Author: Ben Talley
Patriot Nathaniel French was born on 24 Feb 1755 in Attleboro, Bristol, Mass. He died 18 Dec 1818 in West Stockbridge and is buried in Slauter Cemetery. Today the cemetery is called South Cemetery, AKA Rockdale Cemetery and Slauter Cemetery and is located on Route 41 West Stockbridge, MA 01266. On 26 Mar 1777 in Attleboro, Bristol, Mass., Nathaniel married his distant cousin, Bethiah French, who was born on 27 May 1757 also in West Stockbridge. She died on 25 Jul 1832 where she and Nathaniel were born. Nathaniel and Bethiah had six (6) children. From this auspicious union we draw a direct line to the Mayflower passengers, John Howland and his wife, Elizabeth Tilley.

Nathaniel’s father, Christopher French, was born 17 Sep 1724 in Attleboro, Bristol, Mass. and died on 17 Jul 1755 in Attleboro, Bristol, Mass . On 11 Oct 1753 in Attleboro, Bristol, Mass, his father, Christopher, married Amy (Amee) Carpenter, who was born 24 May 1726 in Rehoboth, Bristol, Mass. Her parents were Jedediah Carpenter (1697 – 1731) and Mercy Brown (1699 – 1751). Two (2) cousins and his brother, William French, also served in the Revolution. Attleborough, Mass, is located about 10 miles north of Rehoboth, both are near Providence, Rhode Island.

Nathaniel served in Captain Job Woodbridge’s Company, Colonel Brown’s Regiment, Part of Massachusetts Militia (Infantry) was active from 1775-1777. Woodbridge’s Regiment of Militia, also known as the “1st Hampshire County Militia Regiment” and “Woodbridge’s (25th) Regiment” and “The 25th Regiment of Foot”. On April 20, 1775, the day immediately following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Woodbridge’s regiment was formed and marched to Cambridge, Massachusetts near Boston, and participated in the Siege of Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill. The regiment spent part of the summer and the fall of 1776 as part of the Fort Ticonderoga garrison. The next year the regiment was called up at South Hadley, Massachusetts on August 16, 1777 as reinforcements for the Continental Army. For additional history, see the Boston campaign, 1774–76, Saratoga campaign, 1777 and notable commanders Benjamin Ruggles, Woodbridge and William Stacy.

“Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia, also known as the "1st Hampshire County Militia Regiment" and "Woodbridge's (25th) Regiment" and "The 25th Regiment of Foot". On April 20, 1775, the day immediately following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Woodbridge's regiment was formed and marched to Cambridge, Massachusetts near Boston, and participated in the Siege of Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill.

The regiment spent part of the summer and the fall of 1776 as part of the Fort Ticonderoga garrison. The next year the regiment was called up at South Hadley, Massachusetts on August 16, 1777 as reinforcements for the Continental Army during the Saratoga Campaign. The regiment marched quickly to join the gathering forces of General Horatio Gates as he faced British General John Burgoyne in northern New York. The regiment served in General Warner's brigade. With the surrender of Burgoyne's Army on October 17, the regiment was disbanded on November 29, 1777. More resource re both the Boston and Saratoga Campaigns may be found at Wikipedia.

UNIFORMS: http://www.history-of-american-wars.com/Revolutionary-War-Uniforms.htmlHAMP

Battle of Bunker Hill
Col. Woodbridge entered service on April 20, 1775,[1] the day immediately following the Battles of Lexington and Concord. He commanded a regiment of Minutemen, which was organized into Woodbridge's (25th) Regiment.[1] During the Siege of Boston, Woodbridge's regiment was based at Cambridge near Boston, and participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first large-scale battle of the war.[6][7] During the Siege of Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill, Abijah Brown served as lieutenant colonel to Woodbridge, and William Stacy served as major.
On June 17, 1775, immediately prior to the Battle of Bunker Hill, Woodbridge marched his regiment in good order from the mainland across the Charlestown Neck, an isthmus connecting the mainland with the Charlestown Peninsula and the battlefield. The regiment was under fire from British naval vessels as they crossed the neck to reinforce Col. William Prescott's regiment; British vessels were bombarding the battlefield and the Charlestown Neck prior to the assault of the British troops. General Israel Putnam, riding his horse from the battlefield to the neck, met Woodbridge's regiment and urged them to run to the battlefield. The rush to battle caused confusion and separation of Woodbridge's men as they arrived at the field of action. Parts of the regiment engaged and joined the battle.[2]
Woodbridge's regiment arrived at Bunker Hill immediately prior to the battle.[6][7] A company from Woodbridge's regiment deployed on the right flank, and a portion of the regiment joined Colonel Prescott's regiment at the redoubt and breastwork on the hill.[8] Woodbridge's regiment "was not commissioned, and there are few details of it, or of its officers, in the accounts of the battle."[7] Reports of the battle indicate that the American defenders on the right flank fought valiantly from behind what cover they could find.[9] The men at the redoubt and breastwork fought until they had no more bullets, finally fighting with the butts of their guns, rocks, and their bare hands.[10] It is also reported that Woodbridge's regiment covered the retreat of the Continental Army across the Charleston Neck to the mainland after the hill was taken by the British.[2]
Lechmere's Point
Woodbridge's regiment was actively involved throughout the Siege of Boston. On November 11, 1775, George Washington wrote to Congress of an incident during the siege, in which Col. Woodbridge and part of his regiment joined with Col. William Thompson's Pennsylvania regiment, defending against a British landing at Lechmere's Point, and "gallantly waded through the water, and soon obliged the enemy to embark under cover of a man-of-war…"[11]
Pawlet Expedition
Colonel Woodbridge served under General Benjamin Lincoln during the Pawlet Expedition of September 1777. A revolutionary force gathered at Pawlet, Vermont for a three-pronged attack of 500 men each against Fort Ticonderoga. Col. John Brown led a force against the outposts of Ticonderoga, Col. Samuel Johnson led a diversionary force against Mount Independence across Lake Champlain from Ticonderoga, and Col. Woodbridge led a covering force to Skenesborough (now known as Whitehall) at the south end of Lake Champlain. Col. Brown's attack successfully crippled the British position at Ticonderoga, preventing supplies or reinforcements from reaching General John Burgoyne, who surrendered the following month at Saratoga.[12][13]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodbridge%27s_Regiment_of_Militia


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Elizabeth Tilley (1607 - 1687)
Elizabeth (1613 - 1705)
daughter of Elizabeth Tilley
Bethiah Bosworth (1644 - 1718)
daughter of Elizabeth
Mehitabel Peck (1671 - 1718)
daughter of Bethiah Bosworth
Bethia Whittaker (1706 - 1761)
daughter of Mehitabel Peck
Mary Molly Lee (1735 - 1806)
daughter of Bethia Whittaker
Bethia French (1757 - 1832)
daughter of Mary Molly Lee