[Ancestral Link: Lura Minnie Parker (Stagge), daughter of Minnie May Elmer (Parker), daughter of Mark Alfred Elmer, son of Hannah Polina Child (Elmer), daughter of Alfred Bosworth Child, son of Mark Anthony Child, son of Increase Child.]

Died -- At Greenfield, on Thursday last, Capt. INCREASE CHILD, formerly from Woodstock, Connecticut, in the 71st year of his age. A firm believer and professor in the glorious Gospel of Christ, the deceased for a number of years, bore the painful disease which terminated his earthly existence, with remarkable fortitude and resignation; and died deeply lamented by his family and friends. In his death,k howeer, he left a pleasing consolation; a well grounded hope, that his departed spirit rested from tribulations and pain, with the redeemed of the Lord.

In same town on Sunday morning, after a long illness which he bore with Christian fortitude, Lieut. REUBEN WEED, formerly from North Stanford, Conn. also in the 71st year of his age, a useful and repectable inhabitant.

Both of the above, took early, active, and zealous parts in the Revolutionary War, in favor of Liberty and Independence; and in which they both bore Military Commissions.

On the days proceeding their respective deaths, after appropriate and pathetic discouses deliverd on the occasions by Elder Elias Lee, their remains were follwed to the grave by a numerous assemblage of mourning relatives and friends.

'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord."

Found on Ancestry.com

Birth: December 13, 1740, Woodstock, Windham County, Connecticut, USA
Death: June 21, 1810, Greenfield, Saratoga County, New York, USA
Died at Greenfield on Thursday the 21st inst. Increase Child in the 71st year of his age - He was a Revolutionary officer, and sustained through life, we believe, an irreproachable moral character. From the Saratoga Advertiser, 26 June 1810

Burial: North Milton Cemetery, North Milton, Saratoga County, New York, USA - Plot: 1-003
Found on findagrave.com

Chapter 10
Capt. Increase Child -- 1740-1810 (70 Years Old)

Increase Child was born on December 13, 1740 in the village of East Woodstock, Woodstock Township, Windham County, Connecticut. Increase was the second of four children born to Lt. Ephraim Jr. and Mary Lyon Child. In his early childhood, he was raised in a log cabin on his father's farm, about one mile north of the center of East Woodstock. When Increase was just four years old, his mother experienced a postpartum illness that left her "partially deranged," thus leaving his father with the responsibility of raising the children without her help. Although a four-year old child would not have fully comprehended such an illness, it is clear that Increase would have experienced a major change and void in the interactions with his mother. In addition, the tragic death of his three-year old sister, when he was almost eight years old, would have also affected him, as he helped to raise her. There is no doubt that these tragedies plagued Increase his entire life and led to many decisions that altered the course of the Child bloodline forever. For his son, the Honorable Salmon Child, later wrote that "the change that took place...gave direction to the events that have taken place in my father's family from that time to the present day."

Increase was raised in a harsh environment, which bordered the hostile region of the dense wilderness frontier of Connecticut. At the time, the village of East Woodstock had been established for almost thirty years and was in a transitional stage between civilized and primitive living. The sawmills and gristmills of this region were finally producing a surplus, which allowed the building of "framed" houses to start replacing the standard log cabins.

The itinerant school system of Woodstock Township had been divided into four school districts, where the children of East Woodstock were part of the "North District." In the early 1700s, the location of the "North Schoolhouse" was on Woodstock Hill, which meant that children from East Woodstock had to trek six to eight miles round trip to school everyday. However, by 1743, a school had been established in East Woodstock, near Muddy Brook on the land of Capt. Benjamin Child IV, thus making the trek much shorter. Because the privations of the day demanded the help of all hands on the farm, school was only held during the winter months. When heavy storms arose, a boarding system was devised for children who were too small to trek through the deep snow. Hence, many children boarded with extended family and friends during the winter months of their preparatory years.

North Schoolhouse of East Woodstock, Connecticut
Established in 1743

Because Increase and his siblings lived one mile north of the schoolhouse in East Woodstock, boarding arrangements were made with the family of Capt. Benjamin Child IV when they were young. An extract from a letter written by Lavinia Child Ingalls reveals that, "they did not neglect the education of their children...Asa and his brother Increase Child were among those that boarded out. The average number of boarders was from twelve to fifteen, and on stormy nights, the number increased to twenty or twenty-five." While the boarding system provided the opportunity for children to learn during the winter months, the short length of the school year must have hindered some, due to seasonal needs of cultivating the land. However, this was not the case with Increase, for a journal entry about him by his son, the Honorable Salmon Child, reveals that, "from a child his mind was strongly attached to books and a literary education for which it was intended he should enjoy, had not the afflicting sickness of his mother prevented it and although their district schools were only taught in the winter, yet he made that rapid proficiency in learning that he commenced teaching at the age of sixteen years." By the winter of 1756, Increase's gift of a quick and sharp intellect was put to use by the community of East Woodstork, where he was commissioned at such a young age to teach the children at the North School.

Former Fort Carillon (French) and
Later Fort Ticonderoga (British), New York

Around this same time, the French-Indian War 1754-1760) had broken out between France and England. By 1755, the British started recruiting frontiersmen from the colonies called "Provincials" to assist the army of redcoats called "Regulars" in defending their borders. The township of Woodstock complied with the orders by sending several companies of men to defend the borders in upstate New York. Increase's father Ephraim Jr. was one of those provincial soldiers who responded to the call. They marched north of Albany, New York to fortify the region of the Hudson River and Lake George, in response to the French who had fortified the Lake Champlain region with the strongholds of Fort St. Frederic and Fort Carillon. This border region in upstate New York became the focal point in the French-Indian War because of its strategic location between the water highways of Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. This region was referred to as the "key to the continent" because of its locale of controlling water traffic between Canada and New York City.

Key to the Continent
1755 Map of Strategic Fort Locations, New York

The first battle that took place in this key region occurred in the autumn of 1755 at Lake George, which involved, the provincial soldiers that marched from Woodstock, Connecticut. Although the British gained the decisive victory for this battle, hostilities continued to mount through 1756. At this point, two major events caused the colony of Connecticut to send 5,000 provincial troops the following year. The first occurred in May of 1756, which was the official declaration of war between France and England, thus resulting in the commitment of more provincial soldiers. The second occurred in August of 1756, with the fall of three forts at the British stronghold of Oswego on Lake Ontario. As a result, Woodstock responded by forming the Eleventh Regiment in February of 1757, which consisted of several companies. The pastor Reverend Abel Stiles commented on the departure as "too much like giving up the ghost."

List of Child Family Names from Connecticut
in French-Indian War

At this time period, Increase Child had just turned sixteen years old and finished his first year of teaching in East Woodstock. Although the early records reveal that he thoroughly enjoyed academics, Increase put his teaching on hold in order to fight in the war. What is even more perplexing is the fact that he was not drafted or assigned to a unit, bur rather volunteered to fight. Increase is listed on the Muster Roll of the Volunteer Company of his neighbor, Captain John Carpenter. After preparations were made, Increase's company marched over 220 miles to upstate New York the summer of 1757, where they arrived at Fort Edward on the Hudson River.

Entrenchment Lines of Fort Carillon
Increase Child fought in 1758

Around the time of their arrival in August of 1757, the French had marched down from Fort Carillon and besieged the British stronghold of Fort William Henry, which was fourteen miles north of Fort Edward. The 2,000 British regulars and provincials at Fort William Henry were no match for the 7,500 French and Indian forces that quickly gained the victory. No reinforcements were sent because the 1,600 provincial troops at Fort Edward, including Increase Child, were cut off and had orders to protect the route to Albany. At the surrender of Fort William Henry, the French and Indian forces completely destroyed the fortifications, where only 1,400 regulars and provincials made it safely back to Fort Edward.

In response to the loss of Fort William Henry, the British raised over 14,000 men the following year, which joined the remaining 3,000 men at Fort Edward. The British campaign was led by General Abercromby, whose orders were to attack and seize Fort Carillon from the 4,200 French soldiers that held it. In July of 1758, the British moved up Lake George with an army of 17,000 soldiers, which consisted of 6,000 regulars and 11,000 provincials from six colonies. Upon arrival, the British discovered that the French had constructed outer defensive earthworks around Fort Carillon that were made up on felled trees that protruded from the dug trenches, with about 30 feet of brush and debris in the front. This entrenchment line is where the main battle took place at Fort Carillon, otherwise known as the Battle of Ticonderoga. At this juncture, General Abercromby made the poor command decision to attack the French entrenchment lines without artillery support. This decision would prove fatal for the British, because they never penetrated the defensive earthworks after six major assaults throughout the day. Thus, a battle where the British had four times as many men as the enemy, they lost more than 1,300 men that day, while only 300 were killed on the French side.

Shortly after the disastrous results at Ticonderoga, General Abercromby was replaced by General Amherst, also with a shake-up in the military units. This was the time period when Increase Child was moved from the 3rd Regiment into the elite fighting force of the Ranger corps. This transfer occurred following his uncommon valor and bravery that he showed forth as a 17-year old in the Battle of Ticonderoga, when his unit fought in the middle of the conflict. One journal entry of a fellow soldier stated that, "I have since been in many battles and skirmishes, but I have never witnessed such slaughter and such wild fighting as the British storm of Ticonderoga." There is no doubt that the Lord preserved Increase's life in the onslaught of this battle.

