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BRIGADIER GENHRAL J ■ 
 
 BENJAMIN TUPPER, 
 
 OF THK 
 
 REVOLUTIONARY ARMY, ^.c^'^^'R'^ /?-c 
 
 AMI OK ■ 
 
 THE OHIO COMPANY. 
 
 [The following is from the History of Easton, 
 Mass., by W. L. Chaffin. 1886.] 
 
 Brig -General Benjamin Tupper was 
 a citizen of Easton for about ten years — 
 for several years a schoolmaster here, 
 and by marriage closely connected with 
 several Easton families He was born 
 in Stoughton, in that part now Sharon, 
 March 11 , 1738. His father was Thomas 
 Tupper, Jr , of Sandwich. His mother 
 was Remember (Perry) Tupper, also of 
 Sandwich, and sister of Capt. Nathaniel 
 Periy of Easton. ^They had moved to 
 Stoughton before the birth of their son. 
 For her second husband she married, 
 October 4, 17-1:2, Jeiemiah Willis, the 
 ancestor of the Pliilip Willis families 
 Benjamin lived with his parents until 
 he went to learn the tanner's trade with 
 Mr. Withington, of Dorchester. This 
 was in his boyhood, for he was appren- 
 ticed verj^ early. While at Dorchester 
 he Avas much on the water, shooting be- 
 ing his favorite pastime; and he there 
 gained that familiarity with the islands 
 of Boston harbor which was of such ad- 
 vantage in his levolutionary service in 
 that locality, whicli will presently be 
 noticed. In the French and Indian war 
 we lind him, when but sixteen years 
 okl, in the company of his uncle, Capt. 
 Xathaniel Perrj\ This was in 1754. 
 A ft«r this, for about ten vears, Easton 
 
 vvas his home. He was eniployeil upon 
 the fiirm of Joshua Howard, though he 
 owned and may liave cultivated a few 
 acres of land which he bought in 17.")(). 
 He served, however, in several cam- 
 paigns in the war just named, being a 
 corporal in 1757, and a sergeant in 175!). 
 In Easton he was for a number of years 
 a schoolmaster, serving in this capacity 
 during the winter. He taught as early 
 as 170 1. 
 
 November 18, 1702, Mr. Tupper n)ar- 
 ried Huldali, daughter of Edward and 
 Kezia White, of Bridgewater. She vvas 
 born in 173!) Her mother Kezia was a 
 native of Easton, being the daughter of 
 George and Katharine (Dean) Hall, who 
 were early settlers. Mrs. White had 
 mariied in 1748, for a second husband, 
 Edward Hay ward, Esq., already so well 
 known in this history. The latter died 
 May 21, 1760 She lived four years of 
 widowhood, and then in 1764 married 
 Deacon Robert Randall. January 8, 
 1764, Benjamin Tupper joined the Con- 
 gregational Church of Easton A few 
 months after this he moved to Chester- 
 field, where he was an active citizen, 
 and liecame the first deacon of the 
 church On the ))reaking out of the 
 Revolutionary War he was a lieutenant 
 of militia. He proceeded at once 
 to Springfield, and dlsper.</Ml the 
 
£ Xol 
 1 ^ C^ 
 
 Supreme Court of the Crown then in 
 session there. He then niiireheil to 
 Roxhur,v, and was at onee made a major 
 in Colonel Fellows's refijiment. About 
 the middle of .Julj', 1775, he made an 
 expedition with muffled oars to Castle 
 Island, btn-ned the lij^'ht houee, and 
 brought oft' considerable property, 
 though the British fleet was not far off". 
 The Britisli endeavored to rebuild the 
 lighthouse, but while the work of restor- 
 ation was in progress, Major Tupper 
 embarked some men in whale-boats, 
 taking some field pieces with them 
 They arrived at the lighthouse about 
 two o'clock in tiie morning and attacked 
 the guard, killing the oflicers and four 
 privates, and captured the rest of the 
 troops Having demolished the works 
 they were about to depart, but the tide 
 left them, and the Major himself was 
 attacked by the enemy's boats. But 
 sinking one of the boats with his field- 
 piece, he escaped with the loss of one 
 man killed and one wounded He killed 
 and captu ed fifty-three of the enemy ; 
 and among the captured were ten Tories, 
 who were immediatel}'^ sent to Spring 
 field jail Tliis brave and succes.sful 
 attack won o;reat praise. Washington 
 thanked >! ajor Tupper next day in 
 general orders. Jetterson saw in it 
 "the a:lventurous genius and intrepidity 
 of the New Englanders;'' and the Brit- 
 ish Admiral said that "no one act of the 
 siege caused so much chagrin in London 
 as the destruction of the lighthouse, and 
 it was the theme of the most biting sar- 
 casm." 
 
