Tag: american-revolution

Daniel Munson (1745-1827)

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

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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

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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).

Benjamin Byam

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Benjamin Byam (1733–1795) lived a life shaped by steady service, devotion to family, and a willingness to step forward when history called. Born in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, on November 29, 1733, he came from early colonial stock. Like many families of that era, the Byams built their lives through practical skill and community responsibility. Benjamin learned the trade of a cooper, crafting the barrels that kept New England’s farms and merchants supplied.

His first experience in military service came long before the Revolution. In 1754, he joined Captain Melvin’s company during the French and Indian War, gaining the discipline and leadership that would later define his role in the fight for independence. By 1760, he had risen to 1st Lieutenant. That same year, he married Mary Keyes, and together they raised nine children — a family line that would spread across New England.

By the spring of 1775, Benjamin was living in Temple, New Hampshire. When word arrived on April 19 that British troops were advancing on Concord, he joined fifty-five of his neighbors who set out at once. Though they reached the scene after the first shots at the North Bridge, they joined the long pursuit of the British back toward Cambridge, marching through the day and into the night. Benjamin remained with the forces encamped there for eight months, supplying his own blanket — one of those small but telling sacrifices made by ordinary men who found themselves doing extraordinary things. He later served again in 1777 during the march toward Bennington.

Benjamin spent his final years in Randolph, Vermont, where he died on November 22, 1795. His life reflects the kind of legacy that endures: a craftsman, a soldier, a father, and a man whose quiet courage helped shape the nation his descendants continue to remember.