Tree
Talk by Ed Wright
November 11, 2003, Column Two
In the coming
months, we're going to to be adding Ed's musings and advice on genealogical research in the mid-Atlantic area to our website in the form of a
newsletter.
The intention
of our newsletter is to appraise you of on-going projects being worked
on by our genealogists and authors in the mid-Atlantic region; to
inform you of planned events of interest to genealogists; and to discuss
various aspects of the records and methods which may help you learn
more about your ancestor.
Of course, our goals will evolve as time passes and we receive feedback
from you the reader. The price is right. We encourage your comments.
QUAKER MINUTES CAN SOLVE PROBLEMS
In abstracting the Quaker records of Cecil Monthly Meeting and Third Haven Monthly Meeting I was surprised to find a number of marriages referenced for which there was no recorded marriage in the registers.
Sometimes only the intent of marriage was announced leaving us to wonder if the marriage was actually accomplished - and in a remarkable number of cases the marriage was announced as orderly accomplished in the minutes without any recording in the register that the marriage had taken place. My guess is that the clerk who recorded the minutes and the person appointed to keep the register of marriages and births had not kept each other informed.
Finding one of these “missing marriages” helped clarify a question we ran into on page 289 of Colonial Families of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We can see from the will of Howell Powell dated 21 July 1739 that his last wife was named Sarah. The first recorded birth was for a child was b. 1719.
The question arises, which Howell Powell married Sarah Edmondson?
Sarah Edmondson, dau. of James Edmondson, m. 2nd da., 8th mo., 1718, Howell Powell, at Treadhaven Meeting House. {TATH}
The minutes reveal another marriage [not recorded in the registers] of another Howell Powell to another Sarah Edmondson:
With this information I was able to discern the identity of each couple.
On 29th da., 2nd mo., 1743 Howell Powell and Sarah Edmondson declared their intentions to marry. On 28th da., 5th mo., 1743 the marriage of Howell Powell was reported as accomplished in good order. {TATH}
DELAWARE IN THE WAR OF 1812
Events in Delaware
The United States declared war on Great Britain on 18 June 1812. In response the British government proclaimed a blockade of the Delaware and Chesapeake bays on 26 Dec 1812. The British Fleet arrived at Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 4 Feb 1813 and later deployed some naval units to the mouth of the Delaware Bay. The threat of the British fleet off the coast of the Delaware Bay and River necessitated an active militia in Delaware.
Active operations on the Delaware by the British were not begun until March 1813. In anticipation, precautionary measures were taken by Delaware officials in late 1812 to guard against incursions by the enemy. The Delaware Legislature met in special session at Dover on 9 November 1812.
“The Governor announced that six hundred muskets, with bayonets and all the equipments necessary, had been delivered to the militia, and the remaining three hundred contracted for were ready for delivery. In addition to these, the state received five hundred stands of arms from the government and equipments for five hundred muskets, as its quota in the general distribution of 1812, pursuant to the act of Congress of 23 April 1808, for arming the whole body of the militia of the United States.” {History of Delaware by J. Thomas Scharf:285}
A build up of arms and munitions continued. In 1813, 250 stands of arms received from the government were sent to Wilmington and 250 to New Castle and 150 to Lewes (Lewistown), along with equipments and ammunition. Five hundred muskets, held by the superintendent of military stores at Philadelphia, were also distributed to New Castle, Smyrna, Milton, and Milford. In February of 1813 Delaware reported 7,451 militia men consisting of 6,475 infantry and the remainder in artillery, cavalry and riflemen.
The British squadron first appeared in the Chesapeake Bay on 4 February off Hampton Roads, Virginia. The fleet consisted of four 74-gun vessels, along with frigates, brigs and schooners. Shortly thereafter the Poictiers, the Belvidera and several smaller vessels, all under the command of Commodore Beresford, were sent to blockade the Delaware. By early March the Delaware Bay and River were in a state of complete blockade. The enemy began committing depredations along both sides of the bay, capturing and destroying small craft.
On 16 March 1813 Commodore Beresford sent the following letter to Lewes:
-
His Britannic Majesty’s ship, Poictiers. In the mouth of the Delaware, March 16.
