Ellen Stine Miller & Susan Garret Wetzel
Researching Revolutionary War Patriots: The Challenge, the Results, and Tips Based on Our Project in Hingham
Hingham, a historic town on the south shore, has a rich and well-documented history and a wealth of 17th and 18th century homes, including that of Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln of Revolutionary War fame. Despite this, many are unaware of the deep sacrifices that the town made in support of that war. In The History of Hingham, Massachusetts (1893), historian Walter Bouve estimated that Hingham supplied an astonishing 600 to 750 soldiers to the war effort. Amateur researchers Miller and Wetzel undertook a journey to identify those individuals, which culminated in a published book including over 850 names and sketches, and illustrated with photos of many homes, gravesites, and portraits. This presentation will cover challenges (including limitations of lineage societies), changing objectives, sources, efforts at inclusion, early analysis of the data, and interesting stories which brought our subjects to life. As Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of the “War of the Revolution,” they hope this session will spark new discoveries about participants’ own towns.
Ellen Stine Miller (oldordinary@hinghamhistorical.org) is the volunteer manager of The Old Ordinary, an historic house museum owned by the Hingham Historical Society and built by her 7th great granduncle in 1686. She teaches genealogy at the Weymouth Senior Center and conducts historical research in support of the historical society.
Susan Garret Wetzel is past regent of the Colonel Thomas Lothrop-Old Colony Chapter of the DAR and a member of the Mayflower Society. Membership in Hingham’s historic New North Church has prompted her immersion in Hingham research.
