The Haversack - Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter
Transcription
The Haversack - Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter
Vol. 2 Issue 4 April, 2015 The Haversack The Newsletter of the Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The spring of 2015 has finally arrived and with it the pleasurable opportunity to seamlessly transfer the gavel of Chapter stewardship and responsibility to what is very possibly the most talented incoming leadership team our Chapter has assembled since it's founding in 1920. Wisely, our new leadership team will be heavily populated with Compatriots having served on the current leadership team -- thus, assuring continuity of focus, theme, and responsibility while concurrently holding "the door of next level opportunities and ideas" open to amplification and perfection of our Chapter's historical, educational, and patriotic responsibilities, duties, and accomplishments. In the fall of 2013 we elected a new Chapter leadership team to serve for the twelve months. With consent of the membership, the team stayed for eighteen months; during which our Chapter initiated necessary bylaw changes, experienced the smooth realignment of our business year with that of the MDSSAR, increased Chapter dues to support ever increasing Chapter community activities, and birthed the Frederick Town Fife and Drum (the future face of SAR in our community). Our Chapter led the formation of an unprecedented SAR/DAR collaborative effort to lead Maryland's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Repudiation Act. We expanded our Patriot Grave Marking program, and realigned the Awards programs, vastly expanding the potential number of Student Essay Contest participants. Chapter in-house resources were enhanced to better craft SAR membership applications, and we honed our brand through outreach and integral involvement in the planning and execution of four highly acclaimed county and state patriotic events celebrating the War of 1812 and it's linkage to the American Revolution. Concurrently we established a physical SAR presence in downtown Frederick, instituted a SAR application information flow process, and enhanced the perpetuity and user availability of Chapter records by placing many of them "in the cloud". We have enhanced the management and stewardship of our membership, established a uniform awards policy, process, review and education program, and we have proudly nurtured the growth of what has become a very dynamic clarion of our patriotic activities, The Haversack. Governance has been framed by SAR guidelines, trust, and the principles of informed and empowered execution; decentralizing much of the key Chapter decision making process and giving the freedom, authority, responsibility, and accountability to make decisions and execute programs to the Committee Chairmen and individual project leaders. Our Chapter has accomplished its collective and our individual goals on a framework of accountable committee chairmanship, an extraordinarily talented Chapter secretary, a stellar professional Public Relations director, a highly engaged Executive Committee, and the sterling integrity of our Compatriots. Because of your involvement our Chapter's brand just gets better and better every day, and with your increased involvement and your strong support of our 2015-2016 leadership team, I am confident that our SAR driven historical, educational, and patriotic achievements will excel at a record setting logarithmic pace. Continue to Charge. George Lewis Compatriot and President 2013-2015 In this issue… Page 2: Meeting Dates, Essay Contest Page 3: Fife & Drum News Page 4: JROTC Candidate and Essay Page 5: SAR Honor Union Veterans of the Civil War, SAR Honors MD Guard Soldiers and Airmen Page 6: Patriot Bios Request Page 7: Stamp Act Page 9: General Lafayette Memorial Page 10: Tracing Families of Hessian Soldiers Page 11: Jane Contee Hanson 1 SAVE THE DATE AND TIMES STAMP ACT THEME OF SAR ESSAY CONTEST 2015 Annual Meeting of the Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution As a prelude to the region’s 250th anniversary commemoration of The Repudiation Act, the Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution is sponsoring an essay contest for middle school students. SAR Compatriot John George, Ed.D, Associate Professor of Education at Hood College, who is coordinating the essay contest, announced the essay topic as: “Explain how the Stamp Act may have led to the American War of Independence and include information about Repudiation Day in Frederick County”. Wednesday, April 15, 2015 Dutch's Daughter Restaurant 581 Himes Avenue Frederick, MD 21703 5:00PM - 6PMPM (New Member Induction Meeting) 6:00PM - 9:00PM (Business Meeting and Program) REMAINING 2015 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS: March 19 April 23 May 21 June 18 July 16th August 20 September 17 October 15 (subject to change based on scheduling of semi-annual meeting) November 19 December 17 Please note, all Chapter members are welcome to attend and encouraged to participate in our Executive (EC) committee meetings. The meetings are held at 19 East Church Street in the 1st Floor Conference Room. Our meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month, commencing promptly at 6pm and ending at 7:30pm. Help us grow and improve the organization by being part of the process and outcomes. The SAR essay contest is open to all middle grade students (6,7,8) in Frederick County public and private schools. Word limits are 300 to 500 words. The contest concludes on April 23, 2015. Submissions