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     Col. Jeremiah Lee was born on 16 April 1721 in Manchester, Essex County, Massachusetts, son of Justice Samuel and Mary (Tarring) Lee.¹ Before 1745, Col. Jeremiah Lee moved to Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts with his father. When he became of age he went into partnership with his father, in whose counting-room he acquired the commercial knowledge which made him in later years one of the great merchants of his time. His business with his father proved very profitable, and upon the latter's death, in 1753, he continued in business as a great importing and exporting merchant, whose name was known in all the commercial ports of Europe, and whose business at the period of the Revolution probably was more extensive than that of any other merchant in the then British colonies. He early became one of the most influential men of Marblehead, and it must be remembered that Marblehead at that time was not a mere fishing village, but the great shipping centre of New England, second to Boston in population and first in point of shipping. There were then sixty merchants engaged in the foreign trade.²

He married Martha Swett, daughter of Joseph Swett Jr. and Martha A. Stacy, on 25 June 1745.¹

Jeremiah Lee apparently took part in town affairs from an early time. About 1751 he was commissioned colonel of the Marblehead regiment, and in 1755 he was appointed a member of a committee to petition His Majesty to disallow the act of the General Court in 1754 imposing an excise duty on spirituous liquors, wines, lemons, oranges, etc. The same year Col. Jacob Fowle, Col. Jeremiah Lee and Major Richard Reed were appointed a committee to build the powder house, a circular brick magazine on the old ferry road. He was Justice of the Peace, as were his two brothers, father and grandfather, being appointed Jan. 11, 1758, and Nov. 19, 1761.²

The heirs of Joseph Swett, Jr., gave a silver flagon to the Marblehead Church:

Jan: 3: 1759. Joseph Sweet, Esq., having left Pound 12:10 L.M. a legacy to the Church, and, his heirs desiring that it should be made into a flagon for the communion table, the Church having voted the appropriating of it to that use, it was accordingly made into a Flagon, with additional sums sufficient therefore from the Heirs -- Mr. Samuel Sweet, Mrs. Ruth Hooper, Mrs. Martha Lee, and Mrs. Joseph Lemmon -- and this day brought down & presented to the church for which the Pastor of the Chh returned thanks to the several heirs. (total 25:13:4 value)

The inscription on the bottom of the flagon is in Latin:

Hoc Legatum Josephi Sweett Ar.t una cum Additamento ejus Haeredum, Di S. Sweett, Dae R. Hooper, Dae M. Lee, et Di J. Lemmon, ad Usum sacrosanctae Caenae, in prima Christi Ecclesia apud Marblehead, consecratum: Mau 7, 1759. oz 55:12:0

.³

Col. Jeremiah Lee was moderator of the town meeting held on Sept. 18, 1765, to give instructions to their representatives concerning the Stamp Act. He belonged to the well known "Tuesday Evening Club" of Marblehead, of which Gen. Glover, Elbridge Gerry, Dr. Story (father of Justice Joseph Story), Col. Lee, and other well known citizens were members. The meetings were held in the Prentiss house on Mugford street, where the Committee of Safety later held its meetings. An interesting letter from Col. Lee of about this period (4 Dec 1767) to Capt. John Allen of Manchester, on placing him in command of the schooner "Derby," is worthy of note on account of the last few words : "Break no Acts of Trade, suffer no man to bring above six pounds of Tobacco." Shortly after, Colonel Lee built his beautiful mansion on the north side of Washington street. At the time of its erection it was one of the finest and most expensively furnished homes in the colonies. It was designed by English architects, and cost more than £10,000. It was stated in the Boston papers of that time that this was "the most elegant and costly furnished home in the Bay State Colony." The finish used in its construction was brought from England as ballast on the colonel's own ship," as was the furniture. Rev. Manasseh Cutler at an early date described it as the most magnificent house in these colonies, though he found nothing else to admire in Marblehead. By 1916, it was owned by the Marblehead Historical Society, which issued a little book extolling its beauties, the closing sentence of which is as follows :

"Jeremiah Lee builded better than he knew when he placed his home in the heart of the little town, and the reclaimed mansion stands to-day a monument not only of the early prosperity of the town, but a reminder to young and old of Lee and others of his day, who gave of their best to their town and their country. As it was the pride and wonder of their day, it is still the joy and admiration of our own."

As of 1916, Four Presidents of the United States, including Washington, and also the Marquis de Lafayette, had been among its many guests.⁴

He became one of the wealthiest men in America. The Jeremiah Lee mansion at 161 Washington Street, Marblehead, which he built in 1768, now (2002) includes the offices of the Marblehead Historical Society.³

At a town meeting held May 10, 1770, Jeremiah Lee and six other citizens were appointed a "Committee of Inspection," and a few days later the following notice appeared: "The Committee of the Trade, in this Town, have minutely examined all the Parcels of unexcepted goods that were stored in the Town, and have the Pleasure to inform the Publick that they do not find one single Breach made on them for Sale. Jeremiah Lee, Chairman of the Committee."

