Blandford Cemeteries

1. Hill Cemetery (aka Centre Cemetery) 1741
   North Street, Blandford, MA 01008
   1/4 mile north of Otis Stage Road
   574 graves listed on FindAGrave.com
   
2. Blandford Cemetery (aka Old Burying Ground)
   Otis Stage Road Blandford
   at Main Street
   listed on FindAGrave.com
   74 graves listed on FindAGrave.com
   
3. North Blandford Cemetery
   Blair Road, Blandford, MA 01008
   2 miles north of Otis Stage Road
   104 graves listed on FindAGrave.com

Additional Blandford Cemeteries listed on CemeteryFind.com:
Gilbert Tracy Gravesite (1833)
Hastings Family Cemetery
Henry B. Wadham Gravesite (1812)
Old Sperry Road Cemetery
Stannard Cemetery (1800)*

*Horace Lorenzo Hastings, born 26 November, 1831, in Blandford, Mass. ; died 21 October, 1899 in Goshen, Mass ; married 12 Oct 1853, Harriet Frances Barnett of Moretown, Vermont. Four children were born, 3 in Providence, RI, and 1 in Lawrence, Mass. A minister and tract publisher, best known for his hymn writing.

Henry Beebe Wadhams, son of Beebe and Charlotte (Ives) Wadhams, born 9 March, 1805, in Goshen, Conn. ; died in September, 1892, in Richmond, Mass.; married 16 July. 1827, Hannah Scott of Blandford, Mass. Three children were born in Goshen.


There is a Sperry Road, east of the Turnpike, below the Elementary School.


I believe Stannard Cemetery is listed in error. The only Stannard I have found is in Caledonia County, Vermont.

POWs in Reading, PA

Laura L. Becker of Clemson University wrote an article focusing on a single town, Reading, Pennsylvania, and its housing of British and Hessian prisoners of war. As early as February 1776, Reading was receiving prisoners, and her leading citizens petitioned the Pennsylvania Assembly to erect barracks "capable of containing four or five hundred men."  

Reading was a market town of roughly 300 families, mostly German, about 60 miles northeast of Philadelphia. In the beginning most prisoners were officers, but after Cornwallis' surrender "in October of 1781, no fewer than 1050 prisoners arrived, most of whom were privates."

Newly arrived prisoners were disarmed and released subject to a requirement to remain in Reading and an 8:00 PM curfew. Becker writes, "This curfew was not strictly enforced because at least some of the officers participated in the town's social activities... And a substantial number of the officers held in Reading were permitted to go to Philadelphia, New York, or elsewhere. Still others were exchanged."

The mostly German citizens of Reading were perhaps harsher in their treatment of their own countrymen than English, Scottish or Canadian prisoners. One German officer wrote that the German-Americans of Reading "could hardly hide their anger and hostile thoughts."

Many former Hessian captives did stay in the county after the war. They were referred to as "Brunswickers and Hanauers" in local church records. The expression "Du bist ein Hesse" was an insult in Reading well into the nineteenth century.

from http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/2002_summer_fall/pows.htm

Watson Family Military Service

Oliver Watson (1718-1804):

• Corporal, Capt. Ebenezer Mason's co. of Minute-men, Col. Jonathan Warner's
  regt., marched on alarm of 19 Apr 1775;
• also, Capt. Jonathan Carriel's co., Col. Josiah Whitney's regt.; at Point
  Shirley, 13 Jun 1776;
• also, Private, same co. and regt.; from 17 May to 1 Nov 1776, at Camp at
  Hull;
• also, Capt. Josiah White's co., Lieut. Col. Benjamin Flagg's division, Col.
  Samuel Denny's (Worcester Co.) regt.; from 21 Aug to 23 Aug 1777; marched
  to Hadley on an alarm at the Northward.

Oliver Watson II (1743-1826): Corporal, Capt. Ebeneezer Mason's co. of Minute-men, Col. Jonathan Warner's regt., which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, service 14 days.

