Sketch of the life of Bvt. Brig. Gen. Sylvester Churchill ... with notes and appendices

Preface

In the year 1884, two gentlemen of my name, residing in or near Boston, requested me to give them such information as I possessed concerning a branch of the descendants of John Churchill, of Plymouth, Mass., their ancestor and mine. I was not able to render them much assistance. In fact, I am under obligations to them for valuable information. I never had any taste for genealogy. But, from my earliest recollection, my father had some memoranda concerning his ancestry, and to these he made additions at various times. In the latter part of his life, he prepared a compilation which I found among his papers. Using it as a basis, I added a few facts which had not been ascertained, and brought everything down to a later date. This I did for the benefit of some young relatives of mine. After the receipt of the request, which I have mentioned, and in order that I might comply with it,_ I endeavored to obtain full particulars concerning the descendants of my father's brothers and sisters, but have not accomplished all that I wished.

In the course of my correspondence with those gentlemen, one of them wrote to me : " You have much in your father's history towards making a readable book." It is the result of this suggestion that the following sketch has been prepared. It was my intention, when it was commenced, to make it quite brief, and, on its being printed, to distribute it, with all the information in my possession concerning the descendants of my father's brothers and sisters, as well as of his own, among his adult relatives, and to ask for corrections and additions. This is all I contemplated.

The work grew upon my hands, and, as I think, in accord with the intrinsic merits of the subject treated. Irrespective of what might otherwise have been the case, the fact that my father was an officer of the army for fifty years prevented his exercising any influence in matters of legislation, or in giving shape to the measures of Government, State or National. But, public events

[iii]

IV determined the course of his life, and he participated, personally and actively, in many occurrences which form parts of the history of the country, and some of which had important and lasting results. It is clear that, from early life, he took much interest in public affairs. He had nearly attained his majority when the Louisiana purchase was made, a transaction preceded and followed by much excitement. It may be said that " The West " assumed importance after his active life commenced. Certainly, with the exception of the present State of Louisiana, and a few settlements in the present State of Missouri, all of the country west of the Mississippi was a wilderness. The railroad and the magnetic telegraph were introduced and carried to perfection after he had passed his middle age, making changes in the methods of travel and communication which the present generation cannot realize. The contrasts presented by those events are made apparent in the sketch. His activity continued till near . the beginning of the civil war, and he lived to be made sad by that occurrence.

There are still in the army, as in private life, a few who knew my father personally, and there are more who were his contemporaries in the service, though separated far from him in years and rank. I think that the sketch of the life of one who was their contemporary will be interesting, I hope that it will be interesting to others. I have sometimes regretted that it did not occur to me to prepare this sketch twenty years and more ago, Avhen a much larger number of my father's contemporaries were living. But, probably, the time was not opportune. The war had terminated so recently, and the conditions which resulted from it engrossed so much attention that there was no room for the consideration of remote events- The army w^as in a chaotic condition, and there had been a large infusion of a crude element, not yet assimilated, to which the history and traditions of the army went for but little. The present is the more opportune time, and I fancy that there are some officers who will be pleased to read a narrative which will enable them to connect the past and present of the army.

I am of the opinion that I add to the interest of the narrative by giving, in notes, the outlines of the military life of every one of my father's companions in arms who is mentioned in the sketch.

I think that the brief accounts of the military life of my brothers and my only nephew, which I have given, will also add to the interest of the sketch. It is exceptional that three successive generations in a family should be represented in the army.

These considerations have induced me to give a wider distribution to the sketch than was originally contemplated. I intend to send copies to the survivors of the graduates of 1840, a few officers of the army, retired or still in the active service, and a few civilians who, as I think, take a special interest in the occurrences mentioned or subjects treated. But I do not know the addresses of all the persons indicated, relatives and others. In addition to this, there are some officers of the army, as I have intimated, as there may be civilians, who, seeing the book, or hearing of it, may wish to obtain copies. In order that these wants may be met, if there should be any, the persons who print the book will be authorized to sell copies on terms to be named by themselves; but there will be an agreement with them that it is not to be placed upon the market or advertised, and that press notices are not to be obtained. I am averse to any such proceedings. They would not be consistent with my purposes in writing the sketch, or its scope and tenor. I have written it as I would tell it to any one wishing to learn the events of my father's life. The same statement applies to the notes. Many of the details refer to matters of a domestic nature ; and, though most of them are connected with public events, and nothing is told the knowledge of which need be limited, the book is not to be thrust before the public. It is probable that it will reach certain classes of persons, as specified, and this will suffice. The appendices have been written in a spirit somewhat different, it is true, but they are largely incidental.

