John Endicott

John Endicott

Birth 1891-12-22 Death 1952-04-02

Moses Endicott fought in the American Revolution from 1777 to 1781 as a member of the North Carolina militia and saw action throughout the Carolinas,  including in the b...

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Moses Endicott fought in the American Revolution from 1777 to 1781 as a member of the North Carolina militia and saw action throughout the Carolinas,  including in the battle of Guilford Court House, which was depicted in the 2000 film, “The Patriot,” featuring Mel Gibson.

Moses was born on 1759 in Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey, the first son of Thomas Endicott (born in 1737) and Sarah Welsh.  Moses married twice, the first time to Martha Hill in 1784 in Surry County, NC and the second time to Wilmon Nation, the widow of his Uncle Joseph Endicott, (who was born 1738).  His father, Thomas, was the one who moved a branch of the Endicott family from Kentucky to  Indiana.

 Here is Moses’s complete line in America:
    *  Gov. John Endecott (1588-1665) - Elizabeth Gibson
    *  Zerubbabel Endecott (1635-1684) - Mary Smith
    *  Joseph Endecott (1672-1747) - Hannah
    *  Joseph Endecott (1711-1748) - Ann Gillam (b.1714-1773)
    *  Thomas Endicott (March 27, 1737-January 22, 1831) – Sarah     Welsh (1742-1790
    *  Moses (October 31, 1759 – May 8, 1834)

 Moses served in the American Revolution as a Private with the North Carolina Militia.  Although the Quaker heritage kept many of the Endicotts out of the Revolutionary War, Moses was an exception.  He volunteered in October 1777 to serve as a Minute Man from Surry County, NC.  He served 3 months under Captain William Hardin in Colonel Joseph William’s regiment of militia.  From March 1778 to March 1779, he served under Captain William Underwood who commanded a company of horse in
Colonel Benjamin Cleaveland’s regiment of North Carolina troops engaged in expeditions against the Tories.

From April 1779 to March 1780, they scoured the upper part of North Carolina for the purpose of checking the outrages of Tories and the influence of the British who made great efforts to seduce the people to the cause of Great Britain.

In March 1780, he started the packing of lead from Chisler Mine on New River in Virginia for use of the Army under General Rutherford and later under General Gates. After the defeat at Camden, though, the lead packing stopped.

Moses missed the Battle of King’s Mountain because a Tory stole his  horse.  He proceeded there with an infantry company, but the battle was over before they arrived.

In the Spring of 1781, he was with the militia at the famous Battle of Guilford Court House against the British army of Lord Cornwallis.  This is the final  battle portrayed in the motion picture, “The Patriot,.”  Although the British held the field at battle’s end, their general is reported to have said that, “another such victory would destroy the British  Army.”  Of the 3,000  British regulars in the  battle, more than 700 were casualties.

As a result of the battle, Cornwallis had to stop his advance through the South and retreat to Yorktown on the Virginia coast.  That is where General  Washington’s army, assisted by a French Naval blockade, was able to trap  Cornwallis and end the Revolutionary War.

Moses then migrated to Kentucky in 1786, two years after he married  Martha Hill.  He died on May 8, 1834 and is buried in the Endicott Meeting House Cemetery.  A brother of Moses, Samuel Endicott, was the first schoolmaster of Harrison County, Kentucky.  The Endicott Meeting House is the oldest still in continual use church west of the Allegheny Mountains.

Moses’s case is extremely well documented because he applied for a pension because of his Revolutionary war service and in so doing he signed before Samuel Endicott, his younger brother and County Clerk of Harrison County, Kentucky, the following affidavit on March 12, 1833:

    On the 12th of March 1833, personally appeared in open Court before the Harrison County Court, Moses Endicott, a resident of Bourbon County in Kentucky, aged 73 years, who being first duly worn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of an act of Congress passed June 7, 1832.  That he entered the service of the United States in the month of October 1777 under the command of Captain William Hardin in Colonel Joseph Williams’ regiment of North Carolina Militia and served a tour of three months and that at the expiration of the tour, he was regularly and honorably discharged.  That afterwards about the first of March 1778 he again entered the service of the United States as a volunteer for 12 months under Captain William Underwood who commanded a company of horse in Colonel Benjamin Cleveland’s regiment of North Carolina troops and was engaged during nearly the whole tour in expeditions regiment of North Carolina troops and was engaged during nearly the whole tour in expeditions against the Tories without anything remarkable except a few unimportant skirmishes.  That at the expiration of the 12 months, he was not discharged but agreed to continue in the service under the same officers as minute man; to march at a moments warning to any point that it might be deemed important to disperse bands of Tories who were keeping the country in constant confusion or to check any invasion of the British might make.  That accordingly, from early in April 1779, they were engaged in scouring the upper part of North Carolina for the purpose of checking the outrages of Tories and influence of the British who made great efforts to seduce the people to the cause of Great Britain.  That this course was continued until about the first of March 1780 when he commenced a new service which was the packing of lead from CHISLES Mine [Chiswell Lead Mines –ed] on New River in Virginia and that he continued in this employment until a few days previous to the Battle Of Camden in which General Gates was defeated and that they were on their way to the mines when news of that defeat reached them and that circumstances stopped their trip.  The lead was packed across the mountains for the use of the Army under the command of General Rutherford and afterwards of General Gates.  After General Gates defeat, he still continued in the service and was engaged in some severe skirmishes with the Tories in Henry County, Virginia near a place called the Big Glades on New River and also in the upper part of North Carolina. A short time previous to the noted Battle of King’s Mountain, he had met with the misfortune to have his horse stolen by the Tories and by that circumstance prevents from being in that engagement.  He was on foot and with the foot soldiers had taken the route different from the Horse with the view to intercept the British commander Major Ferguson, but that the party with which he was associated did not participate in the battle.  That he continued in the service on foot about six weeks and was the permitted to go home.  But a few days after his arrival at home, news of a large collection of Tories about the Big Glades induced him again to join his company on horseback and he aided in breaking up their camp.  General Greene had taken command of our Army, and the vigilance of the British and Tories required his company to be continually on the alert and they were accordingly active all the winter.  He well recalls shortly after the Battle of the Cowpens, the Tories were rising in considerable numbers and that he was engaged in several very severe skirmishes with the British on the Reedy Fork of the HAW River.  He states that shortly after these skirmishes, indeed only a few days, the Battle of Guilford Court House was fought in the spring of 1781 after which he left the service.  He states that although he was at home repeatedly from March 1778 to March 1781, a period of three years, and that he had previously served a tour of three months under Captain Hardin.  He states that whilst so in the service of the United States, he relinquished all other pursuits.  That the great part of the time, he was in the service.  He was in North Carolina, but frequently in Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia.  That he resided in Surry County, North Carolina during his service and that he remained there after the war until 1786 when he removed to Kentucky where he now resides. He well recollects Colonel Campbell, Colonel Shelby, Major Franklin, General Rutherford, besides the officers already named.  That he was born in Burlington County, New Jersey in October 1759 and has a record of his age in an old family Bible now in his possession.  That he is well known to John Miller, N.B. Coleman, and Colonel Isaac Miller who can speak of his claims to credibility.  He states that he has no documentary evidence and knows of no person by whom he can prove his service except his younger brother, Thomas Endicott, and Mrs. Sarah Beacon, the daughter of William Hill (deceased) who served with him in the same company. The statement of his brother and Mrs. Beacon is filed herewith.  He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declared that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any State.  Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.

    S/Moses Endicott, X his mark

    Elsewhere it is recorded that Moses’s application was accepted and he drew a pension of $40 per year, to begin 4 March 1831.