military – In the Woods

Prisoner of War

Tim’s 6th-great-grandfather, Capt. Ezekiel Huntley, son of David and Mary (Munsell) Huntley, was born before 4 April 1731 in Lyme (New London) Connecticut, and died there 25 July 1783. He married (as his second wife) 8 November 1759 in Lyme, Naomi Tiffany, who was born 28 December 1737 in Lyme, and died 25 July 1821, daughter of Consider and Naomi (Comstock) Tiffany.

Ezekiel married (as his first wife) about 1756 in Lyme, Mary (—). Ezekiel and his family lived in Lyme on property given to him by his grandfather, Aaron Huntley.

Ezekiel served in the American Revolutionary War. Between 11 May and 10 December 1775, he was enlisted in Capt. David F. Sill’s Company in Col. Samuel H. Parson’s 6th Connecticut Regiment, and marched to Boston and remained in Roxbury until he was discharged.

Ezekiel was fifty-one years old when he was joined by his son Asher on the ill-fated April-May 1782 first trip of the brigantine General Green, under Capt. Gideon Olmsted. The ship made its way down the flooded Connecticut River, out into Long Island Sound, and the open Atlantic, and when east of the Nantucket Shoals met the British privateer ship Virginia, which soon overpowered them. All 83 men were taken prisoner and sent to prison ships in New York harbor, where some died. Some came home, including Ezekiel, who died in Lyme a few days after his return. Naomi remained a widow for 38 years until her own death.

Ezekiel & Mary (his first wife) were the parents of two daughters:

1. Abigail Huntley, (twin) born before 20 July 1757 in Lyme, died 19 September 1810 in Franklin (New London) Connecticut. She married 10 December 1779 in Franklin, Martin Abel, who was born 14 April 1754 in Norwich (New London) Connecticut and died 13 April 1817 in Franklin. Abigail & Martin were the parents of three children.

2. Hannah Huntley, (twin) born before 20 July 1757 in Lyme, died after 1803. She married 28 May 1775 in Lyme, Dan Chadwick, who was born 21 October 1753 in Lyme and died 1 September 1798 in Old Lyme (New London) Connecticut. Hannah & Dan were the parents of eight children.

Ezekiel & Naomi (his second wife, Tim’s 6th-great-grandmother) were the parents of eight children:

1. Lois Huntley, (twin) born before 18 September 1764 in Lyme, died 2 February 1844. She married 11 May 1780 in East Haddam (Middlesex) Connecticut, Zachariah “Uriah” Sanford, who died before 1790, son of Samuel and Deborah (Matson) Sanford. Lois & Zachariah were the parents of two children.

2. Rufus Huntley, (twin) born before 18 September 1764 in Lyme, died before 2 September 1778, age 13.

3. Elias Huntley, born before 28 July 1765 in Lyme, died there 10 January 1783, age 17.

4. Asher Huntley (Tim’s 5th-great-grandfather), born 1 March 1767 in Lyme, died 3 March 1849 in Granger (Medina) Ohio. He married 14 November 1792 in Colebrook (Litchfield) Connecticut, his first cousin, Betsey Wilder Tiffany, who was born 25 February 1772 in Hartland (Hartford) Connecticut and died 16 February 1837 in Bath (Summit) Ohio, daughter of Consider and Sarah (Wilder) Tiffany. Asher & Betsey were the parents of five children.

5. Naomi Huntley, born about 1768 in Lyme, died 2 December 1840 in Sharon (Medina) Ohio. She married Matthew Look.

6. Ezra Huntley, born before 2 June 1771 in Lyme, died 13 April 1817 in North Stonington (New London) Connecticut. He married (as her first husband) 29 December 1796 in Stonington (New London) Connecticut, Eunice Holmes, who was born there about 1779, and died 21 April 1832 in Salem (New London) Connecticut, daughter of John and Martha (Stanton) Holmes. Ezra & Eunice were the parents of eight children.

7. Rufus Huntley, born before 13 September 1777 in Lyme, died 24 April 1860 in Sharon Center (Medina) Ohio. He married 22 December 1799 in Lyme, Mary “Polly” Lay, who was born there 11 August 1781, and died 13 February 1870 in (Medina), daughter of Peter and Hepzibah (Peck) Lay.

