November 11, 2015
Our nation has long been grateful to our veterans, starting with the American Revolutionary War.
When Amos Barnes died in 1840 newspapers remembered him – giving the details of his life, his family and his service to the nation in a detailed obituary.
- He died 6 December 1840 in Conway, New Hampshire
- He had served as a lieutenant and was a Revolutionary War pensioner
- He was 83 years old
- His funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Wides, based on Job 7:16
- He was born in Groton, Massachusetts, the youngest of 11 children
- His father died in the French & Indian War
- At age 6 the family moved to Concord, New Hampshire
- At age 18 he enlisted in the Army
- He marched to Mystic, Connecticut
- June 1775 – he was in the Battle of Bunker Hill
- He marched to New York; then to Canada; then to Mont Independence
- December 1776 – he was with George Washington in Newtown, Pennsylvania
- December 1776 – Battle of Trenton
- His enlistment over, with an honorable discharge, he returned home to Concord, New Hampshire
- Re-enlisted January 1778, serving with George Washington in Valley Forge
- Served as Orderly Sergeant for the next two years
- June 1778 – Battle of Monmouth
- Winter 1779 – Valley Forge
- 1779-1780 – Sullivan campaign
- January 1780 – discharged, returned to Concord, New Hampshire
- November 1787 – moved to Conway, New Hampshire
- [17 July 1790] – married Polly Eastman, “second daughter of the late Richard Eastman, Esq. who, with several children, still survive…”
- Described as “a very intelligent, industrious and honest man through life”
- Served in “the last war [War of 1812], in defence of free trade and sailor’s rights”
- He was a Jeffersonian Republican, “a firm supporter of Gen. Jackson and Mr. Van Buren”
- He voted in the last election
- Late in life “with intense anxiety and fervent prayer” he turned to a deeper faith in Christ
Compact and filled with the details of his life, his obituary – like all veterans’ obituaries – makes us pause and remember his life and his service to our country.
Amos Barnes and his wife Polly were buried in the North Conway Cemetery, North Conway, New Hampshire.
Today on Veterans Day we honor and remember the efforts of all who have served our nation, from the Revolutionary War down to the troops that serve today.
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Find their stories in newspapers, such as GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives. Newspapers have recorded the lives of all Americans for the last three centuries, from 1690 to today.
Note: FamilySearch International (FamilySearch.org) and GenealogyBank are partnering to make over a billion records from recent and historical obituaries searchable online. The tremendous undertaking will make a billion records from over 100 million U.S. newspaper obituaries readily searchable online. The newspapers are from all 50 states and cover the period 1730 to the present. Find out more at: https://www.genealogybank.com/family-search/
Related Articles:
- Veterans Day Special: How to Trace Your Veteran Ancestors
- Remembering Our American Veterans on Memorial Day 2013
- Revolutionary War Ancestors’ Life Stories Are in Old Newspapers
- Find the True Life Stories of Our Revolutionary War Ancestors
- Last Veteran of the War of 1812, Hiram Cronk—Died in 1905!
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