1758 Map of Entrenchment Lines
at Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga), New York

The transfer of Increase Child to the Ranger corps also occurred because of the physical fortitude and military proficiency that these elite soldiers were required to possess. The journal of his son, the Honorable Salmon Child, records that "In his 18th and 19th years, he served two campaigns under Majors Putnam and Rogers of the Rangers in the French War." The men who served in the corps of Putnam's and Rogers' Rangers were usually from the frontier regions of New England because they could endure the hardships of fighting in the wilderness. Although Increase was "strongly attached to books and a literary education" from his childhood, he was still raised on the frontier of the Connecticut wilderness, which made him an excellent woodsman. Early journal entries of men from this elite fighting force relate that "Rangers were rough borderers...men well used to the woods."

Monument where Increase Child was ambushed
with Putnam's Rangers

The primary objective of the Ranger corps was to move through the wilderness undetected and scout out enemy movement and positions. The Ranger Corps was originally formed in Fort Edward, where they used it as a base of operations for scouting expeditions deep into enemy territory. In addition, the rangers were ordered to disrupt Indian raiding parties that were sent out by the French to intercept supplies coming to Ft. Edward from Albany. One such experience occurred on August 8, 1758, directly after Increase Child transferred into the Ranger Corps, where the French and Indians waylaid a convoy of "about 40 teams and wagons" and "killed every ox and destroyed all their stores." Upon hearing the news, Increase Child responded with Major Putnam's Rangers, only to be ambushed by a group of about 450 Caughnawaga Indians. In the fierce hand-to-hand combat, Major Putnam's musket misfired causing him to be captured, dragged into the forest, and bound to a tree.

We learn from early journals that Increase Child " was in the severe and bloody battle in which Putnam was taken prisoner by the Indians and within a few paces of him when the action commenced, and received five balls through his clothes but in mercy escaped unhurt." There is no doubt that Divine Providence clearly shone upon Increase Child on his dark day, for more than fifty of his comrades lost their lives from being shot, tomahawked, and scalped. In addition, the five lead balls that should have taken the life of Increase Child only scathed his clothes. It is likely that the Lord intervened on Increase's behalf because he had yet to rear a family, thus producing the posterity that would take part in the marvelous work and wonder in the last days. Although the life of Increase Child was clearly spared, the price of this intervention would be ransomed at a later time. Only a few months later, a Child family member from Increase's unit would offer his life on the altar of patriotism, where soldiers "brought the melancholy news of Stephen Child being killed and scalped" on October 15, 1758.

British Ruins of His Majesty's Crown Point, New York
Build in 1759

After Major Putnam's capture and torture by the Indians, a French officer intervened and stopped the Indians from burning him alive. Soon after, Major Putnam returned back to Ford Edward through a prisoner exchange with the British, where he continued to lead his rangers on scouting expeditions until a large-scale force was set in place to take Fort Carillon. By July of 1759, the British had recruited thousands of provincial soldiers who were ready once again to attack the French, where Increase Child was now led by Lt. Col. Putnam of the Ranger Corps. Upon arrival at Fort Carillon, the British discovered that the French had withdrawn most of its forces in order to defend Quebec. A few small skirmishes ensued, but in the end, the French blew up Fort Carillon and Fort St. Frederic. Afterwards, the British salvaged and renamed the strongholds as Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Crown Point respectively.

The headquarters for the British were now at the south end of Lake Champlain, where they erected the largest fort ever built in colonial North America at Crown Point. Because the French had left a battalion of soldiers to defend the north end of the lake, which functioned as the passageway to the St. Lawrence River, rangers were sent out to assess their preparations for defense. Increase Child served as one of Rogers' Rangers, where they were involved in several skirmishes that included the Indian village of St. Francis, along with attempts to destroy French shipping in the north of Lake Champlain. By the autumn of 1759, the British had seized Quebec, and then waited for the following season to capture the last French stronghold at Montreal. While these British forces barely survived the winter in Quebec, the forces that included Increase Child waited out the winter in the south end of Lake Champlain at Fort Crown Point.

Map of North America
from Aftermath of the French-Indian War

By the summer of 1760, General Amherst led 10,000 regular and provincial soldiers up the St. Lawrence River, where they fought several French units along the way to Montreal. Increase Child took part in surrounding and besieging the city of Montreal, which forced the French army to surrender by September of 1760. Although hostilities continued in Europe between France and England until 1763, also known as the "Seven Years War," the surrender of Montreal in 1760 marked the end of the French-Indian War in colonial America. After the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, the map of British lands in North America had changed significantly.

After the provincial soldiers had made a considerable contribution in the French-Indian War that changed the map of colonial America, many of them returned to their homes in the autumn of 1760. However, it appears that Increase Child only returned home for a brief visit, because shortly thereafter, he left for the Township of Enfield, Connecticut, which was located about 30 miles west of East Woodstock. During the French-Indian War, Increase met a man named Mr. Moulton who helped supply the military units in long-distance trade between the colonies. Mr. Moulton convinced Increase to help him in his mercantile business, where he employed him as an assistant between 1760-1762. Because this business dealt in interregional trade, Increase was privileged to see much of colonial America by the age of twenty-one, where he "twice visited Nova Scotia at a time they were just commencing settlements in that place."

Sometime during his employment, Increase started courting his future wife Olive Pease, who was from the village of Somers (previously called East Enfield), within the Township of Enfield. Whether Increase's employer, Mr. Moulton, knew the Pease family or not is still unclear. The only connection that can be made is that they were both from the Township of Enfield. After a period of engagement, arrangements were made where the two families of the couple met in the newly constructed chapel in East Woodstock, and Increase and Olive Pease Child were married on November 3, 1762. It is likely that Olive convinced her new husband to quit his traveling job in the mercantile business and find work where they could be together. As a result, the newly wedded couple first settled in East Woodstock, where Increase taught school in the winter months and cultivated a farm the rest of the year. They built a simple home on his father's 269-acre estate, where Increase ran the east side of the farm, while his brother Asa ran the west side of the farm.

Increase Child Home
East Side of Father's Farm, East Woodstock, Connecticut

After seven years of teaching school part-time in East Woodstock, Increase Child's knowledge of literary education had expanded so fast that his reputation for teaching was surpassing his intellect. There is no doubt that Increase was born with an exceedingly sharp mind. The Lord blessed him with many gifts, including the capacity to retain and retrieve large amounts of data, also with the discerning ability to analytically make sense of this information. The intellect of Increase Child is evident in the journal of his son, the Honorable Salmon Child, which states that, "by his persevering studies, he was now competent to instruct far beyond what was taught in the common schools of that age. He was a good writer, none went before him in figures, an excellent draftsman in all kinds of business bargains or contracts, capable of teaching surveying, bookkeeping, navigation, and algebra...He received the highest wages for a teacher of common school at that day, and by taking in young men to board and teaching them the branches of learning not taught in their schools."

Early Maps of the location of
Amenia Township in Dutchess County, New York

Because Increase's reputation for teaching preceded him, he was offered a full-time job in teaching year-round in Amenia Township of Dutchess County, New York. The Dutch had settled the majority of the Hudson River during the early 1600s, where they had prospered to the point where their communities could recruit full-time educators to teach all year long. Increase knew that this teaching opportunity would provide him with the means to support his family without the backbreaking work of establishing, cultivating, and maintaining a farm. In addition, because his scholastic reputation was obtained from only part-time study, this opportunity would also provide him with the crucial time to develop his intellect, thus reaching his full academic potential. However, this teaching position required Increase to leave his father's estate in East Woodstock, which became a "crisis of both his venerable father's and his own future happiness."

Valley where Increase Child taught school
in Amenia Township, New York

The decision for Increase to leave his father in Connecticut and migrate to the colony of New York would change the Child bloodline forever. It is evident that the Lord played a role in this factor, based on several extenuating circumstances that changed the life of Increase Child.

The first condition was the postpartum illness that left his mother "partially deranged," which required the entire family to take care of her. Even during the seven years that Increase and his brother Asa split their father's farm, she lived "alternately at both places as she chose and being well taken care of and provided for at both." The help from Increase provided the needed break for his father Ephraim Jr., who "was greatly relived from that care and anxiety of mind that had worn upon him for years." There is no doubt that the affects of this burden were also felt by Increase's wife and children, for it is possible that he felt that this affliction would wear them down as well, just as they were getting their family started.

The second circumstance dealt specifically with Increase and Olive's children during this seven-year period in East Woodstock. It is interesting to note that Increase shared something in common with his 1st great grandfather Benjamin III and his 3rd great grandfather Benjamin I, in that his wife became pregnant soon after their wedding. Exactly nine months and ten days after the marriage of Increase and Olive, they gave birth to their first child named Harviland on August 13, 1763. Within two years, Olive gave birth to another child named Salmon, where Increase was now the proud father of two sons. However, in 1766, tragedy struck when their eldest son Harviland sadly passed away at the young age of three years old. The death of Increase's eldest son must have impacted him tremendously, yet the bereavement that he was so accustomed to from the French-Indian War could never had prepared him for this blow. By the following year, Olive gave birth to another child, but this time it was a daughter named Rockselana. Nonetheless, in 1768, tragedy struck again and their little girl died after living for only one year. Thus, within a two-year period, Increase and Olive Pease Child had tragically lost two of their three children, which surely influenced their decision to migrate elsewhere and start a new life.

Children of
Captain Increase and Olive Pease Child

The third situation was Increase's predisposition to literary education, where he greatly desired to expend this energy in learning, instead of using it on a farm. This inclination is best summed up in the journal of his son Salmon, who stated that, "Here was one of the most provident and kindest of fathers (Ephraim Jr.), who by his industry and frugality had provided a farm and a good home for his son...to have that son remove to a distance from him and never more to enjoy the society of him or his family, to who he was so affectionately united, was a source of afflicting sorrow and expression of spirit almost too powerful for the infirmity of age to endure. But the natural propensity of Increase for books, and the sciences, had so long been indulged, and laboring on a farm so little attended to, that the persuasions of a father were not sufficient to induce his son to follow the farming business."

Map of Increase Child Migrations in New England
1769-1784

As a result, Increase changed the course of the Child bloodline by migrating from eastern Connecticut to the western boundary of the colony in 1769, where he settled about three miles from the border, within the township of Amenia of Dutchess County, New York. Increase's wife and children did not move with him at first, as he needed to get established and see if there was long-term potential in this new job. After thoroughly enjoying his teaching position that first year, Increase returned back to East Woodstock and moved his family and all of their belongings to the colony of New York. For the next five years, Increase taught the Dutch a literary education, where "he supported his family comfortably" until the beginning of the Revolutionary War.

When the news spread through the colonies about the fighting at Lexington in 1775, communities came together and created formal petitions that were signed for the "Cause of the Whigs." Those who did not sign the petitions were labeled "Tories" because they supported British interests in the struggle over independence. The vast majority of the inhabitants of Dutchess County were considered "Whigs" because they adamantly opposed British authority. Within the township of Amenia, the signature of Increase Child is found on a petition with 420 other Whigs. When the news spread throughout the colonies about the Battle of Bunker Hill in June of 1775, many schools were dismissed, including the school in Amenia where Master Increase Child taught.

Regiments and Service of Increase Child
in the Revolutionary War

Schools were dismissed because many of the Whigs came together to form militias for their communities, which were supported by legislators from Congress who enacted the "Militia Law" in July of 1775. This law required that "all able-bodied effective men between sixteen and fifty years of age, in each colony, might form themselves into regular companies of militia." As a result, each county was to establish a standing militia, where a quarter of their soldiers were to consist of "Minute Men" who had orders "to be ready on the shortest notice to march to anyplace where their assistance may be required for the defense of their own or a neighboring colony." Because Increase Child had four years of battle-hardened experience in the French-Indian War several years earlier, he was chosen as the Captain of the Minute Men Company of Amenia in the 6th Regiment of the Dutchess County Militia.

For the next few months, Captain Increase Child taught the elite soldiers of the Amenia Company how to be Minute Men, which required "that a more particular and diligent attention be paid to their instruction in military discipline." By October, the Minute Men of Captain Child's company were trained and ready to form with the other companies of Dutchess County into a regiment, where they carried out drills for the next few months. By January of 1776, the 6th Regiment of Dutchess County Militia was called to serve, where Captain Child marched with his company down the Hudson River to defend Long Island. For the next three months, Increase was stationed on the fortified lines of Brooklyn Heights across the bay from New York City, where his regiment was trained by the regulars of the Continental Army. The militia system during the Revolutionary War was similar to the one in place during the French-Indian War, with the exception that the "Regulars" were no longer Redcoats of the British Army, but rather were colonists who served full-time in the newly formed Continental Army.

1776 Map of Long Island, New York
where Captain Child was stationed

It was during these three months of militia service where Captain Increase Child was recruited to become a "Regular" and enlist in the Continental Army for the next year. Because the Minute Men of Increase's company were all trained by this point, he could feel good about leaving his men for a genuine tour of duty. As a result, Increase Child was commissioned as a Captain in the Continental Army on April 1, 1776, where he served in the 3rd New York Regiment under Colonel Lewis Dubois.

The first area where Captain Increase Child was stationed was at Fort Constitution, which was on island directly across from West Point on the Hudson River. This region is referred to as the Hudson Highlands because the river narrows through the bottleneck region of steep hills. The flow of river traffic was controlled through this tapered region during the Revolutionary War by extending two gigantic steel chains across the narrowest passes of the river. While the first chain was set up at the river entrance of the Highlands to the south, extending from Fort Montgomery to Anthony's Point, the second chain was raised upriver seven miles to the north, extending from Fort Constitution to West Point. The Americans extended these chains across the Hudson River, in hopes of preventing British shipping from sailing up the river to the inland stronghold of Albany. Because the land masses where these chains were linked needed to be reinforced, such as Constitution Island, Captain Increase Child spent the summer of 1776 "building barracks and fortifying the place."

Left: West Point
Right: Fort Constitution where Captain Child served

By the end of August of 1776, the British had landed on Long Island, New York with an amphibious assault, amassing more than 20,000 troops that were led by General Howe. The British attacked General Washington's army of 13,000 at Brooklyn Heights where Captain Child had served, just five months earlier. General Howe's army drove the Americans across the bay to Manhattan Island, where he then pursued them north to White Plains, New York. By the start of November of 1776, General Howe had driven the Americans from White Plains into New Jersey, where he relentlessly pursued General Washington's army to Trenton on the Delaware River. Thus, within a few months, the southern tip of New York had come under British control, which signified that the frontline of this war had suddenly shifted up the Hudson River, where Captain Child's company was stationed. It was just a matter of time before British ships would harness the first southerly wind that was favorable, in order to sail up the Hudson River and attack the fortifications of Captain Child's company.

Constitution island on Hudson River
where Captain Child was stationed

The threat of attack on the Hudson Highlands was so eminent that by November of 1776, Captain Child was given orders to move his company seven miles down river to Fort Montgomery-Clinton. This transfer to the frontline also included Increase's eldest son Salmon, because it was common during the colonial period for officers to take family with them to areas where they were stationed. It was especially common for officers to take their younger sons with them who ranged between the ages of 10 to 16, due to the fact that colonial law did not allow males to fight until they were sixteen years old. The majority of these young boys functioned as servants or waiters for the officers of each company.

Within Captain Child's company, two boys served as waiters for the officers, which included Increase's eldest son Salmon, who was only eleven years old at the time. These boys were put in precarious situations because so many soldiers had left during the winter, whereby "there were barely men enough to guard these places." The journal of Salmon Child described the circumstances by stating that "we were armed and had become tolerable good marksmen and might be of service in many respects in case of an action with the enemy...Here for the first time, being only eleven years old, I had to take my turn on guard, a thing not common for officers' servants, although of mature age." Although Increase's son was required to help guard the fort at times, they were not attacked that winter or spring, due to the fact that there were no southerly winds that were favorable for the British. The attack on the Hudson Highlands did not occur until the autumn of 1777, about six months after Captain Child had been honorably discharged from his post in Fort Montgomery-Clinton. Hence, Increase was spared from battle once again, where Long Island was conquered five months after he left, and the Hudson Highlands region was subjugated six months after his departure.

By the first of April 1777, Captain Child's one-year enlistment in the Continental Army had expired. Around this same time, the enlistment period for full-time soldiers had changed from one year to three years. While the majority of soldiers in Captain Child's company reenlisted for three years, Increase was not able to reenlist because of the extenuating circumstances of his family back home, thus requiring him to return as soon as possible. Increase was needed at home in Dutchess County to move his family to the village of Canaan, Connecticut, which was about twenty-one miles northeast of the village of Amenia. Because the conditions of the Revolutionary War had put Increase's family in a financial dilemma, his wife Olive turned to her family for help, in which "she was very anxious to have Increase move to Canaan, where her brothers resided." Thus, Increase was not able to continue serving in the continental Army because of three key reasons that put him in a complicated predicament.

The first factor was the economic cost that was involved to serve as an officer in the Militia or Continental Army. Because the government never provided the majority of supplies or money that were needed to maintain the war, the officers usually covered the particular expenses of the soldiers in their own companies. Increase's son described this situation by stating that, "he would gladly have continued but the Continental money had so decreased in value that he could not any longer support his family and was already several hundred dollars in debt without the means of paying a cent." This debt was never reimbursed by the government, and Increase "never received a cent's compensation."

Fort Montgomery-Clinton
where Captain Increase Child was stationed

The second fact was his decision to become a full-time schoolteacher. When he moved to Amenia, he did not own or maintain a farm, due to the fact that the majority of his time was spent in study and teaching. Although his career choice supported his family comfortably for many years, he "had little laid up for a future day." In addition, because the majority of schools were shut down during the war, Increase "could no longer support his family by his education and was under the necessity of finding some place where he could obtain a farm." The fact that Increase had no teenage children in the home also contributed to this dilemma, where many sufficiently aged officers had their children maintain their estates in their absence.

The third factor was the unexpected death of Increase's father, Ephraim Child Jr., in the autumn of 1775, who he had yet to officially grant his 269-acre estate to either of his sons. Because there was so much chaos and movement in the commencement of the war, it is highly possible that Increase did not even know about his father's death until a few years later. After Increase had moved his family next to his in-laws in Canaan around the end of April of 1777, he set out for Woodstock to seek financial assistance from his family. The journal of his son Salmon reveals that Increase "returned with an old horse, a good three-year old colt, a pair of steers, and some Continental money. Putting them all together he was able to procure what would now be called an ordinary span of horses, wagon, and harness. This was all he ever received of his father's estate."

In this financial predicament, Increase was forced to resign from the Continental Army to buy a farm because he could not sustain his family from the devalued currency and incurred war debts. Furthermore, Increase could not use his education to provide for his family, due to the lack of schools to teach in; nor could he turn to his extended family to support his wife and children due to no inheritance. The variables of these three factors clearly produced an equation that altered the Child bloodline forever, as Increase set out on his own never to see the Child family again in Woodstock, Connecticut.

Soon after Increase had established a farm for his family's sustenance in Canaan, news broke about the British progress of General Burgoyne's advance down the Champlain valley into the Hudson River valley. There is no doubt that this alarm rekindled the revolutionary fire within Increase, due to the fact that the British advancement was occurring in the "key to the continent" region in upstate New York. Increase Child was well acquainted with this region after fighting several years in the French-Indian War. However, because Increase's new hometown of Canaan consisted primarily of Tories, "there had been no regular company of militia formed at that time in the town that could be depended on, the disaffected were so numerous." As a result, Increase acted upon his own beliefs and showed forth his leadership skills by rallying the few Whigs in the community to respond to the alarm.

