MILTON – A sword that belonged to Daniel Vose, a prominent Milton merchant and a militia captain during the American Revolution, is returning to Milton.



The centuries-old sword, plus scabbard and belt, were donated to the Milton Historical Society this week. Rosalie Godfrey of North Carolina discovered the sword in a closet under a staircase in her great aunt’s house in York Harbor, Maine. Godfrey, a direct descendant of Vose, remembers playing with the sword when she was growing up.



“As a child I would occasionally take the sword out from the closet and pretend that I was a pirate,” Godfrey said. “Little did I guess the history and value of the sword until years later when I became interested in the family genealogy.”



The mouth of the scabbard has a silver fitting with the inscription “Daniel Vose.” The sword handle has a carved-bone grip capped with a lion’s head.



Vose was a leading businessman in the 1700s. The Suffolk Resolves, regarded as a significant step toward the Declaration of Independence, were signed in his house in 1774.



The Suffolk Resolves House is now the home of the Milton Historical Society.



The historical society plans to have the sword on display at its Sept. 10 open house and at all future events at the Suffolk Resolves House.







