I am very interesting in the account of Jabez ROCKWELL being a freind of George WASHINGTON. The story of this sounds almost like a ferry tale. The one were he is in the boat on the famous ride with George. Can any one please direct me to reference for that story. If this story is true than the pictures or painting's that depick this scene has our kin Jabez in it. Jeanie Mr. Rockwell was a personal friend of Washington, and was in the same boat with him on the memorable Christmas Eve trip across the Delaware. The river was piled high with blocks of ice, and he used both hands and oars in pushing them away from the sides to prevent their crushing in their frail craft. Thank you Jeanie

Hello, Everyone, Read with interest Ken's e-mail on the 3 Jabez Rockwells. When Gail was in Connecticut several years she researched the Jabez who won the powder horn because he was a 3rd cousin of Simmons Rockwell (assuming that Lt.Jonah was Simmons' father. D. William Patterson's places him as one of the Farifield Co. Rockwells. His ancestry is as follows: John Rockwell (of Stamford) and Elizabeth Weed Thomas Rockwell and Sarah Rusco Jabez Rockwell and Kaziah (maiden name unknown) Josiah Rockwell and Mary Scott Jabez Rockwell, born 8 October 1761 in Ridgefield, Ct. I can't recall exactly but it seemed that Gail told me that towards the end of life in Pike Co. Pennsylvania he wrote down his memoirs in which he descibes how he happened to win the powder horn. He also wrote that he was with the Army on the famous Christmas Night 1777 when General Washington crossed the Delaware. Jabez said that he was assigned to the same boat with General Washington and they positioned him at the side of the boat where he had to use his bare hands to push away floating chuncks of ice that came too close. Ken, you mentioned a deposition in which he outlined his service record in applying for a pension. Is the one you have the one that is dated September 1832 and given in the Pike Co. Court House? That is the one Gail copied and sent to me. Then Ken mentioned the two other Jabez Rockwells. I would especially like to learn about the one who moved to South Hero, Vermont. My Gteat-Grandmother Lucena Barnes Rockwell's family came from there. Her father, Cullin Barnes was born there on 10 October 1800. His parents were Dr. Melvin Barnes, Sr. and Charlotte Allen. Charlotte was the daughter of Col. Ebenezer Allen and Lydia Richards from Northampton, Mass. Ebenezer was a 3rd cousin to Gen. Ethan Allen who lived over on the mainland not too far away. Both Ebenezer and Ethan led the Green Mountain Boys in the storming of Ft. Ticondaroga in 1775. Ebenezer became a judge for the Burlington District Court in 1791. Ebenezer also owned a tavern in South Hero. And that is where he and Lydia Allen received Prince Edward of England on 13 February 1793. He was on his way from Montreal to Boston. He had been Commander-in-Chief of the Army Garrison in Montreal. But he was such a brutal disciplinarian---2 or 3 of his men died as a result of this. So he was removed from his command in Montreal and ordered by his father, King George III to return to England. He came to South Hero with a retinue of 30 people. They had decided to come down Lake Champlain cross over New England to Boston would be a shorter route and going overland Canada. Edward later married and became the father of Queen Victoria. So, if anyone has any information on the Jabez Rockwell who moved to South Hero I would very much appreciate learning more about him. I believe Ken said he was a Josiah-line Rockwell. John R. --- Ken Rockwell <kwrockwell@yahoo.com> wrote: >> Hello, all: >> >> Most of us are familiar with the legend of the >> powder >> horn of Jabez Rockwell. Supposedly there was some >> sort of contest at Valley Forge, which Jabez >> Rockwell >> won. He received a powder horn from General >> Washington, and it is now in the Valley Forge >> Museum. >> This story has the feel of a "family tradition," >> supposedly passed down from the soldier to his >> descendants. But which family is involved? After >> all, we know of three different soldiers named Jabez >> Rockwell, all privates from Connecticut, as listed >> in >> the DAR Patriot Index. They are: Jabez (1740-1837) >> who lived at Danbury at the time of the Revolution >> and >> later settled at Butternuts, NY; his nephew Jabez >> (1761-1847) who lived at Ridgefield and later >> settled >> in Pike Co., Pennsylvania; and a Josiah-line Jabez >> who >> enlisted at Preston and later settled at South Hero, >> Vermont. >> >> I started wondering about the legend when I >> received >> a query from a descendant of Jabez of Danbury. >> She'd >> heard of the legend and understood it to refer to >> her >> ancestor. I, however, had gotten it into my head >> that >> it referred to the nephew who settled in >> Pennsylvania. >> What do you all think? In which family did this >> legend really arise? It's the kind of tale people >> love, and once disseminated could easily be >> "adopted" >> by the other families. But maybe you have record of >> an early account of it, which would pin this down. >> >> Before posting this query to the group, however, I >> decided to look into the evidence. On Tuesday night >> I >> found a Valley Forge website with a search function >> to >> identify soldiers who were at Valley Forge. And >> would >> you believe it? There were TWO Jabez Rockwells >> there! >> See http://165.83.115.136/VFMuster/index.htm >> One was in the 7th Connecticut Regiment, in the >> company of Capt. Thoms Converse, and was on the >> muster >> roll from December 1777 to June 1778. The other was >> in the 8th Connecticut Regiment, in the company of >> Capt. Paul Brigham; served in December 1777 and >> discharged in January 1778. >> >> Armed with these details, I went to the Family >> History >> Library yesterday. The DAR Lineage Books give a >> brief >> summary of the career of the Revolutionary ancestor >> of >> a member. For Jabez of Ridgefield (later of >> Butternuts) we read that he enlisted in 1775, in the >> 6th Connecticut Regiment of Col. Samuel H. Parsons, >> with no further details. This