Artemas Ward 1762
In addition to being the first Commander-in-Chief of the army during the American Revolution, General Ward served publicly in many ways throughout his lifetime. The Museum is named in his honor. For more information, see his biography.
Born in 1762 in Shrewsbury, this Artemas Ward also became influential in politics and public service. He married Catherine Maria Dexter in 1788 and together they had 7 children. He graduated from Harvard with an A.B. in 1783 and a LL.D in 1842 and served on the Board of Overseers. He was an attorney, and practiced law in Weston, MA for seventeen years, often with brother-in-law Samuel Dexter (Secretary of War to John Adams). Later he moved to Charlestown, and then Boston. Artemas Ward served in a number of public roles, including as United States Representative (1813-1815), delegate to the Massachusetts State Constitutional Convention in 1820, and Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Court of Common Pleas from 1821 to 1839. He was an outspoken opponent of United States entry into the War of 1812. He was known for his financial acumen and died in Boston in 1847.
By this time a lieutenant colonel, Artemas had his first taste of combat in the failed British assault on French-held Fort Ticonderoga. Even though the campaign did not succeed, Ward gained valuable experience as a provincial officer serving under seasoned commanders.
The Henshaw farm, which was adjacent to the Ward farm, had been leased to tenants who paid the Wards with a share of the produce. In 1843 this arrangement ended and the main farm took over all agricultural production.