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Seth Pomeroy: A Founding Father Overlooked in History’s Pages
A Legend Lost To Time, His Role Was As Important As George Washington
You have probably never heard of Seth Pomeroy. I learned of him a few years ago. He is my 2nd cousin, 7 generations back.
A legend lost to time, his story needs to be told!
Here is his story:
Seth Pomeroy was born on May 20, 1706, in the town of Northampton, Massachusetts. The Pomeroy surname dated back to the time of William of Normandy, when a Pomeroy knight fought for William at the Battle of Hastings. From a young age, Seth was a member of the local militia.
At 6 feet tall, he loved adventure. He became an experienced smith, skilled hunter, and learned the trades from his father.
He was well known as the most competent gunsmith in western Massachusetts receiving requests not only from farmers and militiamen but also from the local Native American tribes.
His first taste of war was King George’s War. Pomeroy wanted to be part of the mission. He had a wife and 7 kids at home.
Pomeroy was devoted to his family and his wife. He married Mary Hunt on December 14, 1732. He was an avid letter writer and would write his wife letters throughout his military campaigning career. The letters would range from simple status and location updates (“It is with a great deal of pleasure & satisfactionÉ I have of acquainting you of my circumstance & how things fair with me.”) to heartfelt verses demonstrating his ceaseless love for her (“The great distance of place and length cannot, as long as in the flesh, in the least take off the edge of my love.”).
Pomeroy also wrote of the conditions that often led to more deaths than fighting at the siege at Louisbourg. As the English troops neared the fortress much of the army became sick. Pomeroy himself reported that the water near their camp was unsanitary and the terrain was marshy and damp.
Pomeroy commented: “The nights are very cold; a frost some nights & ice of considerable…
