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Military History, Maternal Line, The American Revolution

Peter Fore (likely born Pierre Faure) 
7th Great Grandfather
Peter Fore was born in 1706 Manakin Town, a Huguenot settlement in what became Powhatan County, Virginia, the son of Mary and Pierre. His story is so interesting that more than his military record will be relayed here. He married Marie Godwin and was willed land by his father in neighboring Goochland County (about 300 acres). According to the will, Peter already lived on that land before his father's death. For reasons unknown, Peter sold his son Joseph the land in 1778 and moved to Prince Edward County onto 130 acres of land.  

At 73 years old, he moved with some his younger children to Martin's Station in what was then Kentucky County, Virginia (now Kentucky state). He settled on the banks of Stoner Creek during the winter of 1779-1780. Peter, despite his age, was on the muster roll of Captain Gatliff's company at Martin's Station at the time of an attack by local Natives that had sided with the British under Captain Henry Byrd and Chief Black Hoof. Peter Fore died 2 - 3 days before the 2nd attack by the British and Natives. His son Silas Ford (anglicized of Fore) recorded his testimony in his pension application that Peter was one of the defenders of the fort at the time of his death. 

The inhabitants of Martin’s Station were ordered into service in March under the command of Captain Charles Gatliff. In this company were Hezekiah, Peter and John “Fore.” Silas mentioned in his pension application dated September 2, 1844 that his father Peter had died in June of 1780. The muster roll of Captain Gatliff’s company shows Peter “Fore” as being discharged on June 1, 1780 while another record indicates he was a “soldier in actual service” who found his “own rations of corn and salt from the 10th day of March till the 21st day of June 1780 at Martin’s Station.” Hezekiah and John were paid for the same to June 26, 1780 when the station was captured. The biography of Judge Joseph P. Foree says “the great-grandfather of the Judge [Peter Ford], was massacred by the Indians in Bourbon County at a very early day in the settlement of Kentucky, and seven of his children held captives by the savages three or four years.”

Martin's Station was taken by the enemy and while the Fore children survived the attack, the family were taken as prisoners by the Miami, Shawnee and Delaware tribes to what is now the Detroit area. Most survived that survived the journey and were released after the war. 

Capt Gatliff's 1780 Muster roll. Scanned online to ancestry,peak dunbar tree under Peter Fore/Faure.  http://www.frontierfolk.net/ramsha_research/Ford.htm  




The following are direct grandparents. 5th-6th great grandfathers


William Peake
William Peake was born in Prince William County, Virginia in 1765. He served in the American Revolutionary War as a private. According to pensioner records he served for approximately 12 months in total as a volunteer private in the garrison defending the fort at Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia).
For 6 months volunteered as a private under Captain Ebenezer Zane with the garrison defending the Fort Henry at Wheeling. Then he served again for 6 months beginning in March 1782 as an enlisted private defending Fort Henry and following this he served as a scout and spy against the local Native population that had sided with the British. This presumably would include the Siege of Fort Henry in September 1782.

Of note the western Native Americans did not accept the treaty the the colonies made with Great Britain and continued to campaign in the west for another decade or so. He therefore served as an "Indian" spy for 3 months based out of Fort Henry in 1783. He gave a testimony to his service for a pension board in order to earn his pension.
Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files; Page 9 - Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files; The National Archives, date 1834

Sherwood Maddox (or Maddux)
Private Maddox was born in Virginia around 1760, lived in Powhatan County and died in Kentucky in 1840. He served for Virginia during the American Revolution as a Private in the company of Captain Mumford. He volunteered multiple times for short tours. He initially volunteered in May, 1779. He did multiple short tours including marches to Williamsburg. He toured with regiments around Appomattox and James River protecting the colonials from British attacks. He gives testimony in his pension of seeing entire towns burned out. He also was with Mumford in December 1780 when they marched on Petersburg and had to retreat. He also reports the fatigue and exposure of harsh winter. During one of his last tours his troop joined General Washington and he recalls seeing him. He was illiterate and when he signed his pension testimony it was with an X to make his mark.
Widoes Pension Applic, KentuckyThe National Archives, date 1849. Archive Pub No. M804. Roll No. 1613. 57 pages.




Joseph Jones
Private Jones was born in 1751 and lived in Caroline, County, Virginia. He was drafted for multiple short tours in Virginia. He gives account in his pension application of his first tour in 1775 under Capt. Long and Col. John Thorn. He was drafted nearly every year and was in the presence of multiple historic figures and battles. He reports under a Col Temple he was involved int he pressing of local Quakers into service. This involved in the rounding up of Quakers and in some way pressing them to hire a substitute in their stead for the draft; usually involving giving up their own property for the cause. 

He also was between drafts and home in Caroline County in May of 1781 when the British came and rounded up some his neighbors as prisoners. He recalls a Col. Simcoe coming to his home county and imprisoning his neighbors including members of the Virginia assembly.  

During a subsequent draft his troop was marching against Lord Cornwallis who had the command of the main portion of the British army.  Private Jones's troop then joined another troop under the command of the Marquis de Lafayette. During his last tour he was involved in the siege against York and he was  a volunteer at that time.

Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application. Widow Applic File. Kentucky 1838. Archive Publication No. M804. Archive Roll No. 1442. 42 pages.



Joseph Fore (son of above mentioned Peter Fore)
Joseph fought in the Revolutionary War, enlisting in Prince William, Virginia in February of 1779 under Capt Henry Walker, Maj Overstreet and Col Flurney. They crossed the Dan River at Allen's Ford in North Carolina and were stationed at Salisbury where he was discharged in Sept of 1779. Upon leaving Salisbury he was entrusted with letters directed to Gen Washington which he delivered to Col Kelso. He also helped to feed the army by giving stores of beef to the military. A Joseph Ford may also have enlisted in 1776 but it is unclear if this is the same person and if he saw action at that time.
 His 2nd tour began in February 1781 under Capt Cunningham, Maj Overstreet and Col Holson whom were all under the command of Gen Robert Lawson. Again going to the state of North Carolinian to the Battle of Guilford Court House where he was detailed as a guard of the baggage wagons and did not take part in the battle.
 After the war he lived in Prince Edward Co until 1803 when he moved to Shelby Co Kentucky. In 1834 he was granted his Rev War pension of 28.33 per 
and he was  a volunteer at that time.
p.172. Revolutionary Soldiers in Kentucky: also a Roster of the Virginia Navy. Reprinted from Yearbook of Kentucky Soc. SAR, 1896. War Dept records 1 Reg 65, p 349






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