CAPTAIN JABEZ’S
GRANDCHILDREN IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
We start a new series in this issue, showing
the military records of Capt. Jabez’s grandchildren (and great grandchildren?) in the Revolutionary War.
You must be aware, however, that these
records have been the cause of some of the confusion and errors in the GOFA.
There is no way to distinguish the records of people with the same name. This
is particularly true for the name of “Jabez”, as there were at least three
descendants of Capt. Jabez with that name at that time, and another from the
James Olmstead line, who was living in New Canaan, NY. Soldiers and sailors in
the Revolutionary War were not issued serial numbers.
However, it is interesting to note hat there
were a Aaron, a Jabez, and a Jeremiah who all served in Capt. Sylvanus
Willcox's Company, Col. John Ashley's (Berkshire County) Regiment, although
their time of service were not the same. An Aaron and a Jabez also served in
Col. Benjamin Simonds’s detachment of Berkshire Co. militia; muster roll dated
Ticonderoga, Feb. 25, 1777
To end this on a “light note”, when I see the
six different ways that Aaron’s surname was spelled, the three different ways
that Jabez’s surname was spelled (recognizing that they were not the same
person), and the two ways that Joseph’s surname was spelled, I am reminded of
the story about the book reviewer who was reviewing a new book on
meteorology in which the word “weather”
was misspelled. He said it was the worst spell of weather he had seen in quite
a while!
OLMSTEAD, AARON, New Canaan. Capt. Stephen Pearl's
co., Col. Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge's
(25th) regt.; receipt for advance pay, signed by said Olmstead and others,
dated Cambridge, June 26, 1775; also, Drummer, same co. and regt.; muster roll
dated Aug. 1, 1775; enlisted May 10, 1775; service, 2 mos. 26 days; also,
company return dated Prospect Hill, Sept. 28, 1775. (Volume 11, page 648)
OMSTID, AARON, Private, Capt. Roswell Downing's co.,
Lieut. Col. Miles Powel's (Berkshire Co.) regt.; enlisted July 19, 1779;
discharged Aug. 23, 1779; service, 1 mo. 9 days, at New Haven, Conn., including 4˝ days (90 miles) travel home.
(Volume 11, page 654)
OLMSTED, AARON. Capt. Pearl's co., Col. Woodbridge's
regt.; order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money dated Cambridge Camp,
Oct. 23, 1775. (Volume 11, page 648)
OMSTEAD, AARON, Private, Capt. Ephraim Fitch's co.,
Col. Benjamin Simonds's detachment of Berkshire Co. militia; muster roll dated
Camp at Ticonderoga, Feb. 25, 1777; entered service Jan. 14, 1777; enlistment
to expire March 15, 1777; also, Capt. Ephraim Fitch's co., Col. Ashley's
(Berkshire Co.) regt.; enlisted July 21, 1777; discharged Aug. 14, 1777;
service, 25 days; mileage home (74 miles) allowed. (Volume 11, page 653)
OMSTED, AARON, Private, Capt. Sylvanus Willcox's
co., Col. John Ashley's (Berkshire Co.) regt.; entered service July 8, 1777;
discharged July 21, 1777; service, 14 days, with Northern army; mileage home
from camp at Fort Edward (110 miles) allowed. (Volume 11, page 653)
UMSTEAD, AARON. Private, Capt. Peter Porter's
detachment, Gen. Fellows's (Berkshire Co.) brigade; entered service July 1,
1778; discharged Oct. 31, 1778; service, 4 mos., under Brig. Gen. Stark at
Albany; detachment raised for 6 months. (Volume 16, page 250)
OLMSTED, JABEZ, Williamstown. Private, Capt.
Abiathar Angel's co., Col. David Brewer's (9th) regt.; muster roll dated Aug.
1, 1775; enlisted May 1, 1775; service, 3 mos. 1 week; also, Capt. John
Wright's co., Col. David Brewer's (9th) regt.; company return [probably Oct.,
1775]; also, Capt. Wright's co., Col. Rufus Putnam's (late Brewer's) regt.;
order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money dated Roxbury Camp, Nov. 2,
1775; also, Private, Capt. William Duglass's co., Col. Benjamin Simonds's
detachment of Berkshire Co. militia; muster roll dated Ticonderoga, Feb. 25,
1777; enlisted Dec. 16, 1776;
enlistment to expire March 15, 1777; also, return of men raised to serve
in the Continental Army from Capt.