In the middle of August of 1777, the newly elected Captain Child led a volunteer company northward, in response to the British advancement. While the main body of Northern Continental Army was fighting along the Hudson River, General Stark led an American brigade to Bennington, Vermont to stop the advancement of the British flank. Because Increase Child had served with General Stark in the French-Indian War as one of Rogers' Rangers, he decided to respond to his call. As a result, Captain Child's company arrived at the end of the Battle of Bennington, just in time to help General Stark's army defeat the British on August 16, 1777. For the next month, Increase and his company helped the Americans "take care of the wounded and prisoners."

Battle of Bennington where Captain Child
responded with Volunteer Company

By the middle of September of 1777, Captain Child's company marched with General Stark's brigade to the township of Stillwater, New York, where they met up with the Northern Continental Army. Captain Child was stationed at the main fortifications at Neilson's Farm, north of the village of Stillwater, while he fought in the first Battle of Saratoga at Freeman's Farm on September 19, 1777.

Fort Neilson where Captain Child
was stationed during Battle of Saratoga

Even though the involvement of Captain Child's company in the first Battle of Saratoga was minimal, he was later transferred to a new brigade, which put him directly in the center of the second Battle of Saratoga at Bemis Heights. After the stalemate of the first battle at Freeman's Farm, the commander of the Northern Continental Army, Major General Gates, repositioned his 11,000 soldiers according to their strengths. Because Increase Child had previous training and experience in the Continental Army and the French-Indian War, he was reassigned to command a company in Colonel Schuyler's 6th Regiment of General Ten Broeck's brigade.

Second Battle of Saratoga at Bemis Heights
where Captain Child fought

The military records reveal that General Ten Broeck's brigade was part of the left wing of the American army that was commanded by Major General Benedict Arnold, and was "present in the most critical moment in the battle of Bemis Heights" on October 7, 1777. The second Battle of Saratoga started when the right wing of the British lines advanced forward to scout out the main American lines, thus leaving their flanks exposed and unprotected. In response to this mistake, Major General Gates accepted Colonel Morgan's plan to assault their vulnerable flanks, in which General Benedict Arnold attacked with 6,000 men that made up the four brigades of General Ten Broeck, General Poor, General Learned, and Colonel Morgan. Because the British right wing was left exposed, the four American brigades swept through their ranks, thus causing their flanks to crumble and scatter. Within an hour, the Americans had captured the ten cannons of the Royal Artillery, causing the surviving soldiers to retreat back to the original defense lines and redoubts of the British right wing.

The Americans gave chase, which included Captain Child's company of General Ten Broeck's brigade, which was directly in the center of the four brigades that attacked the two British rebouts. While the outposts of the south redoubt (Balcarres) had been taken, the Americans were pushed back with heavy losses trying to storm the main fortification. However, there were weaknesses in the north redoubt (Breymann) in which General Benedict Arnold stormed the fortifications, along with many other units, such as Captain Child's company, causing its ultimate surrender. Increase Child relayed the details of this battle to his son Salmon, who wrote, "the enemy soon retreated to their main breastwork, and were so rapidly followed by the Americans through the meadow and woods which was very clear of logs and underbrush, that Arnold jumped his horse over the breastwork near the Freeman house, his horse killed and he wounded, but men were so near, they saved him and the enemy fled in great confusion to Headquarters."

The capture of Breymann's Redoubt was the key element in winning the Battle of Saratoga because the compromise of the British right wing rendered General Burgoyne's main position untenable. The American artillery was then in a position to set up their cannons in Breymann's Redoubt and rain down horror on the British Headquarters. As a result, General Burgoyne ordered a retreat and withdrew his army upriver, only to find that Major General Gates had cut off his retreat. The Americans soon closed in and surrounded the British, thus forcing a surrender on October 17, 1777.

Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga
where Captain Child fought

Map of North America from
the Aftermath of the Revolutionary War

The American victory at the Battle of Saratoga was the turning point in the Revolutionary War. Before this point, the Americans had yet to prove that they could beat the British "Regulars" in open battle with an equal number of soldiers. It is evident that the outcome of the Battle of Saratoga was the key ingredient that persuaded France to join the American side a few months later. For there is no doubt that if France had not come to their aid, there would have never been an American victory at Yorktown, nor for that matter, a triumph in the Revolutionary War. This is why historians rank the Battle of Saratoga in the top fifteen battles of all time, which are based on the affects of their outcome in history. One of these outcomes was the drastic change in North America after the treaty was signed in 1783, thus providing the colonies with the freedom of religion in the United States. It is amazing and marvelous to realize that Captain Increase Child not only fought valiantly for the cause of independence, but also was directly involved in the center of the fighting of the most pivotal battle that has ever taken place for the restoration of the gospel in the American continent in these latter days.

Farm of Captain Child near the Battle of Saratoga
at Bemis Heights

Although Captain Child was not wounded in the Battle of Saratoga, the poor sanitation of camp life affected him because he "returned home sick of a fever which confined him until winter." The majority of soldiers that died in the Revolutionary War did not die from their wounds, but rather passed away from the fevers that were ever so rampant in their camps. Even the officers were not exempt from these illnesses, as witnessed by General George Washington, whose son died for the cause of patriotism. Washington's only son was kept out of the war until his father finally permitted him to take part in the Battle of Yorktown, where he came down with camp fever after the battle and passed away later at his home. Thus, it is not only miraculous that Increase Child was never wounded in the heat of the Battle of Saratoga, but also that the Lord preserved his life despite the fever that incapacitated him during the winter. It is evident that the Lord spared Increase's life time and time again, in order that he could complete his mission upon the earth, which explicitly dealt with his posterity and the restoration of the gospel.

By March of 1778, Increase Child had fully recovered from his fever, but the farming season was fast approaching. Although Increase was grateful that his wife's family in Canaan allowed him to farm on their land after he left the Continental Army in 1777, he still did not have his own piece of land where he could sustain his family. Because Increase was "so well suited with the land in Stillwater, he bargained for a farm, about three miles from where the battles were fought." As a result, Increase returned with his 12-year old son to the region where he had fought in the Battle of Saratoga and "put in some spring grain, sowed some flax seed...and a garden." At this point in time, establishing a farm for Increase was very difficult, because "he had for such a length of time before been unacquainted with the farming business, especially on a new farm, he labored to a great disadvantage." Increase's new farm was in a wooded area where a few skirmishes took place in the Battle of Saratoga, in which a number of bodies of men were found that spring. "They had been buried in so shallow a grave, the covering so light, the wolves had dug them up and partially devoured them." After the farm was established, Increase returned to Canaan, Connecticut, and moved his family and all their belongings to the village of Bemis Heights, in the Township of Stillwater.

Increase Child Farm
near the Village of Bemis Heights, Stillwater, New York

Soon after Increase was established in Stillwater, the inhabitants of this region put his abilities and intellect to use. They not only viewed Captain Child as a war hero in this region, but also viewed him as an educated man with many talents. The early records of Bemis Heights indicate one of his primary roles as, "Increase Child, surveyor, laid out the village lots." In addition, the journal of his son Salmon revealed that, "he was chosen one of the committee of that town who were entrusted with the management of all the civil and local interests thereof, apprehending and examining suspected persons supposed to be guilty of aiding the enemy or accused of any breach of the peace or of any criminal conduct. The same justices of the peace now proceed as consecrators of the peace, for there were no courts for the collection of debts or the trial of civil causes, and he being perhaps more capable than any other in town to spread on paper the proceeding of the committee in a correct or intelligible manner had to be present whenever they met."

In addition to civic responsibilities, Increase also took part in military duties in his county for the remainder of the Revolutionary War. Because the Militia Law of 1775 required everyone to be enlisted in the counties where they lived, Increase Child was registered in the Saratoga District (13th Regiment) of the Albany County Militia from 1778-1783. Although he was not called upon to fight in any of the remaining battles of the Revolutionary War, Increase still served "at least three or four weeks in each year until the close of the war in alarms."

While Increase was a prominent citizen who provided services for the Township of Stillwater, "the family fared exceedingly hard and at this time such privation would be called suffering much, especially when informed that there was no article of clothing to be purchased or scarcely any material to make them of." By the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783, the situation turned worse because all the creditors started collecting debts that had accrued during the war. Because Increase had amassed a large debt in order to sustain his soldiers and family, his "creditors called upon him for their pay, which took the farm that he owned which was a choice bit of land and chiefly cultivate, to pay off his old debts."

Increase Child Farm
near the Village of Bemis Heights, Stillwater, New York

Although many officers fought these claims in courts because they were never paid or reimbursed by the government, Increase "was honest and turned them out all he possessed without the interference of the law." Hence, Increase not only risked his own life in the struggle for independence, but also sacrificed all of his material possessions in order that religious freedom could be established, thus allowing for the gospel to be restored upon the face of the earth.

1866 Map
Border between Greenfield and Milton Townships, New York

In the spring of 1784, Increase Child set out for western region of Albany County to acquire uncultivated land that could be transformed into a respectable farm. The reason Increase chose the North Milton area of New York was due to the fact that land was inexpensive in the frontier region and had yet to be settled. As a result, Increase Child was one of the first settlers to move to the north border of Milton and was starting over like his grandfather Ephraim Sr. and his second great grandfather Benjamin II had done in the past. However, he was not young like his ancestors were when they ventured into the frontier regions of America, for Increase was in his mid-40s. Establishing a new farm would have required the backbreaking work of clearing the trees with their axes, cultivating the ground, and then transforming the wood into log cabins.

After three years of establishing a respectable farm, Increase Child had prospered exceedingly and was in a position to sell his log cabin and choice piece of land to an incoming settler who had sufficient money to purchase a working farm. The money that Increase made from selling his "sweat equity" afforded him the opportunity to purchase a larger piece of land exactly one mile due north of the border between the Townships of Milton and Greenfield.

