Samuel Blakeslee (1759 - 1834)

Born 23 Nov 1759 in Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut

Ancestors

Husband of Phebe (Curtis) Blakeslee — married 20 Dec 1780 in Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut

Husband of Rebecca (Waterous) Blakeslee — married 11 Dec 1814 in Avon, Livingston, New York, United States

Descendants

Died 12 Jul 1834 at age 74 in Avon, Livingston County, New York, USA

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Biography

Private Samuel Blakeslee served with 7th Connecticut Regiment (1777), Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Samuel Blakeslee is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A011044.

Lt. Colonel Samuel Blakeslee served in the New York Militia in the War of 1812
Service started: 1812
Unit(s):
Service ended: 1815

Samuel Blakeslee was born in 1759 to Joseph and Lois (Ives) Blakeslee in Wallingsford, Connectut. He married Phebe Curtis, December 20, 1780 in Wallingsford, Connecticut.They were the parents of eight children.^[1] From Samuel's autobiographical sketch:

“The Revolutionary War broke out when I was about fifteen years of age, the country being in uproar and confusion. Volunteer companies were raised. The boys caught the military flame, and boy companies with wooden guns were raised. In one of these companies I was chosen captain, this being in the year 1775. The next year I conceived the idea of going into the army. In those days a boy of sixteen was liable to bear arms. The British then lay in Boston, and after many pleadings with my parents they gave me leave to enlist as a soldier, under Capt. Isaac Ford of Wallingford. This was about the month of February, 1776. My father took me to the captain for enlistment. The captain said that I looked like a good spry boy, and as he thought a little too small for a soldier, but if I could measure five feet five inches he would take me. To my mortification I measured only five feet four inches and a half, and was of course denied enlistment” (425).^[2]

[July 1, 1776]"The June following there was a company raising by Capt. John Thacher of New Haven, and Ephraim Chamberlain, one of his lieutenants, agreed to enlist me as a soldier. I accordingly enlisted under him on the 1st day of July, 1776. I joined my company at New Haven, received my arms and marched on to the northward as far as Skeensborough, Vermont, near White Hall, and joined the army then lying there under the command of General Waterbury” (425-426).^[2] He was a soldier in the Continental Army. He served as a private and then as a drummer. ^[3]

[September, 1777] “After these events the army took up its winter quarters at a place called Valley Forge, where I was stationed on Gen. Varnum’s guard, from when I was taken and put under the care of a drum-major by the name of William Chandler, and by his instructions and my own exertions I became a good drummer, in which employ I continued during my term of service, which was about two years” (428).^[2][4][5][6]

One record reads:

Muster Roll of Capt. Chamberlain [...] in 7th Connecticut Reg[imen]t. Commanded by Col. Heman Swift for March 1780.

Drummer – Appointed May 4, 1777. Sam[ue]l Blaksslee (Term 3 years)^[7]

He mentions his family at intervals:

“The 20th of December [1780] I married, and lived with my father, or rather in a part of his house, about eighteen months, when I removed to Colebrook, having a wife and one child.^[2] Even though he was a farmer with a wife and growing family, Samuel was still in love with the military. "The year I came into Colebrook [1781] I was appointed drum-major in the 25th regiment of militia, commanded by Col. Aaron Austin, in which station I served ten or twelve years [1781-ca. 1793], I believe. While I lived in this part of town I was chosen lieutenant of 117 men, commanded by Capt. Samuel Mills, and served one year. Then a light infantry company was raised, and being led to the choice of a captain, I was chosen without a dissenting vote [… and] took charge of my infantry company six years [ca. 1793-1799]” (430). “I sold my farm and bought a much larger and better one in the north part of the town. While I lived on this farm Gad, Lois Ives and John Adams were born” (430).^[2]

There was an Indian uprising around 1798 and Samuel volunteered. There was a dispute between two companies ending in a Court Martial. Samuel was vindicated. (431). Being over forty, he resigned his position, but he came to regret that decision, “[M]y military mind was not yet satisfied, and being wholly out of command by reason of my leaving the regiment of militia, and my place being filled there, I applied to Col. Jones, then commanding the [13th] regiment, and took upon me the adjutancy for two years; then I was appointed first major, and served two years; then colonel and served two years” (432). He served several times as delegate to the Assembly in Hartford.^[2]He and his family appear in Federal Census records in Waterbury, Connecticut in 1800. ^[8]

In the middle of an extended section about military matters, he throws in a few lines about his personal life. He disposes of his wife of over thirty years when she dies, marries an "amiable" widow, and uproots the whole family to move to New York in one short paragraph.

