This is Chapter Eight of nine, being the next-to-last chapter of our narrative about the Doty Line. This chapter will introduce a new family line, the Shaw family, whose surname replaces the Doty surname in this part of our family history.
Setting The Stage
For the first part, the entire history takes place in a relatively small area of the upper Hudson River, at its confluence with the Mohawk River. As you can see in the map below, the town of Cohoes (Falls) is circled in orange. The area circled in yellow covers the district of Schaghticoke, and the towns of Lansingburgh, and Pittstown. Note the town of Troy shown just below Lansingburgh.
Detail from A Map of the State of New York, by Simeon De Witt, circa 1804. (Image courtesy of the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library).
In their era, borders, place names, and populations were always in flux, so we try to feature images which are as accurate as possible to the timeframe. As powerful as maps are for location orientation, we do sometimes come upon an image which helps readers to be grounded in a particular place. One such image is shown below, Troy from Mount Ida(No. 11 of The Hudson River Portfolio).
Troy from Mount Ida(No. 11 of The Hudson River Portfolio) Various artists/makers, circa 1821–22. (Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art). This view shows the Hudson River at the border of Lansingburgh.
Look within this artwork and observe that the rain clouds have just cleared away, the late afternoon sunlight is just starting to shine through, it’s very quiet, except for the birds who are starting to call to one another. Two people are making their way along the river road. Maybe we can hear the murmur of their voices?
Imagine that you are standing at this most southern viewpoint in the new town of Lansingburgh, looking toward the south, down the Hudson River. Before you lies the small village of Troy.* In front of you are three islands, located where the Hudson meets the Mohawk. One island is named Van Schaick — which is likely named after one of Lydia Doty’s ancestors who were very early to this area. Behind you, with the breeze to your back, lie the towns of Lansingburgh, Pittstown, and Schaghticoke, where the future of this family unfolds.
Finally, to the right of the three major islands, lies the small town of Cohoes, where the our exploration truly begins.
Excerpted image of Lansingburgh, New York in 1847, as Point-of-Interest #153 from Wade & Croome’s Panorama of the Hudson River from New York to Waterford, by Wade, Disturnell, and Croome.
The image above is an open panoramic view from the 1840s, found within a unique souvenir book. It is built in an accordion style, with views that stretch out for 38 continuous hand-colored panels. It features aerial and panoramic views along both shores of the Hudson River, from New York City, on Manhattan Island, up to the Mohawk river junction at the town of Waterford (across the river from the town of Lansingburgh).
Our Comment: This souvenir book literally mirrors the historical movement of our family as it journeys from New Amsterdam / Manhattan, to Lansingburgh.
*We learned about the eventual ascendance of Troy as a metropolitan city; with it eventually overtaking and eclipsing all the other communities in the area in terms of prominence. From Wikipedia, “Through much of the 19th and into the early 20th centuries, Troy was one of the most prosperous cities in the United States. Prior to its rise as an industrial center, it was the transshipment point for meat and vegetables from Vermont and New York, which were sent by the Hudson River to New York City. The trade was vastly increased after the construction of the Erie Canal, with its eastern terminus directly across the Hudson River from Troy at Cohoes in 1825”. (1)
This oak tree, which eventually became known as the Witenagemot Oak Peace Tree, was planted to commemorate a treaty. It stood until 1949 when a flood toppled it. (Image courtesy of the Knickerbocker Historical Society).
A Tree of Welfare
This family eventually lived in several adjacent communities on both sides of the upper Hudson River. This area had earlier been populated first by Native Peoples, who then gave way to the Dutch, and then the British.
“In 1675, Governor Andros, governor of the colony of New York, planted a tree of Welfare near the junction of the Hoosic River and Tomhannock Creek, an area already known as Schaghticoke, “the place where the waters mingle.” This tree symbolized the friendship between the English and the Dutch, and the Schaghticoke Indians. The Native Inhabitants were Mohican refugees from New England welcomed to Schaghticoke [through a treaty] because they agreed to help protect the English from the French and the Iroquois. They stayed until 1754.
Prior to the proclamation of colonial independence, Schaghticoke was part of the colony of New York with most of its citizens governed by the city of Albany, which owned the land they rented.” (Wikipedia)
Daniel Shaw, like many of our other ancestors, was a farmer for most of his life. (This was confirmed through his Will). (2)
Getting To Know Daniel Shaw
Our research on Daniel Shaw and his birth family is ongoing. At first glance, we thought he may be related to a man named John Shaw who arrived in Plymouth Colony, in 1623 and was very involved in the settling of that place. However, a direct link between the family lines has not yet been found. We learned that another family of Shaws settled in Connecticut, so, as we publish this section of our family blog, we are researching that possible connection. (Updates will be added as we resolve the Shaw family line history).
Therefore, this grandfather is a bit enigmatic — due to the fact that not much information about his life before meeting Lydia Doty seems to have surfaced. He was barely mentioned in the Doty-Doten Family in America book by Ethan Allan Doty, (DDFA).
Despite that, in the rather comprehensively titled book, the History of the Seventeen Towns of Rensselaer County, From the Colonization of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck to the Present Time, we first observe Daniel Shaw’s name and the (likely) name of his future father-in-law, Joseph Doty. The context was what was then known as a patriotic pledge, made when American Colonists knew that a war with Great Britain was imminent.
It was a long, patriotic pledge, made on May 22, 1775. The opening paragraph reads: “A general association agreed to and subscribed by the freemen, freeholders and Inhabitants of the town of Lansingburgh and patent of Stone Arabia: Persuaded that the Violation of the rights and liberties of America depends, under God, on the firm opinion of its Inhabitants in a vigorous prosecution of the measures necessary for Its safety,— convinced of the necessity of preventing the anarchy and confusion which attend a dissolution of the power of government, we, the freemen, freeholders and inhabitants of the town of Lansingbugh and patent of Stone Arabia, being greatly alarmed at the avowed design of the British ministry to raise a revenue In America, and shocked by the bloody scenes now enacting In Massachusetts bay government, in the most solemn manner…”
Excerpted text from the History of the Seventeen Towns of Rensselaer County, From the Colonization of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck to the Present Time, page 34. In the left column we see Daniel Shaw as one of the signatories to a Patriotic Pledge, given in Lansingburgh on May 22, 1775. Despite the misspelling of the surname, in the right column we see the name of his future father- in-law, Joseph Doty. (See footnotes).
This tells us that he was living in the Lansingburgh area as early as May 1775.
The Albany County area and the local communities were the scenes of many fierce battles during the Revolutionary War. We learned that Daniel had served in the Albany Militia’s Fourteenth Regiment. It appears that years later, in March 1789, he was paid in certificates. The currency of the new United States was not regularized yet and many States still printed their own money. Certificates were issued by the government, which could be used with merchants to pay for goods. (See footnotes).
New York Revolutionary War Tax ListsBy County — Albany, showing page 4, October 1779, Land and Property Tax Lists – Schachtakoke. See Daniel Shaw of Cohoes indicated by the arrow, along with three siblings of Lydia Doty listed — her brothers Peter, Ormond, and Jacob Doty.
The United States was very new in this era and it was unclear to whom and how property taxes were to be paid. This was still not finalized until many years after The War had ended. We did find tax records from the year 1779. As explained by, the Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, “Subcommittee on Revolutionary Taxes and have been found to support the War and/or address a request of the Continental Congress. The lists therefore provide evidence of Revolutionary service for those whose names are found on the lists…” In a very young United States, paying the taxes to a government that was not very organized and still evolving… this was seen as a hallmark of patriotic behavior. (3)
Excerpted and collaged content from the U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 for Daniel Shaw New York > Willett´s Regiment of Levies, 1781-1783.
The Colonial Militias of New York
The 14th Albany County Regiment of Militia was a regiment of the New York Militia, and was part of the 2nd Brigade alongside the regiments of Tryon County. (Renamed as Montgomery County in 1784). Militiamen for Albany County were recruited into the 2nd New York Regiment.
Generally speaking, the “Albany County militia was the colonial militia of Albany County, New York. Drawn from the general male population, by law all male inhabitants from 15 to 55 had to be enrolled in militia companies, the later known by the name of their commanders. By the 1700s, the militia of the Province of New York was organized by county and officers were appointed by the royal government. By the early phases of the American Revolutionary War the county’s militia had grown into seventeen regiments.” We learned that Lydia Doty’s brothers Peter, Ormond, and Jacob Doty, were also part of this regiment.
As they were allied with the 2nd New York Regiment, this “regiment would see action in the Invasion of Canada (1775), the Battle of Valcour Island (1776), the Battles of Saratoga (1777), the Battle of Monmouth (1778), the Sullivan Expedition (1779), and the Battle of Yorktown (1781). The regiment would be furloughed, June 2, 1783, at Newburgh, New York.” (Fandom AR Wiki, and Wikipedia) We have another family line living in this exact same area during that time, who also participated in the Battles of Saratoga. Either family or both, may have also participated in The Battle of Klock’s Field, and The Battle of Oriskany. (See The Devoe Line, A Narrative — Five).
Observation 1: It is important to note that these men certainly did not participate in all of these battles. (We know this because they were paying property taxes in March and October 1779). We can credibly believe that The Battles of Saratoga in 1777, is an event which they fought in, because it took place right in their back yard. Other than that, they may have been called up periodically for campaigns.
Observation 2: Daniel Shaw’s friendship with (and awareness of) the Doty brothers, could have led to his meeting their sister, Lydia Doty. (4)
Wedding scene from Ramsay’s The Gentle Shepherd, Act V. Printed for G. Reid and Co., 1798. (Image courtesy of The Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University).
The Doty Surname Gives Way to Shaw
For this section, unless noted otherwise, all events took place in Albany County, New York State. Of note: Albany County was reformed to be Rensselaer County, in 1791. So, before 1791 > Albany County, and after 1791 > Rensselaer County. Furthermore, when a county name changes, such as in a record for a marriage or a death, we have noted this.
We believe that in about 1783, Daniel Shaw, married Lydia Doty (likely) in Lansingburgh. He was born about 1760 in (unknown location) – died August 13, 1842, in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer, New York. Lydia Doty was born in December 1769 in Lansingburgh, (then Albany County), New York – died November 2, 1830, in Schaghticoke, Rensselaer, New York.
Daniel was about 9 to 10 years older than Lydia, and she was only about 14 to 15 when she married him. Even though we do not know the exact death date for Lydia’s mother Giesje ‘Lucretia’ Doty, we believe that Lydia was very young when her mother died. During this time, the American Revolution was raging all around her. (We speculate that she may have been cared for by an older sister, but we do not have evidence for this. Even though we have seen similar circumstances in other family lines). The truth is, we do not know who actually cared for her, or her younger sister Nancy.
Together Daniel and Lydia had 10 children, who are listed below. In the 1790 Census, the family is shown as living in Pittstown, Albany County. Therefore, we believe that the first five children: Lucretia, Daniel Jr., Nancy, William, and Orman, were born there.
Taken on August 2, 1790, The 1790 population census was the First Census of the United States. (The National Archives).
Lucretia (Shaw) Preston. She was born about 1784 – died after 1865 in Verona, Oneida County. She married James Preston, date unknown.
Daniel Shaw, Jr. He was born about 1786 – died January 17, 1857 in Greenwich, Washington County.
Nancy (Shaw) Stover. She was born April 11, 1788 – died March 21, 1872 in Somers, Kenosha County, Wisconsin. She married Joseph Stover. We noted that of all these siblings, she was the only one to relocate outside of New York State.
William Shaw. He was born September 11, 1789 – died May 16, 1876 in Ulster County, New York. He married two times, with both marriages being in New York. First, to Hannah Burhans on July 25, 1812 in New York; second, to Eliza Bonestell on February 7, 1856 in Kingston, Ulster County. Please see the footnotes for an obituary about William’s life.
Orman Shaw. He was born on March 3, 1790 – died November 24, 1867 in Halfmoon, Saratoga County. About 1811, he married Elizabeth (last name unknown). We are descended from Orman and his wife Elizabeth.
The next five children: Henry, Soloman, John, Elizabeth, and Hiram, were likely born in the Schaghticoke District, (now) Renssaelar County. This was located just slightly to the west, right next to Pittstown. It could also be that the family may have already been living in Lansingburgh. It was technically a separate municipality from the Schaghticoke District. (Who knows exactly after more than 2oo years of various record keepers?)
Taken on August 4, 1800, the 1800 population census was the Second Census of the United States. (The National Archives).
Henry Shaw. He was born 1796 — died (date unknown). He is noted as being the 1842 executor for his father Daniel Shaw’s Will.
Solomon Shaw. He was born 1797 — died 1863.
John Shaw. He was born 1799 — died August 1859 in Cohoes. He married Mary Elizabeth Hutchins about 1827.
Elizabeth (Shaw) Baninger. She was born 1802 — death date unknown. She married (first name unknown) Baninger.
Hiram Shaw. He was born 1804 — died May 25, 1857, Waterford, Saratoga County. He married Jane A. Patten about 1823. (He died a tragic death, please see the footnotes). (5)
Perhaps He Was A Prudent Man?
Lydia Doty died in November 1830, and consequently her husband Daniel was maybe feeling a little bit blue in the years afterward— or maybe not. Perhaps he was just prudent? We observed that he executed his Will on September 22, 1834, but continued to live on for almost eight more years, dying on August 13, 1842.
The Will of Daniel Shaw, dated September 22, 1834.
When we looked at the Will contents, we read that he left his son Henry “the whole of my real estate, the crops on the ground and all the grain, hay fodder on the premises at the time of my death and also one mare and one colt and all the farming utensils”. (It seems Henry never married, so perhaps he was living with his father in his older age?) For his other children (excepting for Henry who was provided for), he asked that his estate “be equally divided among them”.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the Will is that after he indicated what he was providing to his son Henry, and before he mentions his other children, he specifically requests provision for a servant girl (we added commas to make the text understandable) —
To Misa, a Mulatto girl in my family, I give and bequeath one bedstead, one bed and straw-bed, two blankets, two sheets, two pillows, and one bolster, which I have usually had for my personal use, and one cow, which she may select from my cows, as a compensation for her services…
We checked the 1840 census to see if Daniel owned any slaves.* He did not. However, that census did indicate that there were three “Free Colored Persons” residing in the home, as follows:
Two males, one under 10, and one between 10-24 years old
One female, between 24-36 years old
*Slavery was fully abolished in New York following a gradual emancipation act passed in 1799 that freed children born after that date. An act on March 31, 1817, set the timeline for final emancipation, and the last enslaved people in the state gained freedom on July 4, 1827. (See footnotes).
