Program: The Continental Army: How General Washington Created It and The Stories of Five Davenport Brothers who Served

Presented by Anne Hayden, a historian associated with the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.

 

September 10, 2026, 7:30 pm 

in the Stacey Barn behind the Pitt House

8 Main Road in Colrain

Admission is free to the public, and refreshments will be served. 

Fortifications on Dorchester Heights, March 5, 1776.

George Washington looking at the British Navy in Boston Harbor from the Fortifications. 

Anne Hayden will describe the 17th century militia system that kept Massachusetts Bay Colony towns safe from Indians. One hundred years later this was the foundation of the Continental Army that colonists needed if they were going to gain independence. Anne will outline Washington’s actions during the Siege of Boston and then at Valley Forge which transformed his soldiers into a skilled army. The five Davenport brothers, who are her ancestors, grew up together in Dorchester and served in different ways during the war. Two of them wrote letters home, and she will read excerpts from some of their letters. 

Topics Anne will cover in her talk:

The American Revolution: How the Continental Army Developed & Excerpts from James Davenport’s Letter

The American Revolution: Washington Created the Continental Army & Five Brothers Who Served and Wrote Letters Home

The Continental Army: How Washington Created It & The Experiences of Five Brothers Who Served In It

The American Revolution: The Experiences of Five Davenport Brothers During the War

The Continental Army: How General Washington Created It & Five Brothers Who Fought In It 

Gravestone of Joseph Davenport in Colrain’s West Branch Cemetery 

Joseph Davenport came from a family of professional weavers in Dorchester and settled in Colrain in 1780. He is the progenitor of many who bear the name Davenport in Franklin County today. Davenport served at the Battle of Bunker Hill and in other battles of the Revolutionary War. He died in Colrain in August,1817, aged 71 years, and was buried in the West Branch Cemetery. His war experiences, along with those of his nephews from Dorchester (letter writers James and Issac Davenport), will be the subject of a presentation at the Colrain Historical Society.