The various measures of this committee evidently made enemies, as the entire first page of the next issue of the Essex Gazette for May 15-22, is occupied by a letter beginning "To the Publick. The committee of merchants and traders in Marblehead were called upon by sundry persons, in the last week's Gazette, who seem to be very angry that the said committee made known to the public that they refused to come into the agreement of merchants and traders in this town."

So many persons were drowned at sea in the year 1770 that a committee, of which Colonel Lee was chairman, was appointed to receive and distribute charitable donations collected in the Province for the relief of the widows and orphans of those persons, belonging to Marblehead, who perished at sea since January, 1768.⁵

In 1774 Colonel Lee was elected to represent the town at the Continental Congress, but declined the honor, as the condition of his private affairs was such as to prevent acceptance. In September, 1774, Marblehead sent to the County Convention held at Ipswich the following delegates: Jeremiah Lee, Azor Orne, Elbridge Gerry, Joshua Orne, William Dolliber. Colonel Lee found there his brother, Col. John Lee, as chairman of the delegates from Manchester. The convention elected Col. Jeremiah Lee its chairman.

Meantime the town had required all the officers of the Marblehead regiment to resign and had appointed new offcers. A letter of John Andrews, dated Oct. 1, 1774, gives a graphic picture of the times. "The County towns in general, have chose their own officers, and muster . for exercise once a week at least --- when the parson as well as the Squire stands in the Ranks with a firelock.--- In particular at Marblehead, they turn out three or four times a week, when Col. Lee as well as the Clergymen there are not ashamed to appear in the Ranks, to be taught the manual exercise in particular." It is evident from a letter of Colonel Lee directed to the famous Captain Tucker, ordering him to take the brig "Young Phoenix" to South Carolina and the Isle of Wight, that he intended to go into active service. He directs Captain Tucker to return and seek some safe port at home if there is war with England, for, wrote the patriotic merchant, "then I shall be in the Provincial army, as I am determined not to survive my country's liberty and privileges."⁶

He died on 10 May 1775 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts, at age 54.¹

     Jeremiah Lee was born on 20 November 1763.¹ He was the son of Col. Jeremiah Lee and Martha Swett.¹

He died before 1792.¹

     John Lee was born on 6 July 1778 in Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts.¹ He was the son of Col. William Raymond Lee and Mary Lemmon.¹

He was lost at sea in December 1809 at age 31, unmarried.¹

He was a handsome man, and a fine miniature of him, apparently by Hiss Goodrich, was owned by Miss Sarah Dearborn of Boston, granddaughter of Gen. E. A. S. Dearborn.¹

     Joseph Lee was born on 23 November 1748.¹ He was the son of Col. Jeremiah Lee and Martha Swett.¹

He died on 31 August 1785 at age 36.¹

     Joseph Lee was born on 24 September 1780 in Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts.¹ He was the son of Col. William Raymond Lee and Mary Lemmon.¹

He died on 8 October 1780.¹

     Capt. Joseph Lemmon Lee was born in 1785.¹ He was the son of Col. William Raymond Lee.¹

He married Catherine Fogarty of Salem.¹

He drowned off the coast of France in 1818.¹

     Joseph Lemon Lee was born on 10 May 1785 in Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts.¹ He was the son of Col. William Raymond Lee and Mary Lemmon.¹

He died on 21 December 1819 at age 34.¹

     Lucy Lee was born on 8 July 1770.

She married Joel Griswold, son of Thomas Griswold and Hannah Cruttenden, in 1790.

She died on 24 March 1854 at age 83.

     Martha Lee was born on 16 January 1760.¹ She was the daughter of Col. Jeremiah Lee and Martha Swett.¹

She died on 16 January 1833 at age 73.¹

     Mary Lee was born on 31 August 1747.¹ She was the daughter of Col. Jeremiah Lee and Martha Swett.¹

She died on 14 September 1747.¹

     

She married Nathaniel Tracy.¹ She was born on 16 September 1753.¹ She was the daughter of Col. Jeremiah Lee and Martha Swett.¹

She died on 31 October 1819 at age 66.¹

     Mary Lee was born on 26 July 1772 in Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts.¹ She was the daughter of Col. William Raymond Lee and Mary Lemmon.¹

She married Capt. Thomas Cary Willard on 6 March 1800.¹

She died about 1850 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.¹

     Mary Lee was born the daughter of Col. Francis L. and Sarah M. (Wilson) Lee, of Boston, Mass.²

She married Matthew Hale, son of Harry Hale and Lucinda Eddy, on 27 December 1877 as his second wife.¹