Sixth in the Series: James Brown

Born in Prince William County, Virginia March 6, 1758, according to
the Maine Old Cemetery Association, James Brown is the only
Revolutionary War veteran from one of the southern colonies to settle in
either Porter or Parsonsfield that we are aware of.
In his sworn affidavit when he applied for a pension in 1819 he made
the following testimony which is transcribed below:

Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
I James Brown a citizen of the United States, born in Prince William County Virginia, now resident in Fairfax in the district of Maine, upon oath testify and declare, (being fifty nine years of age) that the last of December 1776 I enlisted as a private soldier for the term of three years, in the war of the revolution, against the common enemy upon the continental establishment in Capt Gallihue’s company, but commanded by Lieut Davis and Col. Daniel Morgan’s regiment, of the Virginia line. Under this enlistment I continued to serve until December. 1777 when I again enlisted as a private for the period of during the war in Capt Wrights company and the same Col. Daniel Morgan’s regiment of the Virginia line but my company was afterwards assigned to the first Virginia regiment commanded by Col. Ruppel. officers of the same Virginia line. Under this enlistment I continued to serve and was marched to Charleston South Carolina and was there taken prisoner upon the surrender of that in May 1780 – I remained a prisoner until May 1781. I made my escape, but did not arrive home until after the close of the war, and therefore took no formal discharge. I was in the battles of Brandy Wine and Germantown, and at the siege of Charleston. Being at a great distance from my native state, I am unable to furnish further evidence of my service. From my noted circumstances, I need the assistance of my country for support. And I do hereby relinquish all my claim to every pension heretofore allowed me by the laws of the U. States, if any; but I am not to my knowledge borne on any pension list
whatever. James Brown Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Hancock ss.
On the eighth day of May 1819. James Brown above named, after being
carefully examined, made oath to the truth of the above declaration, by him subscribed. Before me, Nathan Weston Jun C. Justice C.C.C. Pleas & C. Circuit.

Summary of His Service

• December 1776 – December 1777: Capt. Gallihue’s co.,Col. Daniel Morgan’s Regiment of the Virginia line.
• December 1777: Re-enlisted for period of “during the war.” Capt. Wright’s co., Col. Daniel Morgan’s Regiment.
• Fought in two battles of the Philadelphia Campaign as the Continental Army under George Washington attempted to regain control of that city.
  1. Battle at Brandywine, PA September 11, 1777; More troops fought at Brandywine than at any other battle of the American Revolution. It was also the second longest single-day battle of the war, with continuous fighting for 11 hours.
  2. Battle at Germantown, PA October 4, 1777; part of the Philadelphia Campaign.
• Was taken prisoner in May 1780 when the city fell to the British at the Siege of Charlestown, South Carolina and was held until his escape a year later in May 1781.

The siege of Charleston  was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War. It was fought in
the area of Charles Town (today Charleston), between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The British, following the collapse of their northern strategy in late 1777 and their withdrawal from Philadelphia in 1778, shifted their focus to the North American Southern Colonies. After approximately six weeks of siege, Major General Benjamin Lincoln, commanding the Charleston garrison, surrendered his forces to the British. It was one of the worst American defeats of the war.

According to the record below from the book, “Soldiers, Sailor, and
Patriots of the Revolutionary War, Maine edition”, he was married to Lydia ____.

But his listing by the Maine Old Cemetery Association gives us his wife’s
maiden name as well – Lydia Woodman. We have been unable to locate a
record of their marriage or any information about his wife. We have to
assume that she wasn’t with James when he came to Maine. What
brought him to Maine, or when he first arrived, we have no idea, but once
here, here he remained for the rest of his life.

What we do know is that:

• he was living in the town of Fairfax, now Albion, District of Maine in 1819 when he applied for a pension;
• he appears in the 1840 census in Parsonsfield in the household of Edmund Chase where he is listed as a veteran;
• in the 1850 census he was still living in Parsonsfield in the same household now headed by Elizabeth Chase, widow of Edmund Chase. He is listed as a pensioner and, in answer to what his infirmity is, the answer given is blind. Whether totally or partially blind we do not know.

At the time of his death on January 18, 1852 at the age of 93 he was
living on the multigenerational Jacob French/Jesse Bickford farm (later
known as the Gilman farm) in Porter where he was being cared for in
exchange for his pension according to the burial record below.

The owner of the farm where he had been living applied for the back pay
which was owed to James at the time of his death.

Jacob French and Jesse Bickford were direct ancestors of our former
longtime member, Dorothy Gilman who married Clayton Locke, another
longtime member and former President of our historical society. The house still remains in the family, now owned by their daughter Patricia Locke Parker.

The land was purchased in 1794 by John French and the original part of
the home (a log cabin) was built in 1804.

James’ final resting place is in the back right corner of the French-
Gilman cemetery. His grave is a field stone marker with a flag for a
Revolutionary War soldier, still being cared for by descendants of Jesse
Bickford.

