Dr. Jonathan Prescott was a British officer who fought at the

Siege of Louisbourg (1745) The siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg, the capital of the French province of Île-Royale (present-day Cape Breton Island) during the War of the Austrian Suc ...

, became the Captain of the militia at

Chester, Nova Scotia Chester is a village on the Chester Peninsula, Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada. The nearby waters of Mahone Bay and its numerous islands are well known for yachting and have made the Chester Yacht Club into a cruising destination. A provi ...

and later was involved with the

Raid on Chester, Nova Scotia The Raid on Chester occurred during the American Revolution when the US privateer, Captain Noah Stoddard of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and four other privateer vessels attacked the British settlement at Chester, Nova Scotia on 30 June 1782. The tow ...

(1782). He was the father of

Charles Ramage Prescott Charles Ramage Prescott (January 6, 1772 – June 11, 1859) was a merchant, noted horticulturalist and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented the town of Cornwallis in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1818 to 1820. He was bor ...

and uncle of Dr.

Samuel Prescott Samuel Prescott (August 19, 1751 – ) was an American physician and a Massachusetts Patriot during the American Revolutionary War. He is best known for his role in Paul Revere's "midnight ride" to warn the townspeople of Concord, Massachusetts ...

who finished the "midnight ride" begun by

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member, and Patriot and Founding Father. He is best known for his midnight ride to ale ...

Life

Prescott was born on 24 May 1725 at

Littleton, Massachusetts Littleton (historically Nipmuc: ''Nashoba'') is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,141 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the neighborhood of Littleton Common, please se ...

. He was a surgeon and Captain of the engineers in the

. He led a company of men in Colonel Samuel Moore's regiment from New Hampshire. After the Siege, he returned to Boston only to return to Halifax in 1751 where he established a rum distillery. He also operating a fleet of fishing boats and operated a lumber mill in Chester and developed a lime quarry. He was one of the original grantees of the Shoreham Grant, which would become

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

. He became the Justice of the Peace. Jonathan and his wife Ann built a large house in Chester, Lunenburg County Nova Scotia called "Maroon Hall". French prisoners of war were housed at this house and painted portraits of Jonathan and Ann (c. 1760). During the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, he reported the Mi'kmaq burned his house and mill twice and, for the protection of his family, he spent much of his time during these years in Halifax. During the American Revolution, Prescott defended the village of Chester from an attack by American Privateers, firing cannon from the blockhouse (The cannons are now located on the grounds of the Chester Legion.) Prescott was suspected of being an American Patriot sympathizer given that, after the initial hostile engagement, Prescott reportedly allowed Captain

Noah Stoddard Captain Noah Stoddard (1755–1850) of Fairhaven, Massachusetts was an American privateer who distinguished himself during the American Revolution by leading the Raid on Lunenburg (1782). In the raid, Stoddard led four other privateer vessels and a ...

to bury his dead and then had tea with him the day before Stoddard orchestrated the

Raid on Lunenburg (1782) The Raid on Lunenburg (also known as the Sack of Lunenburg) occurred during the American Revolution when the US privateer, Captain Noah Stoddard of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and four other privateer vessels attacked the British settlement at L ...

. After the war, Prescott was given the blockhouse (now the Wisteria Cottage House) and used it as his home. Prescott died at 11 Jan 1807 Chester, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada and was buried at Saint Stephens Anglican Church Cemetery Chester, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Family

A number of Dr. Prescott's family were Patriots in the American Revolution. His nephew Samuel road with

. Samuel eventually was taken prisoner to Halifax where he is reported to have died during the war. Jonathan named one of his son's after his nephew Samuel and he is buried in

Old Burying Ground (Halifax, Nova Scotia) The Old Burying Ground (also known as St. Paul's Church Cemetery) is a historic cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located at the intersection of Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road in Downtown Halifax. History The Old Buryi ...

. Jonathan's son Joseph joined the Continental Army, fought at

Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga (), formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain, in northern New York, in the United States. It was constructed by Canadian-born French mi ...

and was a founding member of the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

. Another of Dr. Prescott's sons John fought in the

Battle of Lexington The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord ...

. His other son was

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prescott, Jonathan 1725 births 1807 deaths History of Nova Scotia

Life

Family

See also

References