HELP NEEDED - The Wedding Portrait That Never Was

[Evenstar]

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Prescott.  Under the heading Early Life the second paragraph indicates Lydia's father was a Lexington clockmaker who had died in 1767.  You may need to take a trip to the Lexington records dept. to find out more - if any records still exist.

Here's an interesting side note: It seems that Lydia was married in March of 1783 (http://www.rays-place.com/marrage/lexington-mar.htm) to a fellow named Joseph Burrill...  Our SC's last name is Burrell - an erie coincidence.

So since her father was already dead, he wouldn't have been in the portrait anyway.

That list of the marriages is really interesting!

Thanks for your help! I'll be presenting the story this weekend.

~ES 

[brdholman]

I cannot remember if it was the father or her brother Nathanial's clock we saw in Lexington...at either Buckman's Tavern or the Clarke-Hancock House.  Shoot, may have seen one from each. 

You will do great, ES!!

[kentuckyjam]

Darn it!!!     That last post was from me.     Hate it when I post under hubby's name.

[NorCal22Gal]

Ok, Evenstar...we all want to know how you do with the story....PLEASE??PLEASE??

Next weekend I'm gonna tell the 2nd strike as Hannah Davis.....

NorCal22Gal

[Evenstar]

Ok, Evenstar...we all want to know how you do with the story....PLEASE??PLEASE??

Next weekend I'm gonna tell the 2nd strike as Hannah Davis.....

NorCal22Gal

Ok, I'll post here to let ya'll know how it went... AS LONG as you, NorCal, PM me how your 2nd strike goes, and read our AARs to get other's perspectives on how I did.

[NorCal22Gal]

You got it!!!!   

[Evenstar]

Well... I told the story. I thought it went really well. I don't know if anyone cried, cause I was to busy blinking. I didn't tell it in first person, but with my sister's help, made some changes to the original notes. Here are the notes I went by if anyone is interested. Thanks to ALL for your help, tips, and notes.

The Wedding Portrait That Never Was

"Yesterday we heard about Dr. Samuel Prescott. About how he was returning home that April night from courting his fiancee. We heard how he ran into Revere and Dawes and agreed to help them alarm Concord. In fact, he was the only rider to get through to Concord.

"He had many plans for his future. He had a promising career as a doctor, and, in his near future, a wedding to his fiancee, Miss Lydia Mullikin. Because of the War, that wedding never took place.

"Let's fast-forward a few months and pretend that the war never happened. We are standing in the doorway to a church. Down the aisle, at the altar, we see a bride, her groom, her brother, his brother, and the minister who officiated.

"Now we must rewind, because the war did, in fact, take place.

"Lydia's brother, Nathanial, survived the skirmish on the Green, but died later of camp fever.

"Rev. William Emerson died of camp fever while with the Continental Army in 1776.

"Dr. Abel Prescott carried the alarm from Concord to Sudbury and Farmingham on April 19th. As he was returning, he was shot by the Regulars at the South Bridge outside of Concord. He died of those wounds in August. Think about it. For four months he lingered, before finally dying of those wounds.

"Dr. Samuel Prescott served in the militia, then joined the crew of a privateer. He was captured, dying in miserable conditions on a British prison ship.

"Lydia never heard of his fate. To her, he simply disappeared. She waited 8 years for him. Never hearing a word. When he didn't return, she married someone else.

"If all that wasn't enough - no wedding, groom dead, brother dead, minister dead - Lydia's house was one of the three houses burnt by Lord Percy that April day.

"I think that few of us truly understand the impact the war had on our founding generation.

"Here was a girl who lost her house, her husband-to-be, and her brother. Worse, she lost her future... All her plans and dreams, shattered by the war.

"Lydia also lost her security. When we are little girls, our dad is our security. We know he won't let anything happen to us. As we grow up, our brothers help keep watch over us when our father can't. And then, when we meet that special man, he becomes our protector and provider for the rest of our life. Lydia lost that. She lost her father before the war... her brother and husband-to-be, during the war.

"Every woman, especially once she's engaged, hopes for that unmistakable look on her fiance's face when he sees her in her wedding dress. But Lydia never got to see that look on Samuel's face."

[kentuckyjam]

Glad to hear it went well!  I knew it would. 

I've been checking , hoping you'd post. 

[Fred]

   Good job!

[kentuckyjam]

We had enough male instructors for me to have them stand up during the portrait.  I think it made a difference.  I did it first person this time which put an interesting twist, too.  Glad to gather from you guys, thanks.

