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| SOURCES | ||
|---|---|---|
| CAMERON, Allen | LIEUTENANT, April 1781 to December 1782. |
Public Archives of Canada,"Muster Rolls", Series C, RG 8, Vol 1883-5. |
| Served in Captain David Kinlock's Troop. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| On September 29, 1781, a Legion detachment, led by Lt. Cameron skirmished with the Americans while the the British were abandoning their outposts and withdrawing into Yorktown. On October 3, 1781, he participated in a skirmish with French Huzzars, under the Duke of Lauzun, on Gloucester Point. | Tarleton, Banastre, "A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America" North Stratford, NH, 1999, p 84. | |
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Went to Europe in 1782. | Muster Roll dated February 23, 1783. | |
| On British Half Pay in 1784. | 1784 Army List. | |
| CHAPMAN, Abraham | LIEUTENANT, April 1781 to August 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Resident of Wrightstown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania at the beginning of the war. His occupation was a "Cooper" (an individual who manufactures or repairs wooden casks or barrels). | "Pennsylvania Packet - June 17, 1778", List of Pennsylvania Loyalists Attainted of Treason. | |
| Served in Captain Richard Hovenden's Troop as Cornet from December 1780 to April 1781. Served in Captain David Ogilvie's Troop as Lieutenant from April 1781 to October 1781. Served in Captain Jacob James' Troop as Lieutenant from October 1781 to August 1782. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Absent at the Yorktown Surrender on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Died in America in 1797. Left behind a wife and three children. | Virginia Colonial Records Office, "Public Records Office WO42/59". | |
| CHAPMAN, Samuel | LIEUTENANT, August 1778 to August 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Resident of Wrightstown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania at the beginning of the war. His occupation was "Husbandman" (an individual who plows and cultivates land). | "Pennsylvania Packet - June 17, 1778", List of Pennsylvania Loyalists Attainted of Treason. | |
| Served in Captain Richard Hovenden's Troop. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Captured by a vessel of war and was carried to Massachusetts in 1780. He and Lieutenant Hugh Davis and Cornet John Miller of the Legion were enroute from New York for Savannah, Georgia in December 1779. The Schooner "Phoenix", on which they were sailing, was dismasted by a hard gale of wind off the island of Bermuda. Some privateers, from Boston, meeting with the disabled vessel, took off the three men and took them back to Boston. | Sabine, Lorenzo, "Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American
Revolution", Vol 1, Baltimore, 1994, p 309. "Pennsylvania Gazette - March 8, 1780". | |
| In 1780, the President of the Pennsylvania Council wrote to ask that he be kept in custody until an opportunity occurred to send him home for trial. He was sent back to Philadelphia and arrived there in November 1780. He was kept imprisoned until he was finally brought before the Council on April 17 and 18, 1781. He was acquitted of being considered a traitor and accepted as being a legitimate prisoner of war. On May 5, 1781, he was exchanged and returned to New York. | Sabine, Lorenzo, "Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American
Revolution", Vol 1, Baltimore, 1994, p 309. Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, "Journal of Samuel Rowland Fisher of Philadelphia, 1779-1781", Vol 41, 1917, pp. 325 and 424. | |
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Was at Lancaster, Pennsylvania prison camp along with Lt. William Robbins of Ogilvie's troop and Cornet George Gray of James' Troop to take care of the enlisted Legion prisoners (taken at Yorktown). | Muster Roll of April 23, 1782. | |
| DAVIS, Hugh |
LIEUTENANT, April 1779 to December 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Served in Captain David Kinlock's Troop. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Former Cornet in Captain Richard Hovenden's Troop from August 1778 to April 1779. Likely a resident of Pennsylvania. | Ibid. | |
| Captured at sea aboard the Schooner "Phoenix" enroute from New York to Savannah, Georgia in December 1779, along with Lieutenant Samuel Chapman and Cornet (later Lieutenant) John Miller. Taken to Boston. | "Pennsylvania Gazette - March 8, 1780". | |
