Bishop Coston
A Revolutionary War veteran with ties to Cattaraugus County.
Birth: Born in 1760 in Francis Town, Hillsborough, New Hampshire.
Death: Died January 23, 1847, at age 88, in Yorkshire, Cattaraugus County, New York.
Family: Married Elizabeth (died August 31, 1843, at age 77). In 1818, he had a 13-year-old daughter also named Elizabeth.
Revolutionary War Service
Enlistment: First enlisted April 7, 1777, in the 1st New Hampshire Regiment under Capt. Ebenezer Fry and Col. Joseph Cilley.
Major Engagements: Fought in the campaign against Burgoyne, the Battle of Monmouth, and was present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown (October 19, 1781).
Other Service: Served in North Carolina and Virginia, as well as in campaigns against Indians on the Delaware, Hudson, and Mohawk rivers.
Health: Contracted smallpox during his service; doctors believed he would not survive, but he lived for 65 years after the war's conclusion.
Post-War Records
Residence: Lived in Niagara, NY, in 1818 before moving to Yorkshire, NY.
Pension: Received a pension as a private in the New Hampshire Line (Pension File S.F. 43358).
Burial: Buried in Yorkshire, NY. The text notes his original headstone was badly preserved but recorded his death in 1847.
Reference:
Primary Military & Government Records
Federal Pension File (S.F. 43358): Cites his service as a private in the New Hampshire Line and his registration for military service in 1818.
N.H. Historical Society: Includes additional data received in August 1926, which clarified that while he lived in Francistown, he actually enlisted from Wilton, NH, for a three-year term starting July 6, 1780.