My Revolutionary War Patriots - Abner Poland, Jr. of Essex, Massachusetts

 

Abner Poland's Badge of Merit certificate

signed by General George Washington

This is #9 in my series of Revolutionary War Ancestors. 

Abner Poland, Jr. was born on 17 May 1761 in Chebacco Parish, Ipswich, Massachusetts (now the town of Essex),  the son of Abner Poland and Dorothy Burnham.  Last week I featured Abner Poland, Sr. in  sketch #8 because he was also a Revolutionary War veteran.  Abner, Jr. married Sarah Burnham on 20 March 1783.  She was the daughter of Westley Burnham and Deborah Story.  In a funny twist, Sarah's brother was Westley Burnham, another of my Revolutionary War ancestors.  Also, her sister Deborah was Abner Poland Sr.'s second wife (his first wife was also a Burnham).  Abner Poland was a mariner and fisherman in the coastal town of Essex, which is on the Essex River. 

Abner, Jr. and Sarah had eight children, four boys and four girls.  I descend from their eldest daughter, Sally, who married Henry Burnham (another Burnham!).  

As a young man, before his marriage in 1783 at the age of 22, Abner Jr. enlisted in the local militia on 15 January 1776 (he was barely 15 years old) as a private in Captain Abraham Dodge's Company under Colonel Moses Little's 12th regiment.  He was discharged on 14 May 1776. 

The following year Abner Jr., was listed on the muster rolls of the Continental Army under Colonel Joanthan Cogswell's 3rd Essex Regiment under Brigadier General Farley.  He joined Capt. Burnham's company (another Burnham!) under Colonel Jackson for a term of 3 years. He was listed as "Corporal, age 19 yrs, stature 5 feet 8 inches complexion fair; hair, dark; occupation, farmer, birthplace, Ipswich; residence, Ipswich; enlisted 17 Dec 1779 by Lt. Michael Jackson at West Point".  He ended up serving in the Continental Army for seven and a half years all the way to the Battle of Yorktown!  

Abner Poland, Jr. applied for a pension at age 57 years from his farm in Enfield, New Hampshire.  On his application found in the National Archives he stated "he first enlisted for one year, re-enlisted for three years, re-enlisted for a third time, serving seven 1/2 years total.  He received an honorable discharge in writing at Newburgh, NY.  He was in battles at Hubbardston, Stillwater, Monmouth, and Yorktown.  He received the Badge of Merit, the highest decoration.  W-152-B.L. Wt 48 71-100 1795  George Washington." 

I was excited to learn that he recieved the Badge of Merit from General Washington, and I found the award online, but it was a poorly scanned copy. I couldn't make out the signature.  So I actually took a trip to the National Archives in Washington, DC to see the document for myself. It was really signed by George Washington!  You can read all about this adventure in another blog post (see below for the link). 

The Battle of Yorktown was in 1781, with the surrender of the British on October 19th.  General Washington went to his headquarters at Newburgh, New York, and Abner received his certificate from Washington there in 1783. He married in 1783, probably upon returning home to Chebacco Parish, Ipswich.  

In the Registry of Deeds, Grafton County, Woodsville, New Hampshire, Book 57, page 162, we can read that Abner Poland, 2d of Ipswich, Massachusetts purchased a farm at Enfield, New Hampshire on 4 May 1812 for $850 from William Williams, Jr. of Enfield. Abner is listed in the 1830 census as living in Enfield.  He died at Enfield on 14 January 1835 and is buried in Lot 46 of the Oakgrove Cemetery, bhind the Community Church in Enfield.  

Abner Poland, Jr. became a pensioner, but was removed from the rolls for possessing too much property! Later he was placed back on the pension rolls.  His widow, Sarah, applied for a pension on 1 February 1837 and received $88 per year, which began on 4 September 1837 [Pension number 1586]. She died testate in Canaan, new Hampshire at the home of her daughter, Endor and son-in-law Elijah Gove.  [See The Polands of Essex County, Massachusetts by Lloyd Orville Poland, page 225, and also see The History of Canaan, NH by W.A. and J. B. Wallace].   

Abner and Sarah Poland

Enfield, New Hampshire

For the truly curious:

My trip to the National Archives to see Abner Poland's certificate from George Washington:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-archives-good-news-bad-news.html  

George Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, NY:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/03/george-washingtons-headquarters-at.html  

My Poland lineage:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/surname-saturday-poland-of-essex-county.html  

#1 Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, NH:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-colonel.html  

#2  Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, MA:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-major.html  

#3 Jonathan Flint of Reading, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-jonathan.html   

#4 Daniel Glover of Marblehead, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-daniel.html  

#5 Levi Younger of Gloucester, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-levi.html  

#6 Nathaniel Treadwell of Ipswich, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-nathaniel.html 

#7 Captain Westley Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-captain.html  

#8 Abner Poland, Sr. of Essex, Massachusetts    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_02014071889.html   

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots - Abner Poland, Jr. of Essex, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 28, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_0416714129.html: accessed [access date]). 

George Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, New York

This is part one of three blog posts about the historic sites at Newburgh/New Windsor, New York where my ancestor recieved the Badge of Merit from General George Washington. 

Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, New York

Last fall we visited Washington's Headquarters, a New York state park located on the banks of the Hudson River in Newburgh.  Washington was stationed here for more than 16 months at the end of the Revolutionary War.  Although it was not as famous as his winter headquarters at Valley Forge, it was his longest stay at any headquarters during the war. 

