Gaspee Raider who attacked the English Navy ship in 1772.">

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This "raiders" division of the Gaspee. Info website is devoted to information about the Raiders as individuals.

In this section of
Gaspee Raiders
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Paul Allen
Ephraim Bowen
Aaron Briggs
Abial Brown
John Brown
Joseph Brown
Joseph Bucklin
Abel Easterbrooks
Nath. Easterbrooks
Capt. Samuel Dunn
Capt. Rufus Greene
Capt. Greenwood
Benjamin Hammond
Joseph Harris
Capt. John Hopkins
Justin Jacobs
Joseph Jencks
Hezekiah Kinnicut
John Kilton
Abner Luther
John Mawney
Simeon Olney
Ezra Ormsbee
Benjamin Page
Capt. S. Potter
Barzilla Richmond
Nath. Salisbury
Capt. Chris. Sheldon
Capt. Shepard
James Smith
Turpin Smith
Capt Swan
Robert Sutton
Capt. Jos.Tillinghast
Capt. Abr.Whipple
Qualification for List
Boat Captains
Raider Connections
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Go to
Gaspee History
for history, overall facts, background, results, and analysis of the  1772 attack itself.

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Books: American Colonial and Revolutionary War history or the people involved. We have suggestions for you.

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This is a history education and research web site of the
Joseph Bucklin Society.

References in brackets [  ] or in curly brackets {  } on any page in this website are to books, or other materials, listed in the Joseph Bucklin Society Gaspee Bibliography, or to materials held by the Joseph Bucklin Society.

Benjamin Page ---- one of the five young men that Bowen identified as being a raider in the boats attacking the Gaspee.

Benjamin Page was born 22 Mar.1753, and was just 19 years old at the time of the Gaspee attack. Page was with his young friends (Joseph Bucklin, Ephraim Bowen,  and Turpin Smith) at the Sabin's tavern house that historical night.  He then went with them on the event that some say started the inevitable course of the Revolutionary War. 

From, and courtesy of, the Gaspee Virtual Archives (while pending our Society's on going research and writing about all of the Gaspee Raiders) we have placed on our page some information about Benjamin Page. More information is at the page on Captain Page at the Gaspee Virtual Archives, where they have an authoritative biography on Benjamin written by the author of a book on Benjamin. (See note about purchasing the book at the bottom of our page that you are reading here.

Benjamin's father, Ambrose Page, was born in Providence, 1723, and had married Alice Smith (b: 11/22/1733 in Rhode Island).  The Page family  were probably related to the Providence families of Hopkins, Jencks,  Angells, Sabins, Whipples, Bowens, Smiths, and Browns. [Woodstrup]. These were families that also were involved in the Gaspee attack.

The father of Ambrose Page was William Page, who married Mary Soule. William Page came to Providence in 1718. He originally was a blacksmith, but soon took an active part in buying property and building in the center of the town.  He owned several lots, and an ownership interest in several "coasters" (ships that sailed up and down the coast buying and selling merchandise). This land and ship ownership interest was the base upon which his son Ambrose built his career.

The death of William Page left Ambrose in possession of four or more warehouse lots with substantial wharves and several acres on the north side of Goal Lane on the hill back east to the Ferry road.....[In 1770, he had] a dwelling house on the street, a dwelling house, store and barn on the wharf." [Henry Chace Papers, "Ambrose Page:" notes]

Ambrose used his ship and skills as a sea captain during the Seven Years War, and was a member of the Rhode Island General Assembly. 

Thus, Benjamin Page had some of the same advantages in life that Joseph Bucklin V had: he was in a family with wealth and business connections with a merchant business and family owned or operated ships..   

At the first raising of a regiment for the defense of the colony in  1775, the state legislature appointed Benjamin (then 22 years old) to be the captain of the first row-galley, that shall be equipped" for the regiment's use.  [Records of the Colony]. This row gallery was later was rigged as a schooner to defend Rhode Island sea coast, and Page remained officer in charge. Page was the 18th of the first lieutenants commissioned in the Continental Navy & Marine Corps. 

Page served at least twice with Whipple on the ship Providence.  Page also sailed under Capt. Samuel Nicholson, Capt. John B. Hopkins, Jr., Capt. Dudley Saltonstall, Capt. Joseph Olney, Capt. John Manley and Capt. Hoystead Hacker. Page was several times a Third Lieutenant, a Second Lieutenant and finally became Captain of the Regulator in 1782 shortly before the war ended.  (Interesting note:  The "Regulator" was originally a Bermudian privateer, which was captured by the Continental frigate "Deane" of the US Navy, and Page was made Captain of the prize ship. 70 of her 75 man crew were black slaves.

After the Revolution, Benjamin Page was a ship captain for John Brown, sailing on trips to Canton in the tea trade. [Hawes, Off Soundings p221]  However, Page was also the captain of the first Rhode Island vessel clearly identified in the Canton trade as one not belonging to a Brown firm, when 1795 Page sailed to/from Canton in a ship owned partly by himself and others.

At age 46, on 19 Sep. 1799, in Rhode Island, Captain Page married Sarah Reed Warner (b: 3/25/1776 in Rhode Island).

Captain Benjamin Page died 13 Nov. 1833 in Ohio and later moved to a burial in the Westlawn Cemetery at Canton, Ohio. His son, Ambrose, is buried at the Old North Burial Ground at Providence. Benjamin's sons Benjamin, Jr., and Henry moved to Sycamore, Illinois, in 1853. They were later joined by their sister Elizabeth who had married Senator David Austin Starkweather of Ohio.

For further information on the Page family, we suggest you buy and read Captain Benjamin Page, A Forgotten Rhode Island Hero of the American Revolution, Rediscovered in Sycamore, Illinois, by Thomas E. Woodstrup.  The book is out of print, but used books may be searched for, and purchased through our Society's book store. Use the keywords "Benjamin Page Woodstrup" in the search engine available at the book store page.