M. 24 Sep 1755 in Tewksbury, Massachusetts
Wife: Anna Thorndike
D. 16 Jan 1806 in Tewksbury, Massachusetts
Thomas Kittredge was one of the hundreds of Massachusetts soldiers who answered the call to confront the British army at the beginning of the American Revolution.
Thomas came from a strong New England heritage, born on November 9, 1731 in Billerica to Thomas and Jane Kittredge. His parents were first cousins who married, and had suffered the terrible tragedy of losing their first two children in a fire that happened in 1729. Thomas was likely named for one of the children, who was also named Thomas. There were also five other siblings in the family.
Birth records of the Thomas and Jane Kittredge family.
The part of Billerica where Thomas was born was split off during the 1730s to form the town of Tewksbury. After he came of age, he helped construct pews in the town’s new meetinghouse in 1752. It was there that three years later, on September 24, 1755, he married his wife, Anna Thorndike. By 1777, the couple had seven children. The youngest was said to be born just two months after they were married; it’s not known if there is a mistake in the records, or if Anna was already pregnant when they married.
During the 1750s, England was at war with France, and the conflict played out in North America as the French and Indian War. Thomas was a soldier in the militia in Tewksbury, and in August 1757, as a member of Captain William Brown’s company, he went to upstate New York to assist British forces. The mission was to help relieve forces at Fort William Henry, a place that suffered an attack from the French. It’s not known what Thomas’ role was in this expedition. His younger brother Joshua had been killed near there the previous year.
Almost 20 years later, Thomas still served in the militia, and he was called into conflict once more. The aftermath of the French and Indian War led to England trying to collect heavy taxes from the colonists, and the people of Massachusetts threatened to revolt. It all came to a breaking point in April 1775 when the British Army stationed in Boston planned to put an end to things by attacking the town of Concord, where a stockpile of ammunition was being collected by the rebels. Colonists got word of the plan and town militias prepared to fight.
The night of April 18th is remembered for Paul Revere’s heroics, but actually there were several brave riders who fanned out over New England. The name of the rider who entered Tewksbury that night is unknown. Thomas was among the militia who were gathered near “a sturdy oak" known as "the Meeting Tree.” The rider is believed to have gone to the house of Jonathan Trull, who then put himself in charge of the three militia companies in Tewksbury, and they marched towards Concord.
The militia of Tewksbury took up a position near the road between Lexington and Concord at a place called Meriam’s Corner. The Battle of Concord had already taken place and the defeated British were trying to retreat on the road back to Boston. Because thousands of Minutemen showed up to confront them, they were suddenly outnumbered and suffered significant casualties. The American Revolution had begun and Thomas had been a witness to history.
The site of the fighting at Meriam's Corner.
At age 44 and with a family to take care of, Thomas didn’t see any other action in the Revolution, but his oldest son Joshua joined the service as soon as he was old enough in 1778. Thomas lived out the rest of his life with his family in Tewksbury. He was said to manage his father’s properties, which by the 1780s extended into New Hampshire.
Thomas died in Tewksbury on January 16, 1806 at the age of 87. His wife Anna survived him by many years, passing away in 1824.
Children:
1. Anna Kittredge — B. 23 Nov 1755, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; D. 2 Aug 1815, Mount Vernon, New Hampshire; M. Solomon Kittredge (1755-1845)
2. Joshua Kittredge — B. 4 Sep 1757, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; D. 8 Jun 1759, Tewksbury, Massachusetts
3. Joshua Kittredge — B. 15 Mar 1761, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; D. 18 Feb 1834, Nelson, New Hampshire; M. (1) Lydia Kittredge (1767-1795), 29 Nov 1787, Amherst, New Hampshire; (2) Beulah Baker (1768-1827), 10 Jun 1796, Packersfield, New Hampshire
4. Jeremiah Kittredge — B. 5 Oct 1763, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; D. 22 Aug 1818, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; M. Anna H. Chapman (1766-1848)
5. Lucy Kittredge — B. 7 Mar 1769, Tewksbury, Massachusetts
6. Esther Kittredge — B. 2 Aug 1773, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; M. John Chapman, 7 Nov 1793, Tewksbury, Massachusetts
7. Mary Kittredge — B. 16 Aug 1777, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; M. Jesse Manning (1776-1852), 15 Dec 1796
Sources:
The Kittredge Family in America, Mabel T. Kittredge, 1936
Vital Records of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849, 1912
History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume 3, Duane Hamilton Hurd, 1890
Tewksbury: A Short History, Edward W. Pride, 1888
History of Jaffrey, N. H., Albert Annett and Alice Lehtinen, 1934
Tewksbury Historical Society (website)
John Trull (Wikipedia article)
Battles of Lexington and Concord (Wikipedia article)
