multitude of farmers surrounded the court house and forbade the judges to transact any business. A large granite monument stands on the town hall lawn, marking the spot of the first resistance to British rule.

Framingham Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Framingham. The name "Framlingham" came from England and was the name of the castle where the Howard family protected the young Elizabeth, later to be Queen Elizabeth I, from the forces that were trying to seize her and prevent her from reaching London. Thomas Danforth, from Framlingham, England, purchased a large grant of land west of Boston, known as "Danforth's Farms." Later, it was known as Danforth Plantation, including the land of Sudbury and Framlingham, so named for Danforth's English home. Thomas Danforth was in high favor with the colonial government and was the first treasurer of Harvard College.  In 1700, the town was incorporated as Framingham (the "L" was dropped from the spelling). 

General Ebenezer Learned Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Oxford. Ebenezer Learned was born in 1728, the son of Colonel Ebenezer and Deborah Hayes Learned. He served at the Battle of Bunker Hill as a colonel in the 3rd Infantry Continental Army and became a brigadier general in 1777 when he commanded a brigade at Saratoga, New York.  In 1779, he attended the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention as a delegate from Oxford. In 1783, he was a member of the Massachusetts Legislature, and in 1789, served as chairman of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention.  

General Israel Putnam Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Danvers. Born in Salem Village (now Danvers) in 1718, Israel Putnam moved to Connecticut, where he took an active part in the French and Indian Wars at Lake George and Ticonderoga. He enlisted as a private in 1755 and rose to the rank of major. He was captured by the Indians but was rescued just as he was about to be burned at the stake. He participated in other expeditions and at the time of the Stamp Act agitation, he was active in the Patriot cause and helped organize the Sons of Liberty. As a member of the Connecticut Militia, he became famous when he left his plow in the furrow and without a change of clothes hastened to Lexington. News reached him of the battle that took place on April 19, 1775. He returned home and was commissioned a brigadier general. He was later appointed a major general in the Continental Army. He helped plan the attack on Bunker Hill and took part in the siege of Boston and the Battle at Long Island. He was a brave and industrious soldier, rather than a great general, but the good fellowship made him an idol of the rank and file.  

Hannah Goddard Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Brookline. Hannah Seaver Goddard and her husband lived for many years on Goddard Avenue. John Goddard was a member of the Committee of Safety and was wagon-master-general to General George Washington. He is credited with the battle plan and its execution by which the British were defeated at the Battle of Dorchester Heights, which routed the British from Boston. He had all the wagon wheels tied with straw so they made no noise. He had trees cut, stripped of limbs, and dragged from distances, then mounted on the hillsides of Dorchester, around Boston, so it appeared we had more gun emplacements than we did. These maneuvers were carried out at night, without British detection.  At dawn, fire was opened on the British who were taken completely by surprise and were thus routed out to sea in their ships. Hannah and their children kept the Goddard farm, tended and provided supplies to the American troops. Her sons were credited with routing and killing a few British thieves.

Hannah Winthrop Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Boston and was named after Hannah Fayerweather Winthrop. She was born in Massachusetts in 1727 and married Harvard Professor John Winthrop in 1756. Hannah was an unwavering supporter of the American Revolutionary War cause, a true Patriot. On January 1, 1774, Hannah wrote in a letter to Mercy Warren: “And be it known unto Britain, even American daughters are Politicians and Patriots and will aid the good work with their Female Efforts.” In 1780 after her husband’s death, Hannah supported the American Revolutionary War effort by making a Continental Loan, which is DAR qualifying patriotic service. In 1906, one of our NSDAR Founders, Mary S. Lockwood, wrote, “What a name so fitting for the ‘Patron Saint’ of the Cambridge Chapter, NSDAR, as that of Hannah Winthrop.” 

Joseph Coolidge Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Watertown. Joseph Coolidge is listed as one of the men from Watertown raised to reinforce the Continental Army; he was 18 at the time. Joseph was an industrious, thriving farmer, and the collector for the east precinct of the town. When the alarm came on April 19, 1775, he is said to have unyoked his team from the plow, told his wife where he had buried the town's money, taken his gun and powder horn, and joined a dozen or so minutemen from Needham, guiding them to Lexington. He was mortally wounded near the lower part of Lexington.

Lexington Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Lexington. The town was named for Robert Sutton, who bore the title Lord Lexington. He was the son of Alice de Lexington who married Ronald de Sutton. When the Precinct of North Cambridge was incorporated as a town in 1713, Lord Lexington was at the height of his popularity. A custom prevailed in Massachusetts, when a town was incorporated, to pass the order, or act, and then send it to the governor with a blank for the name to be filled in by him. The governor, Joseph Dudley, to honor Lord Lexington, a British Lord and a distant relative of his own, chose Lexington. The veneration for the town of Lexington, because of its deeds of April 19, 1775, has resulted in twenty-four counties, cities, and towns scattered around our country being named Lexington.  

Lydia Cobb-Quequechan Chapter, NSDAR, are two chapters that have merged. Lydia Cobb Chapter, NSDAR, was located in Taunton, named to honor Lydia Cobb, who was the center of a loyal and patriotic family. Her husband, Captain Thomas Cobb, was a commander of a Taunton Company in the French and Indian War of 1754; her brother, Captain James Leonard, was muster master of Taunton during the American Revolutionary War; her son, General David Cobb, was an aide on Washington's staff; her son-in-law, Robert Treat Paine, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Quequechan Chapter, NSDAR, was originally located in Fall River, Massachusetts. Quequechan, of Indian derivation, means River of Falling Waters. These waters turned the wheels of the early mill of this manufacturing city.  

