Dedication of Memorial Marker for Longshore Lamb (ca ca. 1828) and his wife, Sarah (Lee) Lamb (ca ca. 1844)

Transcription

1 Dedication of Memorial Marker for Longshore Lamb, Revolutionary War Patriot, (ca ca. 1828) and his wife, Sarah (Lee) Lamb (ca ca. 1844) October 10, 2009 Cedar Hill Cemetery, Princeton, Caldwell County, Kentucky

2 Dedication of Memorial Marker for Longshore Lamb (ca ca. 1828) and his wife, Sarah (Lee) Lamb (ca ca. 1844) October 10, 2009 Cedar Hill Cemetery, Princeton, Caldwell County, Kentucky Matthew T. Patton and Linda Lamb Monticelli, Descendants of Longshore Lamb I. Welcome and Greetings II. Presentation of Flags Displayed today are ten small flags representing the states associated with the early Lamb family as well as Revolutionary War era flags. Also on display is a large United States flag. 1. Kentucky Flag: The Flag of the Commonwealth of Kentucky consists of the Commonwealth s seal on a navy blue field, surrounded by the words Commonwealth of Kentucky above and sprigs of goldenrod, the state flower, below. The flag was designed by Jesse Cox, an art teacher in Frankfort, Kentucky. The flag was adopted by the Kentucky General Assembly on March 26, 1918 and finalized in its present form in The state motto depicts two friends embracing. United We Stand, Divided We Fall circles them. The motto comes from the lyrics of The Liberty Song, a patriotic song from the American Revolution. 2. Pennsylvania Flag: The Flag of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania consists of a blue field on which the state coat of arms is embroidered. The state coat of arms is surrounded by draft horses on both sides, and a bald eagle, representing Pennsylvania s loyalty to the United States. The state coat of arms includes a ship under full sail, a plow and three sheaves of wheat indicating the significance of commerce, labor, perseverance and agriculture to the state. Surrounding the coat of arms is a stalk of Indian corn on the left and an olive branch on the right. These represent the state s recognition of its past and its hope for the future. The scroll below the coat of arms reads: Virtue, Liberty and Independence, the state s motto.

3 3. Virginia Flag: The Flag of the Commonwealth of Virginia consists of the Seal of Virginia against a blue background. The current version of the flag was adopted at the beginning of the American Civil War in The flag is decorated with a white fringe along the fly. It is the only state flag to contain any form of nudity. The Latin motto, Sic semper tyrannis, at the bottom of the state seal means Thus Always to Tyrants. This quote is attributed to Brutus during the assassination of Julius Caesar in Rome. The woman is Virtus the genius of the Commonwealth, dressed as an Amazon and represents Virginia. The prostrate man represents tyranny; note the fallen crown to the right. The Tyrant is holding both a chain and a scourge. 4. South Carolina Flag: The Flag of the State of South Carolina is believed to have been originally designed in 1775 for use by South Carolinian troops during the American Revolutionary War. The blue of the flag was borrowed from the militia s uniforms and the crescent from the emblem on their caps. However, elements that compose the current flag were seen in as far back as 1765, in a banner used by South Carolina protesters of the Stamp Act. 5. Betsy Ross Flag: The Betsy Ross flag is an early design of the American flag popularly attributed to Betsy Ross using the common motifs of alternating red-and-white striped field with white stars in a blue canton. The flag was designed during the American Revolution and features thirteen stars to represent the original thirteen colonies. The distinctive feature of the Ross flag is the arrangement of the five-pointed stars in a circle. Although most flag historians do not believe Betsy Ross to be the maker of the first American flag, the Betsy Ross story has become publicized and common, accepted by many Americans. According to the legend, the original Betsy Ross flag was made in 1776, when a small committee including George Washington and George Ross, a relative, visited Betsy and discussed the need for a new American flag. Betsy s contribution to the design was a five-pointed star (instead of a six-pointed star, as Francis Hopkinson used), and she accepted the job to sew the first. 6. Bennington Flag: The Bennington Flag is a version of the American Flag associated with the American Revolution Battle of Bennington, from which it derives its name. Like many Revolution era flags, the Bennington features thirteen stars and thirteen stripes, symbolic of the thirteen American colonies that were in a state of rebellion against Great Britain. The Bennington version is easily identified by a large 76 in the canton, recalling the year 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Another unique feature of the Bennington flag is the arrangement of the thirteen stripes, alternating white-red (from either the top or bottom) instead of the more traditional red-white.

4 7. Grand Union or Continental Flag: The Grand Union Flag 1775 is also known as the Continental flag, it is the first true U.S. Flag. It combined the British King s Colours and the thirteen stripes signifying Colonial unity. George Washington liked this design so well that he chose it to be flown to celebrate the formation of the Continental Army on New Year s Day, On that day the Grand Union Flag was proudly raised on Prospect Hill in Somerville, near his headquarters at Cambridge, Massachusetts. 8. Bunker Hill Flag: On the nights of June 16 and 17, 1775, the Americans fortified Breed s and Bunker Hills overlooking Boston Harbor. Although they had not officially declared their independence, a fight was underway. When the British advanced up the slope the next day they saw an early New England flag, possibly a red or blue banner. Many early Colonial flags had been made by altering the English flag and most still contained a reference to the mother country. This was an example that the Colonists still saw themselves as British subjects but were declaring their right to be free from violation of their liberties. 9. Washington Cruisers Flag: This flag was used by George Washington on his squadron of six schooners which he outfitted at his own expense in the fall of This flag was a variation of the New England Pine Tree flag. It was later modified and adopted by the Massachusetts Navy. The Sons of Liberty would rally under a large tree, in Boston Massachusetts, which came to be known as The Liberty Tree. This tree became a symbol of American independence. Knowing they were up against a great military power, they believed they were sustained by still a greater power, thus their Appeal to Heaven. 10. United States Flag: Adopted for use in 1959, the current United States flag consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The fifty stars on the flag represent the fifty United States and the thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies that rebelled against the British Crown and became the first states in the Union. The United States flag on display today was flown over the United States Capitol on June 15, A certificate accompanying the flag states, At the request of the Honorable Jim Gerlach, Member of Congress, this flag was flown for Caldwell County Settler and Revolutionary War Patriot Longshore Lamb, who assisted in establishing American independence.

5 III. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America All are invited to recite I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. IV. Biography on the Life of Longshore and Sarah (Lee) Lamb Longshore Lamb was the son of Thomas Lamb and Alice Longshore; he was born sometime between 1747 and 1754 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania or about 1755 in Fairfax County, Virginia. The Lamb family lived in Bucks County from 1744 until 1754 when they moved to Fairfax County, Virginia. The Quaker Fairfax Monthly Meeting was located on the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains south of the Potomac River. The Fairfax Meeting was located in Fairfax County until 1757 when they divided Fairfax County leaving Fairfax Meeting in Loudon County. In June 1766, the Lamb family moved from Loudon County, Virginia to Kershaw County, South Carolina. On October 30, 1779, the Friends at the Bush River Monthly Meeting, located in Newberry County, South Carolina, disowned Longshore Lamb who was a member of the Padget s Creek Meeting house, located in eastern Union County, for marrying someone who was not of the Quaker faith. Since the state of South Carolina had no laws requiring marriage licenses or registration until 1911, we use the date of October 30, 1779 as the marriage date for Longshore Lamb and Sarah Lee, daughter of Michael Lee. The fall of Charleston to the British on May 12, 1780, was the worst patriot defeat of the entire American Revolution. Soon after the fall of Charleston, the British forces overwhelmingly controlled South Carolina, and the Patriots there were for a time left to their own devices. By the summer of 1780, the war that raged in the Backcountry of South Carolina had effectively become America s first civil war among the colonial population, split between Patriots and Loyalists. In late spring or early summer of 1780, Colonel Thomas Brandon, who was camped five miles south of the present town of Union, South Carolina was in the process of recruiting volunteers to support the Patriot cause. It was sometime after the fall of Charleston on May 12, 1780, that Longshore Lamb was recruited into the Second Spartan Regiment of Militia under Colonel Thomas Brandon in Union County, South Carolina. Longshore s brother William Lamb was also in this same Second Spartan Regiment of Militia under Colonel Brandon. Here we have two young men, Longshore and his brother William, raised by parents who were Quakers according to Quaker beliefs and yet they decided to take a stand and join the Patriot cause to fight for independence against the British soldiers and their Loyalist neighbors. Quakers

