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COLLECTIONS,
Historical and Miscellaneous.

JANUARY, 1824.

Biography.

HON. NATHANIEL PEABODY.

NATHANIEL PEABODY was born at Topsfield in the county of Essex and Province of Massachusetts-Bay, Wednesday the 18th day of February, O. S. 1740, corresponding with March 1, 1741. His father, Jacob Peabody, who was an eminent physician and a man of literature and science, removed in April, 1745, from Topsfield to Leominster in the county of Worcester, and resided there till his death in 1758. His mother was Susanna, daughter of the Rev. John Rogers, who was for fifty years minister of Boxford, Mass. She was of the tenth generation in the direct line of descent from John Rogers, the martyr burnt at Smithfield, and possessed a strong and cultivated mind. Nathaniel derived his early education entirely from his father, never having attended school a day in his life. He also studied and practised physic with him from twelve till eighteen years of age, when his father died. At about the age of twenty, he went to that part of Plaistow in New-Hampshire, which was afterwards annexed to the town of Atkinson, and there soon acquired extensive practice. March 1, 1763, he married Abigail, daughter of Samuel Little, Esq. of Plaistow, but they had no children. She still survives, though bowed down with infirmity and age. Early in life the subject of this notice was a favourite with the government of the province, and held several offices under it. April 30, 1771, when only thirty years old, he, together with Meshech Weare, Matthew Thornton, Wyseman Clagett and others, was commissioned by Gov. John Wentworth as a Justice of the Peace and of the quorum for the county of Rockingham, and was, no doubt, in the commission of the peace, for some years previously to that time. In the same commission several, who were considerably his elders and afterwards became distinguished, were appointed merely justices of the peace. From these facts it may be inferred

that he was at that early period of life regarded as no ordinary man; for the office of justice of the quorum was then, and for many years afterwards, much more responsible and important than at the present day. Any three or more justices of the quorum had power to hold courts, to "enquire by the oath of good and lawful men of the county," as to numerous misdeeds and offences," and to inspect all indictments taken before them, and to hear and determine all indictments, trespasses and misdeeds, and all other, the premises (in their commission mentioned,) and to punish offenders by fines, amerciaments, forfeitures or otherwise according to law." Oct. 27, 1774, Doct. Peabody was appointed Lieut. Colonel of the 7th regiment of militia. At this time the controversy between the colonies and the parent country had approached near its crisis; the revolution was rapidly dawning, and the battle of Lexington was fought the succeeding April. Col. Peabody espoused, with ardour, the cause of his country and was the first man in New-Hampshire who resigned a King's commission on account of political opinions. In December of this year he went with Maj. Sullivan, Capt. John Langdon, Josiah Bartlett and others, who assaulted Fort William and Mary at New-Castle, confined the captain of the fort and his five men, and carried off a hundred barrels of powder. This important enterprize was accomplished at the most fortunate point of time, just before the arrival of several companies of the King's troops, who took possession of the fort.

Col. Peabody was a delegate or agent from Atkinson to a convention of agents from about forty towns in Massachusettsbay and New-Hampshire, held at the house of Maj. Joseph Varnum in Dracut, Nov. 26, 1776. Capt. John Bodwell of Methuen was chairman, and Nathaniel Peabody, clerk. Its object was, as the record states, to take into consideration "the alarming situation of our public affairs at this time on account of the exorbitant prices that are demanded and taken in consideration for many of the necessaries of life, by which means our paper currency is daily depreciating in value and the honest mechanic and labourer very much distressed by the extortion of the merchant, trader, farmer and others, whereby many good and valuable men are much discouraged from engaging in the service of these states, to the great damage of the continental army, upon which, under God, the future safety and well being of these states very much depend. The convention voted to petition the General Courts of Massachusetts-bay and New-Hampshire "to

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