SUNBURY — Who was the real Paul Revere? Brent Carson tells sides of Revere unknown to most in his YouTube presentation, “The Legend, The Myth, The Patriot Man?,” which is available throughout April as a salute to one of the nation’s founding fathers.
Revere was born Dec. 21, 1734 or Jan. 1, 1735 (depending on which calendar is used). The third of 12 children born to a French Huguenot who came to Boston at the age of 13 to be a silversmith, Revere left school at the age of 13 and became an apprentice to his father. When his father died, Revere was too young to be master of the silver shop, so he joined the army for a short time.
In 1757, he returned to Boston to take over the silver shop in his own name. That year, he married Sarah Orne, and they had eight children. Sarah died in 1773, and on Oct. 10 of that year, Revere married Rachel Walker (1745-1813). They had eight more children.
From silversmith to soldier, to dentistry, to iron stoves, to church bells, to copper products, Revere made a name for himself before he died at the age of 83 in 1818. As the United States was facing the Civil War in 1861, over 40 years after Revere’s death, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow made the midnight ride of April 18, 1775, the subject of his poem “Paul Revere’s Ride.”
Carson recalls the Esther Forbes historical fiction book, “Johnny Tremain,” which was made into a Disney movie about a young man who lives through historic events in the American Revolution. When Carson made a trip to Boston as a young teenager, he became even more impressed with the historical city and the men who played their roles in the founding of our nation. These events probably led him into his career choice.
Carson was born in Delaware, graduated from Hayes High School, and taught in Willis Junior High until he retired. He has been the pillar in the Delaware County Historical Society, where he continues to collect local history. He co-chaired the Delaware County Bicentennial Celebration with Rick Helwig in 2008.
Through the years, Carson has helped produce several DVDs and programs on a variety of topics of local history, including William Little’s view of very early Delaware, Ohio. Today, Carson can be found giving tours by appointment at the Delaware County Historical Society and always collecting history and stories of the county.
The link to Carson’s presentation on Revere is available on the Big Walnut Area Historical Society website at http://BigWalnutHistory.org.