6 were committed to pacifism in both their public and private affairs. It was against the Quaker beliefs to bear arms, join the militia, or pay war taxes. We can only imagine how difficult this must have been for Thomas and Alice Lamb as parents to have two of their sons fighting in a war. It is not known how many or which military engagements Longshore Lamb may have actually been involved in while serving under Colonel Brandon. These militiamen served for 4 months, oftentimes working one day and fighting the next. The Patriot militia spent much of their time protecting the local rebel population from the Indians and the many Tory loyalists in the area. On June 12, 1786, Longshore Lamb received ten pounds, two shillings, and ten pence farthings for Militia duty after the fall of Charleston in Brandon s Regiment. Longshore Lamb signed his full name on this receipt for his service during the American Revolution. On September 13, 1788, Longshore Lamb purchased 163 acres on Frenchman s Creek of the Enoree River in Ninety Six District, present day Union County, South Carolina. It is possible that Longshore used at least some of the money he received for his military duties to purchase this land. Between 1779 and 1800, Longshore and Sarah Lamb had nine children: Mary, Elizabeth, Levi, William, Margaret, Jane, John, Moses, and Martin. All of these children were born in South Carolina. After Longshore Lamb and Sarah Lee were married they lived first in Union County, South Carolina and then in Spartanburg County, South Carolina before finally settling in Caldwell County, Kentucky by 1809 or Longshore Lamb and his family and Longshore s son-in-law William Crow and his family were among the very early settlers of the Lewistown community in Caldwell County, Kentucky. Longshore s mother, Alice Longshore Lamb, died about 1791 in Union County, South Carolina and his father, Thomas Lamb, died in early August 1800 in Union County, South Carolina. Sarah s father, Michael Lee, died in early December 1807 in Union County, South Carolina. We do not know who Sarah s mother was; some researchers say that Michael Lee s wife was Drusilla Murphy. On November 20, 1822, Longshore Lamb purchased 150 acres of land from his son-in-law William Crow for $337. This land was part of two tracts of land granted to William Crow. This land was located on both sides of Flynn s fork of the Tradewater River. This very likely was the same land in the 1845 legal suit in Caldwell County over the land that Longshore owned at the time of his death. Longshore Lamb died intestate sometime from about 1826 to about 1828 in Caldwell County, Kentucky. His wife, Sarah Lee Lamb, remained a widow for the next 16 years or so until her death about 1844 in Caldwell County, Kentucky. Martin Lamb, the youngest child of Longshore and Sarah, and his family moved into his father s home after his father s death to care for his mother.

7 The exact location of the graves of Longshore and Sarah remains unknown, there has never been any grave marker found for either Longshore or Sarah and there are no records known to exist indicating where the graves of Longshore and Sarah Lamb are actually located. V. Musical Selection Written by Linda Lamb Monticelli All are invited to recite VI. Dedication In remembering the past, we honor the men and women who gave their lives for the preservation of our freedom and our future. In honoring Longshore Lamb and his wife, Sarah, we also pay tribute to all the men and women who have served our country with integrity and devotion. VII. Unveiling of The Lamb Memorial Marker VIII. Presentation of Wreath IX. Closing Remarks To express our sincere appreciation to everyone who made this day possible, we extend an invitation to all present to join us for refreshments and fellowship from 1 to 5 p.m. at: Princeton Tourist Welcome Center, 201 E. Main St., Princeton, KY

8 Did You Know Because our ancestor Longshore Lamb served during the American Revolutionary War, his female descendants are eligible to join the Daughters of the American Revolution. Likewise, his male descendants are eligible to join the Sons of the American Revolution, and young descendants under 18 years of age can join the Children of the American Revolution. Many descendants have already joined or submitted applications. For application or genealogy assistance, Matthew T. Patton at or Linda Lamb Monticelli at Genealogy Notes: