Revolutionary War Veterans and Civilian Casualties in Westlawn Cemetery

Timothy Prescott

April 19, 1775: Westford’s First Foot Company

Born in Westford on November 21, 1728 to Jonas and Esther Spaulding Prescott he married Lydia Fletcher February 22, 1753 and they had 11 children.
On April 19, 1775 he marched in Westford’s First Foot Company under Captain Oliver Bates and served 4 days. Timothy participated in may town and church committees over the years. Lydia died in 1798 and Timothy then married Rebekah Barrett Prescott 1800. He died April 30, 1808

Gravestone: Weeping Willow and Urn

Stephen Wright

Continental Army

Stephen was born in Littleton May 24, 1764 to Peter and Ellen Wright. In July 1780 he served in Col. Cyprian How’s Company for 3 months but did not apply for a pension until 1855 and his name does not appear in Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailor of the Revolutionary War causing him to be confused with other men by the same name. On April 5, 1787 Stephen married Sarah Prescott of Westford and had several children. Stephen died at the home of his daughter in Shelburne MA on February 16, 1857 at 92. His probate record from Franklin County, #7696, p. 17, shows he was brought back to Westford for burial and that Amos Day was paid $3 for digging his grave.

Gravestone: text only

Francis Leighton

April 19, 1775: Westford’s 2nd Foot Company

Francis was born in Ipswich July 22, 1734 to John and Hannah Tredwell Leighton. Upon his marriage Oct 20, 1760 to Lydia Fitch, they moved into the house with her father Samuel Fitch in Westford. The had 11 children. On April 19, 1775, he served in Capt. Minot’s company of militia with service of 3 days. He continued to serve the town in various capacities throughout the war. Lydia Fitch Leighton died Feb. 13, 1801 and on Nov. 28, 1802 he married Hannah Brown Davis of Acton, the widow of Isaac Davis who died at the Concord battle. He died April 9, 1806 at 71.
Alternate spellings in records are Laughton and Laighton.

Gravestone: Weeping Willow and Urn

Nathan Davis

Ashby Minutemen

Nathan Davis was born in Concord MA April 25, 1744 the son of Thomas and Sarah. He married Mary Blood of Groton on May 28, 1767 and they had 12 children and lived in Ashby. On April 19, 1775, he served as a private with Capt. Samuel Stone’s company of minutemen in Col. William Prescott’s regiment and served for 10.5 days. Mary Blood Davis died in 1812 in Cambridge at 67. Nathan married Mary Proctor Carver in Westford in 1813. Nathan died January 15, 1817 at 72.

Gravestone design: Weeping Willow and Urn

Isaac Patten

Massachusetts Militia

Isaac Patten was born in Chelmsford March 6, 1761 the son of Isaac and Lydia Chamberlin Patten. He served as private in Capt. Aaron Jewett's company, enlisted August 29, 1777; was discharged October 19, 1777 and marched to Saratoga. He married Lydia Keyes on September 8, 1782 and they had 10 children. Isaac lived in Chelmsford, but a deed given in 1790 gives his residence as Ashby, and he was there in 1788. He afterward went to Westford to live. He collected a pension for his service in his final years and died Oct 13, 1836 aged 75 years.

Gravestone: Tomb, text only

Joseph Prescott

April 19, 1775: Westford’s First Foot Company

Joseph was born in Westford on May 19, 1749 to Ebenezer and Elizabeth Sprague Prescott. He married Abigail Derumple of Groton on December 22, 1774 and they had 6 children. On April 19, 1775 he marched with Westford’s 1st foot company of militia and served 3 days. Joseph died April 1, 1813 at age 63.

Gravestone: Tomb

Oliver Reed

April 19, 1775: Westford’s Minute Company

Son of William and Thankful Spaulding Read. He was baptized on Aug. 15, 1756. On April 19, 1775 he marched with the Westford Minute Men and served 8 days, later serving in the Provincial Army for 96 days and the Continental Army July 1777 to January 1778. Oliver married Abigail Read in April of 1779 and they had 5 children. After the war he applied for a pension. He died June 20, 1791 at age 34.

