Paul Revere

7 Pages 1626 Words

“Listen my children and you shall see hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.” (Longfellow)
Thus begins the famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This is the poem about Paul Revere and his legendary midnight ride. Paul Revere, one of the greatest heroes of the Revolutionary War, and possibly one of the greatest heroes of our country.
Paul Revere was born in Boston, Massachusetts in late December 1734 and was the second of twelve children born to Apollos Rivoire and Deborah Hitchborn. Apollos was a French Huguenot immigrant who came to Massachusetts in 1715 and became the apprentice of a Boston goldsmith. Deborah Hitchborn was a natural born native of Boston. (Lee, 13-16)
At the age of twelve, Paul was apprenticed to his father as a silversmith, and he earned extra money as a bell ringer at the Old North Church in Boston. At age nineteen, as the oldest son of the family he became the supporter of the family after his father died in 1753. In 1757 Revere started a family of his own when he married Sarah Orne. At this time he changed his name from Rivoire to Revere. His wife then had a son named Paul Revere Jr., and soon after that seven daughters followed. In May of 1773 Sarah died and five months later Revere married Rachel Walker. With Walker he had eight more children. (Lee, 23-26)
Revere owned a silvershop and this was the cornerstone of his professional life for more than 40 years. As the master of his silversmith shop, Revere was responsible for both the workmanship and the quality of the metal alloy used. He employed many apprentices and journeymen to produce pieces ranging from simple spoons to magnificent full tea sets. His work, which was praised during his lifetime, is now regarded as one of the outstanding achievements in American decorative arts. (www.paulreverehouse.com)
Revere...