This is the grave of Deborah Sampson Gannett. Born in 1760 in Plimpton, Massachusetts, Deborah Sampson grew up with long Puritan roots that reached back to William Bradford. But the family had fallen
Martha Jones, one of our finest historians of the Black freedom struggle, has a powerful essay on trying to find evidence about the life of Abigail, the slave of John Jay, who attempted to escape whil
This is the grave of John Trumbull. Born in 1756 in Lebanon, Connecticut, Trumbull grew up in the New England elite of the Revolutionary generation. His father was Connecticut governor from 1769-84, t
This is the grave of Thomas Nelson. Born in 1738 in Yorktown, Virginia, Nelson was part of the early Virginia elite. He was educated in England, graduating from Cambridge in 1760 and then returning ho
This is the grave of John Hancock. Born in 1737 in Braintree, Massachusetts to a prosperous and slave owning family, Hancock’s father died when he was 7, but he went to live with his uncle, who
This is the grave of Robert Treat Paine. Born in 1731 in Boston to a minister father and the daughter of the minister who had founded Newark, New Jersey, Paine attended the Boston Latin School. He ent
This is the grave of Samuel Adams. Born in 1722 in Boston, Adams started Harvard in 1736. Disappointing his parents, he took a greater interest in politics than the ministry. He earned a bachelor̵
This is the grave of Paul Revere. Born in 1734 in Boston, Revere became an apprentice to his father, a silversmith, at the age of 13. He served briefly in the Seven Years War as a lieutenant but retur