Robert Watson (1746-1806): Private, Capt. Ebeneezer Mason's co. of Minute-men, Col. Jonathan Warner's regt., which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, service 14 days.

James Watson (1754-1823): Private, Capt. Ebeneezer Mason's co. of Minute-men, Col. Jonathan Warner's regt., which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, service 37 days.

* The "alarm of April 19, 1775" refers to The Battles of Lexington and Concord, just 50 miles from Spencer, where Oliver Watson lived. Captain John Ferguson commanded these 36 men from Blandford and neighboring Chester. I can't find a record of when the alarm was received in Blandford, or when the men arrived at Lexington. Isaac Bissel was the post rider who carried the Lexington alarm issued at 10 am on 19 April in Watertown. He traveled along the Upper Post Road, passing through Worcester, 95 miles east, the same afternoon, perhaps arriving at Springfield after dark. The alarm reached Philadelphia 24 April at 5 pm. It's one thing for a post rider to travel a hundred miles in a day, but for men on foot, with their supplies, it must have taken several days.

Oliver Watson, a deacon of the Congregational Church in Leicester, a militia officer, town selectman, and father of 3 sons who served in the militia, was also elected to congress in 1776, 1777 and 1780, His nephew, John Watson of Blandford, was married to Israel Gibb's daughter Sarah.

Israel Gibbs was deacon in Blandford, and prominent enough to serve on the Committee of Inspection, Correspondence, and Safety in 1777. Gibbs was 12 years older than Watson, so too old for militia service during the revolution himself, but 3 of his sons served. One of them, John Gibbs, partnered with John Dirlam in 1780 to purchase the father's foreclosed property in Blandford in 1780.

Watson, William:

• 1st Lieutenant, Capt. Seth Washburn's co., Col. Ward's regt., marched on
  alarm of 19 Apr 1775 for 16 days;
• also, 2d Lieutenant, Capt. Samuel Green's (5th) co. (South co. in Leicester),
  Col. Samuel Denny's (1st Worcester Co.) regt. of Mass. militia; commissioned
  5 Apr 1776;
• also, Captain, 5th co., Col. Denny's (1st Worcester Co.) regt. of Mass.
  militia; commissioned 5 Mar 1779.

-from Massachusetts Commonwealth; Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution (17 vols); Wright and Potter Printing Co., (Boston, 1896)

My William Watson (1750-1844) is too young to be the brother of John Watson who was married to Sarah Gibbs. And Oliver Watson (1743-1826), their second cousin?


Capt. Seth Washburn: In 1749, Seth took part in the campaign against the Indians in New Hampshire. At the opening of the Revolutionary War, Seth, who was fifty-two years old, served as Captain of his company of Minute Men of Leicester. They marched on the alarm of 19 April, 1775 to Lexington. At Bunker Hill they fought along the ‘rail fence.’ His was was sent on patrol between Cambridge and ‘the Neck’ with other captains and 18 soldiers during the night. These men were made part of the regiment of General Artemas Ward. Washburn was promoted to Major during the war and became a Colonel of militia after it ended. He was the muster-master for Worcester County and was elected to the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1779. He was a founder of the Leicester Academy and a senator in the State Legislature.


CAPTAIN WILLIAM CANNON (1722, Blandford - Dec. 7, 1780, Blandford)

County Militia of Massachusetts Province 1776-1777

This is part of an effort to identify Massachusetts units that might have brought John O Dirlam to Blandford, or brought him to the attention of someone in the Snow, Gibbs or Watson families in Blandford, Becket or Leicester.

After Lexington and Concord in April 1775, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress raised 27 regiments. These regiments were adopted into the first establishment of the Continental Army in June 1775. Referred to by the names of their colonels, they were numbered one way by the state and another by the Continental Army. At the end of 1775 the army was reorganized, and again at the end of 1777.

All of these county militia regiments were disbanded in October or November of 1777, although some were called again later by the province.

