Abby Smith Munroe

Notes:

Ref: Lexington Munroes, 2nd ed. 13-34-53

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

Notes:

Jonas was a lieutenant in the United States dragoons, he resigned his commission in 1807, but when the war of 1812 broke out, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the infantry. He was engaged in the recruiting service for a short time.

He was affectionately known to thousands as "Uncle Jonas". He kept the Monroe Tavern until the building of the railroad abolished stage-coaches and brought an end to the famous hostelries that had lined the coach routes. Because Lexington was on the main thoroughfares from New Hampshire to Boston, the Munroe Tavern was always crowded with guests, while its barn and the sheds that used to join it have often sheltered a hundred horses.

He drowned while bathing at Somerville, Massachusetts.

References:

(1) Clan Munro library - "History and Genealogy of the Lexington, Massachusetts
Munroes", 2nd edition, by R. S. Munroe, (1986) -
13-34-5, 13-34-51

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

Jonas married Abigail Cook Smith on 17 Mar 1814. Abigail was born on 29 Jun 1792; died on 4 Apr 1861 in Lexington, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Abigail was the daughter of Joseph Smith.

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

Notes:

Here follows the deposition of William Munroe made 7 March 1825:

I, William Munroe, of Lexington, on oath do testify, that I acted as orderly sergeant in the company commanded by Captain Parker, on the 19th of April, 1775; that early in the evening of the 18th of the same April, I was informed by Solomon Brown, who had just returned from Boston, that he had seen nine British officers on the road, traveling leisurely, sometimes before and sometimes behind him; that he had discovered, by the occasional blowing aside of their top coats that they were armed. On learning this, I supposed they had some design upon Hancock and Adams, who were then at the house of the Reverend Mr. Clarke, and immediately assembled a guard of eight men, with their arms to guard the house. About midnight, Colonel Paul Revere rode up the road and requested admittance. I told him that the family had just retired, and had requested, that they might not be disturbed by any noise about the house. "Noise!" said he, "you'll have noise enough before long. The regulars are coming out." We then permitted him to pass. Soon after, Mr. Lincoln came. These gentlemen came different routes, Revere came over the ferry to Charlestown, and Lincoln over the neck through Roxbury; and both brought letters from Dr. Warren in Boston to Hancock and Adams, stating that a large body of British troops had left Boston, and were on their march to Lexington. On this, it was thought advisable, that Hancock and Adams should withdraw to some distant part of the town. To this Hancock consented with great reluctance, and said, as he went off. "If I had my musket, I would never turn my back upon these troops." I however conducted them to the north part of town, and then returned to the meeting-house, where I arrived at about two o'clock on the morning of the 19th. On the arrival of Colonel Paul Revere, the alarm had been given, and, on my return, I found Captain Parker and his militia company paraded on the common, a little in the rear of the meeting-house. About this time, one of our messengers, who had been sent toward Cambridge to get information of the movement of the regulars, returned and reported, that he could not learn, that there were any troops on the road from Boston to Lexington, which raised some doubt as to their coming, and Captain Parker dismissed his company, with orders to assemble again at the beat of the drum. Between day-light and sun-rise Captain Thaddeus Bowman rode up and informed, that the regulars were near. The drum was then ordered to be beat, and I was commanded by Captain Parker to parade the company, which I accordingly did, in two ranks, a few rods northerly of the meeting-house.

When the British troops had arrived within about a hundred rods of the meeting-house, as I was afterwards told by a prisoner, which we took, "they heard our drum, and supposing it to be a challenge, they were ordered to load their muskets, and to move at double quick time." They came up almost upon a run. Colonel Smith and Major Pitcairn rode up some rods in advance of their troops, and within a few rods of our company, and exclaimed, "Lay down your arms, you rebels, and disperse!" and immediately fired his pistol. Pitcairn then advanced with his troops, and finding we did not disperse, they being within four rods of us, he brought his sword down with great force, and said to his men, "Fire, damn you, fire!" The front platoon, consisting of eight or nine, then fired, without killing or wounding any of our men. They immediately gave a second fire, when our company began to retreat, and as I left that field, I saw a person firing at the British troops from Buckman's back door, which was near our left, where I was parading the men when I retreated. I was afterward told, of the truth of which I have no doubt, that same person after firing from the back door, went to the front of Buckman's house, and fired there. How many of our company fired before they retreated, I can not say; but I am confident some of them did. When the British troops came up, I saw Jonas Parker standing in the ranks, with his balls and flints in his hat, on the ground, between his feet, and heard him declare, that he would never run. He was shot down at the second fire of the British, and, when I left, I saw him struggling on the ground, attempting to load his gun, which I have no doubt he had once discharged at the British. As he lay on the ground, they ran him through with the bayonet. In the course of the day, I was on the ground where the British troops were when they first heard our drum beat, which was one hundred rods below the meeting-house, and saw the ends of a large number, I should judge two hundred, of cartridges which they had dropped, when they charged their pieces. About noon I was at the north part of the town, at the house Mr. Simmonds, where I saw the late Colonel Baldwin, who informed me, that he had the custody of some prisoners, that had been put under his charge, and requested to know of me what should be done with them. I gave my opinion, that they should be sent to that part of Woburn, now Burlington, or to Chelmsford. On the return of the British troops from Concord, they stopped at my tavern house in Lexington, and dressed their wounds. I had left my house in care of a lame man, by the name of Raymond, who supplied them with whatever the house afforded, and afterwards, when he was leaving the house, he was shot by the regulars, and found dead within a few rods of the house.
(signed) William Munroe

