52 Ancestors - FREE: My Patriots

Independence Day always gets me thinking about my patriot ancestors. In 2015, my sister and I were able to join the Daughters of the American Revolution through William Jordan of Albemarle County, Virginia. He was a private in the Virginia Militia, and for a short while he was a sergeant. I wrote about his service HERE and HERE.

Just about this time last year, our Virtual District I Virginia meeting included a workshop on how to find our patriots. The presenter threw down a challenge: find at least 5 more patriots in our direct line and submit supplemental applications.

What does that mean? Everyone who joins DAR must prove her bloodline to just one patriot, male OR female, who helped achieve independence for America. After an applicant is verified, she may then submit “supplemental” applications for other direct line patriot ancestors. Finding those extra patriots does not make anyone a “super member” or afford any privileges. While claiming numerous patriots is a source of pride for the member herself, her research might help future applicants prove their own lineage.

Before the presentation, I had never been much interested in submitting supplementals. But I do love a challenge. I didn’t find 5. I found 7. Here they are:

Elizabeth Rennolds Rucker

Yes, a woman. A patriot was not necessarily a soldier. Female patriots were typically widows or single women who were head of a household, probably inherited from their father. DAR credits Elizabeth with Patriotic Service for supplying beef to the army. She was born in Essex County, Virginia about 1708. She married Thomas Rucker in 1726, and the two moved to Culpeper County. He died prior to the Revolutionary War, leaving Elizabeth to run the household, which is why her name is recorded as the donor of beef. She died in 1788.

Thomas Rucker

This is Elizabeth Rennolds Rucker’s son. Like his mother, Thomas supplied beef. He was born about 1739 and died in 1808.

Public Claims, Culpeper County (VA) Court Booklet 1, p 31
"Do" means "Ditto"

William Herndon

William Herndon (1764 – before 1847) married Mary Rucker (1763-1835), daughter of Thomas Rucker and granddaughter of Elizabeth Rennolds Rucker. I wrote about his service as a private in the Virginia Militia HERE. He had a rough time collecting a pension. 

Edward Herndon

Edward Herndon (1738 – 1831) is the father of William Herndon. Not only was he a soldier in the Culpeper Militia, but also he was credited with Patriotic Service for supplying beef. Edward was married to Mary Ann Gaines (1742-1829). They both died in Madison County, which was formed from Culpeper County in 1792.

James Gaines

James Gaines (1719-1786) is the father of Mary Ann Gaines and thus father-in-law of Edward Herndon and grandfather of William Herndon. He was too old to serve, but he was still a patriot who provided beef, hay, wheat, a gun, and transportation in a carriage. 

Culpeper Co Court Booklet 1, p 19

Culpeper Co Court Booklet 1, p 26

Culpeper Co Court Booklet 1, p 37

Leonard Davis

Leonard Davis was the patriot that my sister and I tried to join through, but we could not find appropriate documentation that would meet the DAR standards. Now that I have been my chapter’s registrar for several years, I have learned enough that I might be able to prove our lineage. He was just a teenager when he volunteered in the Virginia Militia. I wrote about his march to Jamestown and Hot Water HERE. An interesting side note is that his daughter-in-law Frances Wyant was the daughter of a Hessian soldier, Peter Wyant. Peter will never become a DAR patriot since he supported the other side, but he must have liked it in America. He bought land and settled in Albemarle County.

Peter Wyant's spring house Sep 2013
photo courtesy Jan Hensley

Samuel Hosier

So far, Samuel Hosier is the only patriot on my father’s side, and he is through Daddy's paternal grandmother. There are just too many problems in searching Daddy’s other lines, for now anyway. Samuel was born about 1755. He lived in both Nansemond County (now Suffolk) and Princess Anne County, Virginia, and he died before 1833. His application for a pension was rejected for failure to provide proof of service, but eventually his son or grandson was able to satisfy the War Board that Samuel had indeed been a private in the militia. Samuel’s heirs received bounty land. Samuel also paid the supply tax, so even without adequate proof of service, he still would have been deemed a patriot by the DAR.

So far I have submitted 2 supplemental applications, but I intend to send in others, a few at a time.  

Amy Johnson Crow continues to challenge genealogy bloggers and non-bloggers alike to think about our ancestors and share a story or photo about them. The challenge is “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.”

Wendy

© 2021, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.

52 Ancestors - INDEPENDENT: The Last Act

This week all across America, we are celebrating Independence Day, the 4^th of July. As a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), I am grateful for the men and women who aided in securing independence for America. The patriot through whom I joined DAR was the subject of my post last year, William Jordan. But I have other patriots just as worthy. How many? You might be surprised to learn that most women’s patriots are a 5X or 6X great-grandparent. Everyone has 128 5X great-grandparents and 256 6X great-grandparents. That’s a whole lot of patriot potential.