Sirs: - As soon as you receive this I must request you send twenty live bullocks with a proportionate quantity of vegetables and hay to the Poictiers for the use of his Britannic Majesty’s squadron, now at this anchorage, which shall be immediately paid for at the Philadelphia prices. If you refuse to comply with this request, I shall be under the necessity of destroying your town.
I have the honor to be, Sir, your ob’t servant
J. P. Beresford, Commodore... “
Following the refusal to comply with the request the fleet began bombardment of Lewes on 6 April. The British fired nearly 800 thirty-two and eighteen-pound shot into the town in addition to shells and congreve rockets. The bombardment lasted 22 hours. On the afternoon of the 7th, sailors from the fleet attempted to land in a small boat but were beaten back by the militia at the beach. On the 8th the fleet withdrew having inflicted some damage to a few houses. None of the citizens of Lewes or its defenders were injured. A few weeks later, the Governor discharged the militia defending Lewes, with the exception of a company of the inhabitants of the area who manned the batteries, and a small detachment of cavalry.
Defensive measures continued throughout the State, strongly influenced by the attack on Lewes. Fort Union was built at Wilmington, commanding the Christiana. Gun-boats patrolled the area around Bombay Hook.
Commodore Beresford’s squadron sailed for Bermuda late in April, leaving the Statira and the Spartan, frigates, and the Martin, sloop-of-war, with some tenders and barges. On 29 May this contingency set sail up the Delaware. Militia expresses were sent out to alarm the country and activate militia units. The Philadelphia Independent Blues were ordered to march from Camp Staunton to New Castle. Other company stood ready. The British forces moved as far up the bay as Reedy Island, where they captured and burned some shallops and small craft, and the returned down the bay.
In response to the British threat, militia companies were marched from Philadelphia: Philadelphia Blues, Capt. Henry Myers; Independent Volunteers, Capt. Samuel Borden; and the Washington Guards. Each company consisted of 100 privates, 15 officers and 2 musicians. In four days they reached Staunton, on the Baltimore road, 6 miles below Wilmington. Here a permanent encampment was formed under the command of General Bloomfield. These and other militia units were continually re-positioned while British vessels remained in the Delaware Bay and River. By the 28th of July most of the militia had been discharged.
On 21 April 1813, an alarm was spread among the people living in the vicinity of Little Creek when the British schooner Pilgrim anchored off the creek and sent a barge with 22 men up as far as Taylor’s Gut.
In December a barge belonging to the British sloop Jason entered Milford Creek with a lieutenant and 7 men, and captured 2 shallops. They were cut off, however, and taken prisoners by the militia.
On 20 June 1814 the British frigate Nieman sent several barges with 60 men into Indian River, burning two or three coasters and shallops loaded with lumber, and securing a ransom for two others. Governor Rodney ordered a company of 50 men to Lewes to assist Captain Holland in defending the surrounding country. In July the Secretary of War, in compliance with continued requests from the Governor of Delaware, authorized the Governor to station a company of detached militia at Lewes under Major Charles Hunter.
The Militia
Units were called out during above events and in other situations in which there was an alarm, predicated on the movement of the British fleet up and down the Chesapeake.Every white male, 18 to 45 was subject to serve in the militia with few exceptions. Some African Americans served, probably voluntarily - in addition to servants.
The Militia Organization
The militia organization of Delaware appears to have been organized in the following manner:
1st Brigade (New Castle Co.):
At least two troops of cavalry
1st, 2nd and 3rd Regiments
2nd Brigade (Kent Co.):
A troop of cavalry
Capt. Holland’s Artillery Company
Capt. Davis’s Artillery Company
4th, 5th and 6th Regiments
3rd Brigade (Sussex Co.):
Captain Rodney’s Artillery Company
1 or 2 troops of cavalry
7th, 8th, 9th and 10th Regiments
It was this organization, or something similar to it, that formed the basis of the militia. In addition to these units special units (such as so-called Select companies) were formed to meet various contingencies.
Veterans Benefits
Following the war the congress and the individual states provided some benefits to the veterans, not only for the regulars but to those of the militia who served a few weeks or more. The majority of the militia benefitted from the warrants for bounty land issued to militia veterans who met the criteria as determined by the War Department. These warrants were issued to veterans, their widows or infant children, in 1850 and 1855. Later pensions were authorized by Congress in 1871 and 1878.Applications by the veterans or their widows contain such information as the unit in which he served, the period he served, where he served, special circumstances and helpful genealogical data such as date of marriage, name of minister, names of persons who attended the wedding, and names of previous spouses. In the rare instances when the veteran died leaving children who were still minors at the time of the application, the names of the children and their dates of birth would be included in the application made by their representatives.
