52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #2 Lucy Hugens

This excerpt, written by Cyrus Nash (1780-1850) of Abington, Massachusetts, was found in The Reed Genealogy: Descendants of William Reade of Weymouth, Massachusetts from 1635-1902 by John Ludovicus Reed. 

This week’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt, “a record that adds color,” is a perfect fit for Lucy Hugens, the wife of Peter Reed and the presumed mother of Benjamin Reed. I did not expect to find much about Lucy. Given the time period and what appears to have been a modest economic status, she left few records of her own. What does add color to Lucy’s story is the above narrative by Cyrus Nash. In just a few paragraphs, Nash provided details that no town or land record ever could.

Nash identified Lucy’s father only as “Mr. Hugens,” an Irish immigrant who married a much younger woman, also from Ireland. According to the account, Lucy’s mother arrived in New England as a teenager, intending to meet an aunt in Pennsylvania. When her ship instead landed in Boston, she was indentured to pay her passage and later married Mr. Hugens in Abington—an experience that Nash’s description suggests contrasted with her earlier life in Ireland.

Nash names Lucy and three siblings: John Hugens, a sister married to Hosiah Porter of Weymouth, and another sister married to a man named Lot Randall. These brief references open valuable research paths.

What can be documented about Lucy comes from a small set of records. She and Peter Reed were married on 25 March 1748 in Abington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Later that same year, Peter and Lucy were warned to depart the town of Bridgewater. Lucy appears by name in the Abington birth records of two of her children—Sarah, born in 1757, and Samuel, born in 1760. In 1762 and again in 1763, while living in Bridgewater, Peter and Lucy were warned to remove to Abington. These records do not tell Lucy’s story outright, but together they place her firmly in time and place.

In additional remarks, Nash wrote that Peter died in 1780 and that Lucy removed to Cummington. This movement aligns with what is known about the family, as Benjamin Reed already lived in Cummington, and both of Lucy’s daughters married there in the 1780s.

When paired with marriage, birth, and town records, Nash’s narrative adds dimension to Lucy’s life and provides clues that help guide further research into a woman who otherwise appears only intermittently in the historical record.

If you would like to learn more about the families I research, follow my Facebook page , where I share each post along with other genealogical finds.

Diana

© 2026

John Ludovicus Reed, The Reed Genealogy: Descendants of William Reade of Weymouth, Massachusetts from 1635-1902 Vol. I  (no publisher named, 1901). 

Massachusetts, U.S., Marriages, 1633–1850, digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2495/images/40904_263574__0005-00142

 : accessed 10 January 2026), image 142 of 192, Abington marriages, marriage of Peter Reed and Lucy Hugens, 25 March 1748, Congregational Church, Abington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts; citing Massachusetts Vital Records, Abington, Family History Library microfilm 1,409,404.

Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620–1988, digital images, image 243, entry for the marriage of Sarah Reed and Joel Hill, 30 October 1782, Cummington, Hampshire County, Massachusetts; Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2495/records/58991557?tid=45260559&pid=412222903562&ssrc=pt  : accessed 16 May 2024).

Cummington, Hampshire, Massachusetts, United States records, images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-8979-H9YZ?view=explore

 : accessed 11 January 2026), image 134 of 162, entry for the marriage of Jacob Nash and Joanna Reed, 27 November 1788, Cummington Town Clerk; Image Group Number 007009226.

Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States records, images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS41-RST6-P?view=explore

 : accessed 11 January 2026), image 396 of 407, entry for Peter and Lucy Reed warned, 1748, Plymouth County Court of General Sessions of the Peace; Image Group Number 007902905.

Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States records, images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9G5-S?view=explore

 : accessed 11 January 2026), image 156 of 971, entry for Peter and Lucy Reed warned, 1762 and 1763, Plymouth County Court of General Sessions of the Peace, volumes 2–6; Image Group Number 007726241.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #1 Benjamin Reed

Benjamin Reed is my 4th great-grandfather and my DAR Patriot. His life followed the path of many New England men of his generation. Born in Massachusetts, he served during the American Revolution, married, raised a family, and eventually moved north to Vermont, where he became an early settler and a town officer in Woodford, Bennington County. He eventually left Woodford for Windham County, Vermont, where he first lived in Wardsboro and later in Putney. His life left traces in military records, land transactions, town books, and family memories—enough to outline his story, even when no single record tells it outright.

The timeline above tells much of his story, and far more than is known for many of my other 4th great-grandparents. The real challenge, however, was proving the generations on either side of him. No record states that Benjamin was the son of Peter and Lucy, and no document directly connects him to his daughter, Nancy, my third great-grandmother. 

Benjamin Reed’s story marks my return to 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, and in the posts ahead, I will share not only my ancestors’ stories but also the research that has helped connect their lives across generations.

If you would like to learn more about the families I research, follow my Facebook page, where I share each post along with other genealogical finds.

Diana

© 2026

 

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27499357/benjamin-read : accessed 04 July 2022), memorial page for Benjamin Read, Find a Grave Memorial ID 27499357, citing East Putney Cemetery, East Putney, Windham County, Vermont; Maintained by Cynthia Kaley (contributor 51056978).