8. Ezekiel Huntley, born before 21 May 1780 in Lyme, died 6 March 1853 in Granger. He married 8 September 1803 in Lyme, Ruth Minor, who was born there 4 December 1787 and died 12 December 1851 in Granger, daughter of Elisha and Amy (Way) Minor.

Last Revised: 13 August 2022

Stern Patriotism

Tim’s 6th-great-grandfather was a veteran of the War for Independence, taking part in the Lexington Alarm battle, when he was 33 years old.

The first battle of the Revolutionary War, fought in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. British troops had moved from Boston toward Lexington and Concord to seize the colonists’ military supplies and arrest revolutionaries. In Concord, advancing British troops met resistance from the Minutemen, and American volunteers harassed the retreating British troops along the Concord-Lexington Road. Paul Revere, on his famous ride, had first alerted the Americans to the British movement.
~ The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut website

Capt. Lemuel Roberts, son of Lemuel and Abigail (Beaman) Roberts, was born 2 October 1742 in Simsbury (Hartford) Connecticut, and died there 19 December 1789. He married there 8 December 1763, Ruth Woodford, who was born 4 November 1744 in Farmington (Hartford) Connecticut, and died about 1800 in Bloomfield (Hartford) Connecticut, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Thompson) Woodford.

Lemuel lies buried in the Old Wintonbury Cemetery (formerly Old North Cemetery) in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

The following account is from Lester A. Roberts, Esq., “Descendants of John Roberts of Simsbury, CT and Bloomfield, CT,” The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, Vol 42, July 1888: 246:

[Lemuel’s] stern patriotism made him some enemies, and in 1787 a protest was made to the General Assembly against his reappointment as Justice of the Peace, but without avail. He was found dead one morning at the foot of stone steps from a house in which he had held a court the evening before. Being lame, he was the last to leave, and if he fell or was thrown down the steps was never known. On his grave-stone in the Bloomfield burial-ground, under the usual inscription, are the following lines:

No Cordial to revive his heart,
No one to hold his head,
No friend to close his dying eyes;
The ground was his death bed.

Lemuel & Ruth were the parents of eight children:

1. Lemuel Roberts (Tim’s 5th-great-grandfather), born 17 April 1766, died 2 July 1829 in Bloomfield. He married 5 October 1786, Roxy Gillett, who was born before 19 March 1769 and died 6 September 1848 in Bloomfield, daughter of Amos and Susanna (Webster) Gillett. Lemuel & Roxy were the parents of six children.

2. Ruth Roberts, born 24 January 1768 in Simsbury, died 31 May 1847 in Worthington (Franklin) Ohio. She married in 1789, Ezra Griswold, who was born 6 December 1767 and died 22 October 1822 in Worthington, son of Elisha and Eunice (Viets) Griswold. Ruth & Ezra were the parents of two sons.

3. Hannah Roberts, born 15 March 1770, died 15 March 1829. She married Augustus Filley who was born before 31 August 1766 and died 5 March 1812 in Otis (Berkshire) Massachusetts, son of Jonathan Filley.

4. Samuel Roberts, born 20 March 1772 in Simsbury, died 9 October 1846 in Sharon (Litchfield) Connecticut. He married (as his first wife) in 1793, Eleanor “Elethea” Calkins, who was born about 1733 and died 24 January 1813 in Sharon. Samuel & Eleanor were the parents of four children, possibly more. Samuel married (as his second wife) in 1815, Pamela Patchin. Samuel & Pamela were the parents of a daughter.

5. Eunice Roberts, (twin), born 22 August 1774 in Simsbury, died 13 August 1825 in Hartford (Hartford) Connecticut. She married 3 March 1799 in Bloomfield, James Goodwin, who was born 27 December 1777 in Hartford, and died there 13 September 1844, son of Jonathan and Eunice (Olcott) Goodwin.

6. Lois Roberts, (twin), born 22 August 1774 in Simsbury, died 7 November 1847 in Indiana. She married Zopher Topping, who was born 17 June 1773 in Granby (Hartford) Connecticut and died 7 September 1814 in Worthington.

