A Large number of Revolution War Soldiers - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Well, let’s just begin with George.  Often, I look at George’s picture from the Crawfordsville District Public Library’s image database (found on the Montgomery County INGenWeb page) and think there is no way that man lived to be 114 and there is much to indicate he did not, yet there is just as much saying that he indeed did. Certainly, he was one tough cookie.  His parents, (George and Margaret) were equally tough, his father George most definitely a Revolutionary War soldier is buried in Franklin County, Indiana. They were German-speaking and young George was said to have not spoken a word of English until he was close to grown and grew-up in PA, Kentucky and then on to Indiana.  Young George is buried in the Stonebraker Cemetery at Alamo and his tombstone indicates he was born in Baltimore, Maryland 2 Jan 1762 (most census records do not jive with this) and passed away 6 August 1876 (no doubt on this).  George is said to be the last survivor of the American Revolution and was even in the 1977 edition of the Guinness Book of Records, but the 1979 edition retracted such, saying with new research he was found to be 17 years younger.  This doesn’t seem to jive either he would have been born about the close of the war.  There is also NO doubt that he was in the War of 1812 as his widow (Catherine Stonebraker) received a widow’s pension for the four years she was with us after his death, living to be a few months shy of 90 although in an article about their son she was said to be over 100, as well as George.  George didn’t claim to be in any battles, but said he just helped kind of clean things up the last two years of the Revolution.  Whether yeah or nay, he was a cute fellow, hard working, patriotic, and we were blessed to have him come to Montgomery County, Indiana and raise his several children here.   

Also buried in the same cemetery is his father-in-law, Sebastian Stonebraker who was a private from Lancaster County, PA fighting in Col. Elder’s Regiment.  He and his wife Susan Yeagley had at least eight children and many of their descendants as with the Fruits’ remain in our county today.  Bunker Hill is a tiny cemetery and it’s amazing that two Revolutionary Soldiers would be buried there.

Joseph Alexander was born in Ireland and arrived here at age nine.  He first enlisted on Christmas Day in 1777 Northumberland County, PA and tallied ten skirmishes, reenlisting in the Fall of 1778, discharged in the Spring of 1779 and may have served one other time.  His last paid pension was in MoCo (Coal Creek Twp) on March 6, 1838, after living here for almost ten years, because he wanted to spend his last days with those children who moved here.  However, he is said to have died Nov 19, the next year after receiving that last pension so seems something isn’t jiving.  At any rate, he is buried at Sugar Grove Cemetery.

Frederick Armantrout was likely the son of a foreign-born immigrant from Germany (other sources indicate he was born overseas) and he was known as a patriot more for furnishing supplies vs. fighting although he was at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.  On May 22, 1829 he received an Original Land Grant in Union Twp and he and wife, Barbara, and some of their nine children are buried right here.  One source indicates he was born in December 1764 (tombstone says 1758) in Rockingham County, Virginia and is buried in the Lutheran Cemetery near Crawfordsville, passing June 1855 and is thought to have been 96.

Buried in the Beedle Cemetery at Wingate (died 9 July 1826) is Joseph Beedle born in Morgantown PA 1749, married Mary Meek and was in the Washington Co PA Militia.  He and Mary produced almost a dozen children, many who were in this area.  

One of the favorites and less well known is Joseph Betts who was a drummer boy at age 13 and spent six months in the service. He applied for pension at age 66 in 1839 but it is unknown just what happened to him after that.  Andrew Bower was a fifer, John Boyd was a Ranger Scout and passed away 15 October 1824 buried Old Town Cemetery in Crawfordsville.  Nicholas Worthington Dorsey was born the 1st day of November in 1759 and married on Valentine’s Day to Rachel Warfield.  He was a member of Capt. Goodman’s Co in the 4th Md. And passed October 16, 1821, one of our first settlers.  Some of their eleven children were here, as well.  Sam Field(s) was an officer in the Continental Army at both Brandywine and Trenton – it is known he was in C’ville in 1825 but not sure where he is buried.  Born in Donegal County, Ireland he fought in nine battles during the Revolution, Alexander Foster came to MoCo and died near New Market June 26, 1843 (buried at Indian Creek Cemetery).  Lot French is buried in Crawfordsville on his home place which adjoined the Odd Fellows Cemetery on South Grant.

Buried in the Wasson Cemetery (literally in a clump of trees in the middle of a huge field) Robert Gott enlisted toward the end of the war (Orange Co NC) and was discharged at Yorktown Oct 25, 1781.  Died Aug 1, 1840.  Married twice, he fathered at least nine children.  

The Turkey Run Cemetery near Wingate houses Sam Gregory who was a Minuteman from Yorktown.  He came to live with his son James and passed here however there are three or four years indicating his death, none with complete dates.  Researching someone that long ago is not always an easy task!  Yet, in that same area rests Matthias Hanlon buried Pleasant Hill born 26 August 1751 moved here in 1832 and passed away in early November 1840. Fought from NJ.  

This fellow I so wish could be moved to one of the larger cemeteries yet rather adverse to doing that but a Revolutionary War soldier buried on the roadside near Offield Creek is kind of sad.  Dying June 1, 1839 John Michael Joseph Hardee (Hardy) was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia and his daughter, Lucinda McMullen is one of the two Real Daughters (an actual daughter of a Revolutionary Soldier) who was in the Dorothy Q Chapter, DAR and she had eight brothers and sisters.

Appropriately Samuel Harshbarger was buried in the (Old) Harshbarger cemetery – Richard and Pat Wills did a great deal of work on the Revolutionary Soldiers here and I loved that they added this Samuel’s father Jacob was Swiss and his mother Maria was Italian and the original name was Hirschberger.  He and wife Elizabeth Gish had eight children.

Sadly, I’m running out of room, so Gillis Hitch, Peter Kinder, Nelson Largent (interesting story), Jacob Lough, John McNulty, Thomas Mason, Jacob Miller, Hugh and/or Samuel Montgomery (questionable whether buried here); Sam Newell, Robert Pottenger, Presley Simms, John Stilwell, John Trundle, George Washburn, Jacob Westfall, and Benjamin Willis, you can read about on the this page: Soldier Information - Montgomery InGenWeb Project (or go to the Montgomery County INGenWeb page – Get Around Links – Military – Revolutionary War – do give credit to the site if you use any information – thank you … and … 😊 Enjoy!   ---kbz