Page 52 - La Généalogie retrouver ses ancêtres

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The Ontario Register
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Loyalists of Sussex County, New Jer sey 47

1 • M. P .. of Cr owland, who had come to
Crowell \\ lllson. J. P.· S ssex County New Jersey, and who
that place from Wantage: u ' 1777 they served for a time in Capt Joseph Crowell's Company.
f Benjamin Wlllson, U. E. Jacob ranked as a sergeant but quickly plummeted in status as
\\'as a son o k that Jacob and Joseph served in the
It has long been nown d . he was demoted to a private in the autumn of 1777 forwhat reason
s during the Revolution and ha prevwusly
1 t
New Jersey Vo un eer . . . h is not apparent. In May 1778 they appear on Capt James Shaw's
. . J ·sey but their place of ongm m t at State rester in which company they served until they deserted on the
res1ded m New ei • . .
t f re Conl
has not h ere o o e to light as far as the wnter lS aware. 24th of September of that year. Jacob returned to his company
They wer e f rom Su ssex County and ver y probably from Wantage on June 4, t779 although Joseph did not. Jacob continued with
Township in that County. They wer e both enlisted into the New Captain Shaw until 1780, but by December of that year he was in

Jersey Volunteers by Capt Joseph Cr owell a resident of Wantage. Lt. William Hutchinson's Company. In February 1782 he was
Joseph Will son enlisted as a private on 15 February 1777, and reported as "confined" possibly in the guardhouse although later
in the same year he was sick in the regimental hospital. Joseph
Jacob enlisted as a sergeant on the following day although they
returned from his desertion on May 13, 1781, but apparently two
did not join the Regiment in New York until sorne time later. On
months on Staten Island was more than he could bear as he again
May 1, 1777 they attended a meeting of Sussex County Loyalists
deserted on July 31st following. It was at about this time that
held at Wall Kill (apparently a reference to a place rather than
peace set in; Jacob endured it as long as he could, but finally he
to the stream named Wallkill). The men who attended the meeting
gave in and deserted on June 24, 1783.
"did unlawfully conspire and agree to go over and join the army

of the King of Great Britain." Possibly Jacob and Joseph were
there to encourage the other men in this endeavor, but, if so, not

all who attended were so encouraged as the meeting was brought
to the attention of the authorities. Se veral who had be en in attend-
ance were arrested among whom were Sebastian Chestnutwood

and William Green both of Hardwick, yeoman. Two ethers who

attended the meeting were John and Josias (doubtlessly Ozias
was intended) Insley alias Ansley. [NJSC 34591, 35498]
The relationship of Jacob and Joseph to the other Willson 's of

Sussex County is unknown. A pos sibility, and it is only a possi-
bility, is that they were sons of the Joseph Willson who died in

Wantage about 1759, administration being granted on his estate
30 Ja.nuary 1760. [NJA 32:363] This Joseph Willson commenced
farmlng for himself in 1753 near Beaver Brook in Wantage on

l~nd bel~ngi.ng to his father John Willson. John, who had settled
60
~~s famlly. ln ~antage a few years before that time, died after
pdosslbly. ln Hardwick. On 18 August 1774 a Jacob Willson
serve on a )ury at the se . f
This Jacob was not th sswns o the Sussex County Court.

Wantage as that Jacob: sa~e as the son of Andrew Willson of
23
young to have served on a~ orn May 1761 thus being far too
a JUry at that time
Joseph and Jacob Willson certain! .
the New Jer sey Volunteers Aft y .had chequered careers in
. er thelr enlistment in February