Gravestone: Cherub

Benjamin Robbins

Continental Army

Benjamin Robbins was born on July 10,1758, to Zachariah and Elizabeth Proctor Robbins. He served in 1776 at White Plains and from September to November 1777 to assist the army under General Gates. He married Huldah Robinson, daughter of Col. John Robinson, on August 25,1784, and they had 8 children. He died on January 14,1837 at the age of 78.

Gravestone: Weeping Willow and Urn

Oliver Wright

Massachusetts Militia

Born on October 7, 1759 to John and Sarah Wright of Westford. He served from August 1777 to January 1778 at Rhode Island. He married the widow Dolly Prescott on March 30, 1797 and they had 2 children. He died in May 1834 at age 74.

Gravestone: Weeping Willow and Urn

Isaac Preston Durant

Lexington Training Band, Continental Army

Isaac Durant is the son of Henry and Susanna, born in Littleton on September 16, 1757. On the morning of April 19, 1775, he was living in Lexington and later testified, "that about 5:00 hearing our drum beat, we proceeded towards the parade, and soon found that large bodies of troops were marching towards us." The next month he enlisted in the army at Cambridge as a drummer and served 91 days. He continued to serve as a drummer at other times in the war, one month in 1777, 6 months in 1778, 9 months in 1779 and at the end of the war in 1781. On returning home he married Helena Wendell from Salem in 1784 and they had 9 children. He eventually moved to Westford and lived in a home on the road to the village center. Capt. David Prescott Lawrence a longtime resident of Westford stated that he remembers Isaac Durant a revolutionary soldier, who was blind and was guided about the village by a little grandson. He died in Natick on January 9, 1848 at the age of 90.

For further information: https://www.lexingtonminutemen.com/isaac-preston-durant.html

Gravestone: Weeping Willow and Urn

Sampson Fletcher

Massachusetts Militia

Sampson was born in Westford August 22, 1758 to Samuel and Mary Lawrence Fletcher. He served with the army in Cambridge in 1776 and from September to December of 1778 to fortify posts at or about Boston. On February 1, 1785 he married Dorothy (Dolly) Fletcher and they had 7 children. He died on September 2, 1828 at age 70.

Gravestone: Weeping Willow and Urn

Peter Hildreth

Massachusetts Militia

Peter was born in Westford on March 1, 1753 to Ephriam and Priscilla Barron Hildreth. He served with a unit to reinforce the Continental Army in April 1778 when he was 25 years old and was noted to be 6 feet in stature. Peter died May 29, 1819 at age 66.

Gravestone: Weeping Willow and Urn

David Prescott

April 19, 1775: Groton Minutemen

Born in Groton November 2, 1753 to David and Abigail Wright. On April 19, 1775 he was with the Groton Minutemen, who arrived too late for any fighting. He enlisted in the army in August 1775 and served 3 months and again for 5 months in 1777 in Rhode Island with Col Robinson. He married Mary Blood February 24, 1780 and they had 5 children. He died November 20, 1813 at age 60.

Gravestone: Weeping Willow and Urn

Lt. Col. John Robinson

Led troops at Concord Bridge, Massachusetts Militia

John was born on July 25, 1735 in Topsfield to Jacob and Mary Gould Robinson. In 1760 he served as an officer in the French and Indian War. John married Huldah Perley on November 17, 1764, and moved to Westford. They had 7 children, 3 died in the 1775 epidemic of the Bloody Flux. On April 19, 1775, Col. John alongside Col Barrett of Concord led the troops at the North Bridge in Concord and he continued with the army into the camp at Cambridge and later led troops at Bunker Hill. In 1777 he commanded a militia regiment keeping watch over British occupied Newport RI. After the war he was active in town affairs and served in Shay’s Rebellion 1786-7. He died June 13, 1805, at age 69. In 1824, the Rev. Joseph Thaxter, one of the first army chaplains of the war and a witness of the events at the North Bridge, said of Robinson, "a braver and more upright man I never knew." Further, he proclaimed that "Such men … ought not to be forgotten by those who write the history of the commencement and prosecution of our glorious revolution."