are sent to Dr. John George, Education Department, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, Maryland 21701. Dr. George notes that while the Frederick County Public Schools are not a sponsor of this contest, student participation is encouraged to complement the academic growth and endeavors. All participants receive a certificate, and ten will receive prizes to be awarded during school assemblies. The local chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Sons of the American Revolution are organizing the 250th anniversary commemoration of The Repudiation Act – the act of defiance by “Twelve Immortal Justices” of the Frederick County Court, effectively refusing to discharge The Stamp Act imposed on the Colonies by Great Britain’s King George III. SAR Chapter President Dr. George Lewis states: “On November 23, 1765 these justices were the first to repudiate the onerous ‘taxation without representation’ (Duties On American Colonies Act of 1765), a decade before ‘the shot heard ‘round the world’ at the ‘rude bridge that arched the flood’ in Lexington, Massachusetts.” Submitted by Public Relations Chair Richard Foot MDSSAR ANNUAL MEETING Please save the date for the MDSSAR Annual Meeting, which will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2015. We'll be in the Freight Room of Baldwin's Station Restaurant located in the historic Victorian railway station of Sykesville, Maryland. A Continental Breakfast will be served at 8:30. Luncheon at noon will be a sit-down meal consisting of salad, your choice of chicken or tilapia, and a cheesecake dessert. MDSSAR President Doug Favorite presents Certificate of Distinguished Service to MSSDAR State Regent Linda Mistler during the society's annual state conference. 2 FRANCIS SCOTT KEY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION SUPPORTS FREDERICK TOWN FIFE AND DRUM The Francis Scott Key Memorial Foundation has recently awarded the Frederick Town Fife & Drum Corps a two thousand four hundred and fourteen dollar ($2,414.00) grant to fund the purchase of uniforms and musical equipment. The Francis Scott Key Memorial Foundation provides the maintenance at Mount Olivet Cemetery, for both the monument, and burial site of the man who penned The StarSpangled Banner. Ronald Pearcey, President of the Francis Scott Key Memorial Foundation, stated: "Our Foundation is dedicated to memorializing the heroic actions of American patriots. We commend the SAR for bringing to life an iconic image of military life in the 18th century." From left to right: SAR Chapter Vice President Donald Deering, Francis Scott Key Memorial Foundation President Ronald Pearcey, Fifer Sarah Scrivener, Drummer Daniel Wilson, and Instructor Claude Bauer. Photo by Ron Harbaugh The Frederick Town Fife & Drum Corps is a youth program under the auspices of the Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Patterned after Colonial Williamsburg's renowned unit, the Frederick Town Fife & Drum is outfitted in Revolutionary period uniforms and performs at both public and private events. "Fifers and drummers were an important part of the 18th century military", states Chapter Vice President Donald Deering. "Fifers and drummers served with enlisted men and officers in the field, their music inspiring and guiding the troops by sounding signals, hours and alarms. These were also popular tunes that helped assuage the soldiers' fatigue and discomfort, both in camp and during their arduous marches.” To ensure its success and sustainment, the Frederick Town Fife & Drum Corps has assembled a constellation of community partners, whose members include the Mayor's Department of Economic Development, Hood College, Frederick County Public Schools, the Downtown Frederick Partnership, the Tourism Council of Frederick County, the Frederick City Police Department, the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, the Historical Society of Frederick County, Mount Olivet Cemetery, the York County, PA, Middle School Fife and Drum Corps, a Frederick City business owner and the Colonial Williamsburg's Director of Revolutionary City Programs. Contributions, in support of the Frederick Town Fife & Drum Corps, can be made to the Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution Fund, a component fund of the Community Foundation of Frederick County. For more information about the Fife and Drum please contact Chapter Vice President Donald Deering; [email protected] or via telephone (301-606-8827). Performing during First Saturday in Downtown Frederick, the Frederick Town Fife and Drum (FTFD) unites Revolutionary and Civil War histories of Frederick, MD. Left to right: FTFD Music Director Claude Bauer, Fifer Sarah Scrivener and Drummer Daniel Wilson FTFD members Sarah Scrivener and Daniel Wilson, accompanied by York, PA Middle School’s Colonial Corps members, critique their earlier performance conducted during the MSDAR 110th Conference. This year’s event was held in Hunt Valley, MD 3 OUTSTANDING JROTC CANDIDATE Luke Staley, a junior at Linganore High School, has been selected to represent the Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter for the JROTC award. Luke has a 4.2 weighted GPA and is ranked 47 in a class of 361 students. He is a member of the National Honor Society. Luke has been active in the NROTC program for 3 years. He was a Recruit in 9th grade, Petty Officer Third Class in 10th grade, Second Class and First Class in 11th grade, and next year he will be Lieutenant Commander. He has completed the 700 word essay included below. He will now compete on the state level. He will