Thursday, December 15, 2011

Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga

Fort Ticonderoga saw two wars, the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. It was originally built by the French to control the southern end of Lake Champlain, and it is located in upstate New York.  It has been controlled by the French, British and Americans at different time periods.  During the Revolution, the cannons were removed from Ticonderoga and dragged across Massachusetts all the way to Boston during the winter of 1775 and 1776.  In May 1776, the cannons played a key role in the British evacuation of Boston.

My father, the history buff, took my mother to visit Fort Ticonderoga during their honeymoon in 1957.  We visited here in 2003 with my in-laws from Spain.

He's holding his ear because a
cannon just went off! 

The view of Lake Champlain
from Fort Ticonderoga's walls

The following men in my family tree were stationed at or marched to Fort Ticonderoga:

1. Eli Skinner (1760 - 1851) enlisted at age 14 as a fifer, and marched to Fort Ticonderoga on 6 January 1777, where his regiment remained for three months.  Eli is the brother to my 5 x great grandfather, Charles Skinner (1748 - 1837)

2. Israel Hutchinson (1727 - 1811) was the Lt. Colonel of a regiment from the Salem, Massachusetts area that captured the cannons from Ticonderoga, and helped to bring them to Boston. He is a 2nd cousin, 7 generations removed, we have a common ancestor in Richard Hutchinson, (1602- 1682)  immigrant to New England.

3. Francis Towne (1737 - 1811) Served as Captain of a regiment garrisoned at Fort George and Fort Ticonderoga from 3 December 1776 to 12 March 1777.  He is a second cousin 8x removed on the Towne lineage, and his wife, Phebe Towne is a 6x great aunt, half sister to my 6x great grandmother, Ruth Johnson (1731 - 1800). (They were both daughters of Rebecca Towne, born 1700)

4. Amos Towne (1737- 1793) another 2nd cousin, 8 generations removed, was a Lieutenant in Colonel Brewer's regiment at Ticonderoga, Saratoga and Valley Forge.

5. Abel Platts (1704 - 1777) was a Captain who marched with his company to Fort Ticonderoga in 1777, just months before he died at home in Rindge, New Hampshire. He was a brother to my 7x great grandfather Moses Platts (1707 - abt. 1753).

6. Nicolas Caverly (no dates) was a soldier under Colonel Pierce Long at Fort Ticonderoga in 1777.  He is a second cousin 6 generations removed.

7.  John Caverly (1725 - 1790) first cousin, 7 generations removed, nephew of my 7 x great grandmother Elizabeth (Caverly) Wilkinson.  He was a soldier under Captain James Arnold at Fort Ticonderoga.

8. Henry Dearborn (1751 - 1829) was a doctor in New Hampshire and an officer in the American Revolution who served at Ticonderoga, Valley Forge, Monmouth and was in command of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment at Yorktown.  He was later retired, but then appointed Major General of the Militia, he was a congressman, and secretary of war in 1809 under President Thomas Jefferson, minister to Portugal in 1822 and 1824.   He was a nephew of my 7x great grandmother, Elizabeth (Dearborn) Garland (1692 - 1770).

9.  Timothy Mixer (1748 - 1831) served in many battles in the Revolutionary War starting with the Lexington Alarm in 1775.  He was in Captain Alexander Robbe's company which answered the Ticonderoga Alarm in 1777.  He was the brother to Lucy (Mixer) Munroe Simonds, my 5x Great Grandmother.

10.  John Pember (1751 - 1827)  served as a Sergeant in Captain Benjamin Throop's company, stationed at Ticonderoga in 1776 during a smallpox epidemic.  He married my 4x great aunt, Lucretia Bill in 1774.

11. Jacob Flint (1751 - 1835) enlisted for five months at Ticonderoga under Captain Stinson.  He is a second cousin 6 generations removed.

12. Eliezar Gould (b. 1720) was on the expeditions to Ticonderoga and Crown Point during the French and Indian War.  He is a second cousin, 9 generations removed.

The following men were killed in Battles at Fort Ticonderoga:

1.   Nathan Burnham (1721 - 1758)  was killed at Braddock's Defeat at the Battle of Ticonderoga on 8 July 1758.  He was the brother of my 6x great grandfather Stephen Burnham (1715 - 1790).

2. Andrew Gould (1751 - 1777) killed at the Battle of Ticonderoga on 20 September 1777.  He is my third cousin, 8 generations removed.  Our common ancestor is immigrant Zaccheus Gould (1589 - 1668) of Topsfield, Massachusetts.

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Fort Ticonderoga Website http://www.fortticonderoga.org/

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

4 comments:

  1. Very interesting, Heather. My 5x great grandfather served in the Revolutionary War but I don't know too many details about his service. He was from Connecticut - I wonder if he might have served at Fort Ticonderoga.

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    1. Hi,I read all your facebook readings,and i have a problem trying to find the parents of my 4th G grandfather Seth Gould ca 1758-60 died Westminster,VT. Oct.23 1844 (Pension # R4162)Had at least two children in La Rey,NY near Watertown,NY and one in VT., His wife`s name Summit Page Williams Gould She was married to James Williams of Fitchburg,Ma.I believe Seth was married more then once.In the Rev War NY,MA,NH.any help would be greatly appreciated.

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  2. I love Fort Ticonderoga. A grand spot to visit. I read about moving the cannons when researching my husband's Kentfield/Canfield family. Now I can't find my notes on which Kentfield was involved. The joys of my pre-computer research.

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  3. Thank you for this post. My direct maternal ancestor Thomas Pinkham was at Ft. Ticonderoga during the Revolution and helped bring back the cannons to Dorchester Heights.

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