Major Abijah Draper (May 10, 1737 – May 1, 1780) was a military officer under

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

and prominent resident of

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

Personal life

Draper was born in

on May 10, 1737. On the death of his father, James, he inherited an estate at Green Lodge. He married Alice Eaton on April 8, 1762. She was the daughter of John Eaton and Elizabeth Lovering of Purgatory in Dedham. She was born January 31, 1741, and died January 22, 1777. He then married Desire ( Metcalf), the widow of Nathaniel, March 25, 1778. Her parents were Ebenezer and Desire Cushman Foster. Desire was born at

Attleboro, Massachusetts Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 census, Attleboro had a population of 46,461. Attleboro is ...

on August 12, 1746, and died at Dedham on October 23, 1815. Draper and both his wives are buried in the

Old Village Cemetery The Old Village Cemetery is an historic cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts. History The first portion of the cemetery was set apart at the first recorded meeting of the settlers of Dedham on August 18, 1636, with land taken from Nicholas Phillips a ...

. With Alice, he had children, Abijah, Ira, Rufus, James, Alice, and Abijah. With Desire, he had Lendamine. Draper died May 1, 1780, in Dedham. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty.

Public service

He was one of three, along with

Nathaniel Ames Nathaniel Ames (July 22, 1708 – July 11, 1764), a colonial American physician, published a popular series of annual almanacs. He was the son of Nathaniel Ames first (1677–1736) and the father of Nathaniel and Fisher Ames. The family was d ...

and

Ebenezer Battelle Ebenezer Battelle (1754–1815) was an American Revolutionary War veteran, a bookseller in Boston, Massachusetts, and a settler of Marietta, Ohio, in the late 18th century. Life in Dedham Battelle was born in 1754 in Dedham, Massachusetts, to Eb ...

who erected the

Pillar of Liberty The Pillar of Liberty is a monument in Dedham, Massachusetts commemorating the repeal of the Stamp Act. Erected by the Sons of Liberty, it originally had a pillar with a bust of William Pitt on top. Background When Parliament imposed the Stam ...

in Dedham in 1766 to commemorate the repeal of the Stamp Act. The pillar stated:

To the Honor of William Pitt Esq
& other Patriots Who saved
America from impending slavery
and confirmed our most loyal Affections
to King George III by pro
curing the repeal of the Stamp Act
18th March 1766

Beginning in 1769, he served five terms as selectman.

Military service

Draper held every office in the militia up to that of major and commanded a body minute men in Roxbury under

. He enlisted in the revolution from Suffolk County as senior major of the First Regiment and on February 14, 1776, entered the as second major First Regiment. While at Roxbury, he was exposed to smallpox and it was supposed that he carried it to his home on one of his furloughs as his first wife, Alice, died of that disease.

References

Works cited

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Draper, Abijah 1737 births 1780 deaths Dedham, Massachusetts selectmen Military personnel from Dedham, Massachusetts Burials at Old Village Cemetery People from colonial Dedham, Massachusetts