Sheffield Atwood et al

Sheffield Atwood (or Attwood, circa 1755-1829) was a child of Thomas and Ruth Atwood of Newport. Ruth seems to have died, and Thomas remarried to Lydia Pinckney in 1761. During the Revolution, he served as a lieutenant on the row galley Spitfire. In 1779, he served as first lieutenant of the privateer boat Bradford. Sheffield had at least two children: Sheffield and Nancy. In 1796, Sheffield married Lydia DeWolf (1761-1846), the tenth child of Mark Anthony DeWolf and Abigail Potter, in the Congregational Church in Bristol. Lydia had previously been married to Samuel Lee of Swansea. Sheffield and Lydia had a daughter named Abigail or “Abby”. Sheffield worked as a baker, and in 1803 was an insolvent debtor. He sold a variety of goods in Newport. By 1810, the family had moved to Bristol. In 1817, Sheffield was doing medical work. By 1822, he was using the title “doctor”. After his death, the Providence Daily Journal reported “DIED In Bristol, on Friday last, suddenly, Dr. Sheffield Atwood, an old and respectable inhabitant of that town.” In 1837, Lydia applied for a pension for Samuel Lee’s service, receiving $31.54 per year.