Thomas Caryl: Revolutionary War patriot, minuteman from Hubbardston MA

Introduction

      This is my second year writing a blogpost on July 4th for an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War. 

      This year, I am selecting Thomas Caryl, one of my 4th great-grandfathers on my mother's paternal side. My mother's paternal lineage was Caryl, although this surname became Carroll after the major influx of Irish immigrants. 

Map of Residences

Residences of Thomas Caryl: Hopkinton MA, Hubbardston MA, Chester VT.
Thomas and Esther married in Dedham MA.

Early Life

      According to the town records of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Thomas Cariel, son of  Benjamin and Mary, was born April 18, 1740. Thomas Carril, son of Benjamin, was baptized April 20, 1740, in Christ Church. Our ancestors were quite lenient when it came to spelling and it was noted that the surname could be Carril, Cariel, Carrel, Carrell, Carryl, Caryel or Caryl! In these same town records, we see birth and baptism records for many of his siblings.

      Joseph, born February 13, 1727/1728.      

      Jonathan, b. March 7, 1729/1730.

      Benjamin, baptized April 22, 1732.

      Asa, bp. March 5, 1734/1735.

      Mary, b. October 17, 1737.

      Sarah, bp. April 30, 1743.

      Elizabeth, b. 20 May 1745; bp. June 2, 1745.

      Martha, bp. 1749.

      Lois, bp. July 7, 1751.

      Birth dates came from town records. Baptism dates came from the church records of Christ Church, a Congregational Church. 

     

      The double-dates, e.g., February 3, 1727/1728, reflect the Old Style date and the New Style date. Prior to 1752, March 25 was the first day of the Old Style year. As a result, dates between January 1 and March 24 are recorded with double dates. So February 3, 1727/1728, would have been considered 1727 by the calendar of the day, but based on today's calendar, the year would have been 1728.

       Thomas' parents were Benjamin Caryl and Mary Knowlton, and they were married September 28, 1727, in Christ Church, in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. The Caryl family was very early in Salem, Massachusetts, where Nathaniel Caryl married Mary in about 1661. The Knowlton family was very early in Ipswich, Massachusetts, having sailed from London in about 1632-1634. 

Marriage and Family

      Thomas Caryl married Esther Wight on October 11, 1769, in Dedham, Massachusetts.  The marriage intention was recorded July 12 in Dedham (residence of the bride), and on July 16 in Hopkinton (residence of the groom).  A marriage intention was typically filed with the town clerk and posted in public places to put communiti(es) on notice in case there were any objections to the marriage... Thomas and Esther had 14 children together, 8 sons and 6 daughters. Ten of the children reached adulthood. 

Their first daughter appears to have been born in Hopkinton and baptized in Christ Church.   

      Ireana, b. July 22, 1770. Baptized July 29, 1770.

      According to a deed dated September 25, 1770, Thomas and his brother Jonathan bought a 2/3 interest in a 600 acre tract at Hubbardston, known as Great Farm No. 18. They bought this land from Colonel John Murray of Rutland, who held the mortgage. Thomas and Jonathan moved there in the summer of 1770, but presumably after the christening of daughter Ireana. Their brother Joseph also settled in Hubbardston, but never owned land there. 

Several of their children were born in Hubbardston, Massachusetts.

      Lanson [Lawson], son, b. July 31, 1772.

      Rufus, son, b. April 9, 1774.

      Leonilly, daughter, b. May 10, 1776.      

      [unnamed son] [Hollis], b. April 28, 1778.  (Private record of Doctors Moses Phelps). 

        

      According to a list of freemen of Chester dated September 7, 1778, both Thomas Caryl and John Caryl were freemen, so Thomas must have moved to Chester, Windsor County, Vermont, by late 1778. This is the case even though his property in Hubbardston was not sold until 1785-1788, according to the dates on deeds. On the other hand, Thomas Caryl is listed as a selectman of Hubbardston in 1778, so he must have resided in Hubbardston for part of 1778.

NOTE: A freeman is a free male, not subject to slavery or indentured servitude or any probationary period imposed by a town. Freemen were allowed to vote.

NOTE: Selectmen were elected in town meetings in early New England. There were typically 3-9 selectmen for a given town and they had both legislative and executive responsibilities. Specific responsibilities varied, but tended to include town watch, local licensing and poor relief.

          

The births of the following children were recorded in Chester, Vermont.

      Benjamin, b. March 23, 1780.

      Thomas Caryl Jr., b. March 7, 1782.

      Esther, b. December 29, 1783.

      Fanny, b. March 8, 1786.

      Hannah, b. February 1, 1788.

      George, b. December 3, 1789.

      Amasa, b. January 3, 1792.

      Clarice, b. May 13, 1794. 

      Moses, b. February 20, 1796.

On the other hand, I have seen instances where multiple children are mentioned in town records, but some of the children were born in a previous community. 

      

      In the 1790 census, Thomas Caryl was living in Chester, Vermont, with his wife, 6 sons and 3 daughters. The children ranged in age from less than a year old to about 20 years old. Daughters Leonilly and Fanny had both died as young children.

      

      In the 1800 census, Thomas Caryl was living in Chester with his wife Esther, 4 of his sons and 2 of his daughters. The children ranged in age from about 6 to about 22 years old. His daughter Ireana had married and 2 sons, Thomas Jr. and Moses, had died. Furthermore, Hannah does not appear to be counted. The oldest 2 boys, Lawson and Rufus (age 28 and age 26) appear to be gone from the household.

      In the 1810 census, Thomas was still living in Chester. Also in the household were his wife, 2 of his sons and 2 of his daughters. 

      According to the Wight genealogy, Thomas's son George was killed during the War of 1812. He was killed on August 14, 1813, by a ball from a British cannon at Fort George, Canada. Fort George is on Lake Ontario, near Niagara Falls.

      On July 24, 1816, Thomas Caryl died in Chester, Vermont. About 7 years later, on February 22, 1823, Thomas's wife, Esther Wight Caryl, died in Chester. When I visited Chester in 1996, I attempted to find their tombstones, but without success.  But there is an alternative, and probably, better theory. Find A Grave (#107169940) states that she died in Boston and was buried in Central Burying Ground. This appears to be based on an extraction from the 26 FEB 1823 edition of the Columbian Centinel newspaper. Since her eldest son Lawson was a carpenter in Boston in 1823, I suspect that was why she was in Boston.

Revolutionary War Service 

      There are 4 references to Thomas Caryl's service in Massachusetts and 2 references to his service in Vermont. The references for Massachusetts are listed below. The references for Vermont are listed towards the end of the blog.

1. Thomas Carryll, Hubbardston. Sergeant, Captain William Marean's Company of Minutemen, Col. Doolittle's regiment, which marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775. Service, 8 days. 
1. His brother Joseph also served. He was a private and served 11 days. 
2. Thomas Caryl, Hubbardston. Captain Adam Wheeler's Company, Col. Doolittle's regiment. Receipt for advance pay dated Camp at Charlestown, July 13, 1775.
3. Thomas Caryal, Hubbardston. Private, Captain Adam Wheeler's Company, Col. Ephraim Doolittle's Regiment. Company return dated Camp at Winter Hill, Oct. 6, 1775. 
4. Thomas Caryl. 2nd Lieutenant, Captain John Woods's (7th) Company, Col. Grout's (7th Worcester County) regiment. List of officers of Mass. Militia. Commissioned June 22, 1780.

At this time, I am ignoring item #4. This Thomas Caryl is not mentioned as being of "Hubbardston". On the other hand, he appeared to be a resident of Worcester County, which is where Hubbardston is located. 

      As of July 2023, I have not seen any DAR or SAR applications for Thomas Caryl!    

Lexington Alarm

      Early in the morning of April 19, 1775, the first shots of the war were fired at Lexington Green. Word of the fighting, via men on horseback, reached Hubbardston and nearby communities later in the day, sometime after noon. In Hubbardston, 30 militiamen, under Captain William Marean, joined up with the Continental Army for the first several days of the war. They joined with the 18th Massachusetts Regiment under Colonel Ephraim Doolittle.

      Minutemen were promised two dollars bounty for their service, but were not paid until almost 3 years later due to limited funds in Hubbardston. Twelve shillings each were paid to 17 of the minutemen, including Joseph Caryl, brother of Thomas. The History of Hubbardston speculates that the other 13 may have seen shorter service. Still, it is documented that Thomas Caryl was among those who responded to the "Lexington Alarm".

From Hubbardston to Concord and Lexington; 
Posts at Charlestown and Winter Hill

Siege of Boston

      Thomas then served in Captain Adam Wheeler's Company, again in Ephraim Doolittle's Regiment. Adam Wheeler was a prominent resident of Hubbardston and a deacon. He served in the French and Indian Wars and as a minuteman during the Lexington Alarm. He was a captain in two different Massachusetts regiments and served until 1779. Thomas Caryl served in Adam Wheeler's company both at Charlestown and Winter Hill in 1775.

