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Families,
Support Staff and Camp Followers
With
Hessian troops in the Rev. War.
I had answered an
email that I thought only officers were allowed to bring wives that the common
soldier would not have been allowed, that I was sure there was support staff and
that I thought the camp followers were ladies of ill repute... Very Very Wrong!
As you can see by the
responses below....
Nelda
LM/WM
In an Email
from
Bob Brooks
The German units where
receiving the same pay as the British regiments and I would think they probably had the same allowances for women. When the 236 men of the 1782
Ansbach-Bayreuth replacement recruits came over they had 9 women with them (all nine women returned and took six children home with them) When the 227
men of the 1782 Brunswick replacement recruits came out, they had 3 women with them; however, over a dozen of the men were married. The Brunswickers
returned with five women and three children, but the three children belonged to two of the wives belonged to former German POWs who had rejoined the
German troops when they heard the Germans were at Penobscot.
A "double-large" British regiment (i.e., the 71st at 20 companies, 2098 officers and men) were authorized 160 women and 32 servants plus 280 tons of
baggage, a "large" regiment (i.e., the 42d at 10 companies, 1168 officers & men) were allowed 80 women, 16 servants, and 140 tons of baggage. A "small"
regiment of 677 officers and men were authorized 60 women, 12 servants and 86 tons baggage (ref: UK/TNA/PRO, C.O. 5/123 f. 80, etc.).
I don't know the selection criteria as to just who got to bring their wife and who didn't. At least one of the German contingents were instructed that
all the women's slot were for the troops but that was not necessarily the policy of the British troops. Two officer's wives and a lady's maid
belonging to the 71st Regiment where on the transport CRAWFORD when it was
re-recaptured by the Amercans in June 1776 (Captured by the USS ANDREW DORIA, she was retaken by HMS CERBERUS, the taken a third time by the
GENERAL SCHUYLER.belonging to the NY state navy and carried into NY.
In an email
from
Diane and Fred
Vickerson
I know of one concrete example of a soldier bringing his family with him. Ernst
Juncker, who was the regimental drummer in the von Kynphausen Regiment brought his wife and 2 children with him and they evidently travelled with
the regiment. This has been documented in papers discovered in Prince Edward Island which were published in the JHSA journal a number of years ago.
In another email
from Bob Brooks
Below listed are
five of the six children born to the 1782 Ansbach-Bayreuth replacement recruits.
Apparently another child was born on the crossing to America of whom I find no
record.
For those of you wondering about naming practices, notice that three of the
fourt children are given the same name as thir godparent of the same sex (and
the fifth includes the sponsor's name).. I have observed the same practice in my
limited review of Hessian church records.
(1) Chateau, Anna Maria, nee Buettner, wife of Corporal Georg Chateau. At
two o'clock in the afternoon of 3 October [1782], there was legally born [at
Halifax] and thereafter baptized: Ernst Friederich-The father is Georg
Chateau of Meisenheim in Saarbrücken, a Corporal in the Jäger Regiment-the
mother is Anna Maria, nee Buettner, of Anspach. Sponsor: Captain Ernst
Friederich Willhelm von Wurmb, of that regiment, who died of a wound during
action at Penobscot.
(2) Arnold, Margaretha, nee Wunderlich, wife of Jäger Georg Arnold 1782-At
three o'clock in the afternoon of 17 December, there was legitimately born
at Penobscot and thereafter baptized: Michael Peter-the father is Georg
Arnold, a field Jäger from Ansbach-the mother is Margaretha, nee Wunderlich,
of Bayreuth. Sponsor: Vice-Corporal Michael Peter Krieger, and his wife (3)
Elisabeth.
(4) Rosenhauer, Elisabeth, wife of Jäger Georg Rosenhauer. At Penobscot, at
five o'clock in the morning of 30 December [1782], there was legitimately
born and thereafter baptized: Anna Regina Elisabeth-the father is Field
Jäger Georg Rosenhauser, from Culmbach- The mother is Elizabeth, nee
Schweigand. Sponsor: Field Jäger Georg Jakob Schnepf and his wife (5) Anna
Regina Elisabeth.
(6) Benz, Marion, nee Winter, wife of Jäger Georg Adam Benz. On 15 May
[1783], in the absence of Chaplain Erb, there was born at Penobscot, and on
8 September [at The Downs, U.K.?] baptized, Johann Friedrich-the legitimate
son of Field Jäger Georg Adam Benz and his wife Marion, nee Winter, of
Feurth. Sponsor: Field Jäger Friederich Neues [?-this man not identified].
(7) Hassler, Cathar. Margaretha, nee Tripps, wife of Conrad Hassler. At
three o'clock in the afternoon of 15 July [1783] at Penobscot, during the
absence of the chaplain, there was born, and after the Ansbach troops were
reunited at the downs (England) baptized on board the ship The Brothers on 8
September: Anna Susanna-The legitimate daughter of Field Jäger Conrad
Hasster and his wife Cathar. Margaretha, nee Tripps. Sponsor: (8) Anna
Susanna, from Rastel[?], Wife of Waldhornist [Leonhard] Schramm.
Bob Brooks
So you see
families did come with some of the soldiers.
Nelda
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