Rebecca Minot Prescott (1742–1813) was the second wife of United States Founding Father

Roger Sherman Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793) was an American statesman, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign four of the great state papers of the United States related to the founding: the Conti ...

. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Rebecca Minot Prescott from Salem, Massachusetts; the niece of Roger Sherman’s brother Rev. Josiah Sherman, and the second cousin once removed of Colonel

William Prescott William Prescott (February 20, 1726 – October 13, 1795) was an American colonel in the Revolutionary War who commanded the patriot forces in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Prescott is known for his order to his soldiers, "Do not fire until y ...

. Rebecca married Roger Sherman on May 12, 1763. She was his second wife. His first wife, Elizabeth Hartwell, died during childbirth. US flag designer

Betsy Ross Elizabeth Griscom Ross (née Griscom;Addie Guthrie Weaver, ''"The Story of Our Flag..."'', 2nd Edition, A. G. Weaver, publ., 1898, p. 73 January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836), also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn an ...

allowed Rebecca Sherman the privilege of sewing on three of the flag’s stars. Rebecca then requested, and was chosen to make, the first official flag of the State of Connecticut
''NPR: Women And American Independence, Cokie Roberts Interview,'' July 4, 2019 Rebecca Sherman became the mother of eight of Roger's fifteen children: Rebecca, Elizabeth, Roger, Mehitabel, Mehitabel, Oliver, Martha, and Sarah. Of those eight children: * Rebecca (Sherman) Baldwin, wife of

Simeon Baldwin Simeon Baldwin (December 14, 1761 – May 26, 1851) was son-in-law of Roger Sherman, father of Connecticut Governor and US Senator Roger Sherman Baldwin, grandfather of Connecticut Governor & Chief Justice Simeon Eben Baldwin and great-grandfa ...

, the mother of Roger Sherman Baldwin, a Governor of Connecticut and a United States Senator, and grandmother of

Simeon Eben Baldwin Simeon Eben Baldwin (February 5, 1840 – January 30, 1927) was an American jurist, law professor, and politician who served as the 65th governor of Connecticut. Education The son of jurist, Connecticut governor and U.S. Senator Roger Sherma ...

a Governor of Connecticut and Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. * Elizabeth (Sherman) Burr Baldwin, the second wife of

. * Roger Sherman, Jr. was a 1787 graduate of

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

and served in the Connecticut General Assembly, 1810–1811. * Mehitabel (Sherman) Barnes Evarts, wife of Jeremiah Evarts, became the mother of

William Maxwell Evarts William Maxwell Evarts (February 6, 1818February 28, 1901) was an American lawyer and statesman from New York who served as U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Senator from New York. He was renowned for his skills as a litig ...

, a United States Attorney General, Secretary of State and Senator for

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

* Martha (Sherman) Day, wife of

Jeremiah Day Jeremiah Day (August 3, 1773 – August 22, 1867) was an American academic, a Congregational minister and President of Yale College (1817–1846). Early life Day was the son of Rev. Jeremiah and Abigail (Noble) Osborn Day, who were descendan ...

, became the mother of California State Senator and University of California founding trustee Sherman Day. * Sarah (Sherman) Hoar, wife of

Samuel Hoar Samuel Hoar (May 18, 1778 – November 2, 1856) was a United States lawyer and politician. A member of a prominent political family in Massachusetts, he was a leading 19th century lawyer of that state. He was associated with the Federalist Party ...

, was the mother of

George Frisbie Hoar George Frisbie Hoar (August 29, 1826 – September 30, 1904) was an American attorney and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1877 to 1904. He belonged to an extended family that became politically prominen ...

a United States Senator for Massachusetts, and

Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar (February 21, 1816 – January 31, 1895) was an American politician, lawyer, and jurist from Massachusetts. He served as U.S. Attorney General from 1869 to 1870, and was the first head of the newly created Department of Ju ...

also a United States Attorney General and Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice.

References

Roger Sherman, Connecticut HistoryPrescott Memorial, pgs. 66-68, William Prescott 1788-1875Colonial Hall.com

Roger Sherman HouseThe Family of the Rev. Jeremiah DayThe Prescott Memorial - Myles StandishRoger Sherman Family Papers, New Haven Colony Historical SocietyRebecca "Rebekah Minot (Prescott) Sherman - Fins A GraveRebecca Minot (Prescott) Sherman Genealogy

Sherman Genealogy, State of Connecticut General AssemblyRoger Sherman, US Congressional BiographyBaldwin Family Papers, New Haven Colony Historical Society

Special Collections Research Center, Sherman, Roger, 1721-1793The Women Behind the Signers of the Declaration of IndependenceThe New England Historical and Genealogical Register
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prescott, Rebecca Minot 1743 births 1813 deaths 18th-century American people Sherman family (U.S.)