[NorCal22Gal]

Good Job!!

We had enough male instructors that they stand up with me...My husband eaglescouter is Dr. Prescott.  Makes it more personal to me to have to think of sending someone i love off....then not hearing what happened to him for years.....


I told 2nd strike as Hannah Davis.....as if she was sitting down that evening and writing the days events in her diary.  I started "April 19, 1775....They brought Isaac home today......"

There was a lot of "dust" in the air this weekend.

One lady told me that next time I got up to tell a story she was going to take a walk so she wouldn't cry....

There's a compliment...To touch the hearts of the shooters and make them feel what the people must have felt at that time. 

One of our instructors called it "devastating"....cause i made him cry too....

It's a good feeling to know that everyone you are telling the story too feels it as much as you do.

NorCal22Gal.

[TruTenacity]

I told 2nd strike as Hannah Davis.....as if she was sitting down that evening and writing the days events in her diary.  I started "April 19, 1775....They brought Isaac home today......"

NorCal22Gal,

I'd be grateful if you'd share your story/notes for your 2nd strike presentation here or on the Instructor Core Board.  Please?

TruT.

[NorCal22Gal]

Going to make me try to remember what i said?  ooookkkkkaaaayyy....give me a couple days to get it typed up and i'd be happy to share.
NorCal22Gal

[NorCal22Gal]

Alright...you asked for it...  Hope it works for whoever uses it.
NorCal22Gal

2nd Strike Told as Hannah Davis

I did this as if she was sitting down at the end of the day writing in a  journal or diary.

"April 19, 1775

They brought Isaac home today.  He lays in our bed until the funeral. His face is serene, as if even in death he knows the cause he fought for is just and right.

It seems like days ago since the alarm early this morning.  We'd been up with the children, all 4 of them, 3 are sick with the canker rash.  I hope they are strong and survive what has been a deadly disease.

The Robbin's boy brought the alarm early this morning.  We could hear the alarm bells and the alarm shots being fired.

It was a different feeling to watch my husband change from just Isaac, to Captain Isaac Davis.  The men in his unit began gathering in my kitchen.  Because Isaac was a gunsmith, his men were well equipped with bayonet and cartridge boxes. Well trained too, for Isaac asked them to train twice a week as payment for the bayonets.  I helped them get ready, even powdered their hair so they might be presentable when they met the Regulars.

Finally, they were ready and they marched away.  I stood at the door and watched.  Suddenly, they stopped and Isaac came back.  He stood before me for a while as if he had much to say but couldn't decide what to say..  Finally he said goodbye, then said "Hannah, take good care of the children."  Then he turned and went back to the men and they left.

The men told me that Concord was warned by Dr. Samuel Prescott.."

(at this point I told the main body of the strike still using the tone of Hannah getting the story from the men who went with Isaac and who surely talked to the other men there)

"Col. Smith & his men left Concord under the watchful eyes of Col Barrett and the rest of the militia at the North Bridge.

I know that I will tell my children about their brave father, and I would hope that they would tell their children so his sacrifice isn't forgotten."

Thus end the 2nd strike of the match, flaring brightly, but not quite ready to catch and fully blaze yet......

[Evenstar]

Alright...you asked for it...  Hope it works for whoever uses it.
NorCal22Gal

2nd Strike Told as Hannah Davis

I did this as if she was sitting down at the end of the day writing in a  journal or diary.

"April 19, 1775

They brought Isaac home today.  He lays in our bed until the funeral. His face is serene, as if even in death he knows the cause he fought for is just and right.

It seems like days ago since the alarm early this morning.  We'd been up with the children, all 4 of them, 3 are sick with the canker rash.  I hope they are strong and survive what has been a deadly disease.

The Robbin's boy brought the alarm early this morning.  We could hear the alarm bells and the alarm shots being fired.

It was a different feeling to watch my husband change from just Isaac, to Captain Isaac Davis.  The men in his unit began gathering in my kitchen.  Because Isaac was a gunsmith, his men were well equipped with bayonet and cartridge boxes. Well trained too, for Isaac asked them to train twice a week as payment for the bayonets.  I helped them get ready, even powdered their hair so they might be presentable when they met the Regulars.

Finally, they were ready and they marched away.  I stood at the door and watched.  Suddenly, they stopped and Isaac came back.  He stood before me for a while as if he had much to say but couldn't decide what to say..  Finally he said goodbye, then said "Hannah, take good care of the children."  Then he turned and went back to the men and they left.

