Revolutionary War Soldiers Remembered, Belatedly

By the time local historians tried systematically to document Acton’s Revolutionary War soldiers, quite a bit of time had passed.  Rev. James T. Woodbury worked on the project during his pastorate in Acton (1832-1852).  We do not know what written sources he had access to, if any.  He did talk to townspeople and came up with a list of 181 men who had served in the Revolutionary War.  Rev. Woodbury noted at the bottom of the list that he believed it to be incomplete, and research has shown that it was not perfect.  (See blog posts on the service of Jonathan Hosmer and his son Jonathan, for example.)

Occasionally, we come across a Revolutionary War soldier who lived in Acton and served for the town but somehow eluded Rev. Woodbury’s and later lists.  This Memorial Day, we would like to recognize two such men, Isaac Ramsdell and James Emery.  Both lived in Acton in the 1770s, were counted for Acton’s enlistment quota during the war, and died in service.  Their relatives left Acton in later years, and by the time of Rev. Woodbury’s research, apparently no one was left to tell their stories.

---

Isaac Ramsdell

So far, we have not discovered anything about Isaac Ramsdell’s early life.  Complicating research, his surname has numerous variants such as Rams(dall, dill, dale, dle, doll), Ram(dall, dill, del, dle), Ramsden, or Ramsell.  The first time Isaac appeared in Acton’s records was a marriage intention, filed in Acton on December 1, 1769, stating that he and Abigail Temple were both residents of Acton.  Their marriage, performed by John Cuming Esq., took place in Concord on Dec. 21, 1769.  A much later Acton record (difficult handwriting has been transcribed as “James” but seems actually to be Isaac) indicates that Isaac and his wife came to Acton from Concord in 1770.  No land records were found for Isaac.  Church records, however, tell us that three children of Isaac “Ramsden” and his wife were baptized in Acton in April 1775.  Sarah, child of Isaac and Abigail “Ramsdal,” was baptized July 6, 1777.  Dorathy Ramsdel, daughter of Isaac and Abigail, was baptized January 14, 1781.  Acton records make no mention of Isaac’s death. 

Despite indications that Isaac may have come to Acton from Concord, we had no success finding Isaac there.  Concord vital records make no mention of his birth.  We did look for other Ramsdells (or variants) in Concord.  A Mary Ramsdil married Ezra Cory in May 1766.   Also, Acton records show a marriage between Elener Ramsdal of Concord and Eleazer Sartwell of Acton in 1755.  Eleazer and Elener lived in Acton and had many children in the years leading up to the Revolution.  If this were a family connection, it could explain why Isaac came to Acton.  He may also have had Chelmsford connections; an Isaac Ramsdell owed a poll tax there in 1773.  Following up on those potential connections, unfortunately, did not allow us to track down where Isaac came from.

We first learned about Isaac Ramsdell’s war service from his widow’s pension application.  An Act of July 4, 1836 finally made widows of enlisted men who served in the Revolution eligible to apply for pensions.  By that time, many corroborating witnesses would have died or moved to unknown locations, so widows had to provide what information they could.

When her pension application was being prepared in late April 1838, Abigail was 91 years and 7 months old.  Hannah, eldest child of Isaac and Abigail, made declarations instead of her mother, testifying about what she knew of her father’s service.  Though young during the war, she stated that she distinctly recollected “all the material and principal circumstances of her Father’s services and death.”  She mentioned that she could “well remember” Capt. Isaac Davis calling her father “before he was up in the morning to go to Concord.”  Hannah stated that her father was one of Isaac Davis’s Minute Men and that he participated in the “Battle of Lexington,” as the events of April 19 were known in earlier days, that he immediately enlisted for three years, and that at or before the expiration of his three years’ service, he reenlisted for another three years under Captain Joseph Brown of Acton.  She believed that he served at Rhode Island, Ticonderoga and other places, that he was in the battle of Bunker Hill and at the taking of Burgoyne.  She remembered his uniform and a fife that he carried in a side pocket.  He was home on furlough in December 1779 but returned to active service in the spring.  Hannah could “well recollect” the news of father’s death reaching her mother in Acton.  Isaac was drowned at “King’s Ferrying Place” in 1780.

