James Higginbotham

This week, I thought I would highlight a Patriot in my family who isn't in my direct line. James Higginbotham is the great-grandfather of a distant cousin of mine. James is also a proven Patriot in the DAR database.

James' children attempted to claim a pension for their father's service in 1832. Benjamin Higginbotham, Frederick Padget, and Anderson Thompson provided affidavits for James Higginbotham's pension application. They presented that James was recruited by Thomas Oglesby to serve in the regular army for a term of eighteen months.

According to the pension, one of the proofs of service provided was a commission bearing the date of 1 November 1775 which appointed James as Major of the Militia of the County of Amherst. The commission was granted by Edmund Pendleton, Thomas Lud Lee, P. Carrington, Dudley Digges, and James Mercer, who were designated as the "Committe of Safety for the Colony of Virginia."

Taken from Pension Application

The pension goes on to say that James enlisted into service in 1775 as a Major of the Militia. Then, in 1778, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel for the Virginia State Line (probably the 9th Virginia Regiment). James' nephew, Benjamin Higginbotham, provides testimony that James served in Williamsburg during at least part of the year 1776 (I think he meant 1775 because he is talking about the time before James' promotion which occurred in November 1775).

Benjamin also mentions that James was stationed at the Albemarle Barracks by 1779. He also mentioned James was at Yorktown in 1781.

Benjamin, supposedly, knew all of this information about James' service because he himself also served in the Revolutionary War. (He also mentioned suppling beef cattle to James' army.)

Taken from Pension Application

According to Benjamin, James served as a recruitment officer for about 18 months at the Amherst County Courthouse. This was one of his chief duties. One of the people providing testimony of James' service, Fredrick Padgett, was one of the many men recruited by James. What Fredrick has to say about James shows James' anything-but-humbling attitude about his service and his faith in the country he fought so hard to free.

"That he has often heard the said James Higginbotham say the Country was largely indebted to him for military services as a Colonel in the State line, that he had never received the compensation due to him, but had confidence that the State, when she could, would do him justice, as he had served her faithfully, and much to the detriment of his private affairs."

Taken from Pension Application

As of this writing, Daughters have joined under James with the following children:

• Joseph Cabell Higginbotham
• Judith Higginbotham
• George Washington Higginbotham
• James Higginbotham

According to James' pension, these are James' only surviving children in 1832, so all of his known lines are represented in the DAR database.

Taken from Pension Application

Sources:

• James Higginbotham's Pension Application (accessed on Fold3)

Benjamin Beeson

Benjamin Beeson is a verified Patriot in the DAR Database. He was born 14 January 1715 to Richard and Charity Grubb Beeson. Benjamin and his family is rather special to me because my husband and I connect through this family via a few intermarriages of our families. (I love seeing families that married or had friendships centuries ago coming back together in later generations!)

Following my recent trends of service amongst the Patriots in this blog, Benjamin was also given his Patriot status because of "patriotic service." His source of service is from the same record as the other three men I have mentioned too: "North Carolina Revolutionary War Army Accounts." He is credited as having "furnished supplies" for the War. As a Quaker by faith, it makes sense that he would not have taken up arms against the British in the War (even though his son, Edward served as a Captain in the War).

Benjamin married Elizabeth Hunter in 1738. According to the New Garden (located in Guilford County, North Carolina) Monthly Meeting Minutes, Benjamin and Elizabeth had the following children:

• Isaac Beeson (born 26 December 1739)
• Benj. Beeson (born 9 February 174?)
• William Beeson (born 11 November 1743/1744)
• Frances Beeson (born 10 December 174?)
• Richard Beeson (born 11 March 1747)
• Ann Beeson (born 3 May 1749)
• Charity Beeson (born 25 August 1751)
• Betty Beeson (born 30 July 1754)
• Edward Beeson (born 1 January 1757)
• Rachel Beeson (born 14 February 1759)
• Jane Beeson (born 22 March 1760)
• Mary Beeson (born 21 September 1762)

Taken from New Garden Monthly Meeting Minutes

So far, in the DAR, Daughters have joined under Benjamin through the following children:

• Isaac Beeson
• Benj. Beeson
• William Beeson
• Frances Beeson
• Richard Beeson (see my post here about Richard)
• Ann Beeson
• Edward Beeson
• Jane Beeson

This leaves the following children without descendants represented in the DAR database:

• Charity Beeson
• Betty Beeson
• Rachel Beeson
• Mary Beeson

I have not followed these lines out myself yet to see if they contain any present-day descendants, but I do know that Elizabeth (Betty) married a man named Joab Elliott.

Feel free to use the Monthly Meeting Page shown above as your link from Charity, Betty, Rachel, or Mary to Benjamin if you would like to enter the DAR through one of those "new child" lines. Also, if you have other Quaker ancestors, remember that the Meeting Minutes are a valuable resource for genealogical information! Most of them are available at a good genealogy-based library or through Ancestry or FamilySearch.

Sources:

• Centre Monthly Meeting Minutes (accessed at the Florida State Society Daughters of the American Revolution Library, Orlando, Orange County, Florida)
• Deep River Monthly Meeting Minutes (accessed at the Florida State Society Daughters of the American Revolution Library, Orlando, Orange County, Florida)
• New Garden Monthly Meeting Minutes (accessed at the Florida State Society Daughters of the American Revolution Library, Orlando, Orange County, Florida)