Dr. William Paine (1750-1833)
M.D., Physician & Apothecary to British Army etc., of "The Oaks" Worcester, Mass.
He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and received his medical degree from Marischal College in Aberdeen. He was a Loyalist during the Revolution and was appointed both Apothecary and Physician to the British Forces in America at Halifax, Nova Scotia. For his services, he was granted the island of La Tête in Passamaquoddy Bay where he built his summer home. He was appointed a Member of the Assembly of New Brunswick but returned to Salem when the Act of Banishment was repealed in 1787. After his father died, he eventually returned to Worcester in 1793 and took up residence in his mansion (see images). He liked to call himself a farmer and his grandson recalled that, "a great deal of money he spent to keep up the character". In 1812, he co-founded the American Antiquarian Society and served as its first Vice-President. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries of Copenhagen, and of the American Society of Arts & Sciences, among others. In 1773, he married Lois, daughter of Timothy Orne, "a young lady with a fortune of £3,000". They had at least five children.
