New Boston Historical Society

New Boston Historical Society
New Boston, New Hampshire
militia
Patriot's Day photo taken by the author in 2024

New Boston in the American Revolution

Patriot's Day in April 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington & Concord in 1775, a battle which began the American Revolution. Our country declared its independence from Great Britain in July 1776; however many years of fighting followed before the British surrender at Yorktown and the subsequent signing of a peace treaty.

This page is about New Boston, New Hampshire, during the war years 1775-1783, and it will be updated over time. Men from New Boston fought at Bunker Hill, Bennington, and Saratoga, among other famous battles, and we'll tell their stories. Some, like John McNeil, fought at sea. The women and children at home have their stories, too.

New Boston received its charter from King George III in 1763. How many people lived in our town when the war began, twelve years later? A census was conducted soon after Lexington & Concord:

Inhabitants of New Boston in 1775
164	men (boys) under 16
118	men 16-50 (eligible to serve in the militia)
27	men over 50
256	women of all ages (compared to 309 men of all ages)
4	slaves
569	TOTAL

Of the 118 men who were of military age, 20 enlisted in the first weeks of the war. You'll see on our town's soldiers monument the names of 138 men who served between 1775-1783; some of these men moved to New Boston after the war.

Two Stories from the New Boston Cemetery
gravestones
Dickey's obelisk is opposite the Town Tomb, while Lamson's stone is between the Tomb and the Hearse House.

BostonTeaParty
The Boston Tea Party happened from 6:00-9:00pm in December darkness.

Joseph Lamson (1759-1843) was "one among the number who threw the tea overboard in Boston harbor in 1773," according to Cogswell's History of New Boston. The artist's rendition of "The Destruction of Tea" is not completely accurate, as the tea chests were broken open first, and their contents were dumped at night, not in daytime. This was at low tide, so 90,000 lbs of loose tea leaves worth $1.7M in today's currency washed ashore and had to be shoveled back into the harbor the next day. A rare sample of this tea may be seen at the Mont Vernon Historical Society.

After the war began, Lamson fought at sea and in the Battle of Bennington in 1777. He married Sarah Patch in 1784 and moved to New Boston, where they had six children.

Redcoats at Concord watching out for Elias Dickey

Another man who came to New Boston after his war-time adventures was Elias Dickey (1751-1836) who, according to family legend, fought at Lexington & Concord in April of 1775 and at the Battle of Bunker Hill two months later. Elias also claimed to be one of the soldiers who captured the Molly Stark cannon from the British at the Battle of Bennington. Of his four children with Jennett McPherson, a son Elias III built a mill on the Piscataquog.

The Association Test
AssociationTest
New Boston was the least patriotic town in New Hampshire.

In 1776 the New Hampshire General Assembly's "Committee of Safety" directed all towns to require each man above 21 years of age to sign an Association Test, declaring that he would "defend by arms the United Colonies against the Hostile Attempts of the British Fleets and Armies."

62 men signed the Association Test in our town; however 47 did not, which meant that 43% of New Boston men remained loyal to King George, the highest percentage of Loyalists of any NH town.

The lists of names of signers and non-signers show divisions between Loyalists and Patriots within individual families. In future months we will explore the consequences of refusing to declare oneself a Patriot, and tell the story of the Loyalist doctor imprisoned for helping the British.

Patriot's Day — April 19, 2025
minuteman
Photos from Patriot's Day reenactments in 2024 and 2013

The 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution will be commemorated Saturday, April 19, 2025 at the Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, MA. No doubt traffic will be appalling; nevertheless the experience will be unforgettable! -- Dan R.

For more information about Patriot's Day 2025 please see:
https://www.nps.gov/mima/planyourvisit/patriots-day.htm

dick-moody
New Boston reenactor Dick Moody near Lexington, Patriot's Day 2015