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
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.
- Pages 1-12 Title Page; Preface; Ancestry - Early Willson Family - Images and Transcription at the end of this post
- Pages 13-22 William Willson (2) & Descendants
- Pages 23-48 Militia and Continental Army; Advance of Burgoyne; Evacuation of Ticonderoga; Battle of Hubbardtown [Battle of Hubbardton]
- Pages 48-65 Captain Enos Stone's Journal - Enos Stone of Lenox, Massachusetts
- Pages 66-92, 114-115 The Penobscot Expedition
- Pages 93-101 William Willson (2); William Wilson (3); Andrew Marshall
- Pages 102-107 1782 militia rosters of Capt. Jotham Doyle's Company of Harpswell, Brunswick and North Yarmouth
- Pages 108-115 1778 Roster of Company of Capt. George White
- Pages 116-122 Alexander Family from Harpswell, Maine; also, Clark & Wilson record
- Pages 122-133 Calendar for 1777; many war entries
- Pages 134-136 Blake Family of Harpswell, Maine
- Pages 140-152 Wilson Family of Harpswell and St. George
- Pages 160-173 Clark Family of Harpswell, Maine
- Pages 174- 178 Journals of Elisha Fisher and Rev. John Wiswall; letters of General Peleg Wadsworth
- Pages 179-201 Josephs Family of Portland, Maine
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.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment