Nathaniel Peabody
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician from Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 277,359 people, 104,529 households, and 74,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 399 people per square mile . There were 113,023 housing units at an average density of 163 per square mile...
. He represented New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
as a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
in 1779 and 1780.
Nathaniel was born to Jacob Peabody in Topsfield, Massachusetts
Topsfield, Massachusetts
Topsfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,085 at the 2010 census.Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Topsfield.-Colonial period:...
. He attended local common schools and the studied medicine with his father. In 1761, he removed to Plaistow, New Hampshire
Plaistow, New Hampshire
- External links :* * * * * * * *...
and began the practice of medicine. He was to remain a resident of Rockingham County for the rest of his life, but in 1761 he moved his practice to the larger town of Exeter
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
.
Dr. Peabody became active in county affairs and the New Hampshire Militia
New Hampshire Militia
The New Hampshire Militia was first organized in March 1680, by New Hampshire Colonial President John Cutt. The King of England authorized the Provincial President to give commissions to persons who shall be best qualified for regulating and discipline of the militia. President Cutt placed Major...
. He was made a Lt. Colonel in the militia and participated in the early stages of the Revolution
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
including the raid on Fort William and Mary
Fort William and Mary
Fort William and Mary was a colonial defensive post on the island of New Castle, New Hampshire at the mouth of the Piscataqua River estuary. First fortified by the British in 1632, the fort guarded access to the harbor at Portsmouth....
in December of 1774. After this event, he resigned his commission, since it came from the crown through the royal government.
Nathaniel was elected to New Hampshire's revolutionary assembly in 1776. He would ultimately serve in the state's lower house in 1776-1779, 1781–1785, 1787–1790, and 1793-1796. Also in 1776 he became a member of the Committee of Safety
Committee of Safety (American Revolution)
Many Committees of Safety were established throughout Colonial America at the start of the American Revolution. These committees started to appear in the 1760s as means to discuss the concerns of the time, and often consisted of every male adult in the community...
, which acted as a revolutionary government when the assembly was not in session. In 1777, he was named the Adjutant General of the state militia, and held that post until 1779.
Peabody was named to the Continental Congress on April 3, 1779 to replace Josiah Bartlett
Josiah Bartlett
Josiah Bartlett was an American physician and statesman, delegate to the Continental Congress for New Hampshire and signatory of the Declaration of Independence...
who had resigned that post. He served in congress through the 1780 session. He was a member in 1782, when the New Hampshire convention met to create a constitution for the new state, and served as chairman of the drafting committee. Under the new constitution he represented Rockingham County in the State Senate in 1785-1786 and 1790-1793. Although re-appointed to the national congress in 1785 he did not attend any sessions.
During the later years of his life Peabody's support for the revolution caused him trouble. For about twenty years he was confined to the parole limits for debtors at the Exeter jail. He died Exeter in 1823, and was reportedly buried in the Old Cemetery in South Hampton
South Hampton, New Hampshire
South Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 814 at the 2010 census. South Hampton is home to Cowden State Forest and Powwow River State Forest.- History :...
, but the exact location is uncertain.