Samuel Pettingell was a Captain in the Tryon
County Militia during the Revolutionary War. He was killed
at the Battle of Oriskany. His name appears on the Oriskany
Memorial as Capt. Samuel "Pettingall". Captain Sam
served with the THIRD REGIMENT (Mohawk District) under Col.
Frederick Fisher.
Pettingell is mentioned in Chapter IV of a book
(on line) entitled HISTORY OF SCHOHARIE COUNTY by Jeptha R. Simms, published in 1845.
Apparently, Sam was called upon as a citizen of the Mohawk Valley
to do some road work for the king just before the American
Revolution. A table contained in this work
tells us Sam Pettingall was assessed 5 pounds and had to work 4
days on the road. (The table takes a while to load at 28K).
Samuel Pettingell's homestead can be located on a 1757 map of the part of the Mohawk Valley where the Schoharie Creek meets the Mohawk River. The map is located on the Tryon County GENWEB Page.
The following text is taken from page 506 of the "Pettingell Genealogy" Edited by Charles I. Pettingell, Boston, Massachusetts, 1906:
* Samuel Pettingell: killed at the battle of Oriskany, Aug 6, 1777; married Elizabeth Cline, who was born in Holland, Europe, and died March 9, 1790. Samuel was a doctor. His name appears on a tax list from one of the two eastern districts of Tryon county, and he is noted as being well to do. This list, which is without date, was prior to the Revolution, as it was made out in connection with payment of the debt of the French and Indian War. August 26, 1775, Samuel was captain of the 5th co., 3d bat. Mohawk Militia from Tryon county. His house was burned by the Johnson raiders, October 25, 1781. His death had left his family destitute, as three days before the battle in which he was killed he had buried his money, which was never found. The winter after the house burned the widow and children lived in the cellar hole, possessed only of what they could find in the ruins. Oct 28, 1784 the state of New York paid a pension to Samuel's widow. June 2, 1785, John, Jacob, Samuel, Joseph and William Pettingell signed separate orders dated at Warrensbush (Warrensburg) to have their pay paid to Gilbert Rosem Berry. Each spelled the name "Pettingell." Henry Pettingell was also in the Revolution from the same vicinity. Nov. 11, 1785, the children of John Pettingell were granted a pension by the state of New York. Samuel is said to have leased his farm from John Watts. Sept. 15, 1794, Benjamin Pettingell of Florida bought of John Watts land adjoining land leased by William Pettingell. June 1, 1801, Joseph, Henry and Cornelius Pettingell of Florida mortgaged land in Florida (Warrensburg) to Rulop Conover; it was bounded by land of Jacob Pettingell, John De Graff and Benjamin Pettingell. Nov. 5, 1804, Cornelius and Henry mortgaged the same land; it was then bounded by land of Nicholas Hill, John De Graff, Benjamin Pettingell and Christian Serviss. The land mortgaged was lot No. 118 and a part of the lot No. 102. Jacob Pettingell had lot No. 119. John De Graff had lot No. 120.
* - All that can be found concerning this man is contained in the sketch above, with the exception of a statement that he came from England in 1730, for which no authority is given - C.I.P.
The wife of Samuel Pettingell, Elizabeth Cline (or Kleyn, 1745 - March 09, 1790) can be found in several references, and so can information that hints Elizabeth had sisters (Maragrita, Catarina) and a brother (Johannes) in the immediate area:
Samuel and Elizabeth had 13 children.
The Snook and Pettingell names appear together in two other instances. In the tax table referred to above, Samuel Pettingell and William Snook appear right next to each other. In Henry Snook's Revolutionary War Pension Record (RWPA: #S11435) there appears the following entry: "Henry... was a private in Capt. Samuel Pettingell's Co., Col. Frederick Fisher's 3rd. Regt., Tryon Co. Militia... Henry stated that his father, William Snook, was made captain of his company after the death of Samuel Pettingell in the battle of Oriskany." I suspect Sam and William were best of friends.
From the Penrose records, it appears that these families were very close in the Mohawk Valley, Schoharie Creek area: Pettingell, Snook, Kleyn, and McGraw.
06/23/99 07:08 PM