Simon Babcock (1758 - 1851)

Born 27 Feb 1758 in Westerly, Kings, Rhode Island

Ancestors

Husband of Hannah (Champlin) Babcock — married 6 Apr 1780 in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island, United States

Descendants

Died 29 Apr 1851 at age 93 in Columbia, Tolland, Connecticut, United States

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Biography

This profile is part of the Babcock Name Study.

Simeon Babcock of the Rhode Island Militia guarded the entrance to the Narragansett Bay.

Family

Simon was the son of James Babcock Jr. and Sarah Stanton. Simon is coded as # 83 in the Babcock Genealogy,^[1] but in some other sources such as Family Search his name is written as "Simeon."He was born in 1758.^[2] He married Hannah Champlin. ^[3]Their 14 children are:

1. Simon Babcock 1781–

2. John C. Babcock 1782–

3. James Babcock 1784–

4. Hannah Babcock 1785–

5. Sally Babcock 1787–

6. Aurelia Babcock 1789–

7. Thankful Babcock 1791–

8. Stanton Babcock 1793–1826

9. Nancy Babcock 1795–

10. William Babcock 1797–

11. George W. Babcock 1799–

12. Christopher Babcock 1801–

13. Mariette Babcock 1802–

14. Betsey Babcock 1804–

Military Service

Simon served in the military during the American Revolution. His extensive Revolutionary War service also referred to on page 72 of the Babcock Genealogy. It can also be read in his Pension File Application.

In this application a town clerk submit for formal record Simon's date of birth and his parents names. This matches with what is listed on this profile except his mother is simply called Sarah. His father was Lt. Colonel James Babcock under whom Simon served early on in the war.

In his war service Simon marched to Providence and Jamaica Plains near Boston in Colonel Varnum's Regiment where his father , James, was Lt. Colonel. Later served in other militias under other officers: Ward and Noyes almost always in an artillery capacity. Primarily he was assigned to help guard the entrance to Narragansett Bay being "stationed at watch with the guns" which likely were cannons. He describes a half year in which the British were trying to take Long Island and the nearby Rhode Island towns such as Westerly each needed to be protected from being plundered. Simon mentions time at Watch Hill where Pendleton had his headquarters and where they drew their pay and rations. In another incident they marched to repel the British from Newport. Later he was assigned to guard the shore near South Kingston.

Documents from the Rhode Island Assembly regarding arming the towns with cannons and requiring each town to provide 14 soldiers are included in the pension file, as the office seems not to have records of what the Rhode Island militias were doing.

Simon also describes and incident where 8-10 soldiers died when a boat capsized, surely this was the accident at Point Judith at the entrance to both Narraganset Bay and the Long Island Sound, a location of strategic importance. The detail in the pension is due to the pension office not accepting the Rhode Island Militia service at face value, as they seem not to have records to corroborate his claims. It takes great effort to even get a small pension approved since Simon is forced to account in detail for the various periods in which the militia is called out under each commanding officer.

Also, vexingly, the pension office rejected his claim to service as a Sergeant from the bulk of his service since they have no record of his rank and do not believe those who are sworn witnesses. His pension was granted at the rate of a Private, meaning a minimal pension. ^[4]

"The History of Ancient Windham" provides more detail about Simon's life and children.^[5]

Death

Simon lived to age 93 and likely had many stories to tell. He died on April 29th 1851 according to his gravestone ^[6]and is buried in Scovell Cemetery, Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut. ^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ Babcock, Stephen. Babcock Genealogy. New York, Eaton & Mains, 1903, P. 72.
2. ↑ Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914

   Name: Simeon Babcock

   Event Type: Birth

   Event Date: 27 Feb 1758

   Event Place: Westerly, Kings, Rhode Island, British Colonial America

   Gender: Male

   Father's Name:James Babcock

   Mother's Name: Sarah

   https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2HH-LG5

3. ↑ Ancestry.com. Rhode Island, Vital Extracts, 1636-1899 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

   Name: Simeon Babcock

   Marriage Date: 6 Apr 1780

   Marriage Place: Westerly, Rhode Island, USA

   Spouse Name: Mrs Hannah Champlain

   Page Number: 19

4. ↑ National Archives Pension file for Simon Babcock
5. ↑ Weaver, William L. The History of Ancient Windham. Willimantic, Conn. : Weaver & Curtiss, 1864, Pages 57-58.
6. ↑ Image of Gravestone
7. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #19849127

See also:

• Wakefield, Homer. "Wakefield memorial, comprising an historical, genealogical and biographical register of the name and family of Wakefield"; Bloomington, IL, Private Printing; 1897
• Ancestral file showing all his children and grandparents: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:1:M7PM-23G
• Ferry, Robart A., Connecticut Military Pensioners in 1840, Connecticut Ancestry (Connecticut Ancestry Society, Inc., Stamford, Conn., Feb 1997) Vol. 39, No. 3, Page 139.