be presented the SAR Bronze Medal and Certificate at the NROTC Awards Program. Luke is also an outstanding soccer player, being selected Captain as a junior, as well as All MVAL this year. He works part-time for Staley's Landscaping. He is active in the Key Club, which is a school service club. THE JROTC CITIZEN Essay by Luke Staley When presented with the question, how does a young man or woman become a better citizen of this great nation? The first question that should be addressed is why good citizenship is necessary? Consider an architect, an architect must choose carefully where to build his house. As he looks for a place for his structure he sees a plateau of rock, and a plateau of sand. Where should he build his house? Of course he should build his house upon the rock, because strong structures can only stand with strong foundations. What then are the foundations of a nation? The answer? Its citizens. For a nation is defined by its citizens, and it will only ever be as good as the people in it, running it, working for it and defending it. JROTC has taught me many things, lessons are taught to me by the leaders, and my fellow cadets both in, and outside of the classroom everyday. It has taught me leadership skills, and how to work efficiently with others, it has awakened in me a desire to serve my country, and it has taught me about respect, attention to detail, discipline and maturity. These are the lifeblood and core values of JROTC, and they have resolutely prepared me to be a better citizen of the United States of America. A good citizen of the United States of America will contribute to society. But a great citizen will help lead and guide others to contribute as well. This requires leadership skills and knowledge of how to work with others. JROTC has given me a unique opportunity to lead my peers in an organized setting. As a platoon commander this year for my unit, I learned two vital lessons about leadership. The first is that you must have the respect of your peers, and the best way for a leader to gain respect is to give respect to the cadets that he leads. The second lesson is that you should never mistake a position of authority for leadership. Telling a cadet what to do isn’t leadership. True leaders set the example for their fellow cadets through their own actions. I also learned vital lessons about working with others, every personality is different. The key to success is being able to interact with each cadet individually. These lessons have been taught to me by JROTC in high school, but they will stick with me for the rest of my life. I have always been a patriot, I love this country; for all its flaws, strengths, and values, it is the most free, most beautiful, and most powerful nation in the world. But until recently, I have not always known what it means to serve this country. Recently in a lecture, one of our naval science instructors gave a presentation about his time in the service, showing of the things he did, and the friends he lost. I learned that serving our country, is not about serving a geographical mass of fifty states. It’s about serving the men and women next to you. Whether as a member of the service, or as an American civilian, serving your country is best accomplished by serving your fellow citizens. To be an upstanding member of society one must have good character. Weak values don’t build strong citizens. The first thing I learned in JROTC was the acronym RADM, Respect, Attention to detail, Discipline and Maturity. If you possess these values you will be on a path to strong character. Being taught these lessons in high school will help me build strong character foundations for years to come. JROTC will not only help me better build upon these values, but also help me pass them on to others to do the same. To be a JROTC cadet you don’t have to be extraordinary. Just someone looking to be a part of something bigger than yourself. JROTC has given me many lessons, I believe that they will help me better contribute to my country, and that they will help me pass those values on, one citizen at a time. From left to right: Christopher Smithson, Ron Harbaugh, Larry Bishop, Dave Hoover, Eugene Moyer, and Dave Embry. presented the colors during the State DAR Conference in Towson Maryland 4 SAR HONORS UNION VETERANS OF CIVIL WAR In ceremonies held Saturday, March 28, at the Maryland Monument at the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, the Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter of the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution paid tribute to 20 Union soldiers for their gallant actions of Sept. 17, 1862, leading to the awarding of the Medal of Honor. In laying a wreath, SAR Chapter President George Lewis said, “Our Revolutionary-era patriots today rest in peace, knowing that those honored this day preserved the Union they created — a Union that to this day stands strong because of their sacrifices.” (This article originally appeared in the April 5 edition of the Frederick News-Post.) award recipients were Army Staff Sgt. Amber Insley, 1st Sgt. Robert Schmidt, Spec. Benjamin Wertz, Air Force Tech Sgt. Charles Doran, and Senior Master Sgt. David Herpel. The Maryland 400 Distinguished Service Medal is unique given Maryland is the only State in the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution that has a specific medal honoring the National Guard. The Maryland 400 Distinguished Service Medal, first awarded in 1936 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., was given to Md. Guardsmen for general excellence based on dependability, cooperation, leadership, patriotism, and intelligence. These medals were awarded annually until 1940, when the National Guard was called into active federal service for World War II. It wasn’t until 2009, when the medals were rediscovered, that Maryland National Guardsmen once again began receiving this award based on conspicuous distinguished service or achievement. According to MDSSAR, the medal represents an American soldier in the uniform of the Continental Army with musket and bayonet used by the Maryland 400 in the Battle of Long Island pressing forward under the shield of a militant America mantled in the flowing folds of a star-spangled banner, in her left hand a shield to protect her children, in her right a sword for those who would destroy her faith. At the bottom is, “August – 27 – 1776”, the date of the battle when Maryland’s 400 saved Washington’s Army at Gowanus Creek. “It’s important to the Sons of the American Revolution to recognize the service of those in uniform today as they carry on the traditions of service and sacrifice dating back to 1776”, said Maj. Gen. (Retired) James A. Adkins, former Maryland National Guard adjutant general. Leftt o right: Karl Woodcock, commander, Antietam Camp No. 3 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; George Lewis, president, Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution; the Gettysburg Blues Color Guard, Sons of Veterans Reserve; Bugler Paul McMillon Gettysburg Blues Sons of Veterans Reserve; and Rosemary Martin of Frederick, Auxiliary to Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (ASUVCW). Photo by Stuart Younkin SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION HONORS MD GUARD SOLDIERS AND AIRMEN Maryland National Guardsmen attended the Annual George Washington Birthday Luncheon hosted by the Maryland Society Sons of the American Revolution today to receive a prestigious award known as the Maryland 400 Distinguished Service Medal. Amongst the Adkins served as the guest speaker during the ceremony and emphasized the importance of the Maryland 400 at the Battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776. Douglas Favorite, MDSSAR President, and Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Kramer, Md. National Guard Director of Joint Staff, presented the award to each recipient. “This is critical to the MDSSAR as we recognize our history is full of people who have fought for our freedom and liberty”, Favorite said. “The people we recognize today are doing the same in a different way and we must keep the spirit alive and keep it going.” Staff Sgt. Amber Insley, a training specialist with the 115th Military Police Battalion, reflected on what receiving this award meant to her. Continued on page 6 5 Continued from page 5 “I feel extremely honored to have even been nominated for this award that contains a big part of the Maryland National Guard’s history”, Insley said. “Words cannot express the honor I feel to receive this medal and to represent the Maryland National Guard. I am especially grateful for all those who have mentored me and those I’ve able to mentor throughout my years of service. Without them, I would not have this great honor.” Lt. Col. Mary Staab and Sgt. First Class Anthony McGrath were in attendance to show their support for Staff Sgt. Insley during the award ceremony. (This article originally appeared in the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System website.) Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter attendees at the George Washington Birthday Luncheon. Left to right: Sheldon Shealer, Don Deering, Doug Favorite, Larry Bishop, Dr. George Lewis, Ron Harbaugh, Gene Moyer, Bruce Champion, and Rick Stup. PATRIOT BIOS REQUEST Compatriots, At the NSSAR Spring Leadership Meeting, the Patriot Biographies Committee set June 1, 2015 as the deadline for submissions in the 2015 competition for Chapters and State Societies to achieve a 20% submission rate. This rate will be determined based on the January 1, 2015 membership count. The number of biographical submissions will be divided by the 1/1/15 member count. For an achievement rate of 20% (decreased from 25%), the Chapter/State will receive a streamer at the Congress in Louisville in late June. As of the Spring Leadership Meeting we have received 671 biographies from 30 State Societies. To reiterate, we ask that you send a biographical sketch of your ancestor(s) to [email protected]. The information should be provided in a file that is Microsoft WORD compatible. The data will then be merged into the Patriot and Grave Index. If you have a Patriot Number assigned (i.e., P-xxxxxx), please include it with your submission. If not, one will be assigned. Due to the potential volume and limitations on storage, it has been requested that we limit the biographical sketches to approximately 500 words. When you submit your entry, please include your name and SAR Member number. While this information should be as accurate as possible, it is not intended for use as primary documentation material for SAR or DAR applications, therefore, we are not requiring sourcing of the documentation. We intend for these biographies to encourage prospective applicants and provide a reference point from which to start (or continue) their research. It would also be helpful to identify SAR Compatriots who are descended from each of the patriots referenced. By including a name and SAR Member number, additional research and/or connections may be possible. This is of course, all voluntary, and not a requirement. We hope that you will join us in celebrating