Col. Samuel Thaxter (1665-1740), of

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Part of the Greater Boston region, it is located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of Massachusetts. At the 2020 ...

, was one of the most prominent and influential citizens in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. He was a member of the commission to settle the boundary between

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

and

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 ...

in 1719. He commanded the

Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts is the oldest chartered military organization in North America and the third oldest chartered military organization in the world. A volunteer militia of the Commonwealth of Massachusett ...

in 1728. His son Samuel Thaxter Junior (1695-1732) married Mary Hawke (1711-1798) who was the mother of

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot of the American Revolution. He was the longest-serving Presi ...

(Signer of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

Col. Thaxter's grandson

Benjamin Lincoln Benjamin Lincoln (January 24, 1733 ( O.S. January 13, 1733) – May 9, 1810) was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln was involved in three major surrender ...

(son of Elizabeth Thaxter) was the 1st United States Secretary at War and 2nd Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. Col. Thaxter was Colonel of the Hingham regiment of militia and one of His Majesty's Council; magistrate, justice of the peace; delegate to the General Court 1697, and from 1708 to 1712 inc., also from 1711 to 1718 inc.; an assistant, and otherwise distinguished in public posts; selectman 1695, 1705, 1706, and 1717. Coat of Arms of Samuel Thaxter

His father Lieut. John Thaxter (1625/26 - 1686/87) served as selectman and representative to the General Court in the mid-1600s. In 1664 while serving against the Dutch at New York, he was made Lieutenant under orders from

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who served as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1658 to 1659. He was the son of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Following his father ...

. Later he was promoted to captain and commanded a troop of cavalry. Col. Thaxter's grandfather, Deacon Thomas Thaxter, was the first person of the name in America. Col. Thaxter had not inherited a very large estate from his family. But by his industry and enterprise, he became Hingham's most wealthy and influential citizen. He died at 76 years old and was buried in

Hingham Cemetery Hingham may refer to: In the United Kingdom * Hingham, Norfolk In the United States *Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Part of the Grea ...

(Burials of Note - Hingham Cemetery) In 1878, the

visited and decorated the graves of Gov. John A. Andrew, Gen. Benjamin Lincoln and Col. Samuel Thaxter, the two last named past commanders of the company.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thaxter, Samuel 1665 births 1740 deaths People from colonial Massachusetts English emigrants to Massachusetts Bay Colony