The Society Of the Cincinnati in The State of Connecticut

Category Archive: Battle of Yorktown

Capt Elijah Chapman
July 4, 1783 12:00 pm Leave a Comment

Birth:

Elijah Chapman was born at Tolland, Connecticut on 13 February 1753. He was the son of Elijah Chapman and Sarah Steel..

Death:

He died on 17 December 1825 at Tolland.

An obituary for Elijah Chapman appeared In the Salem Gazette:

In Tolland, (Conn.) Gen. Elijah Chapman, aged 73. Gen. Chapman was the first Sheriff of the county of Tolland, and held that office from the incorporation of the county, in 1786, until his resignation in 1809. He served in the Army of the Revolution from the commencement to the close of the war. He entered the service as a non-commissioned officer, and passed through the different grades of office to the command of a company. He was in two campaigns in the brigade commanded by Gen. Lafayette. Besides many engagements of minor importance, Gen. Chapman was in the battles of Trenton, Monmouth, Germantown, Jamestown, and also at the siege and taking of Yorktown.

Marriage:

On 20 October 1783 at Tolland, Elijah Chapman married Sarah Keeler of Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Children:

Elijah Chapman and Sarah Keeler had five children who survived early childhood: Polly (b. 1785), Sally (b. 1787), twin sons – Elijah and Reuben (b. 1790) and Fanny (b. 1792).

Military:

Private in the Lexington Alarm, April, 1775; 2nd Lieutenant of Ward’s Connecticut State Regiment, 14th May, 1776; 1st Lieutenant 5th Connecticut, 1st January, 1777; Captain Lieutenant, 1st April, 1779; Captain, 20th July, 1780; transferred to 2d Connecticut, 1st January, 1781, and served to June, 1783..

Elijah, on the day when the news of the battle of Lexington was received, enlisted into the company that was formed on the instant, and was made a sergeant, the a lieutenant, finally a captain, and served in Washington’s army until its dissolution. He was engaged in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Germantown, and Monmouth, e&., &c. He commanded the third company from the head of the column, that stormed the redoubt at Yorktown. In 1824 La Fayette recognized him as one of his former captains. After the war he rose to the rank of Major-General of Militia.

Elijah Chapman was issued a bounty land warrant, #375, on 19 May 1797 for 300 acres of land.

Cincinnati:

Original Member.

Elijah Chapman was active in the affairs of the Society.

New Haven, July 15

On Tuesday the 7th instant, the State Society of Cincinnati assembled in the Town to celebrate the Twentieth Anniversary of American Independence: The Day was ushered in by firing of Cannon and ringing of Bells — At 11 o’Clock they moved in Procession to the Brick Meeting House, were a crowded Audience were highly entertained with a sermon preached by the Rev. Doctor Dwight, from Isaiah xxxiii, 6. “Wisdom and Knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of Salvation.” In which were pictured, with a rich variety of sentiment and expressions, the vices which have tarnished and destroyed former Empires, and those virtues which form the durable basis of a happy Government. The Sermon was succeeded by an Oration on the same subject, elegantly written and pronounced by Mf. James Gould. The exercises were interspersed with several beautiful pieces of vocal and instrumental music, performed by the Musical Society. After which the Society returned, and, having completed the business of the day, dined together, and drank a number of patriotic toasts.

General Ebenezer Huntington was chosen President of the Society for the ensuing year. Delegates were chosen to attend the next general meeting of the Cincinnati in Philadelphia in May of the following year, i.e., 1796. Col. Elijah Chapman, of Tolland County, was appointed to a Committee to whom all Applicants are to be made for Relief from the Funds of the Society. He continued to be a member of the Committee through at least 1803.

References:

“New-Haven, July 15”, American Mercury, Hartford, Connecticut, 20 July 1795, p. 3, col. 3.

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. pp. 23, 48, 194, 328, 352, 360, & 373.

Connecticut Vital Records to 1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. Tolland, p. 30.

Connecticut Vital Records to 1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. Ridgefield, p. 21.

Daniel Steele Durrie, Steele Family, A Genealogical History of John and George Steele, (Settlers of Hartford, Conn.) 1635-6, and Their Descendants. Albany, N.Y.: J. Musell, 1862. pp. 89-90.

Benjamin Woodbridge Dwight, The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, of Northampton, Mass, vol. 2. Albany, N.Y.: Joel Munsell, 1871. p. 1085

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 151.

Peter H. Judd, comp. Four American Ancestries: White, Griggs, Cowles, Judd, Including Haring, Phelps, Denison, Clark, Foote, Coley, Haight, Ayers, and Related Families, vol. 3. New York: Peter Haring Judd, 2008. pp. 478-479.

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 15. Fold3.com( http://www.fold3.com/image/14082498/). Connecticut. Elijah Chapman, Pension S37848.

“Deaths”, Salem Gazette, Salem Massachusetts, 03 January 1826, p. 3, col. 4.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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Lt Col Jonathan Trumbull Jr 1740-1809
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by John Roberts Bockstoce

Birth: March 26, 1740 at Lebanon, CT. He was the second son of Governor Jonathan Trumbull (1710-1785) and Faith (Robinson) Trumbull (1718-1780), daughter of the Reverend John Robinson of Duxbury, Massachusetts.

Death: August 7, 1809 at Lebanon, CT. He is buried in the East Cemetery.

Marriage: He married Eunice Backus, daughter of Ebenezer and Eunice (Dyer) Backus of Norwich, CT, on March 26, 1767.

Children: They had five children, but three daughters were the only ones to reach adulthood: Faith (b. 1769) married Daniel Wadsworth, the founder of the Wadsworth Atheneum; Harriet (b. 1783) married Benjamin Silliman, the first professor of chemistry at Yale and a founder of the Yale Medical School; and Maria (b. 1785) married Henry Hudson, son of the publisher of the Hartford Courant.

Education: He was educated at Nathan Tisdale’s School in Lebanon, CT, and Harvard College, class of 1759, where he gave the salutatory and valedictory addresses.

Military: He was Paymaster-General of the Northern Department of the Continental Army (July 1775 to July 1778), briefly served as Comptroller of the Treasury (1778-1779), and, later, as Secretary and Aide-de-Camp to General George Washington (June 1781 to August 1783). He was present at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis’s forces at Yorktown and served until after news of the Treaty of Paris had reached North America.

Cincinnati: He was an original member of the society and served as the first secretary of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut, from 1783 to 1793.

Occupation: Merchant, farmer, politician.

Discussion: Jonathan Trumbull, Junior was a Selectman in Lebanon, CT (1770-1775), Justice of the Peace in Windham County, CT (1775 to 1795), member of the lower house of the Connecticut State Legislature (1774-1775, 1779-1780, and 1788), and Speaker of the Connecticut General Assembly (1788). He was elected to the First, Second, and Third United States’ Congresses (March 1789 to March 1795) and was the second Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He then served as United States Senator (March 1795 to June 1796), Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut (1796 to 1797), and Governor of the state for eleven consecutive terms, from 1797 to his death in 1809.

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Capt Lemuel Clift
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Death:

Lemuel Clift died in 1821.

