Hello Listers: <dougvbrown calling from MA > in recent mamiddle listings, Betty <bbffrrpp@comcast.net> has thrown light on two interesting Middlesex Co. subjects in re British legal documents 1.-The Billerica DITSON family and the Yankee Doodle tar and feather incident Mar 1775 Boston ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CRITIQUE DITSON LEGALDISPOSITION~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Betty wrote,in part,..................Town of Billerica's ""Yankee Doodle Day" an annual Sept event ......Thomas Ditson Jun ( 1741- ) and a google search found this true copy SUFFOLK, BOSTON, ss., March 9,1775: The above named Thomas Ditson, Jun., personally appearing, maketh solemn oath to the truth of the foregoing. Deposition by him subscribed. Before EDM. QUINCEY, Justice of the Peace. (FULL STORY ) GO TO ............... http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/cgi-bin/amarch/getdoc.pl?/var/lib/ philologic/databases/amarch/.2087 (Ed. note- when two people agree on a given subject, then neither one learns anything new from the other if three or more people agree, on a given ,then someone is not thinking --) In a google search at least five (5) people wrote the same story about Thomas Ditson Jun (1741-) being the Yankee Doodle hero of Mar 1775.........now did one make the error and the others copied or did each make the same error without any help Consider the following................. In Legal documents the suffix Junior after the surname does NOT denote "his father's son" it means the youngest of a same named person(s) in town ,related or not EX" Elisha Parker Jun was son of Nathaniel Parker whose brother was Elisha Parker also in town According to the Billerica VR's to abt 1849 - ....GO TO -http:// ma-vitalrecords.org/ in Mar 1775 there were Thomas Ditson(1699-) (Lawrence) Thomas Ditson (1741-)(Blanchard ) and their son Thomas Ditson Jun (1762-) the youngest Tom Ditson in town. As the legal age to file any court document is age 21 which would be Thomas Ditson Jun (1741-) younger than Thomas Ditson(11699-) who swore,under oath [-that his son's ] statement was true also note that the incident ended at close to noontime of thur Mar 9,1775 the British soldiers had created the mob, then dispersed the mob, good job ,I say old chap and the victim was free io go at the end of Frog Lane near the banks of the Charles River.... Are we to believe that his friends then hurried him to a colonialist house and for an hour soak in a turpentine bath clean dry clothes quick sandwich and rush to the office of Edm Quincey JP at a 2pm disposition hearing in a hot office with itchy burning all over,dripping sweat and turpentine and scratchy wool pants shirt and shoes too small ?---- I don't think so the timing is wrong...........I smell kerosine? no... read the Judges conclusion probably based on the John Adams .....conclusions.....of 1770 case........... The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars on March 5, 1770. It was the culmination of tensions in the American colonies [-see John Adams defence -] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ATTN MARILYN~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Several years ago ,writes Marilyn <Marmrofitz@verizon.net>, I did a genealogy on Ditson family published in The Essex Genealogist. Q-- Marilyn ,time permitting, what do you have on Thomas Ditson son of Thomas Elisabeth(Blanchard) b.1762 and died 1782 lost at sea? was he the family black sheep? Last but not least--It is curious to note that in 1775 Boston Thomas Ditson (1762-1782)......................was a real live nephew of his Uncle SAM, ................................................................... . born on the 4th of July........................... [- Samuel Ditson son of Thomas Elizabeth (Lawrence) b. July 4, 1750 -] ........................................................................ he had a yankee Doodle sweetheart [-teenage love-] ....................................................................she was his yankee doodle joy ....................................................................Yank ee Doodle went to Boston,just to ride a Pony (cart) ....................................................................HE W AS THE YANKEE DOODLE BOY ...................................................................... ..............................................George M COHAN 1904 NY stage & 1942 Warner Bros " Yankee Doodle Dandy"-James Cagney as Geo M Cohan IN 1951 basic US Army training for Korean War above music and lyrics were used on long marches to the weapons ranges , also a favorite was the Scottish military march The girl I Left behind me with obscene lyrics and the obscene cadence calls sound off