Saturday Challenge: Revolutionary War

Here's a Saturday Challenge from Randy Seaver's GeneaMusings that I didn't get to until now from earlier this year:

1)    Find an ancestral line that atretches back to the time of the US Revolutionary War (1775-1783), about 240 years. Define your person-to-person connection (the person actually met the next person on the list) back to a historical figure from that time (doesn't have to be famous).

2) Tell us about it on your blog, in a note or comment on Facebook, or in a comment on this post.

Marion J Wooster

1-I, born 1965, knew my grandfather. Marion J Wooster (1896-1976).

2-Grandpa knew his grandmother, Elizabeth (Tifft) Wooster (1826-1906),

3-she the daughter of Reuben Tifft (c.1791-1855-1859 time period)

4-who knew his father—Robert Tifft (1761-1799).

Robert served in Capt. Thomas Arnold’s Company, Col. Christopher Lippitt’s RI Regiment. Re-enlisted as private, March 16, 1779, Col. John Tophan’s regiment. Re-enlisted April 30, 1782, and January 30, 1783, in Col. Olney’s Regiment.

I’m not sure of any specific historical figure, but he grew up and lived most of his life in Exeter, Rhode Island which, being not far from Providence probably saw its share of troops with famous leaders either in or near the area.

In later years, he went to Stephentown, New York.  Stephentown today is a small rural area between Albany and the Massachusetts border. There isn’t much there except fields and woods. However, there is something about the area that I haven’t figured out yet. I have said a few times before to people that have told of ancestors settling briefly in eastern New York in Rensselaer County, “Let me guess, Stephentown.” Only once was I wrong. Perhaps, it was a popular pass through the Berkshires that landed people there. I don’t know, but I have found far more people with events happening there than a sleepy little town should warrant. Robert surely met some historical figure that passed through on his brief time in Stephentown.