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Subject: [GM-L] Amos Farnsworth & wife, Lydia Longley & son Amos of Rev. War fame.
Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2001 14:53:33 EDT

Amos Farnsworth
Source: Monograph by Claudius Buchanan Farnsworth pub at Pawtucket, RI 1891

p. 59

Amos Farnsworth was born Nov 27, 1704. He married Lydia, daughter of John &
Sarah (Prescott) Longley, his cousin, on March 20, 1735. She was the
daughter of that John Longley who in 1694 at the age of about eleven years,
had seen his father
and mother and all the rest of the family except two sisters, were taken to
Canada
and turned over to the French. He remained a prisoner in Canada for five
years
when he was redeemed by his relatives from captivity.

Amos Farnsworth is said to have been a very tall man, six feet and four
inches high,
and of very striking appearance. He built the house and lived on the place
that was
subsequently occupied by his son, Major Amos Farnsworth, on the road leading
from Groton Centre to Page's Bridge, about two miles from the old Groton
meeting
house. He was a man of much energy, and well educated for a farmer of his
time.

p. 61

Having a large family to support for there were ten children, when the
British govern-
ment, after the conquest of Canada, opened the territory for settlement, and
offered
such terms to settlers of English stock, that there seemed to be much to be
gained
by accepting them, he went to Nova Scotia. He left his family at Groton but
possibly
took one or more of his sons. There he engaged in surveying and secured a
grant of land at Granville, near Annapolis. He erected buildings and got
ready to remove his
family there, when he placed agents on his land and returned to Groton for
his wife
and children. While he was absent, his agents made such representations to
the
officials of the Nova Scotia government that the title to the lands was
transferred to
them. On Amos' arriving there with his family he found himself crowded out
of his own house. He made a petition to the government, then at Halifax, a
copy of which
in his own handwriting is still in existence, and had the matter been
pursued, he
would probably have got his own again. But with his fimily on his hands, and
Halifax then practically a great deal farther than Granville or Annapolis, it
was
impossible for him to wait for justice and he returned to Groton in 1774 with
a part
of his family and settled again on his old homestead. Two of his daughters,
however
married in Nova Scotia and remained there. His two younger sons, Amos Jr. and
Benjamin returned with him and his only other son, Jonas, returned not long
after-
wards. The Revolutionary War came on soon afterwrds in which he took great
interest, but on the 5th of December, 1775 he and his youngest son, Benjamin
then about 18 years of age, were both drowned by the upsetting of their boat
on
the Nashua River.

Jonas Farnsworth the 7th child of Amos Farnsworth Sr. went with his father to
Nova Scotia and was living there when the Revolutionary War broke out. He was
born August 18, 1748 and married Jane Delap, daughter of James and Mary
(Kelley) Delap of Granville, N.S., in 1774. James Delap and his family were
also
emigrants into that province from MA. Jonas had one child born in Nova
Scotia,
when it became apparent that it had become necessary for him to take part with
England in the approaching controversy, or to return to Groton and join his
fortunes
with the revolting colonies. He promptly chose the latter course, but he had
much
difficulty in doing so. He arrived, however, in April 1776, at the paternal
homestead
and built himself a house about a quarter of a mile southerly from that where
his
father lived where he had nine children born to him in addition to the one
born in
Nova Scotia. He died July 16, 1805. His wife, Jane Delap survived him many
years
and died May 20, 1826.

p.62

Nancy, the eldest child of Jonas Farnsworth was born April 7, 1775 and
married Amos Otis of Barnstable, Mass., and had five children, one of whom,
Amos Otis
Jr., born Aug 17, 1801 was a prominent citizen, held many public offices and
was
for many years with the Barnstable Bank. Nancy died Sept 5, 1808 and Amos
Otis
married (2) her sister Sally Farnsworth born Aug 7 1778 and had five children.

Jane the 2nd child of Jonas Farnsworth, b. Dec 7, 1776 married Capt. Samuel
Holden of Groton on Oct 1, 1797. He was a very forcible, intelligent and
enterprizing
citizen. In 1798 the next year after his marriage, he removed to
Norridgewock, Maine
and from thence, some time afterwards he went to the extreme border of the
country then settled - at Moose River, Maine, where they had a family of ten
children
whose descendants are scattered throughout the country [he is known as the
founder of Moose River, Maine]

Benjamin Farnsworth the 4th child of Jonas was born Julyu 8, 1780, married
Dorcas
Whittemore of Lancaster, MA and lived in that town. He was a farmer and
largely
interested in raising hops, and in consequence he was appointed Inspector
General
of Hops by the State of Massachusetts and held the office for many years. He
had
a family of ten children.

p.63

Amos Farnsworth, Jr., was the 9th child of Amos Farnsworth and Lydia Longley.
He
was born April 28, 1754. As mentioned, he went with his father, when about
11 yrs
old, to Nova Scotia and returned with him to Groton in 1774. Directly on his
return he united himself with a company of Minute Men that organized at Groton
under the command of Captain Henry Farwell for the defence of the popular
rights.

p.64

On the 19th day of April 1775, word was brought to Groton of the advance of
the
British troops, "Regulars", as they were popularly called, upon Lexington and
Concord. The company was immediately called upon to meet these "British
Regulars," though it consisted only of young farmers collected from the
fields. He
joined his company and marched that night, expecting to meet the enemy at
Concord. But they were too late to participate in the fight which took place
that
day as the news of the advance of the "Regulars" did not in fact reach Groton
until
they had commenced their retreat toward Boston. Fortunately we have a diary
of
the main facts of these movements kept by Amos Farnsworth Jr. at the time and
in
it he says:

"We marched and came there (that is, to Concord), where some had been killed.
Pulled on and came to Lexington, where much hurt was done to the houses by
breaking glass and burning many houses, but they were forced to retreat though
they were more numerous than we. And I saw many dead Regulars by the way.
Went into a house where the blood was half over shoes. Thursday, April 20th,
came to Cambridge in the forenoon. There were some men wanted to go to
Charlestown. I went for one, and viewed the Regulars and found they were
intenching on Charlestown Hil. His diary goes on. It is known as the Journal
of Amos Farnsworth and is included by the U.S. Army History Department in
their coverage of the Revolutionary War. It is also included in the archives
of
the MA Historical Society. A copy of this Journal by Amos Farnsworth Jr. is
readilly shared, on request.

Transcribed by Janice Farnsworth
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