| Escaped from Concord Jail in September 1780 with Captain Thomas Sandford and Lieutenant John Miller, also of the Legion. | Company of Military Historians Journal, "Military Collector and Historian", Vol XXI, No 4, Winter 1969, p 120. (Notice printed in Independent Chronicle, No 628, 7 Sept 1780). | |
| Absent at the Yorktown surrender on October 19,1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Went to Granville, Nova Scotia in 1783, along with Lieutenant Walter Willet and Cornet Samuel Willet. | Muster Roll of Disbanded Officers taken in the County of Annapolis, dated 30 July 1784. MG 23, DI, Series 1, Vol 25, Nova Scotia Archives. | |
| GILDART, Francis | CAPTAIN, February 1781 to December 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| New troop created in February 1781 in the Carolinas from the surviving Legion infantry after Cowpens. | Muster Roll of February 23, 1781. | |
| Formerly a Lieutenant in the Legion during 1780. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| On British Half Pay in 1784. | 1784 Army List. | |
| Settled in Shelburne, Nova Scotia after the war. | Gilroy, Martin, "Loyalists and Land Settlement in Nova Scotia", Public Archives of Nova Scotia (PANS), Vol. 4, 1937. | |
| On 13 August 1819, Sophia Gildart, widow of Francis Gildart, formerly a half-pay captain in Tarleton's Dragoons (British Legion ) filed for pension in Wilkinson County, Mississippi. She was married to Gildart on 8 January 1792 by Rev. Alexander Balmain, Rector of Frederick, Virginia. | PRO /WO 42/60 War Office- Selected "Very Old Series and Old Series Papers- Certificates of Birth, etc. Loyal American and Canadian Corps - 1776-1881. Found in the Virginia Colonial Records Project-Survey Report 05576 | |
| HANGER, George | MAJOR, August 1780 to December 1782. |
Bass, Robert, "Green Dragoon", Columbia SC, 1973, pp 85-87. |
| Commander of the Legion Cavalry - Second in Command. | ||
| Came to America in 1776 as a Captain in the Hessian Jager Corps which were part of the Hessian forces recruited by Great Britain to help put down the rebellion in America. Participated in the Charlestown SC campaign of 1780. After the fall of the city, he was appointed a Brevet Major of Militia with the duty of raising local militia to assist the British Army. He and Tarleton had become friends during the campaign and Tarleton wrote to Lt. General Henry Clinton requesting that he be reassigned to him as a Major of Legion Cavalry. This was granted as of August 6, 1780. | Bass, "Green Dragoon", pp 106-108. | |
| At Camden, on August 16, 1780, he had led part of the cavalry in a charge on the flank of Gates army. | Tarleton, "History", p 107. | |
| On September 20, 1780, Tarleton became violently ill and command of the Legion fell upon Hanger. On September 24, 1780, at Charlotte, NC, Hanger and the Legion engaged in a skirmish with Major William Davie and his partisan militia and drove them from the town. Shortly after the fighting, Hanger himself became ill and was sent to Camden SC to recover. It was not until October 10, 1780 that Tarleton was well enough to resume command. Hanger did not rejoin the Legion until after the surrender at Yorktown. He returned to England in 1783. | Bass, "Green Dragoon", pp 106-107. | |
| On British Half Pay in 1784. | 1784 Army List. | |
| Died in England in 1824. | Boatner, Mark, "Encyclopedia of the American Revolution" New York, 1966, p 485. | |
| HOVENDEN, Moore | LIEUTENANT, October 1779 to August 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Served in Captain Richard Hovenden's Troop as Cornet from October 1779 to June 1780 and Lieutenant from June 1780 to August 1782. (May have been a brother of Richard Hovenden). | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Wounded at Fish Dam Ford on November 9, 1780 in an attack on Sumter. | Tarleton, "History" p. 200. | |
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| On British Half Pay in 1784. | 1784 Army List. | |
| HOVENDEN, Richard | CAPTAIN, August 1778 to August 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Resident of Newton Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania at the beginning of the war. His occupation was "Trader" (an individual who buys, sells or barters for gain). | "Pennsylvania Packet - May 13, 1778", List of Pennsylvania Loyalists attained of treason. | |
| Commander of the Philadelphia Light Dragoons mustered in on January 8, 1778 and later absorbed into the British Legion. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Laid up with fever and ague on December 4, 1780. At Allamance Skirmish on March 2, 1781. Commanded covering party which discovered the presence of Lee's Legion in vicinity. | Tarleton, "History", p 198. Tarleton, "History", p 234. | |
