Jonas Simmons - A Question of Loyalty

Jonas Simmons (1758-1848)

Elsie Strunk (1766-1854)

maternal 5th great-grandparents       [Part 1 of 3 posts re: Jonas Simmons & Jonas Simonds]

 

 

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Genealogy takes time. Time to research and analyze new information, time to verify sources, and time to add information to the family tree. In some situations, timelines are used to make sure there’s a logical progression of the facts as we know them. The entire process can be long and often requires a liberal dose of patience. This was particularly true in the case of my 5th great-grandparents, Jonas Simmons and Elsie Strunk, discovered in 2013 by my maternal first cousin, Tina.

                                                                                    

At first, their story seemed relatively tame. Jonas and Elsie were both born about twenty miles from Albany, New York in the Manor of Rensselaerswyck – their parents were some of the first settlers in what is now Rensselaer County. After their marriage in 1785, Jonas and Elsie remained in the area with their ever-growing family for almost twenty-five years, at which time they moved to what would become Chautauqua County in western New York.

 

Map of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck in Albany County, Province of New York, 1777, with added highlighting. (WikimediaCommons)

 

A few years after her discovery of Jonas and Elsie, Tina found a nearly two-and-a-half-column newspaper article about the Strunk and Simmons families, published in the Jamestown Evening Journal on Tuesday, September 21, 1886. The article contained one paragraph that abruptly changed my focus to our 5th great-grandfather, Jonas Simmons. 

 

– AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY –

 

The newspaper column, "History of Ellicott," authored by Gilbert W. Hazeltine, M.D., was taken from his book, The Early History of Ellicott, N.Y., published in 1887. Dr. Hazeltine began by noting that before him was  

 

a handsome volume of 70 pages, issued from "The Journal" printing establishment in 1879, entitled, "The Strunk Family, being a historical record of Henry Strunk and his descendants from the time of his first settlement in America to the present, by Marshall P. Strunk."

 

The Strunk book was something Tina and I had to find. Not only would it contain details about the Strunk and Simmons families, but it would be one of Gilbert Hazeltine's sources. In particular, I wanted to determine the source of the following passage:

 

We have to record of Jonas that he was a Tory during the Revolution, and was with Burgoyne's army in 1777. When it was seen that a retreat was the only resource for the British forces, Simmons was one of a party sent to clear the roads blockaded by timber felled by the Federal forces to prevent Burgoyne's retreat. This party, instead of clearing the roads, made quick steps for the wilds of Canada. After the war Simmons returned to Rensselaer County, and married Elsie Strunk in 1785. (Hazeltine, 408-409)

 

We have many ancestors who fought in the Revolution as patriots but Jonas was the first loyalist either of us had encountered. I wanted to know more. We both searched for the Strunk book but found the only copies were in distant libraries. At the time, searches for a digitized copy were unsuccessful – this was an instance where patience was required. We decided to pursue other lines of research and try again when some time had passed.

 

At this point we were left with an intriguing piece of information about an ancestor with no credible sources to substantiate it. It was time to pursue other avenues to prove (or disprove) that Jonas Simmons was actually a loyalist and in General John Burgoyne's army in 1777. 

 

– JONAS SIMMONS & THE HAZELTINES: ESTABLISHING TIME AND PLACE –

 

In genealogy, it's often important to establish if certain people were in the same place at the same time. If Jonas and the Hazeltines didn't know each other, or of each other, how would Gilbert Hazeltine know Jonas was a tory? What were his sources? The answer was in the preface of his book. In it, he stated that the book was based on his own recollections and those of others, 

 

... the historic memorandums of our father, Dr. Laban Hazeltine, and of Abner Hazeltine, who were on lookers and participants in the affairs of Ellicott from 1814 and '15 up to the times of their death – and of papers relating to the early transactions in this locality.... (Hazeltine, viii)

 

Did Gilbert (1818-1893), Laban (1789-1852), and Abner Hazeltine (1793-1879) know Jonas Simmons (1758-1848) and his family? As it turned out, they undoubtedly did.  

 

~ The Settlers ~

 

In 1810, Jonas and Elsie arrived in soon-to-be Chautauqua County with thirteen of their fifteen children, along with Elsie's brother, John Strunk, his wife, Mary Lee, four of their six children, and Benjamin Lee, Mary Lee Strunk's brother. Jonas and Benjamin were the first to settle on the western border of Ellicott near Fluvanna. Chautauqua County was established in February 1811 after the 1810 tax rolls showed its population finally consisted of more than 500 taxable residents.

