Get a little love in your inbox!
Sign up for the Love Letters newsletter for announcements, hand-picked letters, and other great updates from the desk of Meredith Goldstein
What was Rachel Revere up to the night of Paul’s midnight ride?
Seven kids and a mother-in-law.
You’re reading Meredith Goldstein’s Love Letters newsletter for April 15. Each week, Meredith shares tales of human connection, thoughts on public policy and relationships, and behind-the-scenes stories about the Love Letters column and podcast. Sign up to get the dispatch.
I’m hearing a lot of talk about the American Revolution these days – for a number of reasons – but mostly because it’s the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolution is on Saturday (April 19th).
I happen to live just a few miles away from so many of the rooms/battlefields where it happened; nearby is Lexington, Concord, and the North End, where Paul Revere lived for many years, including the night he did his midnight ride.
Advertisement:
In reading about the Revolution all over again, I’ve been looking into Revere’s love life … because that’s what I do.
Revere was married twice. His first wife, Sarah Onre, died in 1773. They had eight children; six survived into adulthood. Months after Sarah died, Paul married his second wife, Rachel Walker, with whom he had another eight kids, five of whom survived into adulthood.
Paul was married to Rachel when he made his famous midnight ride.
Knowing this, I couldn’t help but wonder (Carrie Bradshaw voice unlocked), “What was Rachel Revere up to while Paul was off on his midnight ride? Is it possible that the hero of the Revolution is the woman who made it possible for Paul to get on that horse?”
Advertisement:
Shows such as “Hamilton,” “Six,” and “Oh Mary!” tell us that “wives” are often the most interesting part of historical moments, but we often know very little about them.
To learn more about Rachel Revere, I set up a Zoom with Kostya Kennedy, whose new book about Paul Revere is “The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America.”
Kennedy was thrilled to talk about Rachel. No one has asked much about her at readings, he said.
To start, Kennedy said Rachel was home the night of the ride. She would have been looking after seven children.
“She knew what was happening,” he said, of the evening of April 18th. “Exactly what details he told her, I don’t know. … He would have certainly seen Rachel and hugged and kissed her goodbye and put on his boots and gone out to begin this mission.”
There is evidence, Kennedy said, that Paul loved Rachel very much.
“He wrote her poems and things like that,” he said. “He wrote her one poem that was kind of an acronym – using the letters of her name. He wasn’t a particularly literary person. I’m sure the guys gave him a ribbing down at the tavern for that kind of thing.”
Advertisement:
I asked Kennedy if anyone would have been helping Rachel with all the kids that night — or any night —and he said her mother-in-law would have been there.
That might have been helpful. Depending on the mother-in-law.
Judith Kalaora not only cares about Rachel’s experience but embodies Rachel on occasion. Kalaora founded the business History at Play and is a living historian – meaning she dresses up and performs as people from the past.
Kalaora had been playing soldier Deborah Sampson, who fought in the Revolution disguised as a man, when the Paul Revere House asked her if she’d consider portraying Rachel.
“I said, ‘Well, let me look into it. Are there any books that I can access?’ And they said ‘no’ — and that was immediately when I knew I had to take a closer look, because when there is not easily accessible information, that’s when [I’m] most piqued.”
Kalaora found information about Rachel in the Esther Forbes book “Paul Revere and the World He Lived In.” She also looked at old letters and considered the experience of many women in Boston at the start of the Revolution.
Advertisement:
“It’s a very interesting side of our American history to see what these women — these matrons — were dealing with. ‘Where do I bring my kids? Are we safe here? Is my husband dead or alive? Is he a prisoner of war?’ And I found that to be the most fascinating aspect of pinpointing [Rachel’s] story.”
Kalaora has been embodying Rachel, for living history events, since 2018, and had a lot to say about her.
Three takeaways from our interview.
1. Rachel was smart and educated. “She was the only child… her mother and father were in their 40s when she was born, which, for the 18th-century, is really unheard of. They really took great pride in Rachel …They taught her almost as though she were a son.”
2. Paul and Rachel had a good relationship. The evidence is in their letters, Kalaora said. “We have about four letters that they exchange in the weeks following the skirmishes that Lexington and Concord. And you can really see their love for one another, and also their sort of implicit understanding and their candor with one another, as well.”
3. Rachel didn’t have just one terrible night of anxiety during the Midnight Ride. “He doesn’t come back for over 48 hours. She knows something happened because the military is moving all over the place in Boston — and she’s not sure whether he’s dead or alive.” Then Paul runs back in from the ride, only to leave again. “He runs into the house and he says, ‘Gather up all of our money, and start packing up all of our belongings, and get ready to move, get ready to leave Boston. We’re going to have to get out of Boston.’” While Rachel deals with logistics, he is gone for “more than a fortnight,” Kalaora said. Rachel winds up sending Paul money, but it’s intercepted by a double agent.
Advertisement:
The events: If you’re in the Boston area, you can hear more of the story from Kalaora at one of her Rachel Revere-related events this weekend. She’s at the Paul Revere House on Friday, reenacting Paul’s departure from the home, 250 years to the night all of this happened. Another event on April 24 at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum may especially appeal to children.
I asked Kalaora who should play Rachel Revere, if a movie were made about her side of the story. Kalaora had one answer:
Keira Knightley, please consider.
My last thought on Rachel:
On Friday, maybe right around 8:30 p.m., let’s have a toast to people who do childcare and sit with their in-laws during difficult moments. Revolutions don’t happen without them. Here’s your soundtrack.
Before I go, some links.
This recent Love Letters question includes the phrase “Daddy’s money.” Try saying “Daddy’s money” out loud. It’s uncomfortable.
This recent letter reminds me of something that would happen on “Abbott Elementary.”
This Dinner With Cupid date starts strong and finishes … not as strong (but a good read).
This New Yorker story is about the controversy surrounding The Knot and “fake brides.” If you’re interested in weddings – or the business of weddings – you’ll be fascinated.
Advertisement:
This CNN feature is about a woman, Vera Papisova, who spent a year dating men on conservative dating apps, to see what it was like. The behind-the-scenes bit about Vera is that she was my student when I taught a class at Boston University more than a decade ago. She was one of the most-engaged people in the room. We have kept in touch. Maybe she should be on a Love Letters podcast episode.
Speaking of dating problems and finding the right people, if you have a relationship question — about friendships, dating, breakups, getting back out there, apps, or a crush (anything really) — send your anonymous letter. I’m reading.
Meredith Goldstein can be reached at [email protected]. Get her newsletter at boston.com/meredith. Send an anonymous question to the Love Letters advice column at [email protected] or buy using the form.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com