THE WILSONS OF KEENt:.
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��was evidently a very good one for the time, for it served as a wayside inn for the entertainment of travellers. Robert Wilson is described as a stout, strong, vigorous man, over six feet in height. He was conscientious and in- dustrious, and, by prudent and care- ful management, accumulated what might have been called, for the time, a large fortune. His opportunities for an early education had been limited, but he was nevertheless honored with some of the most important offices of the town. He was selectman in i 765 and 1 77 1, treasurer in 17S6-88, and one of the Committee of Safety in 1776. He served his country patriot- ically in the Revolution. He was early elected to fill important offices in the militia of his town. He was a lieutenant in 1771, a captain in 1775, and a major in 1777. When the news of the advance of the Brit- ish troops upon Lexington and Con- cord was made known in Peterbo- rough, immediately a company of troops started for the scene of action, April 19, 1775, under the command of Capt. Wilson. Gen. Wilson, in Smith's History of Peterborough, says, "There was no little amusement among the men at the character of the arms some of them bore. Some few had fire-arms, with a meagre supply of powder and ball ; some of the arms were the old, heavy, clumsy queen's arms ; some were light, French pieces called fusees. They probably almost all came out from Canada at the close of the old French war. Some of the men had pitchforks, soma had good stout shillalahs ; but among them all the most laughable was one Tom McCoy, who had brought with him
��his grain-flail, with which to give the British a literal thrashing. The men laughed and joked at the oddity of his weapon to fight with, but Tom replied, in broad Scotch, ' Gath, I vow, I'll gie a Britisher a devlish good lick o'er the head, an I get in reach of him.' They all knew that Tom would be as good as his word, "if it came to trial. The foremost of them got as far as Groton, when they learned the result of the Lexington and Con- cord fight. They were ordered back to their homes, but to hold themselves in readiness for any further calls that might be made upon them. In less than two months they were ordered to join the patriotic citizens at Bunker Hill, and were equally prompt in re- sponding to the call." Later, Robert Wilson distinguished himself in the Revolution. He was a major in Gen. Stark's division of militia, and was with this famous officer in the battles of Bennington, Saratoga, &c., and was appointed by him to conduct six hun- dred Hessian prisoners of war from Bennington to Boston. Major Wil- son survived the Revolution but a short time. He died a com- paratively young man of strangu- lated hernia, Christmas Day, 1790. He was but fifty-seven years of age. A good surgeon could probably have saved his life ; but such an one was not to be had, and he doubtless fell a victim to incompetent surgical attend- ants. His widow survived him a long time. She was again married to Enos Knight, but was again a widow many years, and died on the old homestead, Dec. 22, 1825, at the age of 90 years. The children of Major Robert Wil- son were i. Anne, killed at the age of
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