Maine Genealogy
Source: Everett Schermerhorn Stackpole, History of Durham, Maine (Lewiston, Me.: Press of Lewiston Journal Co., 1899).
[p. 91]Who were the men of Royalsborough that bore arms in the war for Independence? The following list, probably incomplete, has been drawn from the Mass. archives, pension rolls, and publications of Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution.
CHARLES GERRISH, who had been Captain of Militia from before 1758,1 appears as 1st Major of the 2d Mass. Regt. Cumb. Co., 7 Feb. 1776, Col. Jonathan Mitchell commanding. Before that date the Town Records call him Captain; afterward, always Major.
NATHANIEL GERRISH was private in Capt. John Worthley's Co., Col. Edmund Phinney's 31st Regt. of Foot. He enlisted 8 May 1775 and served eight months near Boston.120 Oct. 1789 Lt. John Stackpole of Biddeford, aged 81, deposed that in 1758 he "went a soldiering up Saco River with Capt. Charles Gerrish."
—Records in the Registry of Deeds at Alfred, Me.[p. 92]
GEORGE GERRISH served three years in Capt. Blaisdell's Co., Col. Wigglesworth's Regt.
JAMES GERRISH enlisted for three years in the same Co. as his brother George and died in the service.
EBENEZER NEWELL was first Lieut. in Capt. Samuel Dunn's Co., Col. Phinney's Regt. in 1775.
INCREASE BLETHEN was in Capt. Stephen Hart's Co., Col. Jonathan Mitchell's Regt. He enlisted at Boston for town of Royalsborough 6 Dec. 1777, for three years. Was promoted Corporal in Capt. Smart's Co., Col. Calvin Smith's Regt. Was at Valley Forge 5 Feb. 1778. He had previously enlisted 29 Aug. 1776. He died in Phillips, Me.
JOHN CHANDLER enlisted 8 June 1777 for three years. Was in Capt. Hill's Co. Gen. Peterson's Regt. He also appears in Capt. John Read's Co., Col. Ichabod Allen's Regt. Reported as having died in May, 1778. He was son of Judah Chandler.
NATHAN LEWIS is repeatedly mentioned on the Town Records as a soldier from Royalsborough. He is last named in 1787. His widow Sarah was supported by the town for some years and died in 1801. Her daughter Sarah was also cared for by the town. The latter died in 1806 and the town voted to give her small property to her sisters. Barnabas Strout was allowed $1 for digging her grave.
JOHN DAIN (spelled also Dane and Dean) was private in Capt. James Patch's Co. which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, from Ipswich to Mystic. Length of service 4 days. He also appears as private in Capt. James Mallor's Co., Lieut. Col. Putnam's Regt. enlisting 18 Aug. 1781 and discharged 4 Dec. 1781. Time of service 3 mos. 28 days.
JOSHUA JONES enlisted in 1778 for three years in Capt. Hill's Co., Col. Vose's Regt.
JOHN VINING marched to Roxbury from Weymouth April 19, 1775. He is said to have served throughout the war.
PELATIAH WARREN was private in Capt. John Lane's Co. Enlisted from No. Yarmouth 29 July 1775; discharged 1 Nov. 1775. In list of pensioners he is accredited to Royalsborough, which implies a subsequent re-enlistment.
BARTHOLOMEW REED of "Royalstown" was in Capt.[p. 93]Richard Mayberry's Co., Col. Francis' Regt. in 1775. Served at Dorchester. He was in Capt. Nathan Watkins' Co.; Col. Phinney's 18th Regt. from Dec. 1, 1775 to Sept. 20, 1776.
EBENEZER DEAN of Royalsborough, 6 Dec. 1777, joined Capt. Lane's Co., Col Alden's Regt. for three years. Reported deceased.
CARL McMANNERS enlisted from Royalsborough May 14, 1775 in Capt. John Worthley's Co., Col. Phinney's 31st Regt.
LEMUEL WELSH enlisted 1 Dec. 1775 in Capt. Nathan Watkins' Co., Col. Phinney's 18th Continental Regt. Re-enlisted 20 Nov. 1776. Was at Ticonderoga.
GEORGE GOODWIN was a Revolutionary pensioner accredited to Royalsborough. "The last two years of the war he was waiter to some General." The Mass. Archives mention a George Goodwin who enlisted for three years for town of Bradford. He was in the 6th Regt. from 1 Jan. 1778 to 31 Dec. 1782. His receipt for bounty was dated 14 June 1782. He rec'd clothing 3 Feb. 1784.
JOSHUA STROUT enlisted 9 July 1776 in Samuel Knight's Co. of Falmouth and was stationed on the sea-coast for defense of that town.
