Category: Military Service

Bangs Burgess (1747–1822): A Continental Soldier from Massachusetts

On By NancyIn American History, Ancestor Profile, Battle of Monmouth, Continental Line, General Washington's body guard, Revolutionary War, Siege of Yorktown, Surrender of CorwallisLeave a comment

Bangs Burgess of Rochester, Plymouth County, Massachusetts was not a casual volunteer in the American Revolution. He was a long-serving Continental Army private who marched with Massachusetts regiments through some of the war’s defining campaigns — including Monmouth and Yorktown — and remained in service from the middle years of the war through its conclusion.

Family and Early Life

Bangs Burgess was born in 1747 in Rochester, Massachusetts, a community originally part of Old Rochester (encompassing present-day Rochester, Mattapoisett, and Marion). The Burgess family was well established in the region, appearing in early colonial and town histories.¹

Rochester and its neighboring towns contributed men regularly to the war effort, and Bangs was among those who responded when the conflict expanded beyond local militia service into the full Continental mobilization.

Military Enlistments in the Continental Army

First Enlistments (1776–1777)

According to Massachusetts Soldiers & Sailors of the Revolutionary War, Bangs Burgess first enlisted on 19 September 1776 as a private in Captain Joseph Parker’s Company, serving under Colonel John Cushing’s Regiment and stationed, at least initially, at Rhode Island.²

He was later recorded reenlisting for brief service, transitioning into longer commitments as the war progressed.

Extended Service with Shepard’s Regiment

The same source records Burgess next with Captain Isaac Pope’s Company, in Colonel William Shepard’s (4th Massachusetts) Regiment, part of the regular Continental Army:

  • 25 Feb 1778 – Dec 31, 1779: Continental Army pay accounts list Burgess in Shepard’s regiment.³
  • Musters through 1778–1781 place him in the field, with rolls in Phillipsburg, Peekskill, West Point, York Hutts, and New Windsor.⁴
  • A February 1780 muster describes him physically: “age 30 yrs., stature 6 ft. 1 in., complexion light, hair light; residence, Rochester.”⁵

These repeated returns of rolls indicate he was part of the Continental establishment, not just a short-term militia enlistment.

Campaigns and Combat

Battle of Monmouth (June 1778)

In sworn pension testimony later accepted by the U.S. Pension Office, Burgess stated that he was present at the Battle of Monmouth on 28 June 1778 — one of the largest engagements of the war and a key proving ground for the newly trained Continental Army.⁶

This battle demonstrated Washington’s ability to stand with British regulars in open field combat, and Burgess’s presence places him with the main army in the mid-Atlantic theater.

Siege of Yorktown and Cornwallis’s Surrender (1781)

Burgess also testified that he took part in the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia, and was present when British General Lord Cornwallis surrendered in October 1781 — the culminating moment of the Revolutionary War.⁷

His pension record further indicates that he served as part of a detachment detailed as guard for General George Washington, a distinction suggesting he was among the more experienced members of his regiment.⁸

Bangs Burgess Revolutionary War service

Recognition and Pension

Decades after the war, Burgess applied for a federal pension under the Act of 18 March 1818, which provided support for indigent veterans of Revolutionary service. His application was approved, and he was placed on the pension rolls as a veteran of long service in the Continental Army.⁹

The government required detailed proof before granting pensions, and Burgess’s long service, as recorded in both his own testimony and official Continental records, satisfied those requirements.

Later Years and Death

After the Revolution, Burgess moved to New York, first living in Rensselaer County and later in Livonia, Livingston County. He died there on 29 April 1822.¹⁰

Following his death, his widow Phebe (Lillie) Burgess successfully applied for a pension under the Act of 4 July 1836 (Pension File W.20818), ensuring continued federal support and further preserving the documentary record of his service.¹¹

Family and Descendants

Bangs and Phebe Burgess raised a large family. Federal pension correspondence lists their children and identified heirs — including Deborah Burgess, who married John Powell of New York. This documentation forms the genealogical linkage through which many descendants trace their lineage today.¹²

Historical Assessment

Bangs Burgess exemplifies what historians call a career patriot — a man whose wartime service was sustained, documented, and recognized. Unlike many who served only briefly near home or in local militia, he:

🔹 Served multiple enlistments and a long-term Continental contract
🔹 Marched as part of Massachusetts line units
🔹 Saw major actions including Monmouth and Yorktown
🔹 Remained in the army through multiple campaigns and garrisons
🔹 Was later recognized by the federal government with a pension

These facts make him a particularly well-documented example of an enlisted Continental soldier — a story worth telling beyond the genealogical record.

Sources and Citations

  1. Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts: History of the Towns of Rochester, Mattapoisett, and Marion (Boston: Town Histories Pub.).
  2. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, Vol. II, entry “Burges, Bangs, Rochester.”
  3. Ibid., pay accounts, Shepard’s (4th Mass.) Regiment.
  4. Ibid., muster rolls, 1778–1781.
  5. Ibid., February 1780 descriptive muster.
  6. Bangs Burgess pension file, National Archives: NARA M804, War of the Revolution Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, Burgess, Bangs (W.20818).
  7. Ibid., pension testimony on Yorktown.
  8. Ibid., pension testimony regarding Washington’s guard.
  9. Ibid., pension award documentation.
  10. Fold3 memorial and summary: Burgess, Bangs — https://www.fold3.com/memorial/664325102/burgess-bangs
  11. Ibid., widow’s pension continuation under the Act of 1836.
  12. Ibid., heir verification and family listing in pension correspondence.

