18th Century Costumed Guide Biographies

These are the Freedom Trail Players' historic characters, the regular citizens of Boston and Massachusetts who were at the front line of the revolt against Britain, played on their walking tours of the Freedom Trail. For special events - corporate and conventions - the Players also play the more famous men and women of the Revolution such as Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, Abigail Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, Charles Dickens, Jane Austin and many more men and women of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Elizabeth Wells Adams

Elizabeth Wells Adams was the second wife of Samuel Adams. She was the daughter of Francis Wells, an English merchant who moved his family to Boston in 1723. After the death of his first wife in 1757, Sam married Elizabeth Wells on December 6, 1764. He was 42 and she 29. Elizabeth did not have any of her own children with Sam, however, she raised his two children from his previous marriage, Samuel and Hannah. They were married for almost 40 years before Sam died in 1803. Elizabeth died five years later.

Most of what is known about Elizabeth's life comes from knowledge about Sam Adams' activities in Massachusetts prior to, during and after the Revolution.

Though the family lived in a large mansion (inherited from Sam's family) on Purchase Street in Boston, Elizabeth spent a lot of time trying to make ends meet on a small budget. During the early Revolution, she and Hannah stayed in Cambridge with Elizabeth's father while Sam was in Philadelphia attending the Continental Congresses. Elizabeth and Sam wrote letters to each other while they were separated. Sam's letters to "Betsy" show he was concerned that she be able to escape Cambridge if the British should capture the area. Elizabeth later became an early First Lady of Massachusetts when Sam served as Governor of the Commonwealth from 1793-1796.

Hannah Adams

Hannah Adams, born October 2, 1755, was the first professional woman writer in America. Born in Medfield, Massachusetts, and having learned Greek and Latin from Harvard boarders at her family's home, she published her first book in 1784, An Alphabetical Compendium of the Various Sects Which Have Appeared from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Present Day. After lobbying the federal government in 1790 to pass the first copyright law, Adams wrote several other books which earned her the respect and assistance of prominent Boston intellectuals who then gave her access to their libraries. A distant cousin of John Adams, Hannah died in 1831 and is interred in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Nathaniel Balch

Nathaniel Balch was a hatter in the old town, and a finer hat could not be found anywhere on Freedom Trail. He was a very close friend of a John Hancock, who gained great renown for his leadership in our country's founding.John Hancock was a witty fellow and would frequently invite Nathaniel to his many splendid dinner parties. Nathaniel's witticisms never failed to "set the table in a roar." During Hancock's administration as the first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Nathaniel was a constant companion who sometimes jibed him as "King Hancock."

As his dear friend John Hancock lay dying, he called Nathaniel to his side and dictated the minutes of his will in which he specifically directed that his grand stone mansion, standing alongside the newly built Massachusetts State House, should be left to the commonwealth as a governor's mansion. Why he should summon a hatter rather than a lawyer to compose his will is curious. John Hancock died intestate. His family struggled to hold on to the mansion, losing it in the early 1800's. That great house in which so much mirth and history had been shared over a bounteous table was finally torn down; and to this day, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts provides no official residence for its governors.

Jonathan Cook

Jonathan Cook was a tailor by trade, and had a shop on Cornhill Street. According to the 1790 census he was married and had children. Jonathan was also a member of the Freemasons. He was also an appointed member of Engine Company No.7 of Boston's Fire Department, which was housed in a shed near the Old South Meeting House. It is believed that Boston had the first paid fire department in the colonies.

The men were paid per fire and were excused from militia duty so that they would be available to respond. In addition to this, to encourage "haste," a bounty of five British Pounds was awarded to the company that arrived at the fire first. Cook's tour includes a brief monologue that touches upon the history of firefighting in Boston as well as how fires were fought in colonial times.

Richard Dale

Richard Dale was born in Virginia, and went to sea at the age of twelve and had captained ships before he turned 20. During the revolution he joined the Virginia navy. He briefly joined the loyalist forces but was captured by the Continental Brig Lexington. That vessel's captain convinced Dale to return to the American cause.