Military:

Private in the Lexington Alarm, April, 1775; Sergeant 6th Connecticut, 6th May to 15th December, 1775; Ensign 10th Continental Infantry, 1st January, 1776; 1st Lieutenant 4th Connecticut, 1st January 1777; Captain Lieutenant, 1st June 1778; Captain, 20th May, 1779; transferred to 1st Connecticut, 1st January 1781; retained in Swift’s Connecticut Regiment June, 1783, and served to 3d November, 1783.

References:

Connecticut, Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. p. 355.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 160.

Military service posted by V. Allen Gray.

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Capt Roger Welles
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Birth:

Roger Welles was born at Wethersfield, Connecticut on 29 December 1753, the son of Solomon Welles, who was born at Wethersfield on 06 October 1721 and died there in 1802.

Death:

Roger Welles died on 27 May 1795 while serving as a general of the Connecticut State Militia and a member of the General Assembly.

Children:

He had at least two sons: Martin Welles, who was born at Newington, Connecticut on 9 December 1787 and died at Martin, Ohio on 18 January 1863; and Roger Welles, who was born at Newington, Connecticut on 10 August 1790 and died there on 18 November 1859. He was the grandfather of at least the following children: Thomas Norton Welles (1810-1854) of Peoria, Illinois; Edwin Welles (1818-1853) of Newington, Connecticut; Julia Welles Olmstead (1823-____) of Dunlap, Iowa; and Roger Welles (1829-___) of Hartford, Connecticut.

Education:

Roger Welles was a graduate of Yale College.

Military:

2d Lieutenant of Webb’s Additional Continental Regiment, 1st January, 1777; 1st Lieutenant, 16th May, 1778; Captain, 8th April, 1780; transferred to 3d Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; wounded at Yorktown, 14th October, 1781; retained in Swift’s Connecticut Regiment, June, 1783, and served to November, 1783.

References:

Connecticut, Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. p. 352.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 580.

Albert Welles. History of the Welles Family In England And Normandy: With the Derivation From Their Progenitors of Some of the Descendants In the United States. New York, N.Y.: A. Welles, 1876. pp. 168-169, 247 & 288.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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Capt Samuel Comstock
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Military:

Captain of Silliman’s Regiment Connecticut Militia, August to December, 1776; Captain 8th Connecticut, 1st January, 1777; transferred to 5th Connecticut, 1st January, 1781, and served to June, 1783.

References:

Connecticut, Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. p. 354.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 166.

Military service posted by V. Allen Gray.

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Lt Nathan Haynes Whiting
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Birth:

Nathan Haynes Whiting was born at New Haven, Connecticut on 06 November 1759. His father, Col. Nathan Whiting (Yale, 1743) was an officer in the French war and present at the capture of Louisburg. Nathan Haynes Whiting’s grandmother was a descendant of John Haynes, first Governor of Connecticut.

Death:

Nathan Haynes Whiting died on 16 September 1801. His estate was insolvent.

Marriage:

Nathan Haynes Whiting married Ruth Hooker, the only child of Rev. Nat. Hooker on 13 January 1782. His wife died 28 October 1783.

Children:

One son who survived his parents.

Education:

Yale.

Occupation:

Nathan Haynes Whiting settled in West Hartford, Connecticut where he practiced law after the war. He held local office and served in the Legislature in seven sessions between 1784 and 1799. He held a position of Justice of the Peace from 1790 until his death.

Military:

Ensign of Webb’s Additional Continental Regiment, 9th April, 1780; transferred to 3d Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; Lieutenant, 10th February, 1781; retired 1st January 1783.

Whiting entered service early in 1780, by joining Col. S. B. Webb’s Continental Regiment, then commanded by Lieut. Col. Huntington – the following letter best explains his connection with the regiment:

Camp Steen Rappi, 7th Sept. 1780,

5 miles North from Hackinsack.

Sir:

I would beg Liberty to recommend Mr. Nathan Haines Whiting for an Ensigncy in the 9th Connecticut Regiment —- he is a young Gentleman of family & Education, & hath serv’d some time as a Volunteer in the Regt. His Ensigncy to bear date from the 9th day of April last. The small number of officers in the Regiment make it necessary that his appointment should be made as soon as Possible, as your Excellency will see by the enclos’d Return of officers.

I am, with the Greatest Respect and Esteem,

Your Excellency’s Most Ob and very Humble Servant,

Eben. Huntington,

Lieut.-Col. Com^dg 9th Conn. Regt.

His Excellency, Gov. Trumbull.

Nathan Haynes Whiting received his appointment, and in February 1781 was promoted Lieutenant in Webb’s Third Connecticut. In June 1781 he was transferred to Scammell’s Light Infantry and marched to Virginia under Lieut. Col. Ebenezer Huntington where he participated in the Battle of Yorktown.

Cincinnati:

Original Member.

References:

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. pp. 246, 354 & 375.

Franklin Bowditch Dexter, Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College: With Annals of the College History. New York: Holt, 1885. p. 711.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 589.

Henry Phelps Johnston, Yale and her honor-roll in the American revolution, 1775-1783. New York : Privately printed [by G.P. Putnam’s Sons], 1888. pp. 137, 337-338.

William Smith Porter, Historical Notices of Connecticut. Hartford: E. Geer’s Press, 1842. p. 7.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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Ensign Ebenezer Daggett
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Birth:

Ebenezer Dagget was born at New Haven, Connecticutt on 21 December 1760. He was the son of the Rev. Naphtali Daggett, D.D., and Sarah.

Death:

Ebenezer Dagget died of smallpox on 20 November 1781 at Head of Elk, Maryland on the return march from Virginia and Yorktown.

Military:

Ensign 7th Connecticut 20th June, 1779; transferred to 1st Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; died 20th November, 1781.

Discussion:

Two of Ebenezer Daggett’s siblings had issue. His brother, Henry (1758-1843), married Anna Ball. They had nine children. His brother, Ezra (1765-1844), married Eunice Tuttle. They had eleven children.

Ebenezer’s brother, Henry Daggett, served as a Lieutenant with the 2d Connecticut until 3 June 1783. During course of the war Henry Daggett not only lost his brother, he lost his father.

During the British raid of New Haven, Connecticut in July 1779, Ebenezer’s father, the Rev. Naphtali Daggett, took up arms against them. He actively opposed the British, incited his students at Yale against them, and openly preached and prayed against them. British troops captured him and after beating him severely left him for dead. He was taken to a nearby house, and when the British troops came to collect him as a prisoner, the mistress of the house refused to surrender him. He died 18 months later from the effects of his beating by British troops.

References:

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. p. 352.

Samuel Bradlee Doggett, A History of the Doggett-Daggett Family. Boston: Press of Rockwell and Churchill, 1894. pp. 119-120 & 147

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 184.

Henry Phelps Johnston, Yale and her honor-roll in the American revolution, 1775-1783. New York : Privately printed [by G.P. Putnam’s Sons], 1888. p. 340.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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Maj John Palgrave Wyllys
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Military:

Adjutant of Wolcott’s Connecticut State Regiment, January, 1776; Brigade-Major to General Wadsworth, 7th August, 1776; taken prisoner 15th September, 1776, on the retreat from New York; exchanged 20th December, 1776; Captain of Webb’s Additional Continental Regiment, 1st January, 1777; Major, 10th October, 1778; transferred to 3d Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; transferred to 1st Connecticut, 1st January, 1783; retained in Swift’s Connecticut Regiment, June, 1783, and served to 25th December, 1783; Major United States Infantry Regiment, 9th June, 1785; Major 1st Infantry United States Army, 29th September, 1789; killed 22d October, 1790, in action with Indians on the Miami, Ohio.

References:

Connecticut, Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. p.351

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 608.

Military service posted by V. Allen Gray.

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Capt Richard Douglas/Douglass (CT/NY)
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Death:

Richard Douglas died in 1816.

Military:

Private in the Lexington Alarm, April, 1775; Ensign and Regimental Quartermaster in Selden’s Connecticut State Regiment, 20th June to 25th December, 1776; 2d Lieutenant 1st Connecticut, 1st January, 1777; 1st Lieutenant, 1st January 1778; Captain Lieutenant, 11th August, 1780; Captain, 22d August 1780; transferred to 5th Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; transferred to 3d Connecticut, 1st January, 1783; transferred to Swift’s Consolidated Connecticut Regiment, June, 1783, and served to 3d November, 1783.

References:

Connecticut, Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. p. 353.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 202.

Military service posted by V. Allen Gray.

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Ensign Ozias Goodrich 1750-1784
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Capt Jonathan Heart/Hart
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Birth:

Jonathan Heart was born in 1748 in Kensington, Connecticut, a part of Farmington. He was the second son of Deacon Ebenezer Hart and his wife, Elizabeth Lawrence Hart. Deacon Hart was a descendant of Stephan Hart, who was among the early settlers of Hartford and Farmington.

Ebenezer and Elizabeth had five sons: Ebenezer Hart, born 29 July 1742, who removed to New Hampshire. Jonathan Hart, our subject, born in 1748. Elihu Hart, born 4 March 1751, who removed to New York where he failed in business and died in debtor’s prison at Coxsackie, New York. Doctor John Hart born 11 March 1753, who served in the army as a surgeon, and died 3 October 1798. Thomas Hart, born in 1754, never married, and died in 1832. Thomas Hart adopted Lydia Hart, the daughter of his brother Ebenezer.

Death:

Jonathan Heart, serving as a Major with the 2d United States Infantry, was killed 04 November 1791 while covering the retreat of Gen. St. Clair’s army after it was surprised and defeated near the source of the Maumee River in Ohio. A month later, his remains were identified and subsequently buried with remains of others from the battlefield. St. Clair’s army consisted of men from the militias of Kentucky, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and North Carolina along with a battalion of the 2d United States Infantry. Of St. Clair’s force of over 1,400 men, 632 were killed and 264 wounded in the battle.

Marriage:

Jonathan Heart married to Abigail Riley in 1777. On 03 August 1797, nearly six years after the death of Jonathan Heart, Abigail married the Rev. Cyprian Strong of Chatham, Connecticut.

Children:

Jonathan Heart left one child, a son, Alces Everlin Heart who was born 10 October 1782. Alces Everlin Heart was married to Charlotte Overton. They had no children.

Education:

Jonathan Heart graduated from Yale College in 1768.

Occupation:

Shortly after graduating from Yale, Jonathan Heart removed to New Jersey where he served as a district schoolmaster until about 1773 when he returned to Farmington, Connecticut. There he was engaged in mercantile operations. When war broke out, he turned his business over to his brother and enlisted in Putnam’s battalion of Connecticut militia. He participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Military:

Served as a volunteer with 2d Connecticut, May to December, 1775; Ensign 22d Continental Infantry, 1st January, 1776; 2d Lieutenant, 10th August, 1776; Adjutant 3d Connecticut, 1st January, 1777; Captain Lieutenant, 1st July 1779; Captain, 1st May, 1780; transferred to 1st Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; Brigade Major and Inspector, 2nd January, 1781 to June, 1783; retained in Swift’s Connecticut Battalion in June, 1783, and served to 3d November, 1783.

At the end of the war, Jonathan Heart returned homw to a failed business. After attempting to establish a career as a surveyor, he enlisted in the Army. He served as a Captain United States Infantry Regiment, 9th June, 1785; Captain 1st United States Infantry, 29th September, 1789; and Major 2d United States Infantry, 4th March 1791. He was shot and killed on 04 November 1791 in action with Indians during St. Clair’s defeat near Fort Recovery, Ohio.

Cincinnati:

Jonathan Heart was a original member.

Discussion:

Jonathan Heart’s younger brother, John Heart, also served as an officer in the Revolution. Jonathan and his brother, John, both spelled their surname as “Heart” rather than “Hart”.

Jonathan Heart was a member of one of two traveling Masonic Lodges at West Point, American Union No. 1. Among the other members were Col. Samuel Wyllys, Lt. Robert Allyn, Capt. Stephen Betts, Dr. John Simpson, Dr. Jedediah Ensworth, Col. Rufus Putnam, Lt. Isaac Tiffany and others of the Connecticut Line. Dr. Simpson was the lodge Secretary.

References:

Edward M. Coffman. The Old Army: A Portrait of the American Army in Peacetime, 1784-1898. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. pp. 5, 25 & 35

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. pp. 351 & 373.

Jonathan Heart, Journal of Capt. Jonathan Heart On the March With His Company From Connecticut to Fort Pitt, In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Albany, N.Y.: J. Munsell’s sons, 1885. pp. viii – xiii.

Gary L. Heinmiller, Membership in American Union Lodge No. 1 during the Revolutionary War. (http://www.omdhs.syracusemasons.com/sites/default/files/history/American%20Union%20Lodge%20No.%201%20-%20Membership.pdf)

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 283.

Francis B. Heitman. Historical Register of the United States Army, From Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to September 29, 1889. Washington, D.C.: National Tribune, 1890. p. 333.

James Ripley Jacobs. The Beginning of the U.S. Army, 1782-1812. Fort Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press, 1972. pp. 32-33 & 89,

Henry Phelps Johnston, Yale And Her Honor-roll In the American Revolution, 1775-1783: Including Original Letters, Records of Service, And Biographical Sketches. New York: Privately printed [by G.P. Putnam’s Sons], 1888. pp. 252-254.

Catherine M. North, History of Berlin, Connecticut. New Haven: Tuttle, 1916. pp. 65-66.

Wiley Sword. President Washington’s Indian War: the struggle for the Old Northwest, 1790-1795. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993. pp 82, 181 & 184.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray

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Ensign Jacob Kingsbury
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Birth:

Jacob Kingsbury was born 06 July 1756 at Franklin, Connecticut.

