9/22 Monday
Continuing our search for details of the lives of our early Colonial ancestors we drove to Boston, starting first at the Massachusetts Historic Society. The Society has many original colonial records in its library. A first visit requires a lengthy check-in procedure and it took us about an hour to check in. Browsing the bookshelves is not allowed. The best way to access materials in the library is to fill out a request form for materials prior to a visit.
We moved on to the second floor of the building for the display and video of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The display was an excellent introduction to the Battle of Bunker Hill Monument. The Monument marks the place of one of the first battles of the American Revolution. It was one of many battles that my ancestors fought in.
On our way to the Battle of Bunker Hill Monument we parked close to the docking site of the USS Constitution battleship in Charleston Navy Yard. The USS Constitution battleship is a 229-year-old wooden frigate that is still in operation. Seeing the ancient ship at anchor was an unexpected gift. Unfortunately the ship was closed to visitors, but the nearby ship museum was open and crowded with people.
We walked 15 minutes uphill from there to the Bunker Hill Monument. Taking in the view down the hill to the harbor we saw building after building covering ground that once was a battlefield. Joggers and hikers waved as they went by, and other visitors on park benches took in the view. I wondered if they were also descendants of the patriots that had fought here.
The Monument area has several plaques that describe what happened on the hill 250 years ago. Our visit to the MA Historic Society before visiting the Monument was serendipitous and added much more detail.
We sat on the park benches and I thought about how Uriah McLain, my 4th great-grandfather, felt as the English made charge after charge up the hill. He was 24 years old at the time as he and the other colonists stood their ground against the British army until they ran out of ammunition. Uriah served in the Revolution from the opening shots at Bunker Hill to the British surrender.
Uriah McLain’s discharge paper was signed by George Washington at the close of the war. That document is shown below with Uriah’s name at the top and Washington’s distinctive signature at the bottom. It is a historical artifact in the life of an ancestor that ties our family to the birth of the United States at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
9/23 Tuesday – We returned to Richard Smith’s Castle for a visit to their research library. The librarian introduced us to the records there and had already pulled multiple books and publications for us to read. She also suggested that we visit the local city library.
Taking the librarian’s suggestion we visited the North Kingston City Library. The library held publications related to the history of Cocumscussoc. A local newsletter, The Castle Chronicle, focused on Richard Smith’s castle. There were many books at the library discussing the history of the Cocumscussoc area and the Richard Smith family.
An interesting find was the book The Women of Cocumscussoc. It mentioned that a daughter of Richard Smith introduced an English cheese recipe that was produced in the area. We made sure to buy some Narragansett cheese on our next stop at the grocery.
The Richard Smith and cognate Updyke families played a large part in the development of the Colony and the area. Richard Smith Sr. had trading locations here and in New Amsterdam – the future New York City – where he was also one of the leaders.[1] His lot in New Amsterdam appeared in the lower right of a 1642 New Amsterdam city map.[2] Richard Smith Jr. rebuilt the Castle after it was destroyed in King Philip’s War and the Updyke branch of the family lived at the Castle for generations. Our earlier article discussed Richard Smith and the Castle.[3]
From Colonial history to the American Revolution, discoveries of lost and forgotten family ancestors and of the details in their lives like the ones discussed in this article build on each other. My first step to finding family back to the 1600s was to locate my Revolutionary War ancestors. From there the family tree opened like a flower in bloom.
This is the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Uriah McLain was one of my eighteen patriot ancestors approved so far by the genealogists at the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. For those inspired to search for their own patriot ancestors my book, Discover Your Roots! How I Found My North American and Revolutionary War Ancestors, discusses how I discovered these patriots and how I was able to establish my descent from them. Packed with tips, it offers practical guidance for anyone interested in investigating their own possible descent from a patriot ancestor.
[1] The Eight Men (1643-1647), Historical Society of the New York Courts, https://history.nycourts.gov/about_period/eight-men/
[2] Henry Dunreath Tyler, Map of the original grants of village lots from the Dutch West India Company to the inhabitants of New-Amsterdam. https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:9s161d14t
[3] Pilgrimage To Plymouth Part 4 -The Great Swamp Fight Memorial & Richard Smith’s Castle. https://theboatinggenealogists.com/2025/12/02/pilgrimage-to-plymouth-part-4-the-great-swamp-fight-memorial-richard-smiths-castle/
Copyright 2026 Bruce Wright, Esq. ®
The Boating Genealogists 