Yesterday's Weapons Forums

Been doing some digging into the family tree just for the fun of it since my uncle and I got to talking while I was on vacation. Seems my 8 greats back grandfather, Johnathan Woodward, fought in the Revolution as part of the North Carolina militia. He was paid $60 for his wartime service. I never really thought about how long ago some of our family came here. The farthest back I have gotten is 1734 in Virginia to Johnathan's father, Charles. I would guess that his parents came over from England prior to his birth since he was born here.

Neat stuff to find out.

Anyone else got some Revolutionary era soldiers hiding in your family trees? One of you is bound to.....

My former handle here was 5thDragoons. An ancestor with my very name fought the duration of the war in that cavalry unit.

While researching a possible buried stolen army payroll, I went to the National Archives branch office in Denver to read the post returns for 2 or 3 Wyo Territory forts. In that document, it was always noted when the paymaster arrived - who he was and that the troops had been paid.

Anyway, those were all handwritten & some of the post commanders had HORRIBLE handwriting. Usually, the post telegrapher did the deal, but some commanders did not trust them. Maybe it gave them an excuse to hang around the fort all day.

Anyway, I got a rip-snorter of a headache trying to read some of the records & went outside to clear my head. I bought a publication containing all the military records held by the National Archives & was looking it over. It seems all the records are listed by roll number EXCEPT for revolutionary war veterans applying for their pension and Confederate records.

Lo & behold, there was MY OWN NAME! To make along story short, my ancestor, Poor Old Steve, applied for and received back pension & 100 acres of land in Virginia as awarded by the Continental Congress at Gen. Washington's request.

On wifey's side of the family, I found an account of one of her ancestors who had been a "Marine Soldier" in the Continental Navy. In battle, they climbed into the rigging & tried to shoot Brit officers. His ship captured 2 small Brit merchantmen & was taking them to some port in the Carribean to sell them. They were intercepted by HMS Dolphin - a 90 gun ship of the line. Being a lowly 23 gunner, they surrendered and spent the duration of the war in a prison in Bermuda. At the war's end the Brits simply opened the gate & they found their way home as best they could - usually working home as seamen.

I have been there 4 times & have literally been kicked out at closing time. VERY interesting stuff!!! SW

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Slava Ukraini!!

I've got one Phillip Wolfe. German SOF, given land in NC by the Brittish crown. We can trace him back to his port of entry(Philly) in the mid 1700's.
Turns out he didn't like how the crown went about things and fought at the Battle of King's Mountain. You Tenn. boys may know about that one because of your "Over the Mountain Men"(thanks for the help in that one BTW).
Gotta admit that that knowledge has changed the way I see the 4th of July and many other things.
I have read much on the subject, and find the Revolution in the South(first Civil War) to be VERY interesting and under-reported.
As a child growing up in North Carolina, I never learned about NC's part in the Revolution untill I learned my family history much later(much thanks to my Mother and her sister).
Sometimes your local school system has nothing on an interesting family story.
jon

neet , i love family history - kinda fun just to go thru your abstract if your bored

One of my ancestors fought in the Revolutionary war, main reason we have records of his family going back further than that is because of a investigation of his claim for a pension for service in that war. I think he was pushing 90 when the Government sent someone to interview him and they gathered a lot of information on his forbears while they were at it.

His Family had migrated to England from France early in the 17th century and the son born in England of that couple went to America to seek his fortune as soon as he became an adult.
This Gentleman received a special land grant from the Crown which indicates that he made multiple voyages to help get the first colonies established.

Several of the earlist ancestors here married Indian women, later laws that discriminated against marriages between Red and White drove them to re-locate further inland.
A sort of pattern was set for awhile. Men of the family would marry a white wife then since the men were long lived they became widowers and married their first wife's Indian servant.
Children born to the first wife would inherit any land holdings while Half Breed children of the Indian second wife would inherit any livestock. This protected the half Indian offspring from seizure of property and insured that the sons had to work together to build up the family fortune.
Daughters either white or red received the control of the herds of horses. Since a white woman had no more rights than a red man.

A pretty slick arrangement.

Traced one family line to the Vikings that invaded Normandy in the 1200s. Then on to Scotland where they built a castle then on to North America in the early 1600s. Been here a long time so I claim all NA as all mine Had it all on a family tree computer program but lost it some how when I changed computers . Luckily, I had printed it all out in hard copies . Just need to find the time to to put it all back in the program so I can have it at my fingertips.

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"The great object is, that every man be armed."
- Patrick Henry

"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the people's liberty teeth ...... firearms everywhere restrains evil interference. When firearms go, all goes..."
GEORGE WASHINGTON

I'll wear my tin hat with the horns on it

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"The great object is, that every man be armed."
- Patrick Henry

"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the people's liberty teeth ...... firearms everywhere restrains evil interference. When firearms go, all goes..."
GEORGE WASHINGTON

i got both viking and native american in my blood.

so i'll sail in kick your butt AND scalp ya.



GG

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A dart or a sledgehammer What do you prefer?

Old Thor ain't got nothing on me.



Gungrubber