OGS Member Family Histories

Stories of Colonial Time Ancestors

OGS members are writing histories of their Colonial Time Ancestors as part of our America250 celebration. We hope that you enjoy learning about life in those times!

Index to histories ("author: title" with short-cut links to the stories on this page):

  • More to come!
Sue McDonald: The Coffin Family: Faith and Frontier

William Coffin (1720–1803) and Priscilla Paddock (1722–1803) were married in Nantucket in 1740. Together, they raised ten children.

As members of the Quaker community on Nantucket, the Coffins were part of a society built on the whaling industry. This trade was the backbone of the Northern colonial economy, providing oil for lamps, spermaceti for candles, and essential industrial lubricants. At its peak, whaling products accounted for 53% of all Northern colonial exports to Britain.

In 1773, after nearly twenty-five years of marriage, William and Priscilla joined a "flood of Friends" migrating from Nantucket to New Garden, North Carolina. They made this journey with ten of their children, seeking new opportunities while remaining deeply rooted in their faith.

When the Revolutionary War broke out, the Coffins remained steadfast in their Quaker pacifism, refusing to participate in military action. However, the war eventually arrived at their doorstep. Following the bloody Battle of Guilford Courthouse, the New Garden Meeting House was converted into a makeshift hospital. True to their beliefs in humanity and peace, the Coffin family and their fellow Quakers provided medical care to the wounded from both sides and performed the solemn duty of burying the dead.

Anthony W. Carter: Charles Hutchings (1742-1834)

Charles Hutchings, my 5th great-grandfather, was an early participant in the Revolutionary War.

Around 1768, Charles was living on the Bagaduce Peninsula (now Castine, Maine) with his wife, Mary Perkins, and their children. In 1776 Charles enlisted in the 16th Massachusetts Provincial Militia, serving in the American campaign before Quebec. Muster rolls record he served for almost a year, from 14 January to 6 December 1776, during which time the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Charles survived the retreat from Canada and returned home to his family.

In 1779, British forces landed on the Bagaduce Peninsula to establish a fort to protect Nova Scotia, secure the Maine coast, and support their planned Loyalist colony of “New Ireland.”  Later that year, at nearby Hainey’s Point, Charles led local Patriots in firing on a British guard boat. His son William later suggested that Charles may have killed a British soldier. Mary’s fear of reprisals contributed to the family’s flight across the Penobscot River to safety.

After the war, Charles and his family rebuilt their lives in nearby Penobscot. His story—militiaman, resister, and refugee—embodies the sacrifices made by ordinary Americans whose quiet resolve helped secure the nation’s independence.

Anthony W. Carter: William Hutchings (1764-1866)

William Hutchings, my 4th great-grandfather, was one of the last living veterans of the American Revolution.

Born in York in 1764, William moved as a small child with his family to the Bagaduce Peninsula in what is now Castine, Maine. He grew up in the wilderness, where hardship and conflict shaped daily life. When British forces occupied Bagaduce in 1779 and began constructing Fort George, young William was compelled to help haul logs for the fortifications. British soldiers reportedly called him “a damned little rebel,” but gave him access to their camp.

At age sixteen, after fleeing the British occupation and living in nearby Newcastle, William’s father Charles gave him permission to join the Massachusetts militia. William served almost six months with the militia on the Kennebec River, from 26 June to 1 December 1781. Later in life he recalled that the only fighting he saw was at Castine, where he was taken prisoner but released because of his youth. William lived to be 101 years old, long enough to become one of the last Revolutionary War pensioners. His long life carried the story of the Revolution forward to generations born after the fighting ended.

Carolyn Gibbons: Colden Williams, North Carolina Revolutionary War Soldier (1763-1832)

Revolutionary War Soldier ancestor, Rev. Colden C. Williams, served North Carolina as a Private. He served under Capt. Peter Bascot and Col. Abraham Sheppard in the 10th Regiment, Continental Line for NC.

