Benoni the son of Thomas Burrill and Grace his wife was born Sept the 7th 1755. [MA, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988] He served as a fifer and drummer with the rank of Private in Captain Edward Cobb's Co., Col. Edward Mitchell's Regt., which marched to Marshfield April 20, 1775 at the Lexington Alarm at the sparking of the American Revolution. He continued service until Oct. 1785, participating in notable campaigns such as Trenton and Valley Forge. At this point he was discharged, went home, and married Lydia Ripley May 27,1779, eventually having 8 recorded children in Abington. He re-enlisted October 20, 1779, and took a more local position (again) as a drummer at Castle & Gov's Islands in Boston Harbor, being promoted to corporal, and serving until 1787. Eventually he moved his family to Canaan, Maine where he lived on the south half of his cousin Humphrey Burrill's lot. He was described as a very small man.
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"Gunner" was a mistake made when military records were copied by hand from the floral handwritten script "D" in "Drummer." Duplicate records show "Drummer" for Benoni, and variations of "Jr. Gunner" "Qr. Gunner" and "Drummer" for "Benjamin" - so presumably the scribe making the copy was taking liberties on information he deemed incorrect or unreadable. Benoni was consistently listed throughout the war/conflict as a fifer and a drummer in various records and rolls from Lexington Alarm to Valley Forge and then at Castle Island, with obvious corrections when someone mistakenly wrote his name as Benjamin in some cases having it crossed out, corrected, or otherwise munged worse, as "Benoni" was just as unusual then as now, it would seem. Despite the mythos, drummers were not usually children or young boys, but perhaps lesser-abled or weaker adults who could not fight as infantry but were otherwise healthy and reliable. A diminutive man might fit this profile.
Parentage speculation - "Benoni" means "child of my sorrow" (Genesis 35:18) - a biblical name given to a son whose mother died in childbirth. It is well-documented that Thomas and Grace Garnett married in 1758, 2 years AFTER Benoni's birth in 1756. So perhaps he had a different mother and Thomas had been married prior to Grace. More speculation - stunted growth due to dead birth-mother/birth complications?
Contributor: Fiferjanis (49376849) •
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"Gunner" was a mistake made when military records were copied by hand from the floral handwritten script "D" in "Drummer." Duplicate records show "Drummer" for Benoni, and variations of "Jr. Gunner" "Qr. Gunner" and "Drummer" for "Benjamin" - so presumably the scribe making the copy was taking liberties on information he deemed incorrect or unreadable. Benoni was consistently listed throughout the war/conflict as a fifer and a drummer in various records and rolls from Lexington Alarm to Valley Forge and then at Castle Island, with obvious corrections when someone mistakenly wrote his name as Benjamin in some cases having it crossed out, corrected, or otherwise munged worse, as "Benoni" was just as unusual then as now, it would seem. Despite the mythos, drummers were not usually children or young boys, but perhaps lesser-abled or weaker adults who could not fight as infantry but were otherwise healthy and reliable. A diminutive man might fit this profile.
Parentage speculation - "Benoni" means "child of my sorrow" (Genesis 35:18) - a biblical name given to a son whose mother died in childbirth. It is well-documented that Thomas and Grace Garnett married in 1758, 2 years AFTER Benoni's birth in 1756. So perhaps he had a different mother and Thomas had been married prior to Grace. More speculation - stunted growth due to dead birth-mother/birth complications?
Contributor: Fiferjanis (49376849) •
Benoni the son of Thomas Burrill and Grace his wife was born Sept the 7th 1755. [MA, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988] He served as a fifer and drummer with the rank of Private in Captain Edward Cobb's Co., Col. Edward Mitchell's Regt., which marched to Marshfield April 20, 1775 at the Lexington Alarm at the sparking of the American Revolution. He continued service until Oct. 1785, participating in notable campaigns such as Trenton and Valley Forge. At this point he was discharged, went home, and married Lydia Ripley May 27,1779, eventually having 8 recorded children in Abington. He re-enlisted October 20, 1779, and took a more local position (again) as a drummer at Castle & Gov's Islands in Boston Harbor, being promoted to corporal, and serving until 1787. Eventually he moved his family to Canaan, Maine where he lived on the south half of his cousin Humphrey Burrill's lot. He was described as a very small man.
............................
"Gunner" was a mistake made when military records were copied by hand from the floral handwritten script "D" in "Drummer." Duplicate records show "Drummer" for Benoni, and variations of "Jr. Gunner" "Qr. Gunner" and "Drummer" for "Benjamin" - so presumably the scribe making the copy was taking liberties on information he deemed incorrect or unreadable. Benoni was consistently listed throughout the war/conflict as a fifer and a drummer in various records and rolls from Lexington Alarm to Valley Forge and then at Castle Island, with obvious corrections when someone mistakenly wrote his name as Benjamin in some cases having it crossed out, corrected, or otherwise munged worse, as "Benoni" was just as unusual then as now, it would seem. Despite the mythos, drummers were not usually children or young boys, but perhaps lesser-abled or weaker adults who could not fight as infantry but were otherwise healthy and reliable. A diminutive man might fit this profile.
Parentage speculation - "Benoni" means "child of my sorrow" (Genesis 35:18) - a biblical name given to a son whose mother died in childbirth. It is well-documented that Thomas and Grace Garnett married in 1758, 2 years AFTER Benoni's birth in 1756. So perhaps he had a different mother and Thomas had been married prior to Grace. More speculation - stunted growth due to dead birth-mother/birth complications?
Contributor: Fiferjanis (49376849) •
............................
"Gunner" was a mistake made when military records were copied by hand from the floral handwritten script "D" in "Drummer." Duplicate records show "Drummer" for Benoni, and variations of "Jr. Gunner" "Qr. Gunner" and "Drummer" for "Benjamin" - so presumably the scribe making the copy was taking liberties on information he deemed incorrect or unreadable. Benoni was consistently listed throughout the war/conflict as a fifer and a drummer in various records and rolls from Lexington Alarm to Valley Forge and then at Castle Island, with obvious corrections when someone mistakenly wrote his name as Benjamin in some cases having it crossed out, corrected, or otherwise munged worse, as "Benoni" was just as unusual then as now, it would seem. Despite the mythos, drummers were not usually children or young boys, but perhaps lesser-abled or weaker adults who could not fight as infantry but were otherwise healthy and reliable. A diminutive man might fit this profile.
Parentage speculation - "Benoni" means "child of my sorrow" (Genesis 35:18) - a biblical name given to a son whose mother died in childbirth. It is well-documented that Thomas and Grace Garnett married in 1758, 2 years AFTER Benoni's birth in 1756. So perhaps he had a different mother and Thomas had been married prior to Grace. More speculation - stunted growth due to dead birth-mother/birth complications?
Contributor: Fiferjanis (49376849) •
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