The Family of Captain Matthew Mead and Mary Bush Mead of Greenwich, Connecticut
Captain Matthew Mead was born in 1734 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut, the son of John Mead (1682-1759) and Elizabeth Lockwood (1707-1785), both of Greenwich. His grandfather was Constable John Mead, born about 1658 (died May 12, 1691), whose marriage to Ruth Hard(e)y was the first marriage that was recorded in the Town of Greenwich on October 27, 1681.
He married Mary Bush in 1759 in Greenwich. She was the daughter of Justus Bosch/Bush and Elizabeth "Ann" Belden. She was born on February 3, 1741/42 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
The children of Matthew Mead and Mary Bush were:
• Elizabeth "Betsey" Mead, b. December 11, 1760, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. 1844, New York City, New York; m. John Brown, May 1780, Greenwich; b. March 14, 1760, Greenwich; d. April 22, 1815, New York, New York.
• Ruth Mead, b. January 25, 1762, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. July 12, 1841, West Neck, Huntington, Suffolk, L.I., New York; m. Benajah Bouton, ca. 1783, Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York; b. October 31, 1760, Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York; d. October 03, 1832, West Neck, Huntington, L.I., New York.
• Mary Mead, b. January 10, 1765, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. Bef. 1813, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Alexander Grigg, ca. 1786, Greenwich; b. ca. 1761, Greenwich; d. ca. 1798, Greenwich.
• Matthew Mead, Jr., b. May 18, 1767, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. June 16, 1851, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Nancy Hobby, March 15, 1791, Greenwich; b. January 14, 1767, Greenwich; d. May 26, 1856, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
• Justus Bush Mead, b. June 30, 1769, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. March 24, 1849, Greenwich; m. Mary "Polly" Knapp, December 25, 1797, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. September 06, 1780, Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. April 04, 1849, Greenwich.
• Anna Mead, b. July 04, 1771, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. after 1813, Connecticut; m. Samuel Denton, ca. 1792, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. ca. 1767.
• Rebecca Mead, b. July 10, 1773, Greenwich; d. December 03, 1855, Greenwich; m. William Gilmore, ca. 1794, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. ca. 1769; d. Aft. December 03, 1855.
• Charity Mead, b. October 20, 1775, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. April 01, 1849, Greenwich; m. Walter Howell, ca. 1796, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. December 10, 1772; d. December 14, 1847, Greenwich.
• Sally Mead, b. November 28, 1777, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. May 01, 1857, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Thaddeus Fancher, May 27, 1798, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. August 12, 1777; d. December 26, 1854.
• Amos Mead, b. May 04, 1779, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. September 16, 1860, Greenwich, Huron County, Ohio; m. Catharine White, ca. 1802, probably Connecticut; b. November 09, 1782, Connecticut; d. January 06, 1850, Greenwich, Huron County, Ohio.
• Pamelia Bush Mead, b. January 21, 1784, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. February 08, 1857, Greenwich; m. Stephen Marshall, November 01, 1807, Greenwich; b. April 23, 1783, Greenwich; d. December 03, 1855, Greenwich.
• Bush Mead, b. August 05, 1786, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. January 13, 1860, Greenwich; m. Sarah Wilson, ca. 1812, Greenwich; b. ca. 1791, probably Connecticut; d. July 06, 1847, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Matthew Mead served in the military as an Ensign in the French-Indian War, campaign of 1762. He also served in the Revolutionary War as a private, Continental Army, 5th Regt. Under Colonel Waterbury, May 30-December 11, 1775. He was subsequently Captain in the Connecticut Militia, Ninth Regiment, 1776-77. He was a younger brother of Brigadier General John Mead who for three years commanded the American Lines at Horseneck.
The website of the "Captain Matthew Mead" chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution - http://www.connecticutsar.org/patriots/mead_matthew.htm - presents the following about his Revolutionary War service compiled by Raymond M. Owen, Jr., and Gladys Husted Rungee Owen, great great granddaughter of Captain Mead:
====
Matthew Mead was commissioned Captain of the New Company or Train Band in the Town of Greenwich at the May session of the Connecticut General Assembly in 1773. At a special Town Meeting held March 11,1777, he was appointed a member of the Committee of Safety and Inspection together with Joshua Ferris, Robert Peck, Nehemiah Mead, Thaddeus Mead, Lieutenant Seth Palmer, and Gershom Lockwood. The Town voted to send for the "six four-pound cannon and shot for the same" which had been granted to it at the November 1776, General Assembly.
Captain Matthew Mead's Company served under his older brother, Lieutenant Colonel John Mead (1725-1790), the commanding officer of the Ninth Regiment, Fourth Brigade, Connecticut Militia, comprised of various companies located in the towns of Norwalk, Stamford, and Greenwich. John had been offered a Captain's Commission in the British Army by King George, but turned it down to serve in our army, becoming a full Colonel in May 1777 and a Brigadier General in May 1781.
Captain Matthew Mead's Company had John Knapp as Lieutenant, Isaac Howe as ensign, six sergeants, and thirty-one privates, a total of forty men in all, to protect Horseneck. This was the First Detail. The Company, which was ordered to New York in 1776, took part in the Battle of Long Island August 27, 1776. The First Detail served during the months of August and September, and the Second Detail served during October, November, and December 1776 and January 1777. Captain Mead served with his men in both Details, whose composition was not identical. In the Second Detail Captain Mead had Isaac Howe, ensign, seven sergeants, two corporals, and twenty-five privates, a total of thirty-six.
He was in one of the last regiments, under General Israel Putnam, in the retreat from New York City to Harlem (Washington Heights). It has been said that during the retreat General Putnam with 4,000 men was left as a rear guard while the main army under General Washington took a position on Harlem Heights. When General Washington heard that the British General Clinton had landed in New York September 19, 1776, he sent a hurried order to General Putnam to evacuate the city and join him on Harlem Heights. Putnam was ignorant of the route leading from the city, and his aide, Aaron Burr, offered to guide the troops. He got lost, and Captain Mead's Company suffered losses in a skirmish with the pursuing British Light Calvary.
After the retreat they were posted on Harlem Heights and remained there until the Battle of White Plains on October 28, 1776, in which they were engaged and suffered considerable losses. After the battle the Connecticut General Assembly ordered the Ninth, Tenth, Thirteenth, and Sixteenth Regiments of Connecticut to march to the Westchester border and place themselves under the command of General Wooster. Later the State regiments under the command of Colonel Enos and Colonel Whiting relieved them.
On December 19, 1778, Captain Matthew Mead was again, with six others, made a member of the Committee of Safety and Inspection. This group was to check the guns, ammunition, and food supplies for those who remained in Greenwich and to see to their safety.
During the Revolution Greenwich was a burr in the side of the British. General Tryon called the people of Greenwich "swamp rats" because after they attacked British supply ships on Long Island Sound and were pursued by warships, they disappeared into the swamps and small bays on the Connecticut shore. On more than one occasion small boats fled across the shallow sandbars where the pursuing enemy ships went aground, to the great amusement of the natives who gathered on the shore to watch.
The British General Tryon made his historical raid on Greenwich February 26, 1779. He had three objectives: the Cos Cob salt flats, the raiding of the fleet of small whaleboats, and the horse farms. The possible capture of General Putnam was an added inducement. General Putnam, however, made his famous escape down Put's Hill.
At the time of Tryon's Raid, Captain Mead's house was situated on the Post Road to the west of Mead Tavern (corner of Putnam Avenue and Lafayette Place) with an old house in between. By the end of the war Mead was a Major.
====
Matthew died in 1812 in Greenwich. Mary died in 1813 in Greenwich. They were buried in Mary Bush Mead's family (Bush) vault, which was where the Greenwich Boys' Club is now located. The vault and its remains have been moved to the Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich, where it is today.
Submitted by Sandra Johnson Witt, her fifth great granddaughter, on July 19, 2011
Putnam Cemetery Section B (The remains in this section were transferred from the Bush Family Vault in Greenwich in 1857).