 He was sent to Martha's Vineyard to 
 capture two vessels in August, 1775. In 
 the following September he embarked 
 with his men on wh le-boats from Dor- 
 chester, lan'^'ed on Governor's Island, 
 and brought oft" eleven liead of cattle 
 and two fine horses. Wliile the enemy 
 held Boston, Major Tupper was in- 
 trusted with the command of several ex- 
 peditions that can not be detailed here, 
 but wiiich showed the great confidence 
 that General Washington had in his 
 good judgment and courage. The fol- 
 
 lowing incident illustrates his intrepidi- 
 ty and presence of mind : — 
 
 "Tliree men were out in a boat, fish- 
 ing in Boston Harbor, 'i'he wind sliiftcd. 
 and the broken ice comi)letely blocked 
 up then- way, .<o that it was impossible 
 for them to return. Tiieir situation was 
 one of great peril. The wind blew se- 
 verely cold, and the men must soon have 
 perished had not Colonel Tupper ap- 
 peared, who, taking in tiie situation at a 
 glance, procured four pairs of snow- 
 shoes, and pu t'ng one pair upon his 
 own feet and taking tiie others under 
 his arm, he made iiis way to the boat 
 over the floating ice. The shoes were 
 fastened to the feet of the men, and Col. 
 Tupper brought them all away safely 
 to tlie .shor amidst the shouts and con- 
 gratulations of the people " 
 
 Benjamin Tnpiun- was lieutenant-col- 
 onel in Colonel Bailey's regiment, from 
 January 1, 1777, to July 1, at which time 
 he became Colonel of the Eleventh Reg- 
 iment of ('ontinental troops, which com- 
 mand he held to the end of the war 
 From September 1, 1778, and for more 
 than a year afterward, he was inspector 
 in General Patterson's brigade 1 
 
 1 State Ai'chive 5. Continental otflcers 
 vol. for 1777 to 1779. page 138. 
 
 During the memorable winter of 1777- 
 1778, his regiment was with Wasiiington 
 at Valley Forge; and on January 28th, 
 1778, he addressed a pathetic appeal to 
 the President of tlie Cou::cil of Massa- 
 chusetts, imploring helj) for the distress- 
 ed soldiers. He served with honor 
 throughout the war, and towards its 
 close was appointed brigadier-general 
 by brevet. He took charge of the mili- 
 tary organizations at Springfield at the 
 time of Shays's Kebellion. and repelled 
 the attack made bj' the insurgents on 
 the Armory. He and General Putnam 
 were cliietly instrumental in organizing 
 tlie Ohio Company, 2 — 
 
 (•2The evidence for the truth of this 
 statement seems to the writer to be con- 
 clusive, notwithstanding that Hon. Geo. 
 B. Loring gives the chief credit of the 
 affair to Dr. Manassah Cutler, of Es.sex 
 county. Mass Kufus Putnam and Ben- 
 jamin Tupper joined in the call for the 
 meetino- held in Boston which led to the 
 
 IN EXCHANGE 
 
 JAN 5 - 1915 
 
'a: 
 
 dj 
 
 formation of tliis coiripany,) — tv meeting 
 wliirh Dr ( 'vitler says lie liiul notthougiit 
 of attending nntil nrged to do so by 
 Winthrop Sargent, a friend of General 
 Tiipper For proof of tliese statements 
 see Xos. 10 and 1 1 of tlie articles of Sol- 
 mon Talbot already alluded to — a 
 company formed to buy and encourage 
 the settlement of the fertile lands of the 
 Ohio Valley. Geiiei-al i'upper was one 
 of the most active in surveying and hiy- 
 ing out the lauds and inviting their oc- 
 cupation by settlers. We. cannot follow 
 in detail all his interesting western ex- 
 perience in tlie Ohio territory He was 
 appointed Judge of the Court of Common 
 Fleas in 1788; was a Freemason of high 
 rank, and a member of tlie Society 
 of the Cincinnati. 
 
 Perhaps the most noteworthy thing in 
 the life of General 'J'upper is the fact, 
 based on what seems sufficient evidence, 
 that he was the real inventur of tip', screw- 
 propellor. The authority for this is the 
 diary of Eev. Dr. Manassah Cutler, a 
 clei'gyman of note, and afterwards a 
 member of Congress He was witli 
 General Tupper in 1788, while on his 
 journey to Ohio. The following extract 
 from his dairy is quoted by Solomon 
 Talbot in his account of General 'i'up- 
 per : — 
 
 "Friday, August lo, 1788 — This 
 morning we went pretty eaily to the 
 bo at General Tupper had mentioned 
 to me a mode of constructing a machine 
 to work in the head or stern of a boat 
 instead of oars. It appeared to me high- 
 ly probable that it might succeed. I 
 therefore proposed that we should make 
 the experiment. Assisted l)y a number 
 of people, we went to work and con- 
 structed a machine in the form of a screw 
 with short blades, and placed it in tlie 
 stern of the boat, and which we turned 
 with a crank. It succeeded to admira- 
 tion, and I think it a very successful dis- 
 covery " 
 
 It would thus appear that General 
 Tupper, ninety-eight years ago, antici- 
 pated the discovery of the screw-pro- 
 pellor, which was nearly half a century 
 in coming into favor, but which every 
 ocean steamship now employs. 
 
 Troubled times with the Indians soon 
 
 followed, and a war of several years du- 
 ration was brought to an end by Gener- 
 al Wayne, who subdued the savages in 
 17!).") But General Tupper passed away 
 earlier, dying, June 7. 17!)2. at tifty-four 
 years of age, and was buried at Mariet- 
 ta When General Lafayette visited Ma- 
 rietta in \Sl'i, and the names of the pio- 
 neers (mniiy of them Revolutionary 
 soldiers) were read toliim. he responded. 
 "1 know them all. I saw them at 
 Brandy wine, at Yorktown, at Mon- 
 mouth, and at Rhode Island. 'I'lu'i/ 
 U'l'Tf the hnir'-sl (if the brari-.^' 
 
 The following notes are from the 
 sketch of Gen. Benjamin Tu per's life 
 in Hildretirs .Memoirs of the Early Pio- 
 neer Settlers of Ohio. (18r)2.) 
 
 After the close of the war Gen Tup- 
 per returned to his family at Chester- 
 field, and soon after was elected by his 
 town as their representative in the Leg- 
 islature of Massachusetts. 
 
 During the darkest hours of the Revo- 
 lution war Gen. Washington had turned 
 the attention of officers and soldiers to 
 the valley of the Ohio, as a place of ref- 
 uge to which they might retire, should 
 the British army be successful against 
 them The result of that war rendered 
 such a retreat unnecessbiy: notwith- 
 standing, many of the offiicers and sol- 
 diers of the army looked to ths west as 
 a retiring place for themselves and their 
 families, after a war of eight j'ears. 
 Among the most prominent of these was 
 Gen. Tupper. Indeed, in the foresight 
 of Gen Rufus Putnam and himself the 
 enterprise of the settlement at Marietta 
 had its origin. 
 
 The ordinance of 1785 provided for a 
 survey of a portion of the lands north- 
 west of the river Ohio. In the autumn 
 of that year the first regiment of United 
 States troops, or one battalion of them, 
 had taken post at the mouth of the Mus- 
 kingum, under the command of Maj. 
 Doughty, and erected a fort, which re- 
 ceived the name of Fort Ilarmar. In 
 that year Gen Rufus Putnam had been 
 appointed to command the survey of a 
 portion of the lands in Ohio, but being 
 
otherwise engaged, Gen. Tnpper was 
 appointed in his phice. In the summer 
 of that year he came as far west as 
 Pittsburg. The condition of tlie Indian 
 tribes prevented tlie execution of that 
 work until the treaty made by Gen. Par- 
 sons, and otliers, on the Miami, in Jan- 
 uary 17SG. Gen. Tupper returned to 
 Massachusetts in the winter of 17S5-6, 
 but left agaiu for the west in June, 1786, 
 with his eldest son, Maj. An^elm Tup- 
 per That season the survey of the 7th 
 range vva; completed under his di- 
 rection. During that period he visited 
 Maj. Doughty, at Fort Harmar. 
 