didn't look too good >> for the descendant's expectation that this was the >> Valley Forge contestant. >> >> The Revolutionary War Pension Application files from >> the National Archives are often quite rich with >> genealogical information and accounts of the >> soldier's >> service, allowing one to figure out where the >> soldier >> had been living and what units he had served in. >> All >> Rockwell applications are to be found on Family >> History Library Film no. 972070. There are only two >> Jabez Rockwells in the pension file, those of Pike >> County, Pennsylvania and South Hero, Vermont. The >> former, our younger Jabez in the John line, had a >> lengthy career beginning in December 1777--right for >> a >> term at Valley Forge, except he never mentions it. >> Rather he spent the winter in Westchester County, >> New >> York, having joined Capt. Knowles Seers' company in >> Col. John Mead's Regiment as a substitute for >> another >> at the age of 16. He was discharged in March, and >> joined again in September as a substitute. Several >> more terms of service followed over the next few >> years, leading up to 1781, when he was part of the >> Continental Army that headed south from Westchester >> County, NY, to Virginia. I speculated whether it >> was >> during this period, rather than at Valley Forge, >> that >> the legendary contest occurred, if this were the >> contestant. >> >> The other Jabez died in 1818, so we have only the >> second-hand recollections of his widow Deborah Ann >> (Bellows) as she applied for a widow's pension. She >> recalled his speaking of enlisting in February of >> 1777 >> under a Lt. Miles in (she thought) Col. Huntington's >> Regiment. But another document in the file states >> that he was in Colonel Swift's Regiment, and served >> from Feb. 16, 1777 to Feb. 16, 1780. The widow did >> recall her husband speaking of a Major Converse and >> thought he must have served under him, and recalled >> it >> involving the Battle of Monmouth. This is enough to >> suggest that this Jabez is the one who served under >> Capt. Thomas Converse at Valley Forge. >> >> Turning to the service records, we find three Jabez >> Rockwells listed in the index, serving in the 7th >> Connecticut Regiment, the 8th Connecticut Regiment, >> and in Capt. Peter Page's Company in Col. Moses >> Nichols' Regiment, which was raised by the state of >> New Hampshire for the defense of West Point in the >> year 1780. He entered service July 6 and was >> discharged Aug. 30, 1780. [FHL Film 1485829] We >> have >> no knowledge of a Jabez Rockwell living in New >> Hampshire at that time, which makes me suspect that >> he >> was a Connecticut resident who attached himself to >> this group after it had come south. I wonder if >> this >> was one of the numerous short-term periods of >> service >> by Jabez of Ridgefield and later of Pennsylvania. >> He >> didn't specifically refer to Nichols' Regiment, but >> his activities in 1780 were in the vicinity of New >> York. Further information about that Regiment's >> activities may show that they agree with Jabez of >> Ridgefield's account. >> >> The Jabez of the 7th Regiment has the largest file >> of >> the three, including payroll stubs and muster roll >> documents for most months from the fall of 1777 >> through 1778. His Company is first under Capt. Vine >> Elderkin, then Capt. Thomas Converse as of Dec. >> 1777. >> Each document lists his term of service as three >> years, beginning with enlistment on February 16, >> 1777. >> [FHL Film 1485602] This clearly agrees with both >> the >> file for Jabez of Preston and South Hero, who was >> thus >> at Valley Forge. If the legendary contest indeed >> took >> place there, the honor goes to the Josiah line. >> >> Finally, the 8th Regiment Jabez served in Capt. Paul >> Brigham's Company. There are muster roll documents >> for June through December of 1777. He was mustered >> out on Jan. 1st, 1778. [FHL Film 1485623] This >> means >> the second Jabez Rockwell found on the Valley Forge >> website was in a company that ended up in Valley >> Forge >> by the time his enlistment expired. As to who this >> individual is, there are no further clues. It >> cannot >> be Jabez of Ridgefield (later of Pike Co., PA), who >> deposed that he enlisted in December of 1777 and >> spent >> the winter in Westchester County, New York. So it >> is >> possible that this was his uncle, Jabez of Danbury >> (later Butternuts), given the fewness of Jabez >> Rockwells to choose from. He obviously supported >> the >> cause of independence enough to serve in 1775, so >> why >> not again when needed? It would especially make >> sense >> that the burning of Danbury, his home city, would >> prompt him to sign up once more, since that event >> immediately precedes the seven-month enlistment of >> Jabez of the 7th Regiment. >> Well, that's what I make of the evidence. Anybody >> else have further evidence to consider, or differing >> interpretations? >> >> --Ken Rockwell >> >> > > === message truncated === __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Calendar - Free online calendar with sync to Outlook(TM). http://calendar.yaho John & Jeanie Stout wrote: >I am very interesting in the account of Jabez ROCKWELL being a freind of George WASHINGTON. >The story of this sounds almost like a ferry tale. >The one were he is in the boat on the famous ride with George. > >Can any one please direct me to reference for that story. >If this story is true than the pictures or painting's that depick this scene has our kin Jabez in it. Jeanie > >Mr. Rockwell was a personal friend of Washington, and was in the same boat with him on the memorable Christmas Eve trip across the Delaware. >The river was piled high with blocks of ice, and he used both hands and oars in pushing them >away from the sides to prevent their crushing in their frail craft. > >Thank you Jeanie > > >==== PAWAYNE Mailing List ==== >If the county you are looking in borders state lines make sure to check the other state for records also. > >============================== >To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > >