2nd LT John Nelson

DAR Ancestor #: A082145

John Nelson was born bef 1760 in Northern Ireland. "He, too, came from Ireland. It was he who came to Crawford, PA in 1796." (DAR has "born in Cumberland, PA"). He died after March 7, 1822 in Toboyne Township, Perry county (formed from Cumberland), Pennsylvania.

Military

• Service: PENNSYLVANIA    Rank: SECOND LIEUTENANT
• Birth:  1745    CUMBERLAND CO PENNSYLVANIA
• Death:  (ANTE) 3-7-1822     TOBOYNE TWP PERRY CO PENNSYLVANIA
• Service Description: 1) CAPT THOMAS CLARK,COL FREDERICK WATTS 2) CUMBERLAND CO,MIL.
• Spouse 1) X   2) MARGARET HAMILTON  

REVOLUTIONARY WAR MILITIA ORGANIZATION: CUMBERLAND CO., PA.

• 1777 - 7th BATTALION Col. Frederick Watts. Toboyne Township. 8th Company, 2nd Lt. John Nelson
• 1780 - 5th BATTALION Lt. Col. David Mitchell. Toboyne Township. 8th Company, Capt. John Nelson
• From Revolutionary War Militia Battalions and Companies, Arranged by County: Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission:

The "Act to Regulate the Militia of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" passed 17 March 1777, and the the subsequent Militia Act passed March 20, 1780, together with their amendments, required all white men between the ages of 18 and 53 capable of bearing arms to serve two months of militia duty on a rotating basis. ...Though they held military titles, these were actually civilian officers not to be confused with the military officers holding the same ranks in the Continental Army. ... Most of the service rendered by members of the Pennsylvania Militia fell into one of three categories ... 1) augment the operations of the Continental Line such as when some of the Associators accompanied General Washington in crossing the Delaware in January 1777. It is known that no Pennsylvania militia served at Valley Forge, Monmouth, or Yorktown. 2) duty on the frontier in Northumberland, Northampton, Bedford and Westmoreland counties. Occasionally, militia reinforcements from Cumberland, Lancaster, and York counties would be brought in to reinforce these frontiers as occurred in the summer of 1778. 3) providing guards for supply depots located in Lancaster, Lebanon and Reading and at various prisoner of war camps.

• from PERRY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA - Part of the PAGenWeb - TOBOYNE TOWNSHIP

Until 1763 Toboyne Township was a part of Tyrone Township, when in accordance with a petition of residents to the court of Cumberland County, it was created a separate township. 

Stephen, Francis and John Johnston settled as early as 1780, and John Clendennin in 1792.  When the county was formed in 1820, the population of Toboyne was 1,955, and the valuation of $342,179. ... There is record of a schoolhouse "built of mud," located near New Germantown, and taught by a man named Thatcher, among the pupils being children of James Johnston, then a prominent citizen of that community, one of whose sons, George Johnston, was later Perry County's representative in the State Legislature.

Toboyne township furnished the officers for two companies, the fourth and eighth, of the famous Frederick Watts battalion of Cumberland County Militia during the Revolution, and practically all the men.  See chapter on the subject. 

• So what was a Flying Camp Battalion?

The definition of the Flying Camp Battalion is a Reservist or a Home Guard. Their duties were to serve and protect citizens of the state in case of an invasion. They acted like a police force guarding barracks, government buildings, so on and so forth. Before the Revolutionary War there was no such thing in America as a Reservist or a Home Guard. Therefore, the militia was formed, a group of trained soldiers that could pack up and leave for duty at a moments notice.

During the Revolutionary War, however, the militias were called to active service. This left the state and it’s cities needing protection ... Pennsylvania: Watt's Regiment Flying Camp, 1776

Family

Married:

1. an unknown woman
2. Margaret Hamilton (bef 1760- aft 1776). She was the daughter of William Hamilton (bef 1745 -) and Nancy May (bef.1745-)

Children include

1. Nancy Agnes Nelson (1776-1862). She married Thomas Johnston (1776-1836).

Links

• http://familypedia.wikia.com/wiki/John_Nelson_(bef1760-aft1776)

  ---

1. Pennsylvania archives. Muster Rolls Relating to the Associators & Militia, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Published 1874 by Printed by J. Severns & co., 1852-56: Harrisburg in Philadelphia . Written in English. Page 465

• Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: Dec 27 2016, 6:29:13 UTC