We speculate that the Free Colored Person on the census (female) was Misa, and we wonder if the two males could have been her sons? By 1840, Daniel Shaw had been living in his Lansingburgh home for many years. When we looked at the ages for the other residents in the home, none of them aligned perfectly with the very scant knowledge we have about his children… Conceivably, he could have had a family boarding there. It makes sense that in his older age, and being a widower, he needed people around him. (6)
Crossing The Bridge
In the era we live in today, with the general ease of transportation, getting around is something we don’t pay much heed to. (Unless of course, we get stuck driving in traffic, or worse, we get a bit anxious because our luggage is taking much too long to show up at the carousel at the airport!) For our ancestors, getting around town took some real effort. Just imagine what it was like to cross the Hudson or Mohawk Rivers back then? It’s no wonder people got excited when a new bridge was built!
Page 108 from The Hudson, From the Wilderness to the Sea, by Benson John Lossing, 1866. The Union Bridge was built between 1800-1810.
From a Wikipedia article on the History of Lansingburgh, “The structure which spans the Hudson River between Lansingburgh and Waterford, Saratoga county, known as the Union Bridge, is distinguished as being the oldest wooden bridge in the United States. It stands intact today as strong apparently as in the early days of the century. When the bridge was constructed it was deemed a marvel of engineering skill. How the public looked upon the structure at that time is manifested by the elaborate character of the exercises which attended its opening.
The day was a holiday in Lansingburgh. A ‘very numerous procession’ was formed at noon at Johnson & Judson’s hotel and marched to the bridge, and thence across to Waterford, ‘under the discharge of seventeen cannon’, where a dinner had been provided at Van Schoonhoven’s hotel at the expense of the stockholders of the bridge. Among the prominent persons in attendance were the governor, the secretary of state, the comptroller, ‘and a large number of respectable gentlemen from Albany and the adjacent villages’, who ‘partook in much harmony and conviviality’. The structure is 800 feet (240 m) long and thirty feet wide…”
In the next chapter, we will literally cross over this Union Bridge with our 4x Great Grandfather Orman Shaw, and learn about a union of another kind — that with his future wife Elizabeth. They will come to reside in the community of Halfmoon, Saratoga County. (7)
Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, Notes, and Observations
Wade & Croome’s Panorama of the Hudson River from New York to Waterford [electronic resource] by William Wade, John Disturnell, and William Croome, circa 1847 https://archive.org/details/ldpd_11290386_000/page/n1/mode/2up Note: For the cover image, and the panoramic Point-of-Interest view #153 of Lansingburgh, New York
History of the Seventeen Towns of Rensselaer County, From the Colonization of the Manor of Rensselaerwyck to the Present Time by Arthur James Weise, circa 1880 https://archive.org/details/cu31924064123015/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater Book page: 34, Digital page: 40/168, Left and right columns at bottom. Note: For the names Daniel Shaw and Joseph “Dody” as observed within the text.
Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution New York Revolutionary War Tax Lists by County — Albany October 1779 Land and Property Tax Lists — Schachtakoke https://www.ess-sar.org/pages/nystax_counties/nys_taxlists_county_albany_schachtakoke_october-1779.html Document page: 4, Digital page: 5 Note 1: Entry 16 lists Danl Shaw of Cohoes. Note 2: Three siblings of Lydia Doty are listed: Peter, Orman, and Jacob Doty.
The Colonial Militias of New York
(4) — seven records
U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 for Daniel Shaw New York > Willett’s Regiment of Levies, 1781-1783 (Folder 173) — Various Organizations (Folder 181) Digital page: 226/644 https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/4282/records/1725089 Note 1:“An account of certificates” with Daniel Shaw being listed 25th from the bottom. Indications read “Investigation shows that a large number of the names on this records as of Col. Peter Yates’ Reg’t. NY” Note 2: Further notations on digital page 228/644 indicate that payments were paid on 3 March 1789 in Lansingburgh by John VanRensselaer.
Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York by Various Authors, circa 1853 (is enclosed within) New York In The Revolution, Volume One by The Board of Regents and Berthold Fernow, circa 1887 https://archive.org/details/documentsrelativ15alba/page/n9/mode/2up Note 1: On book page 469 —Daniel Shaw, private, and Peter Doty, private, are listed on the Roster of the State Troops as being members of Yate’s Regiment. Note 2: On book page 361 —Jacob Doty, private, and Orman Doty, private, are listed on the Roster of the State Troops as being members of Van Rensselaer’s Regiment.
William Shaw obituary from an uncredited Kingston, New York newspaper.
William Shaw https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/106338154/william-shaw Note: For the obituary profile from an uncredited Kingston, New York newspaper. There are errors in the profile, such as his birthplace.He was not born in Dutchess County.
[Record of the Will of Daniel Shaw] New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971 > Rensselaer > Wills 1842-1843 vol 33 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GY4J-6ST?lang=en&i=167 Book pages: 279-285, Digital pages (images): 168-171/277 Note: The first six pages are notices to all the siblings of the probate. The actual Will begins on book page 285, or image 171.
This is Chapter Five of seven, about our family line, the McClintocks. We have always been interested in family history, but we wonder about the current genealogyepidemic happening on websites like Ancestry and Family Search… Is this present situation a product of living in these times — due to the exponential growth of the internet, and the availability of genetic DNA testing? Our ancestors presumably framed their thoughts on ancestry a little bit differently…
A Certain Cultural Cachet…
“What is that wonderful cologne you’re wearing?” “Ohhh, do you like it? It’s Eau de Bunker Hill! Absolutely everybody’s wearing it!”
Sometimes we wonder why everybody who likes to look into their ancestry — or at least those who talk about aspects of it at a family reunion, always think they may have a famous relative. Why is there always someone who seems so invested in the idea of having an ancestor who fought at Bunker Hill? Is it something about the name? Is it a password for a certain level of American cultural cachet?
This is not the Bunker Hill you are most likely thinking of — this is Bunker Hill, Miami. And not that Miami, either. This is Bunker Hill, Miami, Indiana.
In this history, we encountered several stories where someone insisted their ancestors were directly connected to Bunker Hill, i.e., “I’m descended from ______ McClintock, who was a ______, and who fought at Bunker Hill.” Rest assured, this did not happen in our branch of the McClintock family line. If it had happened, we’d celebrate it, but we will never just make something up. (1)
John and Christen Raised Many Children
William and Agnes McClintock’s last child was John McClintock (Sr.), born about 1744 in Tyngstown, New Hampshire Province – died October 9, 1803, Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. He married Christen McNeil on December 29, 1768, in Derryfield, New Hampshire Province. She was born July 20, 1748, Derryfield, New Hampshire Province – died March 27, 1790, Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. They had at least eight children.
The first four children who were born in: Derryfield, New Hampshire Province.
Rachel (McClintock) Knox, born February 22, 1770 in Derryfield, New Hampshire Province — died January 22, 1835 in Pembroke, Merrimack County, New Hampshire
Margaret McClintock, born September 14, 1771 in Derryfield, New Hampshire Province — death date unknown
Agnes McClintock, born August 2, 1773, Derryfield in New Hampshire Province — death date unknown
William McClintock, born August 2, 1773 in Derryfield, New Hampshire Province — death date unknown
The next four children were born in: Hillsborough* (town), New Hampshire Province. (*See notes on Revolutionary War payments.)
Daniel McClintock, born December 15, 1775 in Hillsborough (town), New Hampshire Province — death date unknown
James McClintock (Sr.), born January 3, 1778 in Hillsborough (town), New Hampshire Province — died September 1845 in Bainbridge, Geauga County, Ohio. (James and John were twins). (We are descended from James).
John McClintock (Jr.), born January 3, 1778 in Hillsborough (town), New Hampshire Province — died January 13, 1808 in Hillsborough, New Hampshire Province
Samuel McClintock, born about 1788 — died after 1860 in Bedford, Cuyahoga, Ohio
Comment: After the birth of the twins John and James McClintock, there was a fall off in the frequency of births (or at least reasonably believable birth records). Christen the mother, died in 1790 at 41 years old. She may have had more children between 1778 and 1788, but we just cannot verify that she did. With the exception of Samuel, who was born in 1788 — and we only knew about him due to tax records and a court case. (For more about Samuel, see The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Six, and Seven). (2)
The 1790 Census
In the 1790 census, we see that John is living near his brother Alexander. “The census began on Monday, August 2, 1790, and was finished within 9 months.” (The National Archives). The data collected was very simple with only these categories applied and no other details:
Name of head of family
Number of free white males age 16 years and upwards, including head of family
Number of free white males under 16 years old
Number of free white females, including head of family
The 1790 Census, the first census of the new United States.
In John’s home he is counted as the Head of Home (category: free white males 16 years and upwards, including head of family). There are 5 free white males under 16 years of age, and 5 (free white females, including head of family). When we compare the birth records of their children to the category ages in this census, the five boys under 16 line up, but the five females do not. We also know that John’s wife Christen died in March about 5 months before the census was conducted. This means that she was never counted in a census. We also know that there were three daughters at that time. The inclusion of the two additional females is unknown.
In the Derryfield town records, when within the community there was a child in need, either without a parent, or a parent unable to care for them… then that child would be sheltered at a home within the community. Such was the case with a woman named Elizabeth Massey and her unnamed child who was described as sickly. Perhaps the additional females were of this sort.
The 1790 census is the only census where we directly find John McClintock. He died in 1803. Near the end of his life, around the time of the 1800 census, he could have been living in the home of one of his children. If that happened, he would not have been listed as the Head of Household. (3)
This inset map shows the communities of Hillsborough, Goffstown, and Derryfield where the McClintocks were living between the 1740s and 1803. An Accurate Map of His Majesty’s Province of New-Hampshire in New England… by Samuel Langdon, circa 1757. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).This is an example of the Association Test document from the community of Hampton, New Hampshire. (Image courtesy of Hampton History Matters).
The Beginning of the Revolutionary War
The Association Test “In March 1776 the Continental Congress resolved that all persons who refused to sign the Association to defend the cause of the Colonies should be disarmed. To put this resolve into effect, the New Hampshire Committee of Safety directed the local authorities, usually the selectmen, to have all adult males sign the Association and to report the names of those who refused to sign. The end result amounted to a census of the adult male inhabitants of New Hampshire for 1776…” (Inhabitants of New Hampshire 1776)
From this document we learned that the elder, Michael and William McClintock, signed the Association Test, and that they were both still living in Derryfield. William’s sons Alexander and John [our ancestor] also signed, but were then living in the nearby town of Hillsborough. (4)
U.S. Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 for John McClintock, New Hampshire, 1st Regiment, 1777-1780, Captain Jason Waits Company, Colonel John Stark’s Regiment.
The First New Hampshire Regiment
John McClintock joined the First New Hampshire Regiment on March 15, 1777 for an agreed three year term of service. However, he served less that the agreed three years. Records indicate that during this appointed period, he was a Private in this Regiment. This required him to travel where he was needed which seems to be tours in the Northern Territory, and then some of the battles listed in the text below.
Military Commanders associated with the First New Hampshire Regiment. From Left to Right: Major General John Sullivan, Colonel John Stark, and Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Cilley. (See footnotes for resources).
“The 1st New Hampshire Regiment was authorized as New Hampshire State Troops on May 22, 1775, and was organized as 10 companies of 800 volunteers from Hillsborough and Rockingham counties… commanded by John Stark. The regiment was adopted into the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, and assigned to General John Sullivan’s brigade on July 22, 1775. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Bunker Hill. [Note: the battle was fought on June 15, 1775… John joined in 1777, that’s why our John McClintock was never at Bunker Hill].
On January 1, 1777, the 5th Continental Regiment was re-organized to eight companies and re-designated as the 1st New Hampshire Regiment. With the resignation of John Stark, [Joseph] Cilley took command of the 1st New Hampshire and led them during the Saratoga Campaign of 1777, and the Battle of Monmouth, and the Battle of Stony Point in 1778. In 1779, Cilley and the 1st New Hampshire were with Gen. Sullivan in his campaign against the Iroquois and Loyalists in western New York.” (Wikipedia)
Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth, by Emanuel Leutz. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons via the Monmouth County Historical Association).
We discovered records from the town of Hillsborough which made us understand that John McClintock likely only participated in battles which occurred between March of 1777 and March of 1779.Why he left before the end of three years probably had to do with the fact that he was responsible for a wife and seven children at home. Additionally, he became the Constable of the town of Hillsborough in March 1779.
From the History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921, it states, “John McClintock was chosen Constable, the most important office in town. It was not only his duty to maintain peace, but he performed the functions of sheriff and collector of taxes. No town meeting could be called without his signature to the warrant, and altogether it was the most difficult office to fill. Not infrequently persons chosen to the positions refused to serve, and the Selectmen had to find some one willing to fill the vacancy. Sometimes the man elected was compelled to find a substitute. The reward for filling the round of arduous duties was slight.”
We also saw this curious passage in the book, “Another Scotch-Irish family, four strong, were the McClintocks, always eager for an argument, but never ready to give up. They were a stalwart race, though not as tall as the Monroes or as slim as the Andrews.” Collins Dictionary defines stalwart as: “A stalwart supporter or worker is loyal, steady, and completely reliable.” (We guess that’s why the Hillsborough Town Council must have thought John would be a good town constable!)
Observation: We don’t know if during his tenure in the army he was ever allowed to see his wife and children. He had a big family, and it seems to us that his wife Christen became pregnant with twin sons during the days just before he left to serve in the war. (These children are their last two sons: John Jr., and James, our ancestor. There is an extensive history of some wives and families being Camp Followers during the war, but we see no record of this with our family).