Captain Matthew Mead was born in 1734 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut, the son of John Mead (1682-1759) and Elizabeth Lockwood (1707-1785), both of Greenwich. His grandfather was Constable John Mead, born about 1658 (died May 12, 1691), whose marriage to Ruth Hard(e)y was the first marriage that was recorded in the Town of Greenwich on October 27, 1681.
He married Mary Bush in 1759 in Greenwich. She was the daughter of Justus Bosch/Bush and Elizabeth "Ann" Belden. She was born on February 3, 1741/42 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
The children of Matthew Mead and Mary Bush were:
• Elizabeth "Betsey" Mead, b. December 11, 1760, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. 1844, New York City, New York; m. John Brown, May 1780, Greenwich; b. March 14, 1760, Greenwich; d. April 22, 1815, New York, New York.
• Ruth Mead, b. January 25, 1762, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. July 12, 1841, West Neck, Huntington, Suffolk, L.I., New York; m. Benajah Bouton, ca. 1783, Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York; b. October 31, 1760, Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York; d. October 03, 1832, West Neck, Huntington, L.I., New York.
• Mary Mead, b. January 10, 1765, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. Bef. 1813, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Alexander Grigg, ca. 1786, Greenwich; b. ca. 1761, Greenwich; d. ca. 1798, Greenwich.
• Matthew Mead, Jr., b. May 18, 1767, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. June 16, 1851, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Nancy Hobby, March 15, 1791, Greenwich; b. January 14, 1767, Greenwich; d. May 26, 1856, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
• Justus Bush Mead, b. June 30, 1769, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. March 24, 1849, Greenwich; m. Mary "Polly" Knapp, December 25, 1797, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. September 06, 1780, Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. April 04, 1849, Greenwich.
• Anna Mead, b. July 04, 1771, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. after 1813, Connecticut; m. Samuel Denton, ca. 1792, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. ca. 1767.
• Rebecca Mead, b. July 10, 1773, Greenwich; d. December 03, 1855, Greenwich; m. William Gilmore, ca. 1794, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. ca. 1769; d. Aft. December 03, 1855.
• Charity Mead, b. October 20, 1775, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. April 01, 1849, Greenwich; m. Walter Howell, ca. 1796, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. December 10, 1772; d. December 14, 1847, Greenwich.
• Sally Mead, b. November 28, 1777, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. May 01, 1857, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Thaddeus Fancher, May 27, 1798, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. August 12, 1777; d. December 26, 1854.
• Amos Mead, b. May 04, 1779, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. September 16, 1860, Greenwich, Huron County, Ohio; m. Catharine White, ca. 1802, probably Connecticut; b. November 09, 1782, Connecticut; d. January 06, 1850, Greenwich, Huron County, Ohio.
• Pamelia Bush Mead, b. January 21, 1784, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. February 08, 1857, Greenwich; m. Stephen Marshall, November 01, 1807, Greenwich; b. April 23, 1783, Greenwich; d. December 03, 1855, Greenwich.
• Bush Mead, b. August 05, 1786, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. January 13, 1860, Greenwich; m. Sarah Wilson, ca. 1812, Greenwich; b. ca. 1791, probably Connecticut; d. July 06, 1847, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Matthew Mead served in the military as an Ensign in the French-Indian War, campaign of 1762. He also served in the Revolutionary War as a private, Continental Army, 5th Regt. Under Colonel Waterbury, May 30-December 11, 1775. He was subsequently Captain in the Connecticut Militia, Ninth Regiment, 1776-77. He was a younger brother of Brigadier General John Mead who for three years commanded the American Lines at Horseneck.
The website of the "Captain Matthew Mead" chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution - http://www.connecticutsar.org/patriots/mead_matthew.htm - presents the following about his Revolutionary War service compiled by Raymond M. Owen, Jr., and Gladys Husted Rungee Owen, great great granddaughter of Captain Mead:
====
Matthew Mead was commissioned Captain of the New Company or Train Band in the Town of Greenwich at the May session of the Connecticut General Assembly in 1773. At a special Town Meeting held March 11,1777, he was appointed a member of the Committee of Safety and Inspection together with Joshua Ferris, Robert Peck, Nehemiah Mead, Thaddeus Mead, Lieutenant Seth Palmer, and Gershom Lockwood. The Town voted to send for the "six four-pound cannon and shot for the same" which had been granted to it at the November 1776, General Assembly.
Captain Matthew Mead's Company served under his older brother, Lieutenant Colonel John Mead (1725-1790), the commanding officer of the Ninth Regiment, Fourth Brigade, Connecticut Militia, comprised of various companies located in the towns of Norwalk, Stamford, and Greenwich. John had been offered a Captain's Commission in the British Army by King George, but turned it down to serve in our army, becoming a full Colonel in May 1777 and a Brigadier General in May 1781.
Captain Matthew Mead's Company had John Knapp as Lieutenant, Isaac Howe as ensign, six sergeants, and thirty-one privates, a total of forty men in all, to protect Horseneck. This was the First Detail. The Company, which was ordered to New York in 1776, took part in the Battle of Long Island August 27, 1776. The First Detail served during the months of August and September, and the Second Detail served during October, November, and December 1776 and January 1777. Captain Mead served with his men in both Details, whose composition was not identical. In the Second Detail Captain Mead had Isaac Howe, ensign, seven sergeants, two corporals, and twenty-five privates, a total of thirty-six.
He was in one of the last regiments, under General Israel Putnam, in the retreat from New York City to Harlem (Washington Heights). It has been said that during the retreat General Putnam with 4,000 men was left as a rear guard while the main army under General Washington took a position on Harlem Heights. When General Washington heard that the British General Clinton had landed in New York September 19, 1776, he sent a hurried order to General Putnam to evacuate the city and join him on Harlem Heights. Putnam was ignorant of the route leading from the city, and his aide, Aaron Burr, offered to guide the troops. He got lost, and Captain Mead's Company suffered losses in a skirmish with the pursuing British Light Calvary.
After the retreat they were posted on Harlem Heights and remained there until the Battle of White Plains on October 28, 1776, in which they were engaged and suffered considerable losses. After the battle the Connecticut General Assembly ordered the Ninth, Tenth, Thirteenth, and Sixteenth Regiments of Connecticut to march to the Westchester border and place themselves under the command of General Wooster. Later the State regiments under the command of Colonel Enos and Colonel Whiting relieved them.
On December 19, 1778, Captain Matthew Mead was again, with six others, made a member of the Committee of Safety and Inspection. This group was to check the guns, ammunition, and food supplies for those who remained in Greenwich and to see to their safety.
During the Revolution Greenwich was a burr in the side of the British. General Tryon called the people of Greenwich "swamp rats" because after they attacked British supply ships on Long Island Sound and were pursued by warships, they disappeared into the swamps and small bays on the Connecticut shore. On more than one occasion small boats fled across the shallow sandbars where the pursuing enemy ships went aground, to the great amusement of the natives who gathered on the shore to watch.
The British General Tryon made his historical raid on Greenwich February 26, 1779. He had three objectives: the Cos Cob salt flats, the raiding of the fleet of small whaleboats, and the horse farms. The possible capture of General Putnam was an added inducement. General Putnam, however, made his famous escape down Put's Hill.
At the time of Tryon's Raid, Captain Mead's house was situated on the Post Road to the west of Mead Tavern (corner of Putnam Avenue and Lafayette Place) with an old house in between. By the end of the war Mead was a Major.
====
Matthew died in 1812 in Greenwich. Mary died in 1813 in Greenwich. They were buried in Mary Bush Mead's family (Bush) vault, which was where the Greenwich Boys' Club is now located. The vault and its remains have been moved to the Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich, where it is today.
Submitted by Sandra Johnson Witt, her fifth great granddaughter, on July 19, 2011
Putnam Cemetery Section B (The remains in this section were transferred from the Bush Family Vault in Greenwich in 1857).