Lydia Clark Tolles (1749–1793): A Woman in the Shadow of War

On By NancyIn American History, Ancestor Profile, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

When the American Revolution is told through the lives of men, it becomes a story of enlistments, campaigns, and patriotism. When it is told through the lives of women, it becomes something very different: endurance, uncertainty, and survival. Lydia Clark Tolles, the wife of Elnathan Tolles, lived her entire adult life inside that second story.

Lydia was born on 26 August 1749, the daughter of John Clark and Mabel Lines, members of one of the oldest and most prominent families in the Milford–New Haven area of Connecticut. Through her parents, Lydia was connected to a wide web of kin, land, and church ties that would quietly shape the course of her life.¹

On 23 May 1773, Lydia was baptized as an adult at Trinity Church in New Haven, an Episcopal parish. Adult baptisms were not unusual, but they often coincided with marriage or a conscious decision to join a particular congregation. Within a short time, Lydia married Elnathan Tolles, and the two established their household in the Northbury parish of Waterbury (later Plymouth), an upland farming community not far from New Haven.¹ ²

Within two years, the world around them changed. In March 1775, Lydia gave birth to her first daughter, Frances, just as colonial New England was sliding into war. Over the next decade, Lydia would give birth to at least five more children: Sarah, Elnathan, Amos, Eunice, and Mehitabel.³

While Lydia was raising young children, her husband was repeatedly called into military service. Connecticut records place Elnathan Tolles on militia duty in 1778, 1779, 1780, 1781, and 1782, meaning Lydia often ran their household without him during the most difficult years of the war.⁴

The war ended, but stability did not follow. Elnathan died on 29 October 1789, leaving Lydia a widow with six children. Four years later, on 13 March 1793, Lydia herself died in Plymouth at only 42 years of age. Their estates were handled together in a lengthy probate process that documented their surviving children and the property they left behind.⁵

Lydia left no diary and no personal letters. What survives instead are church entries, baptisms, militia lists, and probate records. Taken together, they show a woman who endured war, childbirth, widowhood, and early death — yet still raised a family that would carry this Connecticut story westward into the new nation.

In the next post, I’ll turn to Lydia’s daughter Frances “Fanny” Tolles, whose life and identity became one of the most complicated and revealing puzzles in this family’s history.

Sources

Probate of Elnathan and Lydia Tolles, Plymouth (Watertown) District, Litchfield County, Connecticut, 1789–1794, combined estate file (66 pages), showing Lydia as administratrix and naming their children as heirs.he most complicated and revealing puzzles in this family’s story.

Donald Lines Jacobus, Deacon George Clark(e) of Milford, Connecticut and Some of His Descendants (New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1949), entry for Lydia Clark, wife of Elnathan Tolles.

Donald Lines Jacobus, Families of New Haven, vol. VIII (New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1932), Tolles family, “Elnathan & Lydia (Clark) Tolles.”

Trinity Church (Episcopal), New Haven, Connecticut, baptismal records, Frances Tolles, 12 March 1775, as abstracted in Families of New Haven.

Connecticut Revolutionary War Military Lists, 1775–1783; and U.S. Compiled Revolutionary War Military Service Records, entries for Elnathan Tolles.

Elnathan Tolles (1741–1789): A Connecticut Man in Revolutionary Times

On By NancyIn American History, Ancestor Profile, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

When we think about the American Revolution, it is easy to imagine famous generals, fiery pamphlets, and dramatic battles. But for most families, the Revolution was something far quieter and far harder: years of uncertainty, absence, and strain that unfolded in ordinary towns and farmsteads. One of those ordinary men was my fifth great-grandfather, Elnathan Tolles.

Elnathan was born on 9 June 1741 in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of Henry Tolles and Deborah Clark. He grew up in a family that had already been in New England for several generations. His grandfather and great-grandfather had come from England in the mid-1600s, and by the time Elnathan was born, the Tolles family was firmly rooted in the New Haven Colony.¹ ²

Before 1773, Elnathan married Lydia Clark, a member of another long-established Connecticut family. Lydia was baptized as an adult at Trinity Church in New Haven on 23 May 1773, which strongly suggests their affiliation with the Episcopal Church rather than the Congregational churches that dominated the region.¹ ³

By the early 1770s, Elnathan and Lydia were living in the Northbury parish of Waterbury, a farming community that would later become the town of Plymouth. It was here, in the middle of the Revolutionary era, that their children were born and their family took shape.³

Elnathan’s military service reflects the pattern of a Connecticut militiaman rather than a long-term Continental soldier. Surviving records place him in service in October 1778, January 1779, August 1780, sometime in 1781, and again in March 1782. These repeated call-ups indicate participation in short-term militia service, responding to regional threats and alarms as they arose.⁴

While Elnathan was repeatedly absent, Lydia was raising a growing family. Their daughter Frances (“Fanny”) was born in March 1775, only weeks before the war began. Five more children followed during and immediately after the conflict: Sarah, Elnathan, Amos, Eunice, and Mehitabel.³

Elnathan did not live long after independence. He died on 29 October 1789, at the age of 48, only two years after the United States adopted its Constitution. His widow Lydia survived him for just four more years. Their combined estate would be administered and divided in a lengthy probate process that documented their property and confirmed their surviving children.⁵

Elnathan Tolles left no letters, no memoirs, and no heroic battlefield stories. What remains are church records, militia lists, and probate files — the quiet paperwork of a man who lived, worked, served, and died during the founding generation of the United States.

