Maj. Gen Edward Hand, M.D.

Gen. Edward Hand

• BIRTH 31 Dec 1744 County Offaly, Ireland
• DEATH 4 Sep 1802 (aged 57) Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA
• BURIAL Saint James Episcopal Church Cemetery, Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA Show Map GPS-Latitude: 40.0401306, Longitude: -76.3034139
• MEMORIAL ID 6709798 by JCrews & RPD2 Bio Pref by: Iola

Biographical Preface

Continental Army General. Born in Clyduff, County Kings, Ireland, Hand attended Trinity College in Dublin and studied medicine. He accompanied the Eighteenth Royal Irish Regiment to the American frontier near present-day Pittsburgh as surgeon’s mate in 1774. By the end of the year, Hand completed his service and resigned. He settled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to practice medicine. In 1775 he accepted a commission in the Continental Army and commanded a brigade of the Light Infantry Corps.

Hand was recognized for outstanding service at battles of Long Island, White Plains, Trenton, and Princeton. His right eye was injured in battle, and portraits of Hand show only his left profile. He was promoted to adjutant general in 1781 and served as chief administrative officer. He supervised a reorganization of the army despite the unwillingness of Congress and the states to adequately supply the troops. Hand and his staff prepared the “Regulations for the Service of the Siege” that led to Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown. He was brevetted major general September 30, 1783 and mustered out of the army November 3, 1783. Hand then returned to Lancaster. He was selected to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Congress in 1783 and 1784. He campaigned for Lancaster to become the first capital of the United States. Hand died of cholera at age 58.

Wikipedia

Edward Hand (31 December 1744 – 3 September 1802) was an Irish-born soldier, physician, and politician who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of general, and later was a member of several Pennsylvania governmental bodies.

Early life and career

Hand was born in Clyduff, King's County (now County Offaly), Ireland, on 31 December 1744, and was baptised in Shinrone. His father was John Hand. Among his immediate neighbours were the Kearney family, ancestors of U.S. President Barack Obama. He was a descendant of either the families of Mag Fhlaithimh (of south Ulaidh and Mide) or Ó Flaithimhín (of the Síol Muireadaigh) who, through mistranslation (Flaithimh/Flaithimhín into Láimhín; laimh = hand), became Lavin or Hand.

Hand earned a medical certificate from Trinity College, Dublin. In 1767, Hand enlisted as a Surgeon's Mate in the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot. On 20 May 1767, he sailed with the regiment from Cobh, Cork, Ireland, arriving at Philadelphia on 11 July 1767. In 1772, he was commissioned an ensign. He marched with the regiment to Fort Pitt, on the forks of the Ohio River, returning to Philadelphia in 1774, where he resigned his commission.

In 1774, Hand moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he practiced medicine. On 13 March 1775, he married Catherine Ewing (born 25 March 1751 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Lancaster was the region of some of the earliest Irish and Scots-Irish settlements in Pennsylvania; as a people, they were well known for their anti-English and revolutionary convictions. Hand was active in forming the Lancaster County Associators, a colonial militia.

Hand was a 32nd degree Freemason; belonging to the Montgomery Military Lodge number 14.

American Revolution DAR# A050948

He entered the Continental Army as a lieutenant colonel in the Pennsylvania Line. He crossed the Delaware River with George Washington. He was promoted to colonel and commanded the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment. He was later promoted to brigadier general and served as the commander of Fort Pitt fighting British loyalist and their Indian allies. He was recalled, after over 2 years at Fort Pitt, to serve as a brigade commander in Major General La Fayette's division.

After a few months, he was appointed Adjutant General of the Continental Army and served during the siege of Yorktown in that capacity. In recognition of his long and distinguished service, he was, in September 1783, promoted by brevet to major general. He resigned from the Army in November 1783.

After the Revolution

Hand returned to Lancaster and resumed the practice of medicine. A Federalist, Hand was active in civil affairs, holding posts that included:

• Chief Burgess of Lancaster
• Presidential elector
• Delegate to the convention for the 1790 Pennsylvania Constitution
• Member of the Congress of the Confederation, 1784–1785
• Member of the Pennsylvania Assembly, 1785–1786

Beginning in 1785, he owned and operated Rock Ford plantation, a 177-acre (0.72 km2) farm on the banks of the Conestoga River, one mile (1.6 km) south of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Georgian brick mansion remains today; the farm is a historic site open to the public. Hand died from cholera at Rock Ford. He is buried in St. James's Episcopal Cemetery in Lancaster.