Berkshire County Militia

Ashley's Regiment of Militia also known as the 1st Berkshire County Militia Regiment, was named after its commander, Col. John Ashley (1736-1799) of Sheffield. The regiment was called up in Berkshire County, Massachusetts in July 1777 and sent for a month to Fort Edward and on September 19, 1777 as reinforcements for the Continental Army during the Saratoga Campaign. The regiment marched quickly to join the gathering forces of General Horatio Gates as he faced British General John Burgoyne in northern New York. The regiment served in General Paterson's brigade. Burgoyne's Army surrendered on October 17, 1777 and the regiment disbanded the next day.

Browns' Regiment of Militia also known as the 2nd Berkshire County Regiment, also called Col. John Brown's Detachment of Berkshire County Militia, was named after its commander. Brown (1744-1780) lived in Pittsfield, and died in battle at Stone Arabia, New York (west of Albany).

Simonds' Regiment of Militia also known as the 3rd Berkshire County Regiment, was named after its commander, Col. Benjamin Simonds (1726-1807) of Williamstown. The regiment was raised in Berkshire County. The Regiment was at Fort Ticonderoga during the winter of 1776-1777. Simonds' Regiment was called up in the summer of 1777 during the Saratoga Campaign, fighting at the Battle of Bennington with General John Stark's Brigade of New Hampshire Militia. Many volunteers also joined the regiment at this time including William Easton, and the "Fighting Parson," Thomas Allen. Simonds' Regiment attacked Friedrich Baum's redoubt from the south during the battle as Stickney's (11th NH), Hale's (15th NH) and Hobart's (12th NH) attacked form the east and Nichols' (5th NH) attacked from the west. The regiment continued on to the Battle of Bemis Heights and the surrender of British General John Burgoyne's army. The regiment was also called up in response to Carleton's Raid and the Royalton Raid of 1780.

Hampshire County Militia

Woodbridge's Regiment of Militia / 1st Hampshire County, and Woodbridge's (25th) Regiment and The 25th Regiment of Foot, was named for its commander Col. Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge (1739–1819) of South Hadley. On April 20, 1775, the day after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the regiment was formed and marched to Cambridge, near Boston, and participated in the Siege of Boston and the Battle of Bunker Hill.

The regiment spent part of the summer and the fall of 1776 as part of the Fort Ticonderoga garrison. The regiment was called up at South Hadley on August 16, 1777 to reinforce the Continental Army during the Saratoga Campaign. The regiment joined General Horatio Gates as he faced British General John Burgoyne in northern New York. They served in General Warner's brigade. The regiment was disbanded October 18, 1777 after Burgoyne's surrender.

May's Regiment of Militia / 2nd Hampshire County was called up at Southampton on September 20, 1777 to reinforce the Continental Army during the Saratoga Campaign. The regiment joined Gen. Horatio Gates as he faced British General John Burgoyne in northern New York. They served in General Nixon's brigade. The regiment was disbanded October 18, 1777, after Burgoyne's surrender.

Wright's Regiment of Militia also known as the 5th Hampshire County Militia Regiment, was named after its commander, Col. Phineas Wright (1710-1795). The regiment was called up at Northfield on September 22, 1777 to reinforce the Continental Army during the Saratoga Campaign. The regiment joined General Horatio Gates as he faced British General John Burgoyne in northern New York. They served in General Nixion's brigade. The regiment was disbanded October 18, 1777 after Burgoyne's surrender.

Northfield is located in Franklin County, created from the northernmost third of Hampshire County in 1811.

Wells' Regiment of Militia also known as the 5th Hampshire County Militia Regiment was called up at Shelburne, Massachusetts on September 22, 1777 to reinforce the Continental Army during the Saratoga Campaign. They joined General Horatio Gates as he faced British General John Burgoyne in northern New York. They served in General Fellow's brigade. The regiment was disbanded October 18, 1777 after Burgoyne's surrender.

