He observed his father every evening writing at his desk, keeping the farm accounts straight and preparing his sermons for Sunday services. He was proud of his father's beliefs that freemen should make their own rules, tax themselves and elect men to make laws for them.
Later
On April 19, 1775 he accompnied Samuel Adams and John Hancock
to Woburn where they stayed with Reverend Marrett.
They had been staying with the Clarke family for several weeks as they were
not safe in Boston.
The British believed they were enemies and would have jailed them
if they had a chance.
Later in the day on April 19th, he rode to Menotomy (Arlington) to make sure that his cousins in the parsonage there were safe.
After the battle in Lexington, he joined Captain Parker's Company as the fifer. He was stationed in Cambridge. He moved to Kennebunk, Maine where he became Collector of the Port. He also became Judge of Probate for York Company.