Blain; Alam Blain 1760

Alam Blain
Born May 13, 1760; deceased November 22, 1846. We know very little about him. We don't know who his parents were. We have no pictures of the man. We do know he did exist. Better Genealogical sleuths than I have researched thru records, painstakingly, to find birth and death dates and the place Alam called home. I, the writer of this page, took what facts they found and tried to create a story around this man, for whom we have reached back in time, to pin the word "roots" to his name.

Born only 3 years after the French and Indian War began, when colonial countries were still pitted one against the other for conquest of territories, Alam's arrival was set on an historic stage. This country was at the time divided in parts between England, Spain, and France. England at the end of that war was clearly the winner of the vast and major settlement of American soil. That war precluded the ongoing territorial struggles, surveys and discoveries that led to the Revolutionary War and all else Politically Historical happening at the time in the Colonial United States.

There is record of Alam's enlistment date, (May 1, 1778; he was 18 years of age). His service, 3 years during the Revolutionary War; (war dates: April 18, 1775 to the 3rd of September, 1783 ). (I am going to surmise Alam had a loving family because a young man on his own probably would have run off to military service at age 16 or younger for lack of anything better to do. I think family commitment kept him safely home until he was 18. In reality, this remains a mystery). When Alam did enlist, the war was 3 years into it's course. We are told his Regiment, the 4th of Light Dragoons, were men from New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania; serving under Colonel Anthony White. This was a Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment assigned to "Muster-Master" General Stephen Moylan, secretary and Aide-de-Camp to General George Washington.

Our country as Alam knew it was colonized 140 years (1620 Pilgrim landings) before his birth. Already the towns of Boston and Philadelphia had been fashionably built. Boston's historic and beautifully architectured Old North Church was build in 1773, 13 years after Alam's birth. History relates lanterns were hung in it's bell tower as the signal for Paul Revere to make his famous ride, April 18, 1775, that signaled the beginning of the war. That very church was a thriving (Episcopal) community church at the time.

Alam's place of birth, Lebanon, Hunderton County, New Jersey, is 265 driving miles from Boston. If Alam was fortunate enough to own a horse, he could travel about 20 miles comfortably in a day making him 3 weeks away from the center of the action. I could walk that far in a day but couldn't carry the necessities walking, so walking, of course, would have taken longer. The majority of people must not have owned horses for riding but because Alam joined a Calvary unit, I will assume he owned a horse and that he rode, not walked, to his enlistment. What this man must have seen and been a part of. Life, death, history in the making and he was there, in the center of it all.

Alam returned to his New Jersey home after serving 3 years in the military and 2 years we know not where. Having seen death so closely and in such numbers, he like other good men, probably needed time to regroup their thoughts. After coming back to his home, he met or possibly rekindled a relationship with Catharine Reed. His courtship led to their marriage on April 12, 1783. He was 23 years of age.

Catharine Reed, wife of Alam Blain, was b - October 28, 1763 and d - December 13, 1855. She was from Sussex, New Jersey. Records show Alam and family living in New Jersey until about 1800 then moving to Pennsylvania and moving to Muskingum County, Ohio in 1818 and then again in 1820 to Harlem Township, Delaware county, Ohio.

Question: What is it that brought Alam back to New Jersey after his military service. Was it a mother and father we have no record of or maybe close ties to friends or was Catharine the woman he left behind. This question may remain, forever, unanswered. In any event he found and married Catharine Reed and together they raised twelve children.

Names: Abraham, Catherine, George, John, Luke, Mary, William, Elizabeth, Joseph, Jacob, Ann, and Elam Blain Esq. beginning our 2nd generation.

With thousands of other Patriots, Alam Blain helped to forge this great country of ours forward into the future, from a colony to the United States of America. Our country was founded thru the determination of soldiers who fought those Revolutionary War battles. We owe a mighty debt to Alam Blain and his kindred spirits who valued their freedom more than their lives.