The military reader will see that I have obtained most of my information concerning officers of the army from Gardner's United States Army Dictionary, Cullom's Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U. S. Military Academy, the Army Registers of various years, and a Register of the Graduates of the Academy, corrected to Sept. ist, 1886, recently published. Some changes have taken place within a few months past ; but, lest, if I should attempt to make the necessary alterations, all might not be included, I think it best to allow the statements to remain as they were written. I have placed some reliance upon newspaper slips, which seemed worthy of credence, and which I have been

VI collecting for several years. When I mention the Brevet Rank conferred upon an officer for his services in connection with anyspecific occurrence, and not for his general merit, I have, in most cases, given the date of the occurrence, and not the date when the brevpt was actually conferred. I have been guided, in some matters, by various Cyclopaedias, the U. S. census of different dates, and the American Loyalists by Lorenzo Sabine. It may be well to state that, where the marks [ ] appear in a quotation, they include explanations or comments of my own.

I add a few sentences concerning myself. I have mentioned a suggestion which was made to me. I had hardly examined and began to arrange the materials which were in my possession (my father's journals, a large number of letters received by him, and drafts of his reports and official letters), and was still endeavoring to obtain, by correspondence, some information which I desired, when I had an attack of sickness, which has, apparently, made me an invalid for life. I do not move with ease, as in former years. I write slowly and with difficulty, and often with pain, and I have been obliged to avail myself of the assistance of an acquaintance in order that a legible manuscript might be prepared for the compositors. Under these circumstances, to rewrite, or, even, to re-arrange the matter which has been prepared, is almost out of the question. These facts will account, I trust, for any want of sequence, or connection, or for any confusion in what I have written. The only changes which I have found it possible to make, have been to entitle, as appendices, matters which I intended for notes ; and sometimes a portion of the matter, as originally prepared, has been placed under each head. After I decided upon this change the appendices were much enlarged. All were suggested by some portions of the sketch, but some have no connection with it. If it should be objected that I have aired my opinions unnecessarily in the appendices, the offense is not serious, even though the objection is well taken.

It is due to Messrs. Willis McDonald & Co., the printers, and especially to Mr. D. H. Jones, who has acted for them, that I should acknowledge my obligations to them and him.

Brooklyn, April 12th, 1888.

F. H. Churchill.

SKETCH.

The subject of this sketch was a descendant of John Churchill, of Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is supposed that the latter emigrated directly from England to Plymouth, but in what year, or from what part of England he came, or when or where he was born, is not known. It is supposed, by those who have investigated the matter, that he came from Dorsetshire. From him and Josias, who was an early settler of Weathersfield, Connecticut, William, who settled in New York previous to 1672, and William, who came from Oxfordshire and settled on the Rappahannock in Virginia, in 1666, are descended, it is believed, all persons of the name or blood of Churchill in the United States, except those, if there are any such, who have recently arrived in this country, and the descendants of such persons. It is supposed that John Churchill was the first who established himself in the Colonies.*

In the 4th volume of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register (Boston, S. G. Drake, p. 255,) is: "August, 1643. The names of all the males that are able to beare armes from XVI yeares to 60 yeares w^^in the severall Towne Shipps." Among the 148 names mentioned is John Churchill. At Plymouth, December i8th, 1644, he married

* Note I.

