Azor Curtis (1718 - 1778)

Born 9 Feb 1718 in Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Margery (Andrews) Curtis — married [date unknown] in Connecticut

Descendants

Died 17 Jul 1778 at age 60 in Westchester County, New York, USA [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Gary Barach [send private message]

Biography

Private Azor Curtis served with 2nd Massachusetts Regiment (1777), Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Azor Curtis, and Curtiss, son of Samuel, was born on 9 Feb. 1718 at Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut.^[1]

He married Margery, daughter of Daniel and Deliverance (Howe) Andrews, in 1649 or 1650 (based on birth of first child).^[1][2]

Azor enlisted in Warren's Company, 2nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, from Lanesborough, Mass., on 1 March 1777, for duration of the war (at age 59). During his time of service, the company was at the Battles of Saratoga (Sep. and Oct. 1777), at Valley Forge (winter of 1777-78)^[3] and the Battle of Monmouth (June 1778).^[4][5][6][7]

His will was dated in Lanesborough on 29 April 1777, presumably shortly before his regiment departed for active service. He states that he has "lately undertaken a long and dangerous campaign of which god only knows the Event." The estate was not entered into probate until 2 May 1784, at Stockbridge, Massachusetts.^[1][8] It seems likely that his family did not have confirmation of his death until the regiment returned home without him after the peace was signed in late 1783.

Death

17 JUL 1778

Place unknown

Azor's Company reported that he died on 17 July 1778.^[6] Cause and place of death are not stated. He was not killed in battle, that would have been stated. Most likely he died of disease, while on active service. At the date of his death the regiment was located near White Plains, NY.^[9] His last dated muster was at Valley Forge in June 1778. The army left the encampment on 19 June.^[3][10] He could have died at Valley Forge, if left behind in hospital, or at White Plains or somewhere in between. The regiment would have kept track of his status wherever he was because troops were paid by the State of Massachusetts and the regiment had to account for their payroll.^[6] His place of burial is unknown and any marker is unlikely to have survived.^[11]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} A genealogy of the Curtiss family; being a record of the descendants of widow Elizabeth Curtiss, who settled in Stratford, Conn., 1639-1640 by Curtiss, Frederic Haines. 1903. An Archive.org book. Page 34.
2. ↑ Donald Lines Jacobus, Families of Ancient New Haven ([CD]Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1981[originally]Rome, N.Y. and New Haven, Conn., 1922-1932), vol 1, p. 46; vol 2, p 477. AmericanAncestors.org
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "Muster Roll Project", National Park Service, Valley Forge National Historical Park; Muster Roll online: search "Curtis, Azor".
4. ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Boston: The Commonwealth, vol. 4, 1898), p. 252 Archive.org
5. ↑ 2nd Massachusetts Regiment Wikipedia
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} "Roll of the mens Names in the late Capt Warren's Company in the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment" (p. 251); labelled (on p. 250) "A Roll of mens Names of the late Warren's Company for the deprecation[?] of the money. 1777, 1778 & 1779"; evidently submitted in 1780 for payroll accounting; "Revolutionary War Rolls, compiled 1894-1913, documenting the period 1775-1783" (NARA: RG 93, ID 602384, m/f M246:35), Mass., 2nd Reg., 1777-81, Fold3.com, Image.
7. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research System (DAR Library, Washington, DC. , Azor Curtis.)
8. ↑ Azor Curtis will, dated 4/29/1777; Probate Court, Berkshire County, MA, 4:251; FHL film 873482 Ancestry.com.
9. ↑ Charles H. Lesser, Sinews of Independence: Monthly Strength Reports of the Continental Army (Chicago: University Press, 1976), p. 77
10. ↑ "Timeline of the American Revolution, 1763-1783", National Park Service.
11. ↑ His memorial on Findagrave.com lists burial at Valley Forge but there is no marker there.

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree profile Curtis-2251 created through the import of Barach.ged on Oct 23, 2012 by Gary Barach.

• Thanks to Fred Roe, lead historian for the Friends of Fishkill Supply Depot, for sharing his expertise on Continental Army operations.