Mansfield Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Mansfield, and is named after the town. By a General Act of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, Mansfield became incorporated as a town. Five years before, in 1770, it had been incorporated as a separate district by an act of the general court and received its name in honor of William Murray, Earl of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England.

Martha's Vineyard-Sea Coast Defence Chapter, NSDAR, - two merged chapters are located on Martha's Vineyard.  At the time of the King Philip War, Governor Thomas Mayhew, fearing that hostile Indians might invade the island, provided the Gay Head Indians with guns, and ordered them to patrol the beaches as a method of "Sea Coast Defence" and they were so named.  

Mercy Warren Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Springfield. Mercy Warren was born Mercy Otis, the daughter of Colonel James Otis of Barnstable. Her husband was James Warren of Plymouth, a merchant and farmer, and they had several sons. She was a writer who devoted much of her time to composing political satires, plays, and essays dealing with revolutionary subjects. She is best remembered for her history of the American Revolutionary War, published in 1805 in three volumes, which was the first history of the American Revolutionary War. Many prominent politicians were her friend, among them John and Samuel Adams, and Thomas Jefferson.   

New Bedford Chapter, NSDAR, is located in New Bedford, originally known as Dartmouth, being a section of the town first settled in 1640. In 1765, the village was named Bedford in honor of Joseph Russell, who, while he was living in England, was known as the Duke of Bedford.  During the next nineteen years, the great whaling era began and prospered.  In 1787, the old town of Dartmouth was divided into three parts and Bedford became New Bedford. It became the site of the first naval battle of the American Revolutionary War.  

Old Concord Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Concord. The town of Concord is a lovely historic town, where, on April 19th, 1775, the second battle of the American Revolutionary War was fought. It was home to many of the illustrious men and women who made Concord the center of the nineteenth-century literary renaissance. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Bronson Alcott lived here and are buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, along with Daniel Chester French. Daniel Chester French was the artist who sculpted the statue of President Lincoln in Washington, D.C., and the Statue of the Minuteman. Another resident, Ephraim Wales Bull, cultivated the Concord grape. His home was called "the Grapevine Cottage."

Parson Roby Chapter, NSDAR is located in Saugus and named after Parson Roby (May 12, 1724 - January 31, 1803. At the time of the American Revolution, Saugus had been assigned a new minister. Joseph Roby was an ordained minister trained and educated at Harvard. He was responsible for the church and its members that resided in Saugus for 51 years. His church was known as the West Parish of Lynn. Parson Roby was quite active in the fight for Independence. He traveled frequently to Boston and met with other men who were seeking Independence from England. Among his friends were Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere. Rev. Joseph Roby was also known throughout the area as the “fightin’ Parson”. He was known to appear at the pulpit with his bible under one arm and his musket under the other. He was always prepared should there be a need to respond when the “alarm was rung” to warn that the English soldiers were on the move. On the morning of April 19, 1775, Roby and sixty-two other men from the Third Parish met at Jacob Newhall's tavern and proceeded to Lexington to fight in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Four days after the conflict, a Lynn town meeting voted to create a Committee of Safety. Roby was one of three men appointed to serve on it.

Paul Revere Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Boston. Paul Revere, the Patriot, was born in 1735 in Boston and attended Boston schools. In 1756, he took part in the expedition against Crown Point as a lieutenant of artillery after which he returned to Boston to start his own business. Not only was he a silversmith, but he made copper engravings of portraits, music sheets, surgical instruments, carved picture frames, and dental plates. He engraved the plates for the first Continental money and the official seal of the united colonies which is still in use by Massachusetts. Leader of the Sons of Liberty at the Boston Tea Party, he also was the principal express rider for the Boston Committee of Safety. In December of 1773, he carried news of the Boston tea party to New York; and in December of 1774, he rode to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to warn the Patriot leader that General Thomas Gage planned to capture stores at Fort William and Mary. On the night of April 18, 1775, he rowed across the Charles River, and at the signal rode to Lexington to warn Adams and Hancock that the British were coming to arrest them. After the war he returned to Boston to work with crafts; his silverware became the finest in Colonial and Post-American Revolutionary War periods. He also manufactured gun powder, copper bells, and cannons.   

Prudence Wright Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Pepperell. Prudence Cummings Wright, with her neighbors and friends, dressed in their absent husbands' clothing to intercept a Tory messenger who they learned was carrying dispatches from Canada to the enemy in Boston. They knew he would use the ford way across the Nashua River near the location of the present covered bridge.  Prudence was chosen commander, and her assistant was Mrs. Job Shuttuck. They succeeded so well that Leonard Whiting was taken prisoner in his attempt to ford the stream.  In his boots were found the treasonable papers.  He was marched to the tavern in the center of town where he was guarded, and in the morning he was marched to Groton and delivered to a member of the Committee of Safety.

Wayside Inn Chapter, NSDAR, is located in Sudbury and Wayland, a stopping place for travelers on the old Boston Road as well as for soldiers going to and from the colonial wars. It was the center of local social activity.