From "Slavery in Massachusetts":
Ishmael Turner, slave of Seth Field, Esq., farmer. Bought in Boston. The first work he was set at was turning hay; they said he would make a good turner, and so named him Turner, but when he was baptized they called him Ishmael, hence Ishmael Turner. In December, 1776, Ishmael Turner with others, was enlisted as a soldier to go to Danbury.
When he enrolled in the service, Ishmael was still enslaved and living in Northfield, Massachusetts. It is possible that enlisting would lead to his freedom. In 1777, While in Capt. Benson's Company, Ishmael was issued clothing. He received 1 coat, 1 vest, 2 pairs of breeches, 3 pairs of hose (long socks), 2 pairs of shoes, 4 shirts, hats, and 1 hunting shirt, all valued at $52.60.
In the vital records for Conway, Massachusetts Ishmael Turner of Munson, Massachusetts is listed as having married Chloe Danforth (Danford) of Conway in March of 1793. This might be the same man. Also in the town's vital records are entries for an infant named Chloe Turner “a Negro Servant”, who was born and died on June 21, 1783. It might be that she was born out of wedlock, or her parents’ marriage date might be off by 10 years, making the correct year 1783. If so, Chloe Sr. might have been pregnant when she married Ishmael, and neither this, nor children born out of wedlock would have been uncommon for the times.
An Ishmael Turner is listed in the 1790 census for Winchester, New Hampshire, with three in the "All Other Free Persons" column and another man by that name is listed in the 1790 census for Chester, Vermont, also listed in the same column.
Military Service
Sources Consulted
"Slavery in Massachusetts", Phineas Field, in History and Proceedings of the PVMA, Vol. 1, 10th annual meeting, 1879, p. 483