396 Years in the New
World
Genealogy: Revolutionary
Struggle & Other Notable Ancestors
This page is dedicated
to all of the men in our line whose strength and courage founded
and maintained a country of freedom for their children and
grandchildren right down the line to me. Their abiding faith in
Jesus Christ as their Savior can be seen in their wills,
obituaries, gravestones, and old worn family Bibles.
We call the
Revolutionary War the Revolutionary Struggle because that is how
it was referred to in William Scott Jr's obituary. William
Scott's father William Scott Sr. was a soldier in the
Revolutionary Struggle. Indeed, it was a struggle!
Levi Adams - Serg. Levi
Adams Jr. - Benjamite Greene - John Hale - Stephen Harrington -
Henry Head - Nehemiah Lyon - Eliakim May - Joseph Peters - Jared
Robinson - Ziba Robinson - William Scott - Stephen Smith -
Nathaniel Swift - Elias Taylor - Thomas Weaver
Born in Canterbury,
Windham County, CT, baptized 18 Nov 1728 in Lisbon, New London
County, CT and died 1816. Married 26 Dec 1751/1752 Margaret
Perkins. Levi Adams was the son of David and Dorcas (Paine)
Adams.
With three of his sons
(Levi Jr., David, & John) he was a soldier in the Revolution.
Born 14 Feb 1754 and
died 26 Dec 1833 probably in Ripley, Chautauqua County, NY.
Married 9 Aug 1771/1772 in Canterbury, Windham County, CT, Hannah
Pettingall. Serg. Levi Adams Jr. was the son of Levi and Margaret
(Perkins) Adams.
Soldier in the
Revolution, 1776-1778; became a Sergeant in Capt. Samuel
Willard's Co., Col. Ira Allen's Reg., and served five days, Oct.
23, 1781.
Born 1741/1742. Married
Dinah Greene. Benjamite Greene was the son of Robert and Mary
Greene.
Enlisting Officer,
Coventry, Rhode Island militia on 28 June 1775 and Captain, 3rd
Company on 15 May 1776.
Born 12 Oct 1747 in
Ashford, Windham County, CT and died 1810 in Burlington, Otsego
County, NY. Married 14 Apr 1772 in Ashford, Windham County, CT,
Mehitable Knowlton. John Hale was the son of James and Elizabeth
(Bicknell) Hale.
Connecticut Private 6
Co. Col. Webb's 7 Regiment.
Died Aug 1811. Stephen
Herrington of Lisbon, CT married 29 Mar 1789 in Preston, New
London Co., CT Sabra Back.
Served as a Private in
the CT Line. Widow applied for pension 29 Jan 1845 Otsego Co., NY
and 16 Apr 1855 at Richfield, Otsego Co., NY.
Died after 1821 and
before 1826 in Otsego Co., NY. Henry Head married Margaret
Murdock.
Responded to the
Lexington Alarm as private from Plainfield, Connecticut.
Born 16 Oct 1719 in
Woodstock, Windham County, CT and died 1 Oct 1807 in Woodstock,
Windham County, CT. Married 2/3 Jul 1741 in Woodstock, Windham
Co., CT, Mehitable Child. Nehemiah Lyon was the son of William
and Martha (Morris) Lyon.
Took the Oath of
Fidelity of Woodstock, Connecticut, 1777, and was a deputy to the
General Assembly, 1777-1779.
He was selected to
convey to the General Assembly the protest of his district
against the Stamp Act in 1765, and during the Revolution he, with
his nephew, Capt. Benjamin Lyon, were appointed to receive and
transmit donations for the relief of Boston.
Born 10 Jul 1744 in
Woodstock, Windham County, CT and died 27 Mar 1816 in Woodstock,
Windham County, CT. Married 27 Dec 1770 in Woodstock, Windham
County, CT, Martha Lyon. Eliakim May was the son of Nehemiah and
Mehitable (Holbrook) May.
Responded to the
Lexington Alarm as private from Woodstock, Connecticut.
The following is from Record
of Service of Connecticut Men compiled by the Authority of
the General Assembly, Hartford: 1889.
"Prepared to
certain extent for such an alarm, a large number of able-bodied
men in Connecticut hurried off to Massachusetts. The wording used
in the records of the day, 'marched for the relief of Boston,'
expresses alike the extent of their sympathies and the nature of
the service intended."
Born 22 Apr 1748 in Lebanon, New London
County, CT. Married 23 June 1768 in Hebron, Tolland County, CT
Dorothy Owen. Joseph Peters was the son of William and Ruth
(Chapwell) Peters.
CT Line. Lived in Kent, Litchfield Co., CT at
enlistment. Applied for pension 27 June 1833 at Darien, Genesee
Co., NY.
Born probably in East
Haven, CT and died probably in Braintrim, Luzerne County, PA.
Married 24 Dec 1760 Mary Thompson.
Lieutenant in Captain
Barker's Company, Colonel Meigs' Regiment, Connecticut Line.
Born about 10 May 1761
and died 11 Nov 1843. Married Rebecca. Ziba Robinson was the son
of Jared and Mary (Thompson) Robinson.
Connecticut Private 4th
Regiment Col. Butler.
CT Line. Enlisted at New Haven, CT.
Born Sep 1748 in
Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, NY and died 8 Apr 1834 in East
Smithfield, Bradford County, PA. Married 21 Aug 1773 in South
Britain, Southbury, CT, Mary Stanclift. William Scott was the son
of Peter and Thankful (Buck) Scott.
Enlisted in the Army in July 1777 at Albany,
Albany County, NY served at Fort Ticonderoga, and was at Valley
Forge and numerous other engagements during the Revolution. He
served as a Private and as an officer in more than one enlistment
and in several Regiments in the New York Line.
born about 20 Mar 1750
in Glocester, Providence County, RI and died 29 Aug 1819. Married
27 Oct 1768 in Glocester, Providence County, RI, Elizabeth
Tinkcom/Tinkham. Stephen Smith was the son of Stephen Smith.
born 18 Sep 1749 in Kent, Litchfield Co., CT
and died 4 Dec 1825. Married 21 Dec 1769 in Kent, Litchfield Co.,
CT Sarah Thomas. Nathaniel Swift was the son of Nathaniel Swift
and Abia(h) (Tupper) Swift.
CT Line. Applied for pension 1 July 1819 at
Warren, Litchfield Co., CT and had lived there at enlistment.
born 11 Oct 1763 in West
Greenwich, Kent, RI and died 9 Nov 1813. Married 26 Dec 1784 Lois
Greene. Thomas Weaver was the son of Benjamin and Deborah
(Vaughan) Weaver.
Born 10 June 1753 in Danbury, Fairfield
County, CT. Married Sarah Starr.
Description of service in Pension: He was a
private in the Militia Company of Capt. Eli Mygatt of Danbury in
March 1776 and marched to New York. He indicates that there
was no fighting at this time. In July 1776 the Connecticut
Militia was again ordered to the City of New York. It
appears that he had the same officers. It says, "We
marched from Danbury, through Ridgefield, White Plains and
Harlem. On arriving at New York, our regiment was ordered
to Horn's Hook, 2 or 3 miles from the City and was stationed
nearly opposite a British ship lying in the river. We threw
up some fortifications and remained there till the British
entered the City. That night we lay on our arms. The
day that the City was taken 5 ships then lying opposite of us
commenced firing and we retreated to Harlem and joined the army
under Gen'l Washington; we remained with the army at Harlem a few
weeks and were then dismissed--we had no regular discharge.
During this tour, I was in the service of the United States the
full period of two months."
In the fall of 1776 in September or October,
Elias enlisted again this time in the Light Horse independent
company. Captain was Ezra Starr, Benjamin Hickock,
Lieutenant, Jeremiah Dunning, Cornet and David Wood, Quarter
Master. "On the 15th of May 1777, we were detached to hold
ourselves in readiness to march at a moments warning for the
North River. On the 10th of June we marched for Gen'l
Putnam's headquarters at Peekskill. We wre then ordered on
to the lines to protect the county from Barnmours (?) men and
were reconnoitering the lines and continued there until some time
in September when the whole company were dismissed without
written discharges. I was in this tour of service not less
than three and one half months."
In July 1779 Elias was again in the service in
Capt. Starr's company under the same officer as before.
"We were called out on account of the invasion of the towns
on the seaboard of Connecticut by the enemy. We first met
the British troops at Fairfield were some slight skirmishes took
place; we followed their troops to Norwalk which was burned and
remained there till the British went on board their ships, where
we were dismissed without written discharges. I having been
one-half month in actual service at this time."
Co. G, 6 NY Cav.
Co. G, 2 NY Prov. Cav.
Born 1 Mar 1838 in NY
and died 20 May 1899 in Schuyler Lake, Town of Exeter, Otsego
County, NY. Married 19 Jan 1864 Amelia Ann Standish. Carlton P.
Taylor was the son of Chandler and Palmyra (Peters) Taylor.
Carlton P. Taylor was the grandson of Elias and Sarah (Starr)
Taylor. Elias Taylor served in the Revolutionary War.
born 20 June 1639 in
Weymouth, MA, son of Ralph and Thanks Lord Shepard. Married 10
Dec 1667 in Concord, MA, Mary Smedley. Iaaac Shepard was killed
by the Indians 12 Feb 1675/76.
baptised 11 Feb 1615/16
at Great Amwell, Hertfordshire, England, son of John and Mary
(Heath) Johnson. Married 20 Jan 1636/37 in Roxbury, MA, Elizabeth
Porter. He was appointed Captain of the Roxbury militia company,
1635, and was a Deputy to the General Court, 1671. A member of
the Ancient and Honourable Artillery Company from 1645, he was
its Lieutenant in 1666, and its Captain in 1667. Captain Isaac
Johnson was killed in the Great Swamp Fight 19 Dec 1675 while
leading his men in the attack on the Indian fort, an attack which
succeeded and broke the back of Indian resistance in King
Philip's War.
Robert Cook
married (1st) Demaris Greene.
Their son Rufus Cook was Diane's 5th great grandfather. Robert
Cook married (2nd) Dinah (Greene) Greene. Robert Cook's two wives
were sisters, both daughters of Nathaniel and Alice (Lee) Greene.
Before she married Robert Cook Dinah Greene married Benjamite Greene. Dinah and
Benjamite's daughter Lois (Greene) Weaver was Diane's 5th great
grandmother. Robert Cook's 1st and 2nd wives were both Diane's
6th great grandmothers.
The following is from A History of Oneonta
From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time by Dudley
M. Campbell 1906:
One day, as the story goes, Robert Cook was at
work in the field, his wife being alone in the house, an Indian
called, and finding her alone, brandish his knife, and make some
terrible threats, frightening her almost to death. Just at this
time Robert Cook appeared; the Indian took his departure
precipitately. Robert Cook seized his gun and pursued him. He
returned after a little time, and the Indian never troubled them
more.
The following is from Pioneer
Industies written by Pearl A. Weeks in 1934:
Tradition says that
polish was discovered by an early settler of Hartwick,Otsego
County, NY, Amasa Peters, who migrated from Warren, Litchfield,
CT and farmed a portion of the present site of the village. Amasa
Peters was plowing with his ox team when a strange paradox
occurred. Suddenly the ground seemed soft and unsteady. He
quickly drove the oxen on firmer soil; then he decided to
determine the cause of the unusual terrain. Much to his surprise,
he found the white, soft clay in layer upon layer underlying the
whole field.
"It must have value
or God wouldn't have put it here," thought Mr. Peters. His
wife (Sarah Swift Peters) would find a use for it; so he carried
a handful home. She had been watching from the cupola window
because he was so late in arriving home. There was still the
danger of wild animals and Indians lurking in the forests of this
western frontier. So she happily set about the pleasant task of
finding a purpose for Amasa's discovery. Soon she discovered that
it was the perfect answer to her search for a silver polish.
