Sergeant Thomas Cleland, Sr.

OurNorthernRoots: Person ID: I15566 Thomas Cleland

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Family ID F8226 :
m1. 28 Feb 1765, Anna Rugg I15569
b. 15 Apr 1715, Lancaster, Worcester Co.,MA.
Children :
i. Pameila Cleland,
b. 5 May 1765, Lancaster, MA.
ii. Ascha Cleland,
b. 3 May 1767, Lancaster, MA.
iii. Lydia Cleland,
b. 22 Jan 1769, Lancaster, MA
iv. Elizabeth Cleland,
b. 1 Aug 1770, Lancaster,
vii. Thomas Cleland, Jr.,
b. 1772
d. 1840, Pittsford, Monroe Co., NY. (Age 68 years)..

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Family ID F5005
m2. 10 Jul 1779, Greenwhich, MA. Lydia Stone I15567
b. 15 Oct 1743, Harvard, MA.
d. Abt 1817, Victor, NY (Age 73 years) .
Children :
i. Lucinda Cleland,
b.15 Apr 1780, Greenwich, MA.
d. 1852, Victor, Ontario Co., NY (Age 71 years).
ii. Anna Cleland
b. 17 Dec 1781, Greenwich, MA.
iii. James Cleland,
b. 26 Jan 1783, Greenwich, MA.
v. Daniel Cleland,
b. Abt 1785.

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Thomas Senior is in the birth & marriage records of Lancaster, Worcester, MA. There is some confusion as to whether he was born there or in the town very close called Bolton. He probably was from Bolton as one of the Lancaster notes says he was from there. Bolton was probably so close and small it didn't keep records. Bolton is NW of Worcester & on the outer ring road of Boston. Thomas marriage first to Hanna Rugg is listed and their 1st 3 children. There are many Ruggs listed in the records as well as Wilders who were Thomas maternal grandparents. There is a little confusion in the records as they make mention of the fact that Lime- probably Lyme- Conn was a place thomas's father James had come from and you can almost make a case that 2 of James children were from there. The land records show no land ownership for Thomas. By 10-7-1779 we find Thomas bing married to Lydia Stone which is witnessed in the Morman records of IGI. They were married in Greenwich, Hampshire, MA which is now under the Quabbin Resevoir and west of Worcester, MA. Talking to the Hx Soc. of Hampshire Co they have records of many Stones. I have records from the Bromfied and Stone families from the Family Tree Maker Site that give the dates of some of Thomas children by Lydia. These may have come from Greenwich records. After records from MA Thomas trial becomes less clear. A Thomas is listed in Genese, Ontario, NY from Northfield in the census of 1790 & 1800. Land was obtained there after the revolution for people from MA. The in the Census of 1810 & 1820 he may be the Thomas found in Muddy Creek TWP, Butler co., PA. We have a date of death which is not substantiated of 1817.

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“Thomas Cleland registered in the Massachusetts US Continental Troops as a private during the in the American Revolution. He re-enlisted several times throughout the duration of the war. Also during this period, his first wife, Anna Rug, died and he married Lydia Stone who was a great blessing in taking charge of Thomas's children It was such a disruptive time in American's lives. Fortunately, the military allowed substitutes to cover for you in times of personal duress or need. At least once, Thomas had someone temporarily substitute for him while he tended his crops and/or while he remarried. It is known in some Journals that these happenings were common during the Revolutionary War. Landowners still had to pay taxes, tend to crops, and endure many upheavals in their personal lives and those of their loved ones. Many lost their crops and what little they had previously from tax collectors. New York records even noted that if your family member was said to be a deserter, not to think too much of it. Many records were put together haphazardly or were incomplete.”

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References

1. Descendants of Deacon Edmund RICE . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Aug 2023 Compiler: John F. Chandler, Historian, Edmund Rice (1638) Association < link >
2. Reference: WikiTree contributors, "Thomas Cleland (1741-aft.1817)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Cleland-624 : accessed 05 February 2024).
3. Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jul 3 2022, 15:36:15 UTC
4. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LC8H-6R8 cites
   1. "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZKB-HMQ : 15 January 2020), Thomas Cleland, 1741. Name Thomas Cleland Sex Male Father's Name James Cleland Father's Sex Male Mother's Name Thankfull Mother's Sex Female Event Type Birth Event Date 11 Nov 1741 Event Place Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America Event Place (Original) Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States