Details of the Death of John Bellinger in the Revolutionary War

I have previously written about one of my Revolutionary War ancestors, John Bellinger, and his history as related by my great grandfather and other published resources.

It always pays to go back and continue to look for more information. I've just discovered a more detailed account of my ancestor in The Frontiersmen of New York written by Jeptha Root Simms in 1883. I discovered this by again searching in Google books.

His account reads:

Death of John Bellinger and Escape of his Comrades. - On some occasion during the war and believed to have been in 1778, John and Christopher Bellinger, brothers and Philip Harter, were on the flats between Fort Dayton and the river getting hay. John Bellinger was some 25 years of age; his companions were several years younger. As John was engaged in pitching hay into a window with a fork, and his friends in raking at a little distance from him, a tory, named Harmanus House, and two Mohawk Indians appeared in a corn field near the laborers. The latter having taken the precaution to carry their guns to the field, had laid them upon the trunk of a wind-fallen tree near where they were at work. Christopher first discovered the foes approaching, and shouted the prophetic words of the times - "The Indians!"

John Bellinger was an uncommonly strong and courageous man, and withal swift on foot. With uplifted fork he ran  directly for the guns, quite as near to which was his tory foe; his brother and Harter at the same time fleeing for the fort, pursued by the Indians. As John neared his own gun, House drew up to fire on him, but before doing so he called back his comrades by a signal whistle. He then fired, and one of  freedom's boldest champions was weltering in his gore. Christopher and Philip reached the fort in safety. There were other Indians concealed near the field, as was afterwards understood, who dreaded the vengeance of John Bellinger more than that of a score of ordinary men. The enemy obtained, with his scalp and the plunder of his person, the three guns which the young men had taken to the field. The loss of this brave partisan was severely felt in the German Flats, for his was one of the master spirits of that section, just suited to the times. But, like many noble young Americans, he was surprised and slain, either from envy or the British value to a tory neighbor of his scalp-lock. House called back his accomplices to assist him, fearing if he fired and missed his victim, and their guns were unloaded, his fate would be sealed. He was well acquainted with Bellinger before the war. The remains of the fallen hero were taken to the fort and buried with becoming respect.

* * *

This account provides much more detail about the man who was my fourth great grandfather. Other sources indicate that his death occurred on July 24, 1780, not 1778 as in this account. At the time of his death, he was married to Ernestina Harter. Ernestina gave birth to the couple's only child, yet another John William Bellinger, eight months later. Ernestina had at least two other husbands who also fought in the Revolutionary War: Adam Staring and John Myers.

My Revolutionary War Ancestor - Johannes/John Belllinger

Tracking down the John Bellinger name in my family history can be quite mind-numbing at times. Going back to my great-grandfather, John William Bellinger, his father was John Bellinger; his grandfather was John Bellinger; and his great-grandfather was John (or Johannes) Bellinger.

My Bellinger ancestry takes me to the area of Herkimer, New York, where it seems every Bellinger in the country must have lived at the time.


The first story I found about my Revolutionary War Johannes/John F. Bellinger was a tale written by my great grandfather, John Bellinger, in 1934. I don't have the original, but it was recopied by my grandmother, Sina Bellinger Kelly, many years later. His account was shared by Joy Deal Lehmann in her book, The Bellingers of Greenwood, Nebraska (2001).

Great-grandfather Bellinger's story read as follows:

"As told by my grandmother, she came to Nebraska with us. She was 97 years old when she died in 1874. So you see she was born at the close of the Revolutionary War. I was 20 years old. She told how the John Bellingers fought. We had two war vessels laying in Sockets Harbor. Wasn't finished yet when three English war vessels came across from Canada. Ours wasn't moured yet when they seen them coming. They rushed on our boats with a John Bellinger leading with hat in hand yelling like an Indian. Giving orders and sunk two of them and the other one got away and went back to Canada."


Great Grandpa Bellinger's story seems to have become embellished over time. William V.H. Barker reports in the book, Early Families of Herkimer County, New York (1986) that my ancestor was killed by Indians while mowing hay. Barker goes on to report that my ancestor "refused to run for his gun when stalking Indians approached and was thus slain while Harter brother-in-law got away." The incident occurred on July 24, 1780.


At the time of his death, Johannes/John was about 25 years of age and married to Ernestina Harter, daughter of Captain Henry Harter (variations in spelling: Herther, Harther, Harder). They had only been married for two months when he died. Ernestina Harter had been married to Lt. John Meyer and later to Adam Staring. She was pregnant with Johannes/John's son, John Bellinger, when Johannes/John died. The son was born March 8, 1781 and was my great great great grandfather. He married Anna Eva Clapsaddle.


In Lyle Frederick Bellinger's Genealogy of the Mohawk Valley Bellingers and Allied Families (1976), Ernestina is referred to as the "It Girl" of the Revolution! What descendant wouldn't want to know more about that!


I have discovered some pension records and correspondence regarding Johannes/John on Footnote.com. And while being killed when mowing hay is not quite what Great Grandpa Bellinger had told of his ancestor's death, we do know that Johannes/John did serve during the Revolutionary War. 


UPDATE: More details about the death of John Bellinger in the Revolutionary War (26 Jan 2011)

The Bellinger family history as related by John William Bellinger

As it was told to me, my great grandfather, John W. Bellinger, had been looking into the Bellinger family history. In the papers that were passed down to me were some newspapers that carried the family history research that had been done by Lyle Frederick Bellinger. My mother told me that her "Grandpa Bell" (as he was called affectionately) was always looking for some kind of get rich quick scheme. I have a few of his old oil stock certificates. As this letter indicates, he assumed the family would come into some money from the Herkimer/Mohawk Valley Bellingers in his old age. This was in a letter written by him March 12, 1934 and recopied by his daughter, Sina Harriet Bellinger Kelly (my grandmother). This also appeared in Joy Deal Lehman's book, The Bellingers of Greenwood, Nebraska in 2001.

"As told by my grandmother, she came to Nebraska with us. she was 97 years old when she died in 1874. So you see she was born at the close of the Revolutionary War. I was 20 years old. She told how the John Bellingers fought. We had two war vessels laying in Sockets Harbor [sic]. Wasn't finished yet when three English war vessels came across from Canada. Ours wasn't moured [sic] yet when they seen them coming. They rushed on our boats with a John Bellinger leading with hat in hand yelling like an Indian. Giving orders and sunk two of them and the other one got away and went back to Canada.

"My grandmother's name was Eva Clapsaddle. She told of lots of depridation done by the Indians. There was a woman with a little baby running to get away from the Indians and they killed her and cut her breasts off so the baby couldn't nurse. She said the baby was bloody all over trying to nurse. The Indians stuck a bayonet through it and was dancing around holding it up in the air.

"One of my ancestors John Bellinger owned a large track [sic] of land south of the Mohawk river some 22,000 acres, laid between Little Falls and Utica. . . then he leased it to the German Reformed Church for 99 years. In his will stated it was to go to the nearest heris and if they couldn't be found they should have it as long as timber grew and water run. Grandmother said it would come to us in our old days. The papers were all left with the Old Church . . . "