| His troop at Cowpens on January 17, 1781. | Muster Roll dated December 24, 1781. | |
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| In Ireland in December 1781. | Muster Roll dated December 24, 1781. | |
| On British Half Pay in 1784. | 1784 Army List. | |
| HUCK, Christian | CAPTAIN, October 1779 to July 1780. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Attorney at Law in the City of Philadelphia. Studied law under Issac Hunt of Philadelphia. | "Pennsylvania Packet - May 13, 1778", List of Pennsylvania Loyalists attainted of treason. Ousterhout, Anne M. "A State Divided- Opposition in Pennsylvania to the American Revolution", 1987, p 158. . | |
| Replaced by Captain David Ogilvie. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Formerly a Captain in Emmerick's Corps, disbanded in September 1779. | NY-Hist. Soc. Collections, "British Army List -1779". | |
| Killed at Fishing Creek, South Carolina on July 12, 1780, where he was shot through the neck. | Draper, Lyman, "Kings Mountain and its Heroes", Baltimore, 1974, p 500. | |
| Captain Huck with a detachment of 35 Legion cavalry, 20 mounted infantry of the NY Volunteers, and 60 militia, placed his party carelessly at Williamson's Plantation near Fishing Creek without advancing any pickets or sending out patrols. The Americans attacked and destroyed him and a great part of his command. Huck and 3 of the Legion were killed. | Tarleton, "History", pp 93, 121, 127. | |
| HUNT, Benjamin | LIEUTENANT, October 1779 to October 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Served in Captain Christian Huck's and Captain David Ogilvie's Troop from October 1779 to August 1781. Served in Captain Thomas Sandford's Troop from October 1781 to October 1782. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Formerly a Lieutenant in Emmerick's Corps, disbanded in September 1779. | NY-Hist. Soc. Collections, "British Army List -1779". | |
| At the Fishing Creek, South Carolina skirmish on July 12, 1780. | Draper, "Kings Mountain", p 500. | |
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| On British Half Pay in 1784. | 1784 Army List. | |
| JAMES, Jacob | CAPTAIN, August 1778 to August 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Resident of Goshon Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Joined the British as a guide on September 13, 1777, the day after the Brandywine Battle. On December 1, 1777, he received a warrant from General Howe to raise a troop of Light Horse. | NYC Public Library, "Loyalist Claim dated November 1, 1785" and "Loyalist Transcript Vol 50", pp 35-41. | |
| Active in kidnapping Whigs of note in the vicinity of Philadelphia during the winter of 1777-1778. | Sabine, "American Loyalists" Vol 1, p 569. | |
| His independent troop of cavalry, called the Chester County Light Dragoons, mustered in on February 8, 1778, were later absorbed into the newly created British Legion in August 1778. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Captured by the rebel privateer, "Columbus" of 20 guns, from Charleston, South Carolina, on January 5, 1781, while enroute from New York to Savannah, Georgia. He and 11 men of his troop, together with their horses, were being transported on the "Juno" horse sloop. The rebels cut the horse's throats, took James prisoner, accepted the parole of his men and then let the sloop proceed on her voyage. | North Carolina State Records, Vol 22, p 966. Russell, Peter, "Journal of the Siege of Charleton, December 25, 1777 to May 29, 1780", American Historical Review, Vol 4, NY, 1899, p 481. | |
| Prisoner in North Carolina in April 1780. Pennsylvania wrote to Governor Caswell of North Carolina asking that he not be exchanged as a common prisoner of war but retained in close custody until the opportunity arose to send him home for trial. Eventually released on parole. | Sabine, "American Loyalists" Vol 1, p 569. | |
| His troop at Cowpens on January 17, 1781. | Muster Roll Dated December 24, 1781. | |
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Went to Canada after the war. Claimed wife deceased and 5 children still in America. | NYC Public Library, "Loyalist Transcripts, Vol 50", p 35-41. | |
| KINLOCK, David | CAPTAIN, August 1778 to August 1781. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Raised a troop of provincial light dragoons at Jamaica, Long Island in April 1778. Absorbed into the newly created British Legion in August 1778. | American Migrations, pg. 270. | |