He was an officer on Lexington until she was taken by the British. Imprisoned in England, Dale twice escaped, and made his way to France. His next position was as a Lieutenant on board the Continental warship Bonhomme, commanded by John Paul Jones. He performed valiantly during her desperate fight with HMS Serapis on 23 September 1779. For the remainder of the war, Dale served in the frigates Alliance and Trumbull, and was Commanding Officer of the privateer Queen of France.

William Dawes

William Dawes, or "Billy Dawes" as he was sometimes called, is also often referred to as 'the Other Midnight Rider' due to his participation in the same events of April 18, 1775 that made Paul Revere a house hold name.

Like Revere, Dawes was asked by patriot leader Dr. Joseph Warren to escape Boston with word of the British Advance on Lexington. Unlike Revere, Dawes chose an overland route, managing by unknown means to pass through the checkpoint on Boston neck. From there he proceeded to Lexington after alerting the Roxbury militia.

Despite the fact that he had begun his ride hours before Paul, he found upon arrival that Revere had beaten him there by half an hour thanks to the advantage of a shorter route facilitated by a boat ride across the Charles' River. From there, Dawes and Revere made for Concord. Along the way, Revere was captured by British soldiers and William Dawes fell off of his horse and out of the history books.

William Dawes was a leather tanner, and after the Revolution, a successful grocer. He fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill and became a major in the Continental Army, serving as an army commissary. Dawes had a reputation as a stout fellow who didn't take any guff- he once pushed a British Redcoat who made an inappropriate remark towards his beloved wife Mehitable.

Captain Michael Finch

Capt. Michael Finch served on the First Regiment of Foot Guards that came to the American colonies to assist the regular army in its struggle with the colonial rebels seeking independence. The Guards were the sovereign's personal bodyguard and because the revolution was supported by a greater portion of the population, their services were required. Orders were issued from Guards Headquarters in London to form a detachment for service in the American theater taken from the three regiments of Foot Guards; the First Foot Guards, Coldstream or second Guards; and the Third or Scots Guards.

Captain Michael Finch was an officer and adjutant with the First Foot Guards.The detachment consisted of 15 privates from each of the 64 companies of Foot Guards and the appropriate addition of officers. The Guards wore the standard red coat with royal blue facing, collar and cuff colors.Captain Finch would have come from a family of substantial means, often aristocratic in origin. His uniform was elaborate, and, therefore, expensive and had to be paid for by the officer himself. The average British officer transported three coats and no less than 20 shirts. British social class consciousness demanded that he always maintain strict dress code, even during war.

Margaret Kemble Gage

Margaret Kemble Gage was born in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1734. Descended from a very well-known family. Her father, Peter Kemble, was a wealthy businessman and politician; and grandfather was Stephanus Van Cortlandt, the Mayor of New York. She married her father's schoolmate in 1758, Thomas Gage, who became the commander-in-chief of the British army during the Revolutionary War. They had two children, a son Henry, who become the 3rd Viscount Gage and a daughter, Charlotte Margaret.

Margaret was suspected of being a spy for the colonists and was suspected of leaking the advance of British forces to Lexington and Concord to Dr. Joseph Warren. It was also alleged that she was not only an informant to Warren but also his lover. Husband Thomas Gage sent Margaret to England to "tend to the family estate." Margaret was well known as one who enjoyed parties. John Singleton Copley stated that his portrait of her was the best painting of a woman he had ever created.

Joshua Garlic

My name is Joshua Garlic. My family has lived in Boston from it's founding. My parents Increase and Mary Garlic came with Reverend John Winthrop in 1629. I was born July 2, the year of our lord 1752 in the north end. I attend the north end church where I was baptized and a member of good standing. I meet a lovely woman named Anni we married seven months later and built a house in the north end were we live with our two children and one on the way.

I have been working the docks scents I was 15. Loading and off loading ships it is hard and honest work. There was plenty of work untell recently when more and more regulars have come to town and started to take our jobs. As a consequence I joined the Sun of Liberty in hope that we can make them leave our city. Scents then I have become an ardent Patriot and soon we will kick of the yoke of oppression and tyranny than has come to our city! Remember as they say in New Hampshire live free or die!

