Peter if this is the same Peter from my early colonial ancestry in the British American Colonies, which I think he with that birth date.
The tradition story of the family comes from a few verbal sources retold over the century since the mid-1700's. The story is:
Three (3) brothers came from Devonshire, England [unknown year] [See Note #1. The account my line has is that one brother settled in the west [but west of what? The Alleghanys were the American west in the 1700's], the other brother settled ________ [the blank was never filled in, so it remains an unknown], and the third brother was married. Third brother had five (5) sons on the voyage to the British American Colonies. During the voyage one (1) of the sons died. They settled in that part of Bergen County, known as Milton [See Note #2 below]. Three of the sons did service during the ARW (American Revolutionary War). From two sources, we are told by first that one (1) is killed, one (1) is wound, and the survivor moved to Virginia, in the Gladstone or Madison Area [See Note #3 below], Second source tell us two sons are killed and the survivor moves to Virgina. William is the only son of the third brother to be named in this these accounts or in books [books are "The Hardiston Memorial" by Rev. Alison Haines and "Rockaway Records" by J.P. Crayon]. All the future genealogy is from just William, who became a colonial physician before medical records or medical society in New Jersey.
Originally in my post in Ancestry. Com, I mathematical derived his birth date as 1769 because he was considered to be too young to enlist and fight in the ARW. However, years later learn more about William and Elizabeth nee Cole's children with the first born be William, born 1783, this would make his father's age 13 at the time of impregnation and not a promising event. So I recalculated his birth year to be 1765, which would make him 17 years old at marriage and fathering his first of 16 children.
One problem is once I post the birth year as 1769, it became instant genealogical gossip. I have been correct for stating 1765 as the birth year, even called names when refuting it.
Note #1 -- The Devonshire reference, I believe came from the possibility that the family embarked to the British American Colonies from either Plymouth (most likely) of Torbay, both on the south western coast of England, rather than having been residents in the shire (county in old English and still used today).
Note #2 -- The Milton in Begen County reference is incorrect as in all my research and knowledge of New Jersey's historical political subdivision has shown me that Milton has always been part of Pequannock and later the annexed Jefferson Township of Morris County, BUT NEVER in Bergen County. However, still those writing were talking to people for information approximately a hundred years later, the originator of the information may have either misspoken him/herself or forgot the actual place as this was oral history past from generator to generation. I am think more that they meant the village of Oak Ridge, which in colonial times was on both sides of the Pequannock River. Today, the Morris side is all Milton and the Passaic side is all Oak Ridge, mostly cause by post office locations and later in the mid-1970's when zip codes came into being part of our lives.
Note #3 -- It was stated that in Virginia, it was the Madison and Gladstone areas. First, the State of Virginia from colonial times to 1863 had the perimeter shape of the States of Virginia and West Virginia. So any and all searches need to be in West Virginia. And perhaps close to southwestern Pennsylvania. On a historical note, in 1860 Virginia was divided into pro-Confederate and Pro-Union itizenry. The largest area of Pro-Union populous was in the area that in 1863, became West Virginia. This is why we have two Virginia todays and had the American War between the States not taken place, we would be a 49-star flag nation.
During research in the 1980's, I found that the one referred to as the survivor was named John. Within a few years, learn the additional names Jacob and Peter as possible brothers of William (1765) and John. When searching locally for militia records and information, I found the request for colonial ARW penions. John, Jacob, and Peter or their wives, all claimed to be born in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey between 1756 to 1760. At the time, they were all residing in Greene or Washington Counties in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania, which borders on West Virginia.
I knew they were all born in England, but later I learned that when applying for an ARW penion, if you were born in the British American Colonies, you would receive a higher pension than if you were born in England, thus thousand became instantly born here.
My problem in Rockaway is are they making reference to the borough or to the township. This is the difference of a few square miles of borough versus about a hundred square miles of township, in whch the northern area is within two different watershed. The town of Charlotteburg (named in honor of King George II's wife and Queen Charlotte of England)was razed for the Newark's Pequannock Watershed's Charlotteburg Reservoir in West Milford and Rockaway Townships. Plus there are a few towns and village that disappeared to establish the watershed and a few cemeteries were abandon, their locations and record lost in time. Another part of the township is home to a military facility.
Like my research, which opens more question than is answers, I fear I may have done that to you with my reply. Any questions feel free to ask me.
Sincerely,
James A. Crowley Kemble
NE Pennsylvania (2000 - 2015)
jersey_jim_the_jerseyan@yahoo.com