Shelburne is located in Franklin County, created from the northernmost third of Hampshire County in 1811.

Sylvanus Snow in the American Revolution

Rolls of Connecticut Men in the French and Indian War. Ed. By Albert C. Bates

1. 1758 - Sylvanus Snow, age 26, served 10 April to 5 November in Colonel Eleazer Fitch's Third Regiment (Captain Jedediah Fay's Tenth Company recruited in Ashford)
2. 1759 - Savanus Snow, age 27, served in General Phineas Lyman's First Regiment, based in Sheffield (Major John Slapp's Third Company recruited in Mansfield)
3. 1762 - Silvanus Snow, age 30, served 18 March to 3 December in General Phineas Lyman's First Regiment, based in Sheffield (Captain Hugh Ledlie's Tenth Company)
4. 1775 - Age 43, served 1 May to 11 September in General Putnam's Third Regiment, recruited in Windham County (Captain Knowlton's Fifth Company recruited in Ashford). He is mentioned in an officer's report as having lost his gun in the fight at Bunker Hill

Connecticut Revolutionary War Military Lists, 1775-83

1. 1775 - Silvanus Snow. Page #: 16 - 25; Regiment: Putnam. Remarks: Expenses extracted from vol. of "Sick Bills"

Note: These last two items are interesting. He was injured while fighting along the fence at Breed's Hill, lost his gun, and required care. The first three items are from the French and Indian War.


Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the Revolutionary War

1. 1776 - Snow, Sylvanus. Private, Capt. John Grannis's co.; entered service June 1, 1776; service to Aug. 31, 1776, 3 mos; company stationed at Elizabeth Islands [Massachusetts] for defence of seacoast; roll dated Tarpaulin Cove and sworn to in Barnstable Co.;
2. also, Capt. John Grannis's co. commanded by Lieut. James Blossom; service from Sept. 1, 1776, to Nov. 21, 1776, 2 mos. 21 days; company stationed at Elizabeth Islands for defence of seacoast.
3. 1777 - Snow, Sylvanus. Capt. Isaac Stone's Company, Lieut. Peter Keith; Commencement of pay. Aug. 23; Paid to Nov. 9 [Called up for Saratoga Campaign, they fought there Sept 19 and Oct 9,1777 - 7th alarm list company in the 11th Connecticut regiment]
4. 1778 - Snow, Silvanus. Col. Durkee's Fourth Regiment, Continental Line, May 28, 1778, 8 months, discharged Oct 29, 1778.
5. On June 28, '78 engaged closely at Battle of Monmouth. Col Durkee then commanding the Brigade. Lieut Col. Russell in command at close of the action.

From the New York Spectator of Feb. 26, 1828:

Died in Becket, Mass., on the 19th ult., Mr. Sylvanus Snow, aged ninety-seven years, a Revolutionary pensioner. He served several campaigns in the French war, and through nearly the whole War of the Revolution. He was engaged in fourteen different battles, in all of which he was but once wounded, and that at Bunker Hill; and the ball which he then received has been carried in his body to the grave. He lived with his wife (who died at the age of ninety-one) seventy-two years, and has left a numerous posterity and an exemplary reputation.

Snow Family

Sylvanus Snow was the father of John Dirlam's first wife, Sarah. His father, Samuel, moved his young family to Ashford in Windham County, Connecticut in 1725. Five more children were born there.

Two of those children are interesting here. One, our ancestor Sylvanus, had a long history of military service, and three of his sons also served. And the other of interest, Sylvanus' older brother, Stephen, was a business success.

By 1774 Ashford had 2231 inhabitants including 13 slaves, one of whom belonged to Stephen Snow. And although in 1784 Connecticut adopted emancipation at age 25 of slaves born after that year, Snow accumulated more slaves. By the time of the 1790 census, he owned 3 of the 7 in Ashford. All the principal families in the larger towns had a slave or two, especially the families of doctors, lawyers, and public officials. And slaves worked in New London's manufacturing businesses and large farms. Stephen Snow was prosperous and operated several successful businesses in Ashford. The slaves are a measure of that success. Incidentally, no other Ashford based Snow owned slaves.

