Skip to main content

Isaac Carter: Distinguishing the Identity of Same Name Rev War Soldiers, Part 7

 I feel like the last post took us on a circuitous route that has left me a little breathless. Boiling it down, my next move is to look at commanding officers, locations, and dates:
  1. Major John Tillman, Craven County Regiment of Militia,
  2. Captain Silas Stevenson, 10th North Carolina Regiment,
  3. Captain Clement Hall, 2nd North Carolina Regiment, and
  4. Captain Robert Fenner, 2nd North Carolina Regiment.
I decided to work on them in this order because of the timeline of the regiments coming out of Craven County, North Carolina. For that, we'll have to look at a bit of North Carolina military history.

NC Patriots 1775-1783, Their Own Words



One of the best sources for regimental history is this book series by J.D. Lewis. The three-volume series is from part of his website, Carolana.com, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary (2004-2024)! It is searchable by the headings, The Patriots and their Forces; Known Battles & Skirmishes; Forts, Maps, etc. So, let's get started.

Major John Tillman (Tilman, Tilghman)

Looking at the North Carolina Patriot Majors table we see that Major John Tilman served as a Major from 1776-1778. 
  • April 22, 1776, under Colonel John Bryan
  • May 11, 1776, under Colonel Thomas Brown, 1st Battalion Militia (disbanded August 13, 1776)
  • December 5, 1777, a known Major
From there, I followed the trail to North Carolina Military Units, starting with the Militia. 
The Craven County Militia was established on September 9, 1775, with five known Colonels: Col. Joseph Leech, Col. John Bryan Sr., Col. Christopher Neale, Col. John Sitgreaves, and Col. John Tillman. 

From Colonel Tillman's bio, we find his assignment in the second half of his military career:
  • 4th Quarter 1778, 2nd Colonel, Craven County Militia
  • June 30, 1779-1783, Colonel Craven, County Militia.
Remembering the entries from the Army Accounts, those Harlowe names were:
  • Joshua Carter,
  • Isaac Carter,
  • Martin Black,
  • Isaac Perkins,
  • William Dove, and
  • Mingo Stringer.
On the Craven County Regiment of Militia page, the name of one Captain stands out.

Captain Silas Stevenson (Stephenson)

Captain Silas Stevenson's service is listed as follows in the North Carolina Patriot Captains table:
  • 1776, Craven County Regiment [of Militia] under Colonel John Bryan,
  • on November 28, 1776, Lieutenant, North Carolina Continental Line,
  • April 19, 1777, Captain under Colonel Abraham Sheppard, 10th North Carolina Regiment, and
  • 1779, Captain in the North Carolina Militia under Colonel John Sitgreaves,
and he fought at the Battle of Briar Creek (1779).

On the Craven County Militia page, among the Known Privates, Drummers & Fifers, etc., we find the following names:
  • Isaac Carter,
  • William Dove,
  • Isaac Perkins,
  • Martin Black.
Because these names appear together and are known neighbors of the Harlowe community, depending on their times of service, they could have served in either the Craven County Regiment of Militia in 1776 or 1779, and/or the 10th North Carolina Regiment, 1777-1778. 

Captain Clement Hall

On the North Carolina Patriot Captains table, Captain Clement Hall's service is listed as follows:
  • 1777, Lieutenant,
  • April 18, 1777, Captain,
  • mid-1781, Captain under Major John Armstrong, 3rd North Carolina Regiment,
  • February 6, 1782, 2nd North Carolina Regiment,
  • September 30, 1783, Brevet Major, 2nd North Carolina Regiment,
and he fought in the Battle of Brandywine Creek (1777), the Battle of Germantown (1777), the Battle of Monmouth (1778), a Siege Near West Point (1778), the Storming of Stony Point (1779), and the Battle of Eutaw Springs (1781).

The September 9, 1778 muster roll at White Plains listed the names of Privates Isaac Perkins, Martin Black, Isaac Carter, and John Carter and we have yet to determine if it's the same Isaac Carter who appeared with them on the list of known Craven County Militiamen. 

Captain Robert Fenner

Fenner served from 1777 to 1783 in the 2nd North Carolina Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel John Patten. He fought at the Battle of Brandywine Creek (1777), the Battle of Germantown (1777),  the Battle of Monmouth (1778), and the Siege of Charleston (1780), where he was taken prisoner and exchanged before January 24, 1782.

The only familiar name on his company's White Plains muster roll was that of Private Isaac Carter. None other. 

Next Steps

Now it's time to step back. Clear the mind. And refocus.







Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Honoring our Ancestors: Free Black Patriots of the Revolutionary War

When I was first contacted last October to assist in some research for a member of the DAR who was looking for the burial ground of her ancestor, Isaac Carter, I had no idea it would lead to such a wonderful tribute--with full honors--to our free black ancestors of Craven County, North Carolina. Nor would I have guessed that I would be meeting together with Ms. Maria William Cole, National Vice Chairman Insignia, of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and a host of other dignitaries, from the highest officials of the SAR to state and local political and community service leaders, to pay tribute to these patriots. The turnout exceeded my expectation when this event proceeded on a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon, with close to a hundred and fifty people or more, seated on folding chairs under three canopy tents. The microphone cable lay along the wet grass and soon died out, and we, the speakers, were asked to use our "mother's voices" to make o

How Family History Writing Forces Us to Dig DEEPER

February is Family History Writing Month During the month of February, I went on hiatus from the Civil War Pension File of Isaac Carter in order to participate in the Family History Writing Challenge. My goal was quite ambitious, but I did succeed in setting up the framework of the family history memoir, and wrote a rough draft of the opening scenes. The memoir focuses on a promise I had made to our Cousin Hattie Carter Becton in an interview, following the the 2009 George Family Reunion in North Harlowe, North Carolina. In case you missed the Challenge, you can find the posts here . The site was developed especially for writing challenges, beginning with this year's; so, you may want to go back to the first posts in the archive. March was memoir reading, research & development month Last month I continued working on the writing, but also began focusing on webinars and YouTube videos related to writing memoir. Two really great sites are National Association of Memoir Writ

Those Places Thursday -- Robert Livingston House, Little River, SC

In July of 2008 we attended the Prince Livingston Family Reunion in Wampee, Horry County, South Carolina (my husband's maternal family). During our down time we decided to take a drive through Little River where the plantation owner, Robert Livingston, had once lived.  We inquired at the Visitor Center, and learned that the Robert Livingston House had been preserved as an historical landmark. The brochure we received listed several different sites that interested us, but the Livingston House was our first destination.  We drove along Highway 17S and drove past the turn off for Lakeside Drive. At the next light we turned around and headed back down the highway until we came to the street. About two-thirds of the way down the road we saw a sign along the roadside: 19th Century Victorian Home for Sale. Was that the house? The number on the mail box was 4441. That's it! We got out of the car and looked around only to find that the owner was at home, and he was in the process