ABORN, AARON, - private, son of Ebenezer and Mary (Goodale) Aborn, was born in Lynnfield, October 1, 1757; married in Danvers, December 31, 1779, by Rev. Benjamin Wadsworth, to Pheobe Pope, of Danvers; died about 1788. Pheobe Pope married, second, Francis Sheldon, of Salem, September 20, 1788. Aaron Aborn's name appears on the muster-roll of Captain Nathaniel Bancroft's minute company which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, but he is credited with but twenty-four miles of travel, which would indicate that he did not reach the scene of the conflict, probably receiving the alarm too late. He enlisted May 11, 1775, in Captain Gideon Foster's company, Colonel John Mansfield's regiment, and served two months and twenty-five days. He again enlisted in Captain John Baker's company in the same regiment, and served until January 1, 1776, performing duty during the siege of Boston. His service being for eight months, he was given a bounty coat at Winter Hill, October 27, 1775.

ABORN, EBENEZER, - private, son of Ebenezer, was baptized in Lynnfield, March 22, 1724; married Mary Goodale, of Danvers, November 9, 1752; died in Lynnfield, March 8, 1792. The wife, Mary, died December 9, 1773, aged forty-four, and he married, second, Catherine Jennessey (in Lynn records, Katherine Jemmeny), of Salem, December 18, 1777. He joined the Lynnfield church, of which he became warden in 1772, on the 20th of July, 1760, being then known as Ebenezer, Jr. His children were Ebenezer, Aaron, James, and Patty, of which Ebenezer and Aaron were in the war. He is buried in the old cemetery in Lynnfield Centre, and a marker and stone were placed at his grave in 1904. Revolutionary record: Private, Captain Gideon Foster's company, Colonel John Mansfield's regiment; enlisted July 22, 1775, and served to January 1,1776; order for a bounty coat at Winter Hill, October 27, 1775; advance pay at Prospect Hill, Captain John Baker's company, Colonel John Mansfield's regiment, August 10, 1775.

ABORN, EBENEZER, Jr., - private, son of Ebenezer and Mary Goodale, was born in Lynnfield, April 16, 1756; married Mehitable Larrabee, born
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January 15, 1758, daughter of Ephraim Larrabee, of Danvers, January 3, 1784. The Lynnfield church records give the latter date as February 5, 1784. His children were Margaret, Elias, Fanny, Mehitable, and Ebenezer. At the death of his father, which occurred March 8, 1792, he inherited by will one-half of the homestead, which was situated on the old road which ran between the railroad and Pilling's Pond, then called "Stony Brook." He continued to live on this farm until December, 1806, when he sold it to Thomas Bancroft and moved to Salem, March 18, 1807. He purchased property of Samuel Taylor in Salem, and lived there until July, 1813, when he went to live with his daughter, Mehitable Aborn Batchelder, at Loudon, N.H. In 1816 they moved back to Salem and lived on Mill Street until the spring of 1820, when they moved to a farm at Pickering's Point, nearly opposite the Stale Normal School. There he died, July 23, 1837, of apoplexy. He is buried in the old King Burial Ground, at South Peabody. His wife died before 1813.

ADAMS, BENJAMIN, - the drummer-boy of Captain Nathaniel Bancroft's Lynnfield company, was the son of Rev. Benjamin and Rebecca (Nichols) Adams, and was born in Lynnfield, September 7, 1758. His father was born in Newbury, Mass., May 8, 1719, graduated at Harvard College in 1728, and was ordained pastor of the Second Parish Church in Lynnfield, November 5, 1755. Rev. Benjamin was the son of Captain Abraham, who was the son of Sergeant Abraham, who was the son of Robert and Anne (Longfellow). Benjamin, the drummer-boy of Captain Bancroft's company, was the second child of Rev. Benjamin, and was only sixteen years of age when the alarm reached Lynnfield on the morning of April 19, 1775. Living a short distance from the Ezekiel Gowing Tavern, from whence the company marched, he was early on the spot after the exciting news reached the village, and it is said that he beat the long roll so vigorously that it could be heard a mile, and greatly aided in bringing in the members of the little company. It is not known how the father regarded the action of his patriotic son, but tradition has suggested that Parson Adams was not over-friendly to the cause of the provincials. It is a significant fact that, while Parson Treadwell and Parson Roby were conspicuous throughout the Revolution, no record has connected Parson Adams's name with the patriot cause. The drummer-boy, however, beat the step for his comrades on the way to the skirmish and returned home with them that night. He lived in after-years in the old Henfield, or Adams, house, on the road from Lynnfield Centre to Wakefield. His half-brother, Jonathan, born February 12, 1749, was a soldier from Newbury. Benjamin's mother died on the 22d of August, 1776, and his father died suddenly in the pulpit on the 4th of May, 1777. Their graves may still be seen in the old cemetery at the Centre village.

