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In Memoriam
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This web page is dedicated to the
memory of my great- grandfathers who served the cause for liberty in the York
County, Pennsylvania Militia. |
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George Abel was born 1737 probably in that part of Germany that lies within the
modern day state of Hesse. He left Germany and came to America on the
ship “John & Elizabeth” and arrived at Philadelphia on 7 Nov 1753. By 1766 he had married Maria Catherine
Boyer. Of this union eleven children were born between 1769 and 1785. George eventually moved to York County,
Pennsylvania sometime before 1769. He
was a patriot of the American Revolution having served in the Pennsylvania
Militia; of York Co., 1st
Battalion, Capt. Michael Kauffelt’s Company (1781). George passed away at his farm in Windsor
Township in 1785. |
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Johannes Arnold was born 1735 was a native of Erlangen, Bavaria, Gerrmany. He
arrived at Philadelphia on the ship "Two Brothers" on September 28,
1753. After his arrival in the
"New World" Johannes moved west into Lancaster County. Here he married Elizabeth Ulrich on
January26, 1761 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster. He and Elizabeth
began a family and produced at least three known children between 1761 and
1770. In 1771 Johannes Arnold, along
with Nicholas and John Olerick, purchased a tract
of 158 acres in Chanceford Township, York County,
Pennsylvania called "Stoney Bottom." John Arnold was a patriot of the American
Revolution having served in the Pennsylvania
Militia; 6th Battalion of York Co. Captain Thomas McNerry's Company (1777), as a Private soldier. |
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Jacob Dellinger was born in 1751 at Hellman Township, York
County. Around 1777 he married
Christina Schaffer. He and Christina
had nine children whose baptisms are recorded in the registers of Canadochly Church.
Jacob was a patriot of the American Revolution having served in the Pennsylvania
Militia, of York Co., 3rd
Battalion Capt. Jacob Bieber’s 1st
Company (1777); 1st
Battalion, Capt. Michael Kauffelt’s Company (1781). He spent his life as a farmer in York
county, Pennsylvania. Jacob died in 1824 at the age of 72
years. He is buried in Canadochly Lutheran Church Cemetery, Lower Windsor Twp., York County, Pennsylvania. |
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Andrew Gilbert, son of Georg Martin Gilbert and Maria Dorothea Precht, was born 1728 at Hoffenheim,
now located in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg. Andrew most likely immigrated to
Pennsylvania around 1755. He probably
married after his arrival in Pennsylvania.
Andrew and his wife Magdalena had five known children between 1760 and
1776. After coming to America Andrew moved on
to Lancaster County and lived in Leacock Township from at least 1758 to
1768. In 1767, Andrew purchased 123
acres of land in Windsor Township, York County, Pennsylvania and most likely
moved there at that time. During the American Revolution Andrew
served as a Private in the Pennsylvania Militia, of York Co., 3rd
Battalion Capt. Jacob Bieber’s 1st
Company (1777). Andrew
Gilbert lived the remainder of his days in York County and left this earth
sometime around 1817. |
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Georg Ilges was born in 1745 at
the town of Thaleischweiler, now located within the modern German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. In 1750 he came to America with his
parents on the ship "St. Andrew".
The family arrived at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 18 August
1750. Soon after they moved west to
Lancaster County. It is believed that
upon the death of his father, Paul, in 1761 George Ilges,
then sixteen years old, removed from Lancaster County to York County. Here he was apprenticed to Paul Trout of
Windsor Township, to be taught the art of a “cordwainer”,
until he became twenty-one years of age.
George was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, serving seven years as
a private in the Pennsylvania Militia,
6th Battalion of York Co. Captain Thomas McNerry's
Company. His rifle has been
preserved by his descendents. By 1780
George was married to his wife Anna Margaret and settled in Chanceford Township as a farmer. George was an early member and a deacon
of Stehli's (St. Luke's) Church. He died at his farm in 1801 and is buried
in the cemetery at St. Luke's Church. |
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Anthony Keller II, son of Anthony Keller I and Anna
Maria Schatto, was born about 1744 in Tulpehocken
Township, Berks Co., Pennsylvania. In those days the Tulpehocken
area covered parts of Lancaster, Lebanon, and Berks counties. Anthony married Maria Kohler around 1769.
Together they had at least eight children of which six were daughters. During the Revolutionary War Anthony
served in the Pennsylvania Militia; of York County
in 1777 he was in the 3rd
Battalion Capt. Jacob Bieber’s 1st
Company (1777), in 1781 he was a member of the 1st
Battalion, Capt. Michael Kauffelt’s Company (1781). Anthony was an active member of the Canadochly Evangelical and Reformed Church. During his lifetime the original church was
formed in 1763 and the original building was opened in 1764 when he was 20
years old. In 1801 he and Michael Kauffett represented the Lutherans on the committee to
build a new church. Anthony
passed away in January 1817 at the age of about 73. He is buried in the Canadochly
Cemetery, Lower Windsor Township, York County. |
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Johann Friedrich Lieberknecht emigrated to America from
the Palatinate area of Germany. In
1761 he boarded the ship "Snow Squirrel", captained by John Benn,
at Rotterdam. After a stop at Portsmouth, England the ship crossed the
Atlantic ocean and arrived in the port of Philadelphia in October of that
year. Frederick took an oath to the Government at the courthouse of in
Philadelphia on October 21, 1761. Although he could not sign his name he did
make his mark of a +. By 1766 he had
married and was living in York county, Pennsylvania. Friederich is a
patriot of the American Revolution having Pennsylvania Militia of York County, 3rd
Battalion Capt. Jacob Bieber’s 1st
Company (1777). His also appears along with his neighbors on the
roster of the
Fifth Battalion of Associators. Frederick and his wife Catharina
produced at least five known offspring.
Frederick died in 1979 and is buried in the Canadochly
Cemetery, Lower Windsor Township, York County, Pennsylvania. |
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History of the York County Militia |
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As early as December,
1774 a company of “minutemen” was formed in the town of York, the object of
which was to make soldiers who would be well disciplined for battle in case
the disaffection then existing toward England,
should proceed to open hostilities.
The officers of this first company were James Smith, Captain; Thomas
Hartley, First Lieutenant; David Green, Second Lieutenant; and Henry Miller,
Ensign. Each of these officers thus
early on was attached to the cause of liberty. Subsequently they would distinguish
themselves in the history of our country.
The first was a signer of the Declaration of Independence; the second
was a Colonel in the Revolution, and for eleven years a member of congress;
and the third and fourth were each distinguished officers during the War for
Independence. At the outbreak of hostilities between
the Crown and the colonies in 1775 the Pennsylvania Assembly opposed any form
of mandatory military service. During this period, activist elements among
York County’s population organized local volunteer
"associations". A second
company was formed at York in February, 1775, the officers of which were
Hartman Deustche, Captain; Mr. Grubb, 1st
Lieutenant; Phillip Entlet, 2nd
Lieutenant; and Luke Rause, Ensign. On July 28th and 29th,
1775 a meeting of the Committee of Safety and officers of the militia companies
of York County was conducted in York.
The committee and officers divided the county into five districts or
divisions and formed five battalions.
The committee and officers then appointed judges and proceeded to vote
by ballot for field officers to be commissioned. James Smith was chosen as Colonel of the First
Battalion along with Thomas Hartley, Esq., Lieutenant Colonel, and Joseph
Donaldson and Michael Swopes Esq., were chosen as
Majors. Robert McPherson, Esq., was
chosen as Colonel of the Second Battalion along with David Kennedy, Lt.
