Resources on the Continental Navy

Do you have ancestors who served in Continental Navy? These books can help you learn more about their experience: References: John Lehman, On Seas of Glory: Heroic Men, Great Ships, and Epic Battles of the American Navy (New York: The Free Press, 2001), 14, 32-33. Craig L. Symonds, The U.S. Navy: A Concise History (NewContinueContinue reading “Resources on the Continental Navy”

What is the Court of Appeal in Cases of Capture?

Privateers played a major role in American naval activities during the American Revolution. With permission from the government, privately owned ships could attempt to capture an enemy ship. If the capture was judged to be legal, the contents and ship would be sold – and the profits redistributed to the crew. At the start ofContinueContinue reading “What is the Court of Appeal in Cases of Capture?”

Can the Connecticut freeman’s oath be considered an oath of allegiance for a Revolutionary War lineage society?

To vote in colonial and early Republican Connecticut, you had to be a “freeman” (typically a white male, over the age of 21, holding land) and to have taken the freeman’s oath to uphold local government. In October 1776, the state changed the wording on the oath, making it a clear statement of loyalty: YouContinueContinue reading “Can the Connecticut freeman’s oath be considered an oath of allegiance for a Revolutionary War lineage society?”

Would receipt of property in the suffers’ lands be considered evidence of qualifying service for the Sons or the Daughters of the American Revolution?

Maybe, with many caveats, including that acceptance of service is at the discretion of the organization. First of all, what were the Suffers’ Lands? In 1792, the state of Connecticut acquiesced to repeated petitions from those who had lost property due to damage by the British and granted them a share of the Connecticut WesternContinueContinue reading “Would receipt of property in the suffers’ lands be considered evidence of qualifying service for the Sons or the Daughters of the American Revolution?”

County or no county?

“Shouldn’t you be listing the county on the lineage society application?” This question has been coming up a lot recently as I’ve been preparing applications. Under the current guidelines for most societies, the answer is yes – but only if the document lists the county. Here’s the reasoning. The listing of counties was standard upContinueContinue reading “County or no county?”