Josiah Monroe (1728 - 1778)

Born 11 Sep 1728 in Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah Mary (Hyde) Monroe — married 1752 in Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut Colony

Descendants

Died 19 Feb 1778 at age 49 in Valley Forge, Chester, Pennsylvania, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Patricia Kent [send private message]

Biography

Private Josiah Monroe served with 4th Connecticut Regiment (1777), Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Josiah Monroe is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A081133.

Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed June 15, 2022), "Record of Josiah Monroe", Ancestor # A081133.

Note

Guilford Smith Northrup, Genealogy of Josiah Munroe, revolutionary soldier, who died in the service of the continental army at Valley Forge, February 19, 1778 ...^[1]

From "Monroe-Adams" gedcom at Ancestry.com: History and Genealogy of the Lexington, Mass. Munroes, p. 28-29: A record of his [Josiah's] baptism conflicts with that of his birth. Two records of his marriage conflict with each other, and both are probably erroneous. Certain it is, that he married at Canterbury, Sarah Hyde, near the beginning of the year 1752. ^[2] He inherited in 1755. a portion of his father's estate, and may have lived upon it.

Nothing further is known of his life until the breaking out of the Revolutionary War. As the news of the battle of Lexington spread, the local militia everywhere fell in, in large numbers under their own officers, and, without waiting for orders or authority,marched for the scene of conflict. This action was afterwards legalized and lists made of the soldiers who went. The spontaneous character of the service is indicated by the language used; and Josiah Munroe was one of those who from Canterbury, "Marched for the relief of Boston in the Lexington alarm." On this occasion he held the rank of sergeant and was in the service eight days, in April, 1775.

July 11, 1775, he enlisted as a private in the 7th company of the 8th regiment, afterwards adopted into the Continental Army. In September his regiment was ordered to Boston, where it remained till the expiration of the term of service, and Josiah was discharged December 15, 1775.

The following year Captain Timothy Bachus organized in Canterbury a company of "Independent Veterans" of which Josiah was a member. This company did duty at New London in September, and in October at West Chester, N.Y.

April 14, 1777, he enlisted "to serve during the war" in Captain Elisha Lee's company of the 4th Connecticut regiment of the Continent Line, commanded by Col John Durkee. His regiment went into camp at Peekskill. In September it joined Washington's army in Pennsylvania and "marched in the Connecticut Brigade" under General McDougal. At Germantown, October 4, they fought on the left flank. Later his regiment was assigned to Varnum's Brigade and engaged in the desperate defense of Fort Mifflin, November 12 to 16. They wintered at Valley Forge where Josiah died in camp February 19, 1778.

A constant tradition of his death in camp in the service of the Continental Army has come down among the descendants of his son, David; and his death in February, 1778, is recorded in a little memorandum kept during her lifetime by his daughter, Sarah, and now in the possession of Mrs. Daniel T. Bennett, of Marilla, N.Y.

The record of Josiah's last enlistment and death was obtained from the War Department in the following letter.

1843890 WAR DEPARTMENT

The Adjutant General's Office

Washington, November 2, 1911

Respectfully returned to Mr. B.A. Dunn.

801 N. County St.

Waukegan, Illinois

The records of this office show that one Josiah Munroe served as private in Captain Elisha Lee's Company, 4th Connecticut Regiment, commanded by Colonel John Durkee, Revolutionary war. He enlisted April 14, 1777, to serve during the war, and died February 19, 1778. Nothing further relative to him has been found of record.

F.C. Ainsworth,

The Adjutant General

Per 4.

The record of Josiah's previous service in the Connecticut Militia was obtained principally from the published volume, Connecticut Men in the Revolution. I have been particular to give the above letter from the war department, because in this volume, on page 188 is found exactly the same record, but the first name is Joseph instead of Josiah. Inasmuch as there was but one Joseph Munroe from Connecticut in the Revolutionary war, whose record I also have from the Adjutant General's office at Hartford, Connecticut, and who survived the war; and since the record referred to on page 188 of Connecticut Men in the Revolution actually is the record of Josiah and not of Joseph, I assume that the name Joseph is there an error, and should have been Josiah.^[3]

In Volume XII of the publication of the Connecticut Historical Society, Josiah's name is found on page 64 in a list from Canterbury of "men died in the service hired for three years and during the war."

Apparently Josiah died intestate; and no inventory of his estate is to be found on the probate records. But at a session of the Probate court for the district of Plainfield held July 6, 1779, "the widow Sarah Munrow, administratrix of the estate of Mr. Josiah Munrow, late of Canterbury, deceased, exhibited into Court on account of Sundry Debts and Costs found to be due" an order, "for the distribution of said estate to be paid by the several heirs as follows -- to rates paid Mr. Gordon, 4, 4, 1; to the distributors, 14, 8, 1; to the Court of Probate, 4, 4, 0 in Continental money." The figures were for pounds, shillings and pence.

The James Monroe reference gives the birth date for Josiah's wife, Sarah, as 12 Sep 1732. Clan Munro files - Sage, Wes, Monroe, James Lawrence - Ruth Monroe Heydon lineage, Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association

Sources

1. ↑ Northrup, Guilford Smith. Genealogy of Josiah Munroe (St John's, Michigan, 1912), page 19
2. ↑ "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP7L-L182 : 15 April 2022), Josiah Munrow in entry for Sarah Hide, ; citing Marriage, Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut, United States, Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008272236.
3. ↑ "United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3Q-C3FD-3?cc=2546162&wc=WD6Q-RM3%3A1588792203 : 24 January 2018), Connecticut > image 205 of 977; citing various published state rosters, United States.

• Connecticut Wills and Probate Records
• North America Family Histories
• The New England Historical and Genealogical Register
• Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots
• SAR Membership application dated 23 Feb 1925
• D.A.R. Ancestor #A081133
• "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F74C-ZBK : 7 January 2020), Josiah Munrow in entry for Nathan Munrow, 1752.
• "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP3W-Y8J9 : 15 April 2022), Josiah in entry for Josiah Munrow, ; citing Death, Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut, United States, Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008143426.
• "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPSC-LHWV : 15 April 2022), Josiah in entry for Olive Munrow, ; citing Death, Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut, United States, Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008143426.
• "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPSC-V5PX : 15 April 2022), Josiah in entry for Olive Munrow, ; citing Death, Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut, United States, Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008143426.
• "United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG2M-6B66 : 1 March 2021), Josiah Monroe, 11 Jul 1775; citing Military Service, , Citing various published state rosters, United States; FHL microfilm 101711093.
• "United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3Q-C3CJ-B?cc=2546162&wc=WD6Q-RM3%3A1588792203 : 24 January 2018), Connecticut > image 583 of 977; citing various published state rosters, United States.
• Munroe, Richard S.. History and Genealogy of the Lexington, Massachusetts Munroes (Florence, MA, 1966)

Acknowledgements

• WikiTree Profile Monroe-389 created through the import of Dan Garvin_s Family Tree-2.ged on Nov 14, 2011 by Dan Garvin.