American soldiers at the siege of Yorktown, by Jean-Baptiste-Antoine DeVerger, 1781. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
Catch-As-Catch-Can* When the Revolutionary War started, the American Patriot side of the conflict was initially not very well-organized. Who would expect them to be? The situation was more in the vein of a civil war when things started up. The history of how the troops were outfitted and supplied, was one of making do with what was at hand, until much later. (When France started supplying uniforms to the American Rebels, as payback against the British, who they were really angry with, about… well, many, many things…) *From the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “using any available means or method: hit or miss”.
The Uniforms of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment 1775-1784 A Historical Research Project, taught us that “The 1st NH began the war in civilian clothing, being composed of minute and militia companies responding to the ‘Lexington Alarm’. As the war progressed, the unit was issued several different uniforms, including two different sets of brown coats with red facings, brown coats with white facings and green coats with maroon facings From our recent research we can find no mention of the unit ever having been issued the traditional blue coats with white facings as prescribed for New England regiments by Washington in his 1779 uniform regulations.”
Revolutionary War Payments Birth records for James and John (Jr.) McClintock indicate that they were born in Hillsborough, NH. Revolutionary War payment records for their father, John Sr., indicate that he was from Goffstown, which is the town adjacent to Derryfield. It seems strange to us that there is a notation about Goffstown, when all other records point first to Derryfield and then to Hillsborough.
A Picturesque View of the State Of The Nation, from “How was the Revolutionary War paid for?” by the Journal of the American Revolution. (Image courtesy of the Journal of the American Revolution).
Furthermore, the book History of Manchester, Formerly Derryfield, in New-Hampshire.., author Potter writes “It is interesting to note the readiness with which the towns, composing the ancient Amoskeag, contributed to the patriot cause. Their people were ever ready to respond to the call of country; thus Bedford, Chester, Derryfield, Goffstown, and Londonderry in 1777, 1778, and 1789, furnished the following regular soldiers, or “three years men;” [John McClintock Sr. is listed under Goffstown].
These Revolutionary War payment records list John McClintock Sr. as being 27 years old in 1777. He was actually closer to 33 years of age, and he either did not know his correct age, or someone wrote it down incorrectly. His gravestone very clearly records that he was 59 years old when he died in 1803, therefore, born in 1744.
In 1780, the residents of Hillsborough petitioned the government for funds to have a bridge built over the nearby Contoocook River “which we should have built four or five years ’a goe had it not ben for this unhappy war.” We don’t know if the petition was honored or not, but this is the only place we have ever seen the actual quill pen signatures of John McClintock Sr. and his brother, Alexander.
Hillsborough, New Hampshire government petition of May 8, 1780.
In the years 1782-1784, John McClintock Sr. was paying non resident taxes on property that he continued to own in Derryfield. We wonder if this property was actually in Derryfield or the next door town of Goffstown? Just a few years later, his death and that of his wife Christen, are recorded as being in Hillsborough. (6)
An example advertisement seeking the return of Deserted Soldiers during the Revolutionary War. (Image courtesy of Forgotten Voices of The Revolutionary War, see footnotes).
Robert Finney and the Indian Corn Incident.
Parsing through legal documents written in a form of English which is 250 years old, can be somewhat puzzling. We found records of a court case brought by the Selectmen of the Town of Hillsborough against John McClintock Sr. which we now call Robert Finney and the Indian Corn Incident.
It seems that for some unknown reason two of these Selectmen, Samuel Bradford and John McColley, approached John McClintock Sr., and agreed to pay him money and Indian Corn, if he would arrange “for the hire of a Certain Robert Finney who the said McClintock had procured to enlist into the Continatal Army said year as a man for the said Town of Hillsborough.” [Then] “immediately after his Muster Diserted and Never Joined the Army at all and your petitioners vehemently Suspect that this Disertion was advised and Countinanced by the sd [said] McClintock.” It seems that John did arrange for the man to join, and then, Robert Finney disappeared.
Apparently, John was paid the money, but the men who were buying the service of Mr. Finney were understandably not happy that he had deserted. They wanted their money back. This went to trial in 1782, and “Judgement entered against the Persons who Signed the said note for the sum of 47 16 8d Damage and 3 13 8d Cost of Court as appears of Record.” This means that Bradford and McColley lost. No reasoning was provided for the decision, but it seems to us it could be like this: How could a veteran of the War, who is also the Town Constable, encourage someone to be a deserter? There was no proof of that belief. This bubbled up now and then and went on until 1786, when some amicable decision was finally reached by everyone involved. (7)
In the next chapter, we follow our 3x Great Grandfather James McClintock as his family leaves New Hampshire and eventually resettles in the Western Reserve of northeast Ohio.
Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, Notes, and Observations
History of Pembroke, N. H. 1730-1895 by Nathan Franklin Carter and Trueworthy Ladd Fowler https://archive.org/details/cu31924028836471/page/186/mode/2up Book page: 186, Digital page: 186/459 Note: For the marriage record of (18) Daniel Knox to Rachel McClintock.
1860 Bedford, Cuyahoga County, Ohio Census record. We were able to discern the McClintock surname, his age of 72 years, and NH as part of his birthplace. Hence — Samuel McClintock, born about 1788, likely in Hillsboro [Hillsborough], NH.
It appears that he is a boarder in the Perkins home. Furthermore, the 1860 Ohio census is completely illegible. So we were able to manipulate the file in a photographic program to discern enough data to confirm that this is indeed our ancestor.
Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H. 1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII by George Waldo Browne https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n224/mode/2up?view=theater Book page: 218, Digital page: 225/407, Note: Representative notice of support for Elizabeth Massey and her child. These notices are numerous within these records.
Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth by Emanuel Leutz https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BattleofMonmouth.jpg Note: For the battlefield image painting. From Wikimedia Commons, “Painting titled Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth; depicts George Washington at the 1778 Battle of Monmouth. In 1857, Leutze painted a copy one-third of this size for the Monmouth County Historical Association”.
The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921 by George Waldo Browne https://archive.org/details/historyofhillsbo01brow/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater Book page: 235, Digital page: 234/567, Note: Hillsborough town notes re: John McClintock as Constable Book page 232, Digital page: 232/567 Note: For the comment, “Another Scotch-Irish family…”
Shown above: John McClintock in the U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 New Hampshire > 01st Regiment, 1777-1780 (Folders 6-12) https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1246570:4282 Document name: miusa1775a_113592-00666 .jpeg Digital page: 667/740 Note: This is a transcribed record.
History of Manchester, formerly Derryfield, in New-Hampshire : including that of ancient Amoskeag, or the middle Merrimack Valley, together with the address, poem, and other proceedings of the centennial celebration of the incorporation of Derryfield at Manchester, October 22, 1851 by C. E. Potter, (Chandler Eastman) https://archive.org/details/historyofmanches00pott Book page: 184, Digital page: 184/763
Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H. 1782 — 1800, Volumes II and IX by George Waldo Browne https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow00nhgoog/page/n6/mode/2up Notes: For John McClintock — Book page: 21-22, Digital page: 29/425, Non resident taxes for 1782 Book page: 40-41, Digital page: 49/425, Non resident taxes for 1783 Book page: 59-60, Digital page: 67-69/425, Non resident taxes for 1784
Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H. 1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII by George Waldo Browne https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n224/mode/2up?view=theater Book page: 218, Digital page: 225/407, Note: Representative notice of support for Elizabeth Massey and her child. These notices are numerous within these records.
This is Chapter Five of eleven. In 1939, Winston Churchill was giving a radio address when he coined a phrase that ended up becoming an idiom. He said, “It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, but perhaps there is a key”. When it comes to “a riddle wrapped in a mystery”… well, that seems to aptly sum up what we came up against with this chapter on the Devoes.
Preface— Sometimes Family Stories Are Just Plain Wrong
Tracing the history of our 4x Great Grandfather Martinus Devoe has been frustrating, difficult, and challenging. Our troubles began with his son, Peter M. Devoe (our 3x Great Grandfather), who was an enigma to us. We knew when he was born, we knew whom he married, we knew when he died, but beyond that… c r i c k e t s . We couldn’t be sure of exactly who his parents were. It didn’t help that our Grandmother Lulu (DeVoe) Gore, and our Mother (Lulu’s daughter) Marguerite (Gore) Bond, weren’t comfortable discussing him. It seems they thought he had turned his back on the American Colonies and made his way to Canada. (What?! This was news to our ears.)
From left to right, Marguerite (Gore) Bond, Richard and Daniel Bond, Lulu (De Voe) Gore, at home circa 1954. (Family photograph).
Hearing something like that raised even more questions and it opened up a lot of mysterious doors for us as we did our research. It turns out that they were incorrect in their understanding of the actual family history for both Peter M. Devoe and his father Martinus Devoe. It’s quite likely that they had heard family stories, and as families do over time, they knitted something together which made sense for them. Whatever they thought they knew, it wasn’t an accurate history. However, there were some clues here and there…
Very little evidence about Martinus Devoe, prior to the 1780s, has survived and now we know why. There was a war and the Devoes lived right in the midst of it. We’ve finally unwrapped the riddle, having solved what really happened in the story of Martinus Devoe (this generation) and the one which followed (his son Peter M). It’s actually quite an interesting account.
A Map of the Provinces of New-York and New-Yersey [sic], with a part of Pennsylvania and the Province of Quebec, by Claude Joseph Sauthier, and Matthäus Albrecht Potter Published in Augsburg, 1777.
The focus of this chapter is specifically on the period of the Revolutionary War when the Devoe family and their extended clan were living in different communities along the Hudson River Valley. Martinus Devoe’s family was centered around Halfmoon and Albany, but some of the story also unfolds just across the border within Canada.
Of special note: In this era, the Hudson River waterway was the superhighway of its time and led directly north from the Atlantic Ocean at Manhattan, all the way up to Lake Champlain and Canada.
The map above, which was printed in Europe in 1777, show how the borders of the American Colonies were still in flux. Vermont does not yet exist, the border with Canada was somewhat permeable, New Jersey was misspelled as New-Yersey, many Native American tribes lived in their own ‘country’, and the mapmakers colorfully described one section as The Endless Mountains. (1)
This contemporary map, shows the constraints of the 13 American Colonies in 1775. Note how New York State contained an area which eventually became Vermont. Much of what eventually became the United States was still held by other interests. (Image Courtesy of The American Battlefield Trust).
The Patriots, The Loyalists, and The Fence-Sitters
In the midst of the Revolutionary War, the population of the British Colonies of North America could be divided into three groups. Those who wanted the War of Independence to succeed were called The Patriots. On the other side of the coin were The Loyalists who felt much more comfortable staying aligned with Great Britain and the interests of King George III. Between them were The Fence-Sitters. No matter which side you were on, there was muchcolorful language used all around to describe those on the other side, but we will keep things polite, and generally use: Patriots and Loyalists.
The Patriots We all know who the Patriots were — a veritable cascade of famous names from American history: George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, etc. Besides being the winners of the war, they got to write The History. This means, as it always has with the victors of any conflict, that they could shape the history of those who lost in whatever form they wanted.
Any early example of viral media meme that existed centuries before the internet, Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 cartoon “Join Or Die” depicted the original 13 American colonies. Later, the Colonists repurposed it as a symbol of their unity against British rule.
What we never really learn about when studying American history, is what it was like for the people on the other side, or even more so, for those who were in the middle. It always seems to be a binary choice: The Patriots are usually given many virtues, and The Loyalists are dismissed as being unworthy traitors and losers. For our family, especially those living in the Hudson River Valley, the truth was not so black-and-white. There are many more shades to consider when writing about the character of —
The Loyalists From the book, Loyalism in New York During The American Revolution by Alexander Clarence Flick, Ph.D., —“The loyalists were Americans, not Englishmen… Most American historians have characterized them as unprincipled royal office-holders, scheming political trimmers, a few aristocratic landlords and merchants, who were fearful of losing their wealth and indifferent to the rights of man…”, but there was actually more to this…
Flick continues, “Thus it appears that the loyalists of New York had within their ranks persons of all social positions from that of the poor emigrant but recently come to America; to the oldest and wealthiest family in the colony; from the ignorant agriculturist to the president of the only college in the province; from the humble cobbler and blacksmith to the most celebrated lawyer and physician in the metropolis…
The Wheat Field, by Currier & Ives. Reproduced from the article, New York: The Original Breadbasket of America, by Museum of the City of New York.
[There were many] conservative farmers in all parts of the colony, but especially in Queens, Kings, Richmond, Westchester, Albany and Tryon counties. They were happy and prosperous under the old regime. They did not feel the burdens complained of by the revolutionists, and consequently, had no sympathy with whig [Patriot] principles. But when their incomes were injured by the edicts of congress and committees and by war, their eyes turned toward the king’s army to restore their former peace and security”.
The Fence-Sitters These people were the ones caught in the middle. The neighbor on this side could be an excitable Patriot (!), and the neighbor on that side could be an excitable Loyalist (!), and what was one to do (?) when the crops needed to be tended to, the children fed, etc.
In actuality, there was a third group that very nearly made up the majority of the populous. Nearly 40% of the colonists were neither Patriot nor Loyalist, but neutral. These people were the type that were either pacifists, recent immigrants, or simply apolitical. They simply had no interest in the matter or committing to either cause. Another term for this group was ‘fence-sitters’.
From Loyalists vs Patriots: America’s Revolutionary Divide History In Charts
The Wikipedia article Loyalists Fighting In The American Revolution states: “The Loyalists were as socially diverse as their Patriot opponents but some groups produced more Loyalists. Thus they included… many tenant farmers in New York and people of Dutch origin in New York and New Jersey. Loyalists were most often people who were conservative by nature or in politics, [and who] valued order…”
Finally, again from Wikipedia: “The great majority of Loyalists never left the United States; they stayed on and were allowed to be citizens of the new country. Some became nationally prominent leaders…”
Map of the State of New York, 1788 via the New York State Archives Partnership Trust Although this map is from five years after the end of the American War for Independence, it delineates the ten counties and Native Peoples territories which existed in 1788. (That is the year that New York became a State).
Creating A Continental Army Initially in this era, being a soldier was not a full time job for many recruits. That might seem odd today, but back then a soldier would sign up for a term of work and then be relieved when he had to attend to farm duties, or if there were acute and pressing needs for his family.
In the archive of the Library of Congress: “In order to ‘preserve a good army’, one had to be created in the first place. It was a long and difficult road from the Continental Congress’s edict designating the militia around Boston as a Continental Army and creating such an army in fact. Although many colonials had had some military experience in the French and Indian War, most had served in militia units, a far cry from service in a regular European-style army.”
This watercolor by Charles M. Lefferts shows the wide variety of soldiers who made up the Continental Army. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
“Prior to 1777, enlistment in the Continental Army was of various durations but generally for a year of service. After 1778, Congress changed the rules and men served for either three years or the duration of the war. In some cases, bounties were paid to entice men to enlist or for men who chose to serve longer. Bounties could consist of additional money, additional clothing, or land west of the Ohio River, where many veterans would settle after the war.
Life in the Continental Army was difficult. It was mundane and monotonous. Generally, when not engaged in combat, soldiers in the Continental Army served three duties: fatigue or manual labor, such as digging vaults (latrines), clearing fields, or erecting fortifications. They also served on guard duty and drilled daily with their musket and in marching formations.” — The Fighting Man of the Continental Army, Daily Life as a Soldier
Jacobus Van Schoonhoven’s Regiment of Militia, and the12th Albany County Militia Regiment
We believe that our 4x Great Grandfather Martinus Devoe was a Patriot, because we can document that part of his history, starting in 1777. Of the Devoes listed below, Isaac Devoe, Jr. is likely his brother, and some of the others are cousins.
New York in the Revolution, page 120.
From Wikipedia, “The Van Schoonoven’s Regiment of Militia, also known as the 12th Albany County Militia Regiment, was called up in July 1777 at Halfmoon, New York, to reinforce Gen. Horatio Gates’s Continental Army during the Saratoga Campaign. The regiment served in Brigadier General Abraham Ten Broeck’s brigade.” The Saratoga Campaign was a resounding success for the Patriots in the war. (See The Saratoga Campaigns below).
When a young person is taught about the advent of the American Revolutionary War, the events are typically described almost as a level of mythos, (a body of interconnected myths or stories, especially those belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition.) The midnight ride of Paul Revere, the Boston Tea Party, Patrick Henry’s Give Me liberty, or give me death! — Americans are taught about the battles of Lexington and Concord, since they are the initial (1775) incidents… but the fact is, New York State was the scene of many terrible, epic battles. These events greatly affected our family. (3)
Pressed From All Sides: New York State in the Revolution
When the invasion of New York City was imminent, George Washington, as Commander of the Continental Army, wanted to burn The City to the ground, rather than allow that to happen. Congress disagreed and let it be invaded. In August 1776, British forces attacked Long Island in southern New York and within days, took over control of Manhattan Island for the duration of the war, (1776 to 1783). Due to the fact that much property was owned there by British occupants (Tories) and Loyalist sympathizers, Manhattan was never directly bombed by the British navy.
The Saratoga Battles: Burgoyne’s March on Albany June-October 1777. Note: Observe how Lake Champlain leads directly to Albany, New York as the Sauthier / Potter map (from above) indicates. (Image courtesy of wikipedia.com).
Written below are very brief notes about a few of the nearby battles.
The Saratoga Campaign North of New York City, as the Hudson River moved north toward Lake Champlain, our ancestors were living in the area of Albany and Halfmoon. (Albany was just south of the area where the Battle of Saratoga took place, and Half Moon was slightly west). The Saratoga Campaign, which was actually two major battles in that area, was a complicated situation. Pressed from the north by the British forces from Quebec, who were moving south along Lake Champlain, and pressed from the south by the British forces around Manhattan who were moving north along the Hudson River, our ancestors were caught right in the middle.
Ultimately, the Patriots prevailed in the Saratoga Campaign and several important things resulted for the American Cause. The British learned that ‘the Rebels’ could be fierce fighters even with the haphazard state of the Continental Army at that time. In addition, the country of France decided to support the Americans (likely because they despised the British and hoped to make money and ruin England at the same time).
The Battle of Oriskany From Wikipedia, “The Battle of Oriskany was a significant engagement of the Saratoga campaign of the American Revolutionary War, and one of the bloodiest battles in the conflict between Patriot forces and those loyal to Great Britain”. It took place in the Mohawk Valley on the Mohawk River which joins the Hudson River just above Albany. (This would be near the area of Halfmoon).
Patriot General Herkimer at the Battle of Oriskany by Frederick Coffay Yohn. (Image courtesy of the public library of Utica, New York).
“The battle also marked the beginning of a war among the Iroquois, as Oneida warriors allied with the Patriot cause, as did the Tuscarora. The Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga and Onondaga allied with the British. Each tribe was highly decentralized, and there were internal divisions among bands of the Oneida, some of whom became allies of the British. The battle location is known in Iroquois oral histories ‘A Place of Great Sadness. ’ ” Wikipedia — The Battle of Oriskany
Hand-drawn map indicating specific points at The Battle of Klock’s Field. Note that the city of Albany is shown on the right-hand side, on the Hudson River.
The Battle of Klock’s Field Our 4x Great Grandfather Martinus Devoe, could have participated in The Battle of Klock’s Field which occurred in 1780 on the north side of the Mohawk River. (It is likely that other members of his family did). Some regiments from Albany County were called up to fight, but we cannot verify conclusively whether-or-not he was there, because very soon after this battle, he and his cousin William were kidnapped by the British. (This would also be near Halfmoon). (4)
Excerpted from the Public Papers of George Clinton, First Governor of New York, 1777-1795, 1801-1804… This is the key document that helped us trace what happened to Martinus Devoe in Canada during a portion of the Revolutionary War.
Taken From Albany County Under Trick, Coercion and Violence
When we discovered the bit of evidence about Martinus Devoe’s life, it was the exciting key catalyst that helped us learn much more about him. When we analyzed it carefully, we learned that:
It confirmed that Isaac Devoe is indeed his father
Isaac Devoe’s brother Ruliff (Roelof), is the father of William Devoe
Martinus and William are therefore cousins
Martinus and William align with The Patriots
Joseph Bettes (Bettys) is their kidnaper
This petition was filed with George Clinton, Governor of the Province of New York
It was either filed with, or recorded on the date: May 14, 1781
The leader of their Albany regiment, Jacobus Van Schoonhoven (who was retired at this time), signed the petition along with “many others”
The Devoe families of Martinus and William were hopeful for a prisoner “exchange”, but this did not happen. Unbeknownst to them at the time, this type of complicated arrangement was only (and rarely) done for members of the Continental Army who were officers. Martinus and William never rose above the rank of Private. Additionally, The British were reluctant to recognize prisoner exchanges because that would have meant that they recognized The American Rebels as a sovereign state.
Observation: Martinus had indeed gone to Canada, not as someone who chose to be there, but as a kidnaping victim. We realized that this document confirmed what our mother and grandmother certainly did not know — that this part of the story was new information. They thought that Martinus’s son, Peter M. Devoe, had gone to Canada, and they likely didn’t seem to even know who Martinus was.
We had always wondered what the “M” stood for in Peter M. Devoe’s name, and now we think it possibly could have stood for Martinus, or Martin. It now made sense that over the generations as people shared stories, any mention of Canada just automatically came to mean that that person was a Loyalist “traitor”. Now we understand that perhaps Marguerite and Lulu had some familial self-imposed shame with this matter.
George Clinton, by Ezra Ames, circa 1814.
Joseph Bettys, Professional Scoundrel The man who had arranged for the kidnapping to happen was one Joseph Bettys. A local man from Albany County known as “a renowned kidnapper of patriots in upstate New York with St. Johns, Canada as his base”. (McBurney, see footnotes) In writing about him, Wikipedia states: “He joined the Patriot forces and was made a Sergeant. He was said to be courageous, but intolerant of military discipline, for which he was demoted. In the summer of 1776 he was again promoted, and transferred to the fleet on Lake Champlain commanded by Benedict Arnold.
Illustration of the capture of British Loyalist spy Joseph Bettys in the town of Ballston, New York, 1782, United States Magazine, 1857, p. 569.
On October 11, 1776 he distinguished himself in the Battle of Valcour Island, but was captured by the British and taken as a prisoner to Canada. In 1777, during his captivity, he changed sides, joining the British forces as an ensign.He served as a spy and messenger for the British; at one point he was captured, but was freed due to influence of family and friends. He rejoined British service and began recruiting soldiers among the population of Saratoga County[at that time still Albany County], raiding, burning farms and taking captives or killing Patriots”.
Observation: Joseph Bettys may have indeed “recruited” some people to the Loyalist side, but those words sound to us more like a euphemism for forced servitude.
In 1782, Bettys was captured and sent to Albany, where that year on the orders of General George Washington, he was tried and executed by hanging. Actually — after the noose was around his neck, he jumped down and died from the choking while falling. (We wonder if they kicked him when he was down).
British Prison Ship 1770s, Five Americans Escaping From The British Prison Ship Jersey Anchored In The East River New York During The Revolutionary War Wood Engraving American 1838.
The British Prison Ships It was not that uncommon for soldiers, and especially for sailors, to be kidnapped and forced to serve for the opposing side. The worst possible fate that could befall someone in that situation would be that they were classified as a traitor to Great Britain, and be sent to rot in one of the many prison ships which were located in New York harbor… Wikipedia confirms the cruelty shown The patriots: “King George III of Great Britain had declared American forces traitors in 1775, which denied them prisoner-of-war status. However, British strategy in the early conflict included [the] pursuit of a negotiated settlement, and so officials declined to try or hang them, the usual procedure for treason, to avoid unnecessarily risking any public sympathy the British might still enjoy.”
History.com writes, “Most of the young Americans knew what imprisonment would mean. Colonial newspapers had reported on the horrific conditions and brutal treatment aboard the prison ships from the beginning…” And from the George Washington Presidential Library: “Though estimates vary, between eight and eleven thousand American prisoners (or perhaps higher) died in British custody in New York. These deaths were not caused by a deliberate policy, but rather through poor or indifferent planning and care”. [Read: cruelty, disease, pestilence, and indifference] (5)
Following the Breadcrumbs That Led Us to Canada
Early on, we first came across a record of a Martin Dafoe [Martinus Devoe?] in an ancestry.com file. His was a name at that point which we had never heard of, and the file was a puzzling record stating “War Office Records: Monthly Return of Loyalists coming in from the Colonies to Lower Canada, from Halfmoon”. Much later we then came then across this record:
Excerpted from The Old United Empire Loyalists List, (Supplementary List, Appendix B).
We learned that in Canada, the name Devoe was frequently spelled as Dafoe in record-keeping, and we uncovered a name for something called the King’s Rangers. Suddenly, the bread crumbs that we had already found were starting to point us into a direction where everything was new. Long story short: many months later we eventually came upon a resource which pulled everything together: A Short Service History and Master Roll of James Rogers’ 2nd Battalion, King’s Rangers, by Gavin K. Watt.
From Watt’s book: “Some of the best known Loyalist names that have ties to the King’s Rangers include Bell, Brisco, Dafoe, Kemp, Pringles, and of course Rogers.” We found our ancestor (!) listed there:
Dafoe, Martin Alternate spellings of surname: Dave, Devore, Dave, Devon Alternate spellings of given name: Martin, Martinne, Martain Rank: Private Enlistment date: November 18, 1780 Company: Captain Azariah Pritchard’s Age: 29 [This is incorrect — he was closer to 26.] Height: 5 feet, 6 inches Place from and trade: Albany City, New York, and farmer
Excerpted from A Short Service History and Master Roll of James Rogers’ 2nd Battalion, King’s Rangers, page 50/85. Please see the footnotes for the explanation of codes.
Something was puzzling about the entry. His arrival date in Canada was listed as November 18, 1780? Earlier we had assumed that if he was in Canada the arrival date should correspond to something closer to the date noted on the Petition to Governor Clinton of New York. That date was May 15, 1781, fully six months later… what was going on? It now makes sense that the families of Martinus and William, were probably beside themselves with worries. It would have required much time and difficult logistics for the petition to be drafted, to gather multiple signatures, to present it to the Governor, etc. All of this while the War was raging all around them — that is why we believe that the 1781 date is likely the recording date.
Some of the other names we saw on this roster confirmed other data we had previously collected. The William Devoe who arrived on “18 Nov 80” was likely his cousin William, a fellow kidnap victim. Observe the names of the brothers Abraham and Jacob Dafoe, sons of John Ernst Devoe from a different Devoe line. The arrival dates for Abraham and Jacob are the same “01 Oct 80”, having arrived about six weeks earlier. There is a notation that Abraham arrived via boat. There is another record of Jacob Defoe dated 1782- 1783, recorded near the end of the War (see footnotes). John Ernst DeVoe and his sons were Loyalist during the Revolutionary War. After the war the family remained in Canada. We even came across one of Abraham’s payroll sheets. Conversely, if Martinus and William were ever paid for their time in the KIng’s Rangers, those records have not been found. (6)
Corporal Abraham Defoe’s sheet from the Pay Roll of Ruiter’s Company. Image courtesy of A Short Service History and Master Roll of James Rogers’ 2nd Battalion, King’s Rangers, by Gavin K. Watt, page 18.Siege of The Fort Saint-Jean, circa 1775, Watercolor by James Peachey (d. 1797)
Fort St. Jean, now known as Fort St. John
The operational center for the King’s Rangers was Fort St. Jean, Quebec. Martinus and William were fortunate enough* that they ended up at Fort St. Jean — which was just across the border from New York Province in Quebec. (See map at the top of this chapter). In fact, this fort was exactly 207 miles directly north from Albany City, New York, where they were likely ensconced until taken to Canada.
*If they had been P.O.W.s, they could have been sent to the death ships in New York Harbor. Since they were kidnapped and forcibly recruited, they were probably assigned with tasks like cleaning horse stables, and digging latrines, etc. We conjecture that they kept their heads down and decided to lay low. We observed on The Old United Empire Loyalists List from above, that William Devoe had deserted, but we do not know when this happened.
There were those in the fledgling United States who believed that it was their right to annex portions of Canada as new territories.
