Which Brig Enterprise and sloop Racehorse did Michael Garoutte serve on?

Question

Ok the method I have been using on this ancestor is:

I go through the sources that talk about the ancestor and I evaluate the statements and I investigate each part at a time.

I then write a statement based on the source material and I think about it and do more research about it and go back and correct and perfect every section.

I think I am almost done with his story. I would really like to have it cleared up soon because I have all of my other ancestors done back 10 generations and I want to start adding this to my family book.

Now as far as the service as a Lieutenant goes, this is based off his pension request and then follow up with Ebenezer Tucker of Tickerton. Garoutte claimed service on the brig Enterprise and the sloop-of-war Racehorse, but the commissioner came back saying the ships did not belong to the continental establishment and they screwed him out of his $5 per month pension.

 

So let's evaluate this for a minute. Based on my research the only brig class vessel that was named Enterprise was very much used in the continental navy and our navy today claims the ship as the first of the Enterprise line of ships.

 

However, there was another ship called Enterprise II but without the U.S.S. United States Ship prefix. Here's another thing about that, when the first Enterprise which use to be named HMS George (His Majesties Ship) was employed by the continental navy I'm not so sure it really had the U.S.S. Prefix, in fact the whole adding of U.S.S. to United States Navy ships didn't start happening until 1800, and this ship was employed from 1776 - 1778/9?

 

Now for the Enterprise II: this ship was originally a French Privateer and there aren't many records about this ship, but it was apparently bought by the Maryland council of safety and used as a continental ship. It also wasn't a brig class vessel and Garoutte claimed service on the brig enterprise.

 

So which one did Garoutte serve on? The pension all doesn't say which one but it does say brig enterprise and sloop-of-war racehorse.

 

Another thing I found is a d'Espinassy serving on the sloop-of-war racehorse when it was captured back by Comte d'Estaing.

 

Wikipedia is definitely not reliable for this kind of information we're going to have to hit the original naval record sources.

 

Can I get some advice and help out possibly some genealogist historian can investigate this for me?

Answer 1

One method to employ is Right Person, Right Place, Right Time.

If we can source his location through a timeline, we might be able to eliminate possiblties.

When did he arrive in America?

Where were these ships at that time?

Was he really in Quebec with the Racehorse and then came to New Jersey?

When did he first arrive in New Jersey?

When was the ship sunk in Mullica Bay?

We could use a good time line with the sources and speculation, this may suggest possiblities for new research or elminate some speculation.