 

A 1916 map of the Town of Ellicott, Chautauqua County, New York with added outlining. (Rootsweb)

 

In 1815, Laban Hazeltine, age 26, and his brother, Abner, age 22, settled in Jamestown in the town of Ellicott. As an attorney and politician, Abner would have been a familiar figure in the area. Dr. Laban Hazeltine was almost certainly the Simmons' physician, since the only other physician in the area, Dr. Elial Foote, stopped practicing in 1819. Laban Hazeltine was definitely the physician for John Strunk's family, as evidenced by this anecdote from the Hazeltine book.

 

John Strunk had six children; he died at the age of 80 in the year 1856. He was a genial, intelligent man, full of anecdotes and fond of companionship and the bottle. He was in the habit of coming to Jamestown about twice a month. On these occasions he would imbibe liberally of the juice of the rye, and then entertain those fond of good stories in Solomon Jones's bar room as long as prudent, and when quite mellow would have his half-gallon jug of Fenton & Whittemore's make filled with Monongahela and start for home.

 

This jug furnished the daily stimulant until the next visit. His first wife, Mary Lee, concluded that the best way to reclaim him would be to doctor the jug, as her best efforts at argument and persuasion were not productive of the desired results. Uncle John was a good talker, and would have some apt story at command which would completely upset her best efforts at argument. 

 

Left: Fenton jug circa 1810-1835. American Metropolitan Museum of Art (Public Domain) 

 

Under these circumstances she called Dr. Laban Hazeltine in consultation. They concluded that three grains of tartar emetic thoroughly dissolved and added to the jug when full, would be a good thing for the jug. The remedy was tried with excellent results. When the jug came home she would have a powder well dissolved in waiting, which she added to its contents and then the jug was well shaken. The next morning uncle John would imbibe his usual dose and drool and spit and declare he believed he was going to be sick; would take a second dose as a remedy, and was sick unto vomiting.... (Hazeltine, 410-411)

 

Given John Strunk's storytelling skills and the setting in which they were often told, word of Jonas' loyalty to the British over 25 years prior was most likely common knowledge among the residents of Ellicott and Jamestown, including Dr. Laban Hazeltine. But were the stories true?

– WHERE WAS GENERAL JOHN BURGOYNE'S ARMY IN 1777? –

 
By 1777, the British had won major battles, including the capture of New York City in the Battle of Long Island in late August 1776. In the summer of 1777, the British initiated their plan to end the rebellion quickly by cutting off New England from the rest of the colonies. Burgoyne's strategy was to march south from Canada down the Lake Champlain-Lake George-Hudson River Valley corridor and meet two of his generals at Albany – Brigadier General Barry St. Leger, commander of the Mohawk Valley portion of the campaign, and General William Howe coming from the south.

Movement of troops and battles in the British Campaign of 1777, pitting General John Burgoyne against American General Horatio Gates. (National Park Service Map)

As the British fought their way through the Province of New York, they suffered significant casualties even though the province was considered a loyalist stronghold. To counter the loss of British regulars, wealthy loyalists often formed local militias. 

 

In 1777, Major General Francis Pfister of Hoosac (Hoosick), a veteran of the French & Indian War (1756-1763), his father-in-law, John McComb, and Captain Robert Leake were among the loyalists who formed militias. But even with the increased number of troops, Burgoyne's plan to cut off New England was in jeopardy due to diminishing provisions, horses, cattle, and wagons. To remedy this, Burgoyne ordered German Lt. Colonel Friedrich Baum and his 800 British, Canadian, German, Loyalist, and Native American troops, to raid American stockpiles at Bennington, Vermont.

Map of Berlin, Petersburgh, Hoosick, and Walloomsac in the Upper Hudson River Valley of New York, and Bennington, Vermont. (Google Maps 2023 with added locations and labels)

 

After giving the order, Burgoyne received intelligence about the large number of American troops in the Bennington area. He warned Baum that it might not be prudent to engage the Americans and left the decision to Baum. Among Baum's troops were two units of local loyalists, numbering around 150 men – most of them unarmed; one unit was commanded by Francis Pfister.

 

Baum chose to continue toward Bennington. At Walloomsac, New York, about ten miles northwest of Bennington, Baum was met by Patriot General John Stark, commanding 1,500 militia from New Hampshire, and 350 more from Vermont and Massachusetts. Baum was outnumbered more than two-to-one. 