Home of Increase Child
Afterwards his son Salmon in Greenfield, New York

In 1787, Increase moved to the southern part of Greenfield and started the process over of establishing a new farm. Around this same time, Increase's eldest son Salmon had moved out, built himself a log cabin, and married his neighbor Olive Rose. Because of Increase's circumstances, he was never "able to bestow much property on his children," where only "two acres of new land" were given to Salmon at his marriage. By the 1790s, the tax records reveal that Increase had prospered exceedingly once again and was now in a position to build a framed-dwelling house.

Farm of Increase Child
Afterwards by son Salmon in Greenfield, New York

Increase built a typical colonial-style home where he could raise his unmarried children in a more civilized environment. Nonetheless, he did not enjoy the comforts of this home for very long, for soon after, he partitioned his farm and sold his house to his son Salmon, whose name appears in the records of possessing this small parcel. The major portion of the farm, which contained the log cabin, was sold and the money was used to go into the printing business with is 20-year old son William in the Township of Ballston. As a result, Increase moved his remaining family about sixteen miles south to the border region between Milton and Ballston Townships.

Location of Child Printing Press
in relation to Home in Greenfield, New York

Child Printing Press
Top Floor of Colonial Inn-Store, Ballston, New York

In the autumn of 1797, Increase Child and his son William seized the opportunity to buy a small printing press located in Albany, New York. Because the township of Greenfield was still considered the frontier, they made the decision to set up the firm in Ballston Township, where it was more civilized with several settled communities. As a result, they traveled to Albany with their teams and wagons to transport the large pieces of the press to Court House Hill in Ballston, where they rented the top floor of a colonial store and inn for their business.

Child Printing Press
Top Floor of Colonial Inn-Store, Ballston, New York

After spending the winter and spring assembling the printing press and practicing the laborious techniques of producing quality copies, Increase and William Child published the first newspaper in Saratoga County on June 14, 1798. This newspaper was called, "THE SARATOGA REGISTER" and measured 11x14 inches with four columns to the page. In addition, Increase and William wrote and published the first book in Saratoga County in 1798 called, "A PLAIN ACCOUNT OF THE ORDINANCE OF BAPTISM." An early commentary of the book stated that "All the texts in the New Testament relating to it are proved, and whole Doctrine concerning it drawn from them alone." It is astonishing to ponder that out of all the subjects that an educated man of his intellect could have written about, Increase Child chose the most fundamental and glorious subject of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He not only used the scriptures to expound upon the concept of baptism, but also used them in an analytical approach that supported the essential need for this doctrine.

First Paper and Book Published in Saratoga County
by Child Printing Press

Spiritual doctrines were not the only concepts that the Child Printing Press published. Increase and William were well entrenched in the political fervor of the day, where "the journal supported the administration of President John Adams, then the head of the political party which bore the name of Federal." The Child Printing Press published a second book in the Saratoga County in 1800 that was entitled "A PLEA FOR THE NON-CONFORMISTS," which was two hundred and twenty-two pages long. They sold the literature at the printing office, where they had the capacity to easily make reprints and bind periodicals. An example of Increase Child's intellect and political fervor can be read win his article in the August 22, 1798 edition of the Saratoga Register, which states:

"There is at the present so strong an opposition to the measures of the general government prevailing through the counties of Ulster and Orange, that it is dangerous for a man to applaud the administration, and he is fortunate to escape personal injury. In many parts of those counties the friend of the government is viewed as an enemy to the general cause, and is treated with marked contempt and disrespect. Almost every town exhibits a Liberty Pole, as they falsely term it, which these sons of Belial have erected to their idol faction. Our informants saw these poles in Newburg, Windsor, Montogomery, Wardsbridge, Goshen, Florida, Warwick, etc., but they could give us no information concerning the intention of their combination of knaves and fools to oppose the execution of the laws by force. We believe, however, they know too well their own insignificance and weakness to be deliberate authors of their own destruction." Increase Child

1866 Map of Ballston
showing location of Child's Printing Press

For three years, Increase Child taught his son William the printing business, where by the time he was twenty-three years old, he had learned a sufficient amount to run the business by himself. As a result, in April of 1800, the firm of Increase and William Child dissolved, where William became the sole proprietor. For the next decade, William continued to publish until he sold the Child Printing Press in 1811 to James Comstock. Shortly after, the printing press moved to Ballston Spa, where the name eventually changed to "The Ballston Journal." Its continuous longevity makes this journal one of the oldest periodicals in the country that has been constantly published for more than two hundred years. Following the sale of Child's Printing Press, William moved to Waterloo, New York, where he started another printing press and founded a paper called "The Seneca Falls Advertiser."

It is most likely that Increase withdrew his partnership from the firm in 1800 so he could help his youngest son Asa, who had just turned twenty years old. While Increase taught his son William the printing business, Asa also learned the skills of the trade between the ages of 17 to 20 years old. For the next six years, Increase taught his son Asa the printing business, while he lived at home. By 1806, Asa started his own printing press in Johnstown, New York, where he also established a new paper called "The Montgomery Republican."

After Increase finished helping Asa get established in his career, in 1806 he returned back to his original homestead in Greenfield, New York, where he lived with his eldest son Salmon for the next four years. At this point in time, the household of Salmon Child may have been a little confusing, for there were now three Olives living under one roof: Increase's wife, Salmon's wife, and Salmon's daughter. During this period, Increase attended the Baptist church with Salmon, who was one of the major contributors and founders of this congregation in North Milton.

Baptist Society established 1801
Old Stone Church, North Milton, New York

After living with his eldest son's family for several years, Increase Child passed away from natural causes on June 21, 1810 at the age of seventy. He received a Christian burial and was laid to rest in the burial grounds of the Baptist Church, otherwise known as the Boyce or North Milton cemetery. His wife Olive continued to live with the Salmon Child family for the next twelve years, until she passed away on July 7, 1822, at the age of eighty-four. Olive Pease Child was laid to rest next to her husband Increase in the same cemetery.

Tombstones at Boyce or North Milton Cemetery
Saratoga County, New York

In conclusion, Captain Increase Child was one of the most intelligent, courageous, and patriotic members of the Child family to ever walk the face of this earth. Although his descendants described him as a "lusty, burly youth, of mercurial temperament and an adventurous disposition," he also had a gentle and benevolent nature about him, where he was described as a "kind and affectionate father." From an early stage in his life, Increase learned to deal with burdensome trials, which developed the tempered qualities and characteristics that the Lord had him use throughout his life to meet the difficult challenges that he encountered. As a soldier, Increase risked his life many times in both the French-Indian and Revolutionary Wars for his beliefs that were always in the name of patriotism. He also sacrificed material wealth and all his possessions for these beliefs, in order that religious freedom could ring throughout the land, which in turn, ushered in the great restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because Increase sacrificed all that he had and bore these trials patiently, the Lord preserved his life many times and blessed him exceedingly with many gifts and talents that were later used to bless the lives around him. In particular was his intellect, where his children were extremely blessed to learn from him. One of the greatest tributes that can be said about Increase Child is reflected through the exemplary lives of his children. The ministers who knew them best have referred to them as some of "the most conscientious and consistent Christians I ever knew." His children were all prominent citizens in their communities, where two served as judges and state legislators, two were prolific printers with their own presses and papers, one served as a medical doctor in the War of 1812, and another started several Christian churches. Nevertheless, the greatest tribute that can be said about Captain Increase Child is from his eldest son Salmon, who knew him best: "Increase was always a peacemaker wherever he lived or in whatever employment he was engaged. If they wanted arbitrators or referees in the vicinity where he resided, he seldom ever failed of being one of them. Many and many are the instances that I have known of his being called upon for advice where neighbors had fallen out with each other. He always gave his opinion candidly, whether favorable or unfavorable to their inclination or interests...He always sustained the character of an honest, upright person, although poor. I think there are but few persons in common circles of life and especially those who were considered poor that ever rendered more services or essential good to society and the general welfare of their county."

"The Ancestry of Alfred Bosworth Child" Mark B. Child, Ph.D./Paul L. Child, D.D.S., 2008 printed by Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

Life of Increase Child
Increase Child was the second child of Ephraim Child Jr. and Mary Lyon Child. He was born in Woodstock, Connecticut, 13 December 1740. Increase received his name of Increase from a surname of his grandmother on the maternal line, Increase.

Increase married Olive Pease of Somers, Connecticut, on 3 November 1762. Olive was born 10 March 1738 in Somers, Connecticut, and died in Greenfield, Saratoga, New York, on 5 July 1822. Increase died on 10 June 1810 in Greenfield, Saratoga, New York, and is buried there.

At the age of sixteen Increase volunteered for the French and Indian Wars where he served for seven years. Increase served under Captain Putnam for a year, fighting in the battles of Crown Point and Ticonderoga. Captain Putnam was captured by the Indians but Increase assisted in his release and escape. In the year of 1757 Increase served in Captain Carpenter's Company from Woodstock, Connecticut. Josiah Child was Lieutenant. In the campaign of 1758 Increase was seventeen years old serving with the sixth company under Captain Holmes. The Third Regiment of Connecticut Troops was commanded by Eleazer Fitch and Increase was listed sick in the hospital. In the Campaign of 1759 Increase was eighteen serving in the Seventh Company under Captain David Holmes. Jonathan Child was the 2nd Lieutenant. A Muster Roll of Captain David Holmes Company in the Fourth Regiment of Connecticut Troops by Eleazer Fitch. Increase served the full seven years of the war, being on call to fight the Indians whenever an uprising occurred.

