Joseph Guild
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Captain Joseph Guild represented
Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a New England town, town in, and the county seat of, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on Boston's southwestern border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. First settled by E ...
in the
Great and General Court The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. The name "General Court" is a holdover from the earliest days of ...
. He was also
town clerk A clerk (pronounced "clark" /klɑːk/ in British and Australian English) is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in ma ...
for a total of four years, having first been elected in 1773. Additionally, he served seven terms as selectman, with his first election in 1768. On the morning of April 19, 1775, a messenger came "down the Needham road" with news about the battle in Lexington. Guild 'gagged a croaker' who said the news was false and in an hour" the "men of Dedham, even the old men, received their minister's blessing and went forth, in such numbers that scarce one male between sixteen and seventy was left at home." Aaron Guild, a captain in the British Army during the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
, was plowing his fields in South Dedham (today Norwood) when he heard of the battle. He immediately "left plough in furrow ndoxen standing" to set forth for the conflict, arriving in time to fire upon the retreating British.From the Aaron Guild Memorial Stone, dedicated in 1903, which stands outside the Norwood public library and reads: "Near this spot/ Capt. Aaron Guild/ On April 19, 1775/ left plow in furrow, oxen standing/ and departing for Lexington/ arrived in time to fire upon/ the retreating British".


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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guild, Joseph Members of the Massachusetts General Court Year of birth missing Year of death missing Dedham, Massachusetts selectmen Town clerks of Dedham