Some of Hannah Ramsdell’s recollections are surprising, given what we know (or thought we knew).  It has been assumed that all members of Isaac Davis’ company are known, unlike those of the Acton militia companies that served on April 19, 1775.  Hannah was very young at the beginning of the war and could be forgiven for not remembering accurately.  However, her mother would certainly have known who roused her husband that day.  It is possible that they lived near Isaac Davis.  Assuming that previous lists were correct in excluding Isaac Ramsdell, he probably was in one of the other two militia companies, most likely the “West” company under Capt. Simon Hunt.  It is also possible that he went along with the Minute company unofficially, but it is surprising that others did not mention it, given the interest of local historians in that company.

At a March 1, 1779 town meeting, article four asked if certain men’s taxes (all in military service at the time, including a very hard-to-read Isaac “Ramsdal”) could be abated for 1776.  Whether this had anything to do with military service that year, we cannot tell.  (The town dismissed the article.)  However, from the records we do have, it would seem that Isaac’s service likely started before 1777.  Simon Hunt filed with Col. Eleazer Brooks a listing (dated Acton, Sept. 5, 1777) of men who had been raised from his company to serve in the Continental Army.  This indicates that those men had already served with Simon Hunt.  Among them was Isaac Ramsdale, engaged for the town of Acton, who joined “Capt. Core’s co.” for three years or the duration of the war.  On Feb. 26, 1777, James Barrett, muster master, reported to the State of Massachusetts Bay that he had paid a bounty to certain men since his last report.  Among them were five from Captain Cory’s Company in Col. Kise’ Battalion, including Isaac Ramsdell.  (The others were Jeremiah Temple, Isaac Russell, Silas Cory and Stephen Cory).  Continental Army pay accounts state that Isaac served January 2, 1777 to December 31, 1779 in Capt. Job Whipple’s company of Col. Rufus Putnam’s Regiment and was credited to the town of Acton where he was a resident.  Captain Whipple reported on clothing issued to his men in 1777; Isaac received a coat, vest, breeches, shirts, shoes and a hat.  He also appears on muster rolls of Capt. Job Whipple’s Company, Col. Putnam’s Regiment, August 5, 1778 (White Plains), Sept. 9, 1778 and Oct. 1, 1779 (at Camp Bedford).  Given the dizzying number of reorganizations of the Massachusetts Line during the war, it is not surprising that Isaac’s company membership is confusing.  Jeremiah Temple’s records also show him both in Captain Cory’s and Captain Whipple’s companies.

Hannah stated that her father served with Captain Joseph Brown.  Two 1780 muster rolls from the 15th Massachusetts Regiment commanded by Col. Timothy Bigelow confirm that Isaac Ramsdell was a member of the company of which Joseph Brown was a captain.  A muster roll dated July 28, 1780 from Camp Robinson’s Farm (covering the Jan.-June 1780 period) reported that Isaac was “on Command,” presumably doing special duty and not in camp that day.   There were many camps in the Hudson Highlands whose exact location was nearly forgotten and had to be researched many years later.  Apparently Camp Robinson’s Farm was a large encampment about 1.5 miles east of the Hudson River across from West Point at Garrison, NY.  A muster roll taken at Camp “Tenneck” for the month of July 1780 but dated 31 August stated that Isaac Ramsdell died July 28, 1780.  A further card in his file states that his service in the 15th Mass. dated from April 1779.  He had enlisted for 3 years but died July 28, 1780.  It was Hannah’s statement that specified that he drowned at “the King’s Ferrying place.” 

Kings Ferry was a strategically important crossing point between Verplanck’s Point and Stony Point on the Hudson River.  It was the first narrowing point on the river north of New York City.  It saw constant use and many historically significant events throughout the war.  By October 1779, it was controlled by the Americans.  There is no record of what Isaac Ramsdell was doing there while his company was being mustered about twelve miles north at Camp Robinson’s Farm on July 28, 1780.  All we know is that something went wrong, and he drowned that day.

