London Atus (abt. 1759 - 1843)

Born about 1759 in Newark, Essex, New Jersey

Husband of Eunice (Foss) Atus — married before 1789 in Machias, Washington, Massachusetts, United States

Descendants

Died 7 Jul 1843 at about age 84 in Atusville, Machias, Washington, Maine, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: US Black Heritage Project WikiTree [send private message]

London Atus is a part of US Black history. Join: US Black Heritage Project Discuss: black_heritage

Biography

London Atus is Notable.

Private, Seaman London Atus served with 6th Lincoln County Regiment, Massachusetts Militia during the American Revolution.

London Atus was an enslaved man who fought in both the Army and the Navy in the Revolutionary War.

London Atus, slave of the Rev. James Lyon, ^[1]was born c. 1759, reportedly at Newark, New Jersey.

He came to Machias from Nova Scotia in 1771 with his owner, the Reverend James Lyon, first minister of the Congregational church at Machias, who was from New Jersey. London's parents were slaves of Isaac Lyon, a prominent New Jersey landowner. London enlisted in Col. John Allen's company of artillery in the Revolutionary War. He served under Lt. William Albee of Massachusetts. He served under Capt. George Little for three months on the sloop Winthrop for extra pay. He was able to purchase his freedom from Reverend Lyon and became a free citizen of Machias. He became a lumberer and began shipping lumber to the ports of Portland, Boston and the east coast of America.

He married Eunice Foss, a woman of English ancestry, in Machias some time before 1789. ^{[2] [3]} Their marriage was one of the very few interacial marriages in Maine at that time. They settled in a part of Machias later called Atusville, which was named after him. Some of his eleven children remained in Machias, while others of his children settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia.^[4]

Had much Revolutionary War service. ^{[5] [6]}

Atus played a role in the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War, the 1777 Battle of Machias:

London Atus, tradition, undoubtedly truthfully, tells us, the negro and body servant of Parson Lyon, was first to discover Foster and his companions-in-arms crossing the foot bridge made of logs which connected Dublin Hill and Single Mile Island. London made an outcry not knowing of the warlike movement and demonstrated his apprehension by leaping out of the church window. Jones followed Atus' example and made his way to the woods, not appearing in public until after the Margaretta had been captured!^[1]

The [Machias] Committee of Safety despatched a special Messenger (London Atus) to the Provincial Congress then at Cambridge, with account of the capture of the Margaretta and other vessels.^[7]

LION, London. Seaman, State sloop Defence, commanded by Capt. James Nivens; engaged July 7, 1781; discharged Sept. 26, 1781; service, 2 mos. 19 days. Roll dated Boston.^[8]

LYON, London. Private, Capt. Joseph Libby's (9th) co., Col. Benjamin Foster's (Lincoln Co.) regt.; enlisted June 23, 1777; discharged July 16, 1777; service, 23 days; company ordered on duty for defence of Machias and adjacent rivers when ship Ambuscade lay in the harbor; also, Capt. Stephen Smith's co., Col. Benjamin Foster's (Lincoln Co.) regt.; service, 13 days; company served at Machias from July 16 [1777], to Oct. 10 [1777]; discharged Dec. 13, 1777; service, 1 mo. 26 days; company raised for expedition against Nova Scotia and continued in service at Machias for its defence; also, Capt. Stephen Smith's co., Col. Benjamin Foster's regt.; service between Dec. 4, 1778, and Jan. 4, 1779, 2 days, at Machias; also, Private; enlisted Nov. 15, 1779; service to June 1, 1780, 6 mos. 15 days, at Machias, under Col. John Allan, Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Indian department; reported in the artillery; also, Matross;^[9] engaged June 1, 1780; discharged May 1, 1781; service, 11 mos., at Machias under Col. John Allan in Eastern Indian department; reported in the artillery; also, Seaman, Continental schooner Nesquowoite, commanded by Capt. Elijah Ayer; engaged June 1, 1781; discharged Aug. 1, 1781; service 2 mos.; reported as employed in Col. Allan's department; also, Private, in an artillery co.; pay roll dated Eastern Indian Department, Headquarters, Machias, March 9, 1782, for wages of persons employed in doing business in Eastern Indian department and troops stationed at Fort Gates, Machias, under Col. John Allan, Commander-in-Chief of Indians in said department; enlisted July 21, 1781; discharged Sept. 19, 1781; service, 1 mo. 29 days.^[10]

