Patriot Ancestor: Samuel Elliott
Born: abt 1751, Ballymena, Antrim County, Ulster, Ireland
Died: 24 May 1831, Pataskala, Licking, OH
Rank: Captain,
Years Served:
GGW Chapter SAR Member: President Owen Stiles
As written by: Owen Stiles
Captain Elliott was born near Ballymena, County Antrim, Province of Ulster, in Ireland, in 1751. On coming to North America, in 1771, he settled in the Colony of Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Here he lived during the dawning era of the Revolution, and when that great struggle for human freedom was fully inaugurated, he took sides with the oppressed Colonists – the champions of self-government. Toward the close of the Revolutionary War, Captain Elliott married in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, from where he emigrated to western Maryland, settling west of Cumberland, in Allegheny County. Here he remained until his removal to the Licking Valley in the year 1800.
“Captain Samuel Elliott located in the valley of the Licking, one and a half miles below the junction of the North and South Forks, now Newark, in September 1800. In the spring of this year he, with two sons, left his mountain home in Allegheny County, Maryland, and came to this valley where they erected a cabin and planted corn and potatoes, and then returned home for the family. This cabin was built near the big spring on the farm now owned by T. J. Davis, Esq.
While Captain Samuel Elliott lived here he entertained for several days Rev. McDonald, a missionary of the Presbyterian Church, who preached the first sermon ever delivered within the limits of Licking County. It was late in 1801 or early in 1802. The manufacture of a web of twenty yards of nettle cloth or linen by the wife and daughters of Captain Elliott, while they resided here, was one of the novel events of the day. In the absence of flax it was the best they could do. Such were the expedients necessity compelled pioneers to resort to.
Captain Elliott built the first hewed log house in Newark, which was in 1802. He soon purchased of General Schenck, one of the proprietors of Newark, some lands lying about a mile west of the village, upon which he settled in 1804, and where he remained until his death which occurred May 24th, 1831.
Three of the sons of Captain Elliott were personally engaged in the war of 1812, and another, at the same time, patriotically sent a substitute, as he was unable by reason of feeble health to do a soldier’s duty himself. Compatriot Owen Stiles, descendant of Samuel Elliott Jr also belings to the Society of the War of 1812. Our esteemed patriot’s grandsons, David Taylor and Alexander Elliott, served with honor in the Mexican war; and two grandsons, William and Mathias Elliott and Jonathan Taylor, brothers of David, served long and faithfully in the Union Army during the late rebellion. William encountered a rebel’s fatal bullet in the gallant and successful attack upon the enemy’s works at Arkansas Post, Mathias was captured and died while incarcerated in Andersonville Prison in Georgia. Jonathan survived “the march to the sea” with Sherman;s army. Reuben Lunceford, and a number of other great-grandsons, also fought the rebels, including two young Elliotts who, as Union soldiers, lost their lives during the great rebellion. Lieutenant Reuben Harris, a grandson, was long a gallant officer in our Navy, and died in the service.” (From Pioneer Pamphlet No. 7, by Licking County Pioneer Society. Written by Isaac Smucker, about 1875 ?)
General George Washington Chapter 