New Book on the Delaware Militia
A new book listing the militia members of Delaware is now available. It is titled The Delaware Militia in the War of 1812, by Henry C. Peden, Jr. (Catalog # D129 - $29.00 plus shipping.)This book has been compiled for the singular purpose of identifying the soldiers from the State of Delaware who served in the militia during the War of 1812 between June 19, 1812 and February 18, 1815. It should be a useful tool for those descendants who wish to join either the Society of the War of 1812 or the U. S. Daughters of 1812.
The primary source consulted for this book was Delaware Archives, Military Records, Volumes 4 and 5, which contain hundreds of muster and pay rolls for each of the three Delaware counties. Information was gleaned from each list and the soldiers' names have been arranged alphabetically herein, as have the names of others mentioned within the text; thus, a separate name index was not necessary.
Information about each soldier includes his name, rank, company, regiment, dates and places of service, county of residence, and occasional notes on discipline, discharge, and other actions. In cases where the soldier's name appeared more then once, either in different companies or in different counties, additional research will be necessary in order to distinguish one soldier from the other.
Furthermore, the soldiers and their widows who lived long enough to apply for pensions when they became available by Act of Congress in 1871 have been identified. Of the approximately 6,700 men who served in the Delaware militia, Peden has identified 75 who received pensions (about 1.1% of the total) in addition to 140 widows. Their claim numbers are included herein.
This listing not only helps determine the service of the subject of his research but armed with this information you may pursue a search for the bounty land application. Some of the bounty land files were merged with the pension files. Unfortunately, the file of bounty land claims is not indexed. In order to locate the file one must first determine the name of the regiment, and/or the name of the colonel who commanded the regiment plus the name of the company captain. This can be determined from Peden's new book.
To request the bounty land file from the National Archives, you must submit NA Form 14027. You can get this form from the National Archives.
There are three blocks you can check on the form: service, bounty land, and pensions. Remember: identify your veteran with the name of his company captain and the number or name of the regiment if possible.
Even if your veteran's application was rejected, the application (submitted by him, his widow or a representative) will be in the file. What's in the file? Maybe only what I have described above - but there could also be other unforseen items such as a page torn from the Family Bible, comments by a neighbor, or an inquiry by a descendant in later years. Check it out.
Projects
Delaware
Kent County Guardian Account Series This project is clipping along.
Sussex County Wills, 1801-1812. Available early next year.
Maryland
Early Settlers of St. Mary’s County. Elise Jourdan has nearly completed her manuscript. We antipicate publication in early February 2004.Maryland Bible Records, Volume 4: Eastern Shore. Available the first part of 2004, perhaps sooner.
Colonial Families of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Volume 18. This volume focuses on Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester Counties. Ralph Riggin is currently working on the families of Pollitt and Maddux. Mitch Jones of Jacksonville, FL is updating his work on the Jones family of Old Somerset and Sussex Co., Delaware. Vernon Skinner has offered to help with other branches of the Jones family. We also plan to cover the families of Blades, Hall, Nelson, Nicholson, Phillips, Pitts, Price, Ralph/Relph, Robertson, Shiles, Spence, Stevens, Summers and Winder.
New Jersey
Early Church Records of Monmouth County. Anna Watring is putting the finishing touches on this one.
Colonial Families of Gloucester County. We expect to have a volume sometime next year (2004).
Virginia
Accomack and Northampton County families. This project has stalled for the moment until we come up with a method of converting existing research into our standard format. More information in our next column.Colonial Families of Westmoreland County. Work is progressing well on this one. We may have something in print by late spring of 2004. We anticipate several volumes. A great deal of information is available. We just have to digest it all.
Pennsylvania
Colonial Families of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Dorothy Clark has begun work on this project.The Records of St. Michaels and Zion of Philadelphia translated by Robert Hess. We hope to have the first volume out early next year.
We also hope to get started on a volume of Lehigh County Church records shortly.
Land Records We have our eye on a project expanding coverage of land records of York County, Chester County and Delaware County.
-EW
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