General Joseph Dwight (17031765) was a military and civil leader and judge in the British American

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of ...

Life

Joseph Dwight was born in

Hatfield, Massachusetts Hatfield is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,352 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Hatfield consists of t ...

on October 16, 1703. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1722Life and times of Judge Joseph Dwight and his children
/ref> and was admitted to the bar in Worcester in 1733. He was the first member of the Worcester Country Bar.book about History of the Judiciary of Massachusetts
/ref> He was eleven times a member of the Massachusetts Colonial Council between 1731 and 1751, and its speaker from 1748-9. During this time, he had become a colonel of the militia. He became the brigadier general on 20 February 1745, and was second in command at the attack on Louisburg in that year, where he led, in person, the "Ancient and honorable company of artillery of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

," General

William Pepperrell Sir William Pepperrell, 1st Baronet (27 June 1696 – 6 July 1759) was a merchant and soldier in colonial Massachusetts. He is widely remembered for organizing, financing, and leading the 1745 expedition that captured the French fort ...

commended Joseph Dwight for his courage and skill. In 1756, he commanded a brigade of Massachusetts militia, at

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; french: Lac Champlain) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the US states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The New York portion of t ...

, in 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 ...

. In 1752, he moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, to act as Trustee of "the Indian Schools," a position he held when Jonathan Edwards was also at work there as a missionary (1751-8) to that settlement of whites and Christianized Ingenious. Joseph Dwight remained on the bench as Chief Justice of the Berkshire County Court of Common Pleas until his death. He married Mary Pynchon and they had nine children. Their daughter Dorothy Dwight married Jedediah Foster (1726–1779). Joseph Dwight built a house at Great Barrington which still stands, and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. He was one of the leading men when it came to the management of town business, and in giving direction to inhabitants. He died on June 9, 1765. By the time of his death, he was patriarch of a large branch of the

New England Dwight family The Dwight family of New England had many members who were military leaders, educators, jurists, authors, businessmen and clergy. Around 1634, John Dwight came with his wife Hannah, daughter Hannah, and sons Timothy (1629–1718) and John (d. 163 ...

References

External links

Foster Family Autograph Collection
*List of children and details Joseph Dwight: {{DEFAULTSORT:Dwight, Joseph 1703 births 1765 deaths People from Hatfield, Massachusetts People of colonial Massachusetts People of Massachusetts in the French and Indian War Military personnel from colonial Massachusetts Harvard College alumni People from Stockbridge, Massachusetts