Richard Woodward (tavern owner)

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Richard "Dick" Woodward was an American tavern keeper.

Contents

Personal life

Woodward was a member of a prominent family from Dedham, Massachusetts. [1] His first wife died in 1763. [1] The couple had several sons. [1]

In February 1772, Woodward married Deborah Ames. [2] [1] When they sued a relative over an estate, their lawyer was John Adams. [1] [3] It was an unhappy marriage, however, and the couple divorced. [4] [1] Before the American Revolution was over, Woodward moved to New Haven. [5] Woodward was previously married and had children with his former wife. [6]

Woodward was also disliked by Deborah's children. [6] Fisher Ames accused him of only marrying his mother for her money and of stealing nearly $1,000. [6] Fisher's brother, Nathaniel, once got into an altercation whereby Woodward struck him with a saw. [7] [1] Nathaniel had Woodward arrested and bound to good behavior. [7] [1]

After Nathaniel Ames died in 1764, his widow Deborah ran the Ames Tavern for several years with the help of several of her sons. [8] [4] [lower-alpha 1] In 1772, she married Woodward and it became known as the Woodward Tavern. [4] [8] [9]

American Revolution

A general convention of delegates from every town in Suffolk County was called for August 16, 1774, at Doty's Tavern in Stoughton (today Canton). [10] The group agreed on the need to take a united stand against the Intolerable Acts but, since not every community was represented, it was decided to adjourn and try again to get every community represented. [10] Woodward, a member of the Committee of Correspondence, offered to host the next gathering on September 6, 1774. [10]

Before Woodward and Deborah divorced, the convention that adopted the Suffolk Resolves met in the tavern and began their work. [11] Woodward himself was elected a delegate to the convention from Dedham. [12] [13]

Woodward was also elected by the convention, along with Joseph Warren and 13 others, [lower-alpha 2] to meet the governor and inform him that the residents of Suffolk County were alarmed by the fortifications the British Army was making at Boston Neck. [14] They asked him to intervene and protest the fortifications, as well as the abuses soldiers committed against civilians in the county. [14]

Notes

  1. Her son, Nathaniel Ames, was not interested in the tavern and had little to do with it. [4]
  2. One of the others was Mr. Sumner of Dedham. [14]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bell, J.L. (September 14, 2012). ""Inn-keeping was a favorite occupation"". Boston 1775. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  2. Smith 1936, p. 167.
  3. Wroth, L. Kinvin; Zobel, Hiller B., eds. (1965). Legal Papers of John Adams. Harvard University Press. p. 63. GGKEY:69J8DZLH39D.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hanson, Bob. "The Inn Thing: Taverns of Dedham" (PDF). Dedham Historical Society News-Letter (March 2005): 2–4.
  5. Bernhard 1965, p. 42.
  6. 1 2 3 Bernhard 1965, p. 31.
  7. 1 2 Bernhard 1965, p. 30.
  8. 1 2 Fisher 1898, p. 43.
  9. Hanson 1976, p. 147.
  10. 1 2 3 Hanson 1976, p. 149.
  11. Smith 1936, p. 168.
  12. Smith 1936, p. 440.
  13. Rudd 1908, p. 13.
  14. 1 2 3 Rudd 1908, p. 15.

Works cited