ALLEN, LEMUEL, - was a sergeant of the Saugus company. No record has bcen found of his birth or parents. He was, however, born prior to 1755. Inasmuch as Allen was not a Lynn name, it is probable that he was born outside of Lynn and moved here before the Revolution. He owned and occupied a large farm northwest of the present Cliftondale station of the Saugus Branch Railroad, on Essex Street, known in late years as the George N. Miller place. The house was burned some years ago.
Lemuel Allen was first married, by Rev. Joseph Roby, to Mrs. Sarah Viall on November 29, 1771. He married, second, January 30, 1778, Mary, daughter of Rev. Joseph Roby. Mary Roby was born December 20, 1755. Their only daughter, Rachel, became the wife of Daniel Hawkes. Mr. Allen, who was called a tanner in 1785, was not prominent in town affairs, his only service being that of hog reeve in 1766 and 1769 and warden in 1781. Of his Revolutionary service, in addition to that of April 19, 1775, he was commissioned as lieutenant in Captain John Poole's 2d company, 1st Essex County regiment, April 26, 1776. It is doubtful whether he saw active service after the 19th of April, 1775.

even to-day. Abner Alley was a grandson of Hugh Alley, and great-grandson of Hugh Alley, the emigrant, who was born in England in 1608, and came to America in 1635 in the "Abigail," and died in Lynn, November 25, 1673. The emigrant, Hugh, was an extensive landowner in Lynn and Nahant, and a part of his estate embraced the territory near the present Market Street, and remained in the family for at least two hundred years. Solomon Alley, great-uncle of Abner, was one of Captain Lothrop's company, the flower of Essex, and was killed in the fight at Bloody Brook, September 18, 1675.
     Abner Alley was married May 25, 1762, by Rev. Nathaniel Henchman, to Sarah Webber, who was probably the daughter of Richard and Sarah Webber. She was baptized in Marblehead, November 14, 1742.
     Like that of many of his townsmen, the only service of Abner Alley in the Revolution was that of the 19th of April, 1775, when he went with his company to Menotomy. Although he was a cordwainer, he went to sea in 1778, and was probably lost in that year, as would appear from a certificate on file in the probate records at Salem. His estate was appraised by Colonel John Flagg and Ephraim Breed, who set off the widow's dower, according to the custom of the times. In this quaint document she was given "the two lower rooms in the dwelling house and half the cellar under said house, with the use of the oven in the south room for baking, and liberty to pass and repass through the front door and entry to and from the chambers and cellar, as occasion may require." She was married, however, on the 29th of November, 1784, to Jonathan Burt, of Wilmington. Nothing further is known of her.
     Abner Alley was cousin to Ephraim, Nathan, and Joseph, who were also in the Revolution.

and his brother Nathan were soldiers of the Revolution. They died within three days of each other, Joseph's death occurring on the 10th and Nathan's on the 7th of February, 1832. Both are buried in the old Eastern Ground.
Joseph Alley was married by Rev. John Treadwell, December 13, 1781, to Hannah Batchelder, born September 17, 1759, daughter of Henry and Jerusha (Breed) Batchelder. Their children were Sally, Hepzibah, Joseph, Henry, George, and Hannah. He was a stablekeeper and lived on Market Street, between Liberty and Essex.
Revolutionary record: Private, Captain Ezra Newhall's company, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, service seventeen days; also Captain Newhall's company, Colonel John Mansfield's regiment; order for advance pay dated Cambridge, June 8, 1775; also muster-
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ALLEY, NATHAN, - son of Joseph and Rebecca (Hall) Alley, was born February 29, 1752. He was brother of Joseph and Ephraim Alley, cousin of James and Abner, and descended from the emigrant ancestor, Hugh. He married Mary Alley, December 1, 1777, and lived on the easterly side of Estes Lane, now Union Street. The house, which was torn down many years ago, was situated between Exchange and Union Streets, on a hillside which has since been cleared away. His land extended to and embraced the site of at least a portion of the present property of the Boston & Maine Railroad. Although he was born on Market Street, the greater part of his life was spent at the above place, and it was with the greatest indignation that he heard of the projected railroad. He is said to have shaken his fist and to have declared that it should never go through his land, or, if it did, that he hoped that he should never see the day. It was not, indeed, until after his death that the land was taken for the new enterprise.
In his early life Mr. Alley was connected with the old First Church, but when the Methodist preacher, Jesse Lee, came to town, in 1791, he was one of the first to join the new church, and with his wife remained a member for the rest of his life.
A frequent visitor and intimate friend of Mary Alley, his wife, was Moll Pitcher, and Mrs. Alley related to her grandchildren many tales of the famous fortune-teller. She always claimed that General Washington came to Lynn to consult "Aunt Polly," as she called her, and even said that at one time a British officer also came and tried to gain some idea of Washington's intentions, and that the crafty old lady threw him off the trail. She said that Moll's son was often stationed in the attic with a heavy chain, which he rattled at intervals, thus producing
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In personal appearance Nathan Alley was short, somewhat stout, with face smooth-shaven. In manner and dress he was rather old-fashioned. On the Friday evening on which he died, his son had accompanied him to Market Street to the home of his brother Joseph, who was seriously ill. The son went to church, but called for his father on his way home. Before Nathan reached home, however, he was stricken with apoplexy on Union Street. Although he was assisted into Mr. Johnson's shoe-shop and old Dr. John Lummus called to attend him, he died almost immediately. The date of his death was February 7, 1832, and that of his brother Joseph three days later. He was buried in the old Eastern Ground on Union Street, at the top of the hill, beside his wife who had died six years before.

