Phineas Stearns (February 5, 1736 - March 27, 1798) was a farmer and blacksmith from Watertown, Massachusetts.[1] In 1773 he participated in the Boston Tea Party.[2] He was also a soldier in the American Revolutionary Army at Lake George (1756)[1] and the leader of a company of militiamen at Dorchester Heights during the Siege of Boston.[3] His efforts in the Battles of Lexington and Concord earned him the rank of captain.[1]

Stearns declined a colonel's commission due to the poor health of his wife, Hannah Bemis,[4] who left five children in his care when she passed.[1] He later married Bemis' cousin, Esther Sanderson. His career in public service ended in 1776. He died on March 27, 1798.[4] In 1884 historian Francis Samuel Drake wrote, "[Stearns] was distinguished for his benevolent and cheerful disposition, and for strong common sense and strict integrity."[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Phineas Stearns -". bostonteapartyship.com.
  2. ^ Denehy 1906, p. 226.
  3. ^ Daughters of the American Revolution 1899, p. 172.
  4. ^ a b Hurd 1890, p. 385.
  5. ^ Drake 1884, pp. 160–161.

Bibliography

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