WMM Westford Colonial Minutemen


"Lexington Alarm Lists"
Service Rolls for the Alarm of April 19, 1775


Minute Company

OFFICERS

Timothy Underwood, Captain
Thomas Cummings, First Lieut.
Philip Robbins, Second Lieut.
Joshua Parker, Sergeant
Jonas Fletcher, Sergeant
Timothy Spaulding, Sergeant
John Wright, Sergeant
Jonas Proctor, Corporal
Willard Fletcher, Corporal
Amaziah Hildreth, Corporal
Thomas Guy, Fifer
Isaac Parker, Drummer

PRIVATES
Oliver Barrett
Jonas Blodgett
Josiah Brooks
Silas Chandler
William Chandler
Ebenezer Corey
Samuel Craft
Ephraim Cummings
Daniel Dudley
Joseph Dutton
William Dutton
Joshua Fassett
Davis Fisk
David Fletcher
Ebenezer Fletcher
Jeremiah Fletcher
John Fletcher
Josiah Fletcher
Levi Fletcher
Ebenezer Foster
John Hildreth
Silas Howard
Jonas Kemp
Abner Kent
Samuel Keys
Stephen Meeds
John Nutting
John Parker
Moses Parker
James Perry
Silas Proctor
Benjamin Reed
Leonard Reed
Oliver Reed
Samuel Reed
Thadeus Reed
Abijah Richardson
Wiley Richardson
Jacob Robbins
Jeremiah Robbins
Philin Spauldon
Levi Temple
Amos Tid
Joseph Underwood
Daniel Whitney
Ebenezer Wright

Total: 58

 First Foot Company
OFFICERS

Oliver Bates, Captain 
David Goodhue, First Lieut.
John Abbot, Second Lieut.
Thomas Rogers, Sergeant
Solomon Spaulding, Sergeant
Joseph Prescot, Corporal
Daniel Goodhue, Corporal
John Prescot, Corporal.
Timothy Cummings, Drummer

PRIVATES
John Barrot
David Bixbe
Ephraim Bixbe
Jacob Bixbe
Levi Bixbe
Abel Boynton
Nathaniel Cummings
David Dutton
Ephraim Dutton
Benjamin Estabrook
Amos Fletcher, Jr.
Joseph Fletcher
Josiah Fletcher
Jonathan Hadley
John Hadley, Jr.
Ephraim Heald
Jonas Holding [Holden]
William Nichols
Nathaniel Prentice
Jonas Prescot, 3rd
Timothy Prescot
Abel Read
Stephen Read
Silas Spaulding
Ephraim Wright
Joseph Wright, Jr.
Paletiah Wright

Total: 36
Second Foot Company

OFFICERS

Jonathan Minot, Captain
Zaccheus Wright, First Lieut.
Leonard Proctor, Second Lieut. 
Aaron Parker, Jr., Sergeant
Gershom Fletcher, Sergeant
William Hildreth, Sergeant
Samuel White, Sergeant
Nehemiah Green, Corporal
Hosea Hildreth, Corporal
Amos Wright, Corporal
Jonathan Minot, Jr., Drummer

PRIVATES
Caesar Bason
Aaron Blood
Peter Brown
Job Dodge
Elijah Hildreth
Nathaniel Holmes
Francis Kidder
Thomas Kidder
Rogers King
Francis Laughton [Leighton]
Abijah Mason
Thomas Meads
Benjamin Osgood
David Parker
Ebenezer Parker
Amos Parlin
Charles Proctor
John Pushee
Joshua Read
John Robins
John Robins, Jr.
Peter Robins
Zechariah Robins
Francis Smith
James Wright 

Total: 36

Total number of Minute & Militia men = 130 + 1 (Lt. Col. John Robinson)

If Rev. Joseph Thaxter is included (since he was one of three Westford residents present at the North Bridge during the fight) the total number can be interpreted as 132.

Source: The "Lexington Alarm Lists" found at the Massachusetts State Archives:
             Underwood's Company:  Vol. 13  p.149
             Minot's Company:  Vol.  12  p.194
             Bates's Company:   Vol. 11  p.216

Notes:
(i) Although there are clearly variations and mistakes in spelling compared to the "definitive" spellings provided in Hodgman's History of Westford, the spelling of names presented here have not been modified from those found in the original Alarm Lists.

(ii) The "First" and "Second" Foot Company designations are based on the September, 1772 letter from Zaccheus Wright to (then) Corporal William Hildreth, in which Captain Minot's company is referred to as the "Second foot Company in Westford."


~

Age distribution of those from Westford who served on April 19th

Age
 1st Foot
 2nd Foot
 Minute
 Total
15-20
 7
 7
 13
 27
21-25
 8
 15
 14
 37
26-30
 2
 7
 8
 17
31-35
 6
 2
 6
 14
36-40
 5
 0
 4
 9
41-45
 2
 2
 4
 8
45-50
 2
 2
 4
 8
51-55
 1
 1
 3
 5
56-60
 1
 0
 0
 1
Unknown
 2
 0
 2
 4





Mean
 30.5
 26.9
 29.5
 29
Median
 29
 24
 26.5
 26
Max
 58
 54
 52
 58
Min
 15
 17
 17
 15

Note that the "Lexington Alarm Lists" should not be considered to be a complete list of the town militia on April 19th.  They are essentially payroll lists submitted to the state for reimbursement of those who turned out for the alarm.  So, these statistics are not necessarily representative of the overall town militia at this time.
Page added February, 2000
Last Updated 8 March, 2008


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