In the posts that follow, I will turn to the women of his household, beginning with Lydia Clark Tolles, and then to their daughter Fanny, whose identity became one of the most complicated genealogical puzzles in this family’s history.

Sources

  1. Donald Lines Jacobus, Deacon George Clark(e) of Milford, Connecticut and Some of His Descendants (New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1949), entry for Lydia Clark, wife of Elnathan Tolles.
  2. William Marshall Tolles & Alyce Jane (Tolles) Morrow, Tolles in America (Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1997), Tolles family genealogy, including Henry Tolles, Deborah Clark, and their son Elnathan.
  3. Donald Lines Jacobus, Families of New Haven, vol. VIII (New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1932), Tolles family, “Elnathan & Lydia (Clark) Tolles.”
  4. Connecticut Revolutionary War Military Lists, 1775–1783; and U.S. Compiled Revolutionary War Military Service Records, entries for Elnathan Tolles showing militia service from 1778–1782.
  5. Probate of Elnathan Tolles (1789) and Probate of Lydia Tolles (1793), Plymouth (Watertown) District, Litchfield County, Connecticut; combined estate file, naming their children and documenting the division of property.

Lot Hutchinson (1741–1818)

On By NancyIn American History, Ancestor Profile, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

Lot Hutchinson was born on 1 August 1741 in Sutton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, the son of Nathaniel Hutchinson and Joanna Conant.¹ He was baptized in Sutton on 13 September 1741. Raised in a long-established Massachusetts family, Hutchinson came of age during a period of escalating political and military tension that would soon lead to revolution.

On 25 September 1764, he married Hannah Morse in Sutton.² The couple raised six children—Hannah, Joanna, Aaron, Asa, Polly, and Abiathar—whose births are documented in Sutton and Worcester County vital records.³

Revolutionary War Service

Lot Hutchinson’s military service during the American Revolutionary War is documented in multiple contemporary and compiled sources. He served as a sergeant in Captain Abijah Burbank’s company of Colonel Jonathan Holman’s regiment, a Massachusetts militia unit.⁴ His service appears in the Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, as well as in Worcester County militia rolls, and is memorialized in his Fold3 military profile.

Holman’s regiment—often referred to in records as the Sutton Regiment—was composed largely of men from central Worcester County. The regiment was called into active service in 1776 during the White Plains campaign and again in 1777, when Massachusetts militia units were mobilized to reinforce the northern army during the Saratoga operations.⁵ These militia call-ups were a vital component of the war effort, supplying experienced local men to support Continental forces during critical campaigns.

Hutchinson’s rank of sergeant indicates that he held a position of responsibility within his company, charged with maintaining order, assisting in drill, and overseeing enlisted men—an important leadership role within the militia structure.

Civic and Community Involvement

Hutchinson’s public engagement extended beyond military service. In 1777, he was among residents of northwestern Sutton who petitioned the Massachusetts General Court for the creation of a separate town.⁶ This petition survives among the legislative records of the Revolutionary period and reflects the continuing civic life of Massachusetts communities even amid wartime disruption.

Post-War Legal and Financial Records

Like many veterans of the Revolutionary era, Hutchinson faced financial challenges in the years following the war. In 1789, he was named as a defendant in a trespass action brought by Solomon Bixby in the Worcester County Court of Common Pleas.⁷ The case involved a mortgage Hutchinson had taken on his land and buildings for £69, which he was unable to repay when the note came due. Bixby, a Sutton native born in 1761, appears in local genealogical and cemetery records, providing additional context for the dispute.⁸

Later Years and Death

By 1800, Lot Hutchinson had relocated to Braintree, Orange County, Vermont, where he spent the remainder of his life. Federal census records place him there in 1800 and 1810. His wife, Hannah (Morse) Hutchinson, died in Braintree on 17 January 1815.⁹

Lot Hutchinson died in Braintree, Vermont, on 24 March 1818, at the age of 76.¹⁰ His life spanned the colonial period, the struggle for independence, and the early decades of the United States—marked by military service, civic participation, and the challenges faced by many Revolutionary War veterans in the new nation.

