Tag: Samuel Musgrove

Samuel Musgrave (Musgrove) was a Revolutionary War soldier who fought under General Washington in the Battle of Brandywine. The battle between the Americans and the British army under General Howe took place on September 11, 1777 near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The British won the battle, eventually capturing Philadelphia on September 26 and occupying that city until June 1778.[1]

Based on the research of Pauline Mitchell Pierce Via and others, along with my research, I was accepted into the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) with Jacob Eoff as my ancestor. Follow these links to see earlier posts on the Eoffs and Palatine Germans.

Samuel Musgrove was just approved by the DAR as a supplemental patriot for me. Norma Ennis Craig Musgrove did the research linking her grandfather William Tate Musgrave (Musgrove) to Samuel. Norma was a DAR member herself.

You’ve probably noticed the two different spellings of Samuel’s and William Tate’s last name. William Tate used the spelling Musgrave in his early days, then Musgrove later in life. One family genealogist speculated the spelling was changed to differentiate the child from his first wife from the children by his second wife. Pure speculation, but the timing is about right. Samuel Musgrave’s Quaker parents and grandparents generally used Musgrave as did Samuel’s children. The DAR database is about the only place I’ve seen Samuel’s name spelling Musgrove.

Samuel was the fourth generation of his line in the United States.[2] He was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania in 1747 and died on 2 Sept 1833 in Warrick County, Indiana at 87 years of age.[3] He married Elizabeth Brand in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania on 10 Sept 1767.[4] She was born in Pennsylvania about 1750 and died about 1843 in Warrick County, Indiana.[5]

Samuel enlisted in July 1776 in Cannonkackick Settlement, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania and served three months.[6] In 1782, he served twelve more months as an “Indian Spy” under Lt. Robert Ritchie in Pennsylvania Troops.[7] Much of this information is in Samuel’s Proof Pension Claim W.9211.[8] On 30 Dec 1834, Elizabeth filed for a widow’s pension.[9]

Many of the Native Americans had treaties with the British, whom they supported during the war.[10]An Indian Spy patrolled the trails along the frontier warning the settlers of impending attacks.[11] Generally the spys or scouts were divided into pairs, with each pair assigned a section of the frontier were war paths were watched.[12] The spys were not an attack force, but warned the settlers so they could prepare for defense. [13] The men carried their supplies on their backs, slept on the ground and foraged for food living off deer and bear meat.[14] This was a very different life from Samuel’s Quaker relatives who stayed in settled areas, especially considering the pacifist Quaker beliefs. Follow these links to see previous blogs on Samuel Musgrave and Moses Musgrave.

If you are a woman over the age of 18 years and descended from either my McIntire/Eoff line or  Musgrave line, you are eligible for DAR membership. If you are interested, contact me for my DAR number and contact your local DAR chapter for more details.[15] Since the research has been done on those lines, you’ll need to collect fewer documents to prove your lineage. For the men, the same information can be used to apply for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution.