Early scholars carefully laid the foundation in their presentation of Joseph Warren’s life by adhering to the available historical record, except in their brief references to Warren being betrothed to a woman named Mercy Scollay. The earliest references to this betrothment cited no documentation. Biographer John Cary expanded the narrative a bit using a letter Scollay wrote to John Hancock as his citation, even though there is no reference in the letter of a betrothment. In my 2009 publication of Liberty’s Martyr, I, too, portrayed that Warren and Scollay were betrothed. I have come to realize that there is no documentation to support this.
Within the past thirteen years two new biographies on Warren have been published: Samuel Forman’s Dr. Joseph Warren: The Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill, and the Birth of American Liberty, (Pelican Publishing Company, Gretna, 2012), and. Christian Di Spigna’s Founding Marty: The Life and Death of Dr. Joseph Warren, the American Revolution’s Lost Hero, (Crown, New York, 2018). A work of nonfiction was also published in which Warren is the protagonist (Nathaniel Philbrick’s Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution, (Viking, New York, NY, 2013),
A medical ledger and journal belonging to Warren’s friend and colleague Dr. Nathaniel Ames of Dedham has recently come to light. These accounts pertain to a patient Sally Edwards who was pregnant and unwed. Warren put her in the care of Ames. A second discovery was a collection of letters written by Mercy Scollay, nanny to Warren’s children. Using snippets of these documents, more recent accounts of Warren imply that he was in intimate relationships with Edwards and Scollay. The conjectures made by these contemporary authors failed to relate the historical circumstances surrounding these associations. The responsibility of all historians is to introduce their subject through a prescribed conduct of accountability to historical fact and circumstances. Neglect to do so in contemporary accounts of Warren have put at issue the character of this man.
In reading the more recent works on Joseph Warren, I studied the newly discovered documentation used as the basis for debasing his character. What I found was in stark contrast to what was being portrayed in the writings of the three authors. I contacted each one and shared my concern regarding the inferential leaps taken by them. Sadly, these accounts continue to be presented as conclusive in the extended writings, presentations, and interviews of these authors. And, with the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution upon us—and more specifically that of the Battle of Breed’s Hill—these accounts will reach more unsuspecting readers and form a basis of their opinion on the character of Joseph Warren.
Early Warren biographers Richard Frothingham and John Cary lamented, but accepted, what they considered a lack of personal information pertaining to Dr. Joseph Warren. Samuel Forman, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Christian Di Spigna attempted to fill this gap. Yet, the manner in which they presented new material pertaining to Warren’s medical practice and private life to achieve that objective did not warrant the type of inferential leaps made. Seemingly, they did not realize that the outcome of their pursuit came at the cost of a good man’s reputation. As a student of Warren’s life for forty years, I determined I must answer the narrative created by Foreman, Philbrick, and Di Spigna. I have not only updated my book on Joseph Warren, but also, with the encouragement of three notable professors of American History, put forth my argument against these inferential leaps in an exhaustive, cited essay, which will be posted in sections on this website. The essay attempts to put into historical context the relationship between Joseph Warren, Sally Edwards, and Mercy Scollay.
Pictures:
Medical journal of Dr. Nathaniel Ames of Dedham pertaining to the care, expenses, and payments made for Sally Edwards and her child. (Courtesy of Dedham Museum & Archive, Dedham, Massachusetts)
Soon to be Released — Liberty’s Martyr: The Story of Dr. Joseph Warren