Sources

  1. Sutton, Massachusetts, Vital Records to 1850, Births, entry for Lot Hutchinson.
  2. Sutton, Massachusetts, Vital Records to 1850, Marriages, entry for Lot Hutchinson and Hannah Morse, 25 September 1764.
  3. Sutton and Worcester County vital records; Family Group Sheet, “Lot Hutchinson,” Rivers–Hickmott Collection.
  4. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, entry for Lot Hutchinson; Worcester County Militia Rolls, Capt. Abijah Burbank’s Company.
  5. Massachusetts Archives Collection, Revolutionary Rolls, 1775–1783; Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army.
  6. Massachusetts General Court, Legislative Petitions, 1777 Session, Sutton Northwest District Petition.
  7. Worcester County Court of Common Pleas, 1789 Docket, Bixby v. Hutchinson.
  8. Find a Grave, memorial for Solomon Bixby; Bixby Family Association records.
  9. Vermont Vital Records, Braintree Town Records, Deaths, entry for Hannah Hutchinson, 1815.
  10. Vermont Vital Records, Braintree Town Records, Deaths, entry for Lot Hutchinson, 1818.

Martin V. Lacy (1833–1904)

On By NancyIn Ancestor Profile, Civil WarLeave a comment

Martin V. Lacy was born in September 1833 in Le Ray (often recorded as Leray), Jefferson County, New York. He was the son of Erastus Lacy (1790–1856) and Florilla Billings (1793–1860). Early census and family records place him in Jefferson County during his childhood years, where he lived among several siblings, including Jane, Julia, Milo, and others.¹

On 28 November 1855, Martin married Henrietta O’Dell (1838–1865) in Genesee County, Michigan.² By 1860, he was residing in Brownville, Jefferson County, New York, where he appeared in the federal census with his occupation listed as farmer.³ A military description recorded in August 1862 described him as having blue eyes, sandy hair, a light complexion, and a height of five feet eleven inches.⁴

Image generated by ChatGPT of Martin Lacy based on his military description.

Martin served in the American Civil War. He enlisted in August 1862 with the 35th New York Infantry, Company I, and later served with the 80th New York Infantry, Company H, during 1863.⁵ Military records place him in Watertown and Albany, New York, during his service, and a residence record dated 1 July 1863 lists him in Fabius, New York.⁶

Martin and Henrietta had several children: Adelbert Lacy, born in November 1859 in Michigan; Helen Mae Lacy, born 3 June 1860 in Brownville, New York; and Fred Lacy, born 12 December 1860 in Michigan.³ Henrietta Lacy died in 1865 in Charles City, Virginia.⁷

On 25 March 1866, Martin married Nancy J. Whitney (1843–1906) in Taymouth Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.⁸ The couple settled in Michigan, where Martin appeared regularly in state and federal census records. Their children included Emma Lacy (born 1866), Alice Lacy (born 1 June 1869 in Montrose, Genesee County), Mary Belle Lacy (born 13 August 1875), and William Henry Lacy (born 26 May 1878).⁹

By 1870, Martin was living in Montrose, Genesee County, Michigan, and by the mid-1870s he had acquired land in Kawkawlin Township, Bay County, Michigan, as documented in federal land records dated 1 August 1874.¹⁰ Census records from 1880 through 1900 consistently place him in Kawkawlin Township, where he was listed as married and head of household.¹¹

Throughout his life, Martin experienced the deaths of numerous family members, including his parents, siblings, and children Fred (1883) and Emma (1897).¹² He remained in Bay County into the early twentieth century.

Martin V. Lacy died on 8 August 1904 in Garfield Township, Bay County, Michigan. His death certificate records the cause of death as cardiac disease.¹³ He was seventy years old at the time of his death.

Sources

  1. U.S. Federal Census, 1860; Brownville, Jefferson County, New York.
  2. Michigan, County Marriage Records, 1822–1940, Genesee County, marriage of Martin V. Lacy and Henrietta O’Dell, 28 November 1855.
  3. U.S. Federal Census, 1860; Brownville, Jefferson County, New York.
  4. New York, Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861–1900, description dated 20 August 1862.
  5. U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles; service with 35th New York Infantry, Company I, and 80th New York Infantry, Company H.
  6. New York, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790–1890.
  7. Michigan, Death Records, 1867–1950; death of Henrietta (O’Dell) Lacy, 1865.
  8. Michigan, County Marriages, 1822–1940; marriage of Martin V. Lacy and Nancy J. Whitney, 25 March 1866.
  9. Michigan, U.S., Birth Records, 1867–1914; Lacy family entries.
  10. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1776–2015; land patent, Kawkawlin Township, Bay County, Michigan, 1 August 1874.
  11. U.S. Federal Census, 1870, 1880, 1900; Michigan State Census, 1884, 1894; Kawkawlin Township, Bay County, Michigan.
  12. Michigan, Death Records and U.S., Find A Grave Index.
  13. Michigan, Death Records, 1867–1950; death certificate of Martin V. Lacy, 8 August 1904.

Nathaniel Foster (1793-1870)

On By NancyIn Ancestor Profile, War of 1812Leave a comment

Nathaniel Foster was my 4th great-grandfather — and the more I learn about him, the more I realize how deeply his life was woven into the early fabric of Michigan.

