Dear Cousins,
I was substituting in a middle school library last week and the
librarian said I could take any book I wanted to check out. I found a book
called "A Journal of a Revolutionary War Woman" by Judith E. Greenberg and
Helen Cary McKeever, Franklin Watts, a div. of Grolier Pub. NY 1996.
I read along and took some notes to give color to my book whenever I
get it written. Then I came to the entry on page 74:
(I'm paraphrasing) INCREASE CARPENTER ran a well known tavern on
Long Island. Monday March 1777- A runaway team of horses arrived at the
tavern where they stopped under a shed. In the morning it was discovered
that James Parker, a farmer, had been shot by a robber who proposed to take
his wagonfull of goods. They were found untouched. "The people in the area
were indignate and talked of taking active measures for their defense."
This little book is written from a woman's point of view for her
husband who is at war. It shows what the women had to put up with from the
quartered British and Hussian soldiers. But also that they were protected by
them from the "Runners"/robbers who would not attack if the soldiers were
there. The terrorism of the time: homes burned not by the British but the
looters, children stabbed, husband's heads cracked open in front of them was
horrible. Although the Brits did try to make common citizens unload wagons
for them and do other menial work, the Quaker and others would go report
them to the British Commmander who knew better. A most interesting little
book that really shows what it was like during those horrible eight years of
gaining our freedom from the English.
I thought the descendants of the Long Island Increase Carpenter
would like this for their family stories!!!
Linda in Albuq.
Searching for: Acton, Bailey, Bartle, Carpenter, Hannah, Hertzog, Hillary,
Holland, Mackay, Matheson, Page, Reynolds, Ridenour/Reitenaurer, Shadwick,
Stoner, Wollet.