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Abijah Gandy (1744 - 1777)

Abijah Gandy
Born in Dividing Creek, Cumberland, New Jerseymap
Ancestors ancestors
Brother of
Husband of — married 1767 in , Cumberland, New Jerseymap
Descendants descendants
Died at about age 33 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvaniamap
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Profile last modified | Created 19 Mar 2011
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Contents

Biography

1776 Project
Abijah Gandy served with New Jersey during the American Revolution.

Abijah married Mary Shepherd.[citation needed]

Children

  1. Henry
  2. Abijah (probably a minor in 1776)
  3. Shepherd (minor in 1776)
  4. Deborah

Revolutionary War Service

"BIO: Private Abijah Gandy was killed in action from battle wounds suffered at the Battle of Valley Forge in the Revolutionary War. Abijah died on March 12th of 1777 at age 33 years in a tent military hospital. This Battle of Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight military encampments for the Continental Army’s main body, commanded by General George Washington. In September 1777, British forces had captured the American capital of Philadelphia. After failing to retake the city, Washington led his 12,000-person army into winter quarters at Valley Forge, located approximately 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Philadelphia. They remained there for six months, from December 19, 1777 to June 19, 1778. At Valley Forge, the Continentals struggled to manage a disastrous supply crisis while retraining and reorganizing their units. About 1,700 to 2,000 soldiers died due to disease, possibly exacerbated by malnutrition. With the fourth largest population in (former) British North America, maintaining cleanliness remained a challenge for the Continental Army. Scabies broke out due to the filthy conditions within the encampment, as did other, deadlier ailments. The army had a limited water supply for cooking, washing, and bathing. Dead horse remains often lay unburied, and Washington found the smell of some places intolerable. Neither plumbing nor a standardized system of trash collection existed. To combat the spread of contagion, Washington commanded soldiers to burn tar or “the Powder of a Musquet Cartridge” in the huts everyday, to cleanse the air of putrefaction. On May 27, Washington had ordered his soldiers remove the mud-and-straw chinking from huts “to render them as airy as possible.” Due to an imperfect understanding of disease transmission, however, these actions would not have produced the desired results. No one had yet discovered germ theory. Subsequently, outbreaks of typhoid and dysentery spread through contaminated food and water. Soldiers contracted influenza and pneumonia, while still others succumbed to typhus, caused by body lice. Although the inconsistent delivery of food rations did not cause starvation, it probably exacerbated the health of ailing soldiers. Some patients might have suffered from more than one ailment. In total, about 1,700-2,000 troops died during the Valley Forge encampment, mostly at general hospitals located in six different towns. Valley Forge had the highest mortality rate of any Continental Army encampment, and even most military engagements. The death toll for civilians connected to Valley Forge remains unknown."[1]

Death and Legacy

1776, April 23. Gandy, Abljah, of Cumberland Co.; will of. Wife, Mary, the use of plantation to bring up my children. Oldest son, Henry, the plantation, at his mother's decease, or the lower part. Son, Abijah, 25 acres, across the upper part. Son, Shepherd Gandy, £10, when of age. Daughter, Deborah Gandy, £5, when of age. My 2 youngest sons to be bound out to trades, according to an agree- ment that was made, if my son-in-law lives w^ith his mother till he is of age. Executors wife, Mary, and Nathan Shepherd. Witnesses Gideon Heaton, Anna Lore, Tabitha Shepherd. Proved March 12, 1777.

1777, March 12. Inventory, £151.5.2, made by Gideon Heaton and Hosea Shepherd. Lib. 18, p. 156.[2]

Sources

  1. ©Joiner documents and records. [source: Title: "The Traveling Joiners: A Genealogy of the Joiner Family and Other Related Families"; privately pub 1971, 39 pages; by Rev. Dr. Darrell and Sallyann Joiner.
  2. Abljah Gandy of Cumberland Co. Calendar of Wills, Administrations, Etc. 1771-1780. Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. (Trenton, NJ: Archives of the State of New Jersey), volume 34, page 195

See also:

  • Joiner, Rev. Darrell and Sallyann (carver at ime.net) "Cary Family History"

Acknowledgements

This person was created through the import of Spurlock 20110318.ged on 19 March 2011.





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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Abijah by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Abijah:

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Gandy-529 and Gandy-26 appear to represent the same person because: same wife, same dates
posted by H Husted