52 Ancestors: Week 15: Skidmores in the French & Indian War and the Revolutionary War

This is the fifth, and last entry for the Skidmores; they were an amazing, adventurous family.  Again, this is the research work of Warren Skidmore in 1980.  Here is a synopsis:

James Skidmore was second son of Joseph and Annes Skidmore.  He was born in 1732 in Murderkill Hundred, Kent County, Delaware. As a young man, he moved with his family to (West) Virginia in the early 1750s.

He married Sarah McDonald in about 1758.  They had 6 children.

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He served in the French and Indian War with his brothers Joseph and John in the company commanded by Capt. Abraham Smith.

In 1768, James and his family moved south to Virginia and purchased 88 acres on the James River near Jennings’s Creek for £55 and in 1779 he bought a plantation of 123 acres on the south side of the James River.

He filed a claim in Botetourt (pronounced Bot-i-tot) County under the Commissary Provision law of 1782 and a certificate was issued to him for the payment of 468 lbs of beef furnished to the Revolutionary Army on 14 Feb 1782.

In 1783, he was taxed on 7 horses and 25 head of cattle. In 1786, James purchased an additional 60 acres on the James River for £55.  This land descended to his son Randolph Skidmore and either he or his father operated Skidmore’s Ferry there for many years. "The fare for a man was four cents, and for a horse, the same."

James (age 75) died in Botetourt County, Virginia before December 1807. Sarah (age 81), his widow, was living as late as 17 Feb 1816.

All of his sons except Randolph went to Kentucky.

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Lieutenant Joseph Skidmore was the oldest son of James Skidmore (above) and Sarah McDonald.
He was born 31 July 1761 in Pendleton County, (West) Virginia.

Joseph Skidmore served in the American Revolution.  His pension application outlines his service: About 1 November 1780 he was drafted in Capt. James Smith’s company of Botetourt County Militia. The company marched to New River and, with other troops, was attached to Col. Crokett’s regiment.  They marched through Washington and Montgomery Counties (in Virginia) to North Carolina and thence to the French Broad River where they joined Col Campbell.  Joseph was then part of the company of Capt. Cartman and marched to Fincastle County on the way to join General Greene.  His service was for six months, and he did not participate in any major battles.

signature of Joseph Skidmore on his Pension Application

Joseph (age 27) moved to Lincoln County, Kentucky in 1788.  His pension application says that in 1791 he was ordered out for 60 days as an Indian spy by Col John Logan and attached to the company of Capt. John Blaine.

Joseph married Hannah McKinney on 6 Aug 1791 in Lincoln County, KY.  On 19 Jan 1796 he bought 100 acres on the waters of the Hanging Fork Creek for $100.

Joseph and Hannah had five children. Hannah (age 38) died in 1806, leaving her children ages 14, 12, 10, 8 and 6.  Polly (our ancestor) was their second child and later married Samuel McAninch.

Joseph was remarried, shortly after his wife's death, to Catherine Manning on 27 Aug 1806.

Joseph (age 73) was pensioned (for his war service) on 9 April 1834 at the rate of $20 per annum. He (age 86) died before 8 Feb 1847 in Lincoln County, KY.

Sources:

• Thomas Skidmore (Scadamore), 1605-1684, of Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, and Fairfield, Connecticut by Warren Skidmore, 1980  https://openlibrary.org/books/OL4164222M/Thomas_Skidmore_(Scudamore)_1605-1684_of_Westerleigh_Gloucestershire_and_Fairfield_Connecticut/borrow
• Pension application of Joseph Skidmore S15648: http://revwarapps.org/s15648.pdf