Ancestors Who Fought in the Revolution – part 3

This is the last of three blog posts about my direct ancestors that were involved in service during the Revolutionary War.  These two direct ancestors noted below lived in the Baltimore and Harford areas of Maryland.

Aquila Hall (1750-1815), a 4^th great grandfather

Walter Tolley (~1715-1783), a 5^th great grandfather

 

Aquila Hall (1750-1815)  Colonel Aquila Hall (also known as Aquila Hall Jr to distinguish him from an older uncle also named Aquila Hall) was born in Harford County, Maryland to a wealthy landholding family.  Aquila was directly descended from John Hall who was transported from England to Maryland in 1640 [see the January 2021 blog post, Legacy of Enslavement].

Aquila was well educated and became a lawyer in 1774 just as the Revolution was gaining ground.  Early in 1775, Aquila was appointed to a special committee that drew up and signed a document known as the Bush River Declaration [see the blog post, Path to Independence, published on my blog in July 2020].   This document is made up of resolutions that advocated more self-government for the Colonies, and it is historically regarded as an important step in the movement towards Independence.

Before year end, Aquila was authorized to purchase 20 half-barrels of gunpowder and 4,000 weights of lead for the local militia.  In December 1775, he married Ann Tolley of Baltimore.  Aquila and Ann had a dozen children, though 2 died in infancy.

Soon after his marriage, in January of 1776, Aquila was appointed Colonel of the Upper Battalion of the Harford County Militia.  At one point General Washington was entertained by him and his staff at Aquila’s home in Havre de Grace, which later resulted in the British burning Aquila’s home in retaliation.  I’m not sure if he ever engaged in battle, or simply served in the planning and operations activities for the Baltimore Continental militia.

During much of Aquila Hall’s lifetime, he and Ann lived at their home estate known as Long Green in Baltimore County.  He died at Long Green in 1815 at the age of 65.

 

Walter Tolley (~1715-1783) was also born and raised in Baltimore County, Maryland.  He was the father of Ann Tolley and the father-in-law of Aquila Hall noted above.  I’m not sure how he was involved with the Revolution but he shows up in a source titled the “Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots”.

Walter was a large land owner and planter.  He served in the Lower House of the Legislature in Baltimore County in 1751 and as a tobacco inspector between 1754-1757.  Walter Tolley also served as a captain in the local Baltimore County militia in 1756 though he was already in his 60’s by the time of the Revolution.  I have no doubt that he did his part to support Colonial efforts seeking Independence and to be counted as a Revolutionary Patriot.

Walter Tolley first married Marry Garrettson in 1735, and after her death he married Martha Hall in 1751.  Martha Hall was also a great granddaughter of the 1640 immigrant, John Hall from whom Aquila Hall was descended.  Walter’s daughter, Ann Tolley, who married Aquila Hall was a child of his second marriage.  Walter died at the age of 69 in 1783 in Baltimore County, Maryland.  At his death he owned about 3,000 acres in Baltimore and Harford Counties.

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Notes: 

If you are interested in the supporting documentation sources available for any of the individuals and their Revolutionary service, please don’t hesitate to contact me, and I will be happy to share.

- Jane Scribner McCrary

Ancestors Who Fought in the Revolution – part 2

This next blog post includes short biographies about the Revolutionary service of several of my direct ancestors from New London, Connecticut, where many of my ancestors were born.

James Smith, Jr (1732-1798), a 5^th great grandfather

John Rogers (1760-1796), a 4^th great grandfather

Nathaniel Dickinson (1749-1797), a 4^th great grandfather

James Smith, Jr (1732-1798) James Smith Jr was born in New London, Connecticut in 1732.  James was referred to in the Joshua Hempstead Diary as “James Smith Son of James Smith the Barber”.  His father was paralyzed and lost the use of his limbs when James was a child and he lived for about 20 years so afflicted.  Consequently James grew up very poor suffering hard times even though the community did what they could to help the family.

James Jr married Abigail Hempstead, also of New London in 1756 and they remained in New London near their families. They had 7 children, and at least 4 of them lived to adulthood.  In 1775, and prior to the birth of their last child, James enlisted under Capt James Chapman of New London in the 6^th Regiment commanded by Col Samuel Holden Parsons and was involved in the defense of Boston.  James also served as a sergeant in 1782 in Capt Deshon’s company called the First Alarm List by the order of Col Jonathan Latimer.

James Smith, the son, died in 1798 in New London at 66 years of age; and his wife, Abigail, lived another 16 years.

John Rogers (1760-1796), also a New London native, enlisted in Col Sheldon’s 2^nd Regiment Light Dragoons Continental Troop commanded by Col Elisha Sheldon in 1777 while quite young at only 17 years old.  He served with the troop through 1779 and was noted as a Private and also as a seaman in the military records. 

In 1782, John Rogers married Hannah Smith, a daughter of James Smith Jr and Abigail Hempstead noted above, and spent his adult life on the sea.  Captain John Rogers was a master mariner and often sailed routes from New London to the East Indies.  In 1796, when he was only 36 years of age, Capt John Rogers sailed from New London, in a vessel that he owned, heading for Barbados.  Accountings are that the ship went down at sea and he was drowned in sight of New York Harbor.  Capt John Rogers left behind a pregnant wife and at least 5 young children when he was lost at sea.  Hannah Smith Rogers, John’s wife, lived many more years until she died in 1845 in New London at the age of 83.

 

Nathaniel Dickinson (1749-1797)  Our family has several ancestors from the New London, Connecticut area, and another who was involved in the Revolution effort was Nathaniel Dickinson.  He was a seaman and mariner living and working out of the port or New London.  While there are no military records of Nathaniel’s involvement, according to family letters Nathaniel was involved in the defense of New London in 1781 when British forces attacked the port of New London and Fort Griswold in Groton in an attempt to divert General George Washington from his efforts in Virginia.  Known as the Battle of Groton Heights, many ships and buildings in both New London and Groton were burned and casualties and losses were suffered by both sides.  

Nathaniel’s greatest contribution to the War of the Revolution was as a privateer on armed vessels that worked to disrupt British trade and commerce. He often served aboard ships as the Prize Master, and assumed responsibility for the cargo and as the Captain of captured vessels that were then sailed into port to be turned over to the United States authorities.  You can read a more complete accounting of the life of Nathaniel in my blog post, Aboard a Prison Ship in the Revolution, posted in July 2020.

In June 1782, Nathaniel was aboard the armed privateer vessel named the Lively that was captured by the British.  He was wounded and taken prisoner and subsequently confined aboard the Jersey Prison Ship anchored in New York Harbor.  By the time his family could get enough money to exchange Nathaniel (the British demanded payment for his release) he was very sick and emaciated from the months of harsh and close confinement.

Nathaniel eventually resumed his mariner life, though his experience aboard the British prison ship left him with compromised health for the remainder of his years.  Nathaniel died of illness while at sea in early 1797 at 48 years of age.  Among the list of items recorded in Nathaniel Dickinson’s estate inventory, and valued at three-dollars, was a “Picture of General Washington on horseback” – a reminder of the struggles and accomplishments of the Revolution.

 

The last of these blog posts will take us south to Maryland to find a couple of more Revolutionary Patriots.

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Notes:

If you are interested in any of the supporting documentation sources used for any of the individuals and their Revolutionary service, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to share.

- Jane Scribner McCrary