I heard some folks talking during a recent event about their ancestor, Joseph Pegan, and his Revolutionary War service. They sounded a little proprietary to me, as if he belonged only to their family. Which seemed strange because he is a claimed ancestor to hundreds of Nipmucs including those belonging to these families - Henries, Sprague, Nichols, White, Wilson, and mine!
Dudley, Massachusetts vital records state that Joseph Peagan (sic) died in Dudley on 11 December 1818. The U.S.Pension Roll of 1835 gives the same date of death along with the age of the veteran, 62 years. That places Joseph's birth around 1756.
Joseph Pegan was the son of Joseph Pegan (1718-1761) and Martha Bowman, the daughter of Samuel Bowman of Natick. He married Mary Sampson on 9 April 1787 and perhaps had two children, Edward Pegan and Betsey Pegan.
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| The marriage notation for Joseph Pegan and Mary Sampson can be found on the bottom of the left hand page. |
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| A closer look at the marriage record. |
By many accounts, Betsey Pegan was actually Betsey Caesar, the granddaughter of Samuel Pegan - a Dudley Indian and Patience David - a Hassanamisco Indian. Betsey married Henry White and their daughter, Angenette is my 4th great-grandmother. (I wrote about the Angenettes in my family
here.)
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| The marriage record of Henry White and Betsey Caesar, 20 August 1827. It's the last entry on the page. |
Edward Pegan is often associated with this Joseph Pegan. They are the right ages to be father and son and both lived in Dudley/Webster area. Both were Nipmuc Indians. Edward's death record names his parents as Joseph and Salome Pegan not Joseph and Mary. Also, Joseph's probate record did not name any children even though both Edward and Betsey were alive in 1818 when Joseph passed.
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| Edward Pegan's death record, 25 June 1868. |
Of course this is not proof that Edward and Joseph are not father and son. But perhaps some of the family lines listed above should rethink who they actually descend from.
Below are a few more records for Joseph Pegan and his military service.
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| Joseph Pegan's enrollment and discharge dates - May 26, 1777 and May 26, 1780. |
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| Pay roll voucher for Joseph Pegan. |
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| April 1778 payroll for Captain Child's company |
Until next time -
Aquene,
Cher
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