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Declaration of Independence
Following the outbreak of conflict in response to the Coercive Acts of 1774 and what were perceived as further injustices, a congress was raised by delegates representing each of the 13 states in order to discuss the question of independence from Great Britain for America. Initially, following the outbreak of war in April 1775, the aim was for the re-establishment of their rights as British subjects, however as the conflict carried on, the Americans received word that their hopes of reconciliation at the instigation of their Sovereign, George III, were in vain when he addressed Parliament in October of 1775 denouncing the hopes of the Americans as rebels, and urging…
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Searching for Molly Pitcher
Molly Pitcher was a fabled heroine of the American Revolution. However, the name Molly Pitcher was a generic name for women who brought water to the troops during a battle. Historians believe the name came from soldiers yelling, “Molly! Pitcher!” whenever they needed someone to bring fresh water. Some historians feel that the legend of Molly Pitcher is an amalgam of many women who participated in the battles of the Revolution. There are three possible contenders for the title of “the” Molly Pitcher- Mary Ludwig Hays, Margaret Corbin and Margaret Sampson. Mary Ludwig was the daughter of German immigrants who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She married William Hayes, a…
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Captain Benjamin Walker
There are a lot of people out there who claim to be related to the great names of history. Maybe they are and maybe they are not but for good or for ill, the claimants often get more attention then they should. It is not often that I get to write about someone I am related to, but I recently discovered (via my great-aunt who, in her advanced age, has become very enamored with genealogy) that I am directly related to a Captain Benjamin Walker (a many times great uncle). There isn’t much on Walker at first blush, so most of what I am going to write is based on…
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Quartering Act
In the early 1770’s, a number of unfavourable Acts were forced onto the British Colonists in America. These would come to be known as ‘the Intolerable Acts’ and were in basis four Acts passed by the British Government in an effort to punish what they saw as colonial defiance of previous Acts, most importantly the Tea act which resulted in the now famous Boston tea party. These four Intolerable Acts included the Boston Port Act, which effectively closed the port of Boston, affecting trade and economy until the Bostonians repaid the losses suffered by the East India Company for the Boston Tea Party, set at around £90,000. The Massachusetts Government…
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John Chapman a.k.a Johnny Appleseed
Most people think they know the story of Johnny Appleseed as a friendly wandering hobo that planted apple orchards out of the goodness of his heart and his love of apples. Not exactly true. The real story is a bit more complicated than that.John Chapman was born September 26, 1774, in Leominster, Massachusetts. His father, Nathaniel, was a minuteman in the Revolutionary War and fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill. The elder Chapman went on to serve under George Washington and help pr [...]