your patriot ancestor with a submission to this database. Secretary General Tom Lawrence assured me that this endeavor will continue past June 2015. So even if you are unable to submit a biography prior to the June 1 deadline, please know that we will continue to update the database. Please share this with your Chapter and State Society members. Fraternally, Douglas T. Collins Chairman Patriot Biographies Committee Information Web Links NSSAR Web Site: www.s ar.o rg MDSSAR Web Site: www.mar yla nd sar.o rg Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter Web Page: h ttp :// l awr en ce -ev er har t.mary la nd sar.o rg /ind ex .html 6 PRELUDE TO REVOLUTION This article is the first of a two-part series relating the events in Frederick County, Maryland centered on the infamous Stamp Act of 1765. The first article discusses the situation in Maryland prior to the enactment of the Stamp Act. The second will discuss the Stamp Act and its repudiation by the Frederick County Court and how that decision influenced events in Maryland leading up to the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Figure 1: Maryland Counties, c.1750 The American colonies are considered the first experiment in British imperialism and they would also be the first to declare, and fight for, their independence from the Crown. One of these colonies, Maryland, would play a unique role in the process of transforming from English subjects to independent states and finally to a new nation. Some of the first steps of this metamorphosis would be taken in Frederick County, which encompassed the entire western part of Maryland at the time. The legal repudiation of the muchhated Stamp Act of 1765 by the twelve magistrates who served the county’s court helped lay the foundation for momentous events that would unfold less than a decade later. In the first part of the 17th century, the English were desperate to populate lands on the western side of the Atlantic Ocean. They knew they were in a contest of conquest with the French, Dutch and Spanish. The presence of heavily populated colonies solidified claims to land and resources and made it easier to defend them. But by 1630 only Jamestown in Virginia, some scattered colonies in Massachusetts, and a settlement in New Hampshire had managed to establish and maintain a foothold in the vast wilderness. During the first twenty-five years of exploration and colonization more attempts at settlement had failed, and been abandoned, than had succeeded. The Maryland colony was originally founded by the Calvert family who were Catholic. George Calvert, 1st Lord Baltimore, was the driving force behind the establishment of the Maryland colony. His desire was to establish a colony where people of different faiths could coexist and he negotiated this precept into the founding document. His reasons for doing this were probably not altruistic but certainly essential to getting the blessings of a Protestant king. Unfortunately, Calvert died while the Charter was being finalized so the Charter of Maryland, confirmed by King Charles I on 20-Jun-1632, was issued to his son, Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore. The Charter would serve as the underlying governing document for the colony. It made Maryland the first of the proprietary colonies and the 2nd Lord Baltimore was recognized Lord Proprietor. Like many of the colonial Lord Proprietors, Cecilius Calvert never set foot in the colonies. Article XX of the Charter set Maryland apart from the other North American colonies. It stated in part, “Baron of Baltimore, His Heirs and Assigns, that We, our Heirs, and Successors, at no Time hereafter, will impose, or make or cause to be imposed, any Impositions, Customs, or other Taxations, Quotas, or Contributions whatsoever, in or upon the Residents or Inhabitants of the Figure 2: Cecilius Calvert, Province aforesaid for their Goods, Lands, or Tenements within the same Province, or upon any Tenements, Lands, Goods or Chattels within the Province aforesaid, or in or upon any Goods or Merchandizes within the Province aforesaid, or within the Ports or Harbors of the said Province.” This “tax-exempt status” became a primary selling point for enticing colonists to migrate to Maryland. To those hardy souls who sailed up the Chesapeake Bay in 1634 on board the “Ark” and the “Dove”, and to all who followed, the wording and meaning was quite clear. It was this original charter on which the colony was founded that would become the “fly in the ointment” when, more than a century later, King and Parliament would attempt to impose the onerous Stamp Act on the citizens of Maryland. Maryland was in an interesting geopolitical position with predominately Quaker Pennsylvania to the north and Loyalist Virginia to the south. Juxtaposed between religious tolerance and tobacco-growing capitalism, 7 Maryland tried to be both, generally with success. The colony found itself in a strategic situation during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). British troops and colonial militias traversed Maryland moving men and materials to counter the French and their Indian allies; the most notable of these efforts being General Edward Braddock’s ill-fated expedition against Fort Duquesne in 1755. Though there were instances of violent encounters between Indians and White settlers in the western areas, the colony, in general, was not a major theater of combat operations. In 1757 at Fort Frederick, located on the upper reaches of the Potomac River, Maryland officials successfully secured a treaty with the Cherokee, who in turn, helped