Samuel Crowley's Revolutionary Story by Jenny L. Cote

Samuel Crowley's Revolutionary Story by Jenny L. Cote, Crowley Clan Newsletter, Summer 2016

I am a children's author in Atlanta and am currently working on my seventh historical fiction novel in a series called The Voice, the Revolution, and the Key. The main character is Patrick Henry, and this will be a trilogy of books from 1743 to 1799 encompassing Patrick's life and the Revolutionary War. You can read all about it here: www.epicorderoftheseven.net/#!the-voice/cbwx.

I'm happy to tell you that I am a descendant of Samuel Crowley through his son Littleberry. My grandmother, Mildred Barringer is 102 so she could be your oldest living Crowley. (She currently is not doing well, however, and we could lose her soon.) But I wanted to tell you that I will be including Samuel's story at the Battle of Point Pleasant and definitively making him the first patriot to die in the Revolutionary War.

Since his wife Elizabeth was from Hanover County, where Patrick Henry was also from, I've written her in as a childhood friend of Patrick's wife, Sarah Shelton. In fact, I'm having Samuel and Benjamin Crowley attend Patrick and Sarah's wedding in order to get the Crowley boys over to Hanover County to meet the Strong girls! I've taken a tad bit of liberties with their ages to make it work. But it was important in the novel for Patrick to meet Samuel and Elizabeth.

I tracked down the Journal of the VA House of Burgesses for Elizabeth's pension petition, but also later the document where Governor Patrick Henry himself increased the amount she received a few years later. I needed to establish the relationship with them early on. I visited Point Pleasant last year in my research and was thrilled to see Samuel's name on two markers there, even though the name is misspelled on the battery as "Samuel Corley."

My uncle traced our lineage from Littleberry through both my grandmother and my grandfather's lines, they were cousins from two lines, so it's hard to unravel! We've got a gap in hers that I haven't been able to figure out with a "Lucinda" from both lines. Are they two people or is one of the connecting names off? I know my grandmother would talk about "Littleberry" when she would recount family history, but we're missing something along the way:

Samuel Crowley- Elizabeth Strong

Littleberry Crowley-Mary Polly Gibson

Mary Ann Crowley - Burgess Siler

Rev. J.M. Croley-Lucinda Vanderpool (I don't know for sure how the trail picks up here, and the "w" is dropped.)

Evan Nicholson - Lillian Croley

W. Bryant Oaks - Mildred Nicholson (my grandmother)

Paul Mims - Janice Oaks (my mom)

Jenny L. Cote

Here is my grandfather's line from Littleberry:

Samuel Crowley- Elizabeth Strong

Littleberry Crowley-Mary Polly Gibson

Mary Ann Crowley - (Burgess Siler - here is where my grandfather's

line connects)

Ned Bryant - Nancy Siler

Burgis "Bird" Bryant - Lucinda R. Bryant

Harvey Oaks - Debby Bryant

W. Bryant Oaks - Mildred Nicholson (my grandmother)

Paul Mims - Janice Oaks (my mom)

Jenny L. Cote

I wish to figure out definitively, so I can confirm on paper that I am 100% positive a descendant of Samuel Crowley, and so I can apply for my DAR application and make a big deal of Samuel with this next book. Right now, I'm under the gun to finish the manuscript and don't have time to dig but I'll get there eventually!

So, I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know about the book (with projected release in November 2016 if I complete it by July 1 - if not, then it will be an early 2017 release.) I am very proud of Samuel's legacy and can't wait to show him off to the world.

Blessings! Jenny

Jenny L. Cote Author and Speaker The Amazing Tales of Max and Liz Epic Order of the Seven www.epicorderoftheseven.com

Originally appeared on Crowley Clan Newsletter

Peter Crowley8 November 2017Comment