Sunday, November 8, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
Tribute to Revolutionary Heroes
On this 4th of July holiday, I would like to pay tribute to one of my Revolutionary War ancestors – Ranger James Riggs of the Pennsylvania Militia and member of the Continental Line.
The Corps of Rangers, (also known as Riflemen or Partisans) was created by the Continental Congress as a group of sharpshooters and long-term militiamen who were to serve out the duration of the revolution. Enlistment was expensive. Each soldier had to furnish a good long rifle, powder horn, charger, bullet screw, twelve flints, a pouch to hold four pounds of balls, knife, and whatever else he needed. The estimated total cost was somewhere between 20 to 30 English pounds. The most famous Ranger Corps were Morgan’s Rangers and Marion’s Brigade.
James Riggs is a descendent of Edward Riggs who came to the colonies in 1637. On October 30, 1666, Edward Riggs, along with 64 other residents of Branford and Milford of the New Haven Colony CT, signed an Agreement to found a common township at "New-Ark on Pesayack" – Newark, New Jersey.
On September 15, 1742 (a little over 100 years after Edward Riggs came to America), one of his descendants, James Riggs, was born in Rock Creek, Montgomery County, Maryland. The actual site of his birth is now the National Zoo in Washington D.C. In 1776 James, his wife, Mary, and their children; Robert, age 12, Thomas, age 9, Maxemelia, age 7, Mary, age 4, and Basil, age 2, moved to Friend’s Cove close to Bedford Pennsylvania. Right after the move, James enlisted in the Bedford County Militia as a Rifleman in Edward Rose’s Rangers and signed the following oath:
“I have this day voluntarily enlisted myself as a soldier in the American Continental Army for one year, unless sooner discharged, and do bind myself to conform in all instances to such rules and regulations as are or shall be established for the government of said army.”
The Pennsylvania Militia Riflemen as described by Dr. James Thatcher in his Military Journal of the Revolution:
“They are remarkably stout and hardy men; many of them exceeding six feet in height. They are dressed in white frocks or rifle shirts and round hats. These men are remarkable for the accuracy of their aim; striking a mark with great certainty at two hundred yards distance.”
Members of the Pennsylvania Militia Riflemen were with George Washington as he crossed the Delaware, and fought in the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, and Whitemarsh, Long Island, and defended the southern end of the Schuylkill River.
After the American Revolution ended, James Riggs was personally granted 200 acres on the west side of the Ohio River. He and other Revolutionary War heroes (who were also awarded land grants for their meritorious service in the Revolutionary War and included the Dye family) cleared the area and James, himself, was the first settler to set foot on what later became the town of New Matamoras, Ohio.
I would like to thank my mother, Hyla E. (Athey) Watson, who compiled our family history (some of which is pre 1066) and includes the Athey, Dye, Riggs, and Ridgeway families. I would also like to thank the organizations of the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution for their detailed documents and meticulous records. I would also like to thank Dr. George Athey of Houston for his contributions to the Athey geneological records and information.
The Corps of Rangers, (also known as Riflemen or Partisans) was created by the Continental Congress as a group of sharpshooters and long-term militiamen who were to serve out the duration of the revolution. Enlistment was expensive. Each soldier had to furnish a good long rifle, powder horn, charger, bullet screw, twelve flints, a pouch to hold four pounds of balls, knife, and whatever else he needed. The estimated total cost was somewhere between 20 to 30 English pounds. The most famous Ranger Corps were Morgan’s Rangers and Marion’s Brigade.
James Riggs is a descendent of Edward Riggs who came to the colonies in 1637. On October 30, 1666, Edward Riggs, along with 64 other residents of Branford and Milford of the New Haven Colony CT, signed an Agreement to found a common township at "New-Ark on Pesayack" – Newark, New Jersey.
On September 15, 1742 (a little over 100 years after Edward Riggs came to America), one of his descendants, James Riggs, was born in Rock Creek, Montgomery County, Maryland. The actual site of his birth is now the National Zoo in Washington D.C. In 1776 James, his wife, Mary, and their children; Robert, age 12, Thomas, age 9, Maxemelia, age 7, Mary, age 4, and Basil, age 2, moved to Friend’s Cove close to Bedford Pennsylvania. Right after the move, James enlisted in the Bedford County Militia as a Rifleman in Edward Rose’s Rangers and signed the following oath:
“I have this day voluntarily enlisted myself as a soldier in the American Continental Army for one year, unless sooner discharged, and do bind myself to conform in all instances to such rules and regulations as are or shall be established for the government of said army.”