Death:

Jacob Kingsbury died at Franklin, Connecticut on 01 July 1837. On 19 July 1837, the Norwich Courier published the following obituary for Jacob Kingsbury

At Franklin, July 1st, Jacob Kingsbury, Esq., formerly Inspector General in the army of the United States, aged 81 years. He served his country in the army and Navy forty years, faithfully. He joined the army at Roxbury, near Boston, in the year 1775, at the commencement of the Revolution, in the 18th year of his age, and continued in the service of the U.S. until 1815, at the close of the war with the English. For 30 years previous to the close of the last war, he had not been a day out of the army. He was a member of the Society Cincinnati – also a member of the United States military Philosophical Society, and of the Lyceum of Natural History in the city of New York.

Military:

Private and Corporal 8th Connecticut, 11th July to 16th December, 1775; Sergeant Selden’s Connecticut State Regiment, June to December, 1776; Ensign of Webb’s Continental Regiment, 26th April, 1780; transferred to 3d Connecticut 1st January, 1781; retained in Swift’s Connecticut Regiment, June 1783, and served to 3d November, 1783.

Lieutenant United States Infantry Regiment, 15th October, 1787; Lieutenant 1st United States Infantry, 29th September, 1789; Captain, 28th September, 1791; assigned to 1st Sub Legion, 4th September, 1792; assigned to 1st United States Infantry, 1st November 1796; Major 2d infantry, 15th May 1797; Lieutenant-Colonel 1st Infantry, 11th April, 1803; Colonel, 18th August, 1808. (Colonel Inspector-General, 8th April, 1813 to 31st October, 1814.) Honorably discharged upon the reorganization of the Army, 15th June, 1815.

When discharged in June 1815, Jacob Kingsbury’s eight year’s of service during the Revolution and continuous service since 1787 probably made him the senior man in years of service in the army.

Cincinnati:

Original member.

References:

Edward M. Coffman. The old army: a portrait of the American Army in peacetime, 1784-1898. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. p. 44.

Connecticut, Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. p. 352.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 333.

Francis B. Heitman. Historical Register of the United States Army, From Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to September 29, 1889. Washington, D.C.: National Tribune, 1890. p. 390.

James Ripley Jacobs. The Beginning of the U.S. Army, 1782-1812. Fort Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press, 1972. p. 173.

“Died”, em>Norwich (Connecticut> Courier, 19 July 1837, p. 3; digital image, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.GenealogyBank.com : accessed 12 January 2016).

Wiley Sword. President Washington’s Indian War: the struggle for the Old Northwest, 1790-1795. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1993. pp 127-128.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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Lt William Linn (Lynn)
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Birth:

William Linn, son of Alexander and Mary Linn, was born at Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut on 31 December 1755.

William Lynn had a brother, David Lynn, who served under him in the Revolutionary War. He also had a sister who in 1831 lived in a remote part of Middlesex County, Connecticut, and another brother, who lived in a remote part of the country..

Death:

William Lynn died sometime before 11 June 1831 when his brother, David Lynn, while living in Durham, Middlesex County, Connecticut, applied for bounty land which was due the . . . . heirs of William Lynn on account of his service in the Revolutionary War and Warrant 1763 for two hundred acres was issued August 24, 1831.

According to a statement made by David Lynn in 1832, William Lynn may have died as early as 1792. David Lynn, based upon his personal military service in the Revolution, applied for a pension in 1832. A declaration he made on 15 August 1832, states:

The Company to which the said [David] Lynn was attached was commanded by his brother Lieutenant William Lynn of Killingworth . . . It has supposed he has been dead full forty years.

In 1831, William Lynn was reported to have left that part of the county [Durham/Killingsworth, Middlesex County, Connecticut] more that forty years before and was then reputed to be dead and that it was believed he never married. The exact date of his death was not given..

Marriage:

Testimony given 20 February 1831 by James Francis and Timothy Scranton, former acquaintances of William Lynn, suggests that he may never have married.

Military:

Sergeant 2d Connecticut, 1st January, 1777; Ensign, 29th December, 1777; 2nd Lieutenant 9th April, 1780; transferred to 3d Connecticut 1st January, 1781; retained in Swift’s Connecticut Regiment, June 1783 and served to 3d November, 1783.

In addition to the service reported by Heitman, William Lynn, a Private, served in the 6th Company, Connecticut 7th Regiment under Col. Charles Webb from 10 July through 18 December 1775

Cincinnati:

Original Member.

Discussion:

William Lynn’s brother, David Lynn resided at Killingworth, Connecticut, when he enlisted in 1780, and served until December, under Captain Martin Lord, Lieutenant William Lynn (his brother) in Colonel Swift’s Connecticut regiment; 6 months. In 1832 he was sixty-eight years of age and resided in Durham, Connecticut; in 1836, he resided in Warren County, Illinois. David Lynn died 20 August 1840 and is buried in the South Henderson Cemetery, Gladstone, Henderson County, Illinois.

References:

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. pp. 82, 158, 330, 352, 367, 368 & 374.

Connecticut Vital Records to 1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. Haddam, William Lynn.

Find A Grave, Inc. Find A Grave digital image (http://www.findagrave.com) Gravestone for David Lynn (1764-1840), Memorial #64220076, South Henderson Cemetery, Gladstone, Henderson County, Illinois. Photograph © Sean Flynn.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 362.

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 15. Fold3.com(http://www.fold3.com/image/23882970/). Connecticut. William Lynn, Bounty Land Warrant 1763.

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 15. Fold3.com(http://www.fold3.com/image/23882858/). Connecticut. David Lynn, Pension S32388.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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2nd Lt William Lord
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Birth:

William Lord was born about 1746.

Death:

William Lord died at Saybrook, Connecticut on 08 July 1825.

Marriage:

On 16 October 1783 at Saybrook, Connecticut, William Lord married the widowed Chloe (Bushnell) Waterhouse, who was born about 1761. The ceremony was performed by Frederick William Hotchkiss, Pastor of the First Church of Christ.

Children:

William Lord (b. abt 1786), Richard Lord (b. about 1796, who in 1820 was very feeble and subject to turns of derangement, and a daughter who married Mr. Fisk.

Occupation:

Farmer.

Military:

Sergeant 6th Connecticut, 1st April, 1777; Ensign, 11th April, 1779; transferred to 3d Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; 2d Lieutenant, 6th December, 1781; retired 1st January, 1783.

Cincinnati:

Never represented.

Discussion:

In 1820, a 10-year-old grandson, William L. Fisk, was living with William and Chloe Lord. This may be the same person identified as William Lord Fisk of Saybrook, Connecticut who, after being enrolled at Yale for four years received an M.D. degree in 1833. William Lord Fisk drowned while swimming at the end of Long Wharf on Saturday evening 22 August 1834.

References:

“Selected Summary.” Boston (Massachusetts) Traveler, 02 September 1834, p. 2; digital image, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.GenealogyBank.com : accessed 12 January 2016).

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. pp. 77, 338, 206, 355 & 635.

Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: 2013. William Lord, v. 5, pp. 102 & 223.

Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Hale Cemetery Inscriptions and Newspaper Notices, 1629-1934 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. William Lord, Junction Cemetery, Old Saybrook, Connecticut, Section 6.

Find A Grave, Inc. Find A Grave, digital image (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 12 January 2016), photograph, tombstone for “William Lo rd”, Memorial # 20257518, Upper Cemetery , Old Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut; photograph by Ellen O.

