GREAT GRANDFATHER OF CIVIL WAR MEDAL-OF-HONOR RECIPIENT AXEL HAYFORD REED
REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER, PRIVATE, CONTINENTAL ARMY
A BIOGRAPHY OF REVOLUTIONARY WAR VETERAN PVT. SAMPSON (I) READ, by Laurence Overmire (5th great grandson), genealogist and family historian, August 2020:
Born May 13, 1754, in Westford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Sampson (I) Read, the first of that name in this family line, was the youngest child of Joseph and Ruth (Underwood) Read. Sampson's father Joseph Read was a prominent man in Westford, which he represented for 20 years in the General Court. Joseph took part in the famous Boston Tea Party, an act of protest regarded by many as the spark that ignited the American Revolution. Joseph also served as a captain in that war. Evidence suggests he may have participated in the Battles of Concord and Bunker Hill.
On March 18, 1772, in Westford, at the age of 18, Sampson (I) married Lydia Phelps (b. October 1753, Westford), the daughter of Jonathan and Beulah (Parker) Phelps. The marriage probably took place at the First Parish Church of Westford. Rev. Willard Hall was the minister at the time. The church and the town were almost one and the same in those days. All the town meetings were held in the church and it was the center of all social activity as well.
Sampson (I) and Lydia Reed had three children:
1) Sampson Jr. Reed (1773-1827, m. Jane Bradford Ellis, a descendant of Gov. William Bradford of the Mayflower)
2) Lydia Reed (b. 4 Dec 1774)
3) Amy Reed (b. 1777)
Sampson (I) enlisted for service as a private in the Revolution on Jan. 1, 1776 in the Continental Army in Capt. Jonathan Minot's Company of Col. Baldwin's regiment. Sampson (I)'s older brothers Joshua, Benjamin, Joseph Jr. and Leonard also served in the Revolution. No doubt this was a family that firmly believed in the American cause.
Sampson (I)'s great grandson, Axel Hayford Reed, a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, wrote a book about the Reed genealogy titled, "Genealogical Record of The Reads, Reeds, the Bisbees, the Bradfords of the United States of America" (Glencoe, MN, 1915). In the book, he mentioned what little he knew about Sampson (I)'s Revolutionary War service:
"He [Sampson] was a soldier but being quite young in those war times he saw little service compared with his father and brothers. He is noted on the pay roll for travel pay from Westford, Mass., to headquarters in Cambridge, for 52 miles travel, double the distance to the town of Westford 23 miles southwest of Boston."
The pay abstract noted by Axel Reed above was dated Cambridge, Jan. 12, 1776.
A little more than a year later, on February 22, 1777, Sampson (I) Read died at the age of just 22. His cause of death, including whether or not it was related to his military service, is unknown.
About 1778, Sampson (I)'s widow Lydia married Revolutionary War veteran John Ames Jr. (1756-1833), a blacksmith. They had seven more children together:
1) John Ames (1779-aft 1832, m. Grace _______)
2) Jonathan Phelps Ames (1781-1863, m. Mary "Polly" Griffith, Sarah Griffith)
3) Ezekial Ames (1783-1806)
4) Sally Ames (1785-1851, m. Isaac Fuller, descendant of Mayflower passenger Dr. Samuel Fuller)
5) Polly Ames (1787-aft. 1832, m. Sylvanus Poland)
6) Ralph Ames (c. 1789-1864)
7) Betsey Ames (1790-1885, m. James Lee Putnam)
Lydia Phelps Reed Ames died on April 14, 1833, probably in Canton, Oxford County, Maine, at the age of 79. She was buried in the Ames Cemetery in Canton.
----
Notes by Laurence Overmire:
There were 15 Reads from Westford in the Revolutionary War. Sampson (I)'s father Joseph and his older brothers Joshua, Benjamin, Joseph Jr. and Leonard all served in the Revolution.
"March 18, 1772 Sampson Read to Lydia Phelps, " --from list of marriages, p. 379, History of Westford, Mass., March 10, 1910, cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
FROM MASSACHUSETTS SOLDIERS AND SAILORS IN THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION:
Read, Sampson.Private, Capt. Jonathan Minott's co., Col. Baldwin's regt.; pay abstract for mileage from home to headquarters and return, dated Cambridge, Jan. 12, 1776; mileage for 52 miles allowed said Read.
FROM AXEL REED GENEALOGY:
SAMPSON READ, son of Joseph Read and Ruth Underwood, b. May 13, 1754. He was a soldier but being quite young in those war times he saw little service compared with his father and brothers. He is noted on the pay roll for travel pay from Westford, Mass., to headquarters in Cambridge, for 52 miles travel, double the distance to the town of Westford 23 miles southwest of Boston. He married Lydia Phelps in 1772 and died Feb. 22, 1777, after three children were born to them, viz.:
Sampson, b. June 1, 1773, in Merrimac, Mass.;
Lydia, b. Dec. 4, 1774. Amy, b. 1777.
