Samuel Lawrence (April 24, 1754 – April 17, 1827) was an American

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

from Groton, Massachusetts.

Career

Maj. Samuel Lawrence fought at the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...

under Henry Farwell. Samuel served in the army for 3 and half years from 1775 to 1778, and rose within the U.S. Army to the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. While in the army he married Susanna Parker on July 22, 1777. He was adjutant under General John Sullivan in the Battle of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

and served there until he retired from service in 1778. After the war, Lawrence returned to Groton, where he settled as a

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

. In 1793, he helped to found Groton Academy (now Lawrence Academy at Groton).

Personal life

Of English ancestry, Lawrence was born in 1754 in Groton, then in the

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

, to Amos and Abigail (née Abbott) Lawrence. He was the patriarch of the Boston Brahmin Lawrence family. He married Susanna Parker in 1777, and had 9 children. His sons, who were all influential in United States history, included: *

Luther Lawrence Luther Lawrence (September 28, 1778 – April 17, 1839) was the Mayor of Lowell, Massachusetts (1838–1839). In 1818, Lawrence purchased 25 shares of the Suffolk Bank, a clearinghouse bank on State Street in Boston. Early life and family ...

(1778–1839), who served as Mayor of Lowell, MA from 1838 to 1839. * William Lawrence (1783–1848) *

Amos Lawrence Amos Lawrence (April 22, 1786 – December 31, 1852) was an American merchant and philanthropist. Biography Amos Lawrence was born in Groton, Massachusetts. Lawrence attended elementary school in Groton and briefly attended the Groton Academy. ...

(1786–1852) *

Abbott Lawrence Abbott Lawrence (December 16, 1792, Groton, Massachusetts – August 18, 1855) was a prominent American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was among the group of industrialists that founded a settlement on the Merrimack River that w ...

(1792–1855) * Samuel Lawrence (b. 1801), who was a business partner with his brother William Luther died on April 17, 1839, when he fell into a wheel pit while showing a visitor around his mill.

References

;Notes ;Sources * Dr. Samuel A. Green, various books and articles on the history of Groton. * Lowell Historical Society Website
Vital Records of Groton.
Published 1926. 1754 births 1827 deaths People from Groton, Massachusetts Continental Army officers from Massachusetts Founders of educational institutions People of colonial Massachusetts American people of English descent {{US-business-bio-1750s-stub

Career

Personal life

See also

References