Franklin Bowditch Dexter, Biographical Notices of Graduates of Yale College, Including Those Graduates in Classes Later Than 1815, Who Are Not Commemorated in the Annual Obituary Records. New Haven: [N.P.], 1913. p. 199.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 357.

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 15. Fold3.com(http://www.fold3.com/image/15190966/). Connecticut. William Lord, Pension W. 20501.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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Surg Mate Jedediah Ainsworth/Ensworth
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Birth:

Jedediah Ensworth, son of Tyxhall & Jerusha Ensworth, was born at Canterbury, Connecticut on 01 September 1758 and baptized on 03 September. His siblings included sisters Abigail (b. 22 April 1768), Alice (b. 21 July 1752), Elizabeth (b. 26 June 1750), Jerusha (06 May 1746), and Lydia (b. 03 July 1748) and brothers Ephraim (b. 01 December 1760) and Peris (b. 26 November 1754).

Death:

Dr. Jedediah Ensworth died on 26 October 1795 at Pomfret, Connecticut.

A report of his funeral was carried in the Windham Herald:

Died, at Pomfret, on Monday the 26th ult. In the midst of an useful and active life, Dr. Jedediah Ensworth, ae. at 37; and on Wednesday his remains were interred. A sermon pertinent to the occasion was delivered by the Rev. Walter Lyon, to a large concourse. The Brethren of Moriah Lodge, of which he was a officer, esteemed and respected, attended with their usual badges, and performed the obsequies with a decorum and respect due to a worthy brother. A short, but comprehensive eulogium was pronounced at the grave by brother Wm. P. Cleaveland. The tokens of respect manifested on the mournful event, evinces the regret of a feeling public who sincerely sympathize with afflicted widow, children and relations in the loss of an affectionate husband, parent, brother and friend.

Marriage:

Jedediah Ensworth was married to Lucy ______. The date of their marriage is not yet known.

Children:

Jedediah Ensworth had at least three children born at Pomfret: Lucy Adams (b. 18 June 1785), David Augustus (b. 10 February 1787) and Jedediah Sabin (b. 17 January 1792).

Occupation:

Physician.

Military:

Heitman carries two entries for this propositus:

Ainsworth, Jedediah (Conn.). Surgeon’s Mate 8th Connecticut, 10th June, 1778; transferred to 5th Connecticut, 1st January 1781, and served to — June, 1782, and

Ensworth, Jedediah(Conn.). Surgeon’s Mate 8th Connecticut, 10th June, 1778; transferred to 5th Connecticut, 1st January 1781, resigned 15th January, 1783.

The Surgeon of the 8th Connecticut, David Holmes of Woodstock, on 20 March 1779, and Jedidiah Ensworth assumed his duties until the arrival of his replacement. Col. Giles Russell, 8th Connecticut, recognized this duty when he issued an undated statement marked “Dr. Ensworth Account”. The statement noted that Dr. Ensworth was due $308.00 for doing the duty of a Surgeon and receiving only Mates pay from the 20^th of March to the 1^st Sep^t 1779.

Discussion:

Dr. Jedidiah Ensworth was a member of one of two traveling Masonic Lodges at West Point, American Union No. 1. Among the other members were Dr. John Simpson, Col. Samuel Wyllys, Major Jonathan Heart, Lt. Robert Allyn, Capt. Stephen Betts, Col. Rufus Putnam Lt. Isaac Tiffany and others of the Connecticut Line.

References:

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. pp. 220, 343, & 351.

Connecticut Vital Records to 1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. Canterbury, Ensworth, Jedediah.

Connecticut Vital Records to 1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. Pomfret, Ensworth, Jedediah.

Gary L. Heinmiller, Membership in American Union Lodge No. 1 during the Revolutionary War. (http://www.omdhs.syracusemasons.com/sites/default/files/history/American%20Union%20Lodge%20No.%201%20-%20Membership.pdf)

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. pp.64 & 217.

Miscellaneous Numbered Records (The Manuscript File) in the War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, 1775-1790’s, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 93. Fold3.com( http://www.fold3.com/image/312839554/). Dr. Jedidiah Ensworth.

Norwich Packet, 12 November 1795. p. 3, col. 3.

Windham Herald, 7 November 1795. p. 3, col. 3.

Ancestry.com. Connecticut, Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: 2013, Jedediah Ensworth.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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Lt John Mansfield
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Birth:

John Mansfield was born in 1748. He was the son of Moses Mansfield (1709-1754) and Ann Mary Kierstead (1709-1742)

Death:

He died at Wallingford, Connecticut on 01 June 1823. His obituary appeared in the Connecticut Herald on 10 June:

At Wallingford, on the 2d inst. Capt. John Mansfield, in the 75th year of his age – He served his country faithfully during the Revolutionary War—was the same man (then Lieut. Mansfield) who commanded the ”Forlorn Hope”, at the storming of the redoubts at Yorktown—and whose name was honorably mentioned by Col. Hamilton, the Commander of the Detachment—he received a wound in that attack, which would have entitled him to a pension, but he refused to apply for it. When peace was concluded and the Independence of his country acknowledged, he was discharged from the service, with a captain’s commission and the thanks of the Commander and Chief. Poor in purse, but rich in honor, he returned to his family, and by strenuous exertions, succeeded in accumulating a small property. When the pension law was passed in 1818, his friends believed he was entitled to the benefit of that act; he petitioned and received a pension until the law was amended – the stipend was then withdrawn, on the ground that he was not wholly destitute of property, (although his circumstances were far from affluent.) He sustained through life the character of an industrious, honorable, upright man, died lamented by all the friends of worth who knew him.

Marriage:

John Mansfield was twice married. First to Sybil Sexton on 20 February 1772, and second to Esther Lewis.

Children:

He had two children: Ira Mansfield who settled at Atwater, Ohio, and Sybil Mansfield who married John Hiddleson of Georgetown, South Carolina. Ira Mansfield, who married Susan Kirtland, died at Atwater in 1849. Sybil Hiddleson and her husband, John, both died in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Occupation:

Farmer.

Military:

Sergeant 1st Connecticut, 1st May to 28th November, 1775; Ensign of Douglas’ Connecticut State Regiment, 20th June to 25th December, 1776; 2d Lieutenant 6th Connecticut, 1st January, 1777; 1st Lieutenant, 18th April, 1779; transferred to 4th Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; wounded at Yorktown, 14th October 1781; transferred to 2d Connecticut, 1st January, 1783, and served to 3d June, 1783.

A more expansive discussion of John Mansfield’s military service follows:

John Mansfield was a Sergeant in the company of Isaac Cook, Jr., in the 1st regiment, Colonel David Wooster, raised on the first call for troops in April-May, 1775. He served in New York and on Long Island during the summer. In September, his unit marched to the Northern Department, where it served under General Schuyler about Lakes George and Champlain. In October, he was present at the reduction of St. Johns. He was discharged 28 November 1775.

In June, 1776, he was Ensign of the 6th company of the 5th battalion, Wadsworth’s brigade, commanded by Colonel William Douglas, raised to reinforce Washington’s army at New York. He served in the city and at the right of the line during the Battle of Long Island, 27 August; was at the battle of White Plains, 28 October, and continued in service until 25 December 1776. He reenlisted in the Connecticut Line on 01 January 1777. On 14 March 1777, he was commissioned a Lieutenant in the 6th regiment, Connecticut Line which was raised to continue through the war. The regiment went into camp at Peekskill in the summer and served during the fall in Parsons’ brigade on the Hudson. It wintered, 1777-78, at West Point and in the summer was encamped with the main army at White Plains. It wintered, 1778-79, at Redding, and in the summer of 1779 served on the east side of the Hudson. It wintered, 1779-80, at Morristown Huts, New Jersey, and in the summer of 1780, it served on both sides of the Hudson. It wintered, 1780-81, at camp “Connecticut Village,” opposite West Point, and there consolidated for formation of 1781-1783. In this formation, John Mansfield continued as a Lieutenant in the 4th regiment, Connecticut Line, and was present with the regiment at Yorktown.

In the attack upon Redoubt #10 at Yorktown, a “forlorn hope” of 20 men under Lieutenant Mansfield led the column. Mansfield was among the first to enter the redoubt and received a bayonet wound. The entire action was accomplished in less than 10 minutes in which under furious fire the attacking troops climbed over or broke through obstructions, crossed a defensive ditch, scaled the parapet and captured the redoubt. Lt. Col. Alexander Hamilton reported that Mansfield, of Lt. Col. Jean-Joseph Sourbader de Gimat’s battalion, deserved particular recognition for his “coolness, firmness, and punctuality”.

In the formation of January-June, 1783, he continued as Lieutenant in the 2nd Regiment, Connecticut Line, commanded by Colonel Heman Swift, in service at West Point and vicinity, until in early June when the regiment was disbanded with the greater portion of the army by orders of Washington.

Cincinnati:

Original member.

Sources:

Frances Atwater, comp. Centenniel of Meriden, June 10-16, 1906. Meriden, CT: Journal Publishing Company, 1906. pp 232-233.

Frederic William Bailey. Early Connecticut marriages as found on ancient church records prior to 1800.. vol. 4. New Haven, Conn.: Bureau of American ancestry, 1899. p. 61.

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889.

“Died”. Connecticut Herald. New Haven, Connecticut. 10 June 1823. p 3., col. 4.

William Richard Cutter. Genealogical and family history of the state of Connecticut: a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation. vol. 4. New York: Lewis historical publishing company. 1911. pp 1734 & 1738-1739.

Charles Henry Stanley Davis, History of Wallingford, Conn., From Its Settlement In 1670 to the Present Time, Including Meriden, Which Was One of Its Parishes Until 1806, And Cheshire, Which Was Incorporated In 1780. Meriden: The author, 1870. p. 847.

Eckenrode, H. J. Official guidebook of the Yorktown sesquicentennial celebration, October 16-19, 1931. Richmond: Virginia Yorktown sesquicentennial commission, 1931. p. 14.

“Letter from Alexander Hamilton to Marquis de Lafayette, [15 October 1781],” Founders Online, National Archives (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-02-02-1200-0001 [last update: 2015-12-30]). Source: The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, vol. 2, 1779–1781, ed. Harold C. Syrett. New York: Columbia University Press, 1961. pp. 679–681.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 378.

Henry Phelps Johnson, The Yorktown Campaign And the Surrender of Cornwallis, 1781. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1881. pp. 145-146.

J. E. Norris, R. C. Brown, Warner & Beers. History of Portage County, Ohio: Containing a history of the county, its townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, industries, etc; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; biographies; history of the Northwest territory; history of Ohio; statistical and miscellaneous matter, etc., etc. . . Chicago: Warner, Beers & co., 1885. p 583.

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 15. Fold3.com(http://www.fold3.com/image/23586654/). Connecticut. John J.

Sons of the American Revolution. Connecticut Society. Year-book of the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution for 1897-1898. [S.l.]: Committee on Publication, Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 1900. p. 537.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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Lt Robert Allyn/Allen
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Death:

Robert Allyn died in 1811.

Military:

Sergeant 1st Connecticut, 10th February, 1777; Ensign, 1st November, 1777; 2d Lieutenant, 1st July, 1780; transferred to 5th Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; retired 1st January, 1783.

References:

Connecticut, Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. p. 353.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 70.

Military service posted by V. Allen Gray.

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Lt Ellijah Ransom
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Death:

Died 1828.

Military:

Sergeant in the Lexington Alarm, April, 1775; 2nd Lieutenant 3rd Connecticut, 1st January, 1777; 1st Lieutenant, 1st May, 1780; transferred to 1st Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; retired March, 1782.

References:

Connecticut, Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. p. 351.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 458.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray

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Brigade Major Samuel Augustus Sill Barker
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Birth:

Samuel Augustus Still Barker, son of Samuel Barker and Esther Baker, was born 19 October 1756 at Branford, Connecticut.

Death:

He died on 19 November 1819 at La Grange, Beekman County, New York.

Marriage:

In 1786, he married Mariah Delavan.

Children:

Samuel Augustus Still Barker and Mariah Delavan had a son, Samuel Augustus Barker who was born at Beekman, Ductchess County, New York and died on 12 May 1852 at McConnellsville, Ohio. He married Eliza Brooks Shugart at McConnellsville in 1820.

Military:

Adjutant of Douglas’ Connecticut State Regiment, 20th June to 29th December, 1776; 1st Lieutenant and Adjutant 6th Connecticut, 26th December, 1776; Captain, 10th May, 1780; transferred to 4th Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; Brigade Major in 1781; transferred to 2d Connecticut, 1st January, 1782; resigned 13th April, 1782.

References:

Find A Grave, Inc. Find A Grave digital image (http://www.findagrave.com) Gravestone for Maj Samuel Still Augustus Barker (1756-1819), Memorial #14771272, Virtual Cemetery information created by Beth Devin Marsau.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 87.

“Baker Ancestry of Mrs. Edgar H. Allen.” Nebraska and Midwest Genealogical Record 4, no. 2 (April 1926): 249-50.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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Lt Cornelius Russell
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Birth:

Cornelius Russell was born about 1750.

Death:

Cornelius Russell, 73 years old and husband of Huldah Russell, died on 03 August 1823 at Randolph, Vermont. He was buried in the Randolph Center Cemetery. The newspaper notice of his death included the comment fifteen persons died in Randolph of dysentery between July 23d and August 18.

Huldah Russell, Cornelius’ wife, died six years later on 07 August 1829. She was 75 years old and was also buried in the Randolph Center Cemetery.

Marriage:

Cornelius Russell, of Windsor, Connecticut, married Huldah Pember on November 1784 at Randolph, Vermont. Huldah’s place of residence was recorded as being East Windsor, Connecticut.

Children:

The children of Cornelius and Huldah Russell are reported to have been as follows: Horace A. Russell (1787-1818). Betsy Russell (1788-162) who married Seth Crocker who died in 1831. Elijah Pember Russell (1790-1874). Thomas Pember Russell (1792-1816). James Russell (1795-1866) who married in 1828 Mary A. Lewis (1807-1889).