| Commanded the Headquarters Company of the Legion. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Replaced by Captain Nathaniel Vernon Jr. a former Lieutenant in Captain Jacob James' troop. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Came from 71st Regiment of Foot and returned to the 80th Regiment of Foot. | N-Y Historical Society Collections "British Army List of 1777" for 71st Rgt and "British Army List of 1783" for 80th Rgt. | |
| At Waxhaws on May 29, 1780. Carried summons to Colonel Buford to surrender. Led part of the Legion to charge the center of the American line along with the British 17th Light Dragoons detachment. | Tarleton, "History", pp 28-29. | |
| In raid on Charlotteville, Va on June 3, 1781, Kinlock's Troop captured 3 influential citizens, one of which was Kinlock's cousin Francis Kinlock, a member of the Continental Congress, at the home of a Dr. Walker. | Lee, Henry "Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States", Vol 2, NY 1970, p 209. | |
| His troop at Cowpens on January 17, 1781. | Muster Roll dated February 23, 1781 and February 23, 1782. | |
| He was residing in Moffatt, Scotland in 1786. | American Migrations, pg. 270. | |
| McNALLY, Richard | CORNET, September 1778 to October 1779. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Served in Captain Jacob James' Troop. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Departed the Legion when he was transferred to the Garrison Battalion in New York CIty in 1779. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| OGILVIE, David | CAPTAIN, August 1780 to April 1783. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Former Cornet in the 17th Light Dragoons. | N-Y Historical Society Collections, "British Army List of 1775". | |
| Replaced Captain Christian Huck - killed. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| At Cowpens on January 17, 1781. Took 2 troops of cavalry to reinforce the advance guard which consisted of 3 companies of light infantry supported by the legion infantry. His own troop had no reported losses - may have been in reserve. | Muster Roll dated December 24,1781. | |
| At Chickhomany Skirmish (Spencer's Ordinary, Va) on June 26, 1781. While on foraging expedition with his troop, he was seen by a party of Americans, who were engaged in an attack on the Queens Rangers. Thinking that the troop may be an advance guard of Cornwallis army, the Americans did not renew their attack. | Tarleton, "History", p 301. Simcoe, John Graves "History of the Operations of a Partisan Corps Called the Queens Rangers", New York, 1844, p 302. | |
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781 . | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Went to England in 1782. | Muster Roll dated February 23, 1782. | |
| On British Half Pay in 1784. | 1784 Army List. | |
| ROBBINS, William | LIEUTENANT, October 1779 to April 1783. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Served in Captain David Ogilvie's Troop. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Born in 1759 in New Jersey and, at the outbreak of the Revolution, was living at Quibbletown (now New Market), in Somerset County, New Jersey. Joined the British forces in 1776. Initially he served as a guide for Lord Cornwallis, which included participation in the capture of the American General Charles Lee at Basking Ridge on the 13th of December 1776. | Jones, E. Alfred, "Loyalists of New Jersey in the Revolution", Collections of the New Jersey Historical Society, Vol 10, Newark, N.J. 1927, pp 179-180. | |
| He was appointed a Cornet in Captain Ogilvie's Troop in October 1779 and subsequently promoted to Lieutenant on August 25, 1781 in the same troop. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| He was present at the battle of Guilford Court House on March 15, 1781. He claims that he commanded the advance guard and broke the American line three times, for which action he received the public thanks of Lord Cornwallis. | Jones, "Loyalists of New Jersey", pp. 179-180. | |
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| In 1784, after the peace, he returned to New Jersey to see if he could reclaim part of his deceased father's property which had been seized by his two half brothers. He stated that his half brothers tied him to a tree and severely flogged him and took all his papers. | Jones, "Loyalists of New Jersey", pp. 179-180. | |
| In February 1788, he was on full pay as a Lieutenant in the 60th Regiment (The Royal Americans) with date of rank of November 11, 1787. On November 7, 1793, he was appointed Captain in the 6th Regiment and on May 12, 1794, transferred, as Captain, to the 43rd Foot and again on February 27, 1796, to the 47th Foot. He was placed on half pay in the 4th Foot on November 5,1802 until 1826 when he probably died. | Jones, "Loyalists of New Jersey", pp. 179-180. | |