to patrol the western reaches of the colony acting as a buffer against the French and their Indian allies. Continued on page 8 The various Acts of Trade and Navigation, first enacted in 1651, generally prohibited colonists from manufacturing goods for export. This created a scarcity of hard currency with which to conduct internal transactions. If a colonist needed to purchase an essential commodity or a luxury item, they either had to barter for it or sign a debt note. During the second half of the French and Indian War (1759-1763), Maryland planters accrued a long-term trade deficit with the mother country; borrowing more than they could ever hope to pay back. This is turn led to unhappy “money lenders” in the mother country. A merchant of the period explained the situation this way. “Every honest fair trader fail’d more or less on my right hand and my left...It is madness now to sue for debts. If people are not able to pay you must let them walk off or stay to defy you.” So as 1765 approached, many inhabitants of Maryland found themselves in very difficult financial straits. To help defray the immense costs of the French and Indian War, and to finance a permanent troop presence in the colonies, Parliament decided to tax the colonies. From the British perspective, this was deemed to be more than fair. They had just expended considerable blood and treasure defending their North American colonies. Great Britain had doubled its national debt during the Seven Year’s War and its own people were not going to tolerate any additional taxes. It was time for the colonies to ante up. George Grenville, the Prime Minister was the original architect of this plan. He would be followed by a more infamous gentleman, Charles Townshend. The American colonies saw this from a totally differ- ent point of view. They had also made sacrifices towards the victory over the French and, lacking any direct representation in Parliament, were not allowed any say in the matter of taxation. With the combination of colonials believing themselves to be taxexempt based on the Maryland Charter, an overbearing financial debt from the war and the threat of taxes imposed by a distant and uncaring Parliament, Maryland was set to become a powder keg. Submitted by Secretary Pat Barron and Compatriot Ryan Bass Figure 3: Fort Frederick, Maryland Members of the Color Guard of the Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution participated in ceremonies for the sign-posting of the Samuel Chase Birthplace in Princess Anne, Maryland. Pictured are (L-R): Eugene Moyer, NSSAR Color Guard Vice Commander Dave Hoover, Larry Bishop and Ron Harbaugh. Samuel Chase was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a Supreme Court Justice (1796). The Captain John Smoot Chapter of the Maryland Society of the Sons of the American Revolution organized the sign-posting. 8 OF MONUMENTS AND MEN General Lafayette: Friend of America and Liberty HISTORIANS AND PRESERVATION GROUPS ANNOUNCE LANDMARK NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO SAVE REVOLUTIONARY WAR BATTLEFIELDS Nearly 240 years after the “shot heard ‘round the world” signaled the beginning of the journey toward American independence, historians and preservationists gathered in Princeton, N.J., to launch the first-ever national initiative to protect and interpret the battlefields of the Revolutionary War. The new effort, titled ‘Campaign 1776,’ is a project of the Civil War Trust, the nation’s most successful battlefield preservation advocate. Campaign 1776 will employ the same proven strategy of harnessing public-private partnerships to permanently protect hallowed ground that has made the Civil War Trust one of the country’s top charitable land conservation organizations. This second of a series of profiles of monuments and plaques dedicated by the Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter Sons of the American Revolution in Frederick County features a memorial to General Lafayette, which stands near the intersection of East Patrick Street and Bowmans Farm Road, adjacent to the Frederick airport. The jug-shaped (demijohn – a popular 19th century whiskey decanter) monument was originally located at one end of a bridge crossing the Monocacy River in Frederick. The monument was built in 1808 by Leonard Harbaugh. The inscription on the bronze tablet at the base of the statue reads: General Lafayette Friend of America and Liberty Arrived at the bridge nearby On his way to Frederick December 29, 1824 ______________________ Created by a delegation of citizens Including the gallant Lawrence Everhart Who had come to escort him into the city Lafayette made here an address Expressing thanks for the hearty welcome _______________________________ Erected by Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter Sons of the American Revolution September 17, 1926 Submitted by Public Relations Chair Richard Foot “The patriots who fell during the struggle for American independence deserve to have their sacrifices remembered and honored just as much as those who took up arms ‘four score and seven years’ later during the Civil War,” said Trust president James Lighthizer. “All of these battlefields are hallowed ground, living memorials to this nation’s brave soldiers, past, present and future.” The organization’s chairman, Michael Grainger concurred, saying, “For nearly three decades, the Civil War Trust has led the charge to protect endangered battlegrounds from this nation’s bloodiest conflict, securing millions of dollars in private sector donations to preserve these tangible links to our