Articles

Jonathan Fuller

Revolutionary War Soldier with ties to Cattaraugus County.

Life:

Born 1753 in Hampton, Conn.; lived in Freedom, NY. He was a mason by trade.

Military Service:

Served 19 months in Connecticut and New Hampshire troops.

Family:

In 1818, his wife Hester was 66 and his daughter Anna M. was 22.

Pension:

Applied for a pension in April 1818 while residing in Hampton.

Ashbel Freeman

Revolutionary War Veteran with ties to Cattaraugus County.

Life: Born 1755 in Metuchen, NJ; died June 8, 1823, in Farmersville, NY. He was one of the first associate judges of Cattaraugus County (appointed 1817).

Military Service: Served as a private in Capt. Christopher Marsh’s Co. Troops of Light Horse, Essex Co., NJ.

Family: Married his second cousin, Zenoviah Freeman, in 1792. They had 8 children. One daughter, Nancy, married Ebenezer Reed, whose father was also a Revolutionary soldier.

References:

Henry Frank, Sr.

A Revolutionary War Veteran that lived in and was buried in Cattaraugus County.

Life: A scout during the Revolution who moved to Ashford, NY. Buried in Ashford Hollow Cemetery.

Service: Served in the Connecticut Troops.

Records: Granted a pension in July 1833 at $50.00 per annum. He was recorded as 88 years old in 1840.

References: 

Military Records: Connecticut Men in the Revolution (pages 73 & 273) and records from the War Department and Bureau of Pensions.

Moses Fay, Sr.

A Revolutionary War Soldier buried in Cattaraugus County.

Life: Born March 3, 1741, in Bennington, VT; died December 3, 1836, in Hinsdale, NY. Buried in Maplehurst Cemetery. Married Melissa Smith in 1782.

Service: Private in Capt. Benjamin Walker’s Co., Col. Samuel Webb’s Regiment, Connecticut Troops. He was wounded and discharged in October 1782.

Records: Received a pension in 1819 while living in Broome County. His grave was marked by the Olean Chapter of the D.A.R. on July 24, 1929.

References: 

Isaac Crawford

Revolutionary War Soldier with a connection to Cattaraugus County.

Service: Enlisted in March 1775 under Capt. Isaac Gray and fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill. He re-enlisted in February 1777 under Capt. Thompson and served under Gen. Gates until November 1777.

Life: Born May 7, 1756, in Pelham, MA; died June 4, 1833, at age 73. He applied for a pension in 1832 while living in Freedom, NY.

Family: Married Katherine Selfridge (died 1841). They had several children: William S., Isaac, Katherine, Sara, Olive, and Betsey.

References: 

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.

Benjamin Cole (alias Bennett Coleman)

A Revolutionary War veteran with ties to Cattaraugus County.

A notable figure with a unique military history, described as a member of the Irish nobility and a graduate of Trinity College.

Background: Born August 1, 1754, in Thurles, Ireland. He was reportedly the grandson of the Earl of Linster and a cousin to Lord Fitzgerald.

Military Service: Originally came to America in Lord Howe’s British Army but deserted after the Battle of White Plains to join the American cause.

Benjamin Chamberlain (alias Benjamin Chambers)

A Revolutionary War veteran with ties to Cattaraugus County.

Birth: April 1756.

Death: February 4, 1847, in Great Valley, NY. Buried in Willoughby Cemetery.

Military Service: Served as a private in the Massachusetts Line. He fought in several major engagements, including Lexington, Yorktown, Bunker Hill, Stillwater, and Valley Forge. He was captured at Quebec and "confined in irons."

Pension: Granted a pension in July 1819.

John Camp

A Revolutionary War veteran with ties to Cattaraugus County.

Life Dates: Born July 31, 1754, in Middletown, Conn.; Died May 26, 1841, in Lodi (near Gowanda), N.Y.

Burial: Broadway Cemetery, Persia, N.Y.

Military Service: His gravestone identifies him as a soldier of the Revolution.

Family: Married Eunice Bennett (1765–1843).

Data provided by W. S. Camp of Gowanda, New York.