The other pioneer women
began to ask for samples of this new mineral. The Peters couple
decied to commercialize their find; they put it in small packages
and sold the new product called, Peters' Polish.
Family of Amasa Peters
Amasa
Peters was born 17 Feb 1769 in Hebron,
Tolland County, CT the son of Joseph and Dorothy (Owen) Peters
and died 12 Nov 1820. Amasa married Sarah Swift who was born 8
July 1776 in Kent (near Warren), Litchfield County, CT the
daughter of Nathaniel and Sarah (Thomas) Swift. Amasa and Sarah
are buried in Hartwick, Otsego County, NY. They had the following
children: Abigail Peters married a Morse; Joseph Carlton Peters,
Palmyra Peters married Chandler Taylor, Rufus S. Peters married
Huldah Swift, Caroline Peters, Huldah Eliza Peters married Torry
James Luce, Aner L. Peters, and Dolly Peters. Chandler and
Palmyra (Peters) Taylor had a son Carlton P. Taylor who was my
great great grandfather.
Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale (1755-1776)
was the son of Deacon Richard and Elizabeth (Strong) Hale. Deacon
Richard Hale's father Samuel Hale was brother to my 8th great
grandfather Rev. James Hale. Samuel
and James were children of Rev. John Hale and Sarah (Noyes)
Hale. Rev. James Hale's grandson John
Hale (my 6th great grandfather) was a soldier in the
Revolutionary Struggle. John Hale was 2nd cousin to Nathan Hale.
Nathan Hale attempted to relay information to George Washington
about General Howe's troops during the Bristish seige of New York
City. Nathan Hale almost crossed British lines when he was
captured. At his execution on 22 Sep 1776 Nathan Hale told the
British "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for
my country."
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott was
the daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott and Abigail (May) Alcott.
Abigail (May) Alcott's great grandfather Ebenezer May was brother
to my 6th great grandfather Nehemiah May. Ebenezer and
Nehemiah were sons of John and
Prudence (Bridge) May. Louisa May Alcott was famous for her
many books including Little Women, Little Men, Eight
Cousins, and Under the Lilacs.
Samuel Finley Bresee
Morse
Samuel Finley Bresee Morse was the son of Rev.
Dr. Jedediah Morse and Elizabeth Ann (Bresee) Morse. Rev. Dr.
Jedediah Morse was the son of Jedediah Morse and Sarah (Child)
Morse. Jedediah Morse's mother Sarah (Peake) Morse was sister to
my 6th great grandmother Bethiah (Peake) Morris. Sarah and
Bethiah were daughters of Jonathan
and Hannah (Leavens) Peake .
Samuel F. B. Morse's grandmother Sarah (Child)
Morse was 1st cousin to my 6th great grandmother Mehitable
(Child) Lyon. Sarah's father Benjamin Child and Mehitable's
father Ephraim Child were sons of Benjamin Child and Grace (Morris)
Child.
Samuel F. B. Morse is also cousin through the
Morris, Bowen, and Heath families numerous times. Samuel F. B.
Morse invented the telegraph and Morse code. He was also a
well-known portrait painter.
President John Adams and President John Quincy
Adams
John Quincy Adams was the son of John Adams
and Abigail (Smith) Adams. John Adams' grandfather Joseph Adams
was 1st cousin to my 8th great grandfather Jonathan Adams. Joseph
and Jonathan were grandsons of Henry
Adams.
President Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the son of Benjamin Pierce
and Anna (Kendrick) Pierce. Anna's grandmother Abigail (Bowen)
Kendrick was 1st cousin to my 6th great grandfather Edward
Morris. Abigail's father John Bowen and Edward's mother Elizabeth
(Bowen) Morris were children of Henry
and Elizabeth (Johnson) Bowen.
Photographs by Diane Shepard Johnson
Photographs copyright ©
2001, 2002, 2003: Diane Shepard Johnson
Web site copyright © 2001,
2002, 2003: Diane Shepard Johnson & Sarah E. Johnson
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this web site may be reproduced in
any form without permission in writing from Diane Shepard Johnson
& Sarah E. Johnson.