Colonel, Moses McClean and Hugh Dunwoodie
as Majors. Field Officers of the Third
Battalion were Richard McAllister, Esq., Colonel, Henry Slazel,
Esq., Lt. Colonel, John Andrews and Joseph Jefferies were chosen as Majors. The senior officers of the Fourth
Battalion were William Smith Esq., Colonel, Francis Holton
Lieutenant-Colonel, Jacob Gibson and John Finley were chosen as Majors. William Rankin, Esq., was chosen as the
Colonel in command of the Fifth Battalion, along with Matthew Dill, Esq., as
Lieutenant Colonel, Robert Stephenson and Gerhard Graeff
as Majors. In December, 1775, a third company was
formed and was entitled, “The Independent Light Infantry Company belonging to
the first battalion of York County.“ George Irwin was the Captain of this
company; John Hay, 1st Lt.; William Baily,
2nd Lt.; Christop Lauman,
Ensign; Paul Metzgar, Henry Walter, Jacob Gardner,
and John Shultz were the Sergeants. The unit initially contained 122 private
soldiers. The fourth company was formed in the spring
of 1776, and its officers were Michael Hahn, Captain; Baltzer
Spengler, 1st Lt.; Micheal Billmeyer, 2nd Lt.; and George Michael
Spengler, Ensign. The fifth company
was also formed during the spring of 1776.
Charles Lukens was named as Captain; Christian Stake, 1st
Lt.; Cornelius Sheriff, 2nd Lt.. The Sixth
Company was formed, at York, in May of the same year and was commanded by
Captain Rudolph Spangler.
The York County Associators were originally
volunteers. In 1776 Congress
recommended the organization of companies of militia. Thus the association became a compulsory
militia, divided into classes, and then drafted by the county
Lieutenants. Early in 1776 the York
County was required to raise four companies for the forming of a regiment
with Cumberland county. Of this
regiment William Irwine was its first Colonel. These companies were enlisted for fifteen
months and left the county at the end of March. In 1777 this unit formed the 11th
Regiment of the Pennsylvania Line. In
May 1776, a rifle company was formed and enlisted to serve fifteen
months. It marched from York County to
Philadelphia where it was attached to Col. Miles Rifle Regiment. The Captain of the company was William
McPherson. In July 1776 five
battalions of militia marched from York County to New Jersey. Six weeks later two battalions of the Flying Camp were formed from these units. The first battalion was commanded by Col.
Michael Swope, the second by Col. Richard McAllister. Each battalion
consisted of eight companies.
Whereupon the remainder of this force returned home to York
County. As a result of the aforementioned action by Congress the York
County Militia was organized into eight battalions, each with seven or eight
companies. The First Battalion was
commanded by Col. James Thompson. The
company Captains were as follows: 1st Co., William Dodd; 2nd
Co., Daniel Williams; 3rd Co., John Shaver; 4th Co.,
Daniel May; 5th Co., James Parkinson; 6th Co., Benjamin
Heable; 7th Co., Francis Boner; 8th
Co., John O’Blainess. The Second Battalion was commanded by
Colonel William Rankin. The company
Captains were: 1st Co., William Ashton; 2nd Co., John Rankin; 3rd
Co., Simon Copenhaver; 4th Co., Jacob Hiar (Hyar); 5th
Co., Emanuel Haman; 6th Co., John Masberger;
7th Co., William Walls; 8th Co., Yost Harbaugh. The Third
Battalion was commanded by Colonel David Jameson. Captains of the companies were: 1st.
Co., Jacob Beaver; 2nd Co., Gotfried
Fry; 3rd Co., Peter Frote; 4th
Co., Christ. Lauman; 5th Co., Alexander
Liggett; 6th Co., George
Long; 7th Co., Michael Halm. The Fourth
Battalion was Commanded by Colonel John Andrew. Captains of the companies were: 1st
Co. unknown; 2nd Co., John
King; 3rd Co., William Gilland; 4th
Co., Samuel Morrison; 5th
Co., John McElvain;
6th Co., John Stockton;
7th Co., Samuel Erwin;
8th Co., Thomas Stockton.
The Fifth Battalion was commanded by Colonel Joseph Jefferies. The company Captains were: 1st
Co., John Maye; 2nd Co., Adam Black; 3rd Co., William McCleary; 4th
Co., David Wilson; 5th Co.,
Joseph Morrison; 6th Co.,
William Miller; 7th Co.,
Thomas Orbi;
8th Co., John Paxton.
