Revolutionary War soldier? [closed]

Question

Hello,

There is a tantalizingly brief record for a Land Warrant for this Robert Blakely (see Research Notes in profile). He ends up moving to Washington county, TN, by 1814. Is there some magic resource (free, if possible) which can help determine whether, where and when he served in the Revolution?

Thanks in advance!

Comments

Warrants were transferrable, so it's possible he purchased or was given one.  Also the land warrant imaged on Ancestry is for someone from Virginia.

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Hi Kathie,

Robert was probably born in Pennsylvania, I am guessing that he may have migrated with his parents to South Carolina after 1760, but I have not yet found any details. He may well have been in some other state when (if) he enlisted, and Virginia doesn't seem completely impossible. I realize that it may be grasping at straws, but when I saw the (very brief) mention on this document, I thought it was worth asking...

Answer 1

I just looked into the DAR records and the Revolutionary Soldier you are citing is for another Robert Blakely.  His wife is Margaret Kincaid Maloney.  He was born 12 Jan 1756 in Caroline Co., Virginia and died 18 March 1833 in Wayne Co., Kentucky. Looking at your Robert Blakely, I'm sorry to say, they do not match.

Comments

THANKS! I guess that settles it.

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You are welcome, but still, so sorry.  I verified the service for the Soldier you cited and the same one in the DAR records and their service was the same.  No other Robert Blakely was listed, but that only means no descendant has applied for membership using his service. So, don't give up!  You may still find him.  But now you know for sure that his service will be different

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Hi Sjana,

that's interesting that you didn't find any other Robert Blakely. What about the guy Jack mentions below, born in Ireland?

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9581:1198

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Hi,
Well, this is not a list for the Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783.)  Look at the dates of birth.  They are all after 1800 and before 1820.  I thought at first it might have been the War of 1812, but that was 18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815, most were born about that time. Maybe the Mexican American War (April 25, 1846 - February 2, 1848)?? 

As far as this Robert Blakeley being the same as your profile, the dates of birth and place of birth don't match.  Unless he went to England/Ireland and had a child??  Maybe it is a cousin?? 

Wish I could be more help.  Research is really all you can do, my friend.  I have been there and I totally emphasize with you and those brick walls.  Hollar in DM if you want to talk more about it.  I'll help if I can :)

Sjana

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Hi Sjana,

you are absolutely right on both (all three?) points. (1) The source Jack discovered is War of 1812, not Revolution (dates are enlistment, not birth, if I read it correctly), (2) the Robert Blakely listed there is not "my" Robert, and (3) there is nothing to be done except continuing my research.

Thanks again for checking the DAR records - that's one thing I can't easily do, and you helped a lot - even if the result was "negative" this time. One less lead to track down!

Answer 2

I found this enlistment source which may be him. 

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9581:1198

U.S., Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914

Comments

Hi Jack, and THANKS for looking that up!

I had seen that record and listed it as a source in the "research notes" section of the profile. Unfortunately, the name isn't as unique as one might hope, so I had rejected the match because the Robert Blakely in this military record was born about 1786 in Ireland, not 1794 in Laurens, South Carolina. He enlisted in New York and died July 8th, 1815. 

You are nevertheless right that it COULD be the same person - I'm just hoping to find more evidence somewhere. I thought maybe there might be sources with more detail on the land warrant applications, which would either confirm the service details in the record you found - or give some other hints regarding this Robert's military service.

Thanks again - I'll keep it on my "to-do" list!