Happy 250th America! Remembering my Revolutionary Ancestors

Carmen Johnson - 1976

 As we celebrate 250 years as a country, I have spent a bit of time thinking about past celebrations.  I am old enough to remember the bicentennial (I was 10.)  My Mom made me a Betsy Ross costume (see photo above) and my brother was Uncle Sam.  We both marched in the Orchards Blossom festivalparade.  (Doesn’t exist any more)  We didn’t celebrate the 4^th watching fireworks, we were camping and it was a momentus personal day.  I got up on water skis for the first time and caught a 14 inch trout off the boat. 

Dad and I have spent a lot of time the past few weeks watching Revolutionary War documentaries.  As a student of history, I am aware of many of the various battles and events of the Revolutionary period…however it has been fun to do a more serious deep dive.  Personally, I would advise anyone who has interest in history to first read James McCullough’s John Adams which I personally think is the finest biography I have ever read.  The mini series done on HBO was excellent as well.  I have always found John Adams to be one of the most interesting and important figures in that time period.  I would agree he wasn’t the best President…but as one of our founding fathers, I am not sure he has gotten the credit that he deserves.  We probably have more information about him because of the wealth of letters between he and his wife Abigail Adams – who was probably as brilliant as her husband.  If you look at the founding fathers with a modern eye…most of them have feet of clay.  They were powerful men – many were slaveowners or wealthy merchants.  Most had a college education.  While the Declaration of Independence isn’t perfect  - it set the foundatioin for our country.  It would take the Civil War to start to get rid of the stain of slavery.  However, if you understand the time period – you realize what a remarkable thing it was for 13 colonies to unanimously declare Independence from Britain.  It was David going against Goliath. 

This year will probably be spent with family which is the way it should be.  I will likely go and watch our local fireworks as well.  The majority of my family were here before the mid 1700’s.  The last immigrant that I know about was 1810 from Ireland.  I have Mayflower ancestors and it turns out that I have at least 17 members of my ancestry who served in the Revolutionary War if I look at both sides of my family.  I am sure there were others.

Paternal Side

 Col. Nathan Gallup fought in the Revolutionary War.  (6^th great grandfather)

John Macomber fought on the Massachusetts line despite being a Quaker. (6^th great grandfather)

 Abel Willey – fought in the a company from Plymouth to reinforce Ft. Ticonderoga (5^th great grandfather)

Asa Wheelock served in Ebenezer Learned’s regiment during the Lexington Alarm of 19 Apr 1775. (5^th great grandfather)

 Edward Montanye fought in Captain Ten Eyck’s Company in the New Jersey militia. (6^th great grandfather)

Abraham Pitzenberger served as Private in Michael Reader's Co., from Virginia. (6^th great grandfather)

William Hunter Cavendish – Served as Quarter Master General during Revolutionary War 1778-1882 (6^th great grandfather)

Joseph Gage – Listed in 6^th Rgeiment of Militia (1780-1781 – Nelson’s Company Vermont (6^th great grandfather.)

 Maternal Side

James Tannehill served as a private on the Maryland line and spent a lot of his time as POW in the Revolutionary War. (4^th great grandfather)

Isaac Harrington served in NY under Captain Jonathan Hallett. (5^th great grandfather)

 William Harrington in the 6^th & 10^th Berkshire Co., of Massachusetts. (6^th great grandfather)

David Allen, who was Adoniram’s father also fought in the Revolutionary war at the Battle of Moores Creek despite being in his late 60’s.  (6^th great grandfather)

Julius Ceasar Robertson fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain and the Battle of Point Pleasant. (5^th great grandfather)

Roderick Shelton also fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain. (5^th great grandfather)

William Dollar fought in the NC militia and was also involved in the Battle of King’s Mountain. (5^th great grandfather)

Adoniram “Teges” Allen served as a Captain in the South Carolina Partisan rangers in the battle of King’s Mountain.  (5^th great grandfather)