Full Military History

• Date Rank Unit Military Action Position Status
• Apr 1775 - Mar 1776 Lieutenant Colonel 2nd Continental Regiment Boston / Cambridge Campaign
• 25 Jun 1775 Lieutenant Colonel Pennsylvania Battalion of Riflemen
• 18 Aug 1775 Lieutenant Colonel 2nd Continental Regiment
• 27 Aug 1775 Lieutenant Colonel 2nd Continental Regiment Ploughed Hill, Mass
• 9 Nov 1775 Lieutenant Colonel 2nd Continental Regiment Lechmere's Point, Mass
• 1 Jan 1776 Lieutenant Colonel 1st Continental Regiment
• 7 Mar 1776 Colonel 1st Continental Regiment Commander
• 1 Jul 1776 Colonel 1st Pennsylvania Regiment Commander
• 27 Aug 1776 Colonel 1st Pennsylvania Regiment Long Island Commander
• 29-30 Aug 1776 Colonel 1st Pennsylvania Regiment Covering Force, Long Island Retreat Commander
• 3 Jan 1777 Colonel 1st Pennsylvania Regiment Princeton Commander
• 1 Apr 1777 Brigadier General Continental Army
• 1 Jun 1777- Aug 1778 Brigadier General Continental Army Fort Pitt 1777, Garrison Duty
• Jul 1778 - Nov 1779 Brigadier General 3rd Pennsylvania Brigade New York / PA Frontier, 78-79 Campaign
• 8 Nov 1778 Brigadier General 3rd Pennsylvania Brigade
• Jul - Oct 1779 Brigadier General 3rd Pennsylvania Brigade Sullivan's-Clinton Indian Campaign
• 29 Aug 1779 Brigadier General 3rd Pennsylvania Brigade Newtown, NY / Sullivan (II)
• Aug 1780 Brigadier General Light Infantry Brigade Commander
• Dec 1780 - Jun 1781 Brigadier General Continental Army Morristown Encampment, 1780 Adjutant General
• Dec 1780 - Jun 1781 Brigadier General Light Infantry Brigade Morristown Encampment, 1780 Commander
• Jan 1781 Brigadier General Continental Army Adjutant General
• 15 May 1781 - 14 Dec 1782 Brigadier General Continental Army Southern Campaign Adjutant General
• 30 Sep 1781 Major General Continental Army Adjutant General
• 6-17 Oct 1781 Major General Continental Army Yorktown Adjutant General
• Nov 1781 - Nov 1783 Major General Continental Army Fishkill Encampment, 1781-1783 Adjutant General
• 3 Nov 1783 Major General Continental Army Adjutant General Retired

Post-War Offices Held

• 11/1/1784-11/4/1785 Congressman, Trenton, NJ / New York City, NY United States in Congress Assembled (aka Congress of the Confederation); 6th Session
• 11 October 1785 22 October 1786 Representative, Pennsylvania General Assembly, Lancaster County, PA
• 1789 1789 Burgess, Lancaster County, PA
• January 1789 4 February 1789 Elector, Philadelphia, PA
• 27 November 1789-9/2/1790 Delegate, Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, Lancaster County, PA
• 1791 1801 Inspector of Revenue, Department of Pennsylvania

Family

Parents[12]
John Hand

Spouse[13]
Katherine Ewing Hand 1751–1805 (m. 1775)

Children[13]
Sarah Hand Bethel 1775–1850
Dorothy Hand Brien 1777–1862
Katherine Hand 1779–1791
John Hand 1784–1807
Jasper Yeates Hand 1784–1828
Mary Hand 1786–1879
Margaret Hand 1789–1800

References

[1] Shinrone: birthplace and resting place of Obama’s Irish ancestors

[2] Irish Ancestors/Surnames (search "Lavin")

[3] Hannum, Patrick H. "America's First Company Commanders". Retrieved 2 February 2020.

[4] "Konieschquanoheel", Ohio History Central: An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History, 1999-2011, accessed 29 January 2011

[5] "B. Gen. Edward Hand".

[6] "The Society of the Cincinnati". www.societyofthecincinnati.org.

[7] "Slavery & Servitude in Early Lancaster County | Historic Rock Ford". 25 June 2020.

[8] Hand’s congressional biography

[9] Rock Ford Plantation

[10] The Edward Hand papers, which cover Hand's military career during the 1770s and 1780s, are available for research use at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

[11] American Revolution Institute

[12] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Hand Wikipedia

[13] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6709798/edward-hand

[14] http://edwardhandmedicalheritage.org/what_killed_edward_hand.html Cause of Death Investigation

[15] https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/6191025?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a227... - LMVR