Basic Information
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Harriet Revere |
| Birth | July 20, 1782, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Baptism | July 28, 1782, New South Church, Boston |
| Death | June 28, 1860, Canton, Massachusetts |
| Age at death | 77 |
| Burial | Granary Burying Ground, Boston, Tomb 172 |
| Occupation | Teacher |
| Marital status | Unmarried |
| Children | None |
| Primary residences | Boston North End; later Canton, Massachusetts |
| Father | Paul Revere |
| Mother | Rachel Walker Revere |
| Notable inheritance | Income from a 4,000 dollar bequest documented by 1823 |
A Life in the North End: A Daughter in a House of Sixteen
Harriet Revere was born July 20, 1782, in a famous Boston summer and baptized at New South Church eight days later. History and ordinary life intersected in cramped stairwells and family feasts in the Revere home in the North End, where she grew up. The blended family of sixteen children connected colonial Boston to the new republic. Her father, Paul Revere, was a carpenter, entrepreneur, and Revolutionary, while her mother, Rachel Walker Revere, ran a busy household.
Harriet never married or had kids. Teaching was a respectable and realistic path for many unmarried women of her time. She possibly began teaching in the 1810s or 1820s and moved between Boston and Canton. Teaching provided structure, purpose, and a modest pay for family support. Harriet received interest on a $4,000 bequest after her father’s death in 1818, a necessary cushion that highlighted her father’s success and her need for consistent income.
Her life is steady like a candle, not flashy. She maintained relationships, managed mail and duties, and saw nieces, nephews, and siblings marry, move, and die. She survives to see a second national storm in the 1850s. She died at 77 in Canton on June 28, 1860, and was buried at Boston’s Granary Burying Ground among the city’s most famous stones.
Family Web: Parents, Siblings, and Kin
Harriet’s identity was interwoven with a broad family network. The names below map the household that shaped her days.
- Parents
- Paul Revere (born 1734 or 1735 to 1818) and Rachel Walker Revere (1745 to 1813)
- Paternal grandparents
- Apollos Rivoire, later Revere (1702 to 1754)
- Deborah Hitchborn Revere (1704 to 1777)
- Paternal great-grandparents
- Isaac Rivoire and Serenne Lambert
- Frances Patteshall and Thomas Hitchbourn
Full siblings from Paul Revere and Rachel Walker Revere
| Name | Life dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Joshua Revere | 1774 to 1801 | Older brother; died young |
| John Revere | 1776 | Died in infancy |
| Joseph Warren Revere | 1777 to 1868 | Prominent family businessman; named for Dr. Joseph Warren |
| Lucy Revere | 1780 | Died in infancy |
| Harriet Revere | 1782 to 1860 | Teacher; unmarried |
| John Revere | 1783 to 1786 | Died in childhood |
| Maria Revere (later Balestier) | 1785 to 1847 | Married Joseph Balestier; had descendants |
| John Revere | 1787 to 1847 | Youngest full brother; survived to adulthood |
Note on repeated names: The repeated naming of children, especially after an infant died, was common in the period.
Half-siblings from Paul Revere and Sarah Orne
| Name | Life dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deborah Revere (later Lincoln) | 1758 to 1797 | Married; part of the older half-sibling group |
| Paul Revere Jr. | 1760 to 1813 | Silversmith and businessman |
| Sarah Revere | 1762 to 1791 | Died young |
| Mary Revere | 1764 to 1765 | Died in infancy |
| Frances Revere | 1766 to 1799 | Died in adulthood |
| Mary Revere | 1768 to 1853 | Survived to old age |
| Elizabeth Revere | 1770 to 1805 | Died in adulthood |
| Isannah Revere | 1772 to 1773 | Died in infancy |
Paternal kin
- Brothers of Paul Revere included Thomas Revere and John Revere.
- Family references also include a relative combining the Hitchborn name within the Revere line, reflecting ties to the Hitchborn shipbuilding family.