| SANDFORD, Thomas | CAPTAIN, December 1779 to October 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Quartermaster in the Brigade of Guards in January 1778 in Philadelphia. | Simcoe, p. 110. | |
| He commanded the Bucks County Light Dragoons, raised on April 28, 1778. His troop was frequently attached to the Queens American Rangers, under Simcoe, until attached to the British Legion in 1779 and absorbed in 1780. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Sandford was captured by a Troop of Continental Light Dragoons on June 18, 1778, the date of the evacuation of Philadelphia by the British Army. He was imprisoned at Easton, Pennsylvania and released on parole in early November. He visited the Philadelphia home of Grace Galloway on November 10th and 16th. Mrs Galloway was the wife of a prominent loyalist, Joseph Galloway, who had fled the city in June to avoid capture. His wife stayed to protect their home and possessions from confiscation. She found Sandford to be a clever young man who had been used cruelly by the rebels and invited him to stay for supper with her and her lady friends. | George Washington
Papers, Library of Congress, Series 4, General Correspondence June 1778 and Scharf, Thomas
"History of Philadelphia", Vol 1, Phil. 1884, p. 385. Galloway, Grace G."Diary of Grace Growden Galloway", Arno Press Inc, 1971, pp. 57-58. | |
| The Bucks County Light Dragoons Muster Roll reported him still a prisoner on parole on June 25, 1779. | Muster Roll of June 25, 1779. | |
| He must have been subsequently exchanged because, on January 25, 1780, he had the ill luck to be captured at sea enroute from NYC to Savannah, Georgia. Captured with him were Lt. Hugh Davis and Cornet John Miller of the British Legion. On July 17, 1780, the three men, now imprisioned at Cambridge, Mass, wrote to Major General Benjamin Lincoln that they may be permitted to go to New York on parole to endeavor to effect their exchange. They promised that if they failed, they would return to captivity at the expiration of any limited time that they shoud be granted. | Chicago Historical Society "Charles Gunther Papers", Letter to Major General Lincoln from British Officers, Cambridge, July 1780. | |
| On September 3, 1780, Sandford escaped from Concord Jail, with his two companions, Lieut's Hugh Davis and John Miller, both of Captain David Kinlock's Troop. (All three men were described as being 5 feet, 9 inches high and all with brown hair. The Legion uniform worn was described as "short green coat with narrow gold lace and nankeen waistcoat and overalls"). | Company of Military Historians Journal "Military Collector and Historian", Vol XXI, No. 4, Winter 1969, p 120. (Notice printed in "Independent Chronicle, No. 628, 7 September 1780"). | |
| His troop at Cowpens on January 17, 1781. | Muster Roll dated December 24, 1781. | |
| Stationed at Charlestown from June 25, 1781 to February 23, 1782 to take charge of surviving rank and file members of the British Legion Infantry. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| VERNON, Nathaniel | CAPTAIN, August 1781 to December 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Former Lieutenant in Captain Jacob James's Troop. Replaced Captain David Kinlock. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Former Sheriff of Chester County, Pennsylvania . His office appears to have been worth 100 pounds per annum. His estate was confiscated but subsequently invested in four sons. | Sabine, "American Loyalists", p 387. | |
| Taken prisoner by the "Providence" and "Ranger" Sloops of War on 24 January 1780 (along with forty British Legion rank and file) and brought into Charleston, S.C. He and three others were subsequently transferred to Wilmington, N.C., then to Newburn, N.C. | Memorial of British Prisoners", Richmond, Virginia, 1 March 1781, Thomas
Jefferson Papers, Vol 5, pp. 40-41. Allen, George W. "A Naval History of the American Revolution", Vol. 5, p. 492. | |
| Vernon promoted to Captain with date of rank of 25 August 1781. Assumpton made that he was exchanged sometime between March 1781 and October 1781. Listed on the the October 1781 muster roll as a Troop Commander. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Settled at Shelburne, Nova Scotia after the war. | PANS, Vol. 4, 1937. | |