The men told me that Concord was warned by Dr. Samuel Prescott.."

(at this point I told the main body of the strike still using the tone of Hannah getting the story from the men who went with Isaac and who surely talked to the other men there)

"Col. Smith & his men left Concord under the watchful eyes of Col Barrett and the rest of the militia at the North Bridge.

I know that I will tell my children about their brave father, and I would hope that they would tell their children so his sacrifice isn't forgotten."

Thus end the 2nd strike of the match, flaring brightly, but not quite ready to catch and fully blaze yet......

Wow, that sounds really good. I'd love to hear you tell this some day.

[NorCal22Gal]

Bring a box of kleenex...I made almost all our instructors "have some dust in their eyes".   One lady informed me that the next time i get up to tell a story she's leaving....i made her cry both days.

You're welcome to California any time!

NorCal22Gal

[Bamanurse]

OK i'm going to give this a try this sunday at our shoot in Tuscaloosa, AL.  I've used everyones stories and some other info I've found and hope to make it my own.  Will let you know how it goes.  I would love to do the Hannah Davis one when I have to do the other.

[TruTenacity]

Bring a box of kleenex...I made almost all our instructors "have some dust in their eyes".   One lady informed me that the next time i get up to tell a story she's leaving....i made her cry both days.

You're welcome to California any time!

NorCal22Gal

Thanks for posting your notes, NorCal.  No kidding with the need for kleenex!

Here are my notes.

I first introduce the 2nd strike with Samuel Prescott escaping and arriving in Concord to sound the alarm.  Then I talk about Concord's militia response and Concord's townfolks response.  Then comes the introduction of Isaac Davis and Acton:
(The notes on my cards)
-5 miles west of Concord was the town of Acton
-In Acton minutemen appointed Isaac Davis, a farmer & gunsmith to be Captain
-Outfitted his men and trained with them twice a week
-When the alarm sounded in Acton minutemen congregate at Isaac's home
-"Hannah, Isaac's wife, wrote in her diary: Acton minutemen trampled into my kitchen and filled that small feminine space with the strong masculine presence of their muskets, bayonets, tomahawks, and powder hrns."
-Commotion woke Davis' four children, youngest 15 months old
-Children suffering from Canker Rash
-Ready to head out - Isaac last to leave
-Approached door - turned
-Knowing he's about to enter danger
-Face is somber - serious - yet lined with courage and conviction
-Locked eyes with beloved wife
-Much he wants to say ... much she wants to say
-Finds his voice ... can only get out, "Take good care of the children"
-Turns and is gone
-"Hannah, struggling with her womanly intuition that she'll never see her husband, her protector, the father of her children again, is overwhelmed with the agony of emptiness and the unknown BUT she says a prayer for Isaac, and then tends to the needs of her children"
-She understood the high cost of liberty.

Then I move on to Redcoats in Concord, Activity of the Gathering Minutemen, At the North Bridge, Events after the North Bridge, and then an Epilogue:
-4:30 in the afternoon
-Hannah in kitchen preparing broth for children
-Two running high fevers
-Fears they won't live to see another day
-Mixed w/her concern for her little ones is a concern for her husband
-Getting late.  Where's Isaac?  What's happening in Concord?
-Is he on his way home?  When will he return?
-While mulling over these thoughts she hears a wagon pull up outside.
-Finally!   He's home!!!
-She stands stone still without breathing ... door swings open
-She senses the men that opened the door are struggling with the burden they're carrying in
-She looks upon Isaac
-Aside from the blood soaked shirt, his countenance has not changed much
-the man beside her is saying something
-She can't hear him.  Her eyes are riveted on the man she loves.
-All else seems so far away. She can't hear a thing.
-She finally turns and sees the word "Where?" form on the man's lips.
-She gestures toward the bedroom
-The men carefully carry Isaac into the room and gently lay him on the bed ... Isaac's bed ... their bed, and then quietly leave
-Hannah is alone in her home ... their home ... with her dead husband and four grievously sick children

-What is the cost of freedom?  Hanna knew what the cost was.
-Is that cost too high?  Is it?

Courage: That quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness; or without fear or depression of spirits; valor; boldness; resolution

Courage - that word sums up the character of the Colonists.  Does that word characterize you?

The second match has been struck, but as can happen, this match sputters and goes out like the first.  Is there a third?


