Atherton Thayer

Atherton Thayer was a Massachusetts farmer, military officer, town official, who served as the second sheriff of Norfolk County, Massachusetts from 1794 to 1798. Overview He was appointed to fill the vacancy upon resignation of his half-brother, and he remained in the role until his death on July 4, 1798, at the age of 32. Thayer was born in 1766 at Braintree in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, the 9th child of the Honorable Ebenezer Thayer Esq. (1721-1794) and Rebecca Miller of Milton, Massachusetts. His father served as a Selectman for 18 years and subsequently was a Representative to the Great and General Court for 17 years. He followed his fathers footsteps as a Selectman for Braintree and held the military rank of Captain. His paternal ancestor, Thomas Thayer (1596-1665) had migrated to Massachusetts from Thornbury, Gloucestershire. The Thayer family prospered over the subsequent generations and went on to become known as one of the politically influential Boston Brahmin families.