ATTWILL, THOMAS HICKS, - son of William and Lydia (Hicks) Attwill, was baptized April 20, 1766; married, by Rev. Obadiah Parsons, Januuary 22, 1788, to Joanna Mansfield, and lived at one time in the old Johnson house, which stood where the First Methodist Church now stands. They had one daughter, Joanna, who became the wife of Christopher Bubier and mother of Samuel M. and Edward T. Bubier. Samuel M. Bubier became mayor of Lynn. After the Revolution Thomas Hicks Attwill taught music and travelled through Vermont and New York. Although he was in Lynn as late as 1798, as would appear from the ledger of Dr. James Gardner, it is probable that his later years were not spent here, inasmuch as his relatives lost track of him. His wife, Joanna, died here, February 24, 1817, at the age of fifty-two years, and is buried in the old Western Burial Ground.
The Revolutionary rolls give the service of Thomas Hicks Attwill as fifer in Captain Addison Richardson's company, Colonel Wade's Essex County regiment, showing that he enlisted July 12, 1780, when he was but fourteen years of age. He was discharged October 10, 1780, making his service three months and eleven days.

ATTWILL, WILLIAM, - son of Nathan and Anna (Ramsdell) Attwill, was born in 1730; married Lydia Hicks, of Boston, to whom he was published April 22, 1753. His wife, who was daughter of Zachariah and Lydia (Dagget) Hicks, was born in Boston, October 31, 1732, and died January 8, 1812. Their home was in the old Attwill house, which stood upon the Common and which was moved to Whiting Street, where it stilI remains. Their children were Lydia, Zachariah, Anna, Mary, Hannah Hicks, Thomas Hicks, William, Salley, John Dagget, and Betsey. William Attwill, the father, died November 5, 1806.
Revolutionary record: Private in Captain Daniel Galeucia's company, Colonel Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge's regiment, and in Captain Eleazer Lindsey's company of the same regiment; enlisted in the latter company May 20, 1775, service two months and thirteen days; also in Captain Brown and Devereux's companies, Colonel Jacob Gerrish's regiment of guards, at Cambridge, enlisted February 3, 1778, service five months, three days; on muster-roll for January, 1778, dated Camp at Winter Hill - Mass. Archives.

ATTWILL, ZACHARIAH, - son of William and Lydia (Hicks) Attwill, was born October 9, 1755; married on the 16th of July, 1778, by Rev. John Treadwell, to Elizabeth Breed, who was born June 7, 1758, daughter of Amos and Ruth (Newhall) Breed. Their children were Zachariah, Amos, Mitcheson, Ruth, George, Betsey, Jesse Lee, Polly, Thomas Hicks, William Burres, and Lydia. They lived "in a certain dwelling with barn and ten poles of land, situate in Lynn, nigh ye meeting-house, and lately enjoyed by Edward Howard, the land bounded in every part by ye town common." This land was deeded to Zachariah May 24, 1784, and he lived there until appointed keeper of the almshouse in the early part of the last century. The dwelling was the old house which now stands on Whiting Street, numbered 35. There is a tradition in the family that in the days when the king needed more fighting men, and was obliged to resort to impressment to increase his army, Nathan Attwill, the grandfather of Zachariah, was washing his hands in the brook which ran past the above-mentioned house on the Common, when the press-gang came along. In the fight which followed his arm was broken, but he was told that, being a strong man, they had rather have him with one good arm than many another man having two. He was taken away subsequently, and never returned. The tradition has come down through four generations of the family.

The almshouse which Zachariah kept was at the corner of Fayette and Chestnut Streets, where the East Lynn Odd Fellows' Building now stands. This he kept for a number of years until the almshouse on Tower Hill was opened, when he also continued for a time as keeper there. He died in Lynn, November 6, 1836, at the age of eighty-one years, in the home of Amos Attwill, a house which was torn down to make way for the St. Mary's parochial residence. He was buried on the south side of the old Western Burial Ground, where his grave is marked by a white stone bearing the inscription, "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace." His wife, who is also buried in the old Western Ground, died July 1, 1827.

BACHELLER, JAMES, - private, son of Samuel and Hannah (Breed) Bacheller, was born in Lynn, February 26, 1756. His father was an older brother of Rupee, Theophilus, and Jonathan Bacheller, all of whom were in the Revolution. Like most of the young men and boys of the town, he was enrolled as a minute-man, and went with his company on the 19th of April. He saw no further service. He was married in Lynn, August 26, 1784, by Rev. Obadiah Parsons, to Elizabeth Perkins, born November 8, 1761. His home was in a small, two-story house which stood on the Common, on the site of the David S. Boynton estate, at the corner of Hanover Street. In a little shop near by he carried on the business of shoemaking. He had a class of customers among the wealthy people of Salem, and made frequent trips there, accompanied by his apprentice boy, John Lewis Loring, who is still living (in 1902). Mr. Loring says that the shop of Mr. Bacheller was the rendezvous of the old veterans who came in to fight their battles over to the accompaniment of the busy click of the hammer.
The children of James Bacheller were Aaron Newhall, Polly, Samuel, Betsey, Nathaniel, James, and Sally. Mr. Bacheller took little part in the affairs of the town, being of a quiet and retiring nature. He was pensioned under the first act giving pensions to Revolutionary soldiers at the rate of $1.25 per month. The records of the pension office were unfortunately burned, and no data of early cases have been preserved. He died August 31, 1837, and his wife died December 13, 1845. They are interred in the old Western Burial Ground, where a marble stone and bronze marker of the S. A. R. were placed at his grave in 1904.

