In thinking about the American Revolution that will culminate in a celebration of our 250th Anniversary on 4 July 2026, I became aware of my family ties to the revolution, but also how closely related the participants were.
The Memorial to the Lexington Minutemen lists seventy-eight individuals. Col Parker, who led the minutemen at Lexington is thought to have had one hundred and thirty-four men. Those men are identified at this LINK.
Of the names on the list, I seem to be cousins or nephews of just over half of Parker's Minutemen. Some of them are not particularly close relatives. For example: Daniel Mason is my seventeenth cousin ten times removed - if we believe the genealogy that well. According to the shared tree of Wikitree, Daniel and I share a grandmother, Adeline de Montfort, who was born in the 11th Century in France.
However, some are very close relatives. In fact, four of them are uncles. Two of them are fourth great uncles, Solomon Brown and James Brown. Solomon and James were brothers of my fourth great grandfather, Oliver, who my father, grandfather, great aunt, and probably great-grandmother used to get into the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution. (Oliver and Solomon have been mentioned in other blogs about the revolution I have done.) The other two, Nathan and Hammond Reed are fifth great uncles. It is no surprise, though, because, Nathan and Hammond are Oliver, Solomon, and James' uncles (Brothers of their mother, Sarah).
I have four first cousins in the mix, Francis and John Brown and Nathan and Thaddeus Reed. Francis, who served as a Sergeant, was wounded at Lexington. He was hit by a musket ball that entered his cheek and lodged in his neck. Despite the injury he commanded the company in 1776 and lived twenty-five more years. John was killed on that day while attempting to flee the Lexington Grounds.
In Parker's company, I have fourteen second cousins. One of them, Isaac Muzzy gave his life on the Green during the first shots of the Revolution and another, Joseph Comee, was wounded in the arm near the town's powder magazine not far from where fourth cousin, Caleb Harrington, was killed. Third cousin, Joseph Simonds, retreated back into the magazine and was ready to ignite the gunpowder with his flintlock if the British Regulars entered.
In total there were over 60 men in Col. Parker's minutemen of whom I am fourth cousins or closer. Quite simply this is because most of the people in the region during years leading up to the Revolution were closely related. So, if you are descended from one you are closely related to all.
We often think of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in romantic or idealistic ways. The truth is that it was messy and it was a disaster for the British, because they initiated something they were trying to prevent. It was a tragedy for the people of Lexington and Concord - because many of their relatives and friends died on that bloody Spring day.
Spring Day at the North Bridge at Concord
The Revolution didn’t begin with glory—it began with confusion, fear, grief, and the loss of people who were deeply loved. But from that messy, tragic morning emerged a nation that would grow into something far larger than any of them could have imagined. And perhaps the best way to honor them, especially on the 250th anniversary, is to remember them not as symbols but as real people whose lives—and deaths—still ripple outward into our own.
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