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77. Capt. Samuel Seymour

77. CAPT. SAMUEL5 SEYMOUR (Moses4, John3, John2, Richard1), a hatter, born at Hartford, Conn., 21 Jan. 1754, died at Litchfield, Conn., 14 Nov. 1837 aged 84; married at Litchfield, 20 June 1788, REBECCA5 OSBORN, born at Litchfield, 11 Oct. 1763, died there 17 July 1843 aged 80, daughter of John4 (Benjamin3, Benjamin2, Thomas1) and Lois (Peck).

Captain Samuel Seymour, as he was always called, made an application for a pension under the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832, and there is on file in the Pension Office at Washington, an interesting affidavit made by him detailing his services in the Revolutionary War. That affidavit is too long to be copied in full, but the substance of it is as follows:

He says that on the 3d day of May, 1834, he was a resident of Litchfield and eighty years of age, having been born at Hartford, January 21, 1754; that in December, 1775, he enlisted in Hartford for two months' service to go to the City of New York in a company commanded by Capt. Abram Sedgwick, Lt. Joseph Skinner and Ensign Peleg Heath; that the regiment was commanded by Col. David Waterbury; that he marched immediately towards New York, and arrived at Stamford where they halted in consequence of information received that Gov. Tryon had threatened to burn the City of N ew York if the American troops attempted to enter it. A messenger was sent to Gen. Washington to know whether the troops should march on or return. Having received orders to march, they went to the City of New York where the Company remained two months and was then dismissed, and he returned to Hartford.

In the Fall of '76, he removed to Litchfield, and in December of that year he again enlisted in a company of troops commanded by Capt. Nathaniel Goodwin, Lt. Alex. Waugh and Ensign Ozias Goodwin, commanded by Col. Hooker, Lt.-Col. Jesse Root and Maj. Hills; that he marched from Litchfield with said Company to the lines in Westchester County where he was stationed at different places, and was engaged at the Battle of King's Bridge, was also stationed at Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, etc. When the term of enlistment of the Company had expired, they were requested by their superior officers to remain longer, which they did. In this service he was in New York for a period of two months and seven days; that he received no written discharge, but was dismissed by verbal discharge from the officer in command.

In April, 1777, word having been received at Litchfield that the British had landed at Compo and were marching towards Danbury to destroy the stores there, Captain Seymour marched with a company under the command of Eaton Jones, who was formerly a Lieutenant in the Company, before daylight on the following morning after the alarm was given. When they arrived at Danbury, they found that the British had burned it and were retreating towards their ships. He with his company pursued them towards Ridgefield where he was under the personal command of Gen. Wooster until he was wounded; they pursued the enemy towards Long Island Sound and had quite a skirmish with them at a place called Chestnut Ridge in which two of the Litchfield Company were wounded; they then pursued them to Compo River and on Compo Hill had another skirmish with the British in which Paul Peck and another of the Litchfield company were killed. After the embarkation of the British, the company marched back to Litchfield and were dismissed; he was engaged eight days in this service at this time.

Immediately after he was elected Sergeant of the company commanded by Capt. Miles Beach, and almost constantly thereafter he was called upon to go with a file of men to guard ammunition, provisions, etc., which were sent forward from Litchfield, which was then an important military depot of supplies, to the American Army on the lines near New York and the Hudson River; that in the year 1777, he was detached from his company and ordered to march in command of a guard of men to defend a trainload of ammunition sent from Litchfield to the North River; that almost constantly during the years 1777, 1778 and 1779 he was engaged in this business as commander of a company of guards.

That in the Summer of 1778, an officer of the French Army deserted from the troops at Newport, R.I., and was pursued through Connecticut, and as Captain of a troop in pursuit of such officer, he (Seymour) pursued him across the Housatonic River and captured him, bringing him back as a prisoner.

That in the forepart of July, 1779, at the New Haven Alarm, as an officer in Capt. Beach's Company, he marched to New Haven in defense of that town, but arrived too late to participate in any actual engagement.

In June, 1780, he went as an officer under Capt. Ephraim Harrison to Peekskill on the North River to defend the country in that neighborhood from an apprehended attack by the British, who, it was supposed, were about to sail up the river for that purpose.

In December, 1781, in command of a guard, he marched with some deserters who had fled from the American Army to Litchfield back to West Point.

Will of Samuel Seymour of Litchfield, dated 15 Dec. 1828, proved 19 Dec. 1837, named wife Rebecca, and upon her decease the estate to be divided among all my children (not named), son Charles to be executor. Debts due to James Seymour, William H. Seymour and Ozias Seymour.

James Seymour, William H. Seymour, Thomas R. Roby in behalf of his children, and Harriet Webster, are named as heirs of Samuel Seymour of Litchfield, in a document dated 11 Aug. 1844.

Children:
i. HARRIET6, b. 24 Mar. 1789; d. at Litchfield, 4 May 1854 ae. 65; m. (pub. 13 Jan. 1816) at West Hartford, ANSON WEBSTER, who d. at West Hartford, 13 Mar. 1836 ae, 50, s. of Isaac Jr. and Abigail (Woodruff). They lived in Litchfield.
158. ii. JAMES, b. 20 Apr. 1791.
iii. CHARLES, b. 13 Mar. 1793; d. at Reed City, Mich., 9 May 1884, unm. See below.
iv. WILLIAM, b. 13 Mar. 1794; d. 30 Sept. 1794.
v. CLARISSA, b. 23 Jan. 1800; m. 22 Oct. 1828, THOMAS R. ROBY, of Brockport, N.Y.
159. vi. WILLIAM HENRY, b. 15 July 1802.

CHARLES6 SEYMOUR (1793-1884) in youth was Postmaster at Litchfield, Conn., and later followed his brothers James and William to Brockport, N.Y., where they were established as merchants. With his brother James, he founded the village of Flushing, Mich., and was active in its early development. He built the sawmill there, and was the first Supervisor of the town. He was elected County Commissioner in 1840, and in 1852 Register of Deeds. In 1855 he was elected Justice of the Peace, and in 1857, Assessor, at Flint, Mich., where he lived during most of the remainder of his life. He never married, and died at the home of his nephew Henry Seymour in Reed City, at the age of ninety-two.


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book/077.samuel.txt · Last modified: 2018/01/13 16:47 by jims