The Siege of Fort St. Jean From the Siege of Fort St. Jean… article in the Revolutionary War Journal — “By late summer, 1775, the American Second Congress was determined to bring Canada, the British 14th colony in America, into the fold of rebellion along with the other thirteen colonies. Two small American armies would advance into Canada. The larger, commanded first by Major General Phillip Schuyler and later by General Richard Montgomery, would push up Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River into Canada. They would quickly capture Montreal. Then head northeast, down the St. Lawrence River to join the other American force approaching Quebec through Maine, led by Colonel Benedict Arnold. Together, the two factions would claim the crown of the Canadian colony; Quebec City’s Citadel”.
Ultimately, even though the Americans had prevailed at first, many of their soldiers grew sick over the winter. When reinforcements from Great Britain arrived six months later, the Americans withdrew and returned to the Colonies. (7)
Plan of Fort St. Jean in Quebec, Canada, circa 1775. (Image courtesy of Bibliothèque et Archives Canada).
The King’s Rangers, also known as The King’s American Rangers
There were many companies on both sides of the war which used the word Rangers in their name. Our research has shown that our ancestors were part of the King’s Rangers, which is sometimes also referred to as The King’s American Rangers.
“In September 1779, the Second Battalion of King’s Rangers were garrisoned for a time at Fort St. Johns on the Richelieu River (now Saint Jean, Quebec). In October of 1780, a detachment of the Second Battalion took part in raids by Major Christopher Carleton into the Champlain Valley and the attacks on Fort Anne and Fort George NY. When rebels surrendered at Fort Anne, the King’s Rangers took advantage of an easy opportunity: they recruited 16 of the enemy prisoners into their own relatively small ranks.
There was, however, another side of the war. The Second Battalion was involved in the business of spying for the British. One of the more interesting missions was when James Breakenridge, Jr. of the King’s Rangers accompanied another loyalist carrying a secret proposal from Vermont’s Governor Thomas Chittendon and Ethan Allen regarding negotiations for Vermont to become a Canadian province. [In other words, similar to the earlier ambitions of the American Second Congress regarding Canada, both sides wanted more territory]. Known as The Vermont Negotiations, Major James Rogers was reportedly heavily involved in correspondence and face to face meetings with Allen and his associates”. — Excerpted from History of the King’s Rangers, via James Breakenridge’s Company of the King’s Rangers
From Wikipedia, “Despite recruitment issues being faced by the Rangers, the second battalion was active in scouting and recruiting along the frontiers of New York, Lake Champlain and the area that was to later become Vermont. They also engaged in the taking of Patriot prisoners of war… Due to the relatively small size of the Rangers, [they were] restricted [in] their operational capabilities to conducting reconnaissance for other corps, constructing fortifications, executing general garrison duties, assisting refugees in Quebec, aiding the escape of Loyalist families, and guarding prisoners of war”. (8)
These illustrations represent descriptions of the uniforms worn by The King’s Rangers. Artwork by artist Don Troiani.
The Winding Down of The War, and The Treaty of Paris
The American War for Independence formally ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. From the National Archives: “The American War for Independence (1775-1783) was actually a world conflict, involving not only the United States and Great Britain, but also France, Spain, and the Netherlands. The peace process brought a nascent United States into the arena of international diplomacy, playing against the largest and most established powers on earth”.
Page one of twelve pages for the Treaty of Paris; September 3, 1783, Perfected Treaties, 1778 – 1945, General Records of the United States Government, Record Group 11, National Archives Building, Washington, DC.
“The three American negotiators – John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay – proved themselves ready for the world stage, achieving many of the objectives sought by the new United States. Two crucial provisions of the treaty were British recognition of U.S. independence and the delineation of boundaries that would allow for American western expansion”.
American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement with Great Britain, 1783-1784, London, England, by Benjamin West (oil on canvas, unfinished sketch), Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware From left to right: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. The British commissioners refused to pose, and the picture was never finished.
As a perfect bookend to where our search for Martinus Devoe began, we came across the file that is the Canadian record for when he returned to New York State. “Martin Dafoe” returned from Fort St. Jean in Canada sometime in 1782-1783. We conjecture that is was likely 1783 after the Treaty of Paris had been signed. The record reads: Memorandum — of the names of the whole 245 Persons of the King’s Rangers — collected from the Muster Rolls and paylists of Maj. Rogers’s, Capn. Pritchards and Capn. Ruiters Co. in the years 1782-83″
The above document is a record of payment found in The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. It was payment given to troops that were held as prisoners-of-war in Virginia. We have not been able to locate a similar payment record for Martinus which records him as a prisoner-of-war. This confirms our belief that, unlike Abraham Devoe, he may not have been paid due to his forced servitude.
Martinus Devoe’s payment for Revolutionary War service. Payment date is December 14, 1784.
However, our 4x Great Grandfather Martinus was indeed paid for his service in the Continental Army. On the above record, the four sets of numbers correspond to certificates that all soldiers and sailors were given. It is interesting and a bit ironic to see that the records are in (£) British Pound Stirling . English Sterling was the money standard until after the Revolution. Money was scarce, with only two to three million pounds in circulation. (Hammersley) The newly formed USA did not have much cash money on hand, but it made promises, i.e. some soldiers received land in newly opening areas such as the Ohio Valley to the west.
Our next chapter will discuss Martinus’s life in Halfmoon, New York, his marriage, and his rather large brood of children, from which, our 3x Great Grandfather Peter M. Devoe emerges. (9)
“Tory Refugees on the Way to Canada” by Howard Pyle. The work appeared in Harper’s Monthly in December 1901.
Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, Notes, and Observations
Preface— Sometimes Family Stories Are Just Plain Wrong
The Patriots, The Loyalists, and The Fence-Sitters
(2) — nine records
Library of Congress A Map of the Provinces of New-York and New-Yersey, with a part of Pennsylvania and the Province of Quebec by Sauthier, Claude Joseph and Lotter, Matthäus Albrecht, 1741-1810 Published in Augsburg, 1777. https://www.loc.gov/item/74692644 Note: For the map image.
Taken From Albany County Under Trick, Coercion and Violence
(5) — nine records
Petition for Exchange of William and Martinus Devoe, Taken from Albany County under Trick, Coercion and Violence from the Public Papers of George Clinton, First Governor of New York, 1777-1795, 1801-1804 … by New York (State). Governor (1777-1795 : Clinton) https://archive.org/details/publicpapersofge06innewy/page/906/mode/2up Book page: 906, Digital page: 906/918
Journal of The American Revolution What do you think was the strangest or most unconventional moment, battle or event of the Revolution? https://allthingsliberty.com/2017/01/weirdest-moment/ “I would have to pick the antics of Joseph Bettys, a Tory who became a renowned kidnapper of patriots in upstate New York with St. Johns, Canada as his base. In the Great Kidnapping Caper of 1781, the British Secret Service at St. Johns planned for eight parties of kidnappers to attempt abducting upstate New York patriots at the same time so as to keep the element of surprise. The leader of one of the bands, Joseph Bettys, was charged with kidnapping a Patriot in Ballstown, New York. Bettys had a crush on a local young woman. Amazingly, he left his band in the lurch and went off to persuade her to run off with him, which she did. Her outraged father, even though he was a Tory, went to the local Patriot committee, called the Albany County Commissioners for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies. This alerted Patriots the entire kidnapping plot. None of them succeeded, but Bettys did successfully bring his girlfriend to Canada. Later, after succeeding in kidnapping some Patriots, Bettys was captured and hanged”. –Christian M. McBurney
A Short Service History and Master Roll of James Rogers’ 2nd Battalion, King’s Rangers By Gavin K. Watt Published by Global Heritage Press, Milton, 2015 ISBN 978-1-77240-029-8 https://globalgenealogy.com/countries/canada/loyalist/resources/101044.htm Note: Digital edition, .pdf download for purchase. Page 50/85 is the roster page which contains Martinus Devoe’s information.
The five listings below are the specific information for each transcription from the above reference, for the roster records for Martinus Devoe: (P2) Return of a Detachment of the King’s Rangers Commanded by Major James Rogers, in Canada, for which he is entitled to the King’s Bounty, at five Dollars pr. Man. St. John’s, 10th January 1782. AO, HO, AddMss21827, 296-97. (S11) E. Keith Fitzgerald, Loyalist Lists: Over 2000 Loyalist names and families from the Haldimand papers (Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, 1984) transcribed from the LAC transcript, MG21, B166, ff154-56. (AddMss21826) circa 1783. (T2) Muster Roll of a Detachment (three companies) of the King’s Rangers Commanded by Major James Rogers, St. John’s 27th July 1781. Horst Dresler research. LAC, W028/4/96-98. (T3) A Return of the Names, Cuntry [sic], Age, size and tim [sic] of service of a Detachment of the Kings rangers quartered at St. Johns — 1st January 1782. Braisted research. LAC, W028/10-142-43. (T6) Nominal Rolls of the King’s Rangers, 27th January, 1784. LAC, HP, B160 (AddMss21820) 153-56. Transcribed in H.M., Rogers’ Rangers, A History (Toronto: self published, 1953) 187-202.
American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement with Great Britain, 1783-1784, London, England, by Benjamin West (oil on canvas, unfinished sketch), Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware From left to right: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1783)#/media/File:Treaty_of_Paris_by_Benjamin_West_1783.jpg Note: The British commissioners refused to pose, and the picture was never finished.
This is Chapter Five of seven: Peter Bond, The Immigrant, seeks a fresh start in the British Colonies in America. We then move through several generations in Maryland, and eventually, we find ourselves moving further west to the Ohio frontier.
Preface:Be Wary Of Those K rations!
Our father Dean Phillip Bond, loved to fuss around in his summer vegetable garden every year. He was proud that he had grown beautiful, tasty vegetables which we very gratefully devoured practically every evening. As children, when we observed him taking a pause in his labors, he would rock back on his heels, and take a long drag on his ever-present cigarette, moving his arm in a long slow arc. We’re sure that he certainly thought about the demonic mosquitos and three corner flies which tormented him… but occasionally, we would see him staring off somewhere into the middle distance. Perhaps he was dreaming about his “unlived life” — that of a gentleman farmer.
United States sailor holds a carton of Philip Morris cigarettes under one arm and a duffle bag over his other shoulder, while smoking a cigarette. (Image courtesy of http://www.azcentral.com).
Pop started smoking in WWII when he would receive K rations, which included four cigarettes, and a small book of matches. (He said that before that time, he had never smoked.) His habit eventually became a two-pack-a-day routine need, which seemed to be typical of many in his generation. Three months after our parents 50th wedding anniversary, he passed away from lung disease.
We bring this is up because there is a lot of rich irony in this history of our family. The progenitor of our line in America is Peter Bond, The Immigrant. In 1660 Peter arrived in the British Colony of Maryland and eventually prospered as he became a tobacco planter. In his era, tobacco was such a precious item that it was literally used as currency for many years. In other words, he could grow his own money.
If our father had known of this fantastical, but true story, we’re sure that he would have dreamed and desired to somehow take his cigarette butts and grow his own magic money. Or better yet, drop a penny into a garden furrow and let each one grow into a crisp one hundred dollar bill. (1)
The British Colonies Desperately Needed Workers
Until 1680 or so, due to the fact that the British Colonies in North America were large and had become quite successful, England determined that relocating “labor” to the Colonies was in their best interest. Ships from certain ports would transport people from the Mother Country to America. Each empty ship would then load up on valuable items which were much desired back home in England. This included prized commodities like cotton, indigo, tobacco, and sugar. This was a scheme where English merchants made money on both sections of the voyage.
View of Bristol Harbour with the Cathedral and the Quay, by Nicholas Pocock, 1740-1821. (Image courtesy of Art UK).
From the article, Indentured Servants at Gunston Hall —
“When English settlers arrived in the New World, they brought indentured servitude with them. Under this system, people worked for a set period of time as a payment for something. — Indentured servants were men and women who willingly signed a contract in which they agreed to work for a certain number of years to compensate for their voyage to America.
Three different types of indentured servant agreements existed in the 18th century: free-willers, King’s passengers, and redemptioners… Free-will indentured servants decided to come to America on their own merit and willingly signed a contract before departing England. King’s passengers, [also known as convict servants], were criminals who were sent to America to serve a term of seven or fourteen years, depending on the crime they committed. Finally, redemptioners were passengers who were given two weeks to redeem the price of their voyage once they got to America and if they were unable to make the payment, they were sold to the highest bidder.”
In these modern times, a phrase such as “sold to the highest bidder” gives us a bit of pause. Early on, the English had such a desperate fever to send laborers to The Colonies that many unscrupulous people, orphans, and indigents were “spirited” away [kidnapped, and not at their choice], who became a commodity in places like Virginia and Maryland. The city of Bristol, England was the epicenter for this white slave trade, which was lucrative for both the merchants and their agents. England was then, and still is to some extent now, a class-driven society. One has to wonder if this spiriting practice was unfortunately due to the “undesirables and destitute” being from a lower social class? Many of these poor people didn’t last very long in the Colonies due to poor health and mistreatment.
Cartouche detail from the Fry-Jefferson map, by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson. (Image courtesy of Encyclopedia Virginia).
This however, wasn’t true for all people who immigrated. For Peter Bond, and many people in his class, to become an indentured servant was not something that carried a stigma. As a free-will indentured servants, he was an immigrant who was under a contract, for a short period of years. Once he had met his commitment, he was free by having paid his freedom dues. His passage and care had been provided, and he could now practice a new trade. That is why they were referred to as Servants.
“In the 1650s, an estimated 72,000 individuals, the majority of them indentured servants, went from England to the New World.” By this point in time, to remedy the problem of many [slave] laborers dying in The Colonies, and to create a more attractive market for immigrants, the courts required that proper records be kept and they were. The existing indenture system was revitalized and its use brought many new people to America. A register, known as the Tolzey Booke [1654], introduced by the Common Council in 1654, indicates that The Servants, rather than being the destitute, actually consisted of:
Yeomen
39 per cent (yeomen were a wide range of agricultural workers)
Artisans
23 per cent
Husbandmen
16 per cent
Labourers
13 per sent
Gentlemen
2 per cent
Unknown
7 per cent
The Servants as documented in the 1654 Tolzey Booke. We derived these figures from information scattered throughout the text. (See footnotes).