LYON, London. Seaman, State sloop Winthrop, commanded by Capt. George Little; engaged May 6, 1782; discharged Oct. 2, 1782; service, 4 mos. 26 days. Roll sworn to at Boston.^[11]

He died in Machias, Maine, 7 Jul 1843, ^{[12] [6]} and is buried in the Court Street Cemetery. ^[13] A monument was erected in 1855. ^[14]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} George W. Drisko, Narrative of the Town of Machias, The Old and the New, The Early and the Late (Press of The Republican, Machias, Maine, 1904, 575 pages), p. 43. Cit. Date: 23 Apr 2021.
2. ↑ Memorial of the Centennial Anniversary of the Settlement of Machias (C. O. Furbush, Machias, 1863, 179 pages), p. 162. Cit. Date: 22 Apr 2021.
3. ↑ Drisko's Narrative of Machias, p. 425
4. ↑ E-mail from Jeff Sprague <e-mail redacted>, Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 3:07 PM, to David James.
5. ↑ "United States Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24Q-L69Y : accessed 22 April 2021), London Atis, 04 Mar 1831; citing Maine, United States, NARA microfilm publication T718 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1962), roll 8; FHL microfilm 1,319,388.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Compiled by Carleton E. Fisher and Sue G. Fisher, Soldiers, Sailors and Patriots of the Revolutionary War - Maine (The National Society of the Sons of the Revolution, Louisville, Kentucky, 1982, 917 pages), p. 21, "ATIS or Atus, Attys. See also, Lions, Lyon London or Lunun; MA; Sea Ser; r Machias; Col Allan's arty on Winthrop; slave of Rev Lyon; colored; r Machias, 1832; d 1843; m Eunice; Pension application no.: W23468." Cit. Date: 22 Apr 2021.
7. ↑ Drisko's Narrative of Machias, p. 51.
8. ↑ Massachusetts, Office of the Secretary of State, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Wright and Potter Printing Company, State Printers, Boston, 1896-1908, 17 volumes), Vol. 9, p. 852. Cit. Date: 22 Apr 2021.
9. ↑ A matross was a soldier of artillery, who ranked next below a gunner. The duty of a matross was to assist the gunners in loading, firing and sponging the guns. They were provided with firelocks, and marched with the store-wagons, acting as guards. In the United States Army, a matross ranked as a private of artillery.
10. ↑ Massachusetts, Office of the Secretary of State, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Wright and Potter Printing Company, State Printers, Boston, 1896-1908, 17 volumes), Vol. 10, pp. 94-95. Cit. Date: 22 Apr 2021.
11. ↑ Massachusetts, Office of the Secretary of State, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Wright and Potter Printing Company, State Printers, Boston, 1896-1908, 17 volumes), Vol. 10, p. 95. Cit. Date: 22 Apr 2021.
12. ↑ "United States Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24Q-L2GP : accessed 31 March 2021), London Atis, ; citing Maine, United States, NARA microfilm publication T718 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1962), roll 8; FHL microfilm 1,319,388.
13. ↑ "Maine, Faylene Hutton Cemetery Collection, ca. 1780-1990," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKMB-TP73 : accessed 28 November 2015), London Atus, 1855; citing Burial, Machias, Washington, Maine, United States, Maine State Library, Augusta; FHL microfilm 1,769,057, which erroneously reports his death date as 1855.
14. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
    Find A Grave: Memorial #170717720 (accessed 29 June 2023)
    Memorial page for London Atus (1759-7 Jul 1843), citing Court Street Cemetery, Machias, Washington County, Maine, USA; Maintained by Jo E (contributor 46986225).

• "United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRS-RXL : accessed 22 April 2021), Atus, Machias, Washington, Maine, United States; citing p. 613, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 8; FHL microfilm 218,678.
• "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHG9-VMX : accessed 22 April 2021), London Atus, Machias, Washington, Maine, United States; citing p. , NARA microfilm publication M33, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 37; FHL microfilm 281,241.

See also:

• "Atusville", Raymond H. Fogler Library Special Collections Department, University of Maine, Orono, Maine. Item location: Box [X] Folder [X], MF215 NAFOH. Accessed October 20, 2022.
• Lost Atusville podcast.
• Andy O'Brien and Will Chapman (Mainer, 8 Jun 2020), "Radical Mainers: The End of Slavery in Maine"
• London Atus Historical Family Association