Jean Gordon

Jean Gordon was a widowed ex-slave who bought her freedom while working as a tavern wench at the Salutation Tavern. The Salutation Tavern is run by another widow (they find themselves to be sisters in spirit, quiet as it's kept).
Gordon learned how to read and write by asking children to share their lessons of the day with her. With that knowledge she writes little notes to Paul Revere, a North End neighbor, to let him know of haphazard mutterings and movements of British habitués of the tavern.

Dorothy Quincy Hancock

Dorothy Quincy, born in 1747, was the youngest of 10 children. By all accounts she was well-educated, well-spoken, and good company - capable of keeping up with the men's political disputes. Dorothy, having been invited to join the Hancocks at a family property in Lexington, become a witness to the events of the Battle at Lexington in 1775. Shortly after this, at the advanced age of 28 (a decided 'old maid' by contemporary standards!) she married John Hancock. They had two children, a daughter Lydia, who died at the age of eight months from a childhood illness; and a son John George Washington Hancock.

This young boy was nine years old when he had a tragic accident while ice skating on Frog Pond, on Boston Common, and died. The couple was survived by no children. Dorothy outlived John by some 40 years, eventually marrying Capt. James Scott, whom she also outlived.

Ebenezer Hancock

Ebenezer Hancock, brother to renowned patriot John Hancock, was born in 1741. His father, a minister in Braintree, died when Ebenezer was 3 and John was 8. Ebenezer's Uncle Thomas was a successful Boston merchant.

Originally, Ebenezer was going to follow his father's profession. However, Ebenezer came to Boston and had a change of heart upon seeing the benefits of mercantilism. At the age of 18, his Uncle Thomas also trained him in the art of being a merchant.

The Ebenezer Hancock house, built in 1767, is located on Union Street. Ebenezer later became the deputy paymaster general for the Continental Army and died in 1819.

Sarah Hutchinson

Sarah Hutchinson was the daughter of the last loyalist governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson. She was named after her grandmother and was born in Milton, MA in 1764. She moved to England at age 10, leaving Boston in disgrace as Hutchinson was replaced by General Gage in 1774.

Sarah later married Stephen Oliver in 1801. Oliver was the son of the famous Boston stamp collector, Andrew Oliver. Sarah was a loyalist and supported the crown. She had a happy life in London and is back visiting Boston for the season.

Hannah Howard

Hannah Howard, a descendent of the founders of Boston, was born in 1752 on a farm in North Malden, Massachusetts. The youngest of 12 daughters, Hannah moved to Boston at the age of 13 to work as an apprentice in her cousin's millinery shop on Court Street. She mastered the art of fine dressmaking and was employed by the wealthy ladies of Boston to clothe them in the latest of European fashions. In 1775, Hannah secretly married a very handsome British soldier, who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. She died at age 25 of a broken heart.

Barzillai Lew

Born in 1743 to Primus and Margaret Lew in Groton, Barzillai, an African American, was described as "big and strong with an extraordinary talent as a musician." He was a member of the English forces in the 1760 war against the French and Indians serving with Capt. Thomas Farrington's Company. About 1767, he purchased Dinah Bowman's freedom for $400 and married her. Early in the American Revolution, his skills and talents were called upon again and he served with Captain John Ford at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775 as a fifer.

With wages from his military service, Barzillai and Dinah purchased a large tract of farmland on the far side of the Merrimack River.They built a house near Varnum Avenue and Totman Road. As active members of the community, he and his wife served as musicians at the Pawtucket Society Church on Mammoth Road, which in 1832 organized the first anti-slavery meeting in Lowell.

Ebenezer Mackintosh

Ebenezer Mackintosh was a shoe maker, sealer of leather, and mob leader hailing from Colonial Boston's South End. Leading the South End's mob in the anti-Catholic Pope Day riots, he gained the experience needed to lead protesters to the doors of Stamp Master Andrew Oliver and Chief Justice of the Royal Court Thomas Hutchinson. These became known as the 1765 Stamp Act riots, which resulted in looting and destroying both loyalists homes.

Mackintosh earned the phantom title of "Captain General of the Liberty Tree," derived from the magnificent elm which served as the outdoor rallying point of the Sons of Liberty, He was a founding member of the revolutionary organization, but was ultimately pushed out and replaced by Thomas Wharton Jr., who would later become Governor of Pennsylvania.