Other soldiers accredited to Royalsborough in list of pensioners are DANIEL GREEN, afterwards of Readfield, and JOSHUA DUNN, afterwards of Phillips.
A goodly number of Revolutionary soldiers from other towns settled in Royalsborough soon after the war. Among them were.
JACOB SAWYER, enlisted from Cape Elizabeth and served six months in Capt. Daniel Strout's Co. in 1775 and nine months in Capt. William Crockett's Co. in 1776, and again in Capt. Joshua Jordan's Co., Col. Jonathan Mitchell's Regt. in the Penobscot Expedition from July 7, to Sept. 25, 1779.
ISAAC TURNER enlisted for three years from No. Yarmouth in Capt. Hill's Co., Col. Vose's Regt. Was a pensioner.
CHRISTOPHER TRACY was private in Capt. Henry Dyer's Co., Col. Foster's Regt. Served at Machias from Aug. to Oct. 1777. Also private in Capt. Reuben Dyer's Co. on Expedition against St. John from Oct. to Dec. 1777.[p. 94]DANIEL HARMON was corporal in Capt. Samuel Whittemore's Co., Col. Reuben Fogg's Regt. of Mass. Bay Militia and served at Peekskill, N. Y.
EBENEZER WOODBURY was in Capt. Richard Davis' Co., Col. Joshua Wingate's Regt. stationed at Piscataqua Harbor four months in 1775. Again he was in Capt. Jesse Page's Co., Col. Drake's Regt., enlisting 9 Sept. 1777, discharged 15 Dec. 1777. Took part in battle of Saratoga. The American forces were drawn up in parallel lines facing inward, and Gens. Gates and Burgoyne passed between arm in arm. It took over two hours for the captured army to pass through, during which time Woodbury gave his gun to a comrade and lay down and slept. He was also private in Capt. Jacob Webster's Co. mustered at Portsmouth, N. H., 23 Nov. 1775, a company of minute men who served twenty-three days.
JOHN DOW enlisted from Gilmanton, N. H., at the age of sixteen in Capt. Worthern's Co., Col. Mooney's Regt. Served 5 mos. 27 days in R. I.
ISAAC DAVIS appears in a descriptive list of the men enlisted from Cumberland Co. for the term of nine months from the time of their arrival at Fishkill. Age 20 yrs, stature 5 ft. 10 in. Complexion light. Residence, Scarborough. Belonging to Capt. Larrabee's Co., Col. Fogg's Regt. Arrived at Fishkill June 17, 1778. Mustered May 26 1778, of Gen. Thompson's Brigade. Discharged March 17, 1779.
JAMES WAGG of Danville is given because the ancestor of many who lived in Durham. He enlisted 1 Jan. 1776 in Capt. Hart Williams' Co., Edmund Phinney's Regt. from Falmouth. He served over four years in several re-enlistments. Was at Valley Forge in 1778. During that year was in Capt. Sewall's Co., Col. Sprout's Regt.
MARTIN ROURK was in a Picket Guard as early as May 23, 1775, having enlisted April 27, 1775. His first term of service was 3 mos. 12 dys. Residence, Sudbury. He re-enlisted several times, serving throughout the war. Was at Ticonderoga in 1776. Was Sergeant after 1777. Stature 5 ft. 4 in. Complexion light. Eyes, gray. Is said to have acted as clerk.
JOEL RICHARDSON, born in Townsend, Mass. 22 Jan. 1758; enlisted from Topsham. Married 9 Dec. 1786 Lydia Babb.[p. 95]JOSEPH WEEMAN enlisted from Cape Elizabeth in 1776.
VINCENT FICKETT was in Col. Phinney's 18th Regt. Dec. 12, 1775-Nov. 8, 1776.
JOHN SKINNER was in Capt. Samuel Dunn's Co., Col. Phinney's 31st Regt., enlisting 24 April 1775.
SAMUEL PROCTOR enlisted from Falmouth. The Pension Rolls say he died at Durham 12 March (29 Nov.) 1795. His widow, Joanna, married Mr. Thompson of Wayne.
JOHN MCINTOSH appears in Capt. David Bradish's Co., Col. Phinney's 31st Regt., enlisting May 12, 1775 from Falmouth.
ELIJAH LITTLEFIELD was, in 1780, in Gen. Peleg Wadsworth's command, as a deposition shows.
JOHN CUSHING. See Biog. Sketch.
REV. JACOB HERRICK. See Biog. Sketch.
Other Revolutionary soldiers who settled in Durham were Joshua Snow, Matthew Duran, Jonathan Larrabee, Jonathan Currier, Robert Getchell, Nathaniel Osgood, and Amos Knight.
