PRESENTED BY THE HUNTINGTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

INTRODUCTION

The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and semiquincentennial of the Revolutionary War present us with an opportunity to remember those who went before us and the sacrifices they made to secure the liberty we enjoy today. As the Revolutionary War came to Long Island in 1776, Huntington was a hotbed of rebel activity. On August 27, 1776, the Battle of Long Island was fought across the west end of Long Island, what we now know as Brooklyn and a bit of Queens. In this first battle after the Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire Revolutionary War, the British routed General George Washington’s Continental Army and, by some accounts, thought that they had ended the war right there. But the Revolutionary War would drag on into late 1783—and Huntington would be occupied by British and loyalist troops, as well as their Hessian allies, for almost seven years. Many locals fled to Connecticut, losing their homes, farms, and fortunes, rather than live under occupation. For those who stayed in Huntington, it was a period of oppression and suffering. The following stories of Huntington during the Revolutionary War, and the biographies of the patriots who suffered so much and now rest at Huntington’s Old Burying Ground, gives us a valuable perspective on our lives, our rights and our freedoms.

Image Courtesy Huntington Militia

 

Researchers:

Jeff Richman, Lois Deragon, Michele Dubal, Liz Nash, Lucy Redmond.

Writers:

Paula Grande, Anne Kostick, Susan Rudin, Jo Ann Toto.

SEARCH PATRIOT BIOGRAPHIES

ALL PATRIOT BIOGRAPHIES

EBENEZER GOULD

GOULD, EBENEZER (1724-1804). Associator, Town of Huntington. Although there are Connecticut birth and church records and postings on Ancestry.com and Find A Grave, the information

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SILAS SAMMIS JR.

SAMMIS, JR., SILAS (1731-1803). Associator. A prominent Huntington landowner, farmer, and revolutionary signatory, Silas Sammis was born in Huntington, New York Colony, on September 13,

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WILLIAM PLEAS PLACE

PLACE, WILLIAM PLEAS (1737-1827). Associator and Huntington resident during the British occupation of the town throughout the Revolutionary War. As per his family tree posted

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SILAS SAMMIS SR.

SAMMIS, SILAS, SR. (1700 or 1701-1779). Associator, Huntington Articles of Association (1775). Silas was born in Huntington, New York, to Silas Sammis (born 1676) and

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HENRY SMITH

SMITH, HENRY (1728-1802). Associator, Huntington Articles of Association, 1775. Born in Huntington, New York Colony, on February 3, 1728 (although some records show 1729), Henry

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JONATHAN SCUDDER

SCUDDER, JONATHAN (1737-1814). Associator (signer of Huntington’s Articles of Association in 1775). As per his family tree posted on Ancestry.com, Jonathan was born on April

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EPENETUS SMITH

SMITH, EPENETUS (1759-1839). Private, Colonel Josiah Smith’s First Regiment of Minutemen (Suffolk County Militia); associator (signer of the Huntington Articles of Association). As per information

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