M. after 23 Nov 1751 in Dracut, Massachusetts2
Wife: Sarah Whiting
D. after 12 Jan 1776 in (probably) Dracut, Massachusetts3
When the spirit of rebellion came to Massachusetts in early 1775, young men volunteered to bravely confront the British army. People cheered as they marched off to fight, but some parents had sons who would never return home, and this was the case with Ebenezer Coburn.
Many of the details of Ebenezer’s life are sketchy. He was born in about 1710 to Joseph Coburn and Hannah Harwood, and was thought to be their only child.1 The Coburns lived in Dracut, Massachusetts, so this is likely where Ebenezer’s birth took place. He was nearly 40-years-old when he got married to Sarah Whiting, who was about half his age. Their intent to marry was recorded in Dracut on November 23, 1751,2 and with the birth of their first child less than six months later,4 Sarah may have been pregnant at the time they were married. By the summer of 1757, three healthy children had been born to the couple, two sons and one daughter.
In 1775, the people of Massachusetts became aware that large numbers of British soldiers were camped in Boston to keep them in line. The majority didn’t like it, and towns like Dracut organized small companies of “Minutemen,” ready to be called to service on short notice. Ebenezer was way too old to be a soldier, but sons Phineas and Leonard were of the right age, and they joined up.3 When the alarm was sounded on April 19th, Dracut's Minutemen gathered and headed toward the conflict.
After the men arrived in Boston, Phineas was one of many who enlisted in an army representing all of Massachusetts. His life truly became that of a soldier, camped out for months while waiting for further orders. He earned the rank of sergeant, but sadly he died on September 8th.3 Since no military action happened at that time, his death must have been from an accident or a sickness.
As his father, Ebenezer was entitled to Phineas’ bounty. Earlier that year, authorities in Massachusetts had ordered that each soldier was to receive a coat under the terms of their enlistments,3 with the intention that it would make them look more like a professional army. But it took months before the coats were provided, and Phineas never got his. So an effort was made to pay the value of the coat to surviving families of fallen soldiers, and on December 18, 1775, Ebenezer was designated as the recipient of such money.3
Bounty coat of the Massachusetts militia.
Meanwhile Ebenezer’s younger son Leonard, who served only 12 days in April 1775,3 enlisted again during 17763 and 17773 for different companies, serving as far away as White Plains, New York. Back in Dracut, Ebenezer did his own part for the war effort. Private citizens were making bullets for the army in their homes, and on January 12, 1776, he was appointed, along with two other men, to purchase the lead that was needed.3
After that date, Ebenezer and his wife disappeared from all records. They each likely died within a few years, but this is only speculation.
Children:
1. Phineas Coburn — B. 2 May 1752, Dracut, Massachusetts;4 D. 8 Sep 1775, Massachusetts3
2. Dorothy Coburn — B. 10 Jun 1754, Dracut, Massachusetts;5 D. 13 Oct 1835, Bedford, New Hampshire;6 M. Stephen French (~1749-1832), 7 Jan 1773, Dracut, Massachusetts7
3. Leonard Coburn — B. 30 Jul 1757, Dracut, Massachusetts;8 D. 26 Apr 1785, Dracut, Massachusetts;9 M. Merab Coburn (1758-?), 30 Jan 17799
Sources:
1 Estimated birth year of Ebenezer based on marriage of his parents on 26 Jan 1709
2 Marriage intention of Ebenezer Colburn and Sarah Whiting, Vital Records of Dracut, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, 1907
3 Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, Vol. 3, 1897
4 Birth record of Phineas Coburn, Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, FamilySearch.org
5 Birth record of Dorothy Coburn, M. B. and C.
6 Find-a-Grave listing for Dolly Coburn French
7 Marriage record of Stephen French and Dolly Coburn, Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
8 Birth record of Leonard Coburn, M. B. and C.
9 Genealogy of the descendants of Edward Colburn/Coburn, George Augustus Gordon and Silas Roger Coburn, 1913