Hannah Pontus. In the 5th volume of the Register mentioned, p. 259, is an extract from the will of William Pontus, who was one of the grantees of Plymouth, dated Sept. 9th, 1655, mentioning " my son-in-law John Chuichill and Hannah his wife." John Churchill died at Plymouth, between December 24th, 1661, and February iith, 1662. This appears from his nuncupative will and the inventory of his personal property which are "on record. He was apparently a person of substance. His will mentions uplands and " meadowes" in Plymouth, including fifty acres of land lying at Mannomett Ponds, other land at Punckatusett, "the old dwelling-house" and his " new house." That he was not only " able to beare armes" but had provided himself with arms and munitions of war is proved by the following extract from the inventory mentioned :

LB. S. U.

A sword and shott pouch, 2 pound of

The inventory also includes household effects and farming tools, oxen, " cowes," steers, " heiffers," calves, and " 2 sowes and three Piggs."

The children of John and Hannah Churchill were: Joseph, I/a;i7ia/i, horn November 12th, 1649; Eleazei% born April 20th, 1652 ; Mary, born August 8th, 1654; William^ born 1656, and JoJin^

probabl}^ born in 1658. It is supposed that they are named here in the order of birth. All of these children, with the exception of Mary, are named in their father's will. The date of the birth of Joseph, and that of his death, are not known.

Joseph Churchill married Sarah Hicks, June 3d, 1672. It is tliought that Sarah was a daughter of SamueLj a son of Robert. The last named was a morocco dresser in London, and was one of the grantees of Plymouth. In 1639 he conveyed land to Samuel.

The children of Joseph and Sarah Churchill were : yohn^ born July 3d (or 2 2d), 1678 ; Margaret, born October , 1684 ; Barnabas, born July 3d,

1686; and Joseph, born January , 1692.

Barnabas Churchill married Lydia (or Lidiah) Harlow. The date of the marriage, her parentage, and the dates of her birth and death, and the date of the death of Barnabas^ are not known.

The children of Barnabas and Lydia Churchill were: ^^r/^^^^^^i-, born October icth, 1714; William, born December 5th, 1716; Ichabod. born January 1 2th, 1719;* Joseph, born May 19th, 1721; Lemuel, born July 12th, 1723; Isaac, born May 30th, 1726; Tho77tas, born April 30th, 1730; Ebenezer, born November 9th, 1732; Lydia, hoiw March 24th, 17^!;* and John, born May 9th, i739.f

Joseph Churchill, last above named, was married to Mariah Ryder, September 23d, 1745, at Plymouth, by Rev. Nathanial Leonard. She was born December 2d, 1724, and was a daughter of Samuel Ryder and Mary (Sylvester or Silvester) Ryder. Samuel was born November 15th, 1698, and was a son of John Ryder and Hannah ( ) Ryder.

Samuel and Mary were married at Plymouth by a Mr. Little, November 2d, 1722.

The children of Joseph and Mariah Churchill were : Ic/iabod, born August 9th, 1746 ; Joseph, born July 14th, 1748; and Lucy, born August 22d, 1750. These children, it is understood, were born at Plymouth. Joseph died at Plymouth soon after his daughter Lucy was born. His widow married Archippus Fuller, and moved to Woodstock, Vermont, in or about the year 1777. There were five children by the second marriage of the widow : Cojisidci\ Seth, Samuel, Polly, and Maj'iah.

Joseph Churchill, son of Joseph and Mariah, lived from his boyhood until he was twenty-one years of age, with Doggett, at Middleborough, Ply-

mouth County, Massachusetts. A grandson of Doggett lived, in 1852, on the same place one mile from the " New Works " Village, and, at that time, a part of the old house was still standing. On March 21st, 1 771, at Middleborough, Joseph was married to Sarah Cobb, of the same place, by Peter Oliver, Justice of the Peace. Sarah, who was born September 20th, 1747, was a daughter of Gershom Cobb, Junr., and Meriam * (Thomas) Cobb. Gershom and Meriam were both residents of Middleborough, and were married March 3rd, 1739. Meriam died soon after her daughter, Sarah, was born, and the latter then lived with a maternal aunt, Mrs. Vaughan, till she was married to Joseph Churchill. In 1852, a widow, a daughter of Mrs. Vaughan, and who, therefore, was a cousin of Sarah Cobb, aged ninety-one years, lived on the same place. The house was new, but the site was the same. She resided with a daugh-

* This, I understand, was the spelling, but, no doubt, it should have been Mirianti.

ter, wife (or widow) of Col. Benjamin Wood. She must have been born in or about the year 1761, and, therefore, was ten years old when her cousin, Sarah, was married. Sarah had a brother, TJiomas, born March 13th, 1742. Her father, Gershom, married again, and had children as follows: William^ John, Joanna^ and Lydia.

Sylvester, one of the sons of Joseph Churchill, and the subject of this sketch, stated that it was generally understood that his father was in the American army in the war of Independence, and was in or near the City of New York at the time of the Battle of Long Island.

Joseph and Sarah resided at Middleborough till 1777, and then moved with their three children to Woodstock, Vermont, and established themselves on a wilderness farm on the north side of the Queechy River, two and a half miles west of "The Green," by which name the principal village in the town of Woodstock was known, between the farms of Captain Phinehas Williams and Rev. Samuel Damon. It may be stated that Thomas Cobb, above mentioned, the brother of Sarah, and their stepmother, the second wife of Gershom, and who survived him, and her four children, also above mentioned (the half brothers and half sisters of Tho7nas and Sarah), all moved to Woodstock in or about 1777.

The farm at Woodstock was quite extensive, and it appears that Joseph Churchill was a man of substance. This is made evident by the fact that, among the things done by him for the benefit of the public, he gave a site for a school-house near his residence. The Baptists were a numerous denomination in the vicinity, and a pond on Joseph Churchill's land, or. possibly, a bend or eddy in the Queechy River near his residence, was a favorite place of resort for baptism, and some of his sons were fond of telling that whenever, during their boyhood, baptisms were to take place, it was their duty and, possibly, their pleasure, to remove from the water all the leaves, branches and rubbish which had accumulated since the spot had been last used for the purpose of baptism.

In those days, on every farm, almost every branch of mechanical operations, not requiring the attention of a skilled artisan, was conducted by the farmer and his sons and hired men. Not only were fences and walls built but tools were repaired and sometimes made, carpentry and cabinet-making, and the simpler forms of working in leather and iron were understood and carried on. Such was the state of affairs on the farm of Joseph Churchill. All of his sons had some experience in such things, as well as in becoming practical farmers ; * and one of them, Sylvester^ acquired the skill of a master workman.

In 1819, Joseph, being about 71 years old, and Sarah moved to Stowe, Vermont, where all their daughters were then residing. Joseph died in Stowe in 1823, and Sarah in the same place in 1836. If their eight children, four sons and four daughters, who survived them, were their only children, as seems to have been the case, their longevity is remarkable. They lived to an average age of eighty years. Their son, Sylvester, states in a memorandum made by him, that all of their children survived them. It is possible that some children, of whom he never heard,

* Note 4.

died in early infancy ; but it is not possible that any child died after that time of life without his having heard definitely of the fact.

Those eight children of Joseph and Sarah were: Levi. Miriam, Sarah, Lucy, Joseph, Sylvester, Isaac, and Susan. The sketch, as originally prepared, included all of the descendants, living and dead, of the eight children, so far as they could be ascertained, but, for the reason that it is to be distributed more widely than was intended, as stated in the Preface, it is limited to the descendants of Sylvester. The details, here presented, may be of interest to those who knew him, or one or more of the others who are named.

Sylvester Churchill was born at Woodstock, Vermont, August 2d, 1783, and died at the City of Washington, D. C, December 7th, 1862, in the 80th year of his age. At Windsor, Vermont, August 30th, 181 2, he married Lucy Hunter, a daughter of William Hunter and Mary (Newell) Hunter, who was born at Windsor, July 17th, 1786, and died at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, September 6th, 1862.

Children of Sylvester and Lucy Churchill.

(A.) Helen Susan was born on Governor's Island, in the Harbor of New York, May 29th, 1817, and died there September 27th, 18 18.

(B.) William Hunter was born at Fort Wood, Bedloe's Island, in the Harbor of New York, July 8th, 1 8 19, and died at Point Isabel, Texas, October 19th, 1847. At Savannah, Georgia, December 17th, 1844, he married Elizabeth Margaret Cuyler, a daughter of Richard Randolph Cuyler and Mississippi (Gordon)

Cuyler, who was born at Savannah, March ist, 1823. She is livin^^, and is temporarily in Europe.

