Captain Richard Douglass (1746–1828), a cooper, soldier,
deacon and politician, was born in New London, Connecticut in 1746 to
Stephen and Patience Douglass.
Richard Douglass ran a successful
cooper business. Already in 1760 where there more than 40 ships from
Brigs to Sloops registered in New London many under the Shaw Family flag
conducting business in the East and West Indies as well as such foreign
ports at Lisbon, Barcelona, Amsterdam and even as far as Russia in
addition to the mother country England. Being a cooper was a valuable
trade especially with New London and the Colonies thirst for Bajan
(Barbados) Rum.
At the outbreak of hostilities in the 1775
against England, Richard Douglass enlisted in the militia and marched
alongside Nathan Hale, William Coit, John & James Chapman and other New
Londoners to Boston in William Coit's Independent Company. At this point
it is not yet known if his unit under Capt. Chapman participated at
Bunker Hill but it is suspected as William Coit was with a 200 man
strong unit that fought at the "fence" with Thomas Knowlton of
Connecticut. John Chapman eventually served under Knowlton in the elite
Army Ranger unit, the first of its kind.
Two companies of New
London County men were at Bunker Hill including John Tubbs of modern day
East Lyme and Christopher Darrow (East Lyme/Montville) then called
"Northern Parrish". It is most likely that, according to documentation,
that William Coit's Independent Company protected the retreating
soldiers from Bunker Hill (Breeds) thwarting any British engagements,
thus allowing the survivors to return in safety.
It is known that
Capt. Chapman's Regiment of Foote or "Company" served under Lyme's
General Samuel Holden Parsons then living in New London and participated
at the Battle of New York (Long Island) and the defense of New York and
eventual retreat to the Highlands. It is thought that here Richard
Douglass "suffered atrocities of the British" and was taken prisoner,
eventually escaping a prison ship in 1776-77. Richard fought at the
defense of Philadelphia, Monmouth, New Jersey, Germantown and Brandywine
engagements along with many other Eastern Connecticut men. It is also
possible that he was taken prisoner at Germantown, as many from New
London County were, as their poorly led unit was outflanked.
Richard Douglass served throughout the war and it has appears that he
was again the victim of atrocities when Benedict Arnold returned in 1781
burning New London and the attack on Ft. Griswold in Groton that
eventually claimed the lives of 83 men on the Groton side and 6 more on
the New London side. While Bradley Street was spared the torch, it is
possible that Richard Douglass and family suffered harassment.
It
is said that Richard Douglass enlisted in 1775 and served
distinguishably throughout the war ending service in 1783.
Not
much is known yet of the man as a person, what he looked like, or what
people like Nathan Hale, William Coit or John Chapman thought of him,
but having served distinguishably appears that he was a good foot
soldier and very loyal to cause becoming respected in that area.
Douglas, Richard (Conn). Private in the Lexington Alarm, April, 1775;
Ensign and Regimental Quartermaster in Selden's Connecticut State
Regiment, 20 June to 25 December 1776; 2nd Lieutenant 1st Connecticut, 1
at January, 1777; 1st Lieutenant, 1 January 1778; Captain Lieutenant, 11
August, 1780; Captain, 22 August 1780; transferred to 5th Connecticut, 1
January 1781, transferred to 3d Connecticut, 1 January 1783; transferred
to Swift's Consolidated Connecticut Regiment, June, 1783, and served to
3d November, 1783. (Died 1828.)
At the close of the War with New
London nearly burned to the ground and its economy in shambles, it
appears Richard Douglass's business began to slowly rebound. Just a few
years after the war's conclusion he purchased the land from Timothy
Green at the corners of the new Golden Street and Cross Street (now
Green's Alley) to build a house. At nearly 40 years of age he removed
from Bradley Street, which was known as "Widows Row" from the British
attack on New London to this new street even closer to the wharves on
Bank Street. His cooper business took place at 102 Golden Street for
some time and eventually purchased the plot at 77-79 Green Street
(immediately next door) for 117 dollars on June 30, 1801 from Timothy
Green then living in Fredricksburg, VA to manage his family business
interests there. The house was built a short time after and is one of
the few homes of its type remaining in New London.
At the close
of the American Revolution in 1783 Richard became one of the founding
officers of the Society of the Cincinnati and it is noted in Bryce
Metcalf's "Original Members and Other Officers Eligible to the Society
of the Cincinnati" (1938) that he served until November 3, 1783. Richard
Douglass was a member of the Connecticut Society.
Richard
Douglass served as a representative from New London in 1803? In 1803.-A.
WOODWARD, George COLFAX, Richard DOUGLASS, Lyman LAW all represented SE
CT in Hartford.
Family
Born to parents
Stephen Douglas (1719-1748) and Patience Atwell (born 172), Richard
married Ann Jennings, a widow from New Shoreham, Block Island, Rhode
Island in 1777 and had 8 children(2). All lived to
their adult years. Ann Jennings from the Champlin stock a well known
Eastern Connecticut line of families, well respected and quite obviously
a catch.
Richard Douglass Great grandfather Robert married Mary
Hempstead in 1665, the first child born in New London to English
parents. Robert was the son of William
Douglas, b. 1610
Children of Richard douglas and Ann, nee Champlin:
Ann Champlin 1751-1837
Alexander Douglas b. 1778 became a
whaling captain working in the firm of Benjamin Brown of New London(1)
as well as for the Williams firm. He purchased property in upstate New
York or received it from a war grant from his father's service in the
war and eventually retired there after his last whaling voyages in about
1838.
Nancy Douglas 1780-1861 died unmarried
Clarissa Douglass
1802-1825
Fanny Douglas 1784-1855
Richard Douglas 1798-1852 became
a lawyer and moved to Ohio Territory at Chillicote then being populated
by many of Eastern Connecticut's citizens and later relocated to
Marietta, Ohio and had two sons, Luke Richard and Albert.
Dr. Luke
Douglas 1788-1820
Dr. Charles Douglas 1792-1851
Mary Douglas
1794-1795
Peter Douglass 1796-1874
Richard Sr.'s great
grandson of Albert was a
politician and Ambassador.
He built what is now known as the
Richard Douglass House.
Richard Sr. died in 1852 in Chillicote,
Ohio.
Notes:
1. The Benjamin Brown house (ca.
1817) still stands today on Bank Street as a "granite" icon to the
Whaling Era.
2. I have names for 11 children
3.
Richard's brother, Peter, moved to Chillicothe after living in
Nashville, TE, for a short time.. He was for a time a merchant here. He
also resided in Circleville and Cincinnati, Ohio, but spent his last
years in Chillicothe where he died in August 1874, at the age of 78.
|