FROM AXEL REED GENEALOGY, P. 13-14:
Mrs. Alice Webber Child, wife of Hon. Sampson Reed Child, who visited several libraries including Boston's and the Newberry Library in Chicago, furnished the author with valuable information in regard to the genealogical record of the Read families, which proved by the history of Westford, Mass., that Sampson Read, the son of Joseph Read and Ruth Underwood, who was born at Westford, May 13, 1754, and died Feb. 22, 1777, "age 23," was the husband of "Lydia Phelps," a great-grandmother of many of the Reads and Reeds, who after bearing three children and the death of her husband, married John Ames at Hollis, Mass., a blacksmith, who moved to Hartford, Oxford county, Maine, about the year 1793. Mrs. Child, under date of Nov. 1909, writes in part: "I have several pages corroborating who Sampson was named for. His father (Joseph Read) was quite prominent during the Revolution, and I think all his sons were in the Revolution. On the roll of Captain Jonathan Minot's Co. Col. Baldwin's Regiment, enlisted Jan. 1, 1776, is "Sampson Read." Again, "Sampson Read, private Capt. Johnathans Co. Col. Baldwin's Reg. pay abstract for mileage from home to headquarters, and return, was dated January 12, 1776, 52 miles." There were fifteen Reads from Westford in the Revolutionary war.
MA TOWN AND VITAL RECORDS
Name:
Samson Read
Event Type:
Birth
Birth Date:
13 May 1754
Birth Place:
Westford, Massachusetts
Father Name:
Joseph Read
Mother Name:
Ruth
--
Name:
Sampson Read
Event Type:
Death
Death Date:
22 Feb 1777
Death Place:
Westford, Massachusetts
Father Name:
Joseph Read
Mother Name:
Ruth
MA COMPILED MARRIAGES
Name:
Lydia Phelps
Gender:
Female
Spouse:
Samson Read
Marriage Date:
18 Mar 1773
City:
Westford
County:
Middlesex
Source:
Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film # 0823579.
NOTES ON JOSEPH READ, SAMPSON (I)'s FATHER:
"He [Joseph] took an active part in the interest of the Colonists against the English egression and was one of 'The Boston Tea Party' that helped empty a ship load of tea into Boston harbor as a resentment of the English tax they had put on it and undertaken to make the colonists pay. It appears from the record that he and his five sons served in the revolutionary war to gain our liberty of free government from the English self-imposed yoke." --Axel H. Reed, p. 16
"[Joseph was] a man of distinction; was representative of the town of Westford, twenty years in succession, and was one of the Boston Tea-party, although then somewhat advanced in life." --Jacob Whittemore Reed, p. 159, from Axel Reed Genealogy, p. 14.
"Joseph Read, town clerk in 1753." --from p. 82, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"Capt. Joseph Read, Sept. 8, 1774." --from p. 82, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"Jan 16, 1775, the town voted 20 pounds to purchase arms and appointed Joseph Read on inspection." --from p. 103-110, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"At a meeting chose Captain Joseph Read to serve the town as delegate to go to the provincial Congress for six months, and June 5, town voted 'to pay Captain Joseph Read, 3 pounds and 15 shillings for 17 days' services and expenses.'" At the battle as well as at the struggle at Concord Bridge, "The Battle of Bunker Hill, Col. Robertson participated." --from p. 110, May 27, 1775, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
Sources:
1) Axel Hayford Reed, "Genealogical Record of The Reads, Reeds, the Bisbees, the Bradfords of the United States of America" in the line of Esdras Read of Boston and England, 1635 to 1915. Thomas Besbedge or Bisbee of Scituate, Mass. and England, 1634 to 1915. Governor William Bradford, of Plymouth, Mass., and England, 1620 to 1915." (Glencoe, MN, 1915),See the Minnesota Historical Society catalog at MNHS.org
2) Massachusetts, Town Birth Records, 1620-1850 (Vital Records of Westford)
3) Entries for Westford Men Found in Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, westford.org.
4) Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, 17 Vols., Vol. 13, p.27
5) Rev. Edwin R. Hodgman, A.M., Marriages, History of the Town of Westford in the County of Middlesex, Massachusetts, 1659-1883 (Lowell, MA, 1883), Part 1.
6) Charlotte Helen Abbott, Early Records of the Phelps Family of Andover (with dates for the most part, from family Bibles), Memorial Hall Library, mhl.org
7) Our History, Firs Parish Church United on Westford Common, firstparishwestford.org.
8) Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850
9) Charlotte Helen Abbott, Early Records of the Phelps Family of Andover (with dates for the most part, from family Bibles), Memorial Hall Library, mhl.org.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER, PRIVATE, CONTINENTAL ARMY
A BIOGRAPHY OF REVOLUTIONARY WAR VETERAN PVT. SAMPSON (I) READ, by Laurence Overmire (5th great grandson), genealogist and family historian, August 2020:
Born May 13, 1754, in Westford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Sampson (I) Read, the first of that name in this family line, was the youngest child of Joseph and Ruth (Underwood) Read. Sampson's father Joseph Read was a prominent man in Westford, which he represented for 20 years in the General Court. Joseph took part in the famous Boston Tea Party, an act of protest regarded by many as the spark that ignited the American Revolution. Joseph also served as a captain in that war. Evidence suggests he may have participated in the Battles of Concord and Bunker Hill.
On March 18, 1772, in Westford, at the age of 18, Sampson (I) married Lydia Phelps (b. October 1753, Westford), the daughter of Jonathan and Beulah (Parker) Phelps. The marriage probably took place at the First Parish Church of Westford. Rev. Willard Hall was the minister at the time. The church and the town were almost one and the same in those days. All the town meetings were held in the church and it was the center of all social activity as well.
Sampson (I) and Lydia Reed had three children:
1) Sampson Jr. Reed (1773-1827, m. Jane Bradford Ellis, a descendant of Gov. William Bradford of the Mayflower)
2) Lydia Reed (b. 4 Dec 1774)
3) Amy Reed (b. 1777)
Sampson (I) enlisted for service as a private in the Revolution on Jan. 1, 1776 in the Continental Army in Capt. Jonathan Minot's Company of Col. Baldwin's regiment. Sampson (I)'s older brothers Joshua, Benjamin, Joseph Jr. and Leonard also served in the Revolution. No doubt this was a family that firmly believed in the American cause.
Sampson (I)'s great grandson, Axel Hayford Reed, a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, wrote a book about the Reed genealogy titled, "Genealogical Record of The Reads, Reeds, the Bisbees, the Bradfords of the United States of America" (Glencoe, MN, 1915). In the book, he mentioned what little he knew about Sampson (I)'s Revolutionary War service:
"He [Sampson] was a soldier but being quite young in those war times he saw little service compared with his father and brothers. He is noted on the pay roll for travel pay from Westford, Mass., to headquarters in Cambridge, for 52 miles travel, double the distance to the town of Westford 23 miles southwest of Boston."
The pay abstract noted by Axel Reed above was dated Cambridge, Jan. 12, 1776.
A little more than a year later, on February 22, 1777, Sampson (I) Read died at the age of just 22. His cause of death, including whether or not it was related to his military service, is unknown.
About 1778, Sampson (I)'s widow Lydia married Revolutionary War veteran John Ames Jr. (1756-1833), a blacksmith. They had seven more children together:
1) John Ames (1779-aft 1832, m. Grace _______)
2) Jonathan Phelps Ames (1781-1863, m. Mary "Polly" Griffith, Sarah Griffith)
3) Ezekial Ames (1783-1806)
4) Sally Ames (1785-1851, m. Isaac Fuller, descendant of Mayflower passenger Dr. Samuel Fuller)
5) Polly Ames (1787-aft. 1832, m. Sylvanus Poland)
6) Ralph Ames (c. 1789-1864)
7) Betsey Ames (1790-1885, m. James Lee Putnam)
Lydia Phelps Reed Ames died on April 14, 1833, probably in Canton, Oxford County, Maine, at the age of 79. She was buried in the Ames Cemetery in Canton.
----
Notes by Laurence Overmire:
There were 15 Reads from Westford in the Revolutionary War. Sampson (I)'s father Joseph and his older brothers Joshua, Benjamin, Joseph Jr. and Leonard all served in the Revolution.
"March 18, 1772 Sampson Read to Lydia Phelps, " --from list of marriages, p. 379, History of Westford, Mass., March 10, 1910, cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
FROM MASSACHUSETTS SOLDIERS AND SAILORS IN THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION:
Read, Sampson.Private, Capt. Jonathan Minott's co., Col. Baldwin's regt.; pay abstract for mileage from home to headquarters and return, dated Cambridge, Jan. 12, 1776; mileage for 52 miles allowed said Read.
FROM AXEL REED GENEALOGY:
SAMPSON READ, son of Joseph Read and Ruth Underwood, b. May 13, 1754. He was a soldier but being quite young in those war times he saw little service compared with his father and brothers. He is noted on the pay roll for travel pay from Westford, Mass., to headquarters in Cambridge, for 52 miles travel, double the distance to the town of Westford 23 miles southwest of Boston. He married Lydia Phelps in 1772 and died Feb. 22, 1777, after three children were born to them, viz.:
Sampson, b. June 1, 1773, in Merrimac, Mass.;
Lydia, b. Dec. 4, 1774. Amy, b. 1777.
