AJH
Monthly Archives: February 2011
Martin Tidd & Robinson’s Rangers
Commanded by its namesake, Captain Thomas Robinson, Robinson’s Rangers was a citizen militia unit during the American Revolution. My ancestor Martin Tidd is listed as serving in this unit in a document at the Pennsylvania State Archives, some of which are online. (Martin’s brother William also served during the war. William Tidd’s file at the National Archives is nearly 200 pages and mentions his brother by name.)
Robinson’s Rangers were part of the militia from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. It appears from depreciation pay records that they must have served with the Continental Line for a period. Generally “rangers” were militia who fought on the frontiers in Pennsylvania – generally protecting the settlers from attack by Native American and English forces. Here is a small bit that mentions Robinson’s Rangers in a history of Pennsylvania’s frontier forts.
“Col. Hunter, whom I consulted, was of the same opinion, the only difficulty was to fix on some place equally well adapted to cover the Frontier, as Fort Muncy was; Fort Muncy having been evacuated and destroyed.” So Fort Muncy appears to have been destroyed the second time, as Lieut. Moses Van Campen, of Capt. Robinson’s Rangers says, in the latter part of March, just at the opening of the campaign of 1782, the companies that had been stationed during the winter at Reading were ordered back by Congress to their respective stations; Lieut. Van Campen marched at the head of Capt. Robinson’s company to Northumberland, where he was joined by Mr. Thomas Chambers, who had been recently commissioned ensign of the same company. Here he halted for a few days to allow his men rest, after which he was directed to march to a place called Muncy, and there rebuild a fort which had been destroyed by the Indians in the year 79. Having reached his station, he threw up a small blockhouse in which he placed his stores and immediately commenced rebuilding the fort, being joined shortly after by Capt. Robinson in company with several gentlemen, among whom was a Mr. Culbertson, who was anxious to find an escort up the West Branch of the Susquehanna into the neighborhood of Bald Eagle creek. Here his brother had been killed by the Indians, and being informed that some of his party had been buried and had thus escaped the violence of the enemy, he was desirous of making search to obtain it. Arrangements were made for Van Campen to go with him at the head of a small party of men as a guard. Lieut. Van Campen was captured while on this expedition and taken to Canada, where he remained some time, so we get no further information from him in regard to this rebuilding of Fort Muncy for the third time. Fort Muncy, if properly garrisoned, was an important position for the defense of the valley below it; here was a good place from which to support scouting parties, west and north, and from which passes of the Muncy hills to the eastward could be covered by strong scouting parties, but the country lacked men, and means to support them at this critical time. Near the site of Fort Muncy is the Indian Mound described by Mr. Gernerd in his “Now and Then,” and near the Hall’s station is the grave of Capt. John Brady, with his faithful old soldier comrade, John Lebo, buried by his side. The spring still defines the location of the fort.”
ajh
Main Street in Colo, Iowa — Looking East
ajh
Grandpa’s Pedigree Chart
I have been working on the family tree, literally, experimenting with an online site that makes charts using HTML, the web programming language. I have created a site using my Eastern Oregon University Google account. The first file starts with my grandfather, Raymond (Ray) Hill, and shows five generations of his ancestors, at least what I’ve been able to research so far. I’ll be doing Grandma’s side when I get a chance. And then the maternal family is next.
ajh
Blackmailing Bill Post
I love these ancient pics1 of local talk show host Bill Post. He has an afternoon show on an AM station, KYKN, and does morning updates and such.
ajh
1. Sadly, the photos have disappeared and, since I don’t remember the ones I used, I doubt this blog post will be updated again. The two photos I linked to, posted to Facebook servers, are missing for some reason. I may try tracking them down again.
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/182482_155519804502940_100001347649332_293024_4894747_n.jpg
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/180990_155519844502936_100001347649332_293025_6472120_n.jpg
Salem Film Fest 2011
Just got a note from a guy associated with the Salem Film Festival. (It’s actually called Salem Film Fest.) I got all excited until reading the fine print. It’s in Salem, Massachusetts, not Salem, Oregon. So if you are in New England or plan on visiting, take a look. The one in Oregon will be later in the year, I think.
AJH
Trader Joe’s Coming to Salem
Thanks to a friend’s link on Facebook, I discovered that Trader Joe’s has chosen a location for a store in my hometown, Salem, Oregon. The building is an old Albertson’s supermarket, most of which have closed in the area.
Unfortunately, rather than being centrally located or ‘up north’ as previously reported (falsely) in local media, it will be way out south on Commercial.
So even though we Salemites were fooled by the Trader Joe’s false alarm in June, when the Statesman Journal had a front page story about an apparent store opening at Keizer Station in north Salem that turned out to be wrong, this time the evidence is much stronger.
The news is confirmed at the company website, which has a list of stores soon to open. Thanks to Brian Hines and my friend for keeping up on developments.
Aidells & His Sausage Co.
I have seen the sausage with his name on it at my local discount supermarket. Although even at a good discount it’s still expensive, I have tried some of it, and it was delicious.
But today I learned via the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that Mr. Bruce Aidells ain’t even part of the operation and hasn’t been for years, though his funny mug graces all of the packaging. He doesn’t even eat the stuff.
Q: Are you still part of Aidells Sausage Co.?
A: . . . I’m not involved at all and generally don’t eat the product because it’s too salty for me.
ajh
Organizing for America & My.BarackObama.com
I just discovered someone with President Obama’s reelection campaign, Organizing for America, who has a connection with me: our hometown. Colo, Iowa is a small, rural place, centrally located in Iowa, just north of Des Moines and east of Ames, where I was born. Although I’ve been living in the Pacific Northwest for several years now, an aunt and a cousin still live in Colo.
Rustling up Dems in Lincoln County
This week I traveled to Ruidoso, NM to attend the Lincoln County Democrats meeting. This was my first trip to this great ski town on behalf of Organizing for America. I was reminded how much I love driving throughout Southern New Mexico, even if I am just about the only person on the road.
The Democratic Party meeting was well attended and it was great to meet a group of very dedicated and ambitious Democrats. I even found out that one activist had family that lived just down the street from me in my hometown of Colo, Iowa. If this doesn’t prove that it is a small world, I don’t know what does. I guess whether you are in rural Iowa or rural New Mexico, you can still easily find people whom you have a connection with.
ajh
Canada’s Maple Leaf Flag
Today in 1965, Canada’s maple leaf flag was unfurled in ceremonies in Ottawa.
AARON HILL’S NOTEBOOK 