Judah Williams's (Williamstown) co.; residence, Williamstown; engaged for town of Williamstown; joined
Capt. Warren's co., Col. Bayley's regt.; term, 3 years; also, list of men mustered between Jan. 20,
1777, and June 1, 1778, by Truman Wheler, Muster Master for Berkshire Co.; also, Private, Capt. Jeremiah Miller's
co., Col. Joseph Vose's regt.;
Continental Army pay accounts for service from May 1, 1777, to May 1,
1778; reported as serving 9 mos. as
Private, 3 mos. as Sergeant; also reported deceased; also, same co. and regt.;
muster roll for Dec., 1777, sworn to at
Camp near Valley Forge; enlisted July 30, 1777; enlistment, during war; reported sick at Albany. (Page 649)
OMSTED, JABEZ, Private, Capt. Sylvanus Willcox's
co., Col. John Ashley's (Berkshire Co.)
regt.; entered service July 8, 1777; discharged July 26, 1777; service,
19 days, with Northern army; mileage
home from Camp at Fort Edward (110 miles) allowed. (Volume 11, page 654)
OULMSTED, JABEZ, Capt. William Douglas's co., Col.
Benjamin Simonds's detachment of Berkshire Co. militia; entered service Dec.
16, 1776; discharged March 22, 1777; service, 96 days; company marched to
Ticonderoga. (Volume 11, page 715)
OMSTED, JEREMIAH, Private, Capt. Sylvanus Willcox's
co., Col. John Ashley's (Berkshire Co.) regt.; entered service Oct. 15, 1780;
service, 2 days, on an alarm; company allowed horse rations. (Volume 11, page
654)
OLMSTED, JOSEPH, Brookfield. Private, Capt. John
Woolcott's co. of rangers, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, from
Brookfield and Spencer; service, 12 days; also, Capt. John Cowls's co., Col.
Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge's regt.; company return [probably Oct., 1775];
also, order for bounty coat or its equivalent in money dated Cambridge, Dec.
23, 1775; also, Corporal, Capt. Nathan Hamilton's co., Col. Samuel Brewer's
regt.; service from Aug. 3, 1776, to Sept. 30, 1776, 1 mo. 29 (also given 1 mo.
28) days; also, same co.; company receipt for wages for Oct., 1776, dated Ticonderoga Mills; also, Sergeant, Capt.
Hamilton's co., Col. Brewer's regt.; pay abstract for travel allowance, etc., dated Brookfield, Feb. 17,
1777; 160 miles travel allowed said Olmsted; also, same co. and regt.; pay abstract for travel
allowance, etc., home from Fort Edward, dated Brookfield, Feb. 6, 1777; said Olmsted credited with
allowance for 8˝ days (170 miles) travel; also, 2d Lieutenant, Capt. Noah Nichols's co. of Artillery artificers,
Gen. Knox's (Artillery) brigade; return
of men who were in camp before Aug. ‑, 1777; reported resigned.
(Volume 11, page 649)
OLMSTEAD, JOSEPH, Brookfield. 2d Lieutenant, Capt. Joseph Richardson's (Matross) co., 4th Worcester Co. regt. of Mass. militia; list of officers; commissioned June 11, 1778; also, list of men, dated Brookfield, June 30, 1778, showing service credited to them, respectively, as returned by the committee chosen to make an average of the service rendered to the credit of the 3d Precinct of Brookfield; total amount of service rendered made to average 5˝ months for each single poll in said precinct; said Olmstead credited with 16 2/3 mos. service; also, return of men raised to serve in the Continental Army from Capt. John Bannister's (1st Matross) co., Col. James Converse's (4th Worcester Co.) regt., Brig. Warner's brigade; residence, Brookfield; engaged for town of Brookfield; joined Capt. Nichols's co., Col. Baldwin's regt.; term, 3 years; also, Lieutenant, in command of a company of volunteers who enlisted from Capt. Nathan Hamilton's co., belonging to the 3d Precinct in Brookfield, upon application to Committee of Safety of Brookfield by Samuel Webb, Conductor of Ordnance Stores at that place; service from Jan. 1, 1779, to Feb. 6, 1779, 1 mo. 6 days, guarding magazine stores. (Volume 11, page 648)
We will conclude
this series in the next issue with the military records of Joel Marsh, Jonathan
Marsh (seven records), Judah Marsh, Thomas Marsh (three records), and John
McMitchell (McMitchel). We were not able to find the records of Nathan
Hamilton, husband of Capt. Jabez’s daughter, Abigail. If any reader can find
this, as well as identifying any additional soldiers or sailors please let us
know.
Reference: “Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of
the Revolutionary War; A Compilation from the Archives”; Prepared and Published
by the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Accordance with Chapter 100, Resolves
of 1891. Boston, Wright & Potter Printing Co., State Printers, 18 Post
Office Square, 1896.