On 23 Jun 1976, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) sponsored a new grave marker for Thomas Delaware Mahon, a soldier in the American Revolution.[1] The marker reads that he was born in 1759 and was a private in the 2nd Virginia State Regiment.[2] At that time, genealogical proof of your connection to Thomas Mahon earned you the right to apply for DAR membership.
Today, if you check the DAR website for Thomas Mahon, it says "THIS LINE MAY NOT BE USED FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE DAR."[3] What changed? They now list his birth year as c1771, not 1759. The reason says "THOMAS WAS TOO YOUNG TO HAVE SERVED IN 1778. SEE DATACF. 12/2015." It looks like they received a Family Bible source that lists a new birth year. I have ordered a copy of the record. Korte-201 01:04, 21 February 2024 (UTC)
There are three listings for Thomas Mahon (Mahan, Mahone) in the Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution:[4]
- Thomas Mahan (Mahone) who most likely served in Dunmore's War (1774) between the Virginia Colony and the Shawnee and Mingo Indians. He was named on a payroll list. "Practically all of them immediately joined the Revolutionary forces."[5]
- Thomas Mahan who served with the 13th Virginia Regiment, Continental Line (formed by 1777).[6]
- Thomas Mahone who served in the 2nd Virginia State Regiment (formed in 1778, most were discharged by May 1780.)[7]
These listings could belong to 1, 2, or 3 different men with the same name. However, if the 1771 birth year is correct, Thomas Delaware Mahon was too young to be one of these soldiers.
Mahon (Mahan, Mahone) was a common surname in Virginia. In particular, there is another Mahon family who lived in King and Queen County, Virginia, who used the same given names (Thomas, John, Pleasant, James, etc.), according to census records. They could have been cousins of the Pittsylvania Mahons, and one of them could be the Revolutionary soldier.
Sources
- ↑ Lena Lovitt. "St. James News," Banner (Saint Elmo, Illinois), 23 Jun 1976, p. 3, col. 6. Digital copy can be seen at Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30369978/thomas_delaware-mahon: accessed February 17, 2024), memorial page for Thomas Delaware Mahon (1759–1840), Find A Grave: Memorial #30369978, citing Mahon-Stephens Cemetery, Fayette County, Illinois, USA.
- ↑ Genealogy Research, Daughters of the American Revolution (https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A073149 : accessed 19 Feb 2024), Thomas Mahan, Ancestor #A073149.
- ↑ John H. Gwathmey. Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution: Soldiers - Sailors - Marines, 1775-1783, Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1979, 494; Digital copy available on Ancestry (Ancestry Image : accessed 20 Feb 2024).
- ↑ Gwathmey, Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution, xiii.
- ↑ "U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783," digital images, Ancestry (Ancestry Record 4282 #989349 : accessed 20 Feb 2024), Captain Scott Company, 13th Virginia Regiment, Thomas Mahan (deserted), image 409; NARA microfilm publication M246, 1777-1778, Folders 308-315.
- ↑ "U.S. Revolutionary War Service Records, 1775-1783," digital images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com/image/22956859 : accessed 20 Feb 2024), Thomas Mahone, 2nd Virginia State Regiment (Revolutionary War), images 1-11; citing NARA microfilm publication M881, US, Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War, 1775-1783, roll 949.