Peter was born 17 Jan 1789 in New York. He never married. While few clues as to his ancestry are obtainable, it appears that his last name of BENWAY may be derivative of the surname Benoit, Benneway, or Bennewe - and likely is of French Canadian heritage. As a 25-year-old, Peter served as a private in Captain Samuel McMath’s Company of the New York Militia, enlisting on 28 Aug … [Read more...]

Nathan was born 26 Jul 1784 in Essex, Chittenden County, Vermont. He served as a teamster with the Vermont Militia. Nathan’s daughter Mary Ann was born in 1815, the last year of the war. By the 1850 Federal census, the Blood Family had settled in the village of Jay, Essex County, New York. With her husband Lyman Case, Mary Ann moved to Minnesota Territory in 1854 to reside … [Read more...]

Born in New York 26 Mar 1795, Alvin was one of ten children of Chrissey and Luthena Dutton, who were early settlers of Stamford, Fairfield Coutny, CT. The surname CRISSEY has various spellings, with Crissey and Cressey used interchangeably. The correct pronunciation is “CRESSEY.” On 16 Feb 1813 he enlisted as a private in Captain Charles Edward Tobey’s Company. While with the … [Read more...]

On an early spring day in March of 1931, Fred Cummings, Carimona Township farmer, set out on a patriotic mission. He carried a hollow tube of metal to Waukokee Cemetery, where as a boy, pioneer Cummings  witnessed the burial of War of  1812 veteran, Isaac Farnsworth.  Farnsworth, who died Jan. 16, 1857, served in that war as a drummer and was laid to rest in an unmarked grave … [Read more...]

Not only did Henry Gates’ father serve in the Revolutionary War, Henry is the only one  of our veterans whose father, Luther, was a War of 1812 soldier himself – a drum major at the age of 51! A native of Preston, Connecticut, Luther married Ann Brown in Rensselaer County, New York. In 1777, as a lad of 14, he enlisted as a drummer boy to serve three years with Captain Abler … [Read more...]

Although Elias’ name was included as a genealogical inscription on the tall granite Gray family monument at Lenora Cemetery, his military service as a War of 1812 veteran entitled him to his own individual marker. Thanks to descendant Phillip Gray of El Dorado Hills, California, a freshly set marker will already be honoring Elias’ gravesite before the publication date of this … [Read more...]

David Pickett was born 11 Feb 1791 in Rhode Island, being the eldest of eight sons of Job and Lydia (Munson) Pickett. As trail-blazing settlers in early New England, the Pickett family emigrated from England in 1648. In 1810 David married Amanda Bradley. She died shortly after the loss of an infant son. On 16 Nov 1812 David married young widow Marietta Cowan, mother of a … [Read more...]

The Riddle/Ridell/Riedell/Ryedale lineage appears to descend from Celtic origin, the family having immigrated to New England prior to the mid-l700s. Riddle genealogy strongly suggests James Riddle’s father, John, served in the War of Independence. Documentation reveals the family settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and subsequently migrated to Hamilton and Jefferson counties … [Read more...]

Tyler’s father, Gideon, is recorded in Military Burials of Croydon, New Hampshire, as a private in a Massachusetts unit during the Revolutionary War.  His ancestral descent was thrice documented and approved in Sons of the American Revolution membership submissions. Born in Sutton, Massachusetts, in 1756 to Asa Walker and Abigail Hayden, Gideon married Mary Carriel (Carroll). … [Read more...]