I have not begun to find all of my possibilities. However, one in particular piques my interest: Samuel Hosier, a 5X great-grandfather on my father’s side. Records indicate Samuel Hosier was a native of Virginia living in Princess Anne County (present day Virginia Beach) and Nansemond County (present day Suffolk).

Samuel Hosier is a verified patriot listed in the DAR database, but there is a note in red beside his name, alerting Registrars and applicants to a potential problem. Apparently there might have been 2 men named Samuel Hosier living in the same area. War records for Samuel Hosier contradict each other suggesting they belonged to two different men, or possibly records are missing that might explain the contradiction.

LAST ACT

A potential patriot is always judged by his LAST ACT. DAR does not appreciate deserters if desertion was a soldier’s LAST ACT. Desertion always sounds bad, conjuring up visions of traitors and turncoats. However, temporary desertion was common as men returned home to take care of family business, plant or harvest crops, or escape the horrible conditions of camp and battlefields. Some deserted in order to take advantage of enlistment bonuses - desert one day, enlist the next for money in the pocket.

from Fold3

So what was Samuel Hosier’s last act? On Fold3, there are 6 Compiled Service Records showing him as a deserter from the 15^th Virginia Regiment from June to August 1777. Yet, his heirs were able to receive a bounty land warrant. The warrants were a promise of free land to encourage men to serve in the military. After the war, the certificates were issued to veterans or their heirs as a reward for service. Since the Hosier heirs were successful in their claim, Samuel’s service in the war was recognized. If we are dealing with just ONE Samuel Hosier, then desertion was NOT his last act.

PENSION APPLICATION

Two men or the same man? Maybe the pension application will provide an answer. Samuel was about 84 years old in 1839 when he got around to applying for a pension under the Act of 7 June 1832 which extended benefits of full pay for life to all officers and enlisted men who had served at least two years in the Continental Line, militia, navy, or marines.

Typically the application required a declaration from the soldier stating where he was born, where he lived, when and where he enlisted or was drafted, officers under whom he served, the dates he served, and what he did during his service. In addition, affidavits from those who knew the applicant and served along with him were required. Samuel’s declaration is mentioned in a letter from his lawyer and in the affidavit of fellow soldier and silversmith John Murphy, but the actual document itself is not included on Ancestry nor on Fold3. I can glean from the other documents that Samuel claims to have served about three years between 1776 and 1781. He had been an orderly sergeant. His job was to keep a daily record of the orders handed down through the ranks. The book was an account of military operations, troop movements, courts-martial, disciplinary actions, and so forth. The orderly sergeant read the orders aloud to junior officers and enlisted men each day.

While Samuel apparently kept detailed notes as a soldier in his 20s, he could not or did not provide enough details in his 80s to qualify for a pension. Rejection letters from the pension commissioner in February and again in July 1840 offered the same reason: failure to comply. Not only did the commissioner want the details about tours of duty and officers’ names, but also he wanted to know why Samuel waited so darn long to apply for a pension.

I love Samuel’s honesty in his response:

US Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files 1800-1900, Ancestry

“I never had much notion of ever making applycation but having become disable to do bodily labor and understanding I was Entitle to Receive a pension is the only reason that I have to State.”

A WORD FROM JOHN MURPHY

Affidavit of John Murphy to support claim of Samuel Hosier

John Murphy did little to advance Samuel’s claim. He said they served together off and on, that they were sometimes in different companies going in different directions, but that he had no doubt Samuel’s declaration was correct and that Samuel had been a good soldier. No specific details. Samuel's claim for a pension remained rejected.

To be fair, Samuel was not a good witness for John Murphy’s pension application either. As Murphy stated, Samuel Hosier was bedridden and hampered by failing memory. Murphy’s only other witness was his brother James. Apparently the pension board was skeptical of family members vouching for one another. Ultimately, Murphy’s claim was rejected as well.

 

Declaration and deposition of John Murphy in his claim for a pension
from Fold3

THE LAST ACT AT LAST

Obviously deserting the army was NOT Samuel Hosier’s last act as evidenced by DAR’s recognition of his service and verification as a true patriot. Without definitive proof of his role as orderly sergeant, however, DAR credited him with service as a Private in the Continental Line. He was also credited with Patriotic Service for paying the Supply Tax of 1783, two years after his tour of duty as a soldier. A portion of the personal property tax and land tax went to support the war effort, thus qualifying Samuel Hosier for a spot among DAR’s finest.

Amy Johnson Crow continues to challenge genealogy bloggers and non-bloggers alike to think about our ancestors and share a story or photo about them. The challenge is “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.”

Wendy

© 2019, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.