Military:

Corporal in Lexington Alarm, April, 1775; Private 2d Connecticut, 7th May to 19th December, 1775; Sergeant 17th Continental Infantry, January to December 1776; Ensign 5th Connecticut, 1st January, 1777; 2d Lieutenant, 15th December, 1777; 1st Lieutenant, 1st April, 1779; transferred to 2d Connecticut, 1st January, 1781, and served to June, 1783.

According to information contained in a pension application dated 06 April 1818 when he was 67 years old and living in Randolph, Orange County, Vermont, his military service was as follows:

He enlisted in May, 1775, place not stated, and served seven months as private in Captain Elijah Robinson’s Connecticut company. At the expiration of this term he enlisted in Captain Ebenezer E. Bissell’s company in Colonel Jedidiah Huntington’s 17th Connecticut Regiment; on August 12, 1776, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant major and on August 27, 1776, he was taken prisoner on Long Island by the British and held a prisoner until he was exchanged in the latter part of December, 1776. On January 1, 1777, he was commissioned ensign in Captain Ezekiel Sanford’s company in Colonel Philip B. Bradley’s 5th Connecticut Regiment; he was commissioned second lieutenant in said company and regiment in December 15, 1777, and was commissioned first lieutenant April 1, 1779, and served until the close of the war, having belonged to the 2nd Connecticut Regiment since sometime in 1781.

Cincinnati:

Original Member.

References:

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. pp. 27, 194, 327, 355 and 373.

Farmer’s Cabinet (Amherst, New Hampshire), September 6, 1823. p.3, col. 3.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 477.

”Deaths“, New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette (Concord, New Hampshire), 01 September 1823, p. 3, col. 5.

Daniel Howard, A New History of Old Windsor, Connecticut. [Windsor Locks, Conn.: The Journal Press], 1935. pp. 60 74

Nickerson & Cox. The Illustrated historical souvenir of Randolph, Vermont: containing a brief history of the early settlement of the town, the schools, churches, medical and legal professions, old families, business and manufacturing interests, together with portraits and biographies of the citizens past and present. Randolph: [Nickerson & Cox], 1895. p. 104.

Henry Reed Stiles, The History of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut: Including East Windsor, South Windsor, And Ellington, Prior to 1768, the Date of Their Separation From the Old Town; And Windsor, Bloomfield And Windsor Locks, to the Present Time. Also the Genealogies And Genealogical Notes of Those Families Which Settled Within the Limits of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut, Prior to 1800. New York: C. B. Norton, 1859. pp. 384 & 406.

Revolutionary Soldiers Interred in Vermont. Vermont Historical Society. Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society. St. Albans, Vt.: The Society, 1889. p. 148.

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 15. Fold3.com(http://www.fold3.com/image/14071798/
). Connecticut. Cornelius Russell, Pension S 41112.

Vermont Births, Marriages and Deaths to 2008. (From microfilmed records. Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2013.). Russell/Pember marriage.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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2nd Lt James Bennett
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Birth:

James Bennett was born 14 May 1755 at New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut. His parents were Caleb Bennett (1716-1790) and Abigail Fowler (abt. 1727-1771).

Death:

He died 14 November 1819 at Homer, Cortland County, New York.

His death was noted in the New York Columbian:

Another revolutionary patriot gone – At Cortland Village, Col. James Bennet, aged 64. He held a commission in the army of the revolution, and was interred with the honors of masonry.

The following appeared in the Cortland Republican:

Died – In this town on the evening of the 13th inst. Col. James BENNET, aged 64, leaving a wife and a large family of children, to lament the loss of a tender husband, a kind and benevolent parent, and one of those early patriots that were signalized by gaining the liberty which they now enjoy.

Col. BENNET held a commission in the army of the revolution. He was early enrolled under the banner which waved with various prospects for a number of years, amidst the perils of our revolution. He was engaged in a number of the bloody contests that signalized our emancipation; and whether the American eagle retired amidst carnage and destruction from a superior force, or triumphed over our oppressors, and waved victory to its followers, and liberty to its country, his hand was always ready to support the pillar of freedom.

His neighbors and friends, in disposing of his remains, have demonstrated their respect for the man, and those who have broken the shackles of slavery. He was duly interred by his Masonic brethren, with the usual ceremonies of that order.

Marriage:

On 21 November 1784 at Catskill, Greene County, New York, he married Catharine Bogardus. James Bennett died intestate and his wife, Catherine, was granted administration of his estate on 31 October 1821.

Children:

James Bennett and Catharine Bogardus had seven children: Nancy Bennett, Adolphus B. Bennett, James A. Bennett, Robert Bennett, Angeline Bennett, Eugene Bennett, and Catharine Bennett.

Military:

Sergeant Major of 7th Connecticut, 25th January, 1777; Ensign, 1st September, 1777; 2d Lieutenant, 8th September, 1780; transferred to 2d Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; retained in Swift’s Connecticut Regiment, June, 1783; and served to 3d November, 1783.

James Bennett began his Connecticut service in January 1777; he had served already for a year and a half in the New York Continental Line. He detailed his New York service in 1818, when in reduced circumstances, he gave the following deposition in support of a pension application:

State of New York

Cortland County

James Bennet of Homer in the county of Cortland aforesaid State of New York being duly sworn saith that he this deponent is an actual reside of the Town of Homer — that this deponent served in the revolutionary war against the common enemy as follows, to wit, this deponent enlisted in the fore part of the year 1775 into Capt. Daniel Mills Company in the fourth

[Dutchess] Regiment of the New York line commanded by Col. James Holmes and served as Sergeant in the company until the last day of Decr. in the same year whose time of service expired — further that in the forepart of Jany. 1776 this deponent enlisted into the first New York Regiment commanded by Col. Goose Van Schaick where he served in the capacity of Sergeant Major until the last day of Decr. of that year inclusive when his period of service expired — that in the year 1777 he this deponent was commissioned as an Ensign in the 2nd Connecticut Regiment of foot commanded by Col. Henan Swift in which Regt. and capacity this deponent served until the first day of September 1778 at which time he this deponent was commissioned as a Lieutenant in said Regiment in which office this deponent served until 1783 at the close of the war and was disbanded with the army at west point in June 1783 when the preliminary articles of peace were published and was liable to be called into actual service again until the arrival of the definitive treaty of peace when congress resolved that they had no further service for the continental army — and this deponent further saith that from his reduced circumstances he is in need of assistance from his country — that at the Battle of Monmouth he received a musket shot in his under jaw — that his is old and infirm & has a wife & three children to provide for with no resources but his daily labor —

And this deponent further saith that on the Eleventh day of Feby. 1798, his house was consumed by an accidental fire & his commissions and all his private papers were also consumed —

And the said James Bennett hereby relinquishes all claims to any and every pension heretofore granted or allowed him by any law of the United States.

James Bennet

Sworn this 13th Day of April 1818.

Cincinnati:

Original Member.

Discussion:

James Bennett’s father, Caleb Bennett, was a member of New Milford, Connecticut’s Committee of Inspection and Correspondence.

