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