Prudence Wright

Prudence "Pru" Cummings Wright (26 November 1740 – 2 December 1824) was a militia commander during the American Revolutionary War.

Life Born in Dunstable, Massachusetts, she was the daughter of Prudence and Samuel Cummings. She had two brothers who pledged allegiance to the crown (Samuel and Thomas) while her youngest brother Benjamin) was a Patriot; also two sisters (Mary and Sibbel). Mary and the first Liberty did not survive childhood. She joined the Congregationalist church in 1770. The group consisted of about 30 or 40 local Patriot women, whose husbands were mostly members of the regular militia ordered to march towards Boston after the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The women dressed in their husbands' clothes and carried "anything that would serve as a potential weapon", including pitchforks.

Although women were not to be paid for militia service, in 1777 the town convened a committee to compensate Mrs. David Wright's Guard (whom they called Leonard Whiting's Guard) for their actions. Leonard Whiting was a British Army officer and a friend of the two arrested spies.

On March 19, 1777, Prudence Wright's guard was paid 7 pounds, 17 shillings, and sixpence by the Town of Pepperell's Committee of Estimation. The Town Meeting Minutes referred to her guard as Leonard Whiting's Guard because women could not overtly be paid for services performed during the revolution.