A Heartfelt Thank You to James Brown
for his Service in the Founding of Our Country

Correction:

Before we tell the story of this month’s soldier we have a correction to last month’s story about John Trueworthy where we reported that:

“The 1790 Census shows his family still residing in Biddeford but they later took up residency in Phippsburg where in 1803 John served as constable and was required to collect taxes of several people in the town.“
Since that time PPHS President, Sylvia Trueworthy Pease, has discovered that our reading of the name of the town in the old document was in error and the name of the town was actually Phillipsburgh.

In the book Saco Valley Settlements and Famiies by Gideon T. Ridlon “The town was incorporated January 27, 1798 by the name of Phillipsburgh, in honor of the first white proprietor.”
“The name of the new town soon became a source of trouble, and a committee of seven wise men was appointed to find a more appropriate designation. Of the name Phillipsburgh it was said: ‘It is too long to write and too hard for the younger ones to pronounce.’ In 1811 the unwieldy name was exchanged for Hollis…The early government seems to have been rather arbitrary, as persons not used to authority are apt to be when in office.”

Perhaps that is why John did not remain in Phillipsburgh because in February of 1807 he bought a parcel of land from Benjamin Rolfe in Parsonsfield. We are grateful that he did.

Now…the 4th in the Series

The featured soldier this month demonstrated remarkable dedication by serving for nearly the entire duration of the Revolutionary War.

Joseph Pearl (Jr) was born in January 1760 to Joseph and Sarah (Bickford) Pearl in Rochester, New Hampshire. The year 1776 brought great changes to his life. His older brother John, born 1753, died in June. Then his mother Sarah passed away on October 9, 1776, in Rochester, New Hampshire, at the age of 39.

The following year, May 1977, he enlisted at Fort Independence in Captain Benjamin Titcomb’s Co. of the 2nd New Hampshire Regiment for a period of three years. He was only 17 years old.

The 2nd New Hampshire Regiment was organized May 1775 from Strafford and Rockingham counties and was commanded by Colonel Enoch Poor, of Exeter. In 1776 it was renamed the 8th Continental Regiment.

In a muster roll dated September 5th Joseph was listed as missing since July 7th and a description of the missing was given, a rarity in military records.

By mid-September Joseph was back with his company and thrust into battle at Saratoga, New York. Of the two battles of Saratoga, known as the Battles of Freeman’s Farm, Bemis Heights or Stillwater, the second battle was the first great victory of the Americans and was deemed by many historians to be the turning point of the Revolutionary War. The victory at Saratoga was significant not only for its immediate military impact but also for its diplomatic consequences. It convinced France to formally recognize American independence and enter the war as an ally, providing much-needed military and financial support.

In 1781 Joseph served in Capt. Jeremiah Fogg’s company, 2 nd New Hampshire Regiment and in the following year was promoted from Private to Corporal on April 1, 1782.

After the end of the war, Joseph returned home and on November 17, 1783 married Catherine Clark (1762 – 1837) in his hometown, Rochester, New Hampshire, when he was 23 years old. They had ten children in 20 years. While still living in Rochester the following children were born: Mary (1784–1856); Simeon (1786–); Elizabeth (1786–); Benjamin (1790–1830); and Sarah (1792–1877); Perry Diamond (1794–1837); Anna (1796–1861); John (1798–1868); Joseph III (1801–1889); and James C. (1804–).

Joseph was apparently the recipient of bounty land according to this document.

Bounty land warrants were first authorized by the Continental Congress in September 1776 as a way to compensate soldiers for their service during the Revolutionary War, especially when the fledgling nation had limited financial resources. These warrants served both as a reward and as an incentive to encourage enlistment in the Continental Army. The amount of land granted varied by rank.

Whether or not the land granted to him was here in Porter, or if he sold the land granted for cash, he is listed in Thomas Moulton’s “History of Porter, As a Portion of Maine, Its Settlement, Etc.” written 1879 as being a settler in Porter in 1793.

At a plantation meeting in June of 1803 when school districts were laid out, he was listed in School District Three which was described as being in the northern part of the settlement.

We have been unable to locate exactly where his property was, but in 1805 he sold part of the lot to Thomas Cutts of Saco. It is described as being part of lot 12, Range D on the proprietors map which would be in the northwest corner of Porter. The deed states that the conveyance includes the buildings thereon and is where he was currently living on land bought from Benjamin Bickford.

Joseph Pearl died in 1813 in Porter, Maine, when he was 53 years old. Maine Old Cemetery Association gives his burial place as Porter but sadly, beyond that, his final resting place is unknown. Neither is that of his wife, Catherine, who died in Porter in 1837. Our book, “Cemeteries of the Town of Porter, Maine” gives this as a possiblillty.

The service of individuals like Joseph Pearl Jr. in the American Revolutionary War exemplifies how ordinary citizens contributed to the struggle for independence.

Life as a soldier during the Revolution was arduous. Troops faced challenging conditions, including irregular pay, scarcity of provisions, and exposure to disease, which often claimed more lives than combat itself. Despite these hardships, the Continental Army and local militias, composed largely of citizen-soldiers, formed the backbone of the American resistance.

For individuals like Pearl, their service represented a profound personal
commitment to the founding of the new nation. Their experiences, shared by thousands, helped to forge a collective identity and laid the groundwork for the civic responsibility that characterized the early American republic.

A Heartfelt Thank You to Joseph Pearl
for his Service in the Founding of Our Country