Josiah Beardsley (1756 - 1842)

Born 6 Feb 1756 in Stratford, Connecticut

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 6 Aug 1842 at age 86 in Butternuts (Gilbertsville), New York

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Nick Dann [send private message]

Josiah Beardsley is a descendant of the immigrants William Beardsley and Mary Harvie.

Biography

Private Josiah Beardsley served with 5th Regiment, Connecticut Militia during the American Revolution.

Josiah Beardsley is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A008113.

Josiah Beardsley was born at February 6 ,1750. He was a tailor by trade. In 1805, he removed from Stratford to Butternuts, Otsego County, New York. He married Abigail Bulkley. Children: Daniel ,born 15, 1779; Eli, August 1781; Sally, July 17, 1783; Robert, April 1786; Bulkley, February 27, 1791; Abbie, January 1, 1798; Fanny, February 10, 1803. [New England Families]

He enlisted, for a term of six months, in the Revolutionary War. He went from Fairfield, Connecticut to New York, then to Albany; on to Lake Champlain, then in boats to St John’s where they besieged the fort for a period of about twenty-six days, when it surrendered; at which time he was on guard. They then went to La Prairie and stayed a few days to recruit, then to Montreal, which was evacuated the day before they arrived.

They stayed at Montreal a few days and returned to home by way of Ticonderoga, Lake George, Albany, and on the Fairfield.

Their time expired about four days after they left Montreal, and he served out his term of enlistment, in full.

About the last of April or first of May, 1776, he again enlisted at Fairfield. He went from there to New York, by water, and was there some time before it was evacuated; before this time, the sick were taken to Newark, where he was sent to attend them; was himself taken sick, and remained there sick until a short time before his six months expired, when he joined the Company, a little above White Plains, where he was discharged, and returned to Fairfield at the expiration of six months’ service. Again, in the fall of 1777, he enlisted and served for two months. Again in 1778, he was drafted and served for two months, stationed at Horse Neck, on guard to watch the enemy.

Again, in 1779, he enlisted and served for six months, during which time Fairfield was burned by the enemy. His company was stationed at Black Rock as guard, and remained the full period of the six months enlistment, and were engaged in skirmishes during this campaign.

He never received a written discharge. He was living at Fairfield each and every time he enlisted, and continued to live there until the year 1810, when he removed to Butternuts, New York. (Taken from Rev. War record at Washington, D.C.)

The following was written by Dr. Benjamin F. Beardsley, great-grandson of Josiah:

“Josiah Beardsley was a tailor, by trade. He gave up this work and moved to Butternuts, New York, after his family had mainly grown up. He bought a farm of about fifty acres and built a log house, on what he regarded as the finest piece of land in the town. There was a fine sugar bush (so called) on the place; the trees were tapped in the spring the sap boiled down, and sufficient sugar was made for the year’s supply.

They raised their own vegetables, wheat and rye; kept their own cows; made butter and cheese, and fattened their hogs and beef. They really had but little necessity for supplies found in the stores of today.

They kept a few sheep, and wool was spun by hand; the black sheep furnished the wool for their Sunday suits. With the flax grown on the place, they made their own material for dresses, shirts, sheets, etc.; even to making thread used in sewing the garments, which were of simple design, but most enduring.

All children helped without the work about the place, both inside and out. The sons were kept at work till the noon of the day they were of age, twenty-one. When Josiah’s son Buckeley was twenty-one years of age, he decided to go to Pennsylvania where there was plenty of work to be done with the ax. Josiah gave him fifty cents in money, and a new ax, when he started off on foot. As he was leaving, his father said, “Well Bulkeley, when will you come home to see us?” His reply was, “It will be when I have more than half a dollar in my pocket.” He went to Indian Orchard, Pennsylvania, where he married Lucretia Kimball. They raised a family of seven children, on his farm of over 1500 acres, and his children were prosperous.

Josiah lived very comfortably. He had a horse which he would ride to Gilbertsville village every week or two, a distance of about four miles. On Saturday afternoons one of the sports of the village, was the “turkey shoots.” Some of the men brought turkeys to town. Certain men had them set on stumps, a distance of about forty rods away, and the owners would be paid a shilling a shot, till they would hit the turkeys with a rifle ball and then the turkey was the property of the one who first drew blood. On one occasion, Josiah was present with the others, watching the fun. The turkeys had all been won, and they could not get any more. They urged Josiah to ride home after one; he promptly told them that he did not have any; they asked for an old rooster. He finally said, “I have an old goose at home and will go after it, if you will pay me three dollars, and also agree to shoot till you draw blood.” They readily agreed, paid him the money, and in a short time he returned, carrying an old iron goose, which he used in his tailor trade. ^[1][2]

Sources

1. ↑ Profile created by John Beardsley 2 Sep 2014. Added information from Beardsley family researcher Nick Dann
2. ↑ Beardsley Genealogy: The Family of William Beardsley, One of the First Settlers of Connecticut. Compiled and edited by Nellie Beardsley Holt and Charles Eleazer Holt. Published at West Hartford, Connecticut, 1951. Holt Record #119, Pg. 65. [1]

• 1840 United States Federal Census - Original data: Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) - Original data: Godfrey Memorial Library. American Genealogical-Biographical Index. Middletown, CT, USA: Godfrey Memorial Library.
• Connecticut Revolutionary War Military Lists, 1775-83 - Original data: Johnston, Henry P., ed.. Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society Revolution Rolls and Lists, 1775-1783. Vol. VIII. Hartford, CT, USA: Connecticut Historical Society, 1901, 1999.
• Connecticut, Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920 - Original data: Connecticut. Church Records Index. Connecticut State Library, Hartford, Connecticut.
• Early Connecticut Marriages - Original data: Bailey, Frederic W. Early Connecticut Marriages as Found on Ancient Church Records Prior to 1800. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997.
• New York, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890 - Original data: Jackson, Ronald V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. New York Census, 1790-1890. Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.
• U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900 - Original data: Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files (NARA microfilm publication M804, 2,670 rolls). Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 - Original data: Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls.
  • Volume: 78; SAR Membership Number: 15435.
• New York, Find A Grave Index, 1660-2012 - Otsego County, New York
• New England Families - Genealogical and Memorial by William Richard Cutter, A.M., Vol. IV, Lewis Publishing Company, New York, 1913
• Service Summary Letter from Pension Application, shared by Fold3.com

Research Notes

• This Josiah is often confused with Josiah Beardsley, son of Samuel Beardsley and Anne French.