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Secondary sourcePhotograph

Monument to Deborah Sampson Gannett, Rock Ridge Cemetery

Leon H. Abdalian

A photograph of the gravestone monument commemorating Deborah Sampson Gannett as a woman soldier of the Revolutionary War, placed by her grandson.

A photograph of Sampson's memorial monument, which records her military service and the pension she received.

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Black-and-white photograph of a granite monument with a bronze plaque showing a relief portrait bust of a woman with long wavy hair. The plaque reads Deborah Sampson Gannett, Woman Soldier in the War of the Revolution, and describes her service and pension, and that it was placed by her grandson George Washington Gay. Cemetery grass and trees are in the background.
Leon H. Abdalian, Monument to Deborah Sampson Gannett, Rock Ridge Cemetery, Sharon, Mass.

About this source

What it is

This black-and-white photograph, taken by Leon H. Abdalian, shows a granite monument with a bronze plaque in Rock Ridge Cemetery, Sharon, Massachusetts. The plaque bears a relief portrait of Deborah Sampson Gannett and describes her as a woman soldier who enlisted under the name Robert Shurtleff.

Why it matters

The plaque records key facts of her service: that she served for several years, was wounded at the Battle of Tarrytown, was honorably discharged in 1783, and received a pension from Congress in 1803. It was placed by her grandson, George Washington Gay, showing how her family worked to preserve her memory.

Look closer

  • Why do you think the monument names both 'Deborah Sampson Gannett' and her alias 'Robert Shurtleff'?
  • What does it tell us that her grandson placed this monument, rather than the government or army?
  • What does a gravestone tell us about a person's story, and what might it leave out?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Deborah Sampson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Deborah Sampson sources

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Scan of an open book showing a left page with an engraved oval portrait of a young woman with long wavy hair and a ruffled collar, framed by military trophies and an eagle, labeled Deborah Sampson, Published by H. Mann, 1797. Right page is the title page: The Female Review: Or, Memoirs of an American Young Lady, By a Citizen of Massachusetts, Dedham, Printed by Nathaniel and Benjamin Heaton, M,DCC,XCVII.Book

Primary source

The Female Review: Life of Deborah Sampson

Herman Mann · 1797

Black-and-white engraving titled Deborah Sampson, published by H. Mann, 1797. An oval portrait of a young woman with long curled hair and a high-collared dress sits within a decorative frame topped with flags, a wreath, and an eagle at the base.Painting

Primary source

Deborah Sampson Engraving

1797

Oval engraved portrait of a young woman with long wavy hair, wearing a high-collared ruffled white neckerchief and a striped dress with a sash, set within a decorative oval border with foliage.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of Deborah Sampson

Joseph Stone · 1797

Cover of a dark marbled-paper bound booklet with a maroon spine and a small label reading E 275 G18. A cream octagonal label in handwriting reads: An Address delivered at Federal St. Theatre, Boston, By Mrs. Deborah Gannet, The American heroine. Publications of the Sharon historical Society.Speech

Primary source

An Address, Delivered with Applause, at the Federal-Street Theatre, Boston

Deborah Sampson Gannett · 1802

Plain dark red cloth book cover with a white Library of Congress barcode label near the lower right, reading LIBRARY OF CONGRESS and the number 00017379653 with a red dot.Book

Secondary source

The Female Review (Vinton edition)

Herman Mann; edited by John Adams Vinton · 1866

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