Field, David

title
Lt.
first name
David
last name
Field
gender
male
birth, death year
1712, 1792
role
enslaver
race
white
location(s)
Deerfield, MA  

Bio

David Field (1712-1792) was born in Deerfield, Massachusetts, in 1712, the third of six children of Samuel and Mary (Edwards) Field. His parents ran a tavern and David would operate a store on the family homelot in the village. He married Thankful Taylor in 1741 and they had nine children. Field was extremely active in the protests and resistance in the years leading up to and during the American Revolution (1775-1783.) Due to financial losses from supporting the war effort, his debts by 1787 were so great that he and his sons lost virtually their entire estate to creditors, consisting of several homesteads and 600 acres of land.

David Field enslaved one, perhaps two, people whose names are currently not known. In 1749, Dr. Thomas Williams charged David Field for treating his “Negro” and the following year, to extract a tooth from a woman Dr. Williams identified  in his account book as, "Neg. Fem.” Field also rented the services of Titus, who was enslaved by Deerfield's minister, the Reverend Jonathan Ashley.

Enslaved persons:

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