At the close of the war, Increase returned to his home in Woodstock, Connecticut, where he fell in love with Olive Pease and the couple were married on 3 November 1762. The couple lived happily in Woodstock where their first four children were born. Harviland, Salmon, Rockselana (Roxalana) and Roxalana were all born in Woodstock. Harviland and Rockselane died young, being buried in Woodstock, Connecticut.

In 1771 Increase moved his family to Oblong, near the town of Amenia, Dutchess, New York. Mark Anthony Child, my direct line ancestor was born soon after their arrival in New York on 10 May 1771 in Oblong. Increase taught school in Oblong, Dutchess County, New York. Oblong derived its name from a point of land adjacent to the Hudson River, being oblong in shape. The nearest town was Amenia, sometimes spelled Armenia. As a school teacher Increase helped many children to become educated. When the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775 Increase first enlisted as a Private out of the Albany District. His family remained in Oblong while Increase went off to war. Judge Salmon Child, eldest living son of Increase Child mentions in his history of his father that the family moved to Oblong when he was about 6 years of age or 1771.

The History of Woodstock, Windham County, Connecticut, says that all the children were born in Woodstock, Connecticut. The Child Genealogy Book by Elias Child has all the children born in Woodstock under Increase Child. It mentions that Mark A. Child was born in Stillwater, New York and Olive born in Oblong in the next generation with the remainder of the children born in Woodstock. Increase never went to Stillwater until 1778 in the war. I do believe that the above two references are incorrect, having all the children born in Connecticut. Judge Salmon Child in his history of Increase Child mentions that the whole family moved to Oblong, Dutchess County, New York, when he was about 6 years old or 1771. The V. A. letter verifies this move to Armenia, Dutchess, New York, in 1771. Armenia was the town nearest to Oblong, since Oblong officially wasn't incorporated into a town at that time. The V. A. letter also states that Increase entered the service from the State of New York, being a resident of Armenia in 1775, entered as a private, returned home (Armenia) (now spelled Amenia) called into New York City on 1 April 1776 to receive a Captain's Commission, returned home in June of 1776 to bring his son Salmon to Constitution Island to serve as a waiter until April of 1777. In 1777 Salmon Child moved to New Canaan, Saratoga, New York, and about 1 April 1778 moved with his father to Stillwater, New York, serving in the war assisting his father. Salmon Child enlisted in the spring of 1781, served as a private in Captain Kotham Dunham's Company, Colonel Willett's Regiment. Salmon served as a waiter to Dr. Delano, a surgeon for nine months. Salmon served on various troop alarms from 1781 to 1783, amounting to two months service. (V.A. Letter dated 20 November 1939).

From the history of Salmon Child: "My father bargained for a piece of land in Stillwater at the close of the war for his military pay. Increase and Salmon put in the crops and then they went for the family and moved to Stillwater, Saratoga County, New York in 1783, or the close of the Revolutionary War as stated."

From all of the above evidence the first four children were born in Woodstock, Windham County, Connecticut. The last five children were born in Oblong, Dutchess County, New York. Therefore, Mark A. Child, born May 10, 1771; Ephraim born May 10, 1773; and Olive born 11 March 1775; William born January 4, 1777, and Asa born 21 May 1780 were all born In Oblong or Amenia, Dutchess, New York.

Increase was a master surveyor laying out the towns and villages of Stillwater, Saratoga Springs and Balston Spring. He also laid out many farms and boundaries in the County of Saratoga.

Increase and his family were very religious and attended Church. Increase had been a member of the Standing Order of the Congregationalist in Woodstock, being very strict Sabbath day observers. Many of Increase's children joined the Baptist movement --Salmon, Olive, William and Asa. William and Asa printed Baptist literature and books. Mark Anthony Child established his own Church, the First Universal Church of Greenfield. He believed in the Bible as printed.
1. History of Woodstock, Windham County, Connecticut pp 505-506.
2. Gen. of Child, Childs and Childe of America, pp 79-87, also above ref.
3. Muster Rolls of Conn. Troops--French and Indian Wars.
4, Ibid pp 515-516.
5. Ibid pp 79-87.
6. Ibid pp 79-87.
History of Saratoga, New York, pp 128-130.
found on childgenealogy.org

Increase Child (1740-1810) served as captain in the New York forces under Generals Schuyler and Gates. He was born in Woodstock, died in Greenfield, New York.
Daughters of the American Revolution, page 130

Increase Child (1740-1810), who had served in the early wars, commanded a company under Schuyler and joined Gates at Stillwater. He was born in Woodstock, Connecticut, died in Greenfield, New York. Daughters of the American Revolution, page 78

Increase Child (1740-1810) commanded a company of volunteers, 1776, at Fort Montgomery and later served under Generals Schuyler and Gates at Stillwater. He was born and died in Woodstock, Connecticut. Daughters of the American Revolution, page 308

Increase Child (1740-1810), commanded a company under Schuyler and joined Gates' army at Stillwater. He took with him his son Salmon, as a waiter. He was born in Woodstock, Connecticut; died in Greenfield, New York. Daughters of the American Revolution, page 232

Captain Increase Child served an an officer in Colonel DuBois' New York Regiment from 1776 to the end of the war. Eleven year-old Salmon served initially as a "waiter" to his father.

Child. Increase, Solomon's, 1; (Capt.)
“Genealogy of the Child, Childs and Childe Families,” page 79
http://books.google.com/books?id=DI5KaTC0_nkC&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=%22captain+increase+child%22&source=web&ots=s
vL-_K1ngq&sig=XoMWMur1WPpbrx9Di4tHjUKJO7w&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA79,M1
INCREASE CHILD, second child of Ephraim and Mary Lyon Child, born in Woodstock, Connecticut, 13 December 1740, married Olive Pease of Somers, Connecticut, 3 November 1762. She was born 10 March 1738, died 6 July 1822, in Greenfield, Saratoga County, New York. He died 10 June 1810, in the same town.

They had nine children.

From papers furnished by one of the descendants of Increase Child, we obtain items of his history which reveal a somewhat eventful life, showing manliness, patriotism, and personal virtues.

Captain Increase, as he comes to our notice, is a lusty, burly youth, of a mercurial temperament, of an adventurous disposition, not content with the monotony of a home devoid of excitements, bent upon knowing and seeing what was going on in the world. At scarcely sixteen years of age, when Israel Putnam was commissioned by the Connecticut colony as captain, in 1755, in the French war, young Increase, in response to the call for volunteers, was among the first to be enrolled, and served through the seven years' campaign of this war. He fought in the battles at Crown Point and Ticonderoga. At the time of Putnam's capture, in 1756, young Child was marching near him. The Indians seized Putnam and bound him to a tree, where he was exposed to the fire of both friends and foes. How Putnam was extricated from his position, our informant does not tell. But he lived, as we know, to fight the battles of the Revolution.

Returning to the old homestead at the close of this war, he tarried but a short time, when he left and went to Dutchess county, New York, and engaged in school teaching in a place called "Oblong," deriving its name probably from its peculiar shape, as a point of land adjacent to the Hudson river. After spending a few years in teaching, he returned to Woodstock, Connecticut, and married Miss Pease of Somers. He made Woodstock, Connecticut, his home for a number of years, rearing some of his children, if not all in this town, when the attractions of the then west brought him back to the borders of the Hudson river. Taking his eldest son (Salmon Child), then a lad, on horseback behind him, he went to Dutchess county, New York, provided a home, and
brought over his family, and settled there.

When the Revolutionary war broke out, he enlisted under General Schuyler, as captain. Under Generals Schuyler and Gates he served through the war and obtained an honorable discharge. In this campaign his son (Salmon) acted at first as a waiter for his father, being too young at the commencement of the war to be taken as a soldier, but before its close his name was enrolled on the list of volunteers.

The excitements and hardships of war during an eight years' service were not sufficient to break the force of will and purpose in Captain Increase Child. The northern section of the State of New York, through which the army of Schuyler and Gates had been led, presented such attractions to Captain Child that he resolved to make it his future home. His settlement was in Milton, Saratoga county, New York, where he became a permanent and useful citizen. The early opportunities of Captain Increase Child for a substantial education, that should qualify him for practical life, had been well improved. He was an excellent penman, and a competent surveyor and conveyancer, and a man of excellent general business capacity. The inherent force of character evinced by Increase Child in budding youth did not expend itself in riper years: nor did it expire at his death and leave no traces in the long line of descendants of this remarkable man. As we trace the history of this branch of the family name, there lies along the entire line, at not very wide intervals, the most robust and sturdy qualities of mental and physical manliness and moral worth. The children of Captain Increase Child were among the best and most enlightened citizens of their day. Nor have succeeding generations exhibited less noble, manly, patriotic and intelligent characteristics.

