Jeremiah O'Brien

 

Machias, Maine

 

  

 

 

 

Recently I took a little trip up to Machias, Maine. To put it in perspective for you I live in midcoast Maine and I never go to Machias because it is two hours away from where I live and a short jump to the Canadian border. However, I needed to go there for an event for work, so it was the perfect opportunity for me to search for the grave of Jeremiah O'Brien. I have been fascinated with Jeremiah O'Brien since as a child in school a teacher handed me the book Minutemen of the Sea by Tom Cluff. The book retells the story of the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War. Most people have forgotten Maine's role in the American Revolution, but interestingly enough the state played host to both the first naval battle and later the greatest naval defeat our country had seen prior to Pearl Harbor.

 

So where does Jeremiah O'Brien fit into all this? Well, I will give you the shortened version of the story and encourage you to do some research on your own. Jeremiah was one of five O'Brien brothers involved in the lumber trade at Machias. In June of 1775, the British sent two sloops to Machias to collect lumber and masts for the British Navy. The two sloops were accompanied by a warship by the name of the Margaretta. Machias inhabitants were livid and energized by the news of what had happened at Lexington and Concord. They hijacked one of the sloops names the Unity. Then a group of rag tag colonists set out to attack the Margaretta. Few of them had guns and most carried clubs or farming tools. The leader of this band was none other then Jeremiah O'Brien. All five of his brothers were also present, but Jeremiah was elected to be the leader. The amazing part is that the Unity pulled along side the Margaretta and the colonists boarded and engaged in a hand to hand combat with the British. In the end it would be the men of Machias that would be victorious. Jeremiah O'Brien went on to lead an interesting life including commanding other vessels in defense of the then fledgling United States and being captured by the British. He would spend time on a prison ship off the coast of New York before being transferred to a prison in England. He would eventually manage to escape and come back to Maine by way of France, another fascinating story if you do your research right.

The little O'Brien cemetery can be found nestled in the back corner of Bad Little Falls park in Machias, Maine. I imagine that at one point it was a beautiful place to be buried overlooking the waterfalls of Machias. However, now the trees have grown up, obscuring the view.  If you should ever find yourself up in that neck of the woods, I suggest that you stop in and pay a visit. Along with Jeremiah, you will also find other members of the O'Brien family to include Jeremiah's father Morris O'Brien a native of Ireland and Gideon O'Brien one of Jeremiah's five brothers.  Jeremiah O'Brien may well be acknowledged as one of the most unsung heroes of the American Revolution and yet he is resting peacefully in small family cemetery in Machias, Maine.