The War of 1812 - The Letters

I teased about the letters.  Here is the transcription to the best of my capability. 

(JSP 01)

File 9221 Percival, John S. M.D. 1815 (N.Y.)

(JSP 02)

Re md for appt. Hosp. Surg. Mate - Jan 28.

1182 - New York

Jno. S. Percival S. Mate 

R by Dr. Stearns

28 Jany 1815

(JSP 03)

City of Washington 28th Jany 1815

Sir I have the honor to enclose you a letter which I lately received from Dr. John Stearns of the city of Albany, recommending Doctor John S. Percival for the commission of Surgeon’s mate. With Doctor Percival I have no acquaintance, with Doctor Stearns I have been long and intimately acquainted with his true character in the line of his profession. I have taken the liberty to certify upon the back of the letter enclosed.

I have the honour to be Sir

With great consideration

Your Most Obt Sevt.

John Lovett  

(Addressed to the Honorable James Monroe)

(JSP 04)

9221

Encl. Percival, John

Jany 28, 1815

Hon John Lovett 

Member of Congress Washington

(Reverse of letter)

(JSP 04)

Albany 20th Jany 1815

Dear Sir, Although I have some acquaintances with the mode of receiving, yet I have very little with that of professing solicitations for office. It is therefore with reluctance that I trouble you with the request of my Nephew Dr. John S. Percival - he wishes to obtain your aid in procuring for him the appointment of Hospital Surgeon mate. Dr. Shaw the Hospital Surgeon at Green Bush has informed him that he wants a mate and has directed him to pursue this mode to obtain the appointment. In recommendation of Dr. Percival I can freely say that I believe him to be well qualified to discharge the duties of that office - He was appointed Surgeons mate in the militia detached last summer for the defense of New York, but on account of the removal of his surgeon to the hospital, performed the duties of Regimental Surgeon without an appointment & was singularly successful not to lose a single patient in that Corps. 

Your successful interference in this case will confer on me a favor which I shall always be happy to reciprocate, and an obligation which I trust I shall never refuse to acknowledge.

At the National bank posses what is your opinion of it (—)?

Accept assurance of my highest esteem and friendship.

John Stearns

Hon. John Lovett

The undersigned can with truth and confidence certify that Doctor John Stearns has long stood at the head of his profession in the city of Albany, and that no gentleman would be more cautious and guarded against urging the pretensions of any candidate which was not well founded in merit and skill.

John Lovett of the House of Rep from Albany, NY

Washington City

28th Jany 1815

Copyright 2010-2022, ACK for Gene Notes

Overture: The War of 1812

Yesterday, I attended an American Ancestors webinar on Researching War of 1812 Ancestors. You think you know all you can about that war and which of your ancestors/collateral relatives served in it. Then you have an "AHA" moment.

I have Kirtley, Chinn, and Carter war of 1812 ancestors. I have Graves collateral relatives who fought in the war of 1812. Two of whom were massacred/captured at Frenchtown (Monroe, Michigan). Then I found the motherlode.

My ancestor, Dr. John Stearns Percival - my great great great grandfather - was in the War of 1812. That blew me away. I wasn't even looking for him, I just put "Percival" in the search field.  I found four pay abstracts for Percival, John S, surg. mate.  And he appeared under an alternate spelling of Purcival. Since I knew that my ancestor attended medical lectures at Troy, New York, I had an inkling that these New York pay records could belong to my ancestor.

These records were found on Ancestry. I also have a subscription through Ancestry to Fold3 and thought check there. What I found there proved my hypothesis. I'm just going to post the folder image today since I've not yet transcribed the letters written on his behalf, by his uncle, Dr. John Stearns. Our family has a habit of naming family members for grandparents and other relatives. For instance, John Stearns Percival (below) was named for his maternal grandfather, also Dr. John Stearns. My dad was named for his maternal grandfather, Frank Bowman.  This was a totally unexpected, yet beautiful find. 

Copyright 2008-2021 ACK, for Generational

Copyright 2010-2022, ACK for Gene Notes

Where Have You Gone -- Isaac "Shelby" Kirtley

Isaac "Shelby" Kirtley, my first cousin four times removed, was married to Susan "Anna" Chinn, my second great grand aunt, November 27, 1856 in Lafayette county, Missouri. 

Shelby was born in 1833, probably in Kentucky to William Kirtley and Elizabeth Shelby.  Anna Chinn was born July 15, 1838 in Fayette county, Kentucky to Dr. Joseph Graves Chinn and Barbara Garland Graves, the tenth of their twelve children. 

The last mention of Shelby in Lafayette county, Missouri was the 1860 census. I presume he hung around a little later than that since two of their children were born after the 1860 census. Their four children were:

1. Elizabeth "Lizzie" Kirtley, born May 21, 1858 in Lafayette county, Missouri and died March 18, 1867 in Lexington, Lafayette, Missouri.

2. Kelly C. Kirtley born October 1859 in Lafayette county, Missouri and committed suicide September 3, 1926 in Lexington, Kentucky.

3. Sterling Price Kirtley, who was known as Price, born June 6, 1862 in Lexington, Missouri and died in Lexington, Kentucky September 28, 1937. She married Harvey J. Parker. 

4. Hester Kirtley born about 1866 in Lexington, Missouri and died Sept 29, 1885 at Joseph Chinn's house, Lexington, Missouri. Since her grandfather was living in Lexington, Kentucky at this time, I presume she was at her uncle Joseph Chinn's house.  

There's a lot of yack over on ancestry that has Shelby dying in 1860s. I don't think so. There are a couple reasons behind that. First, is that there are pension records in Arkansas re: Shelby Kirtley, born 1833 in Kentucky as late as 1899. Second, his mother, Elizabeth Shelby Kirtley died February 22, 1899 and left him One Dollar to be paid at the end of 1900. Third, and this one shocked me, he married in 1876 and his marriage is recorded in the colored pages of the Arkansas marriage books. I've not found any other records of him other than this. 

However, in his wife's obituary in 1872, they talk of her having the raising of 4 small children, which to me indicates that Shelby abandoned her. The eldest of their children, Lizzie died at the age of eight, not quite nine years old. Kelly was living in 1880 with his cousin, Jacob Graves, in Dog Fennel, Kentucky; Price was living with her Aunt Hester Chinn Trapp in 1880 and Hester Kirtley was living with her uncle Joseph Chinn in Lexington, Missouri. 

This is another "Gee, I wish I knew the whole story." 

Copyright 2010-2022, ACK for Gene Notes