For further information see: https://www.westford.org/westford1775/Col_John_Robinson.html
and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Robinson_(militiaman)

Gravestone: Weeping Willow and Urn

The Robinson Daughters

Civilian Casualties

In the late summer and early fall of 1775, the civilians of Massachusetts towns were besieged by an epidemic of the Bloody Flux or Camp Fever, a type of dysentery that can be deadly to children. The disease was brought into the towns by soldiers returning from their service in the camps around Boston. Col. John Robinson and his wife Huldah lost 3 of their daughters within 10 days. Betty who was born 1770 and Sarah born May 3, 1772 both passed on August 30, 1775 and Mehetebel born August 9, 1767 died on September 7 1775.

Gravestones: Cherub, Effigy

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23799022/betty-robinson

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39044845/sarah-robinson

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23799033/mehetebel-robinson

Elijah Hildreth

April 19, 1775 Westford’s 2nd Foot Company

Elijah Hildreth was born in Westford on February 21, 1750, the son of Ephriam Jr and Priscilla. On April 19, 1775, he served as a drummer in Westford’s 2nd Foot Company under Capt. Jonathan Minot for 6 days service. He married Molly Read in early 1776 and they had 9 children. He died March 17, 1798 at the age of 47.

Gravestone: no design, possibly replacing a missing marker.

Nathaniel Boynton

Civilian, Town Official

Nathaniel was born in Westford on June 8, 1724, to Nathaniel and Hannah Perham Boynton. He married Rebecca Barrrit in 1750 and they had 10 children. During the revolutionary period he served the town, he was elected as Ensign in the militia in 1771, was clerk to Town Meeting in 1770 when they took a vote to support non-importation of British goods and served as a selectman for many years. He died April 5, 1798 at age 73.

Gravestone: Weeping Willow and Urn

Abijah Read

Continental Army

Born in Littleton July 15, 1754 to Peter and Elizabeth Hartwell Read (Reed/Reid) Abijah served in the army at Provincial Army in 1776 then in the Continental Army 1777-1779. He married Elisabeth Boynton in 1786 and they had 2 children, Elisabeth died in 1793. He then married Susanna Colman in 1793 and had 11 children. Abijah was placed on the pension roll in 1818 for his service as a sergeant in the Massachusetts line. He died on March 17, 1844 aged 89.
Further details on his service: https://www.westford.org/westford1775/MSSRW_Q_U.html

Gravestone: Weeping Willow and Urn

David Goodhue

April 19, 1775: Westford’s First Foot Company

Born in Ipswich in 1742 to Francis and Sarah Fowler Goodhue, he married Esther Prescott in Westford November 5, 1767 and they had 7 children. On April 19, 1775, he was a Lt. in Capt. Oliver Bates company with a service of 15 days. The epaulet worn during the war can be seen at the Westford Museum. https://museum.westford.org/epaulet-featured-artifact-of-the-week/#more-8389 He continued to serve in the local militia and government rising to the rank of Col. He died August 3, 1798 at age 56.

Gravestone: Soul Effigy

Rogers King

April 19, 1775: Westford’s 2nd Foot Company

A son of Richard & Elizabeth King of Littleton, MA on February 10, 1725/6. He married Lydia Wood on June 22, 1767 at Littleton, MA and Westford vital records show they had 3 children. On April 19, 1775, he served in Capt. Jonathan Minot’s company of militia and served for 3 days. Little more is known about him. He died January 18, 1797 at 71.

Gravestone: Effigy

Zachariah Hildreth

Massachusetts Militia

Born in Chelmsford December 28, 1728 to James and Dorothy Prescott Hildreth. He married Elizabeth Prescott on April 12, 1753 and had 12 children. In 1776 he was a 2nd Lt. in Capt. Zaccheus Wright’s company of the 6th Middlesex Regiment, Massachusetts Militia. He died April 18, 1784 at age 55.

Gravestone: Cherub