Bamanurse, let the story grow on you, get inside the Colonists heads at every turn and you'll do just fine.  Please do let us know how it goes.

TruT

[kentuckyjam]

Some tidbits -

When 13 yr old John Robbins, son of the Acton militia captiain, banged on the Davis door, Isaac got up, musket in hand.   He got the warning and  shut the door.  He turned and locked eyes with Hanna whose arms were crossed.  she was trying to hold herself together.

Canker rash is similar to scarlet fever.

While the men were there, they started joiking about getting a hit at Gage.  Isaac rebuked them,saying it was an eventful crisis for the colonies.  Blood would be shed.  they didn't know whose or for how long.  But they shouldn't worry, God is on their side.


Men went outside and Isaac gave teh command to march. Hanna was at the door watching.  He halted his men and went back to her.    So imagine what she was feeling watching him walk away at first without saying anything.    After he said "Take good..." she was proud but human, despair overwhelmed her. ( I put in the proud part, but I know she was, had to be).  They regularly discused politics


HIs men get to the Concord town line.  He paused and gave them the chance to turn back.  Noone did.Isaac came up off the ground whent eh musket ball tore through his heart. He was holding on to his musket so tight, they had to pry it from his hands later.

Hanna had gone into Acton to check for news during the day but there was none.
After the men left  she was alone in the house with her dead husband and sick children..  She was  low on money, grain, supplies.  she  sunk down on the hearthstone and cried uncontrollably.

I then deatil the risk - treson, wounds, no life insurance.
Isaac knew this risk when he headed out the door.  So did Hanna.  Did she run after him?  No.  Was she proud of him?  You bet she was.


Sorry for the typing.  Doing this quickly and I can't see my cursor.

[Old Glory!]

My copy of PRR always seems to fall open to page 166.

"Other women shared that feeling as they watched their husbands march away.  After the men were gone these individual emotions flowed into one another like little streams into a river of fear that flooded the rural towns of Massachusetts. "

While many looked for a place of safety during the calamity, and amidst intense uncertainty, courageous women from Pepperell and the surrounding countryside bravely vowed to let no foe to freedom pass through their town.  

Oh, what it must have been like for the women. 

[NorCal22Gal]

Amen....
All I have to do is picture sending my husband or brother off to war...knowing i might not see them again....   Getting ready to tell the stories again this coming weekend in Red Bluff at my home range.  maybe i'll buy some boxes of tissue to place on the tables....... 

There is a letter I've posted somewhere....written by Hannah Winthrop to Mercy Warren.  In it she describes the women in a house where she and her ill husband stayed the night...

"but what a distressed house did we find it, filled with women whose husbands had gone forth to meet the assailants, some 70 or 80 of these ( with numberless infant children), weeping and agonizing for the fate of their husbands.  In addition to this scene of distress, we were for sometime in sight of the battle; the glittering instruments of death proclaiming by an incessant fire that much blood must be shed; that many widowed and orphaned ones must be left as monuments of British barbarity....."

To remember is to honor.....


NorCal22Gal
Laurie

[Evenstar]

Funny... I just read that section of PRR yesterday...

There is a letter I've posted somewhere....written by Hannah Winthrop to Mercy Warren.  In it she describes the women in a house where she and her ill husband stayed the night...

"but what a distressed house did we find it, filled with women whose husbands had gone forth to meet the assailants, some 70 or 80 of these ( with numberless infant children), weeping and agonizing for the fate of their husbands.  In addition to this scene of distress, we were for sometime in sight of the battle; the glittering instruments of death proclaiming by an incessant fire that much blood must be shed; that many widowed and orphaned ones must be left as monuments of British barbarity....."

[NorCal22Gal]

Found the whole thing here.... http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=13630.0

After I posted it of course....sigh....

oh well.

Enjoy all.

Laurie

[Western Rose]

Hey Gals (and guys)!

A random thought, but one that has to do with this story. Try dropping the word "portrait". To most people portrait is something ancient....not alive...still....something that happened a long time ago.... something they can't connect to... Just a picture on the wall.

I dropped the word "portrait" completely from the story at the last shoot I told this story at. Instead of having them imagine a portrait of the wedding, have them imagine that they are there... in the doorway of the church. I believe it made a difference and really brought it home to some people.

Just a suggestion....

[NorCal22Gal]

Awesome idea!!!  I will certainly try it......

NorCal22Gal