Let’s clear up one thing right away: Nathaniel is not the son of Lemuel Foster and Dolly Davis. Despite what many online trees suggest, their family had twelve children — and none were named Nathaniel. Dolly’s 1849 probate record lists nine surviving children by name, and Nathaniel isn’t among them. He lived until 1870, so if he were her son, he should absolutely appear in that record. He doesn’t. This is one of those cases where the paper trail tells a clearer story than assumptions.

Born in 1793 in Saratoga, New York, Nathaniel served in the War of 1812 as a teenager. He wasn’t a general or a hero in the history books, but he stood up when his country called.

After the war, he married Mary Moore and started a family that would eventually include ten children. In the 1830s, they moved west and settled along the Cass River in Michigan — a true frontier at the time. Nathaniel was one of the earliest settlers in the region, carving out a life in what would become Bridgeport and Midland.

He lived to be 76 years and 10 months old, passing away on May 14, 1870, at the home of his daughter Mrs. Braly in Tittabawassee Township. According to his obituary in the Saginaw Daily Courier, he was remembered as a “sturdy old carpenter,” a “hospitable citizen,” and “the noblest work of God — an honest man.”

His will, written just days before his death, reflects both practicality and generosity. He left one dollar each to his older children, having “divided to them his living” earlier in life. He gave $200 to his daughter Marietta Braly for her care during his final illness, and donated $500 to missions and another $500 to Sunday schools — a clear reflection of his faith and values.

Page 1 of Nathaniel Foster’s Will
Page 2 of Nathaniel Foster’s Will

Nathaniel’s legacy lives on not just in his descendants, but in the land he helped settle and the stories he passed down. One of his sons, Nelson Foster, became a legendary lumberman in the Saginaw Valley — known for his strength, humor, and skill. Another son, Nathaniel Jr., died fighting for the Union in the Civil War, reportedly shouting “Give me liberty or give me death” as he fell.

These aren’t just names on a family tree. They’re people who lived, worked, fought, and loved — and whose choices shaped the lives of everyone who came after them.

Daniel Munson (1745-1827)

On By NancyIn American History, Ancestor Profile, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

When we think of patriotic service during the American Revolution, it is easy to picture soldiers on the battlefield. Yet independence was secured just as surely by men who stayed home and kept their communities functioning during uncertain and dangerous times. One such patriot was Daniel Munson of Milford, Connecticut.

Born on April 4, 1745, in Stratford, Connecticut, Daniel Munson’s early life was shaped by loss. Orphaned as a small child, he was raised within an extended family that valued responsibility and public duty. As an adult, Daniel settled in Milford, where he married Mary Sears and raised a large family while becoming deeply involved in the civic life of the town.

During the Revolutionary War, Milford’s stability depended on capable local leadership. In 1781 and 1782—critical years as the war drew toward its conclusion—Daniel Munson stepped forward to serve the town in two important civil offices: tything man and surveyor of highways. These were not ceremonial positions. They required time, authority, and a willingness to enforce the laws that kept daily life running smoothly.

As surveyor of highways, Daniel was responsible for overseeing the maintenance of local roads—vital routes used for transporting food, supplies, and militia. In a coastal town like Milford, good roads were essential to both commerce and defense. At the same time, his role as tything man placed him in charge of maintaining public order, enforcing Sabbath laws, and addressing disorderly conduct. In a period marked by shortages, political tension, and social strain, this work helped preserve the moral and civil structure of the community.

Daniel Munson’s patriotism did not end with the war. He remained an active citizen for decades, serving his church, managing land and property, and contributing to Milford’s growth well into the early years of the new republic. He lived to see the nation he helped support take firm root, passing away in Milford on October 27, 1827, at the age of eighty-two.

Today, Daniel Munson’s story reminds us that the Revolution was sustained not only by muskets and marches, but by ordinary citizens who accepted responsibility when their communities needed them most. His recognized patriotic service stands as a testament to the power of civic duty—and to the enduring legacy of those who quietly helped build a nation.

Sources:

Full text of “1637-1887, the Munson record : a genealogical and biographical account of Captain Thomas Munson (a pioneer of Hartford and New Haven) and his descendants”, https://archive.org/stream/16371887munsonre02muns/16371887munsonre02muns_djvu.txt

Full text of “Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens” – Internet Archive, https://archive.org/stream/encyc09unse/encyc09unse_djvu.txt

Daniel Munson, Ancestor No. A082998, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Genealogical Research System, Washington, D.C.; patriotic service credited as tything man (1781) and surveyor of highways (1782), Milford, Connecticut; service sourced to Mullen, Connecticut Town Meeting Records, vol. 1, pp. 575–576.

John Wortman of Bedminster: Blacksmith, Patriot, and Citizen‑Soldier

On By NancyIn Ancestor Profile, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

In the rolling farmland of Somerset County, New Jersey, during the tumultuous years of the American Revolution, John Wortman (1729–1807) emerged as one of those indispensable local leaders whose influence rarely makes it into textbooks but was essential to the patriot cause. Born into a Dutch‑American farming and blacksmithing family, Wortman grew from a colonial artisan into a respected community figure — a man his neighbors called “Squire Wortman” for his civic authority and steady leadership.

