Samuel Lawrence (April 24, 1754 – April 17, 1827) was an American

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

from

Groton, Massachusetts Groton is a town in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, within the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The population was 11,315 at the 2020 census. An affluent bedroom community roughly 45 miles from Boston, Groton has a ...

Career

Lawrence fought at the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Boston, Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peri ...

under Henry Farwell. Lawrence served in the army for 3 and half years from 1775 to 1778, and rose within the U.S. Army to the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. While in the army he married Susanna Parker on July 22, 1777. He was adjutant under General John Sullivan in the Battle of

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

and served there until he retired from service in 1778. After the war, Lawrence returned to Groton, where he settled as a

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...

. In 1793, he helped to found Groton Academy (now

Lawrence Academy at Groton Lawrence Academy at Groton is a private, nonsectarian, co-educational college-preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts. Founded in 1792 as Groton Academy and chartered in 1793 by Governor John Hancock, Lawrence is the tenth ...

Personal life

Of English ancestry, Lawrence was born in 1754 in Groton, then in the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of Eng ...

, to Amos and Abigail (née Abbott) Lawrence. He was the patriarch of the

Boston Brahmin The Boston Brahmins are members of Boston's historic upper class. From the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, they were often associated with a cultivated New England accent, Harvard University, Anglicanism, and traditional Britis ...

Lawrence family The Lawrence family (or Lawrance family) is a Boston Brahmin family, also known as the "first families" of Boston, who arrived in Watertown, Massachusetts from Wissett, Wissett, England in 1635. History Family The Boston Brahmin Lawrence ...

. He married Susanna Parker in 1777, and had 9 children. His sons, who were all influential in United States history, included: * Luther Lawrence (1778–1839), who served as Mayor of Lowell, MA from 1838 to 1839. * William Lawrence (1783–1848) * Amos Lawrence (1786–1852) * Abbott Lawrence (1792–1855) * Samuel Lawrence (b. 1801), who was a business partner with his brother William Luther died on April 17, 1839, when he fell into a wheel pit while showing a visitor around his mill.

References

;Notes ;Sources * Dr. Samuel A. Green, various books and articles on the history of Groton. * Lowell Historical Society Website
Vital Records of Groton.
Published 1926. 1754 births 1827 deaths People from Groton, Massachusetts Continental Army officers from Massachusetts Founders of educational institutions People from colonial Massachusetts American people of English descent {{US-business-bio-1750s-stub

Career

Personal life

See also

References