During the American Revolution, officers and soldiers from Taylors Island served in the Continental Army. They were members of the Sixth Independent Maryland Company under Capt. Thomas Woolford and the "Flying Camp" under Capt. Thomas Burke. Among four hundred Marylander, they stood their ground against a British force of ten thousand seasoned troops at the battle of Long Island in August 1776. There, 256 Maryland men died and were buried in a common grave in Brooklyn. Throughout the war, George Washington depended upon the men of the "Maryland Line", and the record of their valor earned Maryland its nickname "The Old Line State."
* Source - "The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake" by William B. Cronin. 2005 The Johns Hopkins University Press.
* Source - "The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake" by William B. Cronin. 2005 The Johns Hopkins University Press.
In 1775 Capt. Benjamin Keene of Taylors Island organized a local militia battalion. Five years later Capt. John Brohawn reorganized the battalion, which was assigned to protect area residents from British invaders. They did not, however, keep the British from landing. During one episode, the invaders seized property from islanders Harry Keene, Valentine Barnes, William Barnes, and William Geohegan.
* Source - "The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake" by William B. Cronin. 2005 The Johns Hopkins University Press.
* Source - "The Disappearing Islands of the Chesapeake" by William B. Cronin. 2005 The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Here is a copy of a pension request for serving in the militia on Taylors Island:
John Stafford Revolutionary War Pension & Land Grant Application W11554
John Stafford Declaration
National Archives & Records Administration M804-2266
Transcribed by Billy Markland 12/8/00
State of Kentucky
Graves County
On this 14th day of April 1834 personally in open court before the honorable [?] [Davidge?] Judge of the Graves Circuit court now sitting John Stafford aged 67 years a resident of the said county of Graves and State of Kentucky who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832-towit he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated towit:
He states that he was born in Dorchester County Maryland on the 21st day of March 1767-he has a record of his age which proves this fact and that he first tried the service of the United States in the said county of Dorchester and state of Maryland as private militia man in the month of January 1781 and joined a company of volunteers under the command of Captain Joseph Robson with whom and under whose command he was stationed on Taylors Island about 40 miles below Annapolis on the Eastern shore of the Chesepeake bay. He states that a marauding party of the enemy landed on Taylors Island [on?] above early in the month of January 1781 and Burned and otherwise destroyed a large amount of property in consequence of which General (or Colonel) [Goldsberry?] of the Maryland militia ordered the above named Captain Joseph Robson to raise a company of the adjacent militia and station himself and company on Taylors Island for its protection. This was the company that your declarant joined in the month of January, 1781 and this was the manner of his joining towit, he was in his 15th year and was of course under his father-he states that Captain Robson was his mothers brother and his declarants father did Join said company and after having Joined [his wife personally?], called him home and he sent your declarant to secure & he your declarant was excepted [accepted?] by Captain Robson as a substitute for his father he would state that he was well grown & performed the duty of a Soldier manfully and Capt Robson stated that he would prefer him to his father-he would state that his father as well as Captain Robson lived on Taylors Island near the station and that your declarant first [began to serve?] in January 1781 for the term of three months [?] and that he Served the whole of that period which expired in March 1781 at which period the demand for the services of the company were if possible more pressing than when they first entered the service in the preceding January-the enemy now in great force had (the entire?) possession of the lower part of the Chesepeake and the Several rivers by which it was that [?] and [?] committing the most horrid ravages upon private properties-under this state of things and the term of Captain Robsons company having now expired General or Col [Goldsberry?] ordered him to raise another company to serve for six months and to station himself on Taylors Island at the same place. this order was complied with by Cap. Robson in April 1781 and your declarant joined this company or to be more particular your declarant entered the service of the United States for his 2nd time in the month of April 1781 in Dorchester County Maryland by leave of his father as a private volunteer militia man-he was stationed on Taylors Island under Captain Joseph Robson under whom and at which place he served six months in his 2nd tour and was discharged by Capt Robson late in the month of October 1781-after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown-he does not recollect whether his discharge was written or not-if written he states he has lost it-he would beg leave to present his services in one [?] [?] January 1781 in his fathers place as a volunteer under Capt Joseph Robson by order of Genl [Goldsberry?] for three months stationed on Taylors Island served the term out but was not discharged because of the enemy being now in possession of eastern parts of Virginia & no prospects of getting rid of them under six months Capt Robson was again ordered to raise another company for the period of six months and your declarant joined Capt Robson [?] towit March 1781 (without ever quitting the service) for another term of six months which he served out & was discharged as above stated in October 1781 and [?] altho he served his nine months under two engagements yet the service was one continued service at the same station and under the same officer said Capt Joseph Robson who was the commanding officer at the station during the whole time. hence in your declarants declaration which he presents as the deponent in February 1834 he did not mention the two separate engagements –your declarant would state in conclusion that the enemy approached our station and engaged it one time with the intentions of winning possession of [a landing?] but were gravely repulsed by our fire-your declarant states that he has no documentary evidence of his service and that he knows of no living witness by whom he so can prove his service-he states that he removed the year 1786 from Dorchester County Maryland to Caswell County North Carolina and from there Smith County Tennessee in 1797 and from there to Dickson County Tennessee in 1811 and from there to Graves County Kentucky in 1832 [?] where he now resides ever since & where he at present [is residing?].
He states that William [I?] Anderson, Benjamin Gilbert, John Moore, and Amos A. Atkinson are his neighbors who will bear ample testimony to his character for veracity and as to his reputation of having been a revolutionary soldier-he hereby relinquishes any claims to a pension or [bounty?] except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state or country whatever.