John was born on February 1, 1729, in Somerville, the son of Jan Evertsen Bout Wortman and Beletje Post, descendants of Dutch settlers who had migrated inland from Long Island at the turn of the 18th century [3]. His baptism at the North Branch Reformed Dutch Church tied him to a congregation that would later become a center of revolutionary thought and action [1][3].

A Community Leader Before the Shooting Started

By the 1770s, Wortman had become a prominent landowner and blacksmith in Bedminster Township. His 500‑acre plantation, his forge, and his role as Justice of the Peace placed him among the township’s most trusted figures [1][6]. When tensions with Britain escalated, he stepped naturally into leadership.

He served on the Bedminster Committee of Observation, the local body responsible for enforcing boycotts, identifying Loyalists, and preparing the militia for conflict [4]. In May 1775, he was chosen to represent Bedminster at the Provincial Congress in Trenton, where New Jersey began its transition from royal colony to revolutionary state [4]. His home became a gathering place for patriot organizers — a quiet but vital hub of planning and coordination [1][6].

These early political roles reveal a man deeply invested in the future of his community and the emerging nation.

Corporal in the Somerset County Militia

When war arrived in earnest, Wortman joined the 1st Battalion of the Somerset County Militia as a Corporal [3]. This rank placed him in a position of tactical responsibility, overseeing a squad of men in a battalion frequently called into service to defend the “Neutral Ground” of New Jersey — the contested corridor between British‑held New York and patriot‑held Philadelphia.

The Somerset Militia played a crucial role during the Middlebrook encampments and the Battle of Monmouth, providing security, scouting, and harassment of British foraging parties [9][13]. Wortman’s service spanned 1777 to 1783, covering some of the most intense years of the war in New Jersey [3].

A Blacksmith’s Contribution: Keeping the Army Moving

One of the most compelling aspects of Wortman’s service was his technical skill. As a trained blacksmith, he was invaluable to the Continental Army. Local tradition holds that he personally shod the horses of General George Washington during the army’s movements through Somerset County [1][6]. Whether literal or symbolic, the story reflects the essential role of blacksmiths in maintaining the army’s mobility.

His forge repaired wagon hardware, shod cavalry horses, and kept the transport teams functioning — work that directly supported the army’s ability to maneuver across New Jersey’s rugged landscape. This technical service ran parallel to his militia duty and his logistical work within the Wagonmaster General’s Department, where he helped coordinate the movement of supplies and equipment [3].

This blend of military, logistical, and artisanal service made Wortman a true citizen‑soldier, contributing wherever he was most needed.

Family, Faith, and the Bedminster Estate

In 1777, John married Sarah Howard, with whom he raised ten children — one son and nine daughters [3]. Their household was sustained by a combination of family labor and enslaved individuals, a difficult but historically accurate reality of Somerset County’s agrarian elite [3]. The names of four enslaved people — Sam, Jack, Dick, and Bet — appear in records associated with the Wortman estate.

The family worshipped at the Bedminster Reformed Church, a congregation led by patriot clergy and deeply involved in the revolutionary movement [9][17]. Wortman’s status as a “Squire” suggests he likely held leadership roles within the church community as well.

His only son, John Duryea Wortman, born in 1789, inherited the Bedminster plantation after John’s death in 1807, continuing the family’s presence in the region [3].

Final Years and Legacy

John Wortman died on August 25, 1807, at age 77, and was buried in the cemetery of the Bedminster Reformed Church — today known as Schomp Cemetery [3][7]. His will, probated that same year, provides a detailed picture of his estate, including land, livestock, blacksmithing tools, and enslaved individuals [3].

His widow, Sarah, lived until 1837 and filed a pension application documenting his Revolutionary War service, ensuring that his contributions would be preserved in the historical record [3].

Sources

  1. Jan Dircksen Woertman (abt.1665–aft.1716) | WikiTree – https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Woertman-4
  2. Workman Family History Americana – https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~n3kp/genealogy/workman_hist (freepages.rootsweb.com in Bing)
  3. Jan Woertman (1729–1807) | WikiTree – https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Woertman-76 (wikitree.com in Bing)
  4. The Story of an Old Farm; or, Life in New Jersey in the Eighteenth Century – https://archive.org/download/storyofoldfarmor00melli/storyofoldfarmor00melli.pdf (archive.org in Bing)
  5. Jan (John) Woertman – Ancestry – https://www.ancestry.com.au/genealogy/records/jan-john-woertman-24-1946x41 (ancestry.com.au in Bing)
  6. Workman Family History – Internet Archive – https://archive.org/stream/workmanfamilyhis00ande/workmanfamilyhis00ande_djvu.txt (archive.org in Bing)
  7. “Wortman Word” (Heritage Library PDF) – https://heritagelib.squarespace.com/s/Wortman-Word-Winter-98-Vol-23.pdf (heritagelib.squarespace.com in Bing)
  8. Record of the First Presbyterian Church of Morristown – Internet Archive – https://archive.org/stream/recordoffirstpre01firs/recordoffirstpre01firs_djvu.txt (archive.org in Bing)
  9. Somerset County Historical Quarterly – Internet Archive – https://archive.org/stream/somersetcountyhi02hone/somersetcountyhi02hone_djvu.txt (archive.org in Bing)
  10. The Township of Bedminster – Seeking My Roots – https://www.seekingmyroots.com/members/files/H006433.pdf (seekingmyroots.com in Bing)
  11. Official Register of the Officers and Men in the Revolutionary War – New Jersey State Library – https://www.njstatelib.org/research_library/new_jersey_resources/highlights/revolutionary_war_officers_and_men/ (njstatelib.org in Bing)
  12. New Jersey State Archives Collection Guide – https://www.nj.gov/state/archives/guides/sdea0003.pdf (nj.gov in Bing)
  13. Somerset County Historical Quarterly (Vol. 7) – Internet Archive – https://archive.org/stream/somersetcountyhi07hone/somersetcountyhi07hone_djvu.txt (archive.org in Bing)
  14. Bangor Historical Magazine – Internet Archive – https://archive.org/stream/bangorhistorical01bang/bangorhistorical01bang_djvu.txt (archive.org in Bing)
  15. Sarah Wortman Records – Ancestry
  16. John T. Wortman (1757–1831) | WikiTree – https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Wortman-6
  17. Somerset County Historical Quarterly (Vol. 6) – Internet Archive – https://archive.org/stream/somersetcountyhi06hone/somersetcountyhi06hone_djvu.txt (archive.org in Bing)

John T. Wortman: A Teamster’s Journey Through the Revolutionary War

On By NancyIn American History, Ancestor Profile, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

When we talk about Revolutionary War service, we often picture soldiers on the battlefield or officers directing maneuvers. But for many men in New Jersey, the war was fought on the roads — muddy, frozen, rutted roads that carried the lifeblood of Washington’s army. Few stories illustrate this better than that of John T. Wortman, born in Morristown on September 25, 1757, and later known in the records as the teamster who helped keep the Continental Army alive during its darkest winters [1]. His life offers a window into the logistical backbone of the Revolution, a side of the war we rarely talk about but absolutely should.

John Jr. grew up in a world already shaped by the long Dutch presence in New Jersey. His father, John Wortman Sr., remained rooted in Somerset County, but John Jr. came of age farther north, in the developing communities of Morris County. That shift in geography — a short distance on a modern map — made all the difference in the kind of service he would eventually render. While his father’s life revolved around Bedminster, John Jr.’s world centered on Morristown, Roxbury, and Chester, places that would become synonymous with the Continental Army’s winter encampments and supply struggles [1][6]. This geographic divide is one of the most important clues for genealogists trying to distinguish the two men.

Enlistment During the “Hard Winter”

By the fall of 1779, the war had entered one of its most desperate phases. The army was preparing for what would become the infamous “Hard Winter” at Morristown, a season so severe that even seasoned soldiers later recalled it with dread. It was in this moment that John Jr. enlisted in the Morris County Militia [1]. His role was not that of a traditional infantryman. Instead, he joined the specialized team brigades — the mobile transport units that hauled food, clothing, equipment, and forage across New Jersey’s interior.

These brigades, led by George Allen and Samuel Hunt, operated under the broader umbrella of the Wagonmaster General’s Department, the logistical backbone of the Continental Army [1][10]. Their work was relentless. Supplies arrived by water at Lamberton, a small but strategically vital port just south of Trenton, where sea‑going vessels could unload their cargo. From there, men like John Jr. took over, guiding heavily loaded wagons northward through the state’s most important military corridor [1]. This corridor — stretching from Lamberton to Morristown and then into the Hudson Highlands — was one of the most strategically important supply routes of the entire war.

What John Jr. Carried — and Why It Mattered

The pension testimony preserved by his widow, Charity Messler, paints a vivid picture of what this work entailed. John Jr. hauled:

  • Flour, sugar, salt, rum
  • Hard soap and animal feed
  • Boxes of clothing and shoes

These weren’t abstract “supplies”; they were the difference between endurance and collapse for the men stationed at Morristown, New Windsor, Pompton, Tappan, and even West Point [1]. Each load he carried represented a small but essential piece of the army’s survival. This is the kind of detail that helps us understand the daily realities of Revolutionary logistics in a way that battlefield reports never could.

The roads he traveled were not the smooth turnpikes of later centuries. They were often little more than dirt tracks, churned into deep mud by rain or frozen into jagged ridges by winter storms. Driving a wagon through such conditions required strength, patience, and a deep familiarity with the landscape. John Jr. had all three.

The Condict Papers: Witnesses Who Remembered Him

One of the most valuable pieces of evidence for his service comes from the Lewis Condict Papers, a collection of notes taken between 1833 and 1837 from pension applicants and their neighbors. In these papers, witnesses such as William Todd confirmed John Jr.’s enlistment in October 1779 and his work as a teamster in the Allen and Hunt brigades [12]. These testimonies, combined with Charity’s pension application (W100), firmly anchor him in Morris County and distinguish him from his father, whose service belonged to Somerset County [1][6].

This kind of corroboration is gold for anyone doing serious genealogical reconstruction, especially when dealing with repeated names across multiple counties.