“About this time [1808] I sold all my property in Colebrook and removed my family to Avon, Ontario County (now Livingston), New York, where I have since remained. I left Colebrook on the 26th of January and arrived at Avon (then Hartford), on the 12th of December 1808. My wife died on the 29th of November, 1812, and I was married on the 11th of December, 1814, to the amiable widow Rebecca Pearson, the consort to the late Mr. John Pearson, deceased” (432).^[2]

Later, he served as a Colonel in the War of 1812 from 1812-1815.^[9] After this, he seems to have retired from military service for good. He appears in the 1830 Federal Census in Avon, New York.^[10] Samuel died July 12, 1834 in Avon, Livingston County, New York.^[11][12][13] His tombstone reads:

Pvt

Continental

Line

Col US Army

War of 1812

Nov 23 1759

July 12 1834^[14]

His autobiographical sketch can be found in full at: Blakeslee, Samuel "Narrative of Colonel Samuel Blakeslee, A Defender of Buffalo in the War of 1812" Publications of the Buffalo Historical Society, Volume 8. Reference pages 419-438.

Sources

1. ↑ Connecticut Vital Records to 1870 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.) From original typescripts, Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection, 1928. Reference Wallingford Volume, page 41
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6} Blakeslee, Samuel "Narrative of Colonel Samuel Blakeslee, A Defender of Buffalo in the War of 1812" Publications of the Buffalo Historical Society, Volume 8. Reference pages 419-438.
3. ↑ "United States Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2DG-FR97 : 15 March 2018), Samuel Blakeslee, 01 Apr 1778; citing 01 Apr 1778, Connecticut, United States, citing NARA microfilm publication M246. Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Services, 1980. FHL microfilm 830,299.
4. ↑ "United States Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2DG-F5HX : 15 March 2018), Samuel Blakeslee, Nov 1778; citing Nov 1778, Connecticut, United States, citing NARA microfilm publication M246. Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Services, 1980. FHL microfilm 830,299.
5. ↑ "United States Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2DG-FXS6 : 15 March 2018), Samuel Blakeslee, Apr 1780; citing Apr 1780, Connecticut, United States, citing NARA microfilm publication M246. Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Services, 1980. FHL microfilm 830,298.
6. ↑ "United States Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2DG-VYXL : 15 March 2018), Samuel Blackly, 1775-1783; citing 1775-1783, Connecticut, United States, citing NARA microfilm publication M246. Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Services, 1980. FHL microfilm 830,305.
7. ↑ "United States Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2DG-F8HF : 15 March 2018), Samuel Blaksslee, 01 May 1777; citing 01 May 1777, Connecticut, United States, citing NARA microfilm publication M246. Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Services, 1980. FHL microfilm 830,298.
8. ↑ "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRS-6HF : accessed 29 October 2020), Samll Blakesley, Waterbury, New Haven, Connecticut, United States; citing p. 243, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 2; FHL microfilm 205,619.
9. ↑ United States War of 1812 Index to Service Records, 1812-1815, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29V-51RX : 12 March 2018), Samuel Blakeslee, 1812-1815; citing NARA microfilm publication M602 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); roll 18; FHL microfilm 882,536.
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHPZ-GJS : 19 August 2017), Samuel Blakesley, Avon, Livingston, New York, United States; citing 30, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 93; FHL microfilm 17,153.
11. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed June 20, 2016), "Record of Samuel Blakeslee", Ancestor # A011044.
12. ↑ Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 108 : 1914 Ancestry Record 61157 #3448443
13. ↑ New York Evening Post: Death Notices, 1801–1890. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015), (Unpublished typescript transcriptions of original notices by Gertrude A. Barber, R. Stanton Avery Collection, NEHGS, Boston, MA. "Death Notices copied from the New York Evening Post, vols. 1-54," 1933–1947). Reference Volume 12, page 35
14. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKW-QWV5 : 4 August 2020), Samuel Blakeslee, ; Burial, Avon, Livingston, New York, United States of America, Avon Cemetery; citing record ID 36651505, Find a Grave

• Cutter, William. Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York, 1911) Vol. 2, Part 2, Page 986
• Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.Ancestry Family Tree Ancestry Family Tree 83333830
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• U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.