Foster  went  to  Esopus,  N.  Y.,  and  was  there  inoculated,  had  the  disease  and  re-
turned in  health.  He  was  representative  in  the  legislature  i76i-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-'7o-
1-2-3-4-5-9.  He  was  a  deacon  in  the  church.  He  held  various  military  offices,
from  captain  of  a  company  to  major  of  a  regiment,  under  Major-General  Win-
slow,  by  commission  from  Gov.  Shirley.  In  1754  he  was  commissioned  justice  of
the  peace  and  of  the  quorum  for  Worcester  county.  He  was  also  judge  of  probate,
and  afterward  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Superior  court  of  Massachusetts.  He  was
a  representative  of  the  town  in  the  General  Council  for  15  years  (1761-76),  and  a
member  of  all  the  Provincial  Congresses  of  Massachusetts.  In  1779  he  was  a
member  of  the  convention  for  forming  a  State  constitution  and  of  the  committee
itself  appointed  to  draft  it ;  during  the  session  of  which  committee  he  died.  He
was  a  man  of  thorough  integrity  and  honor  and  of  large  benevolence,  an  active
Christian  and  a  zealous  patriot.  "Blessed  with  a  happy  steadiness  and  presence  of
mind"  he  always  studied  to  be  useful,  "being  of  the  fixed  opinion  that  no  one
should  desire  to  outlive  his  usefulness."  He  was  especially  hopeful,  determined  and
active  .in  .that  part  of  the  Revolutionary  war  in  which  he  had  an  opportunity  to
take  any  share  of  duty  or  service.
Mrs.  F. 's  personal  appearance  was  thus  described  by  her  grandson,  Alfred  Dwight


FOSTER   GENEALOGY.  161

Foster  Esq.,  in  a  letter  addressed  by  him  to  Fredric  A.  Foster  Esq.,  of  Lancaster,
O. :  "She  had  always,  withm  my  memory,  a  head  of  perfectly  white  hair  and  very
black  eyes,  although  the  Dwights  almost  without  e.xception  have  light  complexion
and  blue  eyes,  as  my  father  and  uncles  Theodore  and  Theophilus  had."  He  d.  Oct.