BACHELLER, THEOPHILUS, - son of Henry and Sarah (Stocker) Bacheller, was born June 11, 1751; married, by Rev. Joseph Roby, to Mehitable Breed, daughter of Josiah and Mary Breed, November 28, 1781; children, Josiah, Mehitable, Sarah, Samuel, James, and Samuel. He was married, second, by Justice Dorman, of Andover, to Zerviah Cornish.
His home was at the corner of South Street and Market Square, in a house which he built and which remained on the same spot until April, 1903, when it was moved to the rear of the lot and converted into a tenement house. The venerable Mr. Benjamin S. Skinner, who remembers Theophilus Bacheller well, describes him as a small man of very pleasant countenance, whose occupation was that of a cabinet-maker. He was one of the five remaining members of the old First Church in 1791, when the Methodists formed the new society. His death occurred in October, 1833; that of his wife, Mehitable, February 29, 1804, at the age of forty-seven, and of his second wife, Zerviah, April 11, 1821, at the age of sixty-three.

Revolutionary record: In his deposition for a pension he says that he enlisted, February 5, 1776, as private in Captain Edes's company, and served two months at Prospect Hill and was then discharged. In the summer of 1776 he served several weeks in Captain Bullard's company,and was serving in Boston under General Ward when he heard the Declaration of Independence read from the balcony of the Old State House. On May 6, 1777, he again enlisted as a volunteer in Captain Joseph Hiller's company, Colonel Jonathan Titcomb's regiment, and served until July 6 on a campaign to Rhode Island, and was discharged there. On November 1, 1777, he enlisted as a substitute for one Breedeen, and was soon appointed as a sergeant-major in Captain Huse's company, both in Colonel Gerrish's regiment, and served therein at Cambridge fourteen months till December 28, 1778. He was appointed lieutenant, November 6, 1778, and during all of said time of service he was employed in guarding the Hessians and British prisoners at Cambridge, and remained there for a month after they had gone. Sta-
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BAKER JOHN, - private, thirteenth child of Thomas and Rebeeca (Kellse) Baker, was born in Lynn, May 16, 1753. He was descended from John Baker, who was in Lynn as early as 1642. After the 19th of April, 1775, he returned to Lynn, and enlisted on the 6th of May in the company of Captain Ezra Newhall, then forming for service in the new army. He was present at the evacuation of Boston, and later marched with his regiment to New York, where he participated in the battles of Fort Washington and Fort Lee. His regiment afterward retreated across New Jersey with Washington, and was in the battle of Trenton. All trace of Private Baker is lost at this point, and it is possible that he died in the service.

BALLARD, JOSEPH, - son of Ebenezer Ballard, of Lynn, was born in 1746; married November 27, 1767, to Mary Norwood; probably had no children. He died May 31, 1796, and is buried in the old Western Burial Ground beside his wife, who died August 25, 1801. The following inscription is on his gravestone: "Who in the meridian of his years endeared himself to society by that general deportment which characterize the good citizen." He was on the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety in 1778, and the Massachusetts Archives also give the following service: First lieutenant, Captain Rufus Mansfield's 4th company, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775; service, two days.
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BANCROFT, JAMES, - son of John and Ruth (Newhall) Bancroft, was born in Lynnfield, March 21, 1732; was grandson of Thomas Bancroft, the emigrant ancestor, and nephew of Captain Nathaniel Bancroft. He was married in Reading, November 25, 1755, to Esther Smith, of Reading, and lived in Lynnfield Centre, in the house known as the "Bancroft House." He was a tithing-man in 1757 and a warden in 1774, also serving as clerk of the parish in 1779-80. He was at the time of the Revolution a slaveholder, for on August 23, 1772, he, as master, offered for baptism "Essex," a negro.
The Revolutionary record is given as follows: Private, Captain Nathaniel Bancroft's company, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775; service, two days.
The following service also probably belongs to this man: Lieutenant in Colonel John Mansfield's regiment, commissioned June 7, 1775; also Captain Gideon Foster's company, Colonel Mansfield's regiment; receipt for wages dated Cambridge, June 26, 1775; also receipt for advance pay dated Cambridge, July 4, 1775; also muster-roll dated August 1, 1775; enlisted May 6, 1775; service, three months, two days; also Captain John Baker's company, Colonel Mansfield's regiment; company return (probably October, 1775); also Captain Baker's company, Colonel Israel Hutchinson's regiment; order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money dated Camp at Winter Hill, December 25, 1775; return of men enlisted in Continental Army from 1st Essex County regiment dated February 16, 1778; joined Captain James Bancroft's company, Colonel Michael Jackson's regiment; enlistment three years or during the war; also ensign, Colonel Jackson's regiment; list of officers dated West Point, November 8, 1779; also list of officers promoted in the Continental Army; commissioned July 4, 1780, also Continental Army pay accounts for service from January, 1, 1780, to December 31, 1780; reported served four months, twenty days as ensign, seven months, ten days as lieutenant; also reported as agent of the 8th regiment; also lieutenant in Colonel Ezra Bedlam's (8th) regiment; list of officers dated Phillipsburgh, July 18, 1782; enlisted May 12, 1780. - Mass. Archives.
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BANCROFT, JAMES. - There is some doubt in regard to the identity of the Jamcs Bancroft who was a member of Captain Ezra Newhall's company on the 19th of April. As nearly as can be ascertained, he was a son of James and Esther (Smith) Bancroft, and was baptized in Lynnfield, January 2, 1757. He was married to Sarah Parsons, of Leicester, Mass. Served through the war, being discharged in 1783. At the time of his death in April, 1803, he was an inspector in the Boston Custom House. The military record of James Bancroft, as it appears on the Massachusetts rolls, is as follows : -
Private, Captain Ezra Newhall's company, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775; service, fifteen days.
Sergeant, Colonel Michael Jackson's regiment; Continental pay accounts for service from March 21,1777, to October 6,1777; reported promoted to ensign; also ensign; Continental pay accounts for service from October 7, 1777, to December 31, 1779; also sergeant, Captain James Bancroft's company, Colonel Jackson's regiment; return dated April 9, 1779.

