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Hannah Watts Weston
Hannah Watts Weston (1758-December 12, 1855) was a Revolutionary War Patriot who played a role in America’s struggle for independence. In on June 12, 1775, Hannah Weston helped the war effort by collecting and carrying ammunition over sixteen miles through the wilderness of Maine, from Jonesboro to Machias, to assist the local militia in defense of the settlement of Machias, Maine.

Early Life
Hannah Watts (Weston) was born in 1758 in Haverhill, Massachusetts as the second child of Captain Samuel Watts and Alice Elsie Bean. Hannah lived in Haverhill until she and her family relocated to Falmouth, Massachusetts (the site of present day Portland, Maine). In 1769, the family again moved, this time farther east to Chandler River, which today is known as Jonesboro, Maine. It is here that she met Josiah Weston. Josiah moved to Jonesboro in 1772 and married Hannah in October of 1774. The two started their life together living in a small log cabin in Chandler’s River. Josiah’s younger sister, Rebecca, came to live with them.

Life During the Revolutionary War
The Westons had been married less than a year when colonial conflict with the British began to surface. In the spring of 1775, James Moore, commander of the British warship, the Margaretta, entered Machias harbor insisting the townspeople remove the Liberty Pole they had erected to demonstrate their support for fellow colonists and for freedom from the British. Instead, the men from Machias and Jonesboro formed a militia and engaged the British in what today is known as the Battle of Machias, also known as the Battle of the Margaretta.

On June 12, 1775, upon learning the militia was low on ammunition, Hannah Weston, seventeen and pregnant with her first child, along with her sister-in-law, Rebecca, rushed to their assistance. They hurried to gather powder, lead, and pewter utensils which could be used for ammunition, going door-to-door to the households of Jonesboro.

Hannah and Rebecca took it upon themselves to make the 16 mile journey to Machias on foot running through the woods with some food and a pillowcase of all they had gathered—about 40 pounds of powder, lead, and pewter which would be melted into bullets. At one point they lost their way, but they were able to recover their bearings. Partway through the trek, fifteen year old Rebecca became weak and Hannah was left to carry the load herself.

Hannah and Rebecca safely made it to Machias with the ammunition, only to discover the men had already won the Battle of Machias, the first naval battle of the Revolution. They were elated to hear of the militia’s good fortune, but discouraged to learn their journey was in vain. The ammunition they had collected with the intent of helping the militia capture the Margaretta was not needed.

It was quickly explained to Hannah and Rebecca that their pillowcase of 40 pounds of powder, lead, and pewter had arrived just in time. The militia suspected it would not be long before the British would attack them again and they were correct. In the attacks that followed, the pewter carried through the woods by Hannah helped provide the local militia with the ammunition they needed to defend the settlement of Machias against subsequent attacks by the British. Hannah’s reward for her role in the fight for liberty was a bolt of fabric.

Later Years and Death
Like most women at the time, after the war Hannah went on to raise a family and work on the family property. Through the course of her life, Hannah gave birth to thirteen children, but only eleven lived to be adults: Eliza, Hannah, Betsey, Susan, Elsie, Aphia, Sophia, Frances, Sally, Amelia and Joseph. In 1839, at the age of 80, Hannah gave a deposition documenting information about the Battle of Machias and the part she played in helping the local militia defend Machias from the British. Her account appeared in the November 13, 2004 issue of the Bangor News. Hannah lived a long and strong life on the family farm in the center of Jonesboro. It was not until the 12th of December 1856, at the age of 98, that Hannah Watts Weston died in Jonesboro, Maine. She is buried in the Hannah Weston Cemetery and her grave is marked by a gravestone, which overlooks what once was her land.

Legacy
Hannah Weston’s legacy lives on in the form of a stained glass window bearing her name in the Jonesboro Union Church. In addition, in 1901, a Daughter of the Revolution Chapter which was organized in Machias, Maine, chose to honor Hannah by naming their chapter, the Hannah Weston Chapter, NSDAR, in tribute to her bravery. Then in homage to Hannah, the chapter erected a memorial monument near her gravesite commemorating Hannah Weston and the part she played in the Revolutionary War. From her gravesite it is actually possible to catch sight of the four corner posts of her home that are still observable. The Hannah Weston Cemetery stands today providing a look into the past of the Jonesboro community.

Plaque and Silver Coin Honoring Women Veterans
In the Maine State House Hall of Flags hangs a Women Veteran’s Plaque. The plaque, which was dedicated on February 18, 2011, honors all women veterans who have served the United States Armed Forces from the state of Maine. Designed by Gary Cooper, an artist from the state of Maine, the plaque features the portraits of four Maine women who served in the military over the span of four centuries. The patriot featured from the 18th Century, is Revolutionary War Patriot, Hannah Watts Weston. Because of Hannah’s actions of carrying ammunition to the militia at Machias, Maine in June of 1775 Hannah Weston was selected to symbolize every woman from the 18th century who served her country in the Revolutionary War, for there were others like Hannah who assisted in the war effort. Silver commemorative coins,replicas of the plaque, are gifted to female veterans from Maine in honor of their service to America.