The Family of Captain Matthew Mead and Mary Bush Mead of Greenwich, Connecticut
Captain Matthew Mead was born in 1734 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut, the son of John Mead (1682-1759) and Elizabeth Lockwood (1707-1785), both of Greenwich. His grandfather was Constable John Mead, born about 1658 (died May 12, 1691), whose marriage to Ruth Hard(e)y was the first marriage that was recorded in the Town of Greenwich on October 27, 1681.
He married Mary Bush in 1759 in Greenwich. She was the daughter of Justus Bosch/Bush and Elizabeth "Ann" Belden. She was born on February 3, 1741/42 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
The children of Matthew Mead and Mary Bush were:
• Elizabeth "Betsey" Mead, b. December 11, 1760, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. 1844, New York City, New York; m. John Brown, May 1780, Greenwich; b. March 14, 1760, Greenwich; d. April 22, 1815, New York, New York.
• Ruth Mead, b. January 25, 1762, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. July 12, 1841, West Neck, Huntington, Suffolk, L.I., New York; m. Benajah Bouton, ca. 1783, Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York; b. October 31, 1760, Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York; d. October 03, 1832, West Neck, Huntington, L.I., New York.
• Mary Mead, b. January 10, 1765, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. Bef. 1813, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Alexander Grigg, ca. 1786, Greenwich; b. ca. 1761, Greenwich; d. ca. 1798, Greenwich.
• Matthew Mead, Jr., b. May 18, 1767, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. June 16, 1851, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Nancy Hobby, March 15, 1791, Greenwich; b. January 14, 1767, Greenwich; d. May 26, 1856, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
• Justus Bush Mead, b. June 30, 1769, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. March 24, 1849, Greenwich; m. Mary "Polly" Knapp, December 25, 1797, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. September 06, 1780, Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. April 04, 1849, Greenwich.
• Anna Mead, b. July 04, 1771, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. after 1813, Connecticut; m. Samuel Denton, ca. 1792, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. ca. 1767.
• Rebecca Mead, b. July 10, 1773, Greenwich; d. December 03, 1855, Greenwich; m. William Gilmore, ca. 1794, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. ca. 1769; d. Aft. December 03, 1855.
• Charity Mead, b. October 20, 1775, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. April 01, 1849, Greenwich; m. Walter Howell, ca. 1796, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. December 10, 1772; d. December 14, 1847, Greenwich.
• Sally Mead, b. November 28, 1777, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. May 01, 1857, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Thaddeus Fancher, May 27, 1798, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. August 12, 1777; d. December 26, 1854.
• Amos Mead, b. May 04, 1779, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. September 16, 1860, Greenwich, Huron County, Ohio; m. Catharine White, ca. 1802, probably Connecticut; b. November 09, 1782, Connecticut; d. January 06, 1850, Greenwich, Huron County, Ohio.
• Pamelia Bush Mead, b. January 21, 1784, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. February 08, 1857, Greenwich; m. Stephen Marshall, November 01, 1807, Greenwich; b. April 23, 1783, Greenwich; d. December 03, 1855, Greenwich.
• Bush Mead, b. August 05, 1786, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. January 13, 1860, Greenwich; m. Sarah Wilson, ca. 1812, Greenwich; b. ca. 1791, probably Connecticut; d. July 06, 1847, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Matthew Mead served in the military as an Ensign in the French-Indian War, campaign of 1762. He also served in the Revolutionary War as a private, Continental Army, 5th Regt. Under Colonel Waterbury, May 30-December 11, 1775. He was subsequently Captain in the Connecticut Militia, Ninth Regiment, 1776-77. He was a younger brother of Brigadier General John Mead who for three years commanded the American Lines at Horseneck.
The website of the "Captain Matthew Mead" chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution - http://www.connecticutsar.org/patriots/mead_matthew.htm - presents the following about his Revolutionary War service compiled by Raymond M. Owen, Jr., and Gladys Husted Rungee Owen, great great granddaughter of Captain Mead:
====
Matthew Mead was commissioned Captain of the New Company or Train Band in the Town of Greenwich at the May session of the Connecticut General Assembly in 1773. At a special Town Meeting held March 11,1777, he was appointed a member of the Committee of Safety and Inspection together with Joshua Ferris, Robert Peck, Nehemiah Mead, Thaddeus Mead, Lieutenant Seth Palmer, and Gershom Lockwood. The Town voted to send for the "six four-pound cannon and shot for the same" which had been granted to it at the November 1776, General Assembly.
Captain Matthew Mead's Company served under his older brother, Lieutenant Colonel John Mead (1725-1790), the commanding officer of the Ninth Regiment, Fourth Brigade, Connecticut Militia, comprised of various companies located in the towns of Norwalk, Stamford, and Greenwich. John had been offered a Captain's Commission in the British Army by King George, but turned it down to serve in our army, becoming a full Colonel in May 1777 and a Brigadier General in May 1781.
Captain Matthew Mead's Company had John Knapp as Lieutenant, Isaac Howe as ensign, six sergeants, and thirty-one privates, a total of forty men in all, to protect Horseneck. This was the First Detail. The Company, which was ordered to New York in 1776, took part in the Battle of Long Island August 27, 1776. The First Detail served during the months of August and September, and the Second Detail served during October, November, and December 1776 and January 1777. Captain Mead served with his men in both Details, whose composition was not identical. In the Second Detail Captain Mead had Isaac Howe, ensign, seven sergeants, two corporals, and twenty-five privates, a total of thirty-six.
He was in one of the last regiments, under General Israel Putnam, in the retreat from New York City to Harlem (Washington Heights). It has been said that during the retreat General Putnam with 4,000 men was left as a rear guard while the main army under General Washington took a position on Harlem Heights. When General Washington heard that the British General Clinton had landed in New York September 19, 1776, he sent a hurried order to General Putnam to evacuate the city and join him on Harlem Heights. Putnam was ignorant of the route leading from the city, and his aide, Aaron Burr, offered to guide the troops. He got lost, and Captain Mead's Company suffered losses in a skirmish with the pursuing British Light Calvary.
After the retreat they were posted on Harlem Heights and remained there until the Battle of White Plains on October 28, 1776, in which they were engaged and suffered considerable losses. After the battle the Connecticut General Assembly ordered the Ninth, Tenth, Thirteenth, and Sixteenth Regiments of Connecticut to march to the Westchester border and place themselves under the command of General Wooster. Later the State regiments under the command of Colonel Enos and Colonel Whiting relieved them.
On December 19, 1778, Captain Matthew Mead was again, with six others, made a member of the Committee of Safety and Inspection. This group was to check the guns, ammunition, and food supplies for those who remained in Greenwich and to see to their safety.
During the Revolution Greenwich was a burr in the side of the British. General Tryon called the people of Greenwich "swamp rats" because after they attacked British supply ships on Long Island Sound and were pursued by warships, they disappeared into the swamps and small bays on the Connecticut shore. On more than one occasion small boats fled across the shallow sandbars where the pursuing enemy ships went aground, to the great amusement of the natives who gathered on the shore to watch.
The British General Tryon made his historical raid on Greenwich February 26, 1779. He had three objectives: the Cos Cob salt flats, the raiding of the fleet of small whaleboats, and the horse farms. The possible capture of General Putnam was an added inducement. General Putnam, however, made his famous escape down Put's Hill.
At the time of Tryon's Raid, Captain Mead's house was situated on the Post Road to the west of Mead Tavern (corner of Putnam Avenue and Lafayette Place) with an old house in between. By the end of the war Mead was a Major.
====
Matthew died in 1812 in Greenwich. Mary died in 1813 in Greenwich. They were buried in Mary Bush Mead's family (Bush) vault, which was where the Greenwich Boys' Club is now located. The vault and its remains have been moved to the Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich, where it is today.
Submitted by Sandra Johnson Witt, her fifth great granddaughter, on July 19, 2011
Putnam Cemetery Section B (The remains in this section were transferred from the Bush Family Vault in Greenwich in 1857).
