Phineas Stearns (February 5, 1736 - March 27, 1798) was a farmer and blacksmith from Watertown, Massachusetts.[1] In 1773 he participated in the Boston Tea Party. He was also a soldier in the American Revolutionary Army at Lake George (1756)[1] and the leader of a company of militiamen at Dorchester Heights during the Siege of Boston. His efforts in the Battles of Lexington and Concord earned him the rank of captain.[1]
Stearns declined a colonel's commission due to the poor health of his wife, Hannah Bemis, who left five children in his care when she passed.[1] He later married Bemis' cousin, Esther Sanderson. His career in public service ended in 1776. He died on March 27, 1798. In 1884 historian Francis Samuel Drake wrote, "[Stearns] was distinguished for his benevolent and cheerful disposition, and for strong common sense and strict integrity."