Richard Hamlin by 1742 mistaken identity
It has been proven that Richard Hamlin born in 1742 to John Hamlin and Mary Cruse of Totnes, Devonshire, England, migrated to America along with his brother John.Both brothers served in the American Rev War as Patriot soldiers in Virginia Regiments of the Continental Army under General George Washington.It is possible that others of their birth family migrated to America also.
Richard married Alsey whose maiden name remains unknown.It is uncertain if this couple married in England or America.They had two children, John P and Elizabeth "Betsy" who lived until adulthood.John married Catherine McCradle and Elizabeth married Ansel Hudgins.
After serving 3 years in the Continental Army, Richard returned to VA were his wife and children had remained.When he received head-right land in Georgia for his war service, Richard moved his family south to that Commonwealth State.The same was true for his brother John who married Philadelphia Jones of Amelia, Virginia after the war, and moved to Georgia on to his head-right land.The two brothers and their families lived in Georgia for many years during which time they acquired other land grants too.Richard died 1819 in Jones Co. GA a year after the death of his son John.Alsey proved her husband's will and later died in 1830 whilw living in Monroe Co. GA with some of her children.It was not many yearsafter Alsey's death when the Hudgins and other descendants of this Hamlin family left Georgia and moved on to newly opened land in Alabama, then Mississippi, eventually Arkansas, and again on to Oklahoma.Some of the descendants of Richard fought in the War of 1812, the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korean War, and more. One currently is serving as a Marine in Afghanistan. The decendants of this family now live in most if not all of the states of the US..
Some genealogists have mistaken this Richard for another man who had same name, and born around the same time, but in Middletown, Connecticut.This Richard also served as a Patriot soldier, but for a Connecticut regiment.Other than his war service, Richard of CTwas born and lived out all his days in Middletown, where he married his wife Mehitable Cook, and also where both died and are buried.
What is interesting here is that the Hamlin families of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia all seem to be related from back in the old days of England.Record shows that Hamlinsarrived and settled in the three states of America during the early Colonial era, long before my Richard Hamlin of Totnes and his brother.The genealogies of the 3 Colonial Hamlin families go back toDevonshire, England. It is my belief that when Richard and his brother John came to Virginia, they were visiting their Hamlin relatives living in Charles City, Prince George, and Chesterfield, Virginia.
If anyone has any history on this family or those belonging to or connecting toJohn and Mary Cruse Hamlin family of Totnes, England,I would be very interested in hearing from youand sharing information.
Happy family hunting, Jerri in Virginia, USA