Isaac Ramsdell left his widow Abigail with 3 small children and another on the way.  According to Hannah’s statement and later records, the family consisted of:

• Hannah – eldest child, born in Acton, apparently one of three children baptized in Acton in April 1775.  Hannah’s daughter Rebecca was baptized in Acton June 2, 1799.  Hannah never married.  She lived for many years in Henniker, NH and died there July 11, 1854.  Her age was given as 83.
• Mary – born in Acton, apparently one of three children baptized in Acton in April 1775.  Married Martin Murphy in 1799 and had at least four children, one of whom was named Isaac Ramsdell Murphy.  Mary may have lived in Wrentham at one point, but later in life, she and Martin lived in Northbridge, MA.  Martin died in 1844, and Mary died Feb. 22, 1847 in Northbridge.
• Rebecca – Apparently one of three children baptized in Acton in April 1775.  According to Hannah, “she died the year following my Father’s decease age 7 years,” so she lived approximately 1774-1781. 
• Sarah – born in Acton, baptized July 6, 1777.  According to Hannah’s statement, “She died before my father.” 
• Dorothy – baptized in Acton Jan. 14, 1781 (born after her father’s death, according to Hannah “the 5 day of Dec after my Father’s decease”, Dec. 5, 1780).  Dorothy married William Green of Stow on Sept. 9, 1802 in Acton.  She remarried John Kirk on Feb 2, 1809 in Weare, New Hampshire.  He died in 1853, and Dorothy died Dec. 15, 1870.

After the war, Abigail Ramsdell stayed in Acton.  Daughter Hannah testified that she knew Captain Joseph Brown, under whom Isaac served, for many years.  (Joseph Brown bought the Isaac Davis farm and lived there until his death in 1813.)  Betsey Morse, Captain Brown’s niece, testified that she had moved to Acton 54 years previously and had known Abigail ever since.  Abigail had been known in Acton as Widow Ramsdell.  As notes, Abigail would not have been eligible for a pension.   There are no land or probate records that we have found for Isaac Ramsdell, and Abigail is not listed as a head of household in Acton’s 1790 census.  We can only assume that she had help from family.  Hannah did not mention anything in her statements about that or her mother’s relatives, although Hannah did mention that during the war she was well acquainted with her grandparents on her father’s side who visited her mother frequently during Isaac’s absence would “talk comfortably to my Mother.”  (It would have helped if Hannah had mentioned their names.)

In response to a 1789 Massachusetts settlement law, in the early 1790s, the town of Acton started sorting out who “belonged” to the town and who could be “warned out,” an old practice that allowed towns to deny responsibility for the poverty of newcomers to their community.  While the intention may have been to keep transient visitors from being a burden, the actuality was that Acton publicly informed a number of people had lived in town for years that they needed to move (or to realize that they would not be supported if they hit financial hard times).  Ideally, from the town’s perspective, financial responsibility could be pinned on another town.   On Feb. 15, 1791, “Abigal Ramsdal widow who is Latly Come into this Town for the purpose of abiding therein not having the Towns Consent” was warned out.  She did not move out right away, but eventually she and her daughters did leave town.

In an affidavit dated January 21, 1839, Jacob Rice testified that widow Abigail Ramsdell moved to Henniker, New Hampshire to live with her daughter Mrs. Dorothy Green (later Kirk) in the early years of the 1800s.   She lived with daughters Dorothy and Hannah until 1811, when she went to keep house for Francis Withington whom she married Feb. 6, 1812.  Francis had a very large family.  When he died in August 1819, “she was left without a home and little or no property.”  Francis’ will confirms that Francis left Abigail a cow (her choice of which one), four sheep, all of his swine, meat, meat tubs, corn, grain, his Bible, a bed, coverlet, sheets, towels and napkins, and five dollars, but the rest of his assets went to his twelve Children.  Abigail then went to live with Hannah and for the next twenty years lived most of the time with her or with Dorothy Kirk.  Jacob Rice stated:

Through infirmities of years and feeble health she has never been able to support herself since her late husband’s decease and her children being unable to support her she was supported for several years partly by her children and partly by the town of Henniker but during the last years of her life she was in a very helpless situation and though taken care of by her children until her death which occurred in may last yet they received a compensation from the Town until her Decease I am knowing to the above facts from the circumstance that I have served as Selectman and assessor nine years for the Town of Henniker since 1818
I further testify and say that I have lived a neighbour to them the above named term of time and ever known the Wd Abigal Withington and her daughters to be steady industrious and respectable people those whose word may be relied upon by all people

Joshua Darling, justice of the peace, on April 25, 1838 stated that he had known Hannah and Abigail for many years and vouched for their characters.  He also mentioned that Abigail had long been supported by public charity.