 On Gen. Tupper's return from his./j/s( 
 visit to the west, he visited his fri-^nd. 
 Gen. Kufus Putnam, then residing at 
 Rutland. In tlie language of another. 
 •.\ nigiit of friendly offices and confer- 
 ence gave at tlie dawn a development to 
 the cherished hope and purpose of Gen 
 Tnpper They united in a publication 
 which appeared in tlie pnblii.' papers of 
 New England, on the :^5th of Januaiy, 
 1786, headed Information,' dated Jan- 
 uary loth, 1786. signed Rufus Putnam, 
 Benjamin Tupper." 
 
 As the result of this conference and 
 address, the Ohio Company was formed. 
 Dr Manasseh Cutler, in connection 
 with Winthrop Sargent, was appointed 
 to negotiate a contract with Congress 
 for land. At the third meeting of the 
 company at Boston, August '29th 1787. 
 Dr Cutler i-eported that the contract 
 had been completed. 
 
 Within a day or two after tiie defeat of 
 Shays at Springfield, January 1787, Gen. 
 Tupper went to Xorthampton, where he 
 was visited by many of his old friends. 
 Known also as having visited the Ohio 
 country, many persons called upon him 
 to inquire about the lands, rivers &c , 
 of the valley of the Ohio. In the spring 
 he went to Worcester lo see Gen Put- 
 nam, and concert measures to set for 
 ward the proposed emigration to Ohio j 
 Many formidable difficulties which at- 
 tended the organization of the company 
 were overcome, and Gen. Tupper began 
 his own arrano'ements for movln"- to the 
 
 Oliio in the summer of 1787. At that 
 period wagon-makers were not common, 
 even in Xevv England One, however, 
 was obtained, and two wagons were 
 built, one for tlie family, the other for 
 their baggage. 
 
 After his arrival at Marietta. Gen, 
 Tupper was actively engaged in promo- 
 ting the plans and interests ot the Ohio 
 company, being intimately associated 
 with Gen. Putnam in the management 
 of its affairs. 
 
 On tlie OMi -of September, 1788. tlie 
 first civil court held in the North- 
 western Territory was lield at Col Bat- 
 telle's, in Cmnpus M ,,riiits, This was 
 the (;ourt of Quarter Sessions liufus 
 Pidndiii and B-.nj nuiii TuppHv were jus- 
 tices of the quorum, assi.<ted by justices 
 of the bar. 
 
 Judge Putnam gave the charge to the 
 grand jiuy. After one or two sessions 
 Judge Tupper presided, until his death 
 in June, 1792 
 
 At an early i)eriod in his life Gen. 
 Tupper made a public profession of the 
 Christian religion, b}^ uniting with the 
 Congregational church at Easton Af- 
 ter his arrival at Marietta he did not for- 
 get his obligation. His ettbrts were di- 
 rected to preserve to his family and as- 
 .sociates the benefits of public and social 
 worship of God. Before the arrival of 
 the Rev Daniel Story, tlie first minister, 
 meetings for social worship were held on 
 the Sabbath. The usual place of wor- 
 ship was the same room in which the 
 first court was held, near the northwest 
 corner of the stockade. These meetings 
 were generally conducted by General 
 Tupper. 
 
 [Additional facts obtained from original sources, 
 in regard to the first families who arrived at Mar- 
 ietta, Aug. 19th, 1788, conducted by Gen. Tupper. 
 