Samuel Knapp served in the NY Continental Troops as a Corporal. (6^th great grandfather)

Revolutionary War Veterans

Seeing that it is Veteran’s Day on Friday…I thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about some of my ancestors who were Veterans.  On my father’s side there are several mostly from the New England/New York area and Virginia:

·         Probably my oldest American Veteran who fought on American soil was my 9^th great grandfather, John Gallup.  He died storming the fort in the Great Swamp fight at Narragansett on 19 Dec 1675.  He was buried in a mass grave alongside his soldiers.
·         His son John Gallup b. 1646 was also with him at the battle but survived.   (8^th great grandfather)
·         Col. Nathan Gallup fought in the Revolutionary War.  (6^th great grandfather)
·         John Macomber fought on the Massachusetts line despite being a Quaker. (6^th great grandfather)
·         Abel Willey – fought in the a company from Plymouth to reinforce Ft. Ticonderoga (5^th great grandfather)
·         Asa Wheelock served in Ebenezer Learned’s regiment during the Lexington Alarm of 19 Apr 1775. (5^th great grandfather)
·         Edward Montanye fought in Captain Ten Eyck’s Company in the New Jersey militia. (6^th great grandfather)
·          Abraham Pitzenberger served as Private in Michael Reader's Co., from Virginia. (6^th great grandfather)

My mother’s family were pretty well entrenched in the south for the most part and the majority of her Revolutionary ancestors fought in the Battle of King’s Mountain in North Carolina.

·        James Tannehill served as a private on the Maryland line and spent a lot of his time as POW in the Revolutionary War. (4^th great grandfather)
·         Isaac Harrington served in NY under Captain Jonathan Hallett. (5^th great grandfather)
·         William Harrington in the 6^th & 10^th Berkshire Co., of Massachusetts. (6^th great grandfather)
·         David Allen, who was Adoniram’s father also fought in the Revolutionary war at the Battle of Moores Creek despite being in his late 60’s.  (6^th great grandfather)
·         Julius Ceasar Robertson fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain and the Battle of Point Pleasant. (5^th great grandfather)
·         Roderick Shelton also fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain. (5^th great grandfather)
·         William Dollar fought in the NC militia and was also involved in the Battle of King’s Mountain. (5^th great grandfather)
·         Adoniram “Teges” Allen served as a Captain in the South Carolina Partisan rangers in the battle of King’s Mountain.  (5^th great grandfather)

The likelihood is that there are probably several more that were Revolutionary War ancestors or veterans of the early wars from the 1600’s and 1700’s.  I must admit that one of my favorite ancestors that I have researched is Adoniram “Teges” Allen.  The story goes that he was born in 1734 in New Hampshire near the Vermont border.  He immigrated south to North Carolina with his father David and fought in the Revolutionary War.  Adoniram was recorded in Georgia and South Carolina before he decided at the age of 72 to make yet another move – to Clay Co., KY.  He built a water-powered saw and grist mill in 1807 on the south fork of the Kentucky River. He was nicknamed “Teges” which was shortened from “Tedious” which was known by, because he was so particular.  If you look at a map of Kentucky today, you will find a Teges river, which was named for Adoniram Allen.  He lived to the age of 104 and died in 1838…having retired only a few years before. I have heard that Adoniram Allen was closely related to Ethan Allen, of the Green Mountain Boys.  I always thought that the tie in was with Allen side…a few years ago, I discovered that they Adoniram & Ethan weren’t related through the Allen side but rather through their mothers – who were sisters. 

I’m sure that there are probably a few more Revolutionary War Veterans in my family that I do not yet know about.  I’ve studied history for most of my life.  I have always tried to imagine the difficulties that a Revolutionary Veteran faced – by fighting for the colonies – the choices that they made helped build our nation.  I’m proud of their sacrifice and those of their families.  They fought for the idea of the United States of America and defeated the superpower, the British Empire.  What a proud heritage that we have as Americans!