Monday, April 1, 2024

Paul, John White 1768

 Family Group Sheet


Name:   John White Paul

Birth:  25 Apr 1768

Place:  Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts

Death:  20 Jan 1824

Place:  Westminster, Windham County, Vermont

Burial:  


Father:  James Paul

Mother:  Sarah White


Spouse:  Ann Smith (Phillips)

Marriage:  2 Aug 1778

Place:  Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts


Children:


Name:  John White Paul

Birth:  28 Jan 1779

Place:  Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts

Death:  1 Jan 1859

Place:  Ohio, Herkimer County, New York

Spouse:  Cleona Spencer


Name:  Joshua Paul

Birth:  27 Sep 1780

Place:  Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts

Death:  8 May 1869

Place:  Ohio, Herkimer County, New York

Spouse:  Elizabeth Cromwell


Name:  Benjamin Paul

Birth:  20 Jun 1782

Place:  Westminster, Windham County, Vermont

Death:  15 Aug 1858

Place:  North Norwich, Chenango County, New York

Spouse:  Abigail Carr


Name:  Joseph Paul

Birth:  20 Jun 1782

Place:  Westminster, Windham County, Vermont

Death:  25 Jun 1858

Place:  Harrison Valley, Potter County, Pennsylvania

Spouse:  Betsy (Polly) Small


Name:  Polly Paul

Birth:  5 Sep 1788

Place:  Westminster, Windham County, Vermont

Death:  

Place:  

Spouse:  Asahel Russell


Name:  James Paul

Birth:  6 Nov 1790

Place:  Westminster, Windham County, Vermont

Death:  

Place:  

Spouse:  


Name:  Sally Paul

Birth:  17 Jun 1797

Place:  Westminster, Windham County, Vermont

Death:  1832

Place:  

Spouse:  


Name:  Sophia Paul

Birth:  8 Nov 1801

Place:  Westminster, Windham County, Vermont

Death:  

Place:  

Spouse:  Thomas Irish


Name:  Anne Paul

Birth:  4 Jul 1784

Place:  Westminster, Windham County, Vermont

Death:  

Place:  

Spouse:  Samuel Perham


Name:  Asahel Paul

Birth:  4 Feb 1793

Place:  

Death:  Westminster, Windham County, Vermont

Place:  

Spouse:  


Name:  Betsey Paul

Birth:  7 Feb 1795

Place:  Westminster, Windham County, Vermont

Death:  

Place:  

Spouse:  1809


Notes:


A note from Miss Helen Lane, historian of Dighton, Mass, says that John White Paul was a very strong man - weighed 350 pounds at the time of his death.


John White Paul was born in Dighton, Mass. in 1756, remained there, a farmer with his father until about twenty years of age.  At that time, the Revolutionary War having begun and the British and Hessian troops in Newport and the British Fleet in Narragansett Bay having aroused and exasperated the people of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, John enlisted at Dighton in Col. Topham's regiment of foot, was made a sergeant of his company and was stationed with this regiment at Tiverton, R. I. in 1777.  His brother, Peter White Paul, was by his side.


William Barton of Bristol, Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment, had grown up in that locality, was familiar with it, and undoubtedly had united with patriotic interest in the war the resentment of an inhabitant whose native country is threatened with invasion.  For the apparent purpose, however, of retrieving to the patriotic forces the loss of General Lee, recently captured by British troops, he designed no less an enterprise than that of entering the British camp t Newport, at night, burning their headquarters and bearing their cp,,amder. Brigadier General Richard Prescott, off a prisoner.  This he actually accomplished in July of that year and one of the men he chose to aid him was John White Paul.


The story of John's services has been preserved in the family many years as certain and unquestioned truth.  Yet the publication of careless accounts of Barton's Expedition and of imperfect lists of the men who accompanied him, the lapse of time and the loss of evidence threatened eventually to discredit it.  For the purpose, therefore, of giving the facts authentic and indisputable form, the author of these notes, in 1885, published a monograph entitled, "The Part Borne by Sergeant John 

White Paul of Col. John Topham's regiment of the Rhode Island Brigade in the Capture of Brigadier General Richard Prescott, Commander of the British Forces near Newport R. I. in 1777," printed 300 copies of it and distributed them to persons descended from John and from his brothers and sisters, to persons interested in the topic generally, and to public libraries.


June 4, 1774, when John was no more than 18 years of age, his father, James, gave him lands in Dighton and June 24, 1774, leased him lands there for twelve years.  Upon his return from the army, he married Anne Phillips and remained in Dighton until 1781/


Dighton Records contain this entry:   "August 2nd 1778 Johnwite Paul and Ann Phillips both of Dighton was married" - this is the actual spelling.


Two of his children had been born there, and with them and his wife, he started that year for Westminster, Windham County, Vermont.   July 23, 1783 he bought the north half of lot 11 in the 8th Range of 80 acre lots in that town from Benjamin Bello for thirty pounds.

March 6, 1794, bought lot 12 in the same range from John Norton.

July 4, 1789, sold lands there to Ladock Hitchcock for forty pounds.

March 6, 1798, paid one pound to John Norton at Westminster for a quit claim deed.

February 4, 1799, with Eldad Hitchcock, witnessed a deed given to his cousins Zebedee and Richard Paul of Dighton by William Crook, Jr.


John died suddenly in a fit in bed at Westminster January 20, 1804, aged only 48 years, and the last thing he said before dying was,  "I must go and see my brother Ben."  His son Benjamin became the administrator of his estate, and as such, sold lands in Westminster to Ladock Hitchcock on October 10, 1805.

His wife Anne, at the time of his death, had been blind seven or eight years, and having survived him but a few months, died at Westminster May 26, 1804, aged 46 years.  Her children were all born in Westminster, excepting the two older, John and Joshua, who were born at Dighton, Mass.


Stephen Paul

Springfield, MO

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