 The pioneers who a rived at the Mus- 
 kingum April 7, 1788, led by General 
 Rufus Putnam were men onlj-. Their 
 object was to la}^ out the town and to 
 prepare homes for the families who were 
 to follow. The first of these were can- 
 ducted to their new home in the Ohio 
 territory by General 'I'uiipcr. 
 
fii the SmniiKM- of 1788. llio little coin- 
 pativ stnrted tVoiii the East l\).>>-ether 
 Gen. Hciij Tiipper, Col. Xathaniel dish- 
 ing-, and Viijor Nathan Ooodale; old 
 army comrades made thi' long jonrney 
 over the mountains to the Ohio. With 
 them were their wives, nnd eliildren. 
 Gen Tapper's family consisted of him- 
 self, I:is wife, two sons, Ids daughter. 
 Miss Rowena Tiipper, find his I)rother 
 Jndah His oldest son, \I;ij. Anselm 
 Tupper, had arrived on the 7tl), of April 
 Itrevions .Vs a part of this family, 
 circle, was Iciiabod Nye, a soldier of the 
 i^evohition; a young man still, witli his 
 wife. Minerva, daughter of Gen Tap- 
 per, and their two little cluldren, Hor- 
 ace, two years old, and Pantliea, six 
 monthsold Gen. Tupper liad also in 
 his employ two hired men. Col. Gush- 
 ing, with wife and six childi-en, MaJ. 
 Goodale and wife, and .seven children, 
 two of them young ladies. Arriving at 
 the Ohio they waited at ^Vellsville for 
 Gen Putnam to send up the Ohio Com- 
 l)anv boat, from .Marietta, for them, and 
 for -Major A.sa Coburn and family, and 
 his .son in-law, Andrew Webster and 
 family, who had been detained on the 
 route over the mountains A uiost wel- 
 come addition also to the company here 
 was Dr. Manassah Cutler, on his way to 
 .Marietta, to attend a meeting of tin; Di- 
 rectoi-s of the Ohio Company At Wells- 
 ville, Ichabo<l Nye takingtlie hired men. 
 and the worn out horses, left the compa- 
 ny, and came down to the Muskingum 
 by land, on the Virginia shore. They 
 arrived here August 0th. The others 
 deseen ed the river in the boat, arriving 
 at the JIusUingum, Aug, li). 1788. 
 
 Of this trip Dr. Cutler has made men- 
 tion in his diary. Ichabod Nye met his 
 wife and children at the landing at the 
 Point and took them to the home he had 
 provided for them on Washington street, 
 that night. The other ladies and chil- 
 dren remained upon the boat The next 
 morning the boat was towed around into 
 the .Muskingum and landed at the foot . 
 of Washington street, where the ladies i 
 and children were reeeived \\\t]\ the 
 
 greatest enthusiasm and most gallantlv 
 escorted to Campus Martins, tiieir new 
 home Then began the family life of the. 
 first settlement of Ohio, .Vugust 20. 1788. 
 Other families followed. General Rufus 
 Putnam, howcn'er, did not bring his 
 
 I family to .>[arietta until 17!)0. 
 
 I .Vugust liJ. 178S 
 
 j '>!■• Cutler writes in Ins diary : "We 
 j landed at the point and were very po- 
 I litely received by the Honoral)le Judges 
 j 'General Putnam and our friends Gen- 
 j eral Putnam invited me to his lodging, 
 j which is a maniue " 
 I August 20, I78S. 
 
 •■ i his day an entertainment was given 
 to the Governor and officers of the garri- 
 son at the hall in Can)|)us Martins . * •"■ 
 We had a hand.>;ome dinner, with punch 
 and wine 'IMie Governor and the ladies 
 from Fort Harmar were very sociable. 
 .Miss Rowena Tupper and the two .'Misses 
 Goodale dined and fifly-tive gentle- 
 men " 
 
 Upon completing his business here Dr. 
 Cutler returned to his home in the East 
 in September. 
 
 'I'he chihiren of Benjamin Tupper and 
 Huldah White Tupper were 
 
 Anselm, born at Easton, .Mass., Oct. 
 nth, 176.'}. 
 
 .Minerva, born .it ( 'liesterh'idd. .Ma.><s 
 1704. 
 
 yophia, Kowena, twins, boin at Ches- 
 terfield. .VI ass , 176(). 
 
 Edward White, born at rhesterfield, 
 -Mass., 1771. 
 
 Benjanun. born at Chesterlield, 
 Mass , 177."). 
 