BANCROFT, JOB, - son of John and Eve Bancroft, brother of John and half-brother of Lieutenant James, was born in Lynnfield, April 7, 1754; married Sarah Upton, of North Reading, January 10, 1782, and lived in 1789 and 1797 in Salem. He died, July 7, 1802, at the age of forty-eight. He is buried in the old Hill Cemetery, near the old State Normal School, in Salem. By occupation he was a housewright.
Revolutionary record: Private, Captain Miles Greenwood's company, Colonel Jacob Gerrish's regiment of guards, enlisted November 11, 1777; roll made up to February 2, 1778; service, two months, twenty-two days; also pay-roll for service from February 3, 1778, to April 3, 1778, two months, one day; roll dated Camp at Winter Hill; also private, Captain John Flint's company, Colonel David Green's regiment, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, service two days; also Captain Asa Prince's company, Colonel John Mansfield's regiment;
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BANCROFT, JOHN, - son of John and Eve Bancroft, was born in Lynn, October 21,1749. He was a housewright, and lived in Reading and Lynnfield. He was married by Rev. Benjamin Adams, October 24, 1768, to Mary Walton, daughter of Jacob and Eunice (Hawkes) Walton, of Reading; children, John, Mary, Eunice, Nathaniel, Betty, Jacob, and Rhoda.
Revolutionary record: Private, Captain Enoch Putnam's company, Colonel John Mansfield's regiment; order for advance pay dated Cambridge, June 8, 1775; also private, muster-roll dated August 1,1775; enlisted May 12,1775; service, two months, fifteen days; also company return dated October 6, 1775; reported enlisted in the train July 19, 1775; also Captain Putnam's company, Colonel Israel Hutchinson's regiment; order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money dated Winter Hill, October 27, 1775; also matross, Lieutenant William Perkins's company, Colonel Richard Gridley's (artillery) regiment; company returns (probably October, 1775); also order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money dated November 6,1775.

