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Rev William Emerson
Cenotaph

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Rev William Emerson Veteran

Birth
Malden, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA
Death
20 Oct 1776 (aged 33)
Rutland, Rutland County, Vermont, USA
Cenotaph
Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA GPS-Latitude: 42.4605561, Longitude: -71.3475591
Memorial ID
View Source
Revolutionary War Figure. He was the minister in the town of Concord, Massachusetts, from 1765 to 1776. In 1770, near the soon-to-be-famous North Bridge in that town he built his home, which would later become known as the "Old Manse." From his pulpit he preached resistance to oppression by the English Parliament. On April 19, 1775, the first day of the American Revolution, he pleaded with the leaders of the American militia to launch an immediate attack on the British regulars instead of waiting for reinforcements. His demands were ignored, but when the fighting did begin, Emerson anxiously watched the battle unfold from his own land. In August of 1776, he left the Manse to serve as chaplain of the American army at Fort Ticonderoga. It was there he caught dysentery, which lead him to resign his commission to return home. He was able to make it as far as Rutland, Vermont, before becoming too ill to travel. It was there he died and was buried in an unmarked grave. The citizens of Concord erected this monument to him in 1826. He is the grandfather of the author Ralph Waldo Emerson as well.

Actual burial here
Revolutionary War Figure. He was the minister in the town of Concord, Massachusetts, from 1765 to 1776. In 1770, near the soon-to-be-famous North Bridge in that town he built his home, which would later become known as the "Old Manse." From his pulpit he preached resistance to oppression by the English Parliament. On April 19, 1775, the first day of the American Revolution, he pleaded with the leaders of the American militia to launch an immediate attack on the British regulars instead of waiting for reinforcements. His demands were ignored, but when the fighting did begin, Emerson anxiously watched the battle unfold from his own land. In August of 1776, he left the Manse to serve as chaplain of the American army at Fort Ticonderoga. It was there he caught dysentery, which lead him to resign his commission to return home. He was able to make it as far as Rutland, Vermont, before becoming too ill to travel. It was there he died and was buried in an unmarked grave. The citizens of Concord erected this monument to him in 1826. He is the grandfather of the author Ralph Waldo Emerson as well.

Actual burial here

Bio by: Eric Thomsen


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  • Created by: Eric Thomsen
  • Added: Apr 29, 2003
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7398328/william-emerson: accessed ), memorial page for Rev William Emerson (31 May 1743–20 Oct 1776), Find a Grave Memorial ID 7398328, citing Old Hill Burying Ground, Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Eric Thomsen (contributor 29506898).