 All these children c.ime to Ohio with 
 their father except .Sophia, who married 
 GenT Nathaniel Willys of Massachusetts. 
 She died in October 178i), leaving no 
 children 
 
 Major Anselm Tupper died unmarried 
 December 2.")th. 1808, and is buried at 
 Marietta at the side of his father. 
 
 Minerva. Tupper married in (jhester- 
 field, .Mass., Ichabod Xye, of Tolland, 
 ' 'onn. She died in Marietta, April 20th. 
 I88n Her descendants manv of them 
 
reside in Marietta. 
 
 Rowena Tapper inanied iu Marietta, 
 February 6th, I7S9, Winthrop Sargent, 
 Secretary of the Territor}', died in i790, 
 leaving no chi)dren, 
 
 Gen'l Edward W Tupper married in 
 Marietta, May 3, 1804, Mrs Berthia 
 Putnam, daughter of Dr. Gleason, and 
 widow of Dr W. P Putnam, of Mari- 
 etta. He died in Gallipolis, Ohio, Sep- 
 tember 7, 1824, leaving no children. Slie 
 survived him many years. 
 
 Col. Benjamin I'upper, .Ir , married 
 at Marietta, Martha, daughter of General 
 Rufus Putnan. He died at Putnam, 
 February 4th, 1814 She died at Put- 
 nam, August 2 t, 1842. Tlieir children 
 settled at Putnam, O. 
 
 Mrs. Huldah White Tupper, wife of 
 General Benjamin Tupper, survived him 
 many years. Slie died at Putnam, O., 
 February 21, 1812. 
 
 The name of Tupper is extinct among 
 the descendants of Genl Tupper. 
 
 Sergeant Theodore I'upper, the last to 
 bear the name, died on the battle field 
 of Sliiloh, April 6i.h, 1862, at the age of 
 nineteen. "He fell at the front, when 
 
 just in the act of firing, and literally 
 gave his last moment to his country " 
 He was the great-grandson of both Gen- 
 eial Rufus Putnan and General Banja- 
 min Tupper. 
 
 General Tupper's death in 1792 at the 
 age of fifty-four, occurred at Marietta 
 during the Indian War. Tlie burial 
 ground at that time was distant from 
 from C'ampus Martins, and a funeral 
 there liable to an attack from Indians. 
 He was therefore bui'ied under the pro- 
 tection of a field piece in the north-east 
 block-house of the garrison The burial 
 was on Warren street, near the public 
 square Quadranaou Years afterwards 
 his remains were removed to Mound 
 cemetery, where a plain .-lab bears this 
 inscription : 
 
 Gen'l Benjamin Tupper, 
 
 BORN AT 
 
 Sharon, Mass , in 1738. 
 
 DIED 
 
 June 7th, ir92. 
 Aged 54 Years. 
 
 [A more complete account of General Tupper 
 and his associates at Marietta, will be published 
 during the coming year.] 
 
ANSELM TUPPER. 
 
 [The following is from Chaffin's History of Eas- 
 ton, Mass.] 
 
 Major Aiiselin Tupper, eldest sou of 
 General Benjamin and Huldah (White) 
 Tnpper, was born inEaston. October 11, 
 1763. Wlien tlie Revolutionary war be- 
 gan he was 11 yeais of age. His lather, 
 of course, left hiin at home when he de- 
 parted for tlie scene of action ; but he 
 inherited the military spirit from both 
 the Perrys and the Tuppers, and the 
 brave lad could not remain at home. 
 Accordingly, soon after the battle of 
 Lexington, he enlisted in Capt. Robert 
 West's Chesterfield company, 1 (1 State 
 Archives, Revolutionary Rolls, vol. vi 
 p. 43) which was assigned to Colone^ 
 Fellows's regiment, in which his father 
 was already major It was interesting 
 to think of this Revolutionarj^ soldier. 
 not yet twelve years old, augagiug in all 
 the toil, hardship, and peril of war, and 
 never flinching until his country's inde- 
 pendence was achieved 
 
 Anselm Tupper remained in the ser- 
 vice in the same regiment with his 
 father, participating with him in the 
 engagement on the North river in Aug. 
 177(5, being in his regiment also at AVest j 
 Point. lie was an ensign in 1779 
 Match 15, 178U, he began to serve as 
 lieutenant, though not at that time com- 
 missioned as such September 15, 178n, 
 Colonel Tupper recommended Anselm 
 Tupper and others in his regiment for 
 promotion. Th^ document embodying 
 this reconnnendation is very interesting, 
 because it is indorsed by General AVash- 
 ir.gton. who. under his own siornature. 
 
 eai-nestly approved and urged the pro- 
 motions suggested by Colonel Tupper. 2 
 (2Ibid , Revolutionary Letters, vol. cciii. 
 pp. 1U9, 110.) 
 