FROM AXEL REED GENEALOGY, P. 13-14:
Mrs. Alice Webber Child, wife of Hon. Sampson Reed Child, who visited several libraries including Boston's and the Newberry Library in Chicago, furnished the author with valuable information in regard to the genealogical record of the Read families, which proved by the history of Westford, Mass., that Sampson Read, the son of Joseph Read and Ruth Underwood, who was born at Westford, May 13, 1754, and died Feb. 22, 1777, "age 23," was the husband of "Lydia Phelps," a great-grandmother of many of the Reads and Reeds, who after bearing three children and the death of her husband, married John Ames at Hollis, Mass., a blacksmith, who moved to Hartford, Oxford county, Maine, about the year 1793. Mrs. Child, under date of Nov. 1909, writes in part: "I have several pages corroborating who Sampson was named for. His father (Joseph Read) was quite prominent during the Revolution, and I think all his sons were in the Revolution. On the roll of Captain Jonathan Minot's Co. Col. Baldwin's Regiment, enlisted Jan. 1, 1776, is "Sampson Read." Again, "Sampson Read, private Capt. Johnathans Co. Col. Baldwin's Reg. pay abstract for mileage from home to headquarters, and return, was dated January 12, 1776, 52 miles." There were fifteen Reads from Westford in the Revolutionary war.
MA TOWN AND VITAL RECORDS
Name:
Samson Read
Event Type:
Birth
Birth Date:
13 May 1754
Birth Place:
Westford, Massachusetts
Father Name:
Joseph Read
Mother Name:
Ruth
--
Name:
Sampson Read
Event Type:
Death
Death Date:
22 Feb 1777
Death Place:
Westford, Massachusetts
Father Name:
Joseph Read
Mother Name:
Ruth
MA COMPILED MARRIAGES
Name:
Lydia Phelps
Gender:
Female
Spouse:
Samson Read
Marriage Date:
18 Mar 1773
City:
Westford
County:
Middlesex
Source:
Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film # 0823579.
NOTES ON JOSEPH READ, SAMPSON (I)'s FATHER:
"He [Joseph] took an active part in the interest of the Colonists against the English egression and was one of 'The Boston Tea Party' that helped empty a ship load of tea into Boston harbor as a resentment of the English tax they had put on it and undertaken to make the colonists pay. It appears from the record that he and his five sons served in the revolutionary war to gain our liberty of free government from the English self-imposed yoke." --Axel H. Reed, p. 16
"[Joseph was] a man of distinction; was representative of the town of Westford, twenty years in succession, and was one of the Boston Tea-party, although then somewhat advanced in life." --Jacob Whittemore Reed, p. 159, from Axel Reed Genealogy, p. 14.
"Joseph Read, town clerk in 1753." --from p. 82, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"Capt. Joseph Read, Sept. 8, 1774." --from p. 82, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"Jan 16, 1775, the town voted 20 pounds to purchase arms and appointed Joseph Read on inspection." --from p. 103-110, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"At a meeting chose Captain Joseph Read to serve the town as delegate to go to the provincial Congress for six months, and June 5, town voted 'to pay Captain Joseph Read, 3 pounds and 15 shillings for 17 days' services and expenses.'" At the battle as well as at the struggle at Concord Bridge, "The Battle of Bunker Hill, Col. Robertson participated." --from p. 110, May 27, 1775, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
Sources:
1) Axel Hayford Reed, "Genealogical Record of The Reads, Reeds, the Bisbees, the Bradfords of the United States of America" in the line of Esdras Read of Boston and England, 1635 to 1915. Thomas Besbedge or Bisbee of Scituate, Mass. and England, 1634 to 1915. Governor William Bradford, of Plymouth, Mass., and England, 1620 to 1915." (Glencoe, MN, 1915),See the Minnesota Historical Society catalog at MNHS.org
2) Massachusetts, Town Birth Records, 1620-1850 (Vital Records of Westford)
3) Entries for Westford Men Found in Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, westford.org.
4) Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, 17 Vols., Vol. 13, p.27
5) Rev. Edwin R. Hodgman, A.M., Marriages, History of the Town of Westford in the County of Middlesex, Massachusetts, 1659-1883 (Lowell, MA, 1883), Part 1.
6) Charlotte Helen Abbott, Early Records of the Phelps Family of Andover (with dates for the most part, from family Bibles), Memorial Hall Library, mhl.org
7) Our History, Firs Parish Church United on Westford Common, firstparishwestford.org.
8) Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850
9) Charlotte Helen Abbott, Early Records of the Phelps Family of Andover (with dates for the most part, from family Bibles), Memorial Hall Library, mhl.org.