   

Hampshire, Deeds 1789-1795, Book 3:550, Reed to Coock, images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99Z8-29DJ?view=fullText : Mar 28, 2025), image 286 of 597; Massachusetts. County Court (Hampshire County).

John Ludovicus Reed, The Reed Genealogy: Descendants of William Reade of Weymouth, Massachusetts from 1635-1902 Vol. I  (no publisher named, 1901). 

Lewis Cass Aldrich, History of Bennington County, Vt. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers. (D. Mason & co, Syracuse, NY: 1889), 475-476; digital images, HathiTrust  (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yul.11775368_000_00&view=1up&seq=1&skin=2021 : accessed 25 June 2022).

“U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” database and images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/49769:1995 : accessed 25 June 2022), for Benjamin Reed, images 266 to 320; citing "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files" (NARA microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Benjamin Reed, a Patriot and my 4th Great-Grandfather

Greetings on July 4th! [1]

 

Patriots: colonists who rebelled against British

control during the American Revolution.[2] 

 

Today is an appropriate day to write about my 4th great-grandfather Benjamin Reed (also seen as Read). Benjamin was a Patriot serving in the Revolutionary War as a minute man in the Lexington Alarm and served continuously until discharged on 29 November 1777.[3]

According to his pension record, Benjamin Reed was born on 3 May 1752 in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.[4] His parents are said to be Peter Reed and Lucy Hugens from Abington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.[5] 

In 1775 Benjamin was a young man living in the town of Cummington in the County of Hampshire, Massachusetts. It is thought that he responded to the Lexington Alarm, marching about 100 miles, with a detachment of Minute Men from the town of Williamsburg, Massachusetts, and serving from April 21 to April 27.[6] 

After Lexington, Benjamin marched on to Roxbury, where he served during the battle at Bunker Hill. He served throughout the war and is known to be at Fort Ticonderoga, Mount Hope, Crown Point, Morristown, New Jersey, Dorchester, Cambridge, and the Battle of Bennington. It appears that he was primarily employed as a guard.[7] Guards served in various duties, from guarding prisoners or structures to providing security to officers. When marching guards, were posted at the side, front, and rear of the troops.[8] 

Documentation, showing Benjamin and
Hulda's marriage date and place,
was found in the pension record.[11]

Benjamin Reed married Hulda Pratt, of Bridgewater, on 3 December 1778 in the city of Abbington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.[9] By 1779 they were living in Woodford, Bennington County, Vermont, where Benjamin was one of the early settlers in Woodford, and his son Benjamin was said to be the first child born in Woodford on 11 August 1779.[10]  

I have documentation showing that Benjamin and Hulda had children Benjamin, Calvin, Luther, Almira, and my 3rd great-grandmother, Nancy.[12] I am sure there are others, but documentation needs to be found. 

Benjamin and his family left Woodford and moved to Wardsboro in Windham County, Vermont.[13] By 1813 the family was living in Putney in Windham County.[14] 

Benjamin Reed was the Town Clerk of Woodford from 1792-1803.[15] 

Benjamin Reed
1752-1835 [19]

Benjamin's occupation after the war is unknown. In Woodford, he served as the Town Clerk from 1792-1803 and was a land owner in both Bennington and Windham Counties.[16] He applied for a pension for his service in 1834.  After his death, Huldah applied for and received a pension.[17] 

Benjamin Reed died on 10 January 1835. Hulda died on 17 May 1842. They are buried in East Putney Cemetery. [18] 

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page, where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

.

Diana

© 2022 

    1. Patriotic Greetings, postcard, n.d.; scanned image, original card found in the privately held collection of Diana Bryan Quinn, Virginia Beach, VA, 2022. 

    2. "Loyalists and Patriots," si.edu  (https://americanexperience.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Loyalists-and-Patriots.pdf : accessed 25 June 2022).

    3. “U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” database and images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/49769:1995 : accessed 25 June 2022), for Benjamin Reed, images 266 to 320; citing "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files" (NARA microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

    4. Ibid.

    5. John Ludovicus Reed, The Reed Genealogy: Descendants of William Reade of Weymouth, Massachusetts from 1635-1902 Vol. I  (no publisher named, 1901). 

    6. “U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” database with images, Ancestry.com,  Benjamin Reed, 1834. 

    7. Ibid.

    8."Guard Duty During the American Revolution," RevolutionaryWarJournal.com (https://www.revolutionarywarjournal.com/guard-duty/: accessed 3 July 2022). 

    9. “U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” database with images, Ancestry.com,  Benjamin Reed, 1834.

    10. Lewis Cass Aldrich, History of Bennington County, Vt. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers. (D. Mason & co, Syracuse, NY: 1889), 475-476; digital images, HathiTrust  (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yul.11775368_000_00&view=1up&seq=1&skin=2021 : accessed 25 June 2022).

    11. “U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” database with images, Ancestry.com, Benjamin Reed, 1834.

