John Ferrit

Quick Facts

Significance:

Patriot of Color at Battle Road

Place of Birth:

Natick, Massachusetts(?)

Date of Birth:

Circa 1753

The following is from the 2004 National Park Service study Patriots of Color researched and prepared by George Quintal:

John Ferrit was born circa 1753,^I the son of Caesar and Naomi (___) Ferrit. It was stated that he had the blood of five nations flowing through his veins — Caucasian, African, Indian, Dutch, and French.^II

He marched from Natick (MA) on the Lexington Alarm, in Capt. John Morse’s company in Col. Samuel Bullard’s regiment.^III An 1830 town history describes the actions of John and his father Caesar on that memorable day:

Caesar Ferrit and his son John arrived at a house near Lexington meeting house, but a short time before the British soldiers reached that place, on their retreat from Concord. These two discharged their muskets upon the regulars from the entry, and secreted themselves under the cellar stairs, till the enemy had passed by, though a considerable number of them entered the house and made diligent search for their annoyers.^IV

He enlisted from Natick into the eight months service on 24 April 1775, in Capt. Joseph Morse’s company in Col. John Paterson’s regiment. He is listed on the 1 August 1775 muster roll, on an October 1775 return and on a 30 October 1775 ‘order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money.’^V

On 20 December 1776, he was drafted (along with his father Caesar) into Capt. Sabin Mann’s company of Medfield militia ‘to reinforce Continental Army at or near New York.’ For this service he was paid £15 by the Selectmen.^VI

On 29 September 1777 he marched on a secret expedition to Rhode Island, in Capt. Daniel Eame’s company in Col. Benjamin Haws’ regiment. This service lasted 1 month and 3 days.^VII

He enlisted on 10 March 1781 into Capt. Staples Chamberlain’s company in Col. Dean’s regiment. The ‘company marched to Rhode Island by order of his Excellency John Hancock … on a 40 days expedition.’ He was discharged on 14 March 1781, for a service of eight days (travel included). On 9 April 1781 he was paid a bounty ‘by a committee of the town of Natick to serve in the Continental Army.’^VIII

The historian Biglow stated that John was a pensioned but this could not be independently verified.^IX

He married Mary Graves in Natick on 6 May 1779.^X

Footnotes:

1. Birth date backwardly-computed, based on average age of marriage of 26 (per study of compiler).
2. Biglow, William. History of the Town of Natick, Mass. From the Days of the Apostle Eliot … (1830), 44; states that John was the son of Caesar. Naomi, a while woman, was the only known wife of Caesar – as her child, John would have been born free.
3. Secretary of the Commonwealth. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (1896-1908), 5:632, listed as ‘Ferrit.’ Also 2-CD Family Tree Maker^TM set “Military Records: Revolutionary War.” Coburn, Frank Warren. Muster Rolls of the Participating Companies of American Militia and Minute-Men in The Battle of April 19, 1775, … (1912) does not list this unit as serving at Battle Road and no primary source could be found to support the presence of the company on Battle Road that day.
4. Biglow, William. History of the Town of Natick, Mass. From the Days of the Apostle Eliot … (1830), 44; the author of Natick Bulletin. “Local Centennial Events,” 18 June 1875, page 1. See ‘People File’ at Natick (MA) Historical Society, South Natick, MA questions this service, having ‘been shown an old account where [Caesar] was paid for laying stonewall that day.’
5. Secretary of the Commonwealth. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (1896-1908), 5:632. Also 2-CD Family Tree Maker^TM set “Military Records: Revolutionary War.”
6. Ibid 5:626, listed as ‘Ferret.’
7. Ibid 5:540, listed as ‘Farret.’
8. Ibid 5:632-3, listed as ‘Ferrit.’
9. Biglow, William. History of the Town of Natick, Mass. From the Days of the Apostle Eliot … (1830), 44.
10. Vital Records to 1850. Births, Marriages and Deaths. Vols for most Massachusetts towns, Natick, Marriages, 141.

Learn more about Quintal's study.

See also, Thomas Ferrit.