Benjamin Eager Noble, a son of Matthew Noble (SAR Patriot # P-256635) and Lydia Eager, was born on 16 May 1760 in Westfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts. Though he was born Benjamin Eager Noble, he was known as Eager Noble throughout his life. He married Mary (Molly) Phelps, a daughter of Aaron Phelps and Mary Noble, on 24 May 1781 in West Springfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts. She was born on 9 December 1763 in Westfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts. They had the following children: Polly, Cynthia, Sally, Charlotte, James, Clarissa, Lydia, and George.

Noble was eager to join the fight for the Revolution. Testimony from Noble and his acquaintances share the following regarding Noble's service in the Revolution. Before turning sixteen, Noble ran away from his family and enlisted in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father tracked him down and brought him back to Westfield before he could serve. On 17 May 1776, the day after his sixteenth birthday, Noble enlisted as a private in the company of Captain John Gray, against his father's will. The company stayed in Westfield for about two months, where Noble and the company drilled. At this time, Noble received one month's pay of 48 shillings and a gun and other pertinent soldier equipment. After the two-month camp, the company met at Westfield's meetinghouse, where prayers were said for the men. The company then marched through towns such as Worthington, Williamston, and Bennington on their way to Fort Ticonderoga. While at Fort Ticonderoga, Noble became sick and could not perform duties for about a month. Noble's enlistment ended after a term of 7 ½ months, and he returned to Westfield about 31 December 1776.

In June or July 1777, Noble enlisted again, this time in Captain David Mosley's company and Lieutenant Colonel Robinson's regiment. Initially, the company was to go to Fort Ticonderoga. However, the American forces were ordered to leave Fort Ticonderoga during the first week of July 1777 due to Burgoyne's position at nearby Mount Defiance. Instead, Noble and his company marched through Pittsfield, Troy, and Stillwater to Saratoga. Then the company camped at Fort Miller, where Noble and his company built huts and stayed for about 2-3 weeks. Noble was also part of a detachment that went to guard at Fort Edward during this time.

After Noble returned to Westfield in August or September 1777, he served as a volunteer to guard prisoners taken at the Battle of Bennington. The prisoners camped about a mile outside town during the day, and at night they were kept in the meetinghouse in the middle of town. This service lasted about three weeks until a new guard was raised to march the prisoners to Boston. Noble stated that he was not engaged in any battles during his terms of service.
After the Revolutionary War, many farmers in western Massachusetts became disgruntled with the burdensome tax that Massachusetts imposed, resulting in Shay's rebellion. Noble was one of the insurgents and one of the first seventeen men in Westfield to turn in his gun and take the oath of allegiance on 26 March 1787.

In 1790, Noble was enumerated in Westfield with his wife and daughters, next to Captain John Gray. In 1798, Massachusetts and Maine Direct Tax List, Noble is listed as having a house and barn near Munn's Brook on the Granville Road on an 18-acre property. The small home was still standing in the 1930s and was used in the 1800s as a powder-keg factory by his son James Noble.

Noble continued to be enumerated as the head of household in Westfield's 1800, 1810, and 1820 censuses. In 1820, 19 different Noble households were enumerated in Westfield. In a town meeting in March 1810, Noble is listed as one of the surveyors of highways, and in 1813, Noble is listed as one of the members of the jury box for Westfield. In 1823, Eager Noble was a member of a three-member committee representing the Society of Methodists in the town of Westfield.

On 6 August 1833, Noble was issued a pension certificate at the rate of $32.33 per year for his service. He continued to receive his pension until he died on 29 April 1839 in his home in Westfield, Hampden, Massachusetts. He was buried on 28 April 1839 in the Old Burying Ground in Westfield. There is no stone or marker at his grave. Noble made his will on 17 October 1831, bequeathing his real and personal property to his wife and eight children.

After his death, his widow, Molly Phelps Noble, applied for a widow's pension and was denied. The two reasons given for the denial were that there was no documentation of Noble being on a muster roll and that there was no documentation of their marriage. In 1844, she obtained a document from the town clerk's office in Westfield showing proof of their marriage. Despite this, and the fact that Noble Eager Noble had successfully applied for a pension during his life, she was still not able to successfully obtain a widow's pension during her lifetime. Molly Phelps Noble died 5 February 1850 in Westfield, Hampden, Massachusetts. She was also buried in the Old Burying Ground in Westfield.

In 1854, the six surviving children requested and received a retroactive widow pension payment. The payment of $64.66 was for two years (1848 until Molly Phelps Noble's death in 1850) and split between the six children.

Sources:

1. Pension application of Benjamin Eager Noble, W13774.
2. Boltwood, Lucius M, History, and Genealogy of the Family of Thomas Noble of Westfield, Massachusetts, pages 403-404.
3. Lord, Irene Wilcox, From the Bend of the Little River, pages 42-43.
4. Salmond, Eloise Fowler, Mundale:  The West Parish of Westfield, Massachusetts, in the Olden Days, page 46-47.
5. Westfield and Its Historic Influences, 1669-1919, Vol. 2, pages 127, 340.
6. Westfield, Massachusetts Township Records (Ancestry.com)