Mackintosh departed Boston in 1774, ultimately rebuilding a life for himself in rural New Hampshire. There he served as a private in the militia and continued his fight for American Independence. He died in 1816 and is allegedly buried in an unmarked grave in Vermont. He was married twice, and fathered at least four children.

Capt. Daniel Malcolm

North End resident and member of the Sons of Liberty, Capt. Daniel Malcolm's claim to fame is smuggling 60 casks of wine without paying the duty on it. Job title - smuggler.

Little else is known of him, though his tombstone is well marked in Copps Hill Burying Ground. Daniel Malcolm was born in 1724 and died in 1769.

Lydia Mulliken

Lydia Mulliken lived in Lexington, Massachusetts across the street from Munroe's Tavern. On the night of April 18, 1775, she was inadvertently swept up into the events that were hurdling the colonies toward war with England. Not long before, the much-sought-after Lydia had accepted the marriage proposal of Dr. Samuel Prescott-a "high Son of Liberty."

Dr. Samuel Prescott was at the home of Ms. Mulliken that fateful night. When the hour got late, he let himself out of her house by jumping out of the back window; and then, mounting his horse, rode toward his home in Concord. He soon encountered Paul Revere and William Dawes on the road, and, as fate would have it, joined them in their famous "midnight ride."

While Doctor Prescott was gone, Red Coat reinforcements arrived from Boston and proceeded to burn down the home and shop of Lydia Mulliken and her family. She survived. But that night sealed Lydia's claim to fame.

Elizabeth Murray

Elizabeth Murray was born in 1726 in Scotland's borderlands. She moved to the America in her youth and settled in North Carolina before moving to Boston in 1749 at age 22. She became one of the few she merchants or female shop owners in Boston. She sold imported British goods. Over the years, Elizabeth had three husbands - Thomas Campbell, James Smith and Ralph Inman. She signed the first prenuptial agreement in America before her marriage to Smith. Inman who left Elizabeth to fend for herself in Cambridge on their estate while he took refuge in Tory Boston.

She was accused of being a traitor and a spy. Officers on both sides of the conflict defended her honor. She died in 1785 at age 58. Elizabeth Murray is buried in Kings Chapel Burial Ground and her grave is no longer marked.

Elizabeth Otis

Elizabeth Otis was the youngest daughter of James Otis. James Otis was famously known for being outspoken against the British - most specifically for speaking against the wrtis of assistance in 1761. Elizabeth, however, did not follow her father's political inclinations and infuriated him when she fell in love and married a British soldier. In his will, James Otis left his daughter one measely shilling. Elizabeth's husband fought in the battle of Bunker Hill, and was injured, and then secured a new position in London.

James Otis

James Otis is well known for his famous speech inside the Old State House, "Taxation without representation is Tyranny!" He was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts, on February 5, 1725 and was dubbed "The Great Patriot." He was known as the greatest speaker of the day for the rights of the colonists.

Jeremiah Poope

Jeremiah Poope was born on October 2, 1745, in Roxbury, Masachusetts, the 13th of 18 children born to Mehitable Clapp and Rev. Increase Poope. The first Poope landed on these shores in 1629 at Salem, and Jeremiah is descended from him. His occupation is a journeyman yeoman. Jeremiah died in 1775 when the small boat in which he was rowing out to the Battle of Bunker Hill was blown out of the water by a British Man-O-War. His remains were believed to be in the Granary Burial Ground, until a recent revelation that his is actually interred in both Forest Hill Cemetery in Jamaica Plain, MA and Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA.

Elizabeth Revere

Elizabeth Revere, the 7th child of Paul Revere's 16 children, was born on December 5, 1770, in the North End. Her mother Sarah died when she was just three years old, so she was raised by her stepmother, Rachel Walker.
Her parents were very encouraging of her education and taught her and her sisters to read and write at home. At the age of 26, she went on to marry Amos Lincoln, a carpenter, mason and friend of her father's.
The Revere House, the oldest building in Boston, still stands in the North Square. Elizabeth Revere died in 1805, at the age of 34.