The Pennsylvania Militia Riflemen as described by Dr. James Thatcher in his Military Journal of the Revolution:
“They are remarkably stout and hardy men; many of them exceeding six feet in height. They are dressed in white frocks or rifle shirts and round hats. These men are remarkable for the accuracy of their aim; striking a mark with great certainty at two hundred yards distance.”
Members of the Pennsylvania Militia Riflemen were with George Washington as he crossed the Delaware, and fought in the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, and Whitemarsh, Long Island, and defended the southern end of the Schuylkill River.
After the American Revolution ended, James Riggs was personally granted 200 acres on the west side of the Ohio River. He and other Revolutionary War heroes (who were also awarded land grants for their meritorious service in the Revolutionary War and included the Dye family) cleared the area and James, himself, was the first settler to set foot on what later became the town of New Matamoras, Ohio.
I would like to thank my mother, Hyla E. (Athey) Watson, who compiled our family history (some of which is pre 1066) and includes the Athey, Dye, Riggs, and Ridgeway families. I would also like to thank the organizations of the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution for their detailed documents and meticulous records. I would also like to thank Dr. George Athey of Houston for his contributions to the Athey geneological records and information.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Heroes
I was a kid when I first read Lord of the Rings and other than Frodo and Gollum, the only other character I remembered from the book was Aragon. I fell in love with Aragon.
Today I'm thinking about qualities that make a hero really memorable. There's more to them than just good looks and strength. They possess an innate quality that touches the heart.
Diana
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
We Remember
Today is Veteran's Day and my husband - a veteran during the Vietnam War is at work. At his company no one gets off on Veteran's Day off.
James Driver, my father-in-law was a Medic at Normandy on D Day and then served in the European Theatre. He passed away a few years ago and he still had pieces of shrapnel in his body.
My father, Dwayne Ellsworth Forbragd, served in the Pacific. When he was sixteen he hitchhiked from Clark, South Dakota to San Diego and tried to enlist into the Navy only to be sent home because he was underage. Six months later, he did it again and this time the Navy took him. He too, was injured in WWII. When the war ended, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was involved in the testing at Bikini Island. That atomic test left a horrible impression on him and most of his life he suffered from night terrors and cold sweats. He was Career Air Force - part of the Strategic Air Command and took us to places like Ankara, Turkey and Tokyo, Japan.
My mother, Hyla E. Athey, was a student at Wooster, a private college in Ohio, when WWII broke out. She, too, heard the call and joined the Coast Guard. Her job wasn't to fight, her job was to make travel arrangements for the members of the military. She and my dad met in Long Beach, California in 1944. I've seen the bench where he proposed to her.
Both my father and my father-in-law have passed away. My mother is still alive and I hope she understands how much I appreciate her service and the service of all the other men and women in the military.
So, today I'm thinking of all the people in our military who have given so much in the past and the brave men and women who are giving of themselves today in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I'm awed and humbled by your service.
Thank you!!
Diana
James Driver, my father-in-law was a Medic at Normandy on D Day and then served in the European Theatre. He passed away a few years ago and he still had pieces of shrapnel in his body.
My father, Dwayne Ellsworth Forbragd, served in the Pacific. When he was sixteen he hitchhiked from Clark, South Dakota to San Diego and tried to enlist into the Navy only to be sent home because he was underage. Six months later, he did it again and this time the Navy took him. He too, was injured in WWII. When the war ended, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was involved in the testing at Bikini Island. That atomic test left a horrible impression on him and most of his life he suffered from night terrors and cold sweats. He was Career Air Force - part of the Strategic Air Command and took us to places like Ankara, Turkey and Tokyo, Japan.
My mother, Hyla E. Athey, was a student at Wooster, a private college in Ohio, when WWII broke out. She, too, heard the call and joined the Coast Guard. Her job wasn't to fight, her job was to make travel arrangements for the members of the military. She and my dad met in Long Beach, California in 1944. I've seen the bench where he proposed to her.
Both my father and my father-in-law have passed away. My mother is still alive and I hope she understands how much I appreciate her service and the service of all the other men and women in the military.
So, today I'm thinking of all the people in our military who have given so much in the past and the brave men and women who are giving of themselves today in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I'm awed and humbled by your service.
Thank you!!
Diana
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