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Home , Battle of Lake George, French and Indian War, French and Indian Wars

Finding Your Family in the French & Indian War

Lecture by Leland K Meitzler – Copyright 2013; [email protected]

There were actually five wars that were between the British & the French and Indians. The fifth of the wars (1754-1763) is the war typically called the French & Indian War (by the Americans), and is the war that this lecture covers. The Five Wars Were as Follows: Ten Years War (aka King William’s War) 1688-1698. This war followed the revolution in favor of William II, Prince of Orange. It took place during the administrations of Governors Phips and Stoughton. See Dr. Cotton Mather’s history – Decennium Luctuosum – See: http://books.google.com/books?id=pox0AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA179&lpg=PA179&dq=cotton+mather+decennium+luctuosum &source=bl&ots=6OQiiXuPtl&sig=O1gEXgxzITr0aJLBVsrUzNRJyJE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iVIbUfqjPKPWyQHWpYAI&ved=0CE EQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=cotton%20mather%20decennium%20luctuosum&f=false

Governor Dudley’s Indian War - 1703-1713. Also see Dr. Cotton Mather’s history – Decennium Luctuosum above)

Governor Dummer’s Indian War - 1722-1725. This war took place during the term of Lieutenant-Governor Dummer’s chief magistracy of .

Governor Shirley’s War (aka Five Years ) - 1744-1749 – this war was declared by the King of on March 15 1744, and ran through the Treaty with the Eastern Indians on October 16, 1749. See: A Particular History of the Five Years French and Indian War in and Parts Adjacent... by Samuel G. Drake.

French and Indian War (aka Anglo-French Rivalry {by }; La guerre de la Conquête ("The War of Conquest" by the French-Canadians) 1754-1763. By 1756 the war escalated into a worldwide affair called the Seven Years’ War.

Casualties – Although anywhere close to exact numbers don’t exist, it’s thought that the British Colonists had about 2000 casualties, while the French and American Indians had about 3000. A Timeline of the French and Indian War 1753 - French troops from marched south. They seized and fortified the Valley. Britain protested the move and claimed Ohio for itself.

1754 – May 28 - Ensign de Jumonville and a third of his escort were killed by a British patrol in a surprise attack led by . They pulled back to Great Meadows and built Fort Necessity. In retaliation for the British attack, the French and the Indians marched on Fort Necessity, defeating the British on . George Washington surrendered after losing one-third of his force. Blamed for the defeat, Washington resigned. He later returned as a volunteer under British authority.

1755 - The British implemented a plan to defeat the French, seizing Arcadia (). Moncton successfully captured Fort Beausejour. On July 9, Major General ’s troops were defeated in the Battle of the Wilderness near the French (Now ), and on September 9, William Johnson’s troops defeated the French advance at the Battle of .

1756 – On May 8/9, the Seven Years' War began as Great Britain declared war on France, and France responds in kind, expanding the North American conflict to , Africa, Asia and South America. On August 14, the French captured on the banks of the Great Lakes.

1757 - The French, led by the commander-in-chief, Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, captured . Following the surrender, Montcalm’s actions angered his Indian allies who captured or killed hundreds of unarmed British (See James Fennimore Cooper’s “The Last of the ”)

1758 – On July 8, the French captured . On July 26, the British seized Louisburg, opening a route to Canada. On August 27, The French surrendered , causing the French to lose communication with their troops in the Ohio Valley. On October 21, the was signed with the , , and Indians. On November 26, the British took control of the Forks of the Ohio by capturing Fort Duquesne, renaming it Pittsburgh.

1759 – The British took the French Island of in the Caribbean on May 1. On July 26, the British took Fort Ticonderoga, and on , the British took , with the French abandoning Crown Point. On , the French surrendered after a battle outside the city on the Plains of Abraham. British and French commanding Generals, Montcalm and Wolfe both died in Battle.

1760 – On May 16, the French of Quebec effectively failed, and on , the British captured Montreal. On about September 15, the British raised their flag over , ending the conflict in .

1761 – The British made peace with the Indians.

