Samuel Ransom Of The Wyoming Valley.

THE WYOMING VALLEY COMPANIES.

DURKEE and RANSOM, (who both fell on the 3d of July, 1778,) raised their companies, expecting they would be retained for the defense of the Valley ; but the emergency of the main army, at the close of 1777, required their presence in New Jersey. They obeyed orders, and did good service at Millstone, Bound Brook, Mud Creek, Brandywine, Germantown, and other points.

Rumors of the advance of the horde which desolated Wyoming in 1778. caused such a depletion of those two companies by men and officers who hurried home to protect their families, that Congress, June 23,1778, reduced the two companies to one, under Capt. Spalding. They numbered sixty-nine, but did not reach Wyoming until the battle was over.

Just before the battle, Congress also authorized the raising of another company under Capt. Dethic Hewitt. He had secured about forty men, when the battle occurred, and if any record of his men was ever made out, it is unknown. Nathaniel Gates was a sergeant under him, and that is all that can be said of this third or fourth Wyoming independent company, whose captain and many others fell on that fatal Friday in Wyoming.

Before the first two companies were formed, Lieut. Obadiah Gore, Jr., had enlisted twenty men under Capt. Wisner, of Warwick, New York, and Lieut. Jameson had brought nearly as many more to Capt. Strong. Out of an estimated population of two thousand to five thousand, at least two hundred had left Wyoming for the seaboard, not counting some under Captains Spalding and Hewitt in the Valley.

Among those named above, Capt. (afterwards Gen.) Spalding was the true hero of the Bound Brook affair in New Jersey ; John Swift served as general on the Niagara frontier in 1812; fifteen or twenty fell in the massacre of Wyoming. Of many others, interesting notes might be added; of others we have no record

The two Independent companies, commanded by Capts. Samuel Ransom and Robert Durkee, were mustered into the service of the United States September 17,1776, and were credited to Connecticut. The locality whence they were raised, was within the bounds of Pennsylvania, and the men afterwards recognized the authority of Pennsylvania. The companies were, therefore, really Pennsylvania companies.

Note. Those highlighted in red were killed or died from their wounds.

ROLL OF CAPT. SAMUEL RANSOM'S COMPANY.

Captain.

Ransom, Samuel * August 26,1776.

Lieutenants.

Spalding, Simon, August 26,1776; promoted captain.
Pierce, Timothy* from ensign, January 17, 1778.
Jenkins, John, Jr., died March 19,1S27, in Luzerne county.

Ensign.

Pierce, Timothy, from sergeant, December 3,1777; promoted lieutenant, January 17,1778.

Sergeants.

William Parker*
Pasco Josiah*

Privates.

Alden Mason Flitch.
Atherton Caleb
Benjamin Isaac.
Bennett Oliver.
Bennett Rufus.
Bezale Jesse.
Billings, Jehial.
Billings, Samuel.
Burnham, Asahel.
Church, Gideon.
Church, Nathan.
Clark, Benjamin.
Cole, Benjamin.
Cooper, Price.
Corning, Josiata.
Franklin, Daniel.
Gaylord, Ambrose.
Gaylord, Charles.
Gaylord, Justus.
Hemietead, Benjamin.
Hopkins, Timothy.
Kellogg, William.
Kinney, Lawrence.
Lawrence, Daniel.*
McClure, William.
Marswell, Nicholas.
Mathewson, Constant.
Mathewson, Elisha.
Sash, Asahel.
Neal, Thomas.
O'Neal, John.
Osterhout, Peter.
Ormsbury, Amos.
Pickett, Thomas.
Roberts, Ebenezer.
Sawyer, Samuel.
Sawyer, Asa.
Satterly, Elisha.
Searle, Constant.*
8kiff, Stephen.
Smith, William, Jr.
Spencer, Robert.
Swift, John.
Van Gordon, John.
Walker, Elijah.
Worden, Caleb.
Worden, John.
Williams, Thomas.
Williams, Zeba.
Woodstock, Richard.

Historical register of officers of the Continental Army during the war.

Ransom, Samuel (Pa. ) Captain Wyoming Valley Company, 26th August, 1776; killed at the Wyoming Massacre. 3d July, 1778.

Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 1845-1846
WEDNESDAY, March 11, 1846.

A petition of George P. Ransom, of Wyoming valley, State of Pennsylvania, and others, children and heirs-at-law of Samuel Ransom, deceased, who was a captain of the Pennsylvania line in the army of the war of the Revolution, praying for seven years' half pay due to Esther Ransom, the widow of said deceased:

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
MARCH 28, 1850.

A BILL.

For the relief the heirs of Captain Samuel Ransom, an officer of the revolutionary war, killed at the battle of Wyoming.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, authorized and required to pay to the heirs of Samuel Ransom, late a captain on the continental establishment, who was killed in the battle of Wyoming, seven years’ half-pay of a captain, for their father’s services in the revolutionary war, to be paid out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, together with such interest thereon as would now be due, if a certificate for the .said seven years’ half-pay had been issued and subscribed under the principles of the funding act, and no payment made thereon.

Note. I was unable to find if this Bill passed.

Samuel Ransom.

Birth: Apr. 10, 1738, Plymouth, Plymouth, Ma.

Death: July 3, 1778, Wyoming, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

Father: Robert RANSOM.
Mother: Sarah CHILDS.

Wife: Esther Lawrence married, May 6, 1756.

Children.

1. George Palmer RANSOM.
Birth: 3 Jan 1762, Place: Canaan, Litchfield, Ct.
Death: 5 Sep 1850, Place: Plymouth, Luzerne, Pa.

2. Mary RANSOM.
Birth: 20 May 1772, Place: Norfolk, Litchfield, Ct.
Death: 18 Sep 1825, Place: Huntington Mills, Luzerne, Pa.
Buried: Place: Scott Cemetery-Watertown, Luzerne, Pa.