And interestingly, I can't find a record of any form of military service for Stephen Snow. There was a Cape Cod, Massachusetts man with the same name, who was called to New Bedford in September 1778 when a British raiding party from New York landed and destroyed 70 vessels and a large number of buildings. And again when HMS Somerset ran aground off Truro, while chasing a French squadron in a gale, this other Stephen Snow helped guard rescued crewmen.

von Scheither recruits

Here's something tantalizing from AMREV-HESSIANS: the von Scheither recruits. When the British Army realized they were headed towards war in the American Colonies, they hired Colonel Georg Heinrich Albrecht von Scheither of Hanover to recruit 2000 Germans to beef up existing British Regiments.

Forty soldiers were recruited for the Royal Welsh Fusiliers 23rd Foot, including a John Dirlam, who served in Blakeney Company and was reported captured. Bob Mertz found him on a War Office index provided by Don Hagist: WO 12/3960 Dates 18-10-1776, 31-12-1776 and 30-06-1777. WO12 is a collection of muster rolls for the regiment.


And Bob Dirlam reported viewing original documents in Kew at The National Archives of the United Kingdom (WO 43/405). WO43 is a “Liste Des Recrués Anglois embarqués á Stade pour Spithead en Irlande ce 14me de Mai 1776” which records the name, age, place of birth, height, and religion of some 400 of the men recruited by von Scheither, including the forty assigned to the 23rd Regiment. Stade is a port city on the Elbe River, where the recruits were inventoried before heading to the naval base at Southampton, on route to America.

British Regiments consisted of ten companies: eight line companies, whose soldiers stood shoulder to should in lines; on the left flank a light infantry company trained as skirmishers; and on the right flank, a grenadier company. Grenadiers were typically the biggest men, wore mitered caps, carried swords and muskets, and got the toughest assignments. "The Diary of Lieutenant Frederick Mackenzie" and Serjeant Roger Lamb's "Original and Authentic Journal of Occurrences During the Late American War" are the only published first hand accounts from the 23rd Foot. Then Capt. William Blakeney commanded the 23rd's Grenadier Company at Bunker Hill, where the company led the repeated and eventually successful assaults on the fortifications there. Like most of the company, Blakeney was injured.

Dirlam arrived the following summer, joining the 23rd Foot fought in the Battles of Long Island (27 August 1776), Harlem Heights (16 September), White Plains (28 October), and Fort Washington (16 November), and then garrisoned for the winter in New York.

In the spring they were part of an 1800 man force, commanded by General William Tryon and sent to Danbury, Connecticut, to destroy the Continental Army supply depot there. They reached Danbury (26 April 1777), quickly drove off the 150 men defending the place, and destroyed large quantities of preserved food, supplies and medicine. Surprised at reports of Connecticut Militia camped nearby in the rain, they set fire to buildings belonging to known patriots and marched quickly toward their ships. Militia and Continental Army continued to arrive and conducted a two day campaign of harrassment and delay that included several hours that is called the "Battle of Ridgefield."


Once in New York, they were joined by General Howe's troops returning from a half-hearted effort to trap and destroy the Continental Army in New Jersey. Howe decided next to capture Philadelphia. It took several weeks for the combined army of 17,000 soldiers to resupply and pack itself onto the 265 ships gathered to move it. So that 30 June 1777 date, reported by Mertz and Hagist, was the muster roll made as part of preparation for the Philadelphia Campaign. And the very next muster, on 24 February 1778 records Dirlam's capture.

UPDATE: I spent some time on the idea of a Connecticut/Snow connection with no result. Now I'm interested in a different connection to Blandford. Now I'm wondering if he was taken prisoner into New York state. See my post Three Mysteries.