The Hartwells and Their Tavern
Zana A.
The Hartwell Tavern was "a witness"
to the American Revolution. It is located along Battle Road. From the
tavern the Hartwells could see soldiers coming and going. Many times they
had to move for their own safety. Minutemen had the advantage of knowing
the land well and could hide along Battle Road. The Hartwells had a front
row seat to viewing the outbreak of the American Revolution.
The Hartwell Tavern was the home of Ephraim and
Elizabeth Hartwell and their three sons Samuel, Isaac, and Jonathan. Ephraim
Hartwell is a fourth generation Hartwell. He is a descendant of William
Hartwell who settled in Concord, Massachusetts during the Great Migration(1629-1640).
They were ordinary colonists living during the American Revolution. The
Hartwell Tavern was a landmark in the community because it was a regular
stop made by travelers coming from Boston. Here they rested, enjoyed entertainment,
and discussed politics, generally their views toward the British.
The Hartwells had three sons Samuel, Isaac, and
Jonathan who were all minutemen. After the Port of Boston was closed most
of the townspeople changed from loyalists to minutemen, including the
three Hartwell boys.
Despite the fact that all three of their sons were minutemen Ephraim and Elizabeth Hartwell still had compassion toward the British soldiers. Living along Battle Road they found many dead soldiers. They Hartwells would took the dead British soldiers for whom none of the colonists cared for and buried them two miles down from the tavern. This was very kind of the Hartwells considering that these men were the enemy and that they were fighting their own sons. However this did not mean that the Hartwells were loyalists because when they saw the British coming they sent their slave Violet to warn the other colonists. Burying the British simply meant they were compassionate people.
Bibliography
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