1762 – On September 18, the French failed in an attempt to retake

1763 – On February 10, the ends the war between Britain and France. All French possessions east of the , except , were handed over to the British while the French possessions west of the Mississippi were given to the Spanish. France regained , Guadeloupe and St. Lucia.

1763 – On April 27, Ottawa Chief united the Ottawas, Potawatomies, and Hurons in an effort to drive British off their land by attacking Detroit. On May 9, Pontiac’s American Indians lay siege to Detroit. The allied Indians destroyed forts at Vanago, LeBouf, and Presque Isle. In July, men stationed at infected the Indians with blankets from the hospital. The Indians retreated when they realized they were now faced with a smallpox epidemic. On August 5 and 6, in western , Colonel led the and defeated the Native American forces of Delaware, Shawnee, , and Huron warriors at Bushy Run. Though the British suffered serious losses, they routed the Indians and relieved the garrison at Fort Pitt. On October 7, King George III signed the Proclamation of 1763, reserving the land west of the for the Indians, directly leading to the Revolutionary War. On October 31, Pontiac surrendered at Detroit, ending any Indian control of the . A Selected List of Where to Locate Soldier’s Names, Ages, Birthplace Occupations, Date of Enlistment, etc.: Pennsylvania Archives – Series 5 – Volume 1 – Lists officers and soldiers in the service of the – 1744-1765. Easiest free access is at Fold3.com. You may search by name or browse. See: www.genealogyblog.com/?p=24769 for a linked listing of all 368 pages. Papers of the Provincial Council, 1682-1775 - There are about twenty muster rolls and military returns filed among the “Papers of the Provincial Council, 1682-1775” in the Pennsylvania State Archives (Record Group 21, available on microfilm rolls: 580-587). In most cases, the dated returns and rolls simply list the name and rank of the soldier, the military unit or station to which he was attached, and the officer under whom he was serving. At times, the person's date and place of enlistment may appear as well. Most of these records are published in the Pennsylvania Archives, Fifth Series, Volume 1 (see above). For more information on the “Papers of the Provincial Council, 1682-1775,” see: www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/rg21.htm

Guertin, Iris, Rose, comp. Connecticut Soldiers, French and Indian War, 1755-62 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Original data: Connecticut Historical Society. Rolls of Connecticut Men in the French and Indian War, 1755-1762; Vol. I-II. Hartford, CT, USA: Connecticut Historical Society, 1903-1905. Includes over 29,000 soldiers. See: http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=3983

Rolls of Connecticut Men in the French and Indian War, 1755-1762. A Google Play eBook or you may read it on the web. See: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=7R4WAAAAYAAJ&rdid=book-7R4WAAAAYAAJ&rdot=1

The French and Indian War Papers at the Connecticut Historical Society. This collection consists of 2 boxes of papers, written in English. The collection consists of enlistments and impressments; muster rolls and account rolls of those serving in the King George's War and later in the French and Indian War; transfers of wages and receipts for wages paid; accounts and receipts; military orders; correspondence; and journals, a note book, and an orderly book. See: A Guide to the French and Indian War Papers at the Connecticut Historical Society - www.chs.org/finding_aides/finding_aids/frinw1763.html

French & Indian War Soldiers – A short listing of French and Indian War ancestors found at Rootsweb.com. See: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ars/fr- ind.htm?cj=1&netid=cj&o_xid=0000713921&o_lid=0000713921&o_sch=Affiliate+External

Names of Militiamen in French and Indian War Before Revolution (By H. W. Hess); From: The Book of Names, Especially Relating to The Early Palatines and the First Settlers in the Mohawk Valley; Compiled and Arranged by Lou D. MacWethy; Published by The Enterprise and News, St. Johnsville, NY. , 1933. See: www.threerivershms.com/namesfrindianwar.htm - also: http://books.google.com/books?id=uzu8htIHYfYC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=French+and+Indian+War+name+lists&source= bl&ots=xEHdcIBxeH&sig=wCzFHZRty_IU8aQ2VtGQMyMnkEY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=whMoUd6RIMiCqgGUloCoDQ&ved=0C GkQ6AEwBzha

Muster Rolls of Massachusetts Troops, found in the Massachusetts Archives Collection, Volumes 93 through 99. These records cover 1755 through 1774. See: www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arccol/colvol1.htm The Commonwealth Museum and State Archives Building is located at 220 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125; 617-727-2816, for ax 617-288-8429.