BANCROFT, JOHN. - Little has been found concerning this man except that he was born in Lunenberg, Mass., November 14, 1753, and came to Lynnfield in 1756, and lived with his uncle, to whom he was later bound out. He was married June 20, 1776, to Mrs. Mary Newhall. He was a private in Captain Ezra Newhall's company, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, service fifteen days; also in Captain Ezra Newhall's company, Colonel John Mansfield's regiment; order for advance pay dated Cambridge, June 8,1775; also private, muster-roll dated August 1, 1775; enlisted May 4, 1775, service three months, four days; also private and corporal; company returns dated October 6, 1775; also Captain Newhall's company, Colonel Israel Hutchinson's regiment (19th); order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money dated Winter Hill, November 4, 1775. - Mass. Archives.
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BANCROFT, NATHANIEL, - captain of the Lynnfield company, April 19, 1775, was the son of Deacon John and Mary (Mansfield) Bancroft, and was born in Lynnfield, October 22, 1725. He was grandson of Ensign John and Elizabeth (Eaton) Bancroft, and great-grandson of Lieutenant Thomas Bancroft, who came to Dedham, Mass., in 1647. In 1655 Lieutenant Thomas hired a part of Samuel Bennett's five-hundred-acre lot at Saugus, and in 1670 bought sixty acres at Beaver Dam, Lynnfield.
Inasmuch as the name Bancroft is one of the most prominent in the Lynnfield records, it may not be out of place here to enter into a description of the home of Thomas, the ancestor of Captain Nathaniel. Mrs. Mary A. Parsons, of Lynnfield, whose knowledge of the old Second Parish is very valuable, says; "In 1678 Elizur Holyoke sold James Russell, of Charlestown, a farm near 'Reding', of some 550 acres, 'which lands were partly granted and partly purchased by my honored grandfather, Mr. Edward Holyoke, of Lynn.' The land had been improved by Thomas Bancroft, and in the deed of sale exception is made of a small piece 'about an acre and a half which the sd. Bancroft hath built upon and fenced in from sd. farm.' It is further described in a document conveying it to Thomas Bancroft as a 'parcell of land in Linn, neare Beaver dam at ye east corner of my farme lately sold James Russell of Charlestown.' The boundaries of the Holyoke land can be so traced as to leave no doubt that the east corner of the farm corresponds with the site of the ancient Bancroft house in Lynnfield, illustrated herewith. In this connection it is interesting to add that in one of the old genealogies of the Bancroft family it is stated that Thomas Bancroft settled in Lynnfield (so called) near where the meeting-house now stands." This of course refers to the old church erected in 1714. August 19, 1691, the immigrant, Thomas Bancroft, then styled Lieutenant, died, and in the following autumn his estate was divided. The homestead, including house and land, fell to the youngest son, Ebenezer. The property remained in this line until the spring of 1895, when the house and three acres of land were sold. In the year following the house was torn down. Mr. Ebenezer Parsons, of Lynnfield, the last occupant, is of the seventh generation from Lieutenant Thomas, the line being, Lieutenant Thomas¹, Captain Ebenezer², Cap-
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tain Ebenezer³, Lois (Bancroft) Parsons⁴, Ebenezer Parsons⁵, Ebenezer Parsons⁶, Ebenezer Parsons⁷. Mr. Parsons easily remembers his grandfather, the Revolutionary soldier whose maternal grandfather, Captain Ebenezer Bancroft, was grandson of Lieutenant Thomas. The occupancy of the premises for generations by descendants of Lieutenant Thomas explains the present possession of many relics of the past by the living representatives of the family.
     As to the house itself, it was originally built with a simple gambrel roof, the extension shown in the illustration being probably less than one hundred years old. Though there are traditions relative to internal changes, such as of certain rooms having been finished off later than others and of the big fireplaces giving way to smaller ones, there is yet not the faintest suggestion that the owner sought to improve away the house in favor of a new one. As to the style of architecture, in determining the age of the building, it may be said that the gambrel roof is likely to be of a date ranging from about 1692 to 1745, although a tradition says that the gambrel roof on the "Witch House" at Salem was put on before 1668.
     The first entry in the Lynn Precinct Book mentions It meeting in the old house, as follows: -

                                                                                 "LYN, Janewary 16 1711.
     then ye inhabitens of Lyn farms so calld on ye north sid of ye heyway yt leads from Reding to Salem having had information yt part of our inhabitans are by part of Reding drawn in a petision with them for the bulding of a meeting hous we then met together at ye house of capt. bancroft and agreed on a plas for seting a meeting hous."

     The captain mentioned was Captain Ebenezer, son of Lieutenant Thomas, the immigrant. Another entry reads: -

     Although the first Ebenezer Parsons was only fourteen years and four months old when independence was declared, he went forth again and again to fight for his country. Of his grandmother, "relict" of the second Captain Ebenezer Bancroft, the quaint church record made by her minister, Rev. Mr. Adams, reads: "Thus died that Godly woman."
     Long after the Revolution, during the war of the sects, Mr. Parsons gave land for a Methodist church building, and many an argument on free grace versus predestination was heard in the Bancroft house, and there was bitter grief when the little church, after a few prosperous years, went down. Few other houses in Lynn farms or even Lynn could tell so much, if spoken words could be reflected from their ancient walls. Yet the time came in the course of the march of progress when this house was felt to be in the way, for it came so close to the road, when the latter was straightened, that it seemed out of gear with its surroundings, and, since it had not been kept in good repair for some time, it was better perhaps that it should be taken down and allowed to sleep with its fathers of the wilderness, from whence came its big oak beams and rafters.
     It is not certain whether or not Captain Nathaniel Bancroft was born in the old Bancroft house. His first dwelling of which we have knowledge was the old house in which he lived after his marriage on the 18th of May, 1749, to Mary Taylor, of Sudbury, Mass. This house stood near the one now occupied by Mr. John M. Danforth. It was demolished years ago, and he later built the large house now occupied by Mr. Danforth, who is his great-grandson. The children of Nathaniel Bancroft were Nathaniel, Thayer, Hannah, Nathaniel, Bridget, Mary, and Thomas. He early became prominent in military and town affairs. On February 7, 1767, he was commissioned captain of the military company of foot, of Lynn, in the regiment of militia in the county of Essex, Benjamin Pickman colonel. The commission issued by the royal governor, Francis Bernard, and countersigned by Andrew Oliver, of Stamp Act notoriety, is a venerable relic, which through the courtesy of his great-grandson, John M. Danforth, of Lynnfield, is reproduced herewith. The town records show the fact that he was tithing-man in 1757, 1758, 1762, 1764, 1771, and 1773; warden in 1763; selectman 1769, 1770; treasurer of the parish 1765, 1774, 1776 to 1781,
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1783, 1785, 1786, and 1787. He was chosen a deacon of the Second Parish Church, May 31, 1763, which office he held until his death. During the fall preceding the Revolution he again became interested in military affairs, and was made lieutenant of the Lynnfield company of minute-men. Soon after he was given his old position as captain. On the morning of the 19th of April he mustered his company, and, although fifty years of age, marched with his men to Menotomy, the circumstances of which are related in the Lexington chapter of this book. On May 8, 1775, he was elected a delegate to the Provincial Congress, but declined to accept. In 1781 and 1782 he was a member of the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety for the town, and did patriotic service in that connection. He was at all times prominent in the consideration of town and religious matters: and was highly esteemed for his integrity and steadfastness of character. Deacon Nathaniel Bancroft died June 26, 1810, at the age of eighty-five. His wife, Mary, died October 5, 1815, at the age of ninety. Both are buried in the old cemetery at Lynnfield Centre, just opposite the church where for fifty years he was an honored figure. Their graves are suitably marked, and his stone bears the inscription: "He served his generation by the will of God and was laid with his fathers." The Essex Gazette, of contemporary date, in commenting upon his death, said, "He was a gentleman who in private and public life sustained a character of distinguished excellence."