7. Hezekiah Roberts, born 5 June 1776, died 6 June 1776 in Bloomfield, age 0.

8. Hezekiah Roberts, born before 26 August 1781. He married Harriet King. Hezekiah & Harriet were the parents of three children, possibly more.

Lt. Francis Shurtleff & Mary Shaw

Sometimes when doing research in a family history book we might find a biographical sketch about an ancestor. I was delighted to learn so much about my 5th-great-grandfather but also a little sad that Mary, his wife, my 5th-great-grandmother, was barely mentioned.

Lt. Francis Shurtleff, son of Barnabas and Jemima (Adams) Shurtleff, was born 8 April 1738 in Plympton (Plymouth) Massachusetts, and died 14 August 1794 in Carver (Plymouth) Massachusetts. He married (as her first husband) on 7 August 1760 in Plympton, Mary Shaw, who was born 4 March 1742, and died 1 March 1816 in Carver, daughter of Nathaniel and Hannah (Perkins) Shaw.

Mary married (as her second husband and as his fourth wife) on 9 March 1797 in Carver, Dea. Thomas Savery, who was born 1 July 1736 in Plymouth (Plymouth) Massachusetts, and died 13 March 1822 in Carver, son of Thomas and Priscilla (Paddock) Savery, and widower of Zilpha Barrows, Hannah Bennett, and Mary Crocker.

Mary & Francis lie buried in Lakenham Cemetery in Carver, Massachusetts.

The following is from Descendants of William Shurtleff of Plymouth and Marshfield, Massachusetts, Vol I:

He was an ensign in Capt. Nathaniel Shaw’s second Plympton company, Col. George Watson’s first Plymouth Co. regiment; commissioned 1762, and Aug., 1771; also second lieutenant, Capt. Nathaniel Shaw’s company, Col. James Warren’s regiment, which marched on the alarm of Apr. 19, 1775, from Plympton to Marshfield; service, 2 days; also first lieutenant, Capt. Nathaniel Shaw’s seventh Plymouth company, Col. Gamaliel Bradford, Jr.’s, first Plymouth Co. regiment; commissioned June 6, 1776; also lieutenant, Col. Thomas Lothrop’s regiment; marched Dec. 11, 1776, on an alarm to Bristol, R. I.; service, 14 days; also first lieutenant, Capt. Nathaniel Shaw’s seventh company, Col. Theophilus Cotton’s first Plymouth Co. regiment; commissioned Oct. 28, 1778. On July 1, 1781, he was commissioned captain of the North Company of the local militia in Carver. He was one of the delegates sent from Plympton to the state convention to act on the constitution of the United states and voted against it, and was representative from Plympton to the first session of the General Court, May 26, 1784.

The following reminiscences of Mr. Shurtleff were written by his great-granddaughter, Olivia Holmes.

[Since most people are not so familiar with the lives of their great-grandparents, I imagine Olivia taking these notes (as I have often done) as she listened to her elders reminiscing about her great-grandfather. I was amused that Francis was “in the habit of pulling teeth and usually carried instruments for that purpose in his pocket.”]

When the first town meeting was held at Carver on July 5, 1790, Mr. Shurtleff was chosen as moderator. He was also the first town treasurer of Carver and their first representative to General Court. He was clerk of the Popes Point Furnace Company, but today we would probably call him an agent. This furnace ran only in the winter and then night and day; and during that season Mr. Shurtleff and wife lived in a house nearby, so they could board the men who were employed there. He was a justice of the peace (appointed Apr 16, 1790), a deacon of the church, and a dentist; at least, he was in the habit of pulling teeth and usually carried instruments for that purpose in his pocket. Afflicted people sometimes met him at the meeting house, sat down upon the steps and had the decayed member removed right there. It was an act of mercy, and quite proper for the Sabbath. When the Squire went to Boston to attend the General Court he rode horseback, and carried his linen in one end of his saddlebag and some provender to bait his horse on the way in the other end. Arrived at the city he put his horse out to pasture until such time as he might need him again. Once when he went to seek the animal, he was not to be found; thorough search did not discover him; so the Squire took his luggage over his shoulder and walked home to Carver. By aid of a connection who was supposed to deal with rogues, he recovered the horse, but the animal had been used rather hard. Mr. Shurtleff had several children and sometimes more than one wanted to ride at a time; then they used a pillion and rode double-jaded. In this manner he sometimes took his wife or daughters to Plymouth, shopping. He was indulgent to his children, and when one day his daughter (Olivia) expressed a liking for a certain piece of goods which she thought too dear for her to purchase, he bought her a dress from it, although it was English calico and one dollar a yard. His wife’s maiden name was Shaw and among her descendants are some tiny teaspoons marked M. S. in her honor; the younger members of this family ask whether the letters stand for Mary Shaw, Shurtleff or Savery. Mr. Shurtleff was interested in educational work and the school of his district was sometimes kept in his house in a bedroom. He named one of his children for the beautiful daughter of the ‘Vicar of Wakefield.’ His pastor, the Rev. Calvin Howland, suggested this to him and named one of his own children Sophia for the other one, but the Esquire had the first choice and called his Olivia.