Rachel Revere

Rachel Revere was the second wife of Paul Revere. They were married in 1773; she was 27 and he was 37. By the time of his famous ride, they had a newborn daughter together. She went on to bear eight children. Rachel Revere was known for her sunny disposition and devotion to her children, including the eight children Paul had by his first wife, Sara Orn. Rachel lived until 1810 and is buried with Paul at the Granary Burial Ground. It was widely known that Rachel and Paul were close and had a happy marriage.

Deborah Samson

Born in Plympton, MA, Deborah Samson was already hard at work by the age of five. After her father, Jonathan Samson, Jr., abandoned her family, she worked as a seamstress apprentice to support her mother, Deborah Bradford, and six siblings. Ten years passed as Deborah worked on a Middleborough farm and by the time she was 18, Deborah was a school teacher. However, she spent most of her adolescence as a farm hand, growing as strong as the boys who labored with her. When she was approximately 21, Deborah marched into a Bellingham tavern and enlisted in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Army under the alias "Robert Shirtliffe."

Serving for a little over one year, Deborah was stationed in upstate New York, where her regiment maintained control over uproarious Loyalists who refused to support the Revolution. She engaged in hand-to-hand combat and suffered a musket ball wound to her upper thigh. Rather than expose her true identity, Deborah dug the musket ball out of her leg with her knife and wasn't discovered until she later fainted from a fever. The punishment for a woman impersonating a man was severe, but Deborah had deceived her entire regiment and the Continental Army. On October 23, 1783, General George Washington hand delivered a notice of honorable discharge to Deborah, making her not only the first woman to serve in the American Military, but the first to be honorably discharged.

After her military service ended, Deborah continued to work diligently, touring the country, speaking about her military experiences. "The American Heroine," as Deborah was coined, was the first professional female lecturer. Deborah Samson married Benjamin Gannet in 1785 and together they had three children. Her life spanned nearly seven decades and she passed away in Sharon, MA on April 29, 1827 in a home built by her son, which still stands today.

On May 23, 1983, Governor Michael J. Dukakis named Deborah Samson "The Official Heroine of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

Thomas Savage

Major Thomas Savage was born in 1606 in Taunton, England and came to Boston in April of 1635. He married and became first orderly sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1637. He had 18 children with two wives and resided at the corner of Fleet and North Streets, with his tailor's shop on the lower end of Cornhill, now Washington Street. Major Savage was especially prominent in military affairs and died in 1637. He was laid to rest at the King's Chapel Burial Ground in Boston.

Capt. Silas Talbot

Capt. Silas Talbot was one of General Washington's "rascally privateers" during the War for Independence. Appointed a Captain of the Army of the United Colonies by John Hancock in 1775, he served with the Army until becoming Captain of the privateer ships Argo in 1778 and General Washington in 1780. Captured by the Royal Navy in 1780 he was held as a prisoner of war until December 1781.

After serving as U.S Representative for New York from 1793-94, Silas Talbot became one of the original six Captains appointed when the United States Navy was created in 1794. He became the second Captain of the USS Constitution in 1799, defending American interests in the West Indies from privateers.

Dr. Joseph Warren

Dr. Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 - June 17, 1775) was an American doctor and soldier. He is most well remembered for playing a leading role in American Patriot organizations in Boston and for his death as a volunteer private soldier while also serving as chief executive of the revolutionary Massachusetts government. Warren studied medicine at Harvard College, graduating in 1759 and then taught for a time at Roxbury Latin. He married 18-year-old heiress Elizabeth Hooten on September 6, 1764. She died in 1772, leaving him with four young children.

While practicing medicine and surgery in Boston, he joined the Freemasons and eventually was appointed Grand Master. He became involved in politics, associating with John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and other radical leaders. He became active in the Sons of Liberty, and was appointed Chairman of the Massachusetts Committee of Correspondence.

After receiving intelligence about British troop movements, he sent William Dawes and Paul Revere on their famous "Midnight Rides" on April 18, 1775, to warn Lexington and Concord of British raids. He was appointed a Major General by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress on June 14, 1775. His commission had not yet taken effect when three days later the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought. He served as a volunteer private against the wishes of General Israel Putnam and Colonel William Prescott, who requested that he serve as their commander. He fought in the front lines, rallying his troops to the third and final assault of the battle when he was shot through the face with a musket ball. Warren was killed instantly.