Children:
i. HAVILAN CHILD, born in Woodstock, Connecticut, August 13, 1703, died August 19, 1766.

ii. SALMON CHILD, born in Woodstock, Connecticut, September 19, 1765, married January 7, 1787, Olive Rose. Salmon's father, Captain Increase Child, served as an officer in Colonel DuBois' New York Regiment from 1776 to the end of the war. Eleven-year-old Salmon served initially
as a "waiter" to his father. In 1781, at the age of 16, Salmon enlisted as a private in Captain Holtham Dunham's Company of Colonel Marius Willett's New York Regiment. From August 1781 to April 1782 Child served as a "waiter" to Dr. Calvin Delano, a surgeon. Besides his duties as a "waiter," Child was able to go on several "alarms" against the British. After the war Salmon Child and his wife, Olive Rose, moved to Greenfield, Saratoga County, New York where he served as First Judge of the County Court for a number of years. In 1848 he moved to Walworth County, Wisconsin with his son William. Salmon died January 28, 1856, and is buried in the Honey Creek Cemetery, Section 6, Town of Rochester, Racine County, Wisconsin-Lot 30, Block 5. A stone upright headstone marks the grave. Attached to the headstone is a DAR plaque. A bronze government marker is also located at the site.

iii. ROXALANA CHILD, born in Woodstock, Connecticut, June 17, 1767, died young.

iv. ROXALANA CHILD, 2d, born in Woodstock, Connecticut. May 3. 1760, married Robert Ackerman, died at Pillar Point, New York.

v. MARK ANTHONY CHILD, born in Woodstock, Connecticut, May 10, 1771; died February 1843, Greenfield, Saratoga, New York; married December 8. 1793, Hannah Benedict, married 2d 1819, Submit Peacock. Mark was the third son and fifth child of Captain Increase Child and Olive Pease. As a polygamist, Mark married his second wife (that is, after Hannah Benedict), Submit Peacock, and had five children with her besides the twelve he had with Hannah. He is described as having been a tall, thin-faced man that wore a moustache and had dark brown hair. He was devoutly religious and in 1797, he moved the family to Milton, Saratoga, New York.

vi. EPHRAIM CHILD, born May 10, 1773, married January 1, 1796, Mary Woodworth.

vii. OLIVE CHILD, born March 11, 1775, married 1798, Alfred Bosworth.

viii. WILLIAM CHILD, born January 4, 1777. married February 5, 1820, Polly Weed.

ix. ASA CHILD, born May 21. 1780, married 1806, Lois Foote.
New York Freemasons in the Revolutionary War
Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York 1900, pages 294-316
http://books.google.com/books?id=QoBLAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:LCCN06007447&lr=#PPA301,M1 Compiled by R.’.W.’. Gary L. Heinmiller
Director, Onondaga & Oswego Masonic Districts Historical Societies (OMHDS)
www.omdhs.syracusemasons.com
Revised March/April 2009
REPORT, page 33

Captain Child, Increase
Born on December 13, 1740 to Lt. Ephraim Child, Jr. and Mary Lyon Child. Served as a soldier in the French and English War from 1756 to 1758. Married Olive Pease with whom he had six children, the youngest, Ephraim, born on March 17, 773. Served as a Captain in the American Revolutionary War in 1776. Died June 21, 1810 and was buried in Greenfield, New York.
http://www.kidswhoroam.com/genealogy/source/wedalbum/wedalbum.html

Revolutionary War
Increase Child - born 12-1301740 Connecticut - died 6-10-1810 New York
married (1) Olive Pease - Captain New York
DAR Patriot Index, Volume 1, page 507

frontline of this war had suddenly shifted up the Hudson River, where Captain Child's company was stationed. It was just a matter of time before British ships would harness the first southerly wind that was favorable, in order to sail up the Hudson River and attack the fortifications of Captain Child's company.

Increase Child, (1740-1810), who had served in the early wars, commanded a company under Schuyler and joined Gates at Stillwater. He was born in Woodstock, Connecticut; died in Greenfield, Saratoga County, New York.

Enos Burt (1760-1822) was a private in Captain Joseph Ball's company, Colonel Edward Pope's regiment at the Rhode Island Alarm, 1776. He served several enlistments during the Revolution. He erected the first school house of Taunton, where he was born and where he was buried.

Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Book, page 294

Increase Child, second child of Ephraim and Mary Lyon Child, born in Woodstock, Connecticut, December 13, 1740 -- From papers furnished by one of the descendants of Increase Child, we obtain items of his history which reveal somewhat eventful life, showing manliness, patriotism and personal virtues.

Captain Increase, as he comes to our notice, is a lusty, burly youth of an adventurous disposition, not content with the monotony of a home devoid of excitement. Bent upon knowing and seeing what was going on in the world. At scarcely 16 years of age, Increase, in response to the call for volunteers, in the French War, was among the first to be enrolled, and served through the seven years of this war -- Returning to the old homestead at the close of the war; he tarried but a short time, when he left and went to Dutchess County, New York, and engaged in school teaching. After spending a few years teaching, he returned to Woodstock, Connecticut, and married on the 3rd day of November 1762, Olive Pease of Somers, Connecticut, born March 10, 1738. They made Woodstock their home for a number of years, where four of their nine children were born. Increase Child, taking his eldest son, Salmon, then a lad, on horseback, behind him, went to Dutchess County, New York, provided a home, and brought his family and settled there. When the Revolutionary War broke out, he enlisted under General Schuyler, as Captain. He served through the war and obtained an honorable discharge. He died in Greenfield, Saratoga, New York, June 10, 1810. (Gen. of Woodstock Families, Volume 2)

Page 536

Increase Child, second child of Ephraim and Mary Lyon Child, born in Woodstock, Connecticut, December 13, 1740, married Olive Pease of Somers, Connecticut, November 3, 1762. She was born March 10, 1738, died July 5, 1822, in Greenfield, Saratoga County, New York. He died June 10, 1810, in the same town. They had nine children.

From papers furnished by one of the descendants of Increase Child, we obtain items of his history which reveal a somewhat eventful life, showing manliness, patriotism, and personal virtues. Captain Increase, as he comes to our notice, is a lusty, burly youth, of a mercurial temperament, of an adventurous disposition, not content with the monotony of a home devoid of excitements, bent upon knowing and seeing what was going on in the world. At scarcely sixteen years of age, when Israel Putnam was commissioned by the Connecticut colony as captain, in 1755, in the French war, young Increase, in response to the call for volunteers, was among the first to be enrolled, and served through the seven years' campaign of this war. He fought in the battles at Crown Point and Ticonderoga. At the time of Putnam's capture, in 1756, young Child was marching near him. The Indians seized Putnam and bound him to a tree, where he was exposed to the fire of both friends and foes. How Putnam was extricated from his position, our informant does not tell. But he lived, as we know, to fight the battles of the Revolution. Returning to the old homestead at the close of this war, Increase tarried but a short time, when he left and went to Dutchess county, New York, and engaged in school teaching in a place called "Oblong," deriving its name probably from its peculiar shape, as a point of land adjacent to the Hudson river. After spending a few years in teaching, he returned to Woodstock, Connecticut, and married Miss Olive Pease of Somers. He made Woodstock, Connecticut, his home for a number of years, rearing some of his children, if not all, in this town, when the attractions of the then west brought him back to the borders of the Hudson river. Taking his eldest son (Salmon Child), then a lad, on horseback behind him, he went to Dutchess county, New York, provided a home, and brought over his family, and settled there.

When the Revolutionary war broke out, he enlisted under General Schuyler, as captain. Under Generals Schuyler and Gates he served through the war and obtained an honorable discharge. In this campaign his son (Salmon) acted at first as a waiter for his father, being too young at the commencement of the war to be taken as a soldier, but before its close his name was enrolled on the list of volunteers. The excitements and hardships of war during an eight years' service were not sufficient to break the force of will and purpose in Captain Increase Child. The northern section of the State of New York, through which the army of Schuyler and Gates had been led, presented such attractions to Captain Child that he resolved to make it his future home. His settlement was in Milton, Saratoga county, New York, where he became a permanent and useful citizen. The early opportunities of Captain Increase Child for a substantial education, that should qualify him for practical life, had been well improved, He was an excellent penman, and a competent surveyor and conveyancer, and a man of excellent general business capacity. The inherent force of character evinced by Increase Child in budding youth did not expend itself in later years; nor did it expire at his death and leave no traces in the long line of descendants of this remarkable man. As we trace the history of this branch of the family name, there lies along the entire line, at not very wide intervals, the most robust and sturdy qualities of mental and physical manliness and moral worth. The children of Captain Increase Child were among the best and most enlightened citizens of their day. Nor have succeeding generations exhibited less noble, manly, patriotic and intelligent characteristics.

