JABEZ DESCENDANTS

AT THE BATTLE OF SARATOGA?

 

By Carl Hommel

 

This last summer, I noted the following on the Berkshire County, MA Web Site:

 

            DESCENDANTS OF BATTLES OF SARATOGA SOLDIERS SOUGHT

 

The Victory at Saratoga committee is seeking the names and addresses of living descendants of soldiers who fought at the Battles of Saratoga in September and October of 1777. These individuals will lead the citizens surrender march from the Saratoga monument to Fort Hardy Park on Saturday, October 19, in commemoration of the 225th anniversary of th battles of Saratoga.

 

Please send names, addresses and phone numbers to Pat Peck.

 

Channel 13 news anchor Ed Dague will emcee the program at Fort Hardy Park, which is a recreation of the famous "Surrender of General Burgoyne" painting by John Trumbull that hangs in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capital. Members of the Schuylerville community will portray the depicted American and British officers. The living tableau harkens back to earlier surrender commemorations of 1877 and 1927. A patriotic fireworks display will conclude the 225th anniversary celebration.

 

On October 17, 1777, the British General Burgoyne surrendered to the American General Gates in Schuylerville. Over 6,000 British and German soldiers marched out of the camps located through out the village to Fort Hardy where they stacked their guns. The surrendering troops were then marched through the American Lines and past the 20,000 patriot soldiers amassed after the two Battles of Saratoga. This was the first time that a British Army had surrendered in over 200 years and was the first large-scale victory for the Americans in the Revolution. This "Turning Point" proved to the French that the Americans could fight. Within months, the French came to our aid with badly needed supplies and weapons, troops and the French Navy.

 

I decided to do a little research to see if any of Capt. Jabez’s descendants could have been there at the battle. I had the service records of his descendants (see Vol 4, Issue 1, November 2000, pp. 8 and 9). I saw that Aaron and two Jabez’s were likely candidates. One Jabez and Aaron were at nearby Fort Edward in 1777, and the records of the other Jabez showed he had marched to Ticonderoga early that same year.

 

I sent E-Mail to Pat Peck, as follows:

 

I have an ancestor who may have been there. According to the Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, Jabez Olmsted was at Fort Edward in Col John Ashley's Regt. (Berkshire Co.) in June, 1777.

 

There was another Jabez Olmsted (son or father of the other) in Col. Benjamin Simons's detachment of Berkshire Co. militia, and who marched to Ticonderoga in March 1777. There is no way of telling which was which. No serial numbers in those days. <G>

 

Aaron Olmsted, a son of Jabez Sr. and brother of Jabez Jr, was also at Fort Edward, in Col John Ashley's Regt. at the same time.

 

Is there any record of those regiments at Saratoga?

 

Carl Hommel

 

 

I shortly received a reply:

 

I just checked a list of colonels who were at the battles of Saratoga &; it includes Col. John Ashley, 1st Berkshire Co., MA, part of Paterson's Brigade - here Oct 7, but not for the first battle or the surrender.

 

I don't know if there are any payroll lists for Oct 7 to see conclusively if Jabez Olmsted or Aaron Olmsted were here, but the evidence looks like they likely were here.

 

Pat

 

Pat evidently forwarded my question to the Saratoga Park Service, as I received a message from a Park Ranger:

 

            Dear Mr. Hommel,

 

I have received your information regarding an ancestor that may have served here with the Army of the United States under the command of Major General Horatio Gates from Park Ranger Richard Beresford.

 

Colonel John Ashley's battalion of south Berkshire County, Massachusetts militia, was indeed present with the army of Horatio Gates. They were assigned to the brigade commanded by Brigadier General John Patterson on October 3d, between the two battles of Saratoga. This militia battalion was made up of various draftees from various regiments of militia from Berkshire County, MA.

 

Unfortunately, our records here at Saratoga NHP are too incomplete to be able to give you more specific information than what is included in the source you cited.

 

Colonel Ben Simons's detachment may well have been here, incorporated in Ashley's battalion from the same county. Colonel Simons was not here, but it is more than likely that if he was the colonel of one of the militia regiments from Berkshire county, some of his men would have been incorporated in Ashley's battalion.

 

I wish you luck in your further research! Please let me know if you have any further questions, or if you'd like to share your findings with us.

 

     Eric H. Schnitzer

     Park Ranger, Saratoga NHP

 

The evidence shows that Aaron and one Jabez were quite likely at the second Battle of Saratoga, and perhaps the other Jabez also.