 

Battle of Bennington. Engraving from a painting by Alonzo Chappel, 1874. (Wikimedia Commons)

 

The battle was fierce. General Stark, a seasoned soldier, described it as "the hottest engagement I have ever witnessed, resembling a continual clap of thunder." (Wikipedia) The intensity of the battle was due, in part, to the beliefs and opinions of family members and neighbors often landing on opposite sides of the issues. When the issues became personal, logic and reason were lost to intense emotions. 

 

Gen. Stark at Bennington. Engraving by J. B. Chapin, 1859. (New York Public Library, Public Domain Collection)

 

Lieutenant Colonel John Peters of the Queens Loyal Rangers described one of his encounters with the rebels during the battle. 

 

The Rebels pushed with a Strong party on the Front of the Loyalists where I commanded. As they were coming up, I observed A Man fire at me, and I returned, he loaded again as he came up & discharged again at me, and crying out Peters you Damned Tory I have at you, he rushed on me with his Bayonet, which entered just below my left Breast, but was turned by the Bone. By this time I was loaded, and I saw that it was a Rebel Captain, an Old School fellow & Playmate, and a Couzin of my wife's: Tho his Bayonet was in my Body, I felt regret at being obliged to destroy him. (National Park Service)

 

Despite little to no training, patriot militias soon encircled and overwhelmed the positions held by loyalists. Many of them surrendered, although some were able to escape into the woods to avoid capture. Ultimately, Baum's forces were defeated – losses were heavy. Valuable supplies and artillery were captured, 207 British troops were killed, with 700 more taken prisoner. Patriot casualties were 30 killed and 40 wounded. Both Baum and Francis Pfister were mortally wounded during a saber charge; they died two days later in a nearby house. (American Battlefield Trust)  

 

Baum and Pfister are carried to a house after being mortally wounded. Battle of Bennington. Oil painting by Leroy Williams, 1938. (Collections of The Bennington Museum, Bennington, Vermont)

 

– PROOF IN THE RECORDS: THE HALDIMAND PAPERS –

 

Now that I knew Burgoyne's army was at the Battle of Bennington and that Francis Pfister commanded a Hoosick loyalist militia unit there, I needed records. A search several years ago finally led me to the Haldimand Papers housed in the Public Archives of Canada. Sir Francis Haldimand, a Swiss military officer, was the governor of the Province of Quebec from 1778-1786, after serving with the British Army in both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. He was known to keep meticulous records.

  

I found several documents containing Jonas 

Simmons' name in The Loyalist Collection.

 

  

 

I. The first document is dated 14 May 1778. 

 

The undersigned acknowledged they were recruited by and served under Colonel Francis Pfister of Hosack, deceased. The unit was now commanded by Captain Samuel McKay. 

 

Below: Image cropped from the Haldimand Papers: Reel H-1654, image 1084 (p. 172 in the original document).

 

  Heading transcription:

 

  We the subscribers do by

  these presents 

  acknowledge to have been

  engaged in the corps of 

  volunteers raised by the 

  late Colonel Francis Phister 

  of Hosack, and now

  commanded by Cap^t. 

  Samuel McKay for the 

  purpose of restoring 

  constitutional government 

  in America, and to serve 

  until we can return to our 

  habitations with safety, as 

  witness our hands at 

  Chataugaye 14^th April 

  1778_

 

  NOTE: This was signed at

  Châteauguay, Quebec, 

  Canada.

 

  Only a few of the men 

  were able to write. Most 

  made their mark (x), 

  including Jonas Simmons.

 

 

 

Left: Image cropped from the Haldimand Papers: Reel H-1654, image 1085 (p. 173 in the original document).

 

 

 

Transcription:

 

This is a true copy examined with the original this 14^th day of May 1778 by me Isaac Man Jun^r/.

 

Sworn to the same being a true copy of the original by the said Isaac Man this 14^th of May 1778 before me Edw^d Southouse (illegible) for Montreal/

 

Attested copy of mens names who have engaged to serve with the Phisters Corps now commanded by Samuel Mackay Esq.

 

 

Map of Châteauguay, Quebec, Canada. (Google Maps 2023 with added locations and labels)

 

II. The second document covers 3 Sep 1777 through 24 Oct 1777. It would have been

    dated after Samuel Mackay's death in May 1779.

 

    [Note: Capt. Samuel Mackay Esq^r. is the first name on this list. He died in Montreal.]

 

Heading transcription: Subsistence Acco^t for the Corps of Loyal Volunteers, late Mackay’s now commanded by Capt. Robert Leake Commenc^g 3^rd September & ending 24^th October 1777, which subsistence is now due the Officers and men as follows. 

From the Haldimand Papers: Reel H-1655, image 65 of 1186 (cropped from p. 378 in the original document). Continued on p. 379.

From the Haldimand Papers: Reel H-1655, image 66 of 1186 (cropped from p. 379 in the original document). The list of names fills an entire page. Jonas Simmons' name is highlighted.

 

 III. The third document is dated 1 May 1781. Jonas is at Carleton Island in the St.           

      Lawrence River. 

 

Not only was Carleton Island a refuge for loyalists persecuted by the rebels, but it was also used as a British naval station, shipyard, shipment hub, and place from which to launch raids on American towns. The island was surrendered to the Americans after the war.

Map showing the location of Carleton Island in the St. Lawrence River. (Google Maps 2023 with added locations and labels)

Heading transcription: Effective Roll of the Corps of Royalists Commanded by Robert Leake Esquire. 

 

"At Carleton Island" is highlighted in the first image. "Jonas Simmons" and "1st May 1781" are highlighted in the second image.

 

From the Haldimand Papers: Reel H-1654, image 1237 of 1240 (cropped from the top of p. 319 in the original document).

From the Haldimand Papers: Reel H-1654, image 1237 of 1240 (cropped from the bottom of p. 319 in the original document).

  

– MARSHALL STRUNK'S BOOK –

 

At this point, three things were established.

• The Simmons, Strunk, and Hazeltine families knew each other, so Gilbert and Laban Hazeltine could easily have learned about Jonas. 
  

• Francis Pfister's loyalist unit from the Hoosick, New York region fought at the Battle of Bennington in August 1777 under orders from General Burgoyne and Lt. Col. Baum.
  

• Jonas Simmons' name is found on loyalist muster rolls in 1777 under Frances Pfister & Samuel McKay, in 1778 under McKay & Robert Leake, and in 1781 under Robert Leake.

 

What I didn't have was Marshall Strunk's 1879 book. Even though Tina and I had done more searches, a number of years had passed since we first learned about it. Unfortunately, I wasn't going to feel as though I had come full circle until I had a chance to read the Strunk book.

 

Then, in February of this year (2023), I received an email from Tina – she found a digitized version of Marshall Strunk's book on FamilySearch. Neither of us could wait to dig in.

 

 

In Chapter VI, "Elsie Strunk and Her Descendants," Marshall Strunk proved himself to be Hazeltine's source for the paragraph in question. He wrote,

Elsie Strunk married Jonas Simmons. He was a native of Berlin, Rensselaer county, N.Y., and was a descendant of the earliest settlers of that town. He was a tory, and fought with the British during the war of the Revolution, and was in the invading army of Burgoyne in 1777. When it was seen that retreat was the only resource for the army Simmons was one of a party sent back to clear the roads blockaded by the federal forces by felled timber. They did not stop to clear the roads, but made the best of their way back to Quebec, and thus escaped being taken prisoners. After the war he returned to home in Berlin, and was married August 21, 1785. (Strunk, 21)

Gilbert Hazeltine changed Marshall Strunk's wording slightly but the difference is significant. Hazeltine said, "This party, instead of clearing the roads, made quick steps for the wilds of Canada." On the other hand, Marshall Strunk said, “They did not stop to clear the roads, but made the best of their way back to Quebec, and thus escaped being taken prisoners."

 

To me, Hazeltine's wording implies that Jonas and others were deserters shirking their duties. Did Hazeltine know that most of the men in the loyalist militias were unarmed and they had been routed by the patriots at Bennington? That piece of information could make a difference in the way we view Jonas' decision to flee with the remaining men in his party. 

 

The loyalists who hadn't been killed or already taken prisoner had two choices. The first was to surrender and face trial and possible execution. In fact, the prisoners taken at Bennington were “marched to Boston as POWs, and the loyalists were sent to their home state to be tried.” (Baum: Epilogue) The second option was to disappear into the dense woods and hope they wouldn’t be caught or killed before they made their way to safety in Quebec. Either choice was risky.

Now it was time to move on to another ancestor, except for one major problem.

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– A TRIP TO THE CEMETERY –

 

In August 2019, I made my annual visit back home to Chautauqua County, New York. That year I arranged the trip so I could attend my grandnephew's wedding. As it happens, the cemetery where Jonas and Elsie are buried is about a quarter mile from the church where the wedding would take place. On the spur of the moment, Tina and I decided to go to there after the reception. She had been there before but I had not.

 

Fluvanna Cemetery, Town of Ellicott, Chautauqua County, New York. (Photo by Jody Bradish 7 Aug 2023)

When we arrived at the cemetery headstones were already starting to cast long shadows in the early evening sun. It was peaceful. Only the sounds of birds chirping and the occasional car on the road disturbed the silence. Tina pointed in the direction of the headstones – we were approaching them from the back. As we walked around to the front of them, the peace was shattered. There was a Daughters of the American Revolution plaque at the base of Jonas' headstone with an American flag next to it. 

