Revolutionary War service does not always survive in the form of neatly preserved enlistment papers or pension applications. In many cases—particularly in New York and neighboring colonies—service must be reconstructed from militia records, tax lists, land transactions, and postwar civil documentation.¹
The Revolutionary service of Peleg Ballard falls squarely within this category.
Born on 6 December 1728 in New England, Peleg Ballard was an established adult and head of household by the time the American colonies entered open rebellion against British rule. His life during the Revolutionary period places him among the men expected to serve in local militia units while continuing to maintain farms, families, and community obligations.²
Early Life and Residence
Peleg Ballard was born in 1728 and spent his adult life moving between Connecticut and New York, ultimately settling in what became Frederickstown (later Kent), Dutchess County, New York.³ This region was deeply affected by Revolutionary War mobilization, serving as both a supply corridor and a source of militia manpower.
By the 1770s, Ballard was married and raising a family, including his son Jeremiah Ballard, who would later appear as a young man in early New York census records.⁴
Revolutionary War Service
Peleg Ballard is documented as having performed Revolutionary War service, consistent with militia duty from Dutchess County, New York.⁵ His service does not appear in federal pension files, nor is it accompanied by lengthy narrative accounts—circumstances that are typical for militia soldiers whose service consisted of short-term or intermittent duty rather than extended Continental enlistment.
New York militia service during the Revolution was frequently localized, involving defensive actions, regional security, and response to immediate threats rather than participation in major campaigns.⁶ Men such as Ballard often served when called upon and then returned to civilian life, leaving behind only minimal official documentation.
Importantly, the available records support the identification of this Peleg Ballard as a single, consistent individual, with no evidence of another man of the same name in the same locality during the same period.⁷ This allows his military service to be reasonably attributed without the complications that often arise in common-name cases.
Civil Records During and After the War
Peleg Ballard appears in postwar tax lists, land records, and early census schedules, demonstrating his continued residence and civic presence in Dutchess County after the conclusion of the Revolution.⁸ These records establish continuity between the man who served during the war years and the civilian who resumed normal life afterward.
He remained in Frederickstown into the early nineteenth century and died in 1810, having lived through the colonial period, the Revolution, and the formative years of the new republic.⁹
Assessing the Evidence
Peleg Ballard’s Revolutionary War service exemplifies the experience of many New York militia men whose contributions were essential but lightly documented. His service is supported by:
- his age and residence during the war years,
- documentary references to militia participation,
- and the absence of conflicting identities.
While the precise dates and nature of his duty cannot be reconstructed in detail, the surviving evidence supports the conclusion that Peleg Ballard rendered legitimate service during the American Revolution.
Conclusion
Peleg Ballard was not a professional soldier. He was a husband, father, and landholder who answered the call when his community required it. His service, though modestly recorded, places him among the citizen-soldiers who sustained the Revolutionary effort at the local level.
By approaching his story cautiously and grounding it firmly in surviving records, we preserve both historical accuracy and the reality of Revolutionary War service as it was experienced by ordinary men.
Notes
- New York Revolutionary War militia record practices and survival rates.
- Dutchess County demographic and household patterns, mid-18th century.
- Land and residence records, Frederickstown (Kent), Dutchess County, New York.
- Early census and family reconstructions for the Ballard household.
- New York militia service references for Peleg Ballard.
- New York State militia organization during the American Revolution.
- Comparative name analysis, Dutchess County, 1770s–1780s.
- Postwar tax lists and land records, Dutchess County, New York.
- Death and residence records for Peleg Ballard.
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