Thursday, May 28, 2020

Penobscot Expedition, as Discussed in a Manuscript Genealogy of Participant William Willson of Harpswell, Maine


Pages 66-93 and 114-115 describing the ill-fated Penobscot Expedition of 1779, in which William Willson (about 1750-1801) of Harpswell was a participant.

From Page 66: see images of the rest of the pages at the end of this post.

William Willson - was a soldier in

 the Penobscot Expedition in Col
Jonathan Mitchells Regt Cap Nehemiah
Curtis Co of Harpswell Term of service
2 months 8 days 

Harpswell area men in the Company of Captain Nehemiah Curtis, including Private William Willson

Nehemiah Curtis, Captain
Isaac Hall, 1st Lieutenant
Ebenezer Stanwood, 2d Lieutenant
Marlboro Sylvester, Sergeant
Elnathan Hinkley, Sergeant
Kingsbury Eastman, Sergeant
William Dunning, Sergeant
David Given, Corporal
William Tarr, Corporal
John Spear, Corporal
Caleb Curtis, Corporal
Ezekiel Brown, Drummer
Daniel Webber, Fifer
Privates (in alphabetical order)
Jedediah AllenWilliam GetchellBenjamin Sleeper
John AndrossBenjamin GetchellSamuel Stanwood
James BarstowNathaniel HamRobert Stanwood
James BibberThomas HamWilliam Starboard
Hudson BishopSamuel HuntPhinehas Thompson
John BlakeDavid JohnsonJoseph Tompson
Daniel BookerJohn JordanNehemiah Ward
Isaiah BookerSilas KempNehemiah Ward, Jr.
Isaac ChaseJohn LarrabeeJoseph Webber
James ChaseJohn LinscottJoseph Webber
Josiah ClarkWilliam MalletPeter Williams
Fields CoombsMathew MartinWilliam Wilson
Hezekiah CoombsWilliam McLellanSwanzy Wilson
Asa CoombsAsa MillerWilliam Woodside
Calvin CowenThomas MorgareidgeJoseph Woodward
John CrawfordRobert Purrington
William CurtisAbner Purrington
David DoughtyLemuel Rament
Hugh DunlapStephen Rideout
David DunningAbraham Rideout
John DunningJames Ross
Joseph EwingJoseph Ross
John Ferrin

These pages are contained in a manuscript genealogy of Willson of Harpswell and later Saint George, Maine; his descendants and families that married into the Willson family.

The genealogy was handwritten by Willson's great grandson William Blake Josephs (1854-1918) of Portland, Maine, in 1901 [with later entries by both himself and others].

First, an overview of the manuscript:

The manuscript is discussed in installments, as noted below.



The manuscript measures approximately 7-1/2" by 5"and contains 201 numbered pages, with pages 182-183 and 199-200 missing.  William Blake Josephs wrote the vast majority of the information.

Note: most of the entries are unsourced, but information may have come from people with direct knowledge. Take all with a grain of salt, knowing there may be nuggets here not found anywhere else.

Toward the end are a few pages of entries in a more contemporary hand, perhaps entered by Joseph's widow Mary Jane (Blair) Josephs or one of their children. The missing pages are in this section.

The Penobscot Expedition, Pages 66-93

Note: Be aware that the compiler made spelling errors and used very little punctuation, including scant use of periods at the end of sentences. Rereading may be necessary to figure out where one sentence ends and another begins.

A transcription, in the works, will be shared upon request.

Pages of particular interest to Maine family historians include: 70-75; 88-92; 114-115

Click on any image to enlarge it.

























If you have corrections to the information above or information on any of the people mentioned, please leave a comment or contact me directly.



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