Description:
Powder horn inscribed "Sons of Liberty / 1771," which belonged to Colonel Joseph Stebbins (1749-1816) of Deerfield, the son of Joseph Stebbins (1718-1797) and brother of Asa Stebbins (1767-1844) who built the brick Stebbins House on Main Street in Deerfield in 1800. The origins of the "Sons of Liberty" are in dispute. Some historical sources claim that the movement began in New York City in January 1765. A more popular claim is that the movement began in Boston, Massachusetts, through the leadership of Samuel Adams (1722-1803) in early 1765; however, it is quite likely that the Boston and New York City chapters of the Sons of Liberty were organized and developed simultaneously. This secret patriotic society had its roots in the Committees of Correspondence. The "Committees" were colonial groups organized prior to the outbreak of the American War for Independence, and were established for the purpose of formally organizing public opinion and coordinating patriotic actions against Great Britain. These original committees were loosely organized groups of private citizens formed in the New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island colonies from 1763-1764. The Sons of Liberty organized into patriotic chapters as a result of the Stamp Tax imposed by the British government on the American colonists in 1765, and existed in almost every colony. Joseph Stebbins was a second lieutenant in a company of minutemen which marched to the Lexington Alarm in April 1775; served as a lieutenant in the company of Capt. Hugh Maxwell (1733-1799) of Charlemont in May 1775; and an acting captain in regiment of Colonel William Prescott (1726-1795), which fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775. His commission as captain was signed by John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, July 5, 1775. In 1777, along with many other local men, Stebbins actively participated in the Saratoga campaign and witnessed Burgoyne's surrender. He received a commission from Governor Hancock raising him to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1781, and was made a colonel in the militia in 1778. See HD 63.052 for the powder horn thought to have belonged to his father, Joseph Stebbins.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+0258 |