past. Through Campaign 1776, we are lending our expertise in heritage land preservation to a fuller spectrum of American history.” Although primarily focused on preservation of the battlefields of the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), Campaign 1776 will also target battlegrounds associated with the War of 1812 (1812–1814) — the conflicts that established and confirmed American independence from Great Britain. In its 2007 report on the status of these battlefields, the National Park Service found that of the 243 significant engagements of those conflicts, only 100 retained historic integrity. Those sites that have endured through more than two centuries are now facing pressure from residential and other development. (This article originally appeared in the February 2015 edition of SAR Magazine) 9 TRACING LOCAL FAMILIES OF HESSIAN SOLDIERS FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR Do you really know who your ancestors were? If you are a descendant of a Hessian soldier who was housed in the historic stone barracks in Frederick during the Revolutionary War, the local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution would like to know. The Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) is embarking on a quest to locate those early families and create a genealogical listing of the original soldiers who became citizens. The historic stone barracks on the campus of the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick is currently being restored. Within its walls will be a museum dedicated to the many different activities serviced by this historic structure over the past 240 years. It was the first structure built by the State of Maryland in 1777 as a prison for British soldiers and American loyalists (Tories). It was located here in Frederick after collaboration by both Thomas Johnson and John Hanson; important local patriots, who prevailed on site selection in their contacts with the then Maryland General Assembly. After the Battles of Bennington and Saratoga, captured soldiers were marched to Frederick where they were housed. After Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown in October 1781, the Ansbach Regiments, who were taken prisoners there, arrived in Fredericktown in January 1782, and were housed in the barracks. It is estimated that over 850 Hessian, Bayreuth and Ansbach soldiers assimilated after their captivity during the war. The names are known of at least 181 Hessians who were confined in Frederick and eventually settled in the Western Maryland area. Research of military lists, church and courthouse records, gravestones and other sources traced locations, marriages, children and avocations. Numerous family names are still familiar in Frederick County. Changes in spellings of family names could make it difficult to trace families, especially when the only link is the family of the women who married the soldiers. The German names and possible translations into English are noted below. What readers can do if you recognize your family name is contact the SAR as instructed below. The Sons of the American Revolution believes it is important to define the historical legacies of the many German soldiers who were prisoners and housed in the stone barracks in Frederick during those war years. Those German soldiers remaining in the Frederick County area reactivated their non-military skills as farmers, millers, distillers, masons, bricklayers, carpenters, and coopers. They set up shops, advertised for business and took apprentices into the trades. Many of these former soldiers were hired by the farmers in the area. They later married the local women and started families. Any descendants of these German soldiers who are certain of their ancestry are urged to contact the SAR, and add the names to the genealogical list to be placed in the renovated barracks when the restoration is completed. The list of German soldiers and how to reach the SAR is listed below: Henrich Adam -- Johann Georg Adam -- Justus Arnold -- Henrich Aschermann (Ausherman) -- Hennig Bartels -- Jakob Barthold -- Johann Bauermeister -Johann Bauerreiss -- Lorenz Bauhahn -- Heinrich Bauschinger -- Christian Becker (Baker) -- Franz Becker (Baker) -- Henrich Bender -- Christopher Berghman (Barkman) -- Johannes Bier -- Wilhelm Bierschenck -- Georg Adam Biller -- Johann Bischoff -- Conrad Blendinger -- Johannes Bode -- Henrich Born -- Christoph Bornhaus -- Jakob Bornhaus -Christoph Brand -- Georg Nikolaus Brand – Georg Brede -- Henrich Crass -- Jakob Dahinten -- Henrich Dahlhelm -- Christoph Degenhardt (Dagenhart) -Georg Dengler -- Johannes Doberitsch -- Christoph Dönges -- Simon Duephorn -- Georg Ebbrecht (Abrecht) -- Georg Ebel -- Joh Henrich Adolph Eickhoff (Eickhof) -- Jeremias Eiffert -- Georg Elias -Johannes Ellenberger -- Johann Engelbrecht -- Georg Engelhard -- Henrich Fehling (Failing) -- Johann Fick -- Philipp Fiege (Feaga) -- Johannes Filing -- Johann Georg Fraas -- Henrich Froelich (Fraley) -- Georg Frühberger -- Johann Georg Frühe -- Hans Henrich Fuelling -- Georg Ganso/Janso (Gonso) -- Johann Georg Christian Gärtner -- Leonhard Gehweyer -Justus Gerecht (Gerecht) -- Johann Gerecke -- Georg Geriach -- Georg Gier (Gear) -- Henrich Giese (Geasey) -- Eckhard Gilss (Gilds) -- Andreas Göddecke -- Johann Goll – Henrich Hartman -- Konrad Heckenmüller -- Justus Henrich Heckerod -- Christoph Heckmann (Heckman) -- Georg Heinemann -Henrich Heiner -- Andreas Helbig/Hilwig -- Johann Henrich Hempe/Hembe (Hempy) -- Kaspar Henning - Peter Herr -- Carl Hesse -- Johann Wilhelm Heyder (Heyder) -- Georg Heyl -- Christian Hilke (Hilkey) -Christoph Hille -- Johann Georg Hoehl -- Wilhelm Hoester -- Henrich Hoffman/Hoffmann Hoffman) -Johann Heinrich Hohberger -- Johannes Kalbfleisch - Johann Kaspar Karrich -- Jakob Kern -- Johann Philipp Kilian (Kilian) -- Christoph Kirchhoff -- Friedrich Kirchner -- Franz Kleinert (Kleinert) -- Christian Knoph -- Konrad Knott -- Ludwig Kobold -- Johann Koerzdörfer -- Ernst Kohlschein (Coalshine) -Johannes Kolb (Kolb) -- Samuel Kuncke -- Heinrich Lampe -- John Langmann -- Konrad Lauterbach (Louderbach) -- Johannes Lentz (Lentz) -- Daniel Lot Continued on page 11 10 tig/Lottich -- Nikolas Lotz -- Michael Lotzgesell -- Nikolaus Ludewig -- Andreas Heinrich Maagd -- Joh. Heinr. Maasberg/Massberg -- Jakob Manegold -- Michael Marquardt (Marquert) -- Johannes Mercker -- Peter Meyerhofer/Meyerhoeffer (Myerheffer -- Johann Jakob Müller -- Konrad Noa -- Konrad Noll -- Johann Karl Nutzel -- Heinrich Oppermann -- Johann Michael Ostertag -- Gottlieb Penzer/Bentzer -- Johannes Peter -Georg Karl Poebel -- Georg Preuss -- Johann Putzel/ Butzel -- Andreas Reiding -- Georg Michael Reiss (Rice) -- Wilhelm Friedrich von Reitzenstein -- Johann Georg Reuter/Reuder (Rider) -- Henrich Richter (Richter) -- Adam Riebesam/Ruebesam -- Johannes Rose -- Peter Rüchert -- Johann Simon Ruckert -- Johann Friedrich von Salzmann -- Adam Schabacker (Shawbaker) -- Julius Schadt -- Friedrich Jakob Schaefer -- Konrad Schefer -- Peter Schellhase -- Matthias Schild (Shilt) -- Johann Adam Schindler (Schindler) -- Johannes Schindler -- Johannes Schmeiss -- Christian Schneider (Schneider) -- Christian Schnelle (Schnelle) -- Johann Konrad Schoentag -- Johann Adam Schübel (Shivel) -- David Schultz (Schultz) -- Christian Schwend (Schwend) -- Henrich Schwend (Schwend) -Kasoar Schwend (Schwend) -- John Frederick Seiler -Karl Seltzer -- Christoph Daniel Selzam -- Peter Sentzel/Sensel -- Johann Adam Seyfert -- Nikolaus Siebert (Siebert) -- Friedrich Sievers -- David Lorenz Spielmann -- Johann Adam Strickstroh Stricksyrock) -Henrich Stroehlmann (Strailman) -- Wolfgang Thomel/ Tommel -- Jakob Vaupel -- Johannes Vaupel (Faubel) - Kaspar Vaupel (Faubel) -- Henrich Vith (Feete) -Henrich Voegeler (Fogler) -- Jacob Voelcker (Felker) -Henrich Vogeler -- Henrich Waldeck -- John Waldeck (Waldeck) -- Georg Weber -- Johan Henrich Christoph Wedekind (Wedekind) -- Ernest Wehe -- Johannes Weitzel -- Nikolaus Weitzel -- Johann Anton Winckler -- Christian Wissemueller -- Christoph Zancke (Zanke) -- Hieronymus Zeiss (Zeiss) -- Ulrich Zeth -- Johannes Zeuch -- Konrad Zeul -- Wilhelm Ziegeler -- Matthias Zinner. Contact the Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter by: Mail: Sergeant Lawrence Everhart Chapter Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) 19 East Church Street, Suite 1776 Frederick, MD. 21701 Phone: Tom Sherald 301-639-1468 Email: [email protected] Submitted by Public Relations Chair Richard Foot JANE CONTEE HANSON As a follow up on last month’s Haversack "Monuments and Men" column that defined President John Hanson, may we introduce you to Jane Contee Hanson? The woman who was to become the nation's first First Lady was born into the high gentry Contee family on September 28, 1728 at her parents’ estate in Prince George's County Maryland. The Contee family arrived wealthy to these shores. Peter and Catherine Contee emigrated with their children from Barnstable, Devonshire, England, about 1703, to Charles County before settling in Prince George's County. The Contees were French Huguenots who immigrated to England before 1643 to escape religious persecution in France. The Contees would exert a degree of influence in the colony, and then the state of Maryland, nearly equal to that of the Hanson's. The year following John and Jane Hanson's marriage in 1743, John Hanson bought from her family the 603 acre Rozer's Refuge. This tract had been granted by Caecilius Calvert, the second Proprietor of Maryland to Benjamin Roser in 1672, and later purchased by the Contee family. Jane Hanson would go on to preside over one of Maryland's great estates, raise a family of thirteen children, witness her husband's political ascent to the highest office in the land, and serve in the first presidential mansion in Philadelphia as the nation's First Lady. She would move in midlife to the frontier, Fredricktown, and have her and her husband's fortune dissipated in wars of Independence, be a widow for nearly three decades, and suffer the death of twelve of her children. During those three decades she lived in the residence at 100 West Patrick Street in Frederick, in the close care of her son-in-law, Dr. Philip Thomas, who lived next door, for the rest of her life. In the twilight of her life, Jane lost the last surviving son, Alexander Contee Hanson, in 1806 at age 56. Jane lived to see Alexander cast two presidential elector votes for George Washington. He also became president of St. James College and served as chancellor of Maryland, the second highest legal position in the state. Jane Hanson died on February 21, 1812 in her 85th year. She is buried in section MM in Mt. Olivet cemetery in Frederick next to her daughter Jane Thomas and son-in-law Dr. Philip Thomas, whose grave was recently decorated by our Chapter. A recent addition on the Hanson cemetery site is the Jane Hanson Memorial. This is a grand granite pedestal with bronze bust sculptors of both John and Jane on top. Note: Specifics, statistics and dates are credited to "Remembering John Hanson," a biography of the first president by author Peter Michael. Submitted by Compatriot Bruce Champion 11