NORTH ANDOVER — Local men who fought in the American Revolution will come to life during an upcoming lecture on soldiers who influenced what turned into the American Revolution.
North Andover Historical Society museum educator David Blauvelt will highlight some of the area’s Revolutionary War heroes who are buried in the First and Second Old Burial Grounds and how their personal stories weave into the bigger story of the war.
His lecture, “Revolutionary war graves in the First and Second Burial Grounds,” will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the society’s Stevens Center, 800 Massachusetts Ave. The lecture is part of Rev250, a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolutionary War.
In his research, Blauvelt has found at least 48 people buried in the two historical cemeteries tied to the revolution. The research proved at times to be a daunting task, as people from the 1700s, especially those of English descent, often bore the same name. Professional and military titles, juniors or seniors, or if the person was a reverend differentiated a person if they had the same name as someone else.
For instance, there are two men named James Frye buried in First Burial Ground who were connected to the Revolutionary War.
One of the men, Col. James Frye, was a noteworthy hero of the war, serving as leader of Frye Regiment.
Blauvelt said many buried in the now North Andover cemeteries had previously served in some capacity within the British military during the French and Indian War from 1754 to 1763, like Col. Frye. Blauvelt will use the French and Indian War to set up his talk on the American Revolution, and how the previous war influenced the local soldiers during the latter.
Blauvelt said there was almost a folklore created around the Revolutionary War after the Civil War to show a united front, fighting to be a single country under a federal system. Historians had often romanticized the idea that people who had never fought before picked up a dusty old rifle for the first time from above the fireplace to fight for the cause during the revolution.
“But that wasn’t the case really,” Blauvelt said. “A lot of these men had previously fought in war and had experience. Col. Frye had not only served in the French and Indian War, but he was an officer during it so he already had that experience going into the revolution and at the Battle of Lexington and Concord.”
Some of the lecture on Tuesday will cover documents written by Col. Frye voicing his frustrations. The historical society is in possession of the colonel’s petitions to the British government following the French and Indian War for his soldiers to be paid.
At the time, there was a currency shortage in the colonies while the British Empire was placing taxation on the colonies to pay for the French and Indian War.
“Col. Frye has a lot of those letters just trying to get his men paid and it’s a monetary frustration that leads to agitation for the Revolutionary War,” Blauvelt said, as soldiers had been promised money and weren’t seeing it.
When the revolution started, Frye was 65 years old, an “old man,” Blauvelt added.
Col. Frye rode on horseback to Bunker Hill. “Remember Louisbourg!” is a phrase that he reportedly shouted out at Bunker Hill. The Siege of Louisbourg occurred during the French and Indian War.
He sustained a gunshot wound in the leg during the battle. Blauvelt said the wound likely caused his death several months later.
There are two known men, including Col. Frye, buried in the old burial grounds who died because of their wounds sustained at one point during the revolution. The other man was Corp. John Johnson, Jr.
Among the 48 men buried in North Andover who fought in the revolution, many lived long lives into their 60s, 70s, and even 80s, after the war. Ephraim Lacy, who was at the Battle of Bunker Hill and 25 years old in 1775, lived until 1839. His gravestone is in the second burial ground.
Blauvelt said there could be more men who fought, but his present research so far has produced at least 48. Muster rolls and other primary documents from the 1700s may yield more results.
The historical society has an extensive genealogical archive sorted by family, such as a binder dedicated to the Frye family. Blauvelt said he hopes the lecture will inspire more people to visit the graves or research their own roots to the soldiers.
He acknowledged there is still more work to be done researching the locals in the American Revolutionary War and said the lecture is more of a starting off point for people to connect to the town’s past.
“If a story piques someone’s interest, if they’re an ancestor of that person and want to learn more, use that energy and visit the historical society’s archive,” Blauvelt said.
On April 19, there will also be a “Rev250 Bus Tour” visiting different houses and cemeteries related to the American Revolutionary War in Andover and North Andover. The bus tour is part of a collaboration between the North Andover Historical Society and Andover Center for History & Culture.