Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Paul
Revere's Ride, written in 1860 and
published in 1861 in the Atlantic Monthly, transformed Paul
Revere from a relatively obscure, although locally known, figure in
American history into a national folk hero. As a result, most people
know him only for his famous ride to Lexington on the night of April
18-19, 1775. Revere's life, however, was a long and productive one,
involving industry, politics, and community service.
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ancestry and family.
Revere's Early Life
Born in Boston's North End in December, 1734, Paul Revere was the son of
Apollos Rivoire, a French Huguenot (Protestant) immigrant, and Deborah
Hichborn, daughter of a local artisan family. Rivoire, who changed his
name to Paul Revere some time after immigrating, was a goldsmith and
eventually the head of a large household. Paul Revere was the second of
at least 9, possibly as many as 12 children and the eldest surviving
son.
Paul was educated at the North Writing School and learned the art of
gold and
silversmithing from his father. When Paul was nineteen (and nearly
finished with his apprenticeship) his father died, leaving Paul as the
family's main source of income. Two years later, in 1756, Revere
volunteered to fight the French at Lake George, New York, where he was
commissioned as a second lieutenant in the colonial artillery.
In August, 1757, Revere married Sarah Orne. Together, they had eight
children. Soon after Sarah's death in 1773, Revere married Rachel
Walker with whom he had eight children.
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Family and Ancestry
Revere Silversmith / Craftsman
Revere's primary vocation, a trade he learned from his father, was that
of
goldsmith/silversmith, meaning he worked in both gold and silver. His
silvershop was the cornerstone of his professional life for more than 40
years. As the master of his silversmith shop, Revere was responsible
for both the workmanship and the quality of the metal alloy used. He
employed numerous apprentices and journeymen to produce pieces ranging
from simple spoons to magnificent full tea sets. His work, highly
praised during his lifetime, is regarded as one of the outstanding
achievements in American decorative arts.
Revere also supplemented his income with other work. During the
economic depression before the Revolution, Revere began his work as a
copper plate engraver. He produced illustrations for books and
magazines, business cards, political cartoons, bookplates, a song book
and bills of fare for taverns. He also advertised as a dentist from
1768 to 1775. He not only cleaned teeth, but also wired in false teeth
carved from walrus ivory or animal teeth. Contrary to popular myth, he
did not make George Washington's false teeth. Fabricating a full set of
dentures was beyond his ability.
Political Activities / Revolutionary War
Revere's political involvement arose through his connections with
members of local organizations and his business patrons. As a member of
the Masonic Lodge of St. Andrew, he was friendly with activists like
James Otis and Dr. Joseph Warren. In the year before the Revolution,
Revere gathered intelligence information by "watching the Movements of
British Soldiers," as he wrote in an account of his ride. He was a
courier for the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts
Committee of Safety, riding express to the Continental Congress in
Philadelphia. He also spread the word of the Boston Tea Party to New
York and Philadelphia.
At 10 pm on the night of April 18, 1775, Revere received instructions
from Dr. Joseph Warren to ride to Lexington to warn John Hancock and
Samuel Adams of the British approach. The war erupted and Revere went
on to serve as lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts State Train of
Artillery and commander of Castle Island in Boston Harbor. Revere and
his troops saw little action at this post, but they did participate in
minor expeditions to Newport, Rhode Island and Worcester, Mass.
Revere's rather undistinguished military career ended with the failed
Penobscot expedition.
The Midnight Ride
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including map and images.
Paul Revere Industrialist - Post War Businesses
Revere expanded his business interests in the years following the
Revolution. He imported goods from England and ran a small hardware
store until 1789. By 1788 he had opened a foundry which supplied bolts,
spikes and nails for North End shipyards (including brass fittings for
the U.S.S. Constitution), produced cannons and, after 1792, cast
bells. One of his largest bells still rings in Boston's Kings Chapel.
Concerned that the United States had to import sheet copper from
England, Revere opened the first copper rolling mill in North America in
1801. He provided copper sheeting for the hull of the U.S.S.
Constitution and the dome of the new Massachusetts State House in
1803. Revere Copper and Brass, Inc., the descendent of Revere's rolling
mill is best known for "Revereware" copper-bottomed pots and pans.
Revereware is now, however, manufactured by another company.
Revere's community and social involvements were extensive. He was a
Freemason from 1760 to 1809 and held several offices in St. Andrew's and
Rising States Lodges as well as the Massachusetts Grand Lodge. A member
of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association, Revere also
served as the association's first president. Founded in 1794, the group
was an organization of artisans, and small businessmen who sought to
improve the conditions under which their peers worked and aided members
in "distressed" circumstances.
Last Years
In 1811, at the age of 76, Paul Revere retired and left his
well-established copper business in the hand of his sons and grandsons.
Revere seems to have remained healthy in his final years, despite the
personal sorrow caused by the deaths of his wife Rachel and son Paul in
1813. Revere died of natural causes on May 10, 1818 at the age of 83,
leaving five children, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The son of an immigrant artisan, not born to wealth or inheritance,
Revere died a modestly well-to-do businessman and a popular local figure
of some note. An obituary in the Boston Intelligence commented,
"seldom has the tomb closed upon a life so honorable and useful." Paul
Revere is buried in Boston's Granary Burying Ground.
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