A List of Men From Methuen, Massachusetts Who Served in Units During The French and Indian War (1755-1763). This listing was drawn from material in the Massachusetts Archives Collection; Volumes 93 through 99 (see above) and organized by John M. Austin The list contains the names of 114 men from Methuen, Massachusetts who served in colonial militia units during the French and Indian War (1755-1763). http://methuen.essexcountyma.net/French_%26_Indian_war.html

“Virginia Troops in the ,” from the Historical Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 3, 1894; pp 278-287; See: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4241752 List of Capt. Timothy Hanant’s (Mass.) Company 1762 – from The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 56. – available as a free eBook at: http://books.google.com/books?id=WrQzEqQMpNcC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=List+of+Capt.+Timothy+Hamant's+(Mass. )+Company,+1762&source=bl&ots=vXNWHgWRSt&sig=bsETJxIMpzW_GIl_ZqUIXaZrFAs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TkIoUbOtJtHrr AH_xYGYDA&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=List%20of%20Capt.%20Timothy%20Hamant's%20(Mass.)%20Company %2C%201762&f=false

Soldiers in the French and Indian War, 1758 - from The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 58. – available as a free eBook at: http://books.google.com/books?id=UMAUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA110-IA4&lpg=PA110- IA4&dq=Dary,+George+Allen,+editor.+%22Soldiers+in+the+French+and+Indian+War,+1758.&source=bl&ots=a1mG- q0GiQ&sig=snpXyimqa- U68uw39CtD086ORmw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8W4pUfGsMY2DrQHnpIHgDQ&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Dary%2C %20George%20Allen%2C%20editor.%20%22Soldiers%20in%20the%20French%20and%20Indian%20War%2C%201758.&f=false

Recommended Reading: Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766; by Fred Anderson; $22.95 Available from Family Roots Publishing Co., LLC; www.familyrootspublishing.com/store/product_view.php?id=2424

See the French and Indian War Forts articles at Wikipedia.com. As of February 22, 2013, 63 pages were dedicated to various forts involved in the conflict. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:French_and_Indian_War_forts

See the Battles of the French and Indian War articles at Wikipedia.com. As of February 22, 2013, 46 pages were dedicated to the battles of the conflict. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Battles_of_the_French_and_Indian_War

Montcolm and Wolfe, A History of the Seven Years War in North America, by Francis Parkman; originally published in 1884; available as an online book at: http://ns1758.ca/parkman/14517_montcalm_and_wolfe.html

Major General Edward Braddock's orderly books, from February 26 to June 17, 1755; Available as an eBook at: http://archive.org/details/docksorderlybook00bradrich

England in the Seven Years War: a study in combined strategy (1907). Author: Corbett, Julian Stafford, Sir, 1854-1922; Available as an eBook at: http://archive.org/details/englandinsevenye00corbuoft

Fort Pitt and Letters from the ; Compiled by Darlington, Mary Carson. Pittsburgh: J. R. Weldin & Co., 1892; Available as an eBook at: http://archive.org/details/fortpittlettersf00darl

The and the Battle of the Plains of Abraham; by Doughty, Arthur G., and G. W. Parmelee; 6 vols. Quebec: Dussault & Proulx, 1901; See Vol 1 as an eBook at: http://archive.org/details/siegeofquebec01doug See Vol. 2 as an eBook at: http://archive.org/details/siegeofquebecbat02doug See Vol. 3 as an eBook at: http://archive.org/details/siegeofquebecbat03doug See Vol. 4 as an eBook at: http://archive.org/details/siegeofquebecbat04douguoft See Vol. 5 as an eBook at: http://archive.org/details/seigeofquebec05dougrich See Vol. 6 as an eBook at: http://books.google.com/books/about/The_seige_of_Quebec_and_the_battle_of_th.html?id=j7wVAQAAIAAJ

A Select Bibliography: Colonial Wars: French and Indian War, compiled 10 Dec. 1996; compiled by the Army Center of Military History. See: http://www.history.army.mil/reference/COLON/FIcol.htm