FREDERICK COUNTY SERVICEMEN
IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Reference to military service during the Revolut-
ion for a number of men from Frederick County, Mary-
land, may be found in the presently unindexed Orphan's
Court Minute Book GMl for that County. This small
volume, which covers the period from 1777 to 1784, is
kept at the Maryland Hall of Records in Annapolis.
In it are Court orders to the Lieutenant of Fred-
erick County requiring him to compensate individuals
who had been wounded, and surviving families of men who
died died in servicee The payments were made for a
specified period of time and were related to whole or
fractional parts of the pay normally received by the
servicemen.
Entries relating to the individual recipients are
summarized below. Following each summary, reference
is made, in parentheses, to the dates on which the
Orphan's Court acted and to the pages within the Minute
Book where the entry may be found.
John DAY, before his departure for Continental
Service, wanted his sons John (age two years and four
months) and Archibald (age four years on April 1, 1778)
to be apprenticed to Michael Kernhart, husbandman,
until they reached the age of 21. (April 24, 1778;
pp. 7-8.)
John SNIDER served as a Corporal in Captain Adam
GROSH's Company with the Flying Camp. He was wounded
and lost a leg, according to testimony of Major Peter
MANTZ. Pursuant to "an Act of Assembly regulating the
Militia," the Court granted him 23/7/6 pounds, representing
17 months' (half) pay from Dec. 1, 1776 to May 7, 1778,
then half a Corporal's pay, or 16/10/- per year, until
May 1, 1784. (April 24, 1778, Feb. 13, 1781, Aug. 13,
1782, Feb. 10, 1784, June 8, 1784; pp. 8-9, 79-80, 112,
156, 168.)
Michael GROSH, while serving as Second Lieutenant
in the Maryland Militia under Col. Baker JOHNSON, was
killed in the Battle of Germantown. Lieut. Christian
WEAVER certified his death. John Beatty and Peter
Mantz testified concerning the loss for his widow
Christianna. She was residing in Frederick Town with
two children, one age six, the other age three in 1778,
and was authorized payments of 5 pounds per month from Oct.
18, 1777 to Oct. 18, 1778 (Aug. 12, 1778; pp. 11-12).
Conrad Grosh and Christiana Bricker were her husband's
executors (June 13, 1780; p. 67). Subsequently, in
accordance with a recommendation by Michael Allen and
Jacob Bare, the Court ordered 300 pounds to be paid to
Michael Raymor (the widow's father) on behalf of the
two children for the period Oct. 18, 1778 to Octo 18,
1783 (April 14, 1784; pp. 163-164).
Pvt. Samuel HENNISS, wounded in his hand and arm,
was judged incapable of earning a livelihood and was
paid 5 pounds, or half a Private's pay, from Sept. 20, 1777
to Sept. 20, 1778, 30 pounds for each of the two succeeding
two year periods, and 7/10/- pounds, part Private's pay, for
the period ending Sept. 20, 1783. (Oct. 13, 1778, Oct.
10, 1780, Augo 13, 1782, Oct. 14, 1783, April 14, 1784;
pp. 13-14, 75, 111, 150, 162.)
Pvt. William PARSONS, serving with Capt. William
DUVALL's Company of the Maryland Militia, was taken
prisoner on Oct. 4, 1774 at the Battle of Germantown
and died in confinement at Philadelphia. His widow
Mary Parsons was paid full Private's pay of 30 pounds per
year from Oct. 4, 1777 to Oct. 4, 1779, 72 pounds (sic) to Oct.
4, 1780, half Private's pay or 30 pounds to Oct. 4, 1782, and
part Private's pay of 10 pounds for the year ending Oct. 4,
1783. Their son Joseph Parsons, age 12 on June 30, was
apprenticed on Aug. 15, 1780 to Philip Morony, house
carpenter, and later at age 14 on June 30, 1783 (sic)
he was apprenticed to David Mantz, sadler. (Oct. 13,
1778, Oct. 12, 1779, Aug. 15, 1780, Aug. 13, 1782, Oct.
14, 1783; pp. 16, 53, 72-73, 111, 150-151.)
Sgt. William BRIGHT, serving with Capt. James
MAIKALL's Company in the Maryland Militia, died Feb.
21, 1778. His widow Sarah, living in Frederick Co. in
very indigent circumstances with four small children,
was paid full Sergeant's pay of 36 pounds from Feb. 4, 1778
to Feb. 4, 1779, then half Sergeant's pay or 18 pounds per
year until Feb. 4, 1782, and an additional 12 pounds in 1783.
Lieut. Col. William LUCKETT, Jr., Leonard Smith, Joseph
Hill, James Briggs, Thomas Thomas, John Morriss, and
James Burgess offered testimonial certificates. (Feb.
10, 1779, Aug. 15, 1780, Aug. 14, 1781, Oct. 8, 1782,
Mar. 21, 1783; pp. 20-21, 71, 95-96, 116, 123.)
Spera MEGEA petitioned the Court for relief as her
husband (unnamed), crippled in the arm while in the
Continental Service, could not support his family. She
was directed to seek appropriate certificates from the
Colonel of the Regiment in which her husband served.
(April 13, 1779; p. 31.)
Pvt. Charles WILLIAMS died in the Service of the
United States according to a certificate signed by
Lodewick [Ludwig?] Kemp. His widow was granted
5 pounds current money.
(Mar. 21, 1783; p. 122.)
Pvt. David MILLER died in 1777 in the Service of
the United States according to testimony of Col.
William BEATTY, one of the Judges of the Court. His
widow Rachel Smith was granted 45 pounds current money.
(Mar. 21, 1783; p. 122.)
On April 14, 1784 former soldiers disabled in the
Maryland Line, were granted allowances, set at four
months half pay from November 29, 1783 to March 29,
1784, as follows:
Sgt. John OBER 2nd Regt. Wounded at Utaw Springs 7/10.
Sgt. Robert KERNS 2nd Regt. Wounded at York 7/10.
Sgt. John BROWN 6th Regt. Wounded at Camden 7/10.
Pvt. Philip FISHER 1st Regt. Wounded at Guilford 5.
Pvt. Henry CROOK 1st Regt. Wounded at Guilford 5.
Pvt. Charles MURKLIFF 1st Regt. Wounded at Utaw Springs 5.
Pvt. James SHEAN 2nd Regt. Wounded at Monmouth 5.
Pvt. David CONNER 2nd Regt. Disabled by sickness 5.
Pvt. Thos. BISHOP 2nd Regt. Wounded at Guilford 5.
Pvt. James SMITH 2nd Regt. Wounded at Camden 5.
Pvt. John ATTHOOP 2nd Regt. Wounded in the Barges 5.
Pvto John MEEK 7th Regt. Wounded at Guilford 5.
All of the above were living in Frederick County,
except, Sgt. BROWN who was a resident of Washington Co.
In addition, Pvt. James BURK from Frederick County,
formerly with the 2nd Regiment and wounded at Cowpens,
drew two months' half-pay from Feb. 10, to April 10,
1784, or 2/10. (April 14, 1784; pp. 162-163.)
A partial entry on June 9, 1784 is crossed out. It
named Michael WALTMAN, a soldier in the 1st Maryland
Regiment and wounded at the Battle of ... (p. 170).