BASSETT, WILLIAM, - not strictly a Lynn man.

BATTS, JOHN, - sergeant in Captain Ezra Newhall's company on April 19, 1775, came to Lynnfield from Malden. He was warned out of Lynn, December 18, 1765, with his wife, Hannah, and children, John and Ruth, they having come in October of that year. The wife Hannah, who is mentioned in the old record, was Hannah Brown, to whom he was married in Malden, published August 30, 1761, by Rev. J. Emerson. She died in 1777, and he married, second, Rebecca Lock, of Cambridge, May 10, 1778, Rev. Mr. Roby performing the ceremony. John Batts had a large family of children, and occupied during the later years of his life the house on Lincoln Street in Saugus, known during the Revolution as the Thomas Stocker place. His son William became somewhat noted in the privateering business during the War of 1812, and, being under age at the time, the prize money which was his portion came to the father. The daughter Hannah married Lewis Bruce, a soldier of the Revolution. The date of the death of John Batts is unknown. The pension records give the fact of a pension having been granted his widow, Rebecca, August 28, 1832, at which time she was eighty-two years of age. The amount which she received was $87.66 a year up to the time of her death, March 4, 1841.
Besides acting as sergeant in Captain Ezra Newhall's company of minute-men, serving twenty-one days, John Batts enlisted in Captain
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BELKNAP, ABEL, - son of William and Hannah (Flagg) Belknap, was born in Woburn, May 24, 1754; married September 27, 1774, by Rev. John Treadwell, to Bethia Newhall, daughter of Andrew and Susanna (Brown) Newhall, born in Lynn, August 8, 1755. Her sisters married Theophilus Farrington and Isaac Organ, Revolutionary soldiers. June 11, 1796, Abel and Bethia Belknap conveyed land in Lynn, they being then of "Germaine Flats." It is probable that he removed to Canajoharie township, Montgomery County, N.Y., about 1790, inasmuch as his name is given among heads of families of that place in that year. From thence he removed to Germaine Flats in the neighboring Herkimer County, and from thence, about the year 1812, to Chili or Rega, now known as Chili Station, nine miles from Rochester. At the latter place he seems to have been the prime mover in organizing a Presbyterian church, and the session records show that he and his wife and two children became identified with that church by letter. The names of his children are given in the following order: Abel, Hannah, Susannah, Polly, Sally, Elizabeth, Clarinda, and a son John, mentioned at the conclusion of his will as having had his share.

Abel Belknap and his wife, Bethia, died at Chili Station, where both are buried. Abel's death occurred April 3, 1838, and Bethia's October 26, 1833. Through the courtesy of Mr. H. E. V. Porter, of Jamestown, N.Y., a descendant of Abel Belknap, we are able to give some facts concerning his death. Mr. Porter recently visited Mrs. George Baldwin, an old lady of some eighty years of age, still living at Chili Station, whose husband was the grandson of Abel Belknap. She remembers the latter well, having known him when she was a child, and she distinctly remembers having heard him many times speak of his experiences as a soldier. Of his death, which was the result of an accident, she went on to say that he was very hard of hearing as a result of his
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service in the Revolution, and on account of this he stepped in front of a horse driven by a reckless rider, and thus received injuries which caused his death.
     The following is his Revolutionary record: Private, list of men, who served at Concord battle and elsewhere, belonging to Lynn, Lynnfield, and Saugus; also Captain Ezra Newhall's company, Colonel John Mansfield's regiment; order for advance pay dated Cambridge, June 8, 1775; also company return dated October 6, 1775; also Captain Newhall's company, Colonel Israel Hutchinson's regiment; order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money dated Winter Hill, November 4, 1775; list of men taken from the orderly-book of Colonel Israel Hutchinson of the 27th regiment, dated Fort Lee, November 16, 1776; reported taken prisoner at Fort Washington; served in Captain Newhall's company. - Mass. Rolls.

BENT, TIMOTHY, - son of Hopestill and Beulah (Rice) Bent, was born in Sudbury, Mass., March 24, 1747.
     Revolutionary record: Private, Captain John Williams's company, Colonel Rufus Putnam's (4th) regiment; muster return dated Albany, February 9, 1778; residence, Lynn; enlisted from the town of Lynn; mustered by John Cushing, Esq., reported deceased. - Mass. Rolls.

