52 Ancestors, Week 23: Seth Barnum, served in the Revolutionary War

Reenactment photo of the 5th Connecticut Regiment

The Barnums left England and arrived in America in  about 1670 and were instrumental in establishing Danbury, Connecticut.   Seth Barnum was a member of the fourth generation to be born in America.  He was born 3 Nov 1754 in Danbury, the 4th of 9 children.

Seth (age 20)  married Mary Cartwright on 23 Oct 1774 in Danbury CT.  She must have died, maybe in childbirth.

click within
image to enlarge

Seth (age 21) enlisted 12 May 1775.  He was a private in the 6th Company, 5th Regiment, of Colonel David Waterbury's Connecticut Line.

"In June 1775, the 5th was sent briefly to New York City, but by July began its northward trek along the Hudson River with other Connecticut Regiments to invade Canada and secure Lakes George and Champlain.

The regiment received its first hostile fire from a force of Indians just prior to laying siege to the British fort at St. Jean. Together with New York troops they engaged in a long siege that started in July and eventually led to the capture of Fort St. Jean in early November.

Fort St Jean has been given the sympathetic nickname of
“Fort aux Maringouins” (Mosquitoes Fort)
because of the swampy climate of the area.
The Americans abandoned and burned down Fort St Jean
in the spring of 1776.  

The 5th then joined the van of American forces under General Richard Montgomery and marched to Canada ten days later, and on 13 November 1775, captured  Montreal, Canada.

On 13 December 1775, the regiment disbanded at Fort Ticonderoga" (1) and Seth was discharged.

Fort Ticonderoga in New York
( preserved as a tourist destination)

Seth married Abigail Bass on 27 May 1777 in New Fairfield, CT. They had 14 children between 1778 and 1802.  Ira (their 13th child is our ancestor).

Seth (age 55) died 26 Dec 1809.  Abigail (age 78) died in 1838.

Sources:

• Barnum, Patrick W. “Barnum Family Genealogy, http://www.barnum.org/nti02158.htm.  
• Barnum, Noah, G, “The Barnum Family, 1350-1907”,  New York , 1907
• (1) 5th Connecticut Regiment: http://www.5cr.org/index_files/Page1504.htm
• Reenactment Photo: http://www.5cr.org/index_files/Page586.htm
• Fort St Jean art: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Saint-Jean_(Quebec)
• Fort Ticonderoga photo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Fort_Ticonderoga
• http://www.fortticonderoga.org/
• maps.google.com

click within image to enlarge