The services that William performed at the opening of the Revolution, were followed up by services during the progress of the war. He was a lieutenant in the northern army at the capture of Burgoyne, in 1777. He was a prominent citizen, and filled important town offices. For nine years he was a selectman, and represented the town two years. He marched towards Springfield during Shay's Rebellion and was a Colonel in the militia. He kept the public house, long known as the Munroe Tavern. Here the British regaled themselves, and committed many outrages on the 19th of April; here they shot down John Raymond who was leaving the house. In 1789, George Washington dined in the Munroe Tavern, on his visit to Lexington's battle field of Revolution.

William's second wife, whose name was either Mary or Polly and who was from Westford, Massachusetts, was a widow whose first husband was killed at the battle of Monmouth by the bursting of a cannon.

The following is from the "Abstract of Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts - 1920" - p. 340

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Tradition tells us through our late Brother Albert W. Bryant, that the first assembly of Freemasons in Lexington was on the top of the hill in the rear of Munroe Tavern. In 1797 ten Masons gathered at Munroe Tavern and signed a petition to the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts for a Charter. Dispensation was granted December 12, 1797, for the Institution of Hiram Lodge. Colonel William Munroe, well known as the stalwart orderly of Captain Parker's Minute-Men, was the first Master and served, in all, six years. This Lodge met at Munroe Tavern for thirty-three years, during which time one hundred and ninety members were recorded, of which number one hundred and fifty were Raised in the Lodge. The Lodge was dormant for several years during the anti-Masonic period and finally moved to West Cambridge, now Arlington, in 1843.

**********
«i»It's «/i»[Munroe Tavern's] «i»fame began with its purchase in 1770 by Colonel William Munroe, grandson of the builder and great-grandson of the original settler. This fourth William Munroe was born in 1742, and was one of the fifteen Munroes who took part in the battle of Lexington. He was orderly sergeant, and he not only lined up the seventy minute men who faced the eight hundred British regulars but also had command of the special squad detached to guard Hancock and Adams on the night of April 18. It was he who said to Paul Revere when that messenger came clattering up to the parsonage in the dead of night: "Don't make so much noise." "Noise," replied Revere, "there'll be noise enough before morning; the regulars are coming!"

While Sergeant Munroe was engaged with the redcoats his wife and three small children took refuge on the hill behind the tavern, leaving the house in charge of John Raymond, a hired man. The Biritish commander, Lieutenant Colonel Smith, finding the whole countryside aroused, sent back for re-enforcements. The relief, under Earl Percy, arrived at the tavern about the middle of the afternoon, took possession and holding the provincials back by posting field pieces on the hill above the tavern and on a mound where the high school now stands, dressed the wounded brought in by the retreating forces, which overcome by fatigue, hunger and the extreme and unseasonable heat, would undoubtedly have succumbed to the galling fire of the provincials had it not been for the arrival of Earl Percy. Before leaving some of the soldiers piled up the barrom furniture, set in on fire, made targets of the walls and ceilings and bayoneted on the door-step the defenceless Raymond. One of the bullet holes remains and the scorched furniture is still in possession of the family.

Among the many things to be shown«/i» [at the tavern museum]«i» are the chair on which Washington sat «/i»[during a 1789 visit]«i», the dishes from which he ate and drank, and the spoon with which he stirred his tea. There are also some pieces of furniture and china that belonged to Colonel William Munroe--his iron spectacles, his dress waistcoat and lethern breeches, paste stock buckle and snuffbox. There will be exhibited a lot of ancient deeds and documents, including the tavern day books, going back to 1773, and a chair made by Jonathan Tarrington, the last survivor of the battle of Lexington...and an order from General Washington instructing Col. Munroe to convene a courtmartial.
«/i»
("The Munroe Tavern" - a newspaper article from an unknown Boston area newspaper - 1911)
**********

William died 30 Oct 1827 (Hudson's Hist. of Lexington) or May 1827/28 (Lexington, Vital Records).

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

William married Anna Smith. Anna was born on 17 Jun 1742; died on 2 Jan 1781 in Lexington, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Anna was the daughter of Benjamin Smith.

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

Notes:

In a paper left by one of the family, it is stated, that William had been just engaged as a committee man to enlarge the burying yard, and taking a sudden cold while haying in his meadow, was attacked with a violent fever, which in a few days proved fatal. He was the first to be laid in the new portion of the yard that he had so recently procured. This account is confirmed by his gravestone, which has this inscription: "William Munroe, d. 18 Aug 1747, aged 44 years. The first buried in this (the new portion) yard."

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

William married Sarah Mason on 3 Jan 1733 in Lexington, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA. Sarah (daughter of John Mason and Elizabeth Spring) was born on 17 Jun 1714; died on 13 Apr 1785. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Sarah was the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Spring) Mason. After the death of William, she married (2) Isaac Bowman, Esq. on 27 Feb 1753.

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA