Sturtevant Family History & Genealogy

Hosea was a soldier of the Revolution and enlisted from Halifax, Massachusetts. He fought in several battles and was taken prisoner while on outpost duty near White Plains, NY with his companions, shoeless and half clad, was marched though snow to New York City and placed on board the old prison ship "Jersey", where he had small pox. When released was to weak to walk without assistance. In actual service twenty mounths and twenty-two days. He was a pensioner and blind at time of death. The following extracts are from the Massachusetts archives kept in the State House in Boston, Massachusetts. Private in company commanded by Capt. Calvin Curtis, regt, com. by Colonel John Jacobs, for service in Rhode Island on an alarm. Time of enlistment January 5, 1778. Time of service five months and 19 days. He also appears in a list of men mustered in Plymouth County to serve in Capt. Stover's company regt. com. by Col Jacobs by a return made April 1st, 1778. Term of enlistment to January 1, 1779. He appears again in a list of nine months men entering service July 24, 1779. Discharged as follows: age 17 years, stature 5 ft. 7 in. complexion light - belonging to Halifax, MA

At the close of war, with Ephrian Doten, a young friend and fellow soldier, he went to Center Harbor, NH (then called New Hampton) walking most of the way. Passing the little settlement of half a dozen homes on the present site of Center Harbor Neck. The morning of the following Sunday to ascertain whether they had any neighbors, they climbed a large pine tree, now standing, a dying giant, by the roadside, on the farm cleared by young Sturtevant, (the farm at the time of this writing was owned by Samuel Julian Lord of Manchester, NH - a great grandson of Hosea.) Looking to the east they saw smoke rising above the trees. Making their way toward it through the woods, they came to a little house at the foot of Red Hill, occupied by the family of a settler named Glines. This place was after ward the home of Herbert T Sturtevant. The boys were most cordially received and invited to partake of breakfast. My grandfather has often been heard to say that no breakfast before or since ever tasted half as good. About 1784 he was joined by his parents, brothers and sisters who removed from Halifax, MA. This story taken from Sturtevant Family History by Amelia A Sturtevant