GREAT GRANDFATHER OF CIVIL WAR MEDAL-OF-HONOR RECIPIENT AXEL HAYFORD REED
REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER, PRIVATE, CONTINENTAL ARMY
A BIOGRAPHY OF REVOLUTIONARY WAR VETERAN PVT. SAMPSON (I) READ, by Laurence Overmire (5th great grandson), genealogist and family historian, August 2020:
Born May 13, 1754, in Westford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Sampson (I) Read, the first of that name in this family line, was the youngest child of Joseph and Ruth (Underwood) Read. Sampson's father Joseph Read was a prominent man in Westford, which he represented for 20 years in the General Court. Joseph took part in the famous Boston Tea Party, an act of protest regarded by many as the spark that ignited the American Revolution. Joseph also served as a captain in that war. Evidence suggests he may have participated in the Battles of Concord and Bunker Hill.
On March 18, 1772, in Westford, at the age of 18, Sampson (I) married Lydia Phelps (b. October 1753, Westford), the daughter of Jonathan and Beulah (Parker) Phelps. The marriage probably took place at the First Parish Church of Westford. Rev. Willard Hall was the minister at the time. The church and the town were almost one and the same in those days. All the town meetings were held in the church and it was the center of all social activity as well.
Sampson (I) and Lydia Reed had three children:
1) Sampson Jr. Reed (1773-1827, m. Jane Bradford Ellis, a descendant of Gov. William Bradford of the Mayflower)
2) Lydia Reed (b. 4 Dec 1774)
3) Amy Reed (b. 1777)
Sampson (I) enlisted for service as a private in the Revolution on Jan. 1, 1776 in the Continental Army in Capt. Jonathan Minot's Company of Col. Baldwin's regiment. Sampson (I)'s older brothers Joshua, Benjamin, Joseph Jr. and Leonard also served in the Revolution. No doubt this was a family that firmly believed in the American cause.
Sampson (I)'s great grandson, Axel Hayford Reed, a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, wrote a book about the Reed genealogy titled, "Genealogical Record of The Reads, Reeds, the Bisbees, the Bradfords of the United States of America" (Glencoe, MN, 1915). In the book, he mentioned what little he knew about Sampson (I)'s Revolutionary War service:
"He [Sampson] was a soldier but being quite young in those war times he saw little service compared with his father and brothers. He is noted on the pay roll for travel pay from Westford, Mass., to headquarters in Cambridge, for 52 miles travel, double the distance to the town of Westford 23 miles southwest of Boston."
The pay abstract noted by Axel Reed above was dated Cambridge, Jan. 12, 1776.
A little more than a year later, on February 22, 1777, Sampson (I) Read died at the age of just 22. His cause of death, including whether or not it was related to his military service, is unknown.
About 1778, Sampson (I)'s widow Lydia married Revolutionary War veteran John Ames Jr. (1756-1833), a blacksmith. They had seven more children together:
1) John Ames (1779-aft 1832, m. Grace _______)
2) Jonathan Phelps Ames (1781-1863, m. Mary "Polly" Griffith, Sarah Griffith)
3) Ezekial Ames (1783-1806)
4) Sally Ames (1785-1851, m. Isaac Fuller, descendant of Mayflower passenger Dr. Samuel Fuller)
5) Polly Ames (1787-aft. 1832, m. Sylvanus Poland)
6) Ralph Ames (c. 1789-1864)
7) Betsey Ames (1790-1885, m. James Lee Putnam)
Lydia Phelps Reed Ames died on April 14, 1833, probably in Canton, Oxford County, Maine, at the age of 79. She was buried in the Ames Cemetery in Canton.
----
Notes by Laurence Overmire:
There were 15 Reads from Westford in the Revolutionary War. Sampson (I)'s father Joseph and his older brothers Joshua, Benjamin, Joseph Jr. and Leonard all served in the Revolution.
"March 18, 1772 Sampson Read to Lydia Phelps, " --from list of marriages, p. 379, History of Westford, Mass., March 10, 1910, cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
FROM MASSACHUSETTS SOLDIERS AND SAILORS IN THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION:
Read, Sampson.Private, Capt. Jonathan Minott's co., Col. Baldwin's regt.; pay abstract for mileage from home to headquarters and return, dated Cambridge, Jan. 12, 1776; mileage for 52 miles allowed said Read.
FROM AXEL REED GENEALOGY:
SAMPSON READ, son of Joseph Read and Ruth Underwood, b. May 13, 1754. He was a soldier but being quite young in those war times he saw little service compared with his father and brothers. He is noted on the pay roll for travel pay from Westford, Mass., to headquarters in Cambridge, for 52 miles travel, double the distance to the town of Westford 23 miles southwest of Boston. He married Lydia Phelps in 1772 and died Feb. 22, 1777, after three children were born to them, viz.:
Sampson, b. June 1, 1773, in Merrimac, Mass.;
Lydia, b. Dec. 4, 1774. Amy, b. 1777.