      Basically, the time period from April 1775 - March 1776 was considered the Siege of Boston. The fort at Winter Hill was a critical stronghold during this siege and one of the most extensive sites of entrenchments.

1777 map by Henry Pelham and Francis Jukes. 

      In the above map, Boston is in the lower left, Charlestown is a peninsula in the lower center, between Willis Creek and Medford River. Winter Hill Fort is the whitish circle in the top right corner.

Civil/Patriotic Service in Vermont

      Thomas Caryl was a Highway Surveyor in 1781 for Chester, Vermont.

      Thomas Caryl was a Representative to the Vermont Congress in 1782, representing Chester.

Sources

Aldrich, Lewis Cass and Frank R. Holmes, editors. "History of Windsor County, VT". Syracuse, New York: D. Mason & Co., Publishers, 1891. p. 670-671.

Ancestry.com. 1790 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

- Vermont, Windsor County, Chester, p. 295.

Ancestry.com. 1800 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

- Vermont, Windsor County, Chester, p. 310, image 303.

Ancestry.com. 1810 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

-Vermont, Windsor County, Chester, p. 442, image 322.

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Soldiers and Sailors in the Revolutionary War [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. ORIGINAL DATA: Massachusetts. Secretary of the Commonwealth. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. Vol. 1-17. Boston, MA, USA: Wright & Potter Printing, 1896-1908.

- page/image 147, Joseph Carryl.

- page/image 148, Thomas Carryll.

- page/image 180, Thomas Caryal and Caryl.

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. ORIGINAL DATA: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).

- Hopkinton Births, p. 45-46, birth of Thomas Cariel, baptism of Thomas Carril, etc.

- Hopkinton Marriages, p. 239-240, Thomas Caryl and Esther Wight.

- Hubbardston Births, p. 21, birth of children of Thomas Caryl.

Ancestry.com. U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

- Massachusetts, Columbian Centinel, Death, Caban-Cypriano, image 141. (page 821)

Caryl, Arthur S. "The Caryl famly in England and America being a genealogical history of the family of this name supported by pedigrees, historical papers, vital statistics, documents, inscriptions from monuments, church and parish records, etc., in England and New England"; New York: Private printing, 1937. p. 53.

Comstock, John M. (editor); "A list of the principal civil officers of Vermont from 1777 to 1918. Being a revision and enlargement of 'Deming's Vermont officers'"; St. Albans, Vermont: St. Albans Messenger Co., 1918, p. 108.

https://archive.org/details/listofprincipalc00verm/page/366/mode/2up

Fisher, Carleton E. and Sue G. (compilers); "Soldiers, Sailors, and Patriots of the Revolutionary War, Vermont"; Camden, Maine: Picton Press, 1992. 

The Gardner News; 5 JUL 2016; "Roots of freedom ring deep in North Central Massachusetts towns". https://www.thegardnernews.com/article/20160705/NEWS/307059382

Jones, Matt Bushnell; "History of the Town of Waitsfield, Vermont 1782-1908 with Family Genealogies"; George E. Littlefield; Boston, Massachusetts; 1909.

Massachusetts Historical Society, "Robert Treat Paine Papers, Volume 4"; National Historical Publications and Records Commission; 2021;

http://www.masshist.org/publications/rtpp/index.php/volume/RTP4/pageid/RTP4p375

- Adam Wheeler.

Pelham, Henry and Francis Jukes; "A plan of Boston in New England with its environs, including Milton Dorchester, Roxbury, Brooklin, Cambridge, Medford, Charlestown, parts of Malden and Chelsea with the military works constructed in those places in the years 1775 and 1776"; London; 1777; map.

https://www.loc.gov/item/gm71000619/

Stowe, Rev. J. M.; "History of the Town of Hubbardston, Worcester County, Mass: From the Time Its Territory was Purchased of the Indians in 1686, to the Present"; The Committee; Hubbardston, Mass.;  1881, pages 43-44, 209.

https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofh00stow

Vermont. Windsor. Chester. "Town & Vital Records/Deeds, Volume C." Page 45.

Wight, William Ward; "The Wights: a record of Thomas Wight of Dedham and Medfield and of his descendants, 1635-1890". Milwaukee: Swain & Tate, 1890. p. 47, 80, 81.

Wikipedia; "List of Continental Army units (1775)"; last updated 27 March 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Continental_Army_units_(1775)