James’ oldest brother, Isaac Bennett (b. 1747) lived at Stockbridge, Massachusetts and was member of a militia unit in that location. Another brother, Samuel Bennett (b. 1750) is reported in one source to have been a Captain in the Revolution; however, that has not been confirmed. A younger brother, Caleb (b. 1758) was a member of a New Milford militia company from mid 1776 until late 1779 when he moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts to live with his brother, Isaac.

References:

Abstracts of Wills, Administrations and Guardianships in NY State, 1787 – 1835. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006.) Original manuscript in Eardeley Genealogy Collection: New York State Abstracts of Wills, Brooklyn Historical Society. Cortland, p. 574.

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. pp. 218, 328, 352 & 373.

Cortland Republican, 18 Nov 1819. (http://www.usgenweb.info/nycortland/vitals/d1815-21.htm : accessed 05 March 2015)

Frank Hasbrouck, The History of Dutchess County, New York, v. 1. Poughkeepsie: S. A. Matthieu, 1909. p. 122.

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 99.

Frank Hasbrouck, ed.,The History of Dutchess County, New York, vol. 1. Poughkeepsie, N.Y.: S. A. Matthieu, 1909, pp. 120-122.

Donald Lines Jacobus, History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield, v. 1. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007. p. 73.

“Died”, New-York Columbian, 01 December 1819. p. 2, col. 5.

Samuel Orcutt, History of the Towns of New Milford and Bridgewater, Connecticut, 1703-1882. Hartford: Press of Case, Lockwood and Brainard Co., 1882. pp. 217, 651-652.

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 15. Fold3.com(http://www.fold3.com/image/15190966/). Connecticut. James Bennett, Pension W. 16191.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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Surgeon John Simpson
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Death:

John Simpson was issued a bounty land warrant in September 1789 and is presumed to have died subsequent to that date.

Military:

Surgeon 5th Connecticut, 14th August, 1778; transferred to 2d Connecticut, 1st January, 1781, and served to June, 1783.

Cincinnati:

Original Member.

Discussion:

Dr. John Simpson was a member of one of two traveling Masonic Lodges at West Point, American Union No. 1. Among the other members were Col. Samuel Wyllys, Major Jonathan Heart, Lt. Robert Allyn, Capt. Stephen Betts, Dr. Jedediah Ensworth, Col. Rufus Putnam Lt. Isaac Tiffany and others of the Connecticut Line. Dr. Simpson was the lodge Secretary.

References:

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. pp. 193, 322, 351, 360, & 374.

Gary L. Heinmiller, Membership in American Union Lodge No. 1 during the Revolutionary War. (http://www.omdhs.syracusemasons.com/sites/default/files/history/American%20Union%20Lodge%20No.%201%20-%20Membership.pdf)

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 498

Joseph M. Toner, Contributions to the Annals of Medical Progress And Medical Education In the United States Before And During the War of Independence. Washington: Gov’t print. off., 1874. P. 69.

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 15. Fold3.com( http://www.fold3.com/image/22162774/). Connecticut. John Simpson, Warrant 1,942.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray.

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Capt Stephen Betts
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Birth:

Stephen Betts was born on 15 July 1756 at Norwalk. He was the son of Isaac and Elizabeth Betts. Stephen Betts had a sister, Ann Betts.

Death:

Stephen Betts died on 28 November 1832. He is buried in Church Hill Cemetery, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut. Also buried in the Church Hill Cemetery is his wife, Ruth, who died 24 March 1835.

Marriage:

He was married to Ruth Church 04 January 1784.

Children:

Charles (b. 1784), Harriet (1786-1795), Esther (b. 1790), Lewis (b. 1796), Harriet (1798).

Military:

1st Lieutenant 7th Connecticut, 6th July to 23d December 1775; 1st Lieutenant 19th Continental Infantry, 1st January to 31st December, 1776; Captain 2d Connecticut, 1st January, 1777; transferred to 3d Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; wounded at Yorktown, 14th October 1781; served to close of war; Brevet Major, 30th September, 1783.

Stephen Betts enlisted in July 1775, served as Sergeant, Ensign, Second Lieutenant and First Lieutenant in Captain Joseph Hait’s company, Colonel Charles Webb’s Connecticut regiment. On Jnuary 1, 1777, he was commissioned Captain and served to the end of the Revolutionary War in Colonels Charles’s Webb’s and Samuel B. Webb’s Connecticut regiments. On October 10, 1783, he was commissioned Brevet Major in the United States Army. During his service in the Revolution he was in the battles of Trenton, Monmouth and at the siege of Yorktown and surrender of Cornwallis.

Stephen Betts was issued bounty land warrant #139 for 300 acres on 18 May 1789.

Stephen Betts was allowed pension on his application executed April 28, 1818, while a resident of New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut where he had resided since the close of the war and was still living in 1828.

Cincinnati:

Original Member.

Discussion:

Capt. Stephen Betts was a member of one of two traveling Masonic Lodges at West Point, American Union No. 1. Among the other members were Col. Samuel Wyllys, Major Jonathan Heart, Lt. Robert Allyn, Dr. John Simpson, Dr. Jedediah Ensworth, Col. Rufus Putnam, Lt. Isaac Tiffany and others of the Connecticut Line.

References:

Connecticut. Adjutant-General’s Office. Record of Service of Connecticut Men In the I. War of the Revolution, II. War of 1812, III. Mexican War. Hartford: [Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.], 1889. pp. 79, 104, 306, 334, 354, 367, 374 & 633.

“Deaths”, Connecticut Courant, Hartford, Connecticut, 18 December 1832, p. 3, col. 4.

Connecticut Vital Records to 1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. Norwalk, pp. 14-17.

Edwin Hall, The Ancient Historical Records of Norwalk, Conn.; with a Plan of the Ancient Settlement and of the Town in 1847. New York: Ivison, Phinney, Blakeman & Co., 1865. p. 259.

Gary L. Heinmiller, Membership in American Union Lodge No. 1 during the Revolutionary War. (http://www.omdhs.syracusemasons.com/sites/default/files/history/American%20Union%20Lodge%20No.%201%20-%20Membership.pdf)

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 102.

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 15. Fold3.com(http://www.fold3.com/image/13928087/). Connecticut. Stephen Betts, Pension S37749.

Rev. Charles M. Selleck, Address by Rev. Charles M. Selleck at the Centenary of St. Paul’s Church, Norwalk, Conn., July 15, 1886. Norwalk: The Hour Printing Office, 1886. pp. 26-27.

Biographical information compiled by V. Allen Gray

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Capt John Matthius St. John/ St. Joan
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Military:

2nd Lieutenant of Silliman’s Connecticut State Regiment, 20th June to 25th December, 1776; 1st Lieutenant 5th Connecticut, 1st January, 1777; Captain, 25th May, 1778; transferred to 2nd Connecticut, 1st January, 1781; resigned 2d May 1781.

References:

Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the War of the Revolution April, 1775, to December, 1783. Washington, D.C.: The Rare Book Shop Publishing Company, 1914. p. 521.

Military service posted by V. Allen Gray.

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Maj Epaphras Bull 1748-1781
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