Work and Means: Teaching and a 4,000 Dollar Bequest
Teaching was Harriet’s professional anchor. In early 19th century Massachusetts, that role was both demanding and steady, calling for patience, literacy, and a sense of order. It fit the contours of an unmarried woman’s life, offering measured independence without social upheaval.
After Paul Revere’s death in 1818, Harriet received interest on a 4,000-dollar gift by 1823. That revenue was crucial in a city where rents, coal, clothing, and food might strain a single woman. It probably covered important expenses a teacher’s compensation didn’t cover, allowing her to be independent without marrying. Her life is a balance between work and family.
Roots and Lineage: Names Behind the Name
French Huguenot and English New England lines intersected at Harriet. Apollos Rivoire (Revere) represented Boston’s craft classes’ immigrant ambition that they directed into trade. Deborah Hitchborn’s Boston shipyard ancestry linked marine commerce to her family. Through these lines, Harriet inherited a world of craft, capital, and communal reputation that defined opportunities for all the children.
At the level of great-grandparents, the names Isaac Rivoire and Serenne Lambert anchor the French branch, while Frances Patteshall and Thomas Hitchbourn personify Boston’s English colonial weave. Harriet’s very surname held the tale of adaptation and arrival.
Timeline: Milestones in a Measured Life
- July 20, 1782: Born in Boston.
- July 28, 1782: Baptized at New South Church.
- 1780s to 1790s: Childhood in Boston’s North End in a house of artisans and apprentices.
- 1813: Death of her mother, Rachel Walker Revere.
- 1818: Death of her father, Paul Revere.
- By 1823: Receiving interest on a 4,000 dollar bequest from her father’s estate.
- 1820s to 1850s: Teaching and family life between Boston and Canton.
- June 28, 1860: Died in Canton at age 77; buried in Granary Burying Ground, Tomb 172.
Numbers at a Glance
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Children in the blended Revere family | 16 |
| Harriet’s age at baptism | 8 days |
| Years lived after Paul Revere’s death | 42 |
| Noted bequest principal | 4,000 dollars |
| Approximate year span known as a teacher | 1820s to 1850s |
| Age at death | 77 |
Memory and Representation: Telling Harriet’s Story Today
Harriet typically emerges from Boston memory through live history. Visitors can learn about growing up in the North End, her many siblings, and the daily weight of being the daughter of a public man from interpreters. These programs showed her as a person who lived a meaningful life in early American change, not a footnote to a midnight ride.
Her representation captures the Revere household’s feel: the clatter of tools, the pulse of tiny business, the cautious economy needed to feed many, and the quiet sturdiness of a daughter who taught, counted, wrote, and kept going. She kept the page readable in a family of headlines.
FAQ
When and where was Harriet Revere born and baptized?
Harriet was born on July 20, 1782, in Boston and baptized on July 28, 1782, at New South Church.
Did Harriet Revere marry or have children?
No, she remained unmarried throughout her life and had no children.
What was Harriet Revere’s occupation?
She worked as a teacher, likely in Boston and later Canton.
How was Harriet Revere supported financially?
She earned a teacher’s income and received interest from a 4,000 dollar bequest after her father’s death.
Where is Harriet Revere buried?
She is buried in the Granary Burying Ground in Boston, in Tomb 172.
Who were her parents?
Her parents were Paul Revere and Rachel Walker Revere.
How many siblings and half-siblings did she have?
She was one of sixteen children in a blended family that included eight from Paul’s first marriage and eight from his second.
What was notable about her lineage?
Her paternal line blended French Huguenot roots through Apollos Rivoire with English colonial ties through the Hitchborn family.
What is her connection to Canton, Massachusetts?
She lived in Canton later in life and died there in 1860.
How is Harriet remembered today?
She is remembered in public history programs that illuminate her experiences in the Revere household and her perspective as a daughter of a famed patriot.