 

I was stunned. How could this be? Jonas was a tory.

Headstones of Jonas and Elsie Strunk Simmons, Fluvanna Cemetery, Fluvanna, NY. (Photo by Jody Bradish 31 Aug 2019)

 

  The headstones didn't offer any information since both

  were in incredibly poor condition. Elsie's was illegible 

  except for her name; Jonas' was only somewhat 

  better.  

 

  The inscription on the plaque reads,  

 

                       Jonas Simmons

                  Capt. Continental Line 

                     Revolutionary War

               Mar 11 1758    Nov 1 1848

 

  

  

  Left: Jonas Simmons' headstone and the DAR plaque

  at Fluvanna Cemetery. 

  (Photo by Jody Bradish, 31 Aug 2019)

 

 

 

The DAR vets its membership applications carefully because accuracy is important, both for the recognition the society gives veterans and for the genealogists who will use the applications as sources. In spite of that, it's possible a mistake was made. 

 

No matter the outcome, I had to find the truth about Jonas Simmons for future generations and for personal reasons. One of my sons did two tours in Iraq with the 101st Airborne (Air Assault), his father went to Vietnam with the 101st Airborne when he was barely 18 years old, and my father, a World War II veteran, served at Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay on the opposite side of Oahu Island from Pearl Harbor.  

 

While all three came home physically unharmed, they were changed men. War does that no matter what side a person is on. That's why it's important that the recognition on the plaque goes to the right man. There's another Jonas Simmons out there somewhere.

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NEXT: JONAS SIMONDS – A MASSACHUSETTS PATRIOT 

[Part 2 of 3]

 

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– FURTHER READING –

 

Bielinski, Stefan. Rensselaerswyck. 2017. New York State Museum. https://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/na/rensselaerswyck.html 

 

Komlenic, Sam, whisky historian and copy editor. "What is Old Monongahela Rye?"  Whisky Advocate, January 4, 2018.  https://whiskyadvocate.com/old-monongahela-rye/

 

“Road to the Battle of Bennington: Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum’s Expedition of 1777.” Lakes to Locks Passage. https://passageport.org/journey/road-to-the-battle-of-bennington/

 

Schenawolf, Harry. “General John Stark: Able and Defiant Leader of the American Revolution.” Revolutionary War Journal. April 5, 2022. https://revolutionarywarjournal.com/general-john-stark-able-and-defiant-leader-of-the-american-revolution/

– SOURCES –

Battle of Bennington. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bennington. Accessed July 8, 2023.

 

Battle of Bennington, An American Victory (Teaching with Historic Places). National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-battle-of-bennington-an-american-victory-teaching-with-historic-places.htm

 

“Baum Site 24: Baum’s Demise.” Road to the Battle of Bennington: Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum’s Expedition of 1777. Lakes to Locks Passage.  https://passageport.org/journey/road-to-the-battle-of-bennington/baum-site-24-baums-demise/

 

"Bennington." American Battlefield Trust. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/bennington. Accessed 15 July 2023.

Haldimand, Sir Francis. "Haldimand Papers." British Library, formerly British Museum, Additional Manuscripts 21804-21834. Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_h1654

 

Hazeltine, Gilbert W., M. D. The Early History of the Town of Ellicott, Chautauqua County, N. Y. 1887. Jamestown, N. Y.: Journal Printing Company. https://archive.org/details/earlyhistoryofto00hazeltin/page/410/mode/2up

 

Sabine, Lorenzo. Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution : with an Historical Essay, Vol. 1. 1864. Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown, and Company.

https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/225124-biographical-sketches-of-loyalists-of-the-american-revolution-with-an-historical-essay-v-1

 

Stein, Marin. "Local Loyalists." Pittstown Historical Society Newsletter, Issue XXIX, Spring 2016, pp. 5-7. www.pittstownhistorical.org/newsletters

 

Strunk, Marshall P. The Strunk Family Being a Historical Record of Henry Strunk and His Descendants from the Time of the First Settlement in America to the Present. 1879. Jamestown, N.Y.: Journal Printing Establishment, John A. Hall, Proprietor. https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/436500-the-strunk-family-being-a-historical-record-of-henry-strunk-and-his-descendants-from-the-time-of-his-first-settlement-in-america-to-the-present

 

 

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Bradish-Scott Family History – September 2023