Life After the War

After the war, John Jr. settled permanently in Chester, where he and Charity raised a large family of ten children — Jane, Benjamin, Mary, Agnes, Charity, Ann, Sarah, Abraham, Ruth, and John [1]. Their household became part of the post‑war growth of Morris County, and later generations would carry the family westward into Ohio and beyond.

His death on May 19, 1831, closed the chapter on a life defined not by battlefield heroics but by the unglamorous, indispensable labor that kept an army functioning [1]. His story reminds us that the Revolution was not only fought with muskets and bayonets, but with wagons, wheels, and the steady determination of ordinary men who understood that their work mattered.

Sources

  1. John T. Wortman (1757–1831) | WikiTree – https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Wortman-6
  2. Workman Family History Americana – https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~n3kp/genealogy/workman_hist (freepages.rootsweb.com in Bing)
  3. Collections of the New York Historical Society – Internet Archive
  4. Centennial History of Somerset County, NJ – Genealogy Trails
  5. WorkmanFamily.org – Wortman Genealogy
  6. A Rare Opportunity – National Society Sons of the American Revolution
  7. Somerset County Historical Quarterly – Internet Archive
  8. WikiTree G2G: Revolutionary War Ancestors
  9. Essex County Rev War Project – Plainfield Public Library
  10. Geertjie (Messler) Wortman | WikiTree – https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Messler-2
  11. New Jersey Historical Society Proceedings, Vol. 9 (1924) – Internet Archive
  12. Lewis Condict Papers, 1833–1837 | New Jersey Historical Society
  13. Clarke County Historical Association Proceedings, Vol. 17

The Revolutionary War Service of Eli Stiles

On By NancyIn American History, Ancestor Profile, Revolutionary WarLeave a comment

Eli Stiles (1746–?) entered the Revolutionary War from Hollis, New Hampshire, though he was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, and spent his early adulthood in the Berkshires. His service appears across New Hampshire war rolls, Massachusetts legislative records, and the Naval Documents of the American Revolution.

1775: Arnold’s Expedition to Quebec

Stiles’ first enlistment began on May 14, 1775, when he joined Captain John Worthley’s Company in Colonel Edmund Phinney’s Regiment (Fold3 Military Records; Worcester, History of Hollis). That autumn, he was one of four Hollis men who volunteered for Benedict Arnold’s march to Quebec. The expedition is well documented for its failed logistics and the severe conditions along the Kennebec River. Stiles survived both the march and the failed assault on December 31, 1775 (Worcester).

1776: Sergeant Stiles in the Northern Department

By 1776, Stiles had risen to the rank of Sergeant. The Naval Documents of the American Revolution record his formal “examination” on September 16, 1776, identifying him as “Serjt Stiles” aboard the Royal Savage. He had been sent to reconnoiter British positions at St. John’s, where he counted tents, observed troop movements, and reported the presence of British-allied Native forces traveling in birch canoes (Naval Documents, Vol. 6).

1777–1778: Eight-Month Enlistment and the Hollis–Littleton Quota Dispute

In early 1777, Stiles enlisted for an eight-month Continental term (Fold3; Worcester). This enlistment triggered a jurisdictional dispute: although he lived in Hollis, NH, he had accepted a bounty from Littleton, MA. Both towns attempted to count him toward their required quotas.

The matter reached the Massachusetts House of Representatives on January 31, 1778, which ruled that Stiles was an inhabitant of Hollis and must be credited to New Hampshire. Littleton’s bounty money was ordered returned (Massachusetts House Resolve, Jan. 31, 1778).

During this same period, Hollis records show that its soldiers—including Stiles—were serving with the New Hampshire Brigade during the winter encampment of 1777–1778. The town sent clothing and supplies to its men at Valley Forge in January 1778 (Worcester, History of Hollis).

1780–1782: “For the War” Enlistment

In 1780, Stiles reenlisted “for the war,” joining the long-term Continental establishment (Fold3; Register Report). New Hampshire war rolls from 1780–1782 occasionally list him as “absent” or “deserted,” but importantly add the notation “returned to his duty,” a common pattern among soldiers who left temporarily during periods of hardship (NH War Rolls; Worcester).

His continued presence in the army is confirmed by a 1782 sworn deposition from sutler Joel Abbot, who testified that he saw “Eli Stiles… many times this last summer” serving in the Continental Army and noted that Stiles had enlisted “for the town of Hollis during the war” (Deposition of Joel Abbot, Nov. 1782).

By the close of the conflict, the Hollis Selectmen described him as “a soldier who has done Singular Exploits” (Worcester).

Post-War

After the war, Stiles remained in New Hampshire until 1806, when he moved to Northfield, Vermont (Register Report; Stiles, Stiles Family in America).

Sources

  • Fold3 Military Records: Service entries for Eli Stiles.
  • Worcester, Samuel T. History of the Town of Hollis, New Hampshire (1879).
  • Naval Documents of the American Revolution, Vol. 6: “Examination of Serjt Stiles,” Sept. 16, 1776.
  • Deposition of Joel Abbot, Hollis, NH (Nov. 1782).
  • Stiles, Henry Reed. The Stiles Family in America (1895).
  • Massachusetts House of Representatives, Resolve concerning Eli Stiles (Jan. 31, 1778).