Prior to the American Revolution
Prior to the Revolution my Hubbard and Holt ancestors moved
from Massachusetts to Vermont (which was not one of the original 13
colonies). Vermont did not come into existence until after the
Revolution. Prior to the Revolution, Vermont was part of New York State.
About 1724, the Govenor of New Hampshire began granting land to people
who settled near what is now Brattleboro in Vermont. After the fall of
Montreal in 1760 (during the French and Indian Wars), settlers began
swarming into Vermont and settling along the Connecticut River and the
road that led from Charleston, N.H. to Crown Point, N.Y. (near Fort
Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain).
The Govenor of New York became upset that the Govenor of New Hampshire
was making land grants in what he considered to be New York. He wrote to
the King of England and complained. The King sided with the Govenor of
New York, who then decided that all the settlers would have to apply to
him for their land grants.
This did not set well with the pioneers. Ethan Allen formed the
"Green Mountain Boys" to give a birching (whipping) to any "Yorkers" who
tried to take land away from the pioneers who were already settled in
what would become Vermont. The Govenor of New York considered the Green
Mountain Boys to be outlaws. When the Revolution broke out, the people
who lived in this area of New York held a convention and declared
themselves an independent entity called Vermont.
The American Revolution
By the 1770's the 13 American colonies were becoming increasingly independent
when King George III made the mistake of trying to impose import taxes on
British goods into the colonies. This led to the famous "Boston Tea Party" that
took place in Boston Harbor, where American patriots dressed up as Indians and
threw British tea into the harbor. As soon
as the first shots were fired on Lexington Green on April 19, 1775, my ancestors began
to play their parts in the fight for liberty.
Vermont Minuteman Cpl. Elisha Hubbard
When the Vermonters heard that a group of Hessian soldiers were on
their way to pillage Bennington, they instantly raised an army of
Minutemen under General John Stark. My ancestor, Elisha Copeland Hubbard was a
Corporal in Lieutenant Moses Johnson's Company in Colonel William
William's Regiment.
The American patriots thoroughly thrashed the 1,000 Hessians with only
a handful managing to stumble back to Burgoyne empty-handed.
Elisha and Thousands of Minute Men converged on Burgoyne's badly
demoralized army at a place called Saratoga, NY.
After two days of fighting, Burgoyne surrendered on October 17, 1777.
Burgoyne and his army were taken to Boston where they were paroled.
Elisha's company was mustered out of service immediately after the
Battle of Saratoga. His rate of pay was £ 1.8 per day and the men who
had to pay the bills probably didn't want to keep men on the pay rolls
if there wasn't an immediate threat. But two months later, on November
26, 1777, Elisha enlisted for three years in the Vermont Milita. He
served in Captain Wood's Company of Baldwin's Regimental Artificers. He
was discharged again on January 17, 1778, probably to save money, as
there was no military threat in the Vermont area at that time.
Private Samuel Shannon
Another of my ancestors also participated in the Revolution. Samuel Shannon was
born in New Hampshire sometime before 1750. He initially enlisted as a private
and served for ten months in Captain Daniel Reynold's Company in Colonel Stephen
Peabody's Regiment from February 12th, 1778 to January 4, 1779. This
regiment served in Massachusetts and Rhode Island during part of this
time. His rate of pay was £4.10 per month. His brother John served with
him.
After the Revolution, Samuel moved to Vermont.. There were a number of Shannon's (including a
different Samuel Shannon) living near Exeter and Rye, in Rockingham
County, New Hampshire (about 30 miles North of Boston) during this time.
These Shannons were probably ancestors and close relatives. I believe
Samuel Shannon may have been descended from a man named Cutts Shannon,
who fathered many Shannons in New Hampshire.
Samuel Shannon became a Shaker (a religious sect) in later life.
Shakers lived celibate lives and died out. Thankfully, Samuel waited
until after he fathered John Shannon to become a Shaker. Otherwise, none
of us would be around to read this. We don't know the name of John's
mother. On January 6, 1792, Samuel married a second wife, named, Lydia
Griffin in Chester, Rockingham County, New Hampshire.
Captain Abijah Moore
Captain Abijah Moore as serving in Massachusetts during the Revolution according
to
Soldiers, Sailors, and Patriots of the Revolutionary War - Vermont
by Major General Carleton Edward Fisher and Sue Gray Fisher, published
by Picton Press, Camden, Maine. Either before or after the war,
Abijah moved from Sudsbury, Massachusetts to Putney, Vermont.
Benjamin Holt
Family records indicate Benjamin Holt lived near Bennington, Vermont and also
fought in the Revolution.
Source: paraphrased from information from a 1999 email
from a distant relative of mine named Dave. Unfortunately, I do not have his
contact information any longer