At the time the pension application was being prepared, Abigail was clearly in poor health.  Hannah gave her first statement April 24, 1838.  Abigail died May 2, 1838 in Alexandria, New Hampshire, probably at the home of her daughter Dorothy. 

Despite the fact that Widow Ramsdell and her daughters had lived for quite a few years in Acton after Isaac’s death, by the time Rev. Woodbury was putting together his list of Revolutionary War soldiers, they had been gone from Acton for twenty-five or more years.  Perhaps Rev. Woodbury spoke to the wrong people, but Isaac’s service was not included in published town lists of Revolutionary War veterans.   His widow outlived him by almost 68 years but never received her widow’s pension.  It was finally approved, and the amount owed her after she finally became eligible was paid to her three daughters.  This Memorial Day, we remember the sacrifices of Isaac Ramsdell and the family he left behind.

Sources Consulted:

• Acton, MA: Early Town Meeting Records, Vital Records.
• Benton, Josiah Henry.  Warning Out in New England.  Boston: W. B. Clarke Company, 1911.
• Calver, William L.  Researches into the American Army Button of the Revolutionary War. The Journal of the American Military History Foundation, Vol. 1, No. 4., Winter 1937-1938, p. 151-164.
• Fletcher, James.  Acton in History.  Philadelphia: J. W. Lewis & Co., 1890
• Nudd, Jean. Using Revolutionary War Pension Files to Find Family Information.  National Archives, Prologue Magazine, Summer 2015, Vol. 47, No. 2, Genealogy Notes, url: https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2015/summer/rev-war-pensions.html
• Phelan, Harold R. History of the Town of Acton.  Cambridge, Mass.: Middlesex Printing, 1954.
• Ramsdell, Isaac/Abigail Withington, Widow’s Pension Application, File # W 175515
• Cogswell, Leander W. History of the Town of Henniker, Merrimack County, New Hampshire.  Concord, NH: Republican Press Association, 1880.  (Note that the information about Abigail Withington on page 790 is incorrect.)
• Jones, Douglas Lamar.  The Transformation of the Law of Poverty in Eighteenth-Century Massachusetts.  Law in Colonial Massachusetts.  Boston: The Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 1984.
• Secretary of the Commonwealth.  Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War.  Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co., State Printers, 1899.  Ramsdell (and variations): Volume 12, pages 912, 914, 919.
• Sheehan, Michael J. R.  Top 10 Events at King’s Ferry.  Journal of the American Revolution, website article dated August 24, 2015.  Accessed May 24, 2024.
• Thomas, William S.  Revolutionary Camps of the Hudson Highlands.  The Quarterly Journal of the New York State Historical Association.  Vol. 2, No. 3 (July 1921), pp. 141-155
• Waite, Edward F.  Pensions: The Law and Its Administration.  Harpers New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 86, Issue 512, January 1893. (Covers veterans’ pensions from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War.)
• Withington, Francis. Will.  New Hampshire, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1643-1982 at Ancestry.com.

Available Scans online:

• Account of Clothing Delivered Capt Whipples Company for 1777
• Muster Roll of Capt. Job Whipple’s Company I the Battalion of Massachusetts Forces in the Service of the United States Commanded b y Col. Rufus Putnam.  Dated White Plains August 5, 1778.
• Roll of Capt. Job Whipple’s Company in Col. Rufus Putnam’s Regt Agreable to the __ of the 8th __ September 9, 1778
• Muster Roll of Capt. Job Whipples Company in the 5th Battalion of Massachusetts Bay Forces in the Service of the United States Commanded by Cloonel Rufus Putnam Taken for September  1779.  Camp Bedford, October 1, 1779.
• Muster Roll of Capt. Job Whipples Company in the (_) Battalion of Massachusetts Bay __ in the Service of the United States Commanded by Col. Rufus Putnam Taken for Octr 1779.  Camp Peek Kills Nov. 3, 1779.
• Muster Roll of the Col. Company in the 15th Massachusetts Bay Regt in the Service of the United States of America Commanded by Col. Timothy Bigelow Esq taken for the Months of Jant. Feb.y March April May June 1780.  Camp Robinson’s Farme July 28, 1780.
• Muster Roll of the Col. Company 15th Massachusetts Reg.t of Foot in Service of the United States of Merica.  Commanded by Timothy Bigelow Esq.  Taken for the Month of July 1780. Dated Camp Tenneck 31 August 1780.