Journal

Samuel Pierce (1739 – 1815)
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Paper, ink
Pierce Family Papers,
Library and Archives Purchase

Samuel Pierce used this journal from 1762 to 1797 to keep track of the daily activities of his family, farm, and community in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Between harvests and house raisings, Pierce recorded events like the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Siege of Boston, and the Battle of Bunker Hill. As a colonel in the Massachusetts militia, Pierce took part in the fortification of Dorchester Heights, a strategic military operation that led to the evacuation of the British from Boston in 1776. 

Preserved in family hands for more than 200 years, Samuel Pierce’s journal provides a glimpse into the lives of everyday New Englanders who witnessed and participated in the American Revolution.