Jonas Clarke

Dr. Warren caught word that the regulars, what the colonists called the British forces representing the crown, are coming to seize arms in Concord and capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock, two important rebel leaders who were staying in Lexington for the provincial congress.

He sends express riders Paul Revere and William Dawes to alert Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who were staying with their family, Reverend Jonas Clark, Lexington's minister, and his wife, John Hancock's cousin, Lucy Bowes Clark.

It's about now when Joseph Warren goes into the Old North Church to send out the signal.

If the regulars were coming by land, one lantern.

And so y- you know, when Paul Revere rode out, he went to warn not only the farmers the British were coming, but in particular the leaders of Massachusetts, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, because the British in particular were looking to capture them, and he knew where to go find them.

So when he rode up into Lexington very early on the morning of the 19th, uh, he rode to Reverend Jonas Clark's home because that's where Hancock and Adams were.

Um, Reverend Jonas Clark, by the way, he, uh, assumed ...

He was the pastor of the church in Lexington for about 50 years, but before he became pastor, John Hancock's grandfather was pastor of that church, so John Hancock certainly knew the church, the area.

He knew Jonas Clark.

And Jonas Clark had been teaching for yea- decades really these principles of civil transformation and involvement in social affairs as well as theological matters.

He was teaching members of his church that we have God-given rights and liberties, and taught them how s- government is to protect our God-given rights and liberties and not pillage them, not steal them.

And so when the British 800 or so soldiers marched into Lexington on the morning of April 19th, 1775, they were met by, oh, about maybe 80 minutemen.