Pages 565-566

Histories of Child, Rawson, Coffin, and Holtzclaw Families

Compiled, written, and published by Fern Roberts Morgan

Printed by M.C. Printing, Inc., Provo, Utah

History of Increase Child

Contributed By jessicanicolevandreew1 · 22 September 2013 · 0 Comments

HISTORY OF INCREASE CHILD Increase Child was the second child of Ephraim Child Jr. and Mary Lyon Child. He was bom in Woodstock, Conn., 13 Dec 1740. Increase received his name of Increase from a surname of his grandmother on the maternal line, Increase.1 Increase married Olive Pease of Somers, Conn. on 3 Nov 1762. Olive was born 10 Mar 1738 in Somers, Conn. and died in Greenfield, Saratoga, N. Y. on 5 July 1822. Increase died on 10 June 1810 in Greenfield, Saratoga, N. Y. and is buried there.2 At the age of sixteen Increase volunteered for the French and Indian Wars where he served for seven years. Increase served under Capt. Putnam for a year, fighting in the battles of Crown Point and Ticonderoga. Capt. Putnam was captured by the Indians but Increase assisted in his release and escape. In the year of 1757 Increase served in Capt. Carpenter's Co. from Woodstock, Conn. Josiah Child was Lieutenant. In the campaign of 1758 Increase was seventeen years old serving with the sixth company under Captain Holmes. The Third Reg. of Conn. Troops was commanded by Eleazer Fitch and Increase was listed sick in the hospital. In the Campaign of 1759 Increase was eighteen serving in the Seventh Company under Capt. David Holmes. Jonathan Child was the 2nd Lt. A Muster Roll of Capt. David Holmes Co. in the Fourth Regiment of Conn. Troops by Eleazer Fitch. Increase served the full seven years of the war, being on call to fight the Indians whenever an uprising occurred. 3 At the close of the war, Increase returned to his home in Woodstock, Conn., where he fell in love with Olive Pease and the couple were married on 3 Nov 1762. The couple lived happily in Woodstock where their first four children were born. Harviland, Salmon, Rockselana (Roxalana) and Roxalana were all born in Woodstock. Harviland and Rockselane died young, being buried in Woodstock, Conn.4 In 1771 Increase moved his family to Oblong, near the town of Amenia, Dutchess, N.Y. Mark Anthony Child, my direct line ancestor was born soon after their arrival in New York on 10 May 1771 in Oblong. Increase taught school in Oblong, Dutchess Co., N.Y. Oblong derived its name from a point of land adjacent to the Hudson River, being oblong in shape. The nearest town was Amenia, sometimes spelled Armenia. As a school teacher Increase helped many children to become educated. When the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775 Increase first enlisted as a Private out of the Albany District. His family remained in Oblong while Increase went off to war. Judge Salmon Child, eldest living son of Increase Child mentions in his history of his father that the family moved to Oblong when he was about 6 years of age or 1771.5 The History of Woodstock, Windham Co., Conn. says that all the children were born in Woodstock, Conn. The Child Genealogy Book by Elias Child has all the children born in Woodstock under Increase Child. It mentions that Mark A. Child was born in Stillwater, N. Y. and Olive born in Oblong in the next generation with the remainder of the children born in Woodstock. Increase never went to Stillwater until 1778 in the war. I do believe that the above two references are incorrect, having all the children born in Conn. Judge Salmon Child in his history of Increase Child mentions that the whole family moved to Oblong, Dutchess Co., N. Y. when he was about 6 years old or 1771. The V. A. letter verifies this move to Armenia, Dutchess, N. Y. in 1771. Armenia was the town nearest to Oblong, since Oblong officially wasn't incorporated into a town at that time. The V. A. letter also states that Increase entered the service from the State of N.Y., being a resident of Armenia in 1775, entered as a private, returned home (Armenia) (now spelled Amenia) called into New York City on 1 April 1776 to receive a Captain's Commission, returned home in June of 1776 to bring his son Salmon to Constitution Island to serve as a waiter until April of 1777. In 1777 Salmon Child moved to New Canaan, Saratoga, N.Y. and about 1 April 1778 moved with his father to Stillwater, N.Y., serving in the war assisting his father. Salmon Child enlisted in the spring of 1781, served as a private in Capt. Kotham Dunham's Co. Col. Willett's Regiment. Salmon served as a waiter to Dr. Delano, a surgeon for nine months. Salmon served on various troop alarms from 1781 to 1783, amounting to two months service. (V.A. Letter dated 20 Nov 1939). From the history of Salmon Child: "My father bargin for a piece of land in Stillwater at the close of the war for his military pay. Increase and Salmon put in the crops and then they went for the family and moved to Stillwater, Saratoga Co., N. Y. in 1783, or the close of the Revolutionary War as stated."6 From all of the above evidence the first four children were born in Woodstock, Windham Co., Conn. The last five children were born in Oblong, Dutchess Co., N.Y. Therefore, Mark A. Child, b. May 10, 1771; Ephraim b. May 10, 1773; and Olive b. 11 Mar 1775; William b. Jan 4, 1777, and Asa b. 21 May 1780 were all born In Oblong or Amenia, Dutchess, N. Y. Increase was a master surveyor laying out the towns and villages of Stillwater, Saratoga Springs and Balston Spring. He also laid out many farms and boundaries in the County of Saratoga.7 Increase and his family were very religious and attended Church. Increase had been a member of the Standing Order of the Congregationalist in Woodstock, being very strict Sabbath day observers. Many of Increase's children joined the Baptist movement --Salmon, Olive, William and Asa. William and Asa printed Baptist literature and books. Mark Anthony Child established his own Church, the First Universal Church of Greenfield. He believed in the Bible as printed. 1. History of Woodstock, Windham Co., Conn. pp 505-506. 2. Gen. of Child, Childs and Childe of America, pp 79-87, also above ref. 3. Muster Rolls of Conn. Troops--French and Indian Wars. 4. Ibid pp 515-516. 5. Ibid pp 79-87. 6. Ibid pp 79-87. 7. History of Saratoga, N. Y., pp 128-130. NOTE: History found on the web by Eugene M. Hancock, 5th Great Grandson of Increase Child.

From papers furnished by one of the descendants of Increas Child, we obtain items of his history which reveal a somewhat eventful life, showing manlliness, patriotism, and personal virtues. Captain Increase, as he comes to our notice, is a lusty, burly youth, of a mercurial temperment, of an adventurous disposition, not content with the monotony of a home devoid of excitements, bent upon knowing and seeing what was going on in the world. At scarcely sixteen years of age, when Israel Putnam was commissioned by the Connecticut colony as Captain, in 1755, in the French war, young Increase, in response to the call for volunteers, was among the first to be enrolled, and served through the seven years' campaign of the war. He fought in the battles at Crown Point and Ticondaroga. Returning to the old homestead at the close of this war, he tarried but a short time, when he left and went to Dutchess county, N. y., and engaged in school teaching in a place called "Oblong," deriving its name probably from its peculiar shape, as a point of land adjacent to the Hudson river. After spending a few year in teaching, he returned to Woodstock, Ct. and married Miss Pease of Somers. He made Woodstock, Ct, his home for a number of years, rearing some of his children, if not all, in this town, when the attractions of the then west brought him back to the borders of the Hudson river. Taking his eldest son (Salmon Child), then a lad, on horseback behind him, he went to Dutchess county, N. Y., provided a home, and brought over his family. and settled there.

When the Revolutionary war broke out, he enlisted under General Schuyler, as captain. Under Generals Schuyler and Gates he served through the war and obtained an honorable discharge. In this compaign his son (Salmon) acted at first as a waiter for his father, being too young at the commencement of the the war to be taken as a soldier, but before its close his name was enrolled on the list of volunteers. The excitements and hardships of war during an eight years' service were not sufficient to break the force of will and purpose in Captain Increase Child. The northern section of the state of New York through which the army of Schuyler and Gates had been led, presented such attraction to Captain Child that he resolved to make it his future home. His settlement was in Milton, Saratoga county, N. Y., where he became a permanent and useful citizen. The early opportunities of Captain Increase Child for a substantial education, that should qualify him for practical life, had been well improved. He was an excellent penman, and competent surveyor and conveyancer, and a man of excellent general business capacity. The inherent force of character evinced by Increase Child in budding youth did not expend itself in riper years; not did it expire at his death and leave no traces in the long line of descendents of this remarkable man. As we trace the history of this branch of the family name.
Excerps from; Genealogy of the Child, Childs and Childe Families, of the Past and Present in the United States and the Canadas, from 1630 to 1881, Volume 1 By Elias Child 1946

EPHRAIM CHILD 1711-1775

Ephraim Child was born in Woodstock, County of Windham, State of Connecticut. My grandfather was one of the early settlers of that town and a grandson of one of the three brothers (two brothers and a nephew) that emigrated from Wales (England) and settled at Roxbury near Boston in the early settlement of Massachusetts.

Grandfather Child (Ephraim) bore the reputation of an honest, industrious and pious man. From my recollection of him I have always supposed him to be one of the most sedate, careful and affectionate of men. He owned a good farm of 200 acres all enclosed with a good stonewall fence; it was bounded on the east, south and west by highways. On the east and west sides of the farm there were comfortable farm buildings with good orchards.

Having but two sons and one daughter and she well settled, he no doubt, from the information I have received, flattered himself that his children would continue near him the little time he had to remain, and his two sons in grateful remembrance of the toils he had endured in habitation, would gladly bear with the infirmities of his age and his spirits when the fading leaf and trembling limbs of Autumn were daily admonishing him that the winter of death was fast approaching. But Alas [the pious Godly man in whose prayers I trust we all have--and myself in particular--been benefited was a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief.

My grandmother who was from a very respectable family of the name of Lyon, in a long fit of sickness that followed the birth of her youngest child, though finally restored to health of body, was ever after partially deranged so far that though she outlived her companion was no longer an helpmate, not being capable of taking charge of the family but frequently needing the oversight of others -- not malicious or perverse but more inclined to be mischievous or sportive. This stroke of Divine Providence not only deprived him of an excellent housekeeper but those social conferences that the events of almost every day existed in which the mutual interest of the whole family are concerned and which would frequently be perplexing to either of the heads of a family were they left alone, one to whom they could unbosom the conflicting struggles of the soul. This trial of our venerable ancestor had been long patiently endured and in some measure mitigated.

My father (Increase) was now settled on the east side of the farm or East Farm as was then contemplated, and his brother (Asa) married and took charge of the West Farm, where grandfather had always resided and grandmother living alternately at both places as she chose and being well taken care of and provided for at both, he was greatly relieved from that care and anxiety of mind that had worn upon him for years and afforded him leisure to visit a numerous circle of friends and relatives and be with his three children when he pleased, but this repose was of short duration. The change that took place in his family was a source of mental suffering as long as he lived, and gave direction to the events that have taken place in my father's family from that time to the present day are not communicated to you out of a disrespect to my kind and affectionate father; though in some instances they may have produced hardship yet in the end proved beneficial and led me to reflect more closely and understand the word of God more perfectly in the way that His word has directed us to walk and the duties He requires of us in every stage of life from childhood to the grave. And as they through the blessing of God have been useful to me, I humbly hope will at least do you no injury.
by Judge Salmon Child
found on childgenealogy.org

2 comments:

The McCurdy FamilyFebruary 28, 2016 at 2:20 PM
Thank you so much for gathering this information. Increase Child was my 5th great grandfather on the maternal side. I am new to genealogy, and am amazed at the twists and turns I take in my journey of discovery.
The McCurdy FamilySeptember 27, 2016 at 5:30 PM
I wrote he (Increase Child) was my 5th Great grandfather on my maternal side. No...........he is from my paternal side.

Stagge-Parker Histories

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

INCREASE CHILD 1740-1810

History of Increase Child

2 comments:

Followers

Blog Archive

About Me