The travel chest of Hopkinton resident Maj. William Wood, who fought in the American Revolution, is on display at the Hopkinton Historical Society. PHOTO/NICK SCHOFIELD
What role did Hopkinton play in the early days of the American Revolution? An upcoming presentation sponsored by the Hopkinton Historical Society looks to answer that question.
This May, Chuck Joseph will be giving a talk on the history of Hopkinton in the 1700s, with an emphasis on the town’s activities during the American Revolutionary War. Sponsored by the historical society, the talk aims to connect local history with regional and national history as the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord approaches.
“What the historical society is looking to do is make it known they are a resource for the unique role that Hopkinton played in the American Revolution,” said Joseph.
According to Joseph and Aubrey Doyle, Joseph’s collaborator on a series of Hopkinton history talks and vice president of the historical society, Hopkinton played an “active role” in the early days of the Revolution. Research into the original town meeting notes shows in the days leading up to Lexington and Concord, town leaders were voting to assemble companies of minutemen.
Doyle said that the town initially voted to dismiss the minutemen in February of 1775, but on April 17 that year — two days before Lexington and Concord — a new vote was taken. Three companies of about 40 men total were established, and records show the town was looking to pay them and purchase a town stock of ammunition.
Joseph and Doyle explained that the town records indicated an exchange of information from Boston and other towns about revolutionary activities. What those communication networks looked like, however, is a mystery.
“Clearly, they knew something was astir,” Joseph remarked.
The clarity into this aspect of revolutionary history is made possible through the unique conservation of early town records and the utilization of new technologies to preserve and decode historical documents.
“We’re very privileged to have the original town meeting notes,” Joseph said, noting that the records have managed to survive three fires. Members of the HHS have been scanning the documents to preserve them digitally, and are using artificial intelligence to decipher the script.
Employing this technology is part of an effort to develop the historical society as an “active research center,” according to Joseph.
A scan of a town meeting record from June 17, 1775 shows the town voted unanimously to “declare themselves Independent of Great Bretton in case the Continental Congress Should Declare the Same.” PHOTO/HOPKINTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Joseph’s talk will remain focused on Hopkinton’s role in the American Revolution and understanding the perspective of the people involved. “These nonmilitary citizens were going to take up arms against the most powerful army in the world, and [they] were ready to do it,” he said.
Part of that perspective comes from contextualizing the early citizens of Hopkinton and their colonial identities. “We keep thinking of them as British subjects,” Joseph said, “but they are fourth or fifth generation born in Massachusetts. This is their home.”
In order to make those perspectives more concrete, the talk will highlight a few notable Hopkinton residents from that time period. One of them is Maj. William Wood, whose family name is lent to Woodville.
At around 16 years old, Wood volunteered to take the place of his father in the army and was ordered to Boston in June of 1775. Wood went on to “enlist” five times afterwards on his own account. These tours were brief, according to HHS president John Palmer.
“They would get terms of three weeks, seven weeks,” said Palmer. “They would go wherever they were assigned and then when those terms were up, they would come back to Hopkinton.”
Other notable figures in the discussion could include John Dickman, a merchant with a secret identity and John Jones, a notable Hopkinton figure and one of the captains of the mustered Hopkinton minutemen.
In a book containing the transcript of a speech by Hopkinton resident John Jones in 1765 to the Massachusetts General Court, the author remarks “Not so bad for illiterate farmers.” PHOTO/NICK SCHOFIELD
The time range for the talk will be the 1700s, but the majority of the discussion likely will center on just before and after the American Revolution. Joseph said that the presentation also will demonstrate how the French and Indian War links into the Revolution.
Joseph and Doyle are hoping to stage their talk at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts’ amphitheater in late May. They noted that HCAM also wants to produce a separate version of the talk that will use footage from around town and other media in a Ken Burns-style documentary format.
The end goal of the talk not only is to connect Hopkinton to the anniversary of a greater historical moment, but also to engage younger residents in the history of their town.
“What we’re really trying to do is attract younger people with the excitement of knowing their own history,” Joseph said.
We are so lucky in Hopkinton to have such a rich history rooted deeply in the American story! The Hopkinton Historical Society is a treasure that helps keep us all connected to those roots. The work that Chuck, Aubrey, John Ritz, and archivist Linda Connelly have been doing on this project is remarkable. Many people aren’t unaware of how many resources we have in our building at 168 Hayden Rowe. These resources shed new light on our shared heritage as citizens and are accessible & available to all. We are open Mondays, 2 pm to 5 pm, and volunteers under the guidance of Society president John Palmer are there to help you. Our small museum has some amazing artifacts & photos. In the months after the presentation, we hope to have a series of conversation circles to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Keep an eye out for notice of those activities.