Child of William H. and EHzabeth M. Churchill.

Richard Cuyler was born at Savannah, Georgia, December 12th, 1845, and died in the Town of Ossining, near the Village of Sing Sing, Westchester County, New York, June 24th, 1879. At the City of New York, November 22d, 1866, he married Josephine Young, a daughter of Henry Young and Anne (Mason) Young, who was born at Brooklyn, New York, on the day of October, 1847.

She is living, and is temporarily in Europe.

Children of Richard C. and Josephine Y.

Churchill.

(^) William Hunter was born at Fort Delaware, Delaware, September nth, 1867.

(<^) Anne Mason was born at Fort Delaware, Delaware, March 15th, 1869.

(^) Maud was born at the Military Academy, West Point, New York, July 12th, 1871.

(</) Elizabeth Margaret was born at Ossining, near the Village of Sing Sing, May 22d, 1875, 3"*^ died at , September 14th, 1875.

(e) Richard Randolph Cuyler was born at Ossining near the Village of Sing Sing, November 2d, 1877.

The four living children are with their mother in Europe.

(C.) Mary Helen was born at Windsor, Vermont, August 30th, 182 1. At Carlisle, Pennsylvania, August 8th, 1846, she married Spencer Fullerton Baird, a son of Samuel Baird and Lydia (Biddle) Baird ; who was born at Reading, Pennsylvania, February 3d, 1823, and died at Wood's Holl, Massachu= setts, August 19th, 1887.

Child of Spencer F. and Mary H. C. Baird.

Lucy Hunter was born at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, February 8th, 1848.

Mrs. Baird and her daughter are living at the City of Washington, D. C.

(D.) Franklin Hunter was born at New Utrecht, Kings County, New York, April 2 2d, 1823.

He resides at Brooklyn, New York.

(E.) Charles Courselle was born at Alleghany Arsenal, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July i8th, 1825. At Portland, Maine, April 22d, 1868, he married Alice Dow, a daughter of William H. Dow and Delia L. ( ) Dow.

Captain Churchill and Mrs. Churchill reside at Newport, Rhode Island.

Sylvester Churchill remained on his father's farm until about the time of reaching his majority, and received the tuition which was to be obtained in the school or schools of the vicinity. He had a natural fondness for acquiring knowledge, and a great aptitude for figures. In those days, however, nothing was taught in the schools in the way of mathematics, beyond what was contained in the arithmetics which were then in use. It is understood that he added to the schooling which he obtained, or, rather, applied what he had learned, and fixed it in his mind, by being, himself, for a short period of time, a teacher in a school. Mention has been made of his skill in mechanical pursuits ; and it naturally followed that, when he left his father's house and started in life for himself, he betook himself to those pursuits. How long and where and under what circumstances any such occupation was followed, is not known ; but it is remembered that he spoke to his family, in subsequent years, of having been engaged in the construction of a bridge at Glen's Falls, in New York, and of the Old State House at Montpelier, in Vermont, which stood near to and east of the site of the present State House."^ In what position he was thus employed is not known, and probably was never stated. There can be no doubt that, had circumstances been favorable, he would have reached distinction both as a civil engineer and an architect. The practical knowledge thus acquired was of great service to him in after life at the various posts at which he was stationed, and in operations in the field. Not only did he work, for his amusement, with his own hands, in making small articles for domestic use, but he was able to instruct and supervise others in all constructions in which wood, iron, brick, stone, mortar and cement were used. There was no laborer, mechanic, or "artificer" whom he could not equal, if necessary, with his own hands. In his early manhood he took an active interest in politics as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party ; and in the year 1808, became the part owner and publisher, at Windsor, Vermont, of a weekly newspaper called the Vermont Republican, an organ of that party. He continued in that position until 181 2, and the newspaper exerted an active influence in continuing the political control of the Democratic Party in the State of Vermont. The electoral vote of that State was cast for John

* Note 5.