Nathan Waller was the eldest of five sons born to Phineas and Rhoda (Taylor) Waller on March 7, 1753 in Cornwall, Connecticut. The family consisted of brothers Levi, Ashbel, Daniel and Joseph and sisters Rhoda, Mercy, Lydia, Hannah and Esther. Nathan became one of the early settlers of Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania. As had many others, he purchased land from the Susquehanna Company in that area.
Nathan is especially interesting as he is documented by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) as a Revolutionary War Patriot, joining the army as a private within Captain Hickock's Company of the Sixteenth Regiment, in turn part of the Connecticut Line. While Ashbel, along with brothers Levi and Daniel, also served in the Revolution, they are not documented by DAR as a patriot. Which means that I have a lot of work to do before gaining admittance into DAR. Note to self: get to work on this.
Nathan's service is well documented but especially interesting was his participation (and wounding) in the engagement at Horse Neck in 1779.
On February 26, 1779, the American patrol withdrew to the settlement at Horseneck Landing, located at West Greenwich. There, Maj. General Israel Putnam attempted to make a stand with a couple of cannon and 150 militia. The British attacked the Americans and drove them off. Tryon's raiders destroyed the salt works, 3 small wooden ships, a store, and then plundered the settlement. They carried off about 200 head of cattle and horses Conclusion: British victory. Casualties: American: unknown; British 2w, 20 c. www.revolutionarywar.us/year-1779/
Nathan even has his own Wikipedia page! There I learned that Nathan eventually attained the rank of captain and once the war ended, he returned with his family to the Wyoming Valley. There he came to own significant amounts of land in and around Wilkes-Barre. He built a home on his lower farm and more than 100 years later it was still standing on what was then Division Street.
Nathan's name appears frequently in the earliest records of Luzerne County. He assisted in determining the location for a new Congregational Church and the site chosen was on Wilkes-Barre public square.
Nathan married Elizabeth Weeks on May 4, 1773. They had two sons and eight daughters. Named after Nathan's father, his eldest son was Phineas, who was the father of David Jewett Waller, a Pennsylvania minister and civic leader.
Nathan Waller opened a Saddling business, described here.
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| The Gleaner, Mon, 24 Jan 1803, page 1 |
Oh no! Some of his cattle got out!
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| The Gleaner, Friday, 20 Nov 1807, page 3 |
I wonder if they were ever found?
Captain Nathan Waller died in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on 11 July 1831 and is buried in Hollenback Cemetery, Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
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| Nathan Waller, 7 Nov 1753 to 11 Jul 1831 Hollenback Cemetery, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania |
Thank you for your service in America's battle for independence, Captain Nathan Waller, my 6x great uncle!
Two hundred cattle and horses---wow! Where is Horse Neck? Is that in Pennsylvania?
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to get a sense of the real person behind those who fought in the Revolution. Thanks for sharing.
Horseneck is in Connecticut. It really amazes me how much information you can come up with from more than 200 years ago. His own Wikipedia page was quite a surprise!
DeleteWell done! I have some ancestors from Luzerne, PA too. Maybe they were neighbors!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't that be wild?
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