The Sixth Battalion was commanded by Colonel William Ross. Captains of the companies were: 1st.
Co., Capt. Laird; 2nd Co., Casper Reineka; 3rd Co., unknown; 4th Co., Frederick Hurtz; 5th
Co., Peter Iekes;
6th Co., Leonard Zenew; 8th Co., Abraham Sell. The Seventh Battalion was commanded by
Colonel David Kennedy. The company
Captains were; 1st Co., Thomas Latta; 2nd Co., Thomas White; 3rd Co., John Miller; 4th Co., Peter Aldinger; 5th
Co., John Arman;
6th Co., George Geiselman; 7th Co., Jacob Ament; 8th
Co., John Sherer.
The Eighth Battalion was commanded by Henry Slagle. The company Captain were: 1st
Co., Nicholas Gelwix; 2nd Co., Joh
Reed; 3rd Co., unknown; 4th Co., William Gray; 5th Co., unknown; 6th
Co., John Reppey;
7th Co., Joseph Reed;
8th Co. Thomas McNery. By April of 1778 the total of men in these
battalions was 4,621. |
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Campaigns and Engagements
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1776
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1777
1778
1781
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Records
Archive of
Documents The following is a
listing of the documentation we’ve collected
regarding the wartime record of
this military unit, and the persons who served therein. |
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·
1st Battalion, York Co., PA Militia
(1775-83) ·
2nd Battalion, York Co., PA Militia
(1775-84) ·
3rd Battalion, York Co., PA Militia
(1776-80) ·
4th Battalion, York Co., PA Militia
(1778-80) ·
5th Battalion, York Co., PA Militia
(1778-82) ·
6th Battalion, York Co., PA Militia
(1779-80) ·
7th Battalion, York Co., PA Militia
(1778-80) ·
8th Battalion, York Co., PA Militia
(1778-80) |
·
Battalions 1-9, York Co, PA Militia (1783-84) ·
Battalions Not Stated, York Co., PA Militia (1775-76) ·
Camp Security, York Co., Militia Records ·
Capt. Jacob Beiber's (Beaver) Company,
1776 ·
Capt. Michael Kauffelt's Company, 1781 ·
Capt. Thomas McNeery's, 8th Co., 6th Batt., (1777) ·
York Committee of Observation 1774 (Militia Officers 1776-80) |
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Click on this LINK to view our entire Source Documents Archives collection of documents for this military unit. |
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We welcome the submission of
documentation pertaining to this military unit, as well as the biographies of
persons who served therein. |
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Image
Gallery
Image
Gallery
During our research we have collected and images and
photographs that may be of interest to the history of this military
unit. Some of them are presented on
this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with
additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors
past lives and war experiences. |
Artist’s rendering of Camp Security, York County, PA |
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Use
this LINK to see the picture gallery York
County Pennsylvania Militia that pertains to this military unit. |
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If you have any
photographs or other images relating to This topic we would greatly appreciate
hearing from you. |
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Free Image Search from Google |
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Enter the
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Website Resources
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This search engine may provide you with additional |
information to assist with |
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The following are links to websites that will provide
you with specific
information to assist with your research this topic. |
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·
York County in the
American Revolution ·
Historical Background of Pennsylvania Militia ·
List of Pennsylvania Militia Units ·
John Hays Collection 1775-1827 York Co. Militia |
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Our Genealogy Reference Library |
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Within our Genealogy
Reference Library (U.S.A.) page where you will find U.S. military histories from
the American Revolution to World War One at the following link. If you are looking for the history of a
specific state or local U.S. military unit take a look in the Genealogy
Reference Library U.S.A. Locations pages.
In addition, we have general military reference texts as well as other
books that will assist you with your research. |
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All of the
records and databases listed on our Military webpage are FREE and can be
accessed and searched online without having to pay for a subscription. We try not to list any sites that have
only a few records for the purpose of getting you to a website that will
charge a fee to actually see the record beyond just a name. |
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you to our FREE Records and Databases
collections of FREE Records. |
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CONTACT INFORMATION
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need your help to keep growing! So
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