BERRY, JAMES, - supposed to be the James who was married to Mary Stocker, November 29, 1764, by Rev. Joseph Roby.
     Revolutionary record: Second lieutenant, Captain Zadock Buffinton' s company, Colonel Johnson's regiment; enlisted August 12, 1777; discharged November 30, 1777, at Cambridge; service, three months, nineteen days. - Mass. Roll.

BERRY, JOHN, - was probably born about 1742. He married Rachel, daughter of John and Ruth (Bancroft) Berry, about 1770. His children were Sarah, Rachel, Joseph, Lucy, and John. He and his wife (who was a sister of James, Job, and John, and niece of Captain Nathaniel Bancroft) owned the covenant at Lynnfield, December 22, 1771. That he was a blacksmith is proved by an order given by the parish, November 23, 1770, for hinges for the church, and later for repairs. He was paid for "mending the parsonage fences" in 1770, and for "taking care of the meeting-house" in 1774. Little is known of him, except that he was with his company on the 19th of April, and was one of those who that night helped to bring home the body of his
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neighbor, Daniel Townsend. He died soon after the war, and was buried in the old ground at Lynnfield Centre. A marble stone and bronze marker of the S. A. R. were placed at his grave in 1904.

BERRY, SAMUEL, - a Samuel and wife, Mary, with children, Thomas, Hannah, and Mary, were warned out of town in 1771. They were from Woburn, and he is probably the Samuel whose Revolutionary record was as follows: Fifer, Captain Ezra Newhall's company, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775; service, fourteen days; also Captain Newhall's company, Colonel Mansfield's regiment; order for advance pay dated Cambridge, June 8, 1775; also muster-roll dated August 1, 1775; enlisted May 2, 1775; service, three months six days; also company return dated October 6, 1775; also Captain Newhall's company, Colonel Israel Hutchinson's (19th) regiment; order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money dated Camp at Winter Hill, November 4, 1775. - Mass. Archives.

BERRY, THOMAS, - son of Thomas and Rebecca (Ballard) Berry, was born in Saugus, May 30, 1734, and probably descended from Thaddeus, who came from Ireland and was in Lynn in 1665. It is also probable that he is identical with the Thomas Berry who appears on the rolls as drummer, and also with the Thomas Barry who was the drummer in Captain David Parker's Saugus company, on the 19th of April, 1775. The name "Barry" does not appear on the Saugus church records, but "Berry" does, and it is safe to assume that the names are one. After the engagement of April 19, Thomas Berry enlisted in Captain Ezra Newhall's company, Colonel John Mansfield's regiment, and received advance pay at Cambridge, June 8, 1775. He was within sight of the battle of Bunker Hill with his company on the 17th of June, 1775, and on the 4th of November he received an order for a bounty coat or its equivalent in money, and was in camp at Winter Hill during the following winter. In the spring of 1777 the advance of General Burgoyne occasioned a demand for men, and the town voted to give each man who should enlist for three years the sum of �14, and an additional bounty of �10 if he should serve until the end of the following November. Mr. Berry enlisted March 9, 1777, as a drummer, and marched with a considerable number of men to Peekskill, N.Y., where he was assigned to Captain John Williams's company, Colonel Rufus Putnam's 5th Massachusetts regiment. Here he served in the Burgoyne cam-
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paign, and was in the engagements at Stillwater and Saratoga. At the surrender of the British general his drum was one of those which beat the march while the lines of the enemy filed by to stack their arms. His name appears on the Continental Army pay accounts for service to December 31, 1779, and on various muster-rolls, dated at Albany, as late as March 11, 1780, at which time his enlistment expired. He was then honorably discharged.
The will of a Thomas Berry is on file at the Probate Court at Salem, and was placed there May 2, 1781. It is not unlikely that it belonged to this man. In it his wife Mary was made executrix, and his son James is mentioned. He describes himself as a cordwainer. The inventory is interesting as showing the great depreciation of the Contincntal currency at that time. The estate was appraised at �3,115. This sum was reduced by the scale of depreciation to silver money to the amount of �4. 5s. 2d. Among other things mentioned are "one pair silk hose, �60, one beaver hat, �150, two coats and one jacket, �250, two gallons of rum, �40."
Thomas Berry is undoubtedly buried in the old Western Burial Ground in an unmarked grave, possibly near that of his son James, which is at the left of the entrance.

BLANCHARD, AMOS, - was not accredited to the town of Lynn during the war, but lived here at its close. He was a pensioner in 1840, and died May 25, 1842, aged seventy-six. He was one of the very last of the old Revolutionary heroes to die, and was buried in an unmarked grave in the old Western Burial Ground. He was one of the four prominent survivors of the war who took part in the celebration of the 4th of July, 1825.
The old "Merry House," so called, was on the northerly side of Boston Street, near Grove. Master Amos Blanchard lived there, and taught the little school at the western end of the Common. He was a musician in the Revolutionary War. From 1811 to 1824 he led the singing in the Old Tunnel Meeting-House, and played the bass-viol in the church for many years.
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