 The appointment was made Sei)tem- 
 ber "26, 1780. He then began to be paid 
 as lieutenant. 3 (3Ibid., Continental of- 
 ficers, vol. for 1780, p 87.) From Jan- 
 nary 1, 1782, until January 1, 1783, he 
 was lieutenant and Adjutant in Colonel 
 Tapper's regiment in the Continental 
 army (the eleventh )4 (4Ibid., Revo- 
 lutionary Rolls, vol Ix. p. 13) His ap- 
 pointment as adjutant began presum- 
 ably on the former of these two dates, 
 althougli it is possible he may have been 
 serving in that capacity a short time in 
 1781. After this time and until the close 
 • f the war he served as adjutant in the 
 Continental service in Col. Ebenezer 
 Sproat's regiment (the second, once Col. 
 Bailey's). His name appears as of that 
 rank in a list of ofticer- of that regiment 
 under date of July 11, 1783.5 (5Ibid., 
 vol. 1 p. 13. 
 
 After the close of the war G (GThis re- 
 maining account of Major Anselm Tup- 
 per was mainly written by Anselm Tup- 
 per Xye, tlie nephew of Major Tupper, 
 for Solomon Talbot, who has kindly 
 furnished it to the writer of this history. ) 
 he was engaged as surveyor with his 
 father, who had been appointed by the 
 Government to lay out the lands in the 
 territory northwest of the Ohio. After 
 completing the survey of the seven 
 ranges Major Tupper returned to Massa- 
 chusetts, and in November, 1787, was 
 appointed by the directors of the Ohio 
 
Company as surveyor for tliat company 
 for the State of Massachusetts. He was 
 one of the famous pioneer band that 
 crossed the Alleghany Mountains in the 
 winter, and made the first settlement in 
 the^Northvvest Teritory at Marietta, 
 April 7, 1788. The survey was contin- 
 ued until they were driven off by 
 the attacks of the Indians, who af- 
 terwards, in 1790, surprised a set- 
 tlement up the Muskingum River and 
 barbarously butchered one woman, two 
 children and eleven men. Major Tup- 
 per at the head of a company of soldiers 
 went to this sickening scene of atrocity, 
 and buried the bodies side by side where 
 they fell 
 
 Anselm Tupper was the first school- 
 teacher at Marietta When we consider 
 that such regular schooling as he pos- 
 s essed must all have been acquired pre- 
 vious to his entering the army (which 
 he did before he was twelve years old), 
 it may seem strange that he was fitted to 
 fill the position of teacher. But he had 
 no doubt improved the opportunities af- 
 
 forded by association with French ofli- 
 cers of education and culture, probably 
 learning the French and Latin lan- 
 guages, as he is understood to have been 
 a classical scholar. He had great pro- 
 ficiency in niathematies. and was also 
 something of a poet. 
 
 Major Tupjjer is said to have posessed 
 a polished address and fine intellectual 
 ability, and was tr great favorite in 
 society He never marriefh He was 
 appointed major of the stqckade at "Ma- 
 rietta during the war, and afterwards 
 taught .school in one of the blockliouses. 
 In a vessel built at Marietta he made a 
 voyage as second ofiicer down the Ohio 
 and Missis.sippi rivers, across the Atlan- 
 tic, up the Mediterranean and Black 
 seas to Trieste. He returned home, and 
 died several years afterward He was 
 buried in the Mound Cemetery at Mari- 
 etta, near his father, and his epitaph 
 reads, — 
 
 Major Anselm Tuppeu, 
 
 Born at Easton, Mass., Oct, 11, 1763, 
 
 Died December 25th, 1808. 
 
 
'W 
 
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