After 1680, the plantation owners in North America came to the conclusion that it was too expensive to continue with the English indentured servant system to staff workers for their properties. Over the next century, servant contracts tapered off. From this period forward, they transitioned to purchasing many more slaves from Africa. Hence, the slave system became quite firmly embedded in the central and southern portion of the British Colonies, as well as the Caribbean. (2)
Example of an indentured servant contract from 1738, for British North America. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
The Bristol Registry of Servants Sent to Foreign Plantations 1654-1686
There probably was not much for Peter Bond to inherit from his family by this period. The economy in London was very depressed at that time, as a consequence of the English Civil War. So we conjecture that perhaps he wanted totry his luck in the New World — as many young men of his class did at the time.
The Bristol Registry of Servants Sent to Foreign Plantations 1654-1686, page 121 detail.
At 19, Peter became a free-will indentured servant on November 29, 1659. He was one of eight people so indentured to a merchant named Henry Read, who was the agent. (This meant that he negotiated the contract(s) with the ship captain). For a few years prior to 1659, registries had become exacting by listing parents, destinations, etc., but apparently by November ’59, registries were getting “thinner” and less detailed.
There are several things to note here: 1) Peter’s parents are not named because we know that both of them had died before his departure. 2) Nor is his destination given. 3) He gave his residence as Whitechapel in London which is the section of London where he was born and grew up in, which assures us that it is indeed our Peter, and 4) For the times, an indenture of four years is remarkable for all eight people. Many contracts were longer, so it certifies that none of them were criminals. Perhaps this was also indicative of their social class? (3)
The Early Settlers of Maryland
The Early Settlers of Maryland, title page.
Some other researchers propose that Peter Bond went for a short time to Virginia, and then to Maryland. Some ships in that era, would go to a port, load up on trade goods, and then go to another port. We have found no concrete evidence to support that this happened with Peter.
In fact, in the book The Early Settlers of Maryland, Peter Bond is listed as being in Maryland in 1660. We know that this is our ancestor, because he is listed as being from Anne Arundel County, which is in fact where he lived. Of note, there are two other Peter Bond(s) listed as being transported: one in 1653; another 1679. The word transported meant that they were indentured servants of some type. (We wonder if their same name(s) have confused other researchers?) Interestingly, Peter is not listed as being transported, even though we know that he had also been an indentured servant.
Peter Bond detail on page 48/525 of The Early Settlers of Maryland.
Fantastically, some people have proposed that he had a wife and child in England who traveled with him. Then his wife died, unnamed in records. Also, that he had two marriages in Maryland. Again, no concrete evidence of that. (4)
The Maryland Colony
The Maryland Colony was founded for religious reasons, not business reasons.
“The Province began as a proprietary colony of the English Lord Baltimore, who wished to create a haven for English Catholics in the New World at the time of the European wars of religion. Although Maryland was an early pioneer of religious toleration in the English colonies, religious strife among Anglicans, Puritans, Catholics, and Quakers was common in the early years…” Ultimately, due to the influx of the indentured servants, the majority of the population at that time were Protestants, and eventually they supplanted the Catholics.
“…the Province of Maryland developed along very similar lines to Virginia… and, like Virginia, Maryland’s economy quickly became centered on the cultivation of tobacco, for sale in Europe.”
British Roots of Maryland Families, page 61.
We see land ownership in the above passage from the book British Roots of Maryland Families which confirms that both Peter Bond and William Jones received their land under the “headright” system, which was used to attract immigrants to Maryland. From Wikipedia: “Headrights were granted to anyone who would pay for the transportation costs of an indentured laborer. These land grants consisted of 50 acres for someone newly moving to the area and 100 acres for people previously living in the area.” Indentured servants were not allowed to obtain rights to land until their period of service obligations had been met.
A New Map of Virginia, Maryland, And The Improved Parts Of Pennsylvania & New Jersey by Christopher Browne, 1685. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
There is much evidence that Peter, his descendants and associates prospered during their years in Maryland as evidenced by the extensive records of land ownership that still exist — as we wrote in the preface, we knew he had an extensive tobacco plantation. Most of the properties our direct ancestors held were in both Anne Arundel County (AA) and Baltimore County (Bal). To our modern eyes, some of these property names seem both curious and quaint.
Settlers of Maryland, 1679-1783, Consolidated Edition. This book lists various Bond properties in Maryland in the 1679-1783 period, assembled here into one file.
We know that he received some land starting sometime in 1667, as written on page 61 in the book British Roots of Maryland Families. Allen Kerr Bond wrote in The Story of The Bonds of Earth, “Nine years after, he is repaid by the authorities a considerable amount of tobacco (the local currency) for services of a nature not specified; and again, in 1678, for services, not military, to the government in a brief war with the Indians.” Further, “Ten years after this [about 1688], Peter becomes a planter… along the Patapsco [river]… on ‘three hundred and one acres, to be recorded as Bond’s Forest on the rent rolls of Lord Baltimore.’”
“It is difficult to determine where Peter lived in Anne Arundel County because the land records were destroyed in a fire in 1703, but one deed dated 12 JUL 1673 regarding him was brought in when the new court house was built that proves he owned a tract on Swan Point on the north side of the Severn River when he conveyed a 40 acre part of his plantation to James Smith.”
Alan Kerr Bond wrote further, “…in 1698 the boundary between Anne Arundel and the newly formed Baltimore County” shifted, and “Baltimore County had moved to him…” (5)
Peter Bond Marries the Widow, Alice (Cole) Gill Drury
By 1677, Peter Bond was a married man. We haven’t discovered much personal information about him, except for some land records, until his marriage to Alice (Cole) Gill Drury.
Alice’s origins are a mystery. Was she born in England or America approximately between 1650-1655, or earlier? Why was she in Maryland? We first see references to her when she appears in marriage records. Before her marriage to Peter Bond, Alice was married twice. Her first husband was Stephen Gill, Sr. and with him Alice had a son named Stephen Gill, Jr., (born about 1673). Her second husband, William Drury, a widower, left a Will naming Alice as his wife on August 22, 1676. This is proved because Peter & Alice Bond sued Drury’s executor for her share of his estate in June 1678. By the time she married Peter in late 1676 or early 1677 she had been twice widowed with one child.
Peter and Alice were the parents of four sons who are mentioned in his Will:
Peter Bond Jr., born 1676 – died, February 28, 1718
Thomas Bond, born May 26, 1679 – died, December 18, 1755 (We are descended from Thomas).
William Bond, born 1685 – died, August 23, 1742
John Bond, born 1689 – died, April 17, 1720
After Peter’s death Alice Bond was married for the fourth time by May 14, 1707 to Philip Washington. The couple were living apart by 1708 and the following year an agreement appears in the records which states :
“Whereas Philip Washington and Alice, his wife, have joyously consent to separate and live apart…”, etc. — Peter Bond, Jr. posted a (£ One Hundred Sterling) bond that stated he would support his mother.
After a long, and interesting life, Peter Bond, Sr. wrote a Will on August 23, 1704; probated April 28, 1705. This informs us that he died sometime during that period. He had written [concise form] — “I, Peter Bond, being sick and weak in body butt still In sound and perfect memory I make this my last will testamentItem I doe give and bequeth my soul to my Lord god and maker and my body to ye Earth from where It Came Item – I doe Leave my well beloved wife Ealse (Alice) Bond my soule and hole Execkticx [Executrix] Item – I give and bequeth unto forsaid wife my plantation and the land belonging to it during her Life and afterward to my son Peter Bond Item – I give and bequeth to my three sons Thomas William and John Bond Equally divided between them 300 Acres of Land Lying in aforesaid County att the head if bush River as will appears Item – I give and bequeth unto my son Thomas Bond one Cos (cow?)Called Dollor and her hefor Item – I give and bequeth after my wifes desease my personal Effects to be Equally Divided among my three sons Peter William and John further my will is that my two sons William and John be free and to work for them – att ye adge (age) of Eighteene Of hears unto Enter thangably sett my hand and seale ye day and years above written. Peter Bond.” (6)
Was Peter Bond a Quaker?
The proof that Peter Bond, The Immigrant was a Quaker, is pretty thin.
As a group in Britain, the Quakers suffered great abuse for their beliefs, and the progenitor, George Fox spent much of the 1660s jailed. However, he did have adherents who continued to grow the movement. When William Penn in 1681 created the Pennsylvania Colony as a sanctuary for religious freedom and tolerance, thousands of British people immigrated there.
George Fox, English missionary and founder of the Society of Friends (Quakers), preaching in a tavern, c. 1650. (Image courtesy of Encyclopædia Britannica).
“The Religious Society of Friends, also referred to as the Quaker Movement, was founded in England in the 17th century by George Fox. He and other early Quakers, or Friends, were persecuted for their beliefs, which included the idea that the presence of God exists in every person. Quakers rejected elaborate religious ceremonies, didn’t have official clergy and believed in spiritual equality for men and women. Quaker missionaries first arrived in America in the mid-1650s. Quakers, who practice pacifism, played a key role in both the abolitionist and women’s rights movements.”
In April 1649, [Maryland] colonists voted into law An Act Concerning Religion (later known as the Maryland Toleration Act), which granted freedom of worship for all Christians. Although permanently repealed in 1692, the act was one of the first statutes granting religious liberty of any kind and was an important step toward true freedom of religion in the United States.
Quaker missionaries arrived in North America in the mid-1650s. The first was Elizabeth Harris, who visited Virginia and Maryland. By the early 1660s, more than 50 other Quakers had followed Harris. So, Peter Bond was likely aware of the Quaker Movement, but whether or not he was a believer isn’t proven. Among his sons and extended family, there were Quakers, with some even donating land for meeting houses and schools. (7)
Pierce Brosnan as James Bond 007. Since he is an avid genealogist, we consulted with him about the Quaker pedigree of Peter Bond, The Immigrant. (His dubious expression says it all.) Image courtesy of the Guardian.com.
Thomas Bond was The Father of Eight Sons and Two Daughters
Of Peter Bond’s four sons, his son Thomas became regarded as an esteemed, respected citizen of Maryland. He was sometimes written of as Thomas of Emmorton, based upon the community where he lived.
Allen Kerr Bond wrote — “Locating with his two brothers, William and John, lads not yet of age, in the present Harford County, on the three hundred acres of ‘Harris His Trust’ given them by their father, Thomas Bond seems to have put all of his energies into the accumulation of enormous holdings of the fertile forest uplands in that vicinity.” [If you consult the Bond Properties Chart shown above, you will see that this is quite true.]
Thomas was likely very aware of the Society of Friends movement which had been occurring in Great Britain, which also was attracting many immigrants to relocate to the British Colonies, seeking freedom to practice their religious beliefs in peace. Maryland had attracted many believers and the founder of the sect, George Fox, had visited the area in 1672 when Thomas would have been about thirteen years old. It seems there was a lot of Quaker energy present in the area.
Thomas Bond married Anne Robison on September 20, 1770 at All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel, Maryland . Her father may have been a John Robison (or Robinson) and her mother is unknown. Thomas Bond died at ‘Kalmia’, his Emmorton, Maryland estate on December 18, 1755. He may have been buried ‘under a tree’ on his property, however there is no official record of his burial. Anne was born on March 28, 1680 in West River, a community in Anne Arundel County. Her death date is unknown.
Thomas and Anne had a large family of ten children. In order of their births:
Thomas Bond (Jr), born 1703 – died 1781
Peter Bond, born April 28, 1705 – died December 23, 1738
William Bond, born 1708 – died 1769
John Bond, born November 10, 1712 – died March 11, 1786 (We are descended from John).
Sarah Bond, born April 29, 1715 – died, December 12, 1759
Joshua Bond (1), born October 8, 1718 – died March 30, 1720
Ann Bond, born May 29, 1720 – died, August 20, 1720
Jacob Bond, born 1725 – died, November 30, 1780
Daniel Bond, born 1727 – died (by) August 11, 1780
Joshua Bond (2), born 1729 – died, July 8, 1768
Observation: It is probable that John and Anne became Quakers at some point during their marriage. Their headstones probably never existed, because before the mid-19th century Quaker headstones were rare, as they are not in keeping with the plain life.
Unbeknownst to either of us, and as a wonderful surprise, it turns out that two very good friends of ours, the sisters Lessley and Barbara Berry, are our (very) distant cousins. We were friends for many years before we discovered this fact! From our shared ancestor, Thomas Bond, we are descended from two of his sons, John [>Susan and Thomas] and *Jacob [>Lessley and Barbara]. The world can be a small place sometimes.
*Jacob Bond — “The most prominent of the Bonds from the standpoint of Harford history, was Jacob, who died in November, 1780. He was a prominent member of the Committee of Harford County in the Revolution, having been elected by the people, and was captain of Company Eleven, of Harford militia, in the Revolution… Jacob Bond represented Harford County in the convention which met at Annapolis in 1776 and formed the first constitution of the State… He was also one of Harford’s representatives in the Annapolis convention of June 22, 1774, which protested against the tax on tea…” Jacob married Frances Partridge on December 28, 1747 at St. Paul’s Protestant Episcopal Church, Baltimore Co, Maryland.
We know from several records that some of Thomas and Anne’s children became Quakers. It can be taken for granted that those who fought in the early wars were no longer Quakers, and that records show many Bonds within the early Military Records.
History of Harford County, p. 206
Thomas of Emmorton, as he was known, was generous to his fellow Quakers by providing a Friends Meeting House at Fallston, for their worship. These buildings were designed in simple, domestic styles unlike more elaborate church architecture.
History of Harford County, p. 207
Thomas Bond may have been a man of good piety, but it seems that some of his prodigy were, how shall we say, not up to standard. This generation was “the first to backslide and fall under the displeasure of the Friends Meeting.” The offenders are pointed out in the following excerpts (below) of carefully kept records from Maryland Friends Meetings. (8)
What Would These Quaker Ancestors Think About Our Time?
Below is some of the information we found regarding the discipline and dismissal of Bond’s who were Quakers. By today’s standards most of this seems extreme!