Francis & Mary were the parents of eleven children, but only five of them survived to adulthood:

1. Zilpha Shurtleff, born 22 October 1761 in Plympton, died in infancy there on 7 March 1762.

2. Caleb Shurtleff, born 27 February 1763 in Plympton, died in infancy there in 1763.

3. Francis Shurtleff, born 3 August 1765 in Plympton, died 3 December 1852 in Middleborough (Plymouth) Massachusetts. He married 22 December 1785 in Middleborough, his second cousin, once removed, Elisabeth Shaw, who was born there in 1762 and died 6 August 1819 in Carver, daughter of Elkanah and Elisabeth (Atwood) Shaw, my 6th-great-grandparents.

4. Caleb Shurtleff, born and died in 1767 in Plympton.

5. Olivia Shurtleff, born 8 November 1769 in Plympton, and died 14 November 1848 in Carver. She married 19 March 1801 in Carver, James Savery, who was born 29 August 1777 in Plymouth (Plymouth) Massachusetts, and died 11 January 1860 in Carver, son of James and Mercy (Burbank) Savery. Olivia & James were the parents of seven children.

6. Lothrop Shurtleff, born 10 March 1772 in Plympton, died in 1832 in Middleborough. He married 22 September 1796 in Carver, Betsey White, who was born 4 January 1777 in Plympton and died 30 June 1815 in Carver, daughter of Benjamin White. Lothrop & Betsey were the parents of three daughters.

7. William Shurtleff, born 14 February 1775 in Plympton, died there 12 November 1778, age 3.

8. Nathaniel Shurtleff, born 16 September 1776 in Plympton, died there 18 November 1778, age 2.

9. Mary “Polly” Shurtleff, born 25 December 1779 in Plympton, died 25 January 1859 in Middleborough. She married 30 July 1797 in Carver, her fourth cousin, Silas Thomas, who was born 1766 in Middleborough, and died there 26 January 1858, son of Jeremiah and Susanna (Thomas) Thomas. Mary & Silas were the parents of two daughters.

10. Zilpha Shurtleff (my 4th-great-grandmother), born 21 July 1782 in Plympton, died 28 August 1838 in Middleborough. She married 1 February 1806 in Carver, Nathaniel Atwood, who was born 28 April 1782 in Middleborough and died there 26 January 1858, son of Ichabod and Hannah (Shaw) Atwood. Zilpha & Nathaniel were the parents of five children.

11. Susanna Shurtleff, born 26 April 1785 in Plympton, died 5 September 1791 in Carver, age 6.

Last Revised: 8 November 2021

Independence Day

A special Thank You to our ancestors who served in the War for Independence:

Capt. Nathaniel Shaw (1717-1800)

Capt. Ezekiel Huntley (1731-1783)

Lt. Francis Shurtleff (1738-1794)

William Shurtleff (1743-1790)

Isaac Weekes (1747-1792)

Ichabod Tillson (1750-1822)

Ephraim Koyl (1753-1838)

Seth Allen (1755-1838)

William Hamilton (1756-1824)

Samuel Cash (1758-1847)

…and to any and all who remain unknown for now…

Last Revised: 28 October 2019