He was born on February 27, 1763, in Baltimore, Maryland or Edgecombe, NC. He ran away from home when he was 10 years old and joined the army to fight in the war. He had three brothers who served in the American Revolution. He married Mary Martha Short on March 22, 1787, in Camden, SC. Their children were Charity, Col. Willoughby, Elizabeth Thompson, Uriah Melton, William, John Calhoun, Matha Smith, Mary Polly Davis, Nancy Brown, Rachel, Rebecca, Tabitha, Mahala, and Sarah Hardin. He was an elder in the Baptist Church in Missouri. He died on January 31, 1832, at age 68 in Fayette, Howard County, Missouri and was buried in Walnut Ridge Cemetery in Fayette.

Submitted for Carolyn Gibbons, a member of both Mason County G.S. and Olympia G.S. Williams Colden DAR ID is A125907. He has forty-nine female descendants with DAR member #s. One male descendant with SAR #72500.

Carolyn Gibbons: John Boyd, North Carolina Revolutionary War Soldier (1762-1814)

Revolutionary War Soldier ancestor, John Boyd, served North Carolina and was a non-commissioned officer. He served as orderly Sargent under Rutherford. He also served under Capt. McRee in his 6th Regiment. He received a pension #W24708

He was born on 1762, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He married Caroline Ann Bone on November 16, 1779, with a bond issued in Wilkes, North Carolina. They had a daughter, Alpha Balch born in 1793 in NC and died in 1881 in Dane County, Wisconsin. He died on December 2, 1814, in Maury County, Tennessee.

Submitted for Carolyn Gibbons, a member of both the Mason County G.S. and Olympia G.S. John Boyd’s DAR ID is A013349. He has two female descendants with DAR member #s.

Carolyn Gibbons: John Rogers, North Carolina Revolutionary War Private (1723-1785)

Revolutionary War Soldier ancestor, John Rogers, served North Carolina as a Private. He served under Lieut. Col. Mebane and Col. Thomas Clark in the 1st NC Battalion.

He was born in 1723 in North Carolina. He married Martha Hill Rodgers in 1744 in Mecklenburg County, NC. Their children were John Kincaid, Elizabeth, Hugh, Joseph, Margaret, Martha Ann, Sarah “Salley”, Frances, Robert David, and Seth. He died in September 1785 in Mecklenburg County, NC. His will was probated in 1785.

Submitted for Carolyn Gibbons, a member of both Mason County G.S. and Olympia G.S. John Rogers’ Dar ID is A098085. He has ten female descendants with DAR member #s.

Carolyn Gibbons: Thomas Berry, Virginia Patriot (1718-1799)

Revolutionary War Soldier ancestor, Capt. Thomas Berry, served Virginia in patriotic service. He provided provisions. He was a Captain in the 8th Regiment of Virginia under Lieut. Richard Castin and commanded by Col. Abraham Boromas in 1777.

He was born in 1718 in Ireland. He arrived in Virginia in 1728. He married Mary Ann Buchanan in 1738 in Staunton, Augusta County, VA. She died in 1755. His second marriage was to Esther Ward in March 1757 in Augusta County, VA. His children were James, Barbara Dryden, Thomas Perry, William, Mary “Mollie” Trimble, Elizabeth “Betsy” Harris, Capt. George, Susannah McChesney, John, Francis “Frank”, Rebecca Rachel Wilcoxsen, and Esther McCord. He was living on George’s Creek in 1777 in Virginia. He died on August 20, 1799, in Abingdon, Washington County, Virginia. His will was written on Dec. 16, 1798.

Submitted for Carolyn Gibbons, a member of both Mason County G.S. and Olympia G.S. Thomas Berry’s DAR ID is A009640. He has twenty-one female descendants with DAR member #s.

Carolyn Gibbons: Thomas McNeil, New Hampshire Soldier in the Revolution (1758-1833)

Revolutionary War Soldier ancestor, Thomas McNeil, served New Hampshire and attained the rank of Sargeant. He enlisted April 12, 1777, and was discharged June 6, 1784. He served under Capt. William Scott, Capt. Asa Senter’s and Col. Joseph Cilley‘s regiment. In August 1818, he applied for a pension while residing in Addison County, VT which was allowed and he was to receive an annual allowance of $96.00.

He was born in 1758 in New Boston, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. He married Elizabeth Sabin in March 1786 in Whiting, VT. His children were Israel, John Rowen, William Bennett, Sally Irish, Thomas Payne, and Sarah. He died on July 22, 1833, in Norton, Summit County, Ohio and was buried in the Norton Center Cemetery. 

Submitted for Carolyn Gibbons, a member of both Olympia G.S. and Mason County G.S. Thomas McNeil's DAR ID is A078569. He has thirteen female descendants with DAR member #s. He has a male descendant with SAR #58319.

Carolyn Gibbons: William Goodwin Balch, North Carolina Soldier Rendering Patriotic Service (1758-1822)

Revolutionary War Soldier ancestor, William Goodwin Balch, served North Carolina in rendering patriotic service. He served in NC militia. He was a member of the Pittion Committee, and one of 52 signers in 1775.

He was born in 1758 on north side of  Deer Creek, Baltimore County, Maryland. As a child, his father moved to Mecklenburg Co., NC. He married Elizabeth Rodgers in NC. Their children were Martha, Theron Eusebius, Philonides, Ann Kincaid Campbell, and Hezekiah James. He was a farmer and moved with his family to Shelbyville, Tennessee and finally to Alabama. He died on October 14, 1822, at age of 69 at the home of his nephew, George Balch, near Moulton, Lawrence County, Alabama and was buried in the Milam Campground Cemetery in Moulton.

Submitted for Carolyn Gibbons, a member of both the Mason County G.S. and Olympia G.S. William’s DAR ID is A005164. He has eleven female descendants with DAR member #s.

Tracie Clawson: From Convict to Patriot: The Journey of William Coplin Linney

In December 1767, William Coplin Linney boarded the ship Neptune and set sail for the American Colonies—not as a willing immigrant, but as an exile. Found guilty of receiving and selling stolen iron hoops and a riveting tool, Linney had been sentenced to 14 years of exile. He left the British courtroom with a defiant parting shot directed at his accuser: “If I go for 14 years, you will be dead and damned before I come back again, and I shall be better than you.”

William Coplin Linney never returned to Great Britain.

A New Life in Virginia

The Neptune carried Linney to the shores of Virginia. By 1773, he had established himself in Orange County, where he married Ann Bell on September 11th of that year. The couple had three children—Margaret, George, and Elizabeth—before Ann passed away. Shortly thereafter, Linney married his second "Ann"-Ann Henderson Burrus, a widow who brought her daughter, Sarah, into the family. Together, William and Ann had two sons, Zachariah and Henderson.

Following the death of his second wife, Linney married for a third time, wedding Nancy Ann White, though this final union produced no children.

Supporting the Revolutionary Cause

Though Linney never marched onto the battlefield as a Revolutionary soldier, he actively supported the fight for American independence. He put his resources behind the patriot cause, a contribution officially recognized after the war. According to a June 18, 1785, document from the Louisa County Court Public Service Claims, Linney was formally reimbursed for furnishing 2,098 pounds of Indian meal to support the war effort.

Final Resting Place

By 1816, William and his wife had relocated to a large farm in Iredell County, North Carolina. It was there, on August 26, 1821, that the defiant exile-turned-patriot passed away. His wife Ann followed him just two months later, and she was laid to rest by his side on their property.

Though originally buried on the family farm, the Linneys' headstones were moved many years later to the Linneys Grove Church Cemetery in Hiddenite, Alexander County, North Carolina, where their legacy endures.