“John Bond married out of meeting – dismissed; James Bond – plays the fiddle – disowned; Samuel Bond – joins the Militia disciplined; Ann Bond – gone contrary to principle (pretty bonnet) disciplined; Susannah Bond – taking undue liberties and going to places of diversion and dancing – disowned; Joshua Bond – plays cards – disciplined: John Bond lends a man a gun disciplined; Hannah Bond married by a priest – disowned.” (9)
Gentleman John Bond and His Wife Aliceanna Webster
What was a Gentleman in Colonial Maryland? The Colony of Virginia and the Province of Maryland carried over some of the old social class structures from England, and then remodeled them to fit life in the British Colonies. In England, the lowest level of the Landed Gentry were The Gentlemen. They lived on plantations, and unlike their forebears, they no longer had to work with their own hands. Many were involved in managing their properties and investing in business ventures. After a plantation had been settled for several generations, the Planter would be free to have himself referred to as a Gentleman, or Gentleman Planter, as he wished.
John Bond and Elizanna (Aliceanna) Webster marriage record in the U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, Nottingham Monthly Meeting, page J4.
On May 26, 1734, John Bond married Aliceanna Webster at the Nottingham Meeting of The Society of Friends in Harford County, Maryland. This is our first solid clue of Quakerism in the Bond family. Aliceanna was born on January 21, 1716 and she died on October 13, 1768, aged 52 years. She was the daughter of John Webster and Hannah Butterworth. The Websters and Butterworths played a large role in the settling of Harford County, Maryland.
In addition to raising her large family Aliceanna was highly regarded as a midwife. Here is a transcription by (present day) Thomas Bond of her obituary:
“On the 13th day of Octr. 1768, died Alisanna Bond wife of John Bond of Fells Point, aged 52 years, and on the 18th: was Intsred [Interred] at the Burying Ground of the Quaker Meeting on Bonds Forrest where was a large _____ [?] of that family. She was Youngest Daughter of John Webster Senior, who had many good Qualities and Understood Medicine and Midwifery which she administered without fees or reward. She left 10 children to console her loose [loss] with their Father. give her the fruits of her hands ___ own works ___ praise her.”
Alisanna Bond obituary, courtesy of The Fells Point Story, addendum exhibits at near book’s end, app. page 102.
John and Aliceanna had eleven children. In the order of their births:
Samuel Bond, born January 23, 1736 – died October 19, 1801
Ann (Bond) Fell, born June 27, 1737 – died July 27, 1791
Thomas Bond, born September 29, 1739 – died January 23, 1791
Pamela (Bond) Moore, born May 30, 1740 – died September 28, 1801
Abigail Bond, born May 17, 1741 – died, May 26, 1805
Susanna (Bond) Hunt, born 1742 – died February 14, 1817
Jane Bond, born July 28, 1743 – died, January 30, 1812
William Bond, born March 8, 1746 – died unknown (We are descended from William).
John Bond, born November 30, 1748 – died December 8, 1812
Aliceanna (Bond) Kell, born 1749 – died, May 30, 1767
Hannah (Bond) Johns, is the eleventh child born (unknown) – death (unknown), however, we have her marriage record of January 27, 1757. We find Hannah in her father’s will, (see John Bond footnotes).
Having accrued a degree of wealth, our ancestor Gentleman John Bond lived his life on the plantation, and in the winter, at the Fells Point area of Baltimore. “He was a large land owner and merchant, shipping tobacco from Joppa and Baltimore to England…” He served as a justice of the peace, coroner, judge of the Orphan’s Court (1769-73).
Since he had taken an oath of office, the Quakers were aggrieved with this “going against testimony” and felt it went contrary to their principles. As a consequence, Gentleman John was “finally read out of meeting for his contumacy.” (That word means: stubborn resistance to authority.) He was an investor in not only his plantations, but also in ship building, home construction and mining. Some of his correspondence from his mercantile ventures survive, with one example shown below.
Letter from John Philpot of London to John Bond — April 24, 1766, courtesy of The Fells Point Story, addendum exhibits at near book’s end, app. page 104.
From the Maryland Genealogical and Memorial Encyclopedia —“He was a large land owner and merchant, shipping tobacco from Joppa and Baltimore to England, until he became involved in financial difficulties connected with the Bush River Company, which he and his father-in-law had organized.”
From The Bonds of Earth by Allen Kerr Bond — “Maryland contains a great variety of mineral deposits, which were worked profitably in many of her counties… Exactly when John Bond began to mine this ore, I do not know… Three years later [about 1762], John seems already to be a partner in the Bush River Company, formed by a number of Hartford County gentlemen… In 1773 it was sold out.” They had been mining iron ore (or what they called pig iron), but by 1773, the vein ran out. Prior to this time, “in the colonial days [they]were forbidden to manufacture anything from our iron. We must send the pig iron to England and buy back from that ‘Mother’ country the finished articles we needed; so that British manufacturing business might be built up.”
When the mine failed, Gentleman John found himself in debt for £3000 Stirling. His plantation home was nearly sold at auction, but it was rescued and saved by his son Thomas, “the Methodist”. His will also mentions the Fountain Copper Works, of which he and four other planters were all partners. It was located in Frederick County, not far from the town of Union Bridge. His four planter-partners must have also been English, because it is recorded that the mine closed at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, when the other partners returned to England.
Observations: This makes us wonder if John Bond and some members of his family were torn between loyalty to England, or loyalty to (the new) Maryland. Our family was involved with three groups, all of whom had a stake in the game, as it were… Many colonists were troubled about exorbitant British taxes and frustrated about how they were forced to purchase imported goods that they could have made themselves. They wanted change now. Some of the planter class were worried that their livelihoods were threatened — some wanted change and some wanted the status quo. The Quakers were pacifists, and they were having serious problems with the institution of slavery, and the idea of going to war. Quakerism had started in England, and even though many were persecuted, it was still a confusing period for them.
Eighteen yeas after his beloved wife Aliceanna died John Bond, Gentleman, died on March 11, 1786 in Harford County, Maryland.
John and Aliceanna’s daughter Ann married Edward Fell on November 2, 1758. They were first cousins as he was the son of William and Sarah (Bond) Fell. (Sarah was a younger sister of John Bond). The Fells were the original settlers of Fells Point in Baltimore. Edward and Ann lived at Fells Point and were very active in beginning to develop it as a place to live. He died six short years after their marriage and the birth of their son, William Fell. William was born on August 28, 1759 and died, unmarried, on October 6, 1786.
After Edward’s death Ann, with the help of her father, Gentleman John Bond, was heavily involved in the continued development of Fells Point. At this time in colonial history it was unusual for a woman to develop land or a community. To this day their is a Bond Street and an Aliceanna Street in Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland. Further, “…200 years ago, it was one of colonial America’s biggest seaports, one that played a key role in thwarting the British during the War of 1812.”
In 1744 Ann (Bond) Fell married James Giles and they had three children together. Ann died in 1791 in Baltimore County, Maryland. (10)
Portrait of Ann Bond Fell by John Hesselius, (1728 – 1778). (Image courtesy of The National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC).
The William and Sarah (Wrongs) Bond Family
In this generation, with this particular family, the historical record gets a bit sparse. This has required us to make some inferential observations when we lack a direct record.
William Bond was the eighth child of John and Aliceanna Bond. His first seven siblings were all born in quick, nearly unbroken succession, and then after his sister Jane, there was a pause before we meet William. That’s a lot of siblings, and there were three more after William. In general, it seems they all lived long lives. All except for William, which we will get to in a bit.
William and Sarah Wrongs were married on November 16, 1771, in St. George’s Parish Baltimore County, Maryland. St. George’s, also known as the Spesutia Parish… [was] the oldest Episcopal parish in Maryland. [The Episcopal Church describes itself “Protestant, yet Catholic” and claims apostolic succession, tracing its bishops back to the apostles via holy orders… The Episcopal Church was formally separated from the Church of England in 1789 so that American clergy would not be required to accept the supremacy of the British monarch.]
Observation:The fact that they were married in a parish that was an Anglican order, and Episcopalian in its practice, points to the strong possibility that she might have been British and baptized into the Church of England. We have found a record in the papers of All Saints Wakefield Cathedral, West Yorkshire, England, which is part of the Church of England that may be a record of Sarah Wrongs birth. We have not found a birth record for her in America, and we first meet her when she marries William Bond.
Sarah D: of Robt Brook Wrongs [Sarah, daughter of Robert Brook Wrongs]. Baptismal record from Wakefield All Saints Cathedral, dated March 12, 1747.South East View of the Parish Church of All Saints Wakefield, aquatint, by I. Cawthorn, circa 1807. Courtesy of The British Library.
When William married Sarah, it did not sit well with the Quakers. They had an expectation that partners would be selected from within their own community, certainly at the meeting house. In 1772, the Society of Friends, upset with both William and his brother Thomas for their marriages, removed them from participation in the Society of Friends.
Excerpted from Quaker meeting notes from the Gunpowder Monthly Meeting, Baltimore County, Maryland. (What is shown below below are from the bottom of one page, and the top of the next page).
“Where as Thomas and William Bond (sons of John Bond) have had a Birthright Among us the People Called Quakers but they having gone out in Marriage to Women of Other Professions Contrary to the good Order used Amongst Friends, Which Mission = doest [?] of theirs we Testify Against and Disown them from being any longer members of Our Society, unlike they Condemn their outgoing to the satisfaction of this Meeting and that their Conduct For later may Render them Worthy of Our Notice and Christian Care is Our Desire. Given forth from Our Monthly Meeting Held at Gunpowder the 25th of the 3rd month 1772. [March 25, 1772]”
We next find William and Sarah in the Maryland Preliminary Census of 1776 which lists both of them as 30 years old. At that time, it was “taken for the purpose of setting Maryland’s quota for a tax to support the Revolutionary War.” We have not been able to identify the other people who are listed with them on this census.
Maryland Records, 1776 Harford County, Bush River Lower census cover sheet and p. 127
William and Sarah were the parents of four children:
John Bond, born, 1772 – died, unknown
Abigail (Bond) Everist, born 1776 – died, unknown
Edward Fell Bond, born March 4, 1777 – died, February 20, 1822 (We are descended from Edward Fell).
Jane (Bond) Bradford, born 1782 – died, January 7, 1860
William Bond, being a child of the planter class, had inherited property from his father John Bond, the Gentleman. We don’t know much about his and Sarah’s life together at this point, simply because no records have been located. We can however, infer some things about William…
Observation:Even though the Quakers seriously rebuked him, we think that he may have still retained some of their pacifist tendencies. Alan Kerr Bond wrote in The Bonds of Earth, that William “was a non-associator in 1775 and 1776; yet like others in Quaker families who would not take up arms, he may have later become county magistrate…”
Like his father John Bond, William chose to disregard the Quaker prohibition against taking oaths, and we locate him as the probable “the worshipful William Bond” administering the Oath of Fidelity and Support to mustered militia men from Harford County. From Wikipedia: The term Non-Associators was applied to American colonists who refused to support and sign “military association” charters.
Also from Wikipedia: “In 1777, all Maryland voters were required to take the Oath of Fidelity and Support. This was an oath swearing allegiance to the state of Maryland and denying allegiance and obedience to Great Britain. As enacted by the Maryland General Assembly in 1777, all persons holding any office of profit or trust, including attorneys at law, and all voters were required to take the oath no later than March 1, 1778.”
Alan Kerr Bond identified William as a probable magistrate, which was defined in colonial times as “…the major figure in the colonial court system… the magistrate (a local official with limited power), often called justice of the peace or, simply, judge. This person mostly dealt with petty (minor) crimes in his local area.” Further, dictionary.com defines worshipful as —Worshipful, British. a formal title of honor used in announcing or mentioning certain highly regarded or respected persons.
Observation: William saw his father John suffer at the burden of British taxes on his tobacco and sugar shipments. He may have felt a need to do what he could to support and help create a new Maryland? Perhaps he felt being a magistrate was a non-violent way to participate in the cause?
Some ‘Quakers’ took up arms against the British, but some did not. Pacifist Quakers were treated with some disdain by their neighbors during and after the Revolutionary War. There are two other men named William Bond from other Maryland Counties, which we found records for, which have survived. It seems likely that our William Bond, unlike the others, never took up arms, but had found a social balance between engagement and pacifism to sustain himself and his family. (11)
The Kentucky Mystery
The rise of maintaining family histories through family bibles, journal stories, and embroidered family trees has had a long history. First, in the British Colonies, and then in the subsequent United States. By the 1800s, some families started cataloging their ancestors as a way to create their own history — “…some Americans came to see the process of learning one’s family history as a moral endeavor—a person could learn much from what her ancestors had done right or wrong… Even before the Civil War, there was ‘lineage consciousness’ among those descended from elite colonial families, who used their descent from ‘high’ birth to justify and enforce their higher social rank.”
We agree that some of these records can be filled with rich information, but you always need to verify your sources. In our research on our family lines, we have encountered two Daughters of the American Revolution publications which have asked us to call into question if they are accurate. Both state that William Bond “was killed by Indians on his way to Kentucky.”We believe that this is an error, and that this mistake has been perpetuated through several other subsequent publications.
Records were kept by the new United States Confederation which documented in careful detail who was entitled to land (due to their war service), in new frontier areas (like Kentucky). William Bond’s name does not appear on any of these records, nor does his wife’s name appear on any war service pension records.
The fate of William Bond and Sarah Wrongs is a mystery. (This aspect of our family history will still continue to be researched). We know what happened with their four children. We are descended from their son Edward Fell Bond.(For more about his story, see The Bond Line — Part Six). Their daughter, Jane (Bond) Bradford’s son went on to have a high profile role in Maryland history. (12)
Where are William and Sarah Bond hiding?
Jane (Bond) Bradford and Her Famous Son Augustus
Edward Fell Bond’s younger sister Jane Bond, married Samuel Bradford on July 21, 1803 in Harford County. Their son, Augustus Williamson Bradford was born on January 9, 1806, in Bel Air, Maryland, a community near Baltimore.
Augustus was a law school graduate; politically first a Whig and then a Democrat. He was elected Governor of Maryland and served from January 8, 1862 – January 10, 1866 (essentially the length of the Civil War). As Governor, he was a staunch Union supporter and a fierce opponent of slavery.