This stone house was built around 1725 and then owned by the Hasbrouck family.  The Continental Army was encamped nearby during the war at the New Windsor Cantonment.  Washington moved into the house on 1 April 1782 and left on 19 August 1783.  While he was in Newburgh he established the Badge of Military Merit, which was to be awarded to enlisted men for long and faithful service.  It was awarded to three men at Newburgh, all stationed nearby in New Windsor. The ceremony took place on the front lawn of the headquarters at Newburgh.  Then, with the war coming to a close, no more Badges of Military Merit were awarded by Washington. The program was abandoned until World War 1.  

It was during Washington's time at Newburgh, New York that the Newburgh Conspiracy occured.  In March some of the New Windsor Cantonment officers wrote an anonymous letter to take action against Congress.  They were angry about lack of pay, and threatened to disband the army. General Washington gave a speech known as the "Newburgh Address" to persude the officers to remain loyal to Congress and to him.   

The house was returned to the Hasbrouck family after Washington left.  The property remained in the family until 1848 when the owners defaulted on a mortgage payment and were forced to leave.  The house became the property of the state of New York, and later became a public historic site.  In 1910 a two story brick museum was added to the property, and the Hasbrouck house was decorated to reproduce how it looked during the Revolutionary War.   A monument "Tower of Victory" was built in 1887.  It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961. 

Several years ago I was researching my ancestor, Abner Poland (1761 - 1835), who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.  His service with the 8th Massachusetts Regiment included the battles at Hubbardston, Stillwater, Monmouth, and Yorktown - a total of seven years and six months.  Abner Poland received the Badge of Merit on 13 June 1783 from George Washington at Newburgh.  The certificate granted to Abner Poland read:  "The above Corporal Poland has been honored with the Badge of Merit for seven years and six months faithful service.  M. Jackson Colonel". You can find the link below for my interesting blog post on this unique certificate, signed by George Washington. 

Years later, Sarah Burnham Poland, his widow, applied for a widow's pension on 1 February 1837, and received $88 per year, which began on 4 September 1837. Sarah lived until 1846.  Sarah and Abner are buried at the Oakgrove Cemetery behind the Community Church in Enfield, New Hampshire. 

The Tower of Victory by the Hudson River

Items on display at the Newburgh museum

The Badge of Merit certificate awarded to Abner Poland

at Newburgh, New York and signed by General George Washington

(click to enlarge)

For the truly curious:

Washington's Headquarters at Wikipedia:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington%27s_Headquarters_State_Historic_Site   

Washington's Headquarters, NY state park website:   https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/17/details.aspx  

For more information on Abner Poland, my 5th great grandfather, in blog posts:

Surname Saturday - POLAND of Essex County, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/surname-saturday-poland-of-essex-county.html   

George Washington Signed Here? A Mystery Document:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/10/amanuensis-monday-george-washington.html   

Tombstone Tuesday - Abner Poland, Enfield, New Hampshire:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/tombstone-tuesday-my-5th-great.html    

The National Archives - Good News/Bad News (my trip to NARA to see Washington's signature on Abner Poland's discharge):   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-archives-good-news-bad-news.html  

The National Archives - They read my blog!?     https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-archives-they-read-my-blog.html   

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "George Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, New York", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 18, 2025, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/03/george-washingtons-headquarters-at.html: accessed [access date]). 

Tombstone Tuesday ~ My 5th Great Grandfather, Abner Poland (1761 - 1835), Enfield, New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Enfield, New Hampshire.

GOVE

ABNER POLAND

DIED

Jan. 14, 1835

AE. 74

SARAH,

His Wife died

Nov. 10, 1846

AE. 86

ELIJAH GOVE

DIED

May 29, 1845

AE. 58

EDNOR,

His Wife died

Sept. 26, 1865

AE. 72

Abner Poland, Jr., son of Abner Poland (1736 - 1824) and Dorothy Burnham, was born 17 May 1761 in Essex, Massachusetts, and died 14 January 1835 in Enfield, New Hampshire; married on 20 March 1783 in Essex to Sarah Burnham, daughter of Westley Burnham and Deborah Story.  Abner received bounty land in Enfield as part of his reward for Revolutionary War Service.

Abner and Sarah had eight children:  Sally, Abner, Ruth, Mary, David, Ednor, Thomas Emerson, and Beniah.  Their daughter Ednor Poland (1793 - 1865) married on 11 April 1810 in Ipswich, Massachusetts to Elijah Gove, son of Nathan Gove and Rhoda Prescott.  They lived in the nearby town of Canaan, New Hampshire.  After Abner's death, Sarah went to live with her daughter, Ednor Poland Gove in Canaan.  They are all listed on the GOVE family obelisk in the Oak Grove Cemetery.

The Oak Grove Cemetery is located on the hill behind the Community Lutheran Church on Main Street in Enfield, New Hampshire.

Click here for my POLAND genealogy:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/surname-saturday-poland-of-essex-county.html 

Click here for Sarah Poland's will:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/10/sarah-burnham-polands-1845-last-will.html

Click here for a fun blog post about finding Abner Poland's military discharge papers at NARA - signed by George Washington!
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/10/sarah-burnham-polands-1845-last-will.html


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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ My 5th Great Grandfather, Abner Poland (1761 - 1835), Enfield, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 18, 2017, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/tombstone-tuesday.html: accessed [access date]).