| On 15 September 1829, Margaret Vernon, widow of Nathaniel Vernon, Captain of Cavalry of the British Legion, on half-pay, filed for pension. Petition dated at Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Affidavit by (Legion Sergeant) John McKinney states that he and Vernon were taken prisoners at Little York, Virginia while serving with the Legion. | PRO/WO 42/63 War Office- Selected "Very Old Series and Old Series Papers- Certificates of Birth, etc. Loyal American and Canadian Corps - 1776-1881. Found in Virginia Colonial Records Project - Survey Report 06312 | |
| WILLET, Samuel | CORNET, August 1781 to October 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Served in Captain Thomas Sandford's Troop as a volunteer since October 1779 until commissioned in August 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Born in Flushing, Long Island (N.Y) in 1752. His parents later moved the family to Buck County, Pennsylvania. Cousin of Walter Willet. Brought up as a Quaker. Sometime in late 1776, he decided to join the British forces. On September 5, 1776, the Monthly Minutes of the Society of Friends (Quakers) of Middletown, Pa declared that since he has "gone and entered into the war, and as War is so inconsistent with Friend' Testimony, it is the sense of this meeting that he be immediately testified against". | Bailey, Rosalie F., "The Willet Family of Flushing, Long Island (N.Y)", The New York Genealogical Record, Vol. 80, 1949, p. 228. | |
| Prisoner of war between January 24, 1780 and March 1, 1781. See biographical sketch on Nathaniel Vernon for further details. | ||
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| In 1783 he moved to Granville, Nova Scotia. In 1786, he married Leah de St Croix, daughter of a French Huguenot Loyalist. They had 12 children, born between 1787 and 1806, 7 boys and 5 girls. He died at Wilmot, Nova Scotia in 1839 at the age of 87. | Bailey, "The Willet Family", p, 228. Sabine, "American Loyalists", p 434. | |
| WILLET, Walter | LIEUTENANT, December 1779 to October 1782. |
Muster Rolls. |
| Served in Captain Thomas Sandford's Troop. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| Born in 1747 in Flushing, Long Island (N.Y.). His family, like the family of his cousin above, also moved to Bucks County, Pennsylvania. On March 24, 1766, Walter married Martha Harding at the Church of North and Southhampton, in Bucks County. His fellow Quakers reacted strongly when they heard of this marriage.. On July 3, 1766, the Monthly Minutes of the Society of Friends recorded "Walter Willet reported married in a disorderly manner with Martha Harding, also a member of this Meeting, and that she was with child before marriage: and they offering no satisfaction for their scandalous and disorderly conduct, a testimony against them both is ordered." | Bailey, Rosalie F., "The Willet Family of Flushing, Long Island (N.Y.)", The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 80, pp. 221-222. | |
| He subsequently joined the British Army in September 1777 before Germantown and employed in the gathering of intelligence. In 1778 received a comission in the Bucks County Light Dragoons (Pa). Was with Lt. Colonel Simcoe (of the Queens Rangers) when the latter was taken at Brunswick and he (Willet) had 7 men killed and wounded that day (Bucks County Light Dragoons were attached to the Queens Rangers at that time). Went to Savannah, Georgia in 1779, attached to the British Legion. Shortly thereafter the Bucks County Light Dragoons were absorbed into the British Legion. | NYC Public Library, "Loyalist Transcripts, Vol 25", pp. 239-249. | |
| Surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781. | Analysis of the Muster Rolls. | |
| In 1783 he moved to Granville, Nova Scotia. His farm of 173 acres, in Southhampton Township, acquired by his marriage to Martha, had been confiscated by the Province of Pennsylvania in August 1778. His wife did not accompany him to Nova Scotia. He subequently divorced her and surrended all claims to his real estate in Bucks County to her and their children (3 boys and 4 girls) which land she later reacquired. | Bailey, "The Willet Family", p. 222. | |
| He remarried again to Abigail Phinney by whom he had 10 more children, born between 1787 and 1805 (4 boys and 6 girls). | Bailey, "The Willet Family", p. 222. | |
| He died on April 30, 1812 and was buried in Upper Granville Cemetary, Nova Scotia. | Comstock, Samuel W., "The Willet Family of New York and New Jersey", Manuscript Collections, NYC Public Library, pp. 30-32.. | |
[The preceding material was submitted by and is the copyright of Donald J. Gara - Florida. It is reprinted here with his permission.]
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