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), Maryland, a slave state, was one of the border states, straddling the South and North. Despite some popular support for the cause of the Confederate States of America, Maryland did not secede during the Civil War. Across the state, some 50,000 citizens signed up for the military, with most joining the Union Cause. Approximately 5,000 citizens went south to fight for the Confederacy. This was a rough period for Maryland, because as a border state, it saw much conflict, due to military activity and unrest among a conflicted population.
Augustus Williamson Bradford, circa 1855-65, Photograph by Mathew Brady. (Image courtesy of The Library of Congress).
In April 1864, both President Lincoln and Governor Augustus Bradford spoke at a fair in Baltimore, Maryland, which was held to raise funds for the welfare of Union soldiers. Certainly then, they knew each other.
Three months later — “During the War, the Confederates invaded Maryland three times. During the last of these, Bradley T. Johnson’s raiders visited Bradford’s home in July of 1864, and during his absence, burned it to the ground together with all his furniture, library, and papers.” Learning this, it’s regrettable how much information from our family history was likely lost.
Augustus Williamson Bradford died in Baltimore on March 1, 1881, at the age of seventy-six.
Historical marker in Maryland concerning our distant relative. (Photo courtesy of civilwarquilts.blogspot.com).
About nine months later, on April 14, 1865 the actor John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Booth was a Marylander and a Confederate sympathizer.
Memory:In March 1975, we traveled with our parents to Washington, D.C., to see the historical sites in anticipation of the approaching 1976 Bicentennial year. Among the memories was a visit to Ford’s Theatre and the upstairs bedroom across the street where Lincoln had died. At that time, we knew next to nothing about our family history. (13)
Unused Ticket for Ford’\’s Theatre April 14, 1865(The night Lincoln was assassinated there). Image courtesy of http://www.shapell.org
Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, Notes, and Observations
Maryland State Archives — Guide to Government Records Understanding Maryland Records Money https://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/viewer.aspx?page=money Note: For the data, “Because coined and printed money were in short supply during the early Colonial period, records frequently showed payments being made in pounds of tobacco”.
The Widening Gate Bristol and the Atlantic Economy, 1450-1700 by David Harris Sacks University of California Press UC Press E-Books Collection, 1982-2004 >The Capitalism of the Spirit, 1650–1700 > A Shoemakers’ Holiday https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft3f59n8d1&chunk.id=d0e20595&toc.id=ch8&toc.depth=1&brand=ucpress;query=Tilley&anchor.id=d0e20643#X Note: Footnote 8 references BRO… Bristol Record Office, Common Council Proceedings, Vol. 5, p. 72, with this text: “all Boyes Maides and other persons which for the future shall be transported beyond the Seas as servants… before their going aship board to have their Covenants or Indentures of service and apprenticeship inrolled in the Tolzey booke as other Indentures of apprenticeship are and haue used to be and that noe Master or other officer whatsoever of any ship or vessell shall (before such inrolment be made) receive into his or their ship or vessell or therein permit to be transported beyond the Seas such Boyes Maides or other persons”.
The Bristol Registry of Servants Sent to Foreign Plantations 1654-1686
(3)— four records
An indenture signed by Henry Mayer, with an “X”, in 1738. This contract bound Mayer to Abraham Hestant of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who had paid for Mayer to travel from Europe. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indenturecertificate.jpg Note: For the sample contract.
The Early Settlers of Maryland; an index to names of immigrants compiled from records of land patents, 1633-1680, in the Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland https://archive.org/details/earlysettlersofm00skor/page/n5/mode/2up by Gust Skordas, John M, Brewer, Arthur Trader Book page: 16 and 48, Digital Pages: 16 and 48/525 Note 1: Page 48/525 which list: our Peter, other Peter(s), and other Bonds. Note 2: Our Peter is from Anne Arundel County and immigrated in 1660.
Peter Bond Marries the Widow, Alice (Cole) Gill Drury
(6)— five records
WikiTree Peter Bond (abt. 1636 – bef. 1705) https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bond-340 Note: Some smaller details in this link do not agree with other reliable sources.
WikiTree Alice (Cole) Washington (abt. 1638 – aft. 1708) Alice Cole, Washington (abt. 1638 – aft. 1708) https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bond-340 Note:Some smaller details in this link do not agree with other reliable sources.
Rhinehart & Bassett Family Tree Peter Bond’s probated Will from 1705: http://www.bassett.net/gendata-o/p10576.htm and from the: Maryland Calendar of Wills: by Jane Cotten, Roberta Bolling Henry, Eleanor Janet Whitall https://archive.org/details/marylandcalendar03cott/page/n107/mode/2up?q=bond Book page: 49, Digital page: 108/680 Bond, Peter, Balto. Co., 23rd Aug., 1704; 28th Apr., 1705. “To wife Alice, extx., plantation and land during life; to pass to son Peter and hrs. at her decease. To sons Thomas, William and John, 300 A. at hd. of Bush R. To sons afsd., residue of estate afsd. at decease of wife. Sons William and John to be of age at 18 yrs.” Test: Lancelott Todd, John Lockett, Wm. Felps. 3. 451
Encyclopædia Britannica Society of Friends https://www.britannica.com/topic/Society-of-Friends Note: Describes as, “George Fox, English missionary and founder of the Society of Friends (Quakers), preaching in a tavern, c. 1650”.
Sarah Brown Bond https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63562855/sarah-bond Note: This gravesite is noted on this blog only for this specific quotation: “Quaker headstones before the mid-19th century are rare, as they are not in keeping with the plain life.”
What Would These Quaker Ancestors Think About Our Time?
The Fells Point Story by Norman G. Rukert, 1976 https://www.rukert.com/docs/FellsPointStory1976.pdf From a section with our direct page numbers, titled “Bond and Fell Papers” – app. page 102, Alisanna Bond obituary, courtesy of Brown’s Wharf Museum. – app. page 104, Letter from John Philpot in London…, courtesy of Brown’s Wharf Museum.
Wilson Cary notes on the Bond family* https://usgenwebsites.org/MDBaltimore/family/bondresearchnotes.html Note: These files migrated to ancestry.com when the company was acquired. We have not been able to relocate them there — however, *we did locate this data (copied below), in 2024.
John Bond of Harford Co [County] Lud [land} to be div [divided amongst] his 3 sons Samuel — John — & William 5$ ea. & no more of his R&P. est. [right & proper estate].
— To gr. son John Bond (s. Thomas) [son of Thomas] that pl. [plantation] of “Bonds Forest” where I now dwell adj. [adjoining] Jacob Rush & Wm Tnuch [?] – Wm Baxler, Spring branch Falls – including Enoch William land & Benj Lancaster ld [land] — ½ & cd [called] “Fountain Copper Mines”, ½ of the pl [plantation of resurv. [resurveyed] next adj. [adjoining] that I now hold wh. [which] is the 1/3 pl [plantation] thereof of & the other pls [plantations] that has fallen to the company by any means so ever (being a copper mine in Feda Co. [Frederick County] — also ½ of my lots w.s. [west-south of?] Thames St [Street] Fells Pt [Point] — wh. [which] prop. [property] is to be left in the hands of my son Thomas for [the] bringing up & ed. [educating] of my grand son John Bond (s. of Thos) [son of Thomas] till 21 & then to be put in full pos. [possession]
— to gr. Son [grandson] Thomas Bond (s.Thomas) [son of Thomas] ½ of sd [said] Fountain Copper Mines & ½ Thames St Lots & so on as above
— to gr. Son William Bd [grand son William Bond] (s. Samuel) [son of Samuel] 5A.[?] on Great Road W. the Quaker Meeting house & adj [adjoining] Wm Smith Esq [Esquire]
— Dau [daughter] Alesanna Kell (ux [wife of] Thomas Kell) the plant [plantation] where as she now lives being 2 t. [tracts] of ld cd [land called] 2d Thory pt [Thorny Point?] & 2d T. [?] improved & all that pl [plantation] of Bonds Pleast[ant] Hills that lies adj [adjoining] Prospect & Capt[ain] Thos Kell’s ld [land] & what I have before given her & no money of my est. [estate] whatever
— to my dau [daughter] Hannah Johns ux [wife of] (Aquilla) 20₤.
— Dau [daughter] Susanna Hunt (ux [wife of] Phineus) ₤50.
— Gr Dau [Grand daughter] Alisana Lockwood ₤50.
— Dau [daughter] Pameula Moore (ux [wife of William) of Balt[imore]town my ho. [house?] on Fells Pt Cd [Fells Point called] & known by name of The Coffee House and also 1 lot wh. [with] improvements & house built by Hy Carver E.S. Thames St
— Gr. Son [Grandson] John Bond (s. Wm) [son of William] pt [plantation] of l. cd [lands called] “Bonds Forest” where Wm [William] Bond now lives & all the ld [land] that lies betw [between 2 brs [branches or brooks] Overshot & old Ives Spring Branch down to the Falls & over to the Bond’s Forest line
— To Gr son [Grandson] EdwD [Edward] Fell Bond (s. Wm) [son of William] the pl [plantation] of (cont. [containing] 2nd Page 4a) Bonds Forest where the Strandfords now live – ho [?] & orchard estb [established] at 100A [acres} – also t. [tract] where Amos Jones lives 65A. [acres]
— Gr son [Grandson] John Bond Fell (s. Thomas) [son of Thomas] pl [plantation] Bonds Pleast[ant] Hills where Iona Ady now lives estd 100A. [acres]
— Frnd [Friend? Quaker?] Isaac Everett l. [lots] where he now lives bdg [bordering] on Olojues Sp’g br. – [branch or brook]
Exrs [executors] — son Thomas Bond (surv. exr [surveyed executor] at probate) & — s.-1. c [said 1 called] Capt Thos Kell [Captain Thomas Kell] – Bro Jno Bond [Brother John ]
wits [witnesses] — George Rush — Enoch Williams (Quaker) — Benj Rush Jr. (Quaker)
*As stated above, we located this data in 2024: Baltimore County MDGenWeb, BOND Family Research Notes Bond Family Notes of Wilson Cary, Found in Maryland Historical Society Transcribed by Lawrence E. Alley https://usgenwebsites.org/MDBaltimore/family/bondresearchnotes.html Note: This transcription may not match this original transcription exactly… Transcription of John Bond, Gentleman’s Will based on Wilson Carey content and annotations, written in 1786:
“John Bond of HarfordCo lud to be div his 3 sons Samuel – John – & William 5$ ea. & no more of his R&P. est. To gr. son John Bond (s. Thomas) that pl. of “Bonds Forest” where I now dwell adj. Jacob Rush & Wm Tnuch? – Wm Baxler, Spring branch Falls – including Enoch William land & Benj Lancaster ld – ½ & cd? “Forunlain? Copper Mines”, ½ of the pl of resurv. next adj. that I now hold wh. is the 1/3 pl thereof of & the other pls that has fallen to the company by any means so ever (being a copper mine in Feda Co. – also ½ of my lots w.s. Thames St Fells Pt – wh. prop. is to be left in the hands of my son Thomas for bringing up & ed. of my grand son John Bond (s. of Thos) till 21 & then to be put in full pos. To gr. Son Thomas Bond (s.Thomas) – ½ of sd Forulain? Copper Mines & ½ Thames St Lots & so on as above – to gr. Son William Bd (s. Samuel) 5A. on Great Road W. the Quaker Meeting house & adj Wm Smith Esq – Dau Alesanna Kell (ux Thomas Kell) the plant where as she now lives being 2 t. of ld cd 2d Thory pt & 2d T. improved & all that pl of Bonds Pleast Hills that lies adj Prospect & Capt Thos Kell’s ld & what I have before given her & no money of my est. whatever – to my dau Hannah Johns ux (Aquilla) 20₤. Dau Susanna Hunt (ux Phineus) ₤50. Gr Dau Alisana Lockwood ₤50. Dau Pameula Moore (ux Wm) of Balt. town my ho. on Fells Pt Cd & known by name of The Coffee House and also 1 lot wh. improvements & house built by Hy Carver E.S. Thames St – Gr. Son John Bond (s. Wm) pt of l. cd “Bonds Forest” where Wm Bond now lives & all the ld that lies betw 2 brs Overshot & old Ives Spring Branch down to the Falls & over to the Bond’s Forest line – To Gr son EdwD Fell Bond (s. Wm) the pl of (cont. 2nd Page 4a) Bonds Forest where the Strandfords now live – ho & orchard estb at 100A – also t. where Amos Jones lives 65A. – Gr son – John Bond Fell (s. Thomas) pl Bonds Pleast Hills where Iona Ady now lives estd 100A. Frnd Isaac Everett l. where he now lives bdg on Olojues Sp’g br. –
Exrs son Thomas Bond (surv. exr at probate) & s.-1. c Capt Thos Kell – Bro Jno Bond.
wits George Rush. Enoch Williams (Quaker). Benj Rush Jr. (Quaker)”
Maryland Records Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources Volume II http://www.grasslandfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Maryland-Records-II.pdf Book page: 122, for 1776 Hartford County, Bush River Lower Hundred census Book page: 236, for Harford County, Oaths of Fidelity, March Court, 1778 “The Worshipful William Bond’s Returns”
Sarah Wrongs in the North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 D > Daughters of the American Revolution > Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 021 : 1897 https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1946106:61157 Book page: 236, Digital Pages: 249/418 Note 1: Lineage Book, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, volume LXXXVII, 20001-21000, published 1897, Entry 20672 Note 2: We believe that this history in in error, and that this did not happen: “…and was killed by Indians on his way to Kentucky.”
Civil War Quilts Quilts & Women’s History Focusing on the American Civil War by Barbara Brackman Maryland State Historical Marker (photo) http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/2020/01/baltimore-marylands-sanitary-fair-union.html Note: Historical marker in Maryland concerning our distant relative. Photo caption, “Co-Chair Elizabeth Kell Bradford (1818-1894) was Governor Augustus Bradford’s wife. The family was enough of a Union symbol that Confederate troops burned their house a month or two after the fair in the closest raid the South made to Baltimore”.
Our Ancestors, Our Narratives 
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