John Stafford
Subscribed and sworn to in
Open court this day and year aforesaid
(signature unreadable)
We Jeremiah Adams-a clergyman resident in the county of Graves and State of Tennessee and John Sullivan a resident of said county and State hereby certify that we are well acquainted with John Stafford who has subscribed and sworn the [foregoing?] declaration that we believe him to be 67 years of age and he is reputed and believed in his neighborhood where he resides [to have been?] a Soldier of the Revolution and we concur in that opinion not having any doubt whatsoever of his having been such.
Jeremiah Adams
John Sullivan
Subscribed and sworn to in
Open court the day and year aforesaid
M. Anderson clerk
John Stafford Revolutionary War Pension & Land Grant Application W11554
John Stafford Declaration
National Archives & Records Administration M804-2266
Transcribed by Billy Markland 12/8/00
State of Kentucky
Graves County
On this 14th day of April 1834 personally in open court before the honorable [?] [Davidge?] Judge of the Graves Circuit court now sitting John Stafford aged 67 years a resident of the said county of Graves and State of Kentucky who being first duly sworn according to law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed June 7th 1832-towit he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated towit:
He states that he was born in Dorchester County Maryland on the 21st day of March 1767-he has a record of his age which proves this fact and that he first tried the service of the United States in the said county of Dorchester and state of Maryland as private militia man in the month of January 1781 and joined a company of volunteers under the command of Captain Joseph Robson with whom and under whose command he was stationed on Taylors Island about 40 miles below Annapolis on the Eastern shore of the Chesepeake bay. He states that a marauding party of the enemy landed on Taylors Island [on?] above early in the month of January 1781 and Burned and otherwise destroyed a large amount of property in consequence of which General (or Colonel) [Goldsberry?] of the Maryland militia ordered the above named Captain Joseph Robson to raise a company of the adjacent militia and station himself and company on Taylors Island for its protection. This was the company that your declarant joined in the month of January, 1781 and this was the manner of his joining towit, he was in his 15th year and was of course under his father-he states that Captain Robson was his mothers brother and his declarants father did Join said company and after having Joined [his wife personally?], called him home and he sent your declarant to secure & he your declarant was excepted [accepted?] by Captain Robson as a substitute for his father he would state that he was well grown & performed the duty of a Soldier manfully and Capt Robson stated that he would prefer him to his father-he would state that his father as well as Captain Robson lived on Taylors Island near the station and that your declarant first [began to serve?] in January 1781 for the term of three months [?] and that he Served the whole of that period which expired in March 1781 at which period the demand for the services of the company were if possible more pressing than when they first entered the service in the preceding January-the enemy now in great force had (the entire?) possession of the lower part of the Chesepeake and the Several rivers by which it was that [?] and [?] committing the most horrid ravages upon private properties-under this state of things and the term of Captain Robsons company having now expired General or Col [Goldsberry?] ordered him to raise another company to serve for six months and to station himself on Taylors Island at the same place. this order was complied with by Cap. Robson in April 1781 and your declarant joined this company or to be more particular your declarant entered the service of the United States for his 2nd time in the month of April 1781 in Dorchester County Maryland by leave of his father as a private volunteer militia man-he was stationed on Taylors Island under Captain Joseph Robson under whom and at which place he served six months in his 2nd tour and was discharged by Capt Robson late in the month of October 1781-after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown-he does not recollect whether his discharge was written or not-if written he states he has lost it-he would beg leave to present his services in one [?] [?] January 1781 in his fathers place as a volunteer under Capt Joseph Robson by order of Genl [Goldsberry?] for three months stationed on Taylors Island served the term out but was not discharged because of the enemy being now in possession of eastern parts of Virginia & no prospects of getting rid of them under six months Capt Robson was again ordered to raise another company for the period of six months and your declarant joined Capt Robson [?] towit March 1781 (without ever quitting the service) for another term of six months which he served out & was discharged as above stated in October 1781 and [?] altho he served his nine months under two engagements yet the service was one continued service at the same station and under the same officer said Capt Joseph Robson who was the commanding officer at the station during the whole time. hence in your declarants declaration which he presents as the deponent in February 1834 he did not mention the two separate engagements –your declarant would state in conclusion that the enemy approached our station and engaged it one time with the intentions of winning possession of [a landing?] but were gravely repulsed by our fire-your declarant states that he has no documentary evidence of his service and that he knows of no living witness by whom he so can prove his service-he states that he removed the year 1786 from Dorchester County Maryland to Caswell County North Carolina and from there Smith County Tennessee in 1797 and from there to Dickson County Tennessee in 1811 and from there to Graves County Kentucky in 1832 [?] where he now resides ever since & where he at present [is residing?].
He states that William [I?] Anderson, Benjamin Gilbert, John Moore, and Amos A. Atkinson are his neighbors who will bear ample testimony to his character for veracity and as to his reputation of having been a revolutionary soldier-he hereby relinquishes any claims to a pension or [bounty?] except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state or country whatever.
John Stafford
Subscribed and sworn to in
Open court this day and year aforesaid
(signature unreadable)
We Jeremiah Adams-a clergyman resident in the county of Graves and State of Tennessee and John Sullivan a resident of said county and State hereby certify that we are well acquainted with John Stafford who has subscribed and sworn the [foregoing?] declaration that we believe him to be 67 years of age and he is reputed and believed in his neighborhood where he resides [to have been?] a Soldier of the Revolution and we concur in that opinion not having any doubt whatsoever of his having been such.
Jeremiah Adams
John Sullivan
Subscribed and sworn to in
Open court the day and year aforesaid
M. Anderson clerk