FROM AXEL REED GENEALOGY, P. 13-14:
Mrs. Alice Webber Child, wife of Hon. Sampson Reed Child, who visited several libraries including Boston's and the Newberry Library in Chicago, furnished the author with valuable information in regard to the genealogical record of the Read families, which proved by the history of Westford, Mass., that Sampson Read, the son of Joseph Read and Ruth Underwood, who was born at Westford, May 13, 1754, and died Feb. 22, 1777, "age 23," was the husband of "Lydia Phelps," a great-grandmother of many of the Reads and Reeds, who after bearing three children and the death of her husband, married John Ames at Hollis, Mass., a blacksmith, who moved to Hartford, Oxford county, Maine, about the year 1793. Mrs. Child, under date of Nov. 1909, writes in part: "I have several pages corroborating who Sampson was named for. His father (Joseph Read) was quite prominent during the Revolution, and I think all his sons were in the Revolution. On the roll of Captain Jonathan Minot's Co. Col. Baldwin's Regiment, enlisted Jan. 1, 1776, is "Sampson Read." Again, "Sampson Read, private Capt. Johnathans Co. Col. Baldwin's Reg. pay abstract for mileage from home to headquarters, and return, was dated January 12, 1776, 52 miles." There were fifteen Reads from Westford in the Revolutionary war.
MA TOWN AND VITAL RECORDS
Name:
Samson Read
Event Type:
Birth
Birth Date:
13 May 1754
Birth Place:
Westford, Massachusetts
Father Name:
Joseph Read
Mother Name:
Ruth
--
Name:
Sampson Read
Event Type:
Death
Death Date:
22 Feb 1777
Death Place:
Westford, Massachusetts
Father Name:
Joseph Read
Mother Name:
Ruth
MA COMPILED MARRIAGES
Name:
Lydia Phelps
Gender:
Female
Spouse:
Samson Read
Marriage Date:
18 Mar 1773
City:
Westford
County:
Middlesex
Source:
Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film # 0823579.
NOTES ON JOSEPH READ, SAMPSON (I)'s FATHER:
"He [Joseph] took an active part in the interest of the Colonists against the English egression and was one of 'The Boston Tea Party' that helped empty a ship load of tea into Boston harbor as a resentment of the English tax they had put on it and undertaken to make the colonists pay. It appears from the record that he and his five sons served in the revolutionary war to gain our liberty of free government from the English self-imposed yoke." --Axel H. Reed, p. 16
"[Joseph was] a man of distinction; was representative of the town of Westford, twenty years in succession, and was one of the Boston Tea-party, although then somewhat advanced in life." --Jacob Whittemore Reed, p. 159, from Axel Reed Genealogy, p. 14.
"Joseph Read, town clerk in 1753." --from p. 82, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"Capt. Joseph Read, Sept. 8, 1774." --from p. 82, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"Jan 16, 1775, the town voted 20 pounds to purchase arms and appointed Joseph Read on inspection." --from p. 103-110, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"At a meeting chose Captain Joseph Read to serve the town as delegate to go to the provincial Congress for six months, and June 5, town voted 'to pay Captain Joseph Read, 3 pounds and 15 shillings for 17 days' services and expenses.'" At the battle as well as at the struggle at Concord Bridge, "The Battle of Bunker Hill, Col. Robertson participated." --from p. 110, May 27, 1775, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
Sources:
1) Axel Hayford Reed, "Genealogical Record of The Reads, Reeds, the Bisbees, the Bradfords of the United States of America" in the line of Esdras Read of Boston and England, 1635 to 1915. Thomas Besbedge or Bisbee of Scituate, Mass. and England, 1634 to 1915. Governor William Bradford, of Plymouth, Mass., and England, 1620 to 1915." (Glencoe, MN, 1915),See the Minnesota Historical Society catalog at MNHS.org
2) Massachusetts, Town Birth Records, 1620-1850 (Vital Records of Westford)
3) Entries for Westford Men Found in Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, westford.org.
4) Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, 17 Vols., Vol. 13, p.27
5) Rev. Edwin R. Hodgman, A.M., Marriages, History of the Town of Westford in the County of Middlesex, Massachusetts, 1659-1883 (Lowell, MA, 1883), Part 1.
6) Charlotte Helen Abbott, Early Records of the Phelps Family of Andover (with dates for the most part, from family Bibles), Memorial Hall Library, mhl.org
7) Our History, Firs Parish Church United on Westford Common, firstparishwestford.org.
8) Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850
9) Charlotte Helen Abbott, Early Records of the Phelps Family of Andover (with dates for the most part, from family Bibles), Memorial Hall Library, mhl.org.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER, PRIVATE, CONTINENTAL ARMY
A BIOGRAPHY OF REVOLUTIONARY WAR VETERAN PVT. SAMPSON (I) READ, by Laurence Overmire (5th great grandson), genealogist and family historian, August 2020:
Born May 13, 1754, in Westford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Sampson (I) Read, the first of that name in this family line, was the youngest child of Joseph and Ruth (Underwood) Read. Sampson's father Joseph Read was a prominent man in Westford, which he represented for 20 years in the General Court. Joseph took part in the famous Boston Tea Party, an act of protest regarded by many as the spark that ignited the American Revolution. Joseph also served as a captain in that war. Evidence suggests he may have participated in the Battles of Concord and Bunker Hill.
On March 18, 1772, in Westford, at the age of 18, Sampson (I) married Lydia Phelps (b. October 1753, Westford), the daughter of Jonathan and Beulah (Parker) Phelps. The marriage probably took place at the First Parish Church of Westford. Rev. Willard Hall was the minister at the time. The church and the town were almost one and the same in those days. All the town meetings were held in the church and it was the center of all social activity as well.
Sampson (I) and Lydia Reed had three children:
1) Sampson Jr. Reed (1773-1827, m. Jane Bradford Ellis, a descendant of Gov. William Bradford of the Mayflower)
2) Lydia Reed (b. 4 Dec 1774)
3) Amy Reed (b. 1777)
Sampson (I) enlisted for service as a private in the Revolution on Jan. 1, 1776 in the Continental Army in Capt. Jonathan Minot's Company of Col. Baldwin's regiment. Sampson (I)'s older brothers Joshua, Benjamin, Joseph Jr. and Leonard also served in the Revolution. No doubt this was a family that firmly believed in the American cause.
Sampson (I)'s great grandson, Axel Hayford Reed, a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, wrote a book about the Reed genealogy titled, "Genealogical Record of The Reads, Reeds, the Bisbees, the Bradfords of the United States of America" (Glencoe, MN, 1915). In the book, he mentioned what little he knew about Sampson (I)'s Revolutionary War service:
"He [Sampson] was a soldier but being quite young in those war times he saw little service compared with his father and brothers. He is noted on the pay roll for travel pay from Westford, Mass., to headquarters in Cambridge, for 52 miles travel, double the distance to the town of Westford 23 miles southwest of Boston."
The pay abstract noted by Axel Reed above was dated Cambridge, Jan. 12, 1776.
A little more than a year later, on February 22, 1777, Sampson (I) Read died at the age of just 22. His cause of death, including whether or not it was related to his military service, is unknown.
About 1778, Sampson (I)'s widow Lydia married Revolutionary War veteran John Ames Jr. (1756-1833), a blacksmith. They had seven more children together:
1) John Ames (1779-aft 1832, m. Grace _______)
2) Jonathan Phelps Ames (1781-1863, m. Mary "Polly" Griffith, Sarah Griffith)
3) Ezekial Ames (1783-1806)
4) Sally Ames (1785-1851, m. Isaac Fuller, descendant of Mayflower passenger Dr. Samuel Fuller)
5) Polly Ames (1787-aft. 1832, m. Sylvanus Poland)
6) Ralph Ames (c. 1789-1864)
7) Betsey Ames (1790-1885, m. James Lee Putnam)
Lydia Phelps Reed Ames died on April 14, 1833, probably in Canton, Oxford County, Maine, at the age of 79. She was buried in the Ames Cemetery in Canton.
----
Notes by Laurence Overmire:
There were 15 Reads from Westford in the Revolutionary War. Sampson (I)'s father Joseph and his older brothers Joshua, Benjamin, Joseph Jr. and Leonard all served in the Revolution.
"March 18, 1772 Sampson Read to Lydia Phelps, " --from list of marriages, p. 379, History of Westford, Mass., March 10, 1910, cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
FROM MASSACHUSETTS SOLDIERS AND SAILORS IN THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION:
Read, Sampson.Private, Capt. Jonathan Minott's co., Col. Baldwin's regt.; pay abstract for mileage from home to headquarters and return, dated Cambridge, Jan. 12, 1776; mileage for 52 miles allowed said Read.
FROM AXEL REED GENEALOGY:
SAMPSON READ, son of Joseph Read and Ruth Underwood, b. May 13, 1754. He was a soldier but being quite young in those war times he saw little service compared with his father and brothers. He is noted on the pay roll for travel pay from Westford, Mass., to headquarters in Cambridge, for 52 miles travel, double the distance to the town of Westford 23 miles southwest of Boston. He married Lydia Phelps in 1772 and died Feb. 22, 1777, after three children were born to them, viz.:
Sampson, b. June 1, 1773, in Merrimac, Mass.;
Lydia, b. Dec. 4, 1774. Amy, b. 1777.
FROM AXEL REED GENEALOGY, P. 13-14:
Mrs. Alice Webber Child, wife of Hon. Sampson Reed Child, who visited several libraries including Boston's and the Newberry Library in Chicago, furnished the author with valuable information in regard to the genealogical record of the Read families, which proved by the history of Westford, Mass., that Sampson Read, the son of Joseph Read and Ruth Underwood, who was born at Westford, May 13, 1754, and died Feb. 22, 1777, "age 23," was the husband of "Lydia Phelps," a great-grandmother of many of the Reads and Reeds, who after bearing three children and the death of her husband, married John Ames at Hollis, Mass., a blacksmith, who moved to Hartford, Oxford county, Maine, about the year 1793. Mrs. Child, under date of Nov. 1909, writes in part: "I have several pages corroborating who Sampson was named for. His father (Joseph Read) was quite prominent during the Revolution, and I think all his sons were in the Revolution. On the roll of Captain Jonathan Minot's Co. Col. Baldwin's Regiment, enlisted Jan. 1, 1776, is "Sampson Read." Again, "Sampson Read, private Capt. Johnathans Co. Col. Baldwin's Reg. pay abstract for mileage from home to headquarters, and return, was dated January 12, 1776, 52 miles." There were fifteen Reads from Westford in the Revolutionary war.
MA TOWN AND VITAL RECORDS
Name:
Samson Read
Event Type:
Birth
Birth Date:
13 May 1754
Birth Place:
Westford, Massachusetts
Father Name:
Joseph Read
Mother Name:
Ruth
--
Name:
Sampson Read
Event Type:
Death
Death Date:
22 Feb 1777
Death Place:
Westford, Massachusetts
Father Name:
Joseph Read
Mother Name:
Ruth
MA COMPILED MARRIAGES
Name:
Lydia Phelps
Gender:
Female
Spouse:
Samson Read
Marriage Date:
18 Mar 1773
City:
Westford
County:
Middlesex
Source:
Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film # 0823579.
NOTES ON JOSEPH READ, SAMPSON (I)'s FATHER:
"He [Joseph] took an active part in the interest of the Colonists against the English egression and was one of 'The Boston Tea Party' that helped empty a ship load of tea into Boston harbor as a resentment of the English tax they had put on it and undertaken to make the colonists pay. It appears from the record that he and his five sons served in the revolutionary war to gain our liberty of free government from the English self-imposed yoke." --Axel H. Reed, p. 16
"[Joseph was] a man of distinction; was representative of the town of Westford, twenty years in succession, and was one of the Boston Tea-party, although then somewhat advanced in life." --Jacob Whittemore Reed, p. 159, from Axel Reed Genealogy, p. 14.
"Joseph Read, town clerk in 1753." --from p. 82, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"Capt. Joseph Read, Sept. 8, 1774." --from p. 82, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"Jan 16, 1775, the town voted 20 pounds to purchase arms and appointed Joseph Read on inspection." --from p. 103-110, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
"At a meeting chose Captain Joseph Read to serve the town as delegate to go to the provincial Congress for six months, and June 5, town voted 'to pay Captain Joseph Read, 3 pounds and 15 shillings for 17 days' services and expenses.'" At the battle as well as at the struggle at Concord Bridge, "The Battle of Bunker Hill, Col. Robertson participated." --from p. 110, May 27, 1775, History of Wexford, Mass., cited by Axel Read on p. 13 of his genealogy.
Sources:
1) Axel Hayford Reed, "Genealogical Record of The Reads, Reeds, the Bisbees, the Bradfords of the United States of America" in the line of Esdras Read of Boston and England, 1635 to 1915. Thomas Besbedge or Bisbee of Scituate, Mass. and England, 1634 to 1915. Governor William Bradford, of Plymouth, Mass., and England, 1620 to 1915." (Glencoe, MN, 1915),See the Minnesota Historical Society catalog at MNHS.org
2) Massachusetts, Town Birth Records, 1620-1850 (Vital Records of Westford)
3) Entries for Westford Men Found in Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, westford.org.
4) Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, 17 Vols., Vol. 13, p.27
5) Rev. Edwin R. Hodgman, A.M., Marriages, History of the Town of Westford in the County of Middlesex, Massachusetts, 1659-1883 (Lowell, MA, 1883), Part 1.
6) Charlotte Helen Abbott, Early Records of the Phelps Family of Andover (with dates for the most part, from family Bibles), Memorial Hall Library, mhl.org
7) Our History, Firs Parish Church United on Westford Common, firstparishwestford.org.
8) Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850
9) Charlotte Helen Abbott, Early Records of the Phelps Family of Andover (with dates for the most part, from family Bibles), Memorial Hall Library, mhl.org.
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