    12. Aldrich, History of Bennington County, Vt. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, 475-476. Also, John Ludovicus Reed, The Reed Genealogy: Descendants of William Reade of Weymouth, Massachusetts from 1635-1902 Vol. I  (no publisher named, 1901). Also, "Vermont, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999," digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9084/images/005556277_00146?pId=959646: accessed 27 June 2022) Calvin Reed. Also, "Vermont, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999," digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1012159:9084?_phsrc=yzP8246&_phstart=successSource&gsfn=luther&gsln=reed&ml_rpos=1&queryId=8ee4ed59aa9a4a8ba3b0ecbb0642bf6c accessed 27 June 2022), Luther Reed, Folder 4, Wrp5-90743, Bundle 11-12, 1851-1852.

    13. “U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” database with images, Ancestry.com, Benjamin Reed, 1834.

    14. "List of Letters remaining in the Post Office at Putney, Vt. 31st March 1813," Reporter (Brattleboro, VT), 24 April 1813, p. 4; database with images, GenealogyBank (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A10CE5579CE9162A8%40GB3NEWS-10F57F3DA3140E88%402383358-10F57F3E2446ED20%403? : accessed 26 June 2022).

    15. Announcement about taxes, Vermont Gazette (Bennington, VT), 15 November 1793, p. 3; database with images, GenealogyBank (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A10380B74B5F0BB28%40GB3NEWS-105B61A5CFEF2073%402376259-105B61A65258BF23%402-105B61A7B244A76B%40Advertisement? : accessed 26 June 2022). Also, Woodford, The Vermont Gazette (Bennington, VT), 4 Feb 1876,  p.2; database and images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71374880/benjamin-reed-town-clerk-vt/accessed : 18 Feb 2021). 

    16. Windham County, Vermont, Deed Book 3:476, Benjamin Reed to Joseph Knowlton, 21 Nov 1807; digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSHS-GH5G?i=527&cat=140883 : accessed 26 Sept 2020), image 528.  Also, Bennington County, Vermont, Benjamin Reed to Asa Barney, 17 Nov 1801; transcription, no deed book or page number given,  from Volume 1 of Woodford Records, copied and arranged, 1944, by Velma Brunins under direction of Henry B Walbridge for Bennington Battle Monument and Historical Association. 

    17. “U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900,” database with images, Ancestry.com,  Benjamin Reed, 1834.

    18. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27499358/huldah-read : accessed 04 July 2022), memorial page for Huldah Pratt Read, Find a Grave Memorial ID 27499358, citing East Putney Cemetery, East Putney, Windham County, Vermont; Maintained by Cynthia Kaley (contributor 51056978). Also, Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27499357/benjamin-read : accessed 04 July 2022), memorial page for Benjamin Read, Find a Grave Memorial ID 27499357, citing East Putney Cemetery, East Putney, Windham County, Vermont; Maintained by Cynthia Kaley (contributor 51056978).

    19. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27499357/benjamin-read : accessed 04 July 2022), memorial page for Benjamin Read (3 May 1753–10 Jan 1835), Find a Grave Memorial ID 27499357, citing East Putney Cemetery, East Putney, Windham County, Vermont, USA ; Maintained by Cynthia Kaley (contributor 51056978); Photograph of gravestone contributed by Donna G. Dunham (contributor 46871624).

Friday's Photo: Plymouth Rock

Bill and I visited Plymouth in 1985.
We were looking at historical landmarks and buying
bargain antiques - NOT thinking about ancestry. 

I started two posts this week, one for my NC Giddens family and one for Bienville Parish families, but got a little distracted and haven't finished them as I found I am only one generation away from connecting my mother's Reed family to a Mayflower Passenger. 

I have been researching for 20 years and never looked at this family beyond what my mother found when she was searching in the 1980s. What a surprise to see other family trees at Ancestry.com connecting my family to Francis Cooke, a Mayflower passenger. 

I sent $35 to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants and learned the first five generations were proven and I would have to document the remaining. I have documentation for all except one generation. I will need to work on that one with hopes I can do most of it from home. However, another trip to Plymouth might be fun.  

So, if you are one of my cousins, who descends from Charles Giddens and Mary Lucy Glynn, this may be your family. 

Francis Cooke

Mary Cooke (his daughter) married John Tompson/Tomson

Hester Tomson married William Reed

John Reed married Mary Wheeler

Peter Reed married Lucy Hugens

Benjamin Reed married Huldah Pratt 

I need to prove Benjamin Reed (born about 1752) is the son of Peter Reed.

Nancy Reed married Joseph T. Glynn

Mary Lucy Glynn married Charles Giddens

My grandmother

My mother

Me

If you want to know more about the families I research, click here to like my Facebook page where you will see each post and other genealogical finds. 

Diana

© 2018 

Sources 

Family photographs and documents from the collection of Diana Bryan Quinn.

Reed, John Ludovicus. Reed genealogy: descendants of William Reade, of Weymouth, Mass., from 1635-1902.  Internet Archive. Web. 27 Apr. 2018. <https://archive.org/details/reedgenealogydes01reed>.