Captain Matthew Mead was born in 1734 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut, the son of John Mead (1682-1759) and Elizabeth Lockwood (1707-1785), both of Greenwich. His grandfather was Constable John Mead, born about 1658 (died May 12, 1691), whose marriage to Ruth Hard(e)y was the first marriage that was recorded in the Town of Greenwich on October 27, 1681.
He married Mary Bush in 1759 in Greenwich. She was the daughter of Justus Bosch/Bush and Elizabeth "Ann" Belden. She was born on February 3, 1741/42 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
The children of Matthew Mead and Mary Bush were:
• Elizabeth "Betsey" Mead, b. December 11, 1760, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. 1844, New York City, New York; m. John Brown, May 1780, Greenwich; b. March 14, 1760, Greenwich; d. April 22, 1815, New York, New York.
• Ruth Mead, b. January 25, 1762, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. July 12, 1841, West Neck, Huntington, Suffolk, L.I., New York; m. Benajah Bouton, ca. 1783, Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York; b. October 31, 1760, Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York; d. October 03, 1832, West Neck, Huntington, L.I., New York.
• Mary Mead, b. January 10, 1765, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. Bef. 1813, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Alexander Grigg, ca. 1786, Greenwich; b. ca. 1761, Greenwich; d. ca. 1798, Greenwich.
• Matthew Mead, Jr., b. May 18, 1767, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. June 16, 1851, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Nancy Hobby, March 15, 1791, Greenwich; b. January 14, 1767, Greenwich; d. May 26, 1856, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
• Justus Bush Mead, b. June 30, 1769, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. March 24, 1849, Greenwich; m. Mary "Polly" Knapp, December 25, 1797, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. September 06, 1780, Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. April 04, 1849, Greenwich.
• Anna Mead, b. July 04, 1771, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. after 1813, Connecticut; m. Samuel Denton, ca. 1792, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. ca. 1767.
• Rebecca Mead, b. July 10, 1773, Greenwich; d. December 03, 1855, Greenwich; m. William Gilmore, ca. 1794, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. ca. 1769; d. Aft. December 03, 1855.
• Charity Mead, b. October 20, 1775, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. April 01, 1849, Greenwich; m. Walter Howell, ca. 1796, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. December 10, 1772; d. December 14, 1847, Greenwich.
• Sally Mead, b. November 28, 1777, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. May 01, 1857, Fairfield County, Connecticut; m. Thaddeus Fancher, May 27, 1798, Fairfield County, Connecticut; b. August 12, 1777; d. December 26, 1854.
• Amos Mead, b. May 04, 1779, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. September 16, 1860, Greenwich, Huron County, Ohio; m. Catharine White, ca. 1802, probably Connecticut; b. November 09, 1782, Connecticut; d. January 06, 1850, Greenwich, Huron County, Ohio.
• Pamelia Bush Mead, b. January 21, 1784, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. February 08, 1857, Greenwich; m. Stephen Marshall, November 01, 1807, Greenwich; b. April 23, 1783, Greenwich; d. December 03, 1855, Greenwich.
• Bush Mead, b. August 05, 1786, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut; d. January 13, 1860, Greenwich; m. Sarah Wilson, ca. 1812, Greenwich; b. ca. 1791, probably Connecticut; d. July 06, 1847, Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Matthew Mead served in the military as an Ensign in the French-Indian War, campaign of 1762. He also served in the Revolutionary War as a private, Continental Army, 5th Regt. Under Colonel Waterbury, May 30-December 11, 1775. He was subsequently Captain in the Connecticut Militia, Ninth Regiment, 1776-77. He was a younger brother of Brigadier General John Mead who for three years commanded the American Lines at Horseneck.
The website of the "Captain Matthew Mead" chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution - http://www.connecticutsar.org/patriots/mead_matthew.htm - presents the following about his Revolutionary War service compiled by Raymond M. Owen, Jr., and Gladys Husted Rungee Owen, great great granddaughter of Captain Mead:
====
Matthew Mead was commissioned Captain of the New Company or Train Band in the Town of Greenwich at the May session of the Connecticut General Assembly in 1773. At a special Town Meeting held March 11,1777, he was appointed a member of the Committee of Safety and Inspection together with Joshua Ferris, Robert Peck, Nehemiah Mead, Thaddeus Mead, Lieutenant Seth Palmer, and Gershom Lockwood. The Town voted to send for the "six four-pound cannon and shot for the same" which had been granted to it at the November 1776, General Assembly.
Captain Matthew Mead's Company served under his older brother, Lieutenant Colonel John Mead (1725-1790), the commanding officer of the Ninth Regiment, Fourth Brigade, Connecticut Militia, comprised of various companies located in the towns of Norwalk, Stamford, and Greenwich. John had been offered a Captain's Commission in the British Army by King George, but turned it down to serve in our army, becoming a full Colonel in May 1777 and a Brigadier General in May 1781.
Captain Matthew Mead's Company had John Knapp as Lieutenant, Isaac Howe as ensign, six sergeants, and thirty-one privates, a total of forty men in all, to protect Horseneck. This was the First Detail. The Company, which was ordered to New York in 1776, took part in the Battle of Long Island August 27, 1776. The First Detail served during the months of August and September, and the Second Detail served during October, November, and December 1776 and January 1777. Captain Mead served with his men in both Details, whose composition was not identical. In the Second Detail Captain Mead had Isaac Howe, ensign, seven sergeants, two corporals, and twenty-five privates, a total of thirty-six.
He was in one of the last regiments, under General Israel Putnam, in the retreat from New York City to Harlem (Washington Heights). It has been said that during the retreat General Putnam with 4,000 men was left as a rear guard while the main army under General Washington took a position on Harlem Heights. When General Washington heard that the British General Clinton had landed in New York September 19, 1776, he sent a hurried order to General Putnam to evacuate the city and join him on Harlem Heights. Putnam was ignorant of the route leading from the city, and his aide, Aaron Burr, offered to guide the troops. He got lost, and Captain Mead's Company suffered losses in a skirmish with the pursuing British Light Calvary.
After the retreat they were posted on Harlem Heights and remained there until the Battle of White Plains on October 28, 1776, in which they were engaged and suffered considerable losses. After the battle the Connecticut General Assembly ordered the Ninth, Tenth, Thirteenth, and Sixteenth Regiments of Connecticut to march to the Westchester border and place themselves under the command of General Wooster. Later the State regiments under the command of Colonel Enos and Colonel Whiting relieved them.
On December 19, 1778, Captain Matthew Mead was again, with six others, made a member of the Committee of Safety and Inspection. This group was to check the guns, ammunition, and food supplies for those who remained in Greenwich and to see to their safety.
During the Revolution Greenwich was a burr in the side of the British. General Tryon called the people of Greenwich "swamp rats" because after they attacked British supply ships on Long Island Sound and were pursued by warships, they disappeared into the swamps and small bays on the Connecticut shore. On more than one occasion small boats fled across the shallow sandbars where the pursuing enemy ships went aground, to the great amusement of the natives who gathered on the shore to watch.
The British General Tryon made his historical raid on Greenwich February 26, 1779. He had three objectives: the Cos Cob salt flats, the raiding of the fleet of small whaleboats, and the horse farms. The possible capture of General Putnam was an added inducement. General Putnam, however, made his famous escape down Put's Hill.
At the time of Tryon's Raid, Captain Mead's house was situated on the Post Road to the west of Mead Tavern (corner of Putnam Avenue and Lafayette Place) with an old house in between. By the end of the war Mead was a Major.
====
Matthew died in 1812 in Greenwich. Mary died in 1813 in Greenwich. They were buried in Mary Bush Mead's family (Bush) vault, which was where the Greenwich Boys' Club is now located. The vault and its remains have been moved to the Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich, where it is today.
Submitted by Sandra Johnson Witt, her fifth great granddaughter, on July 19, 2011
Putnam Cemetery Section B (The remains in this section were transferred from the Bush Family Vault in Greenwich in 1857).
Family Members
Advertisement
Advertisement
