As the sixth great grandson of Isaac Cleaver, a Quaker from Germantown, Pennsylvania, who left the church to join the Pennsylvania militia and was one of the 2,400 who crossed the Delaware with General Washington, I can tell you that there is at least one account - his, in a letter to his sister the week after Trenton, which was among th…
As the sixth great grandson of Isaac Cleaver, a Quaker from Germantown, Pennsylvania, who left the church to join the Pennsylvania militia and was one of the 2,400 who crossed the Delaware with General Washington, I can tell you that there is at least one account - his, in a letter to his sister the week after Trenton, which was among the materials donated to the Quaker Museum in Philadelphia by my father in the 1970s - in which mention is made of their officer reading "Mr. Paine's latest essay" to the men. I remember that, from when my father asked the newly-certified Master of History degree holder (me) to look through the materials that had been handed down to him through the family, to pick out the most important. Unfortunately, the most valuable object, the sword of the Sergeant of the Hessian Guard, which Isaac took from the man after his surrender, has not been donated anywhere because - despite the fact it has been certified by armorers as being Hessian and made in 1767, and the kind of weapon carried by NCOs - there is no "firm provenance" of its ownership (too bad Isaac was too busy that day to get a formal signed receipt). So it hangs on the wall in my writing office, a daily admonition to me to live up to my ancestors' actions.
Your family history is so very incredible-wow! Thx for sharing this. Now, today, you as his descendant (and we) carry on the same fight to preserve what he fought to help create. Humbling. Beautiful. Inspiring. We resist-and we fight however we can.
Wow TC.. Oh, btw, I nearly fell out of my chair when I read your comments yesterday which included special references to the.. how did you term it, "The Right Reverend MAGA Mike". Lol ! Bravo ~
Fascinating, thank you so much for sharing. And VERY COOL that you have that sword even if he hasn’t been given an “firm provenance”. My husband has his great great grandfather’s Civil War sharp shooters Springfield rifle hanging in his office. Not quite as cool but still History in all forms.
That's still pretty damn cool. I'm thinking that rifle would have been the latest firearm technology at the time. You and your husband might be interested in a book--Rufus: A Boy's Extraordinary Experiences in the Civil War. Phoebe Sheldon, a contemporary of ours, took her great great grandfather's letters home, and crafted them into a fascinating narrative. Rufus Harnden volunteered in 1862, at age 17. He was wise for his age, and we get a soldier's eye account, including of the shooting of Stonewall Jackson which led to his death, I forget how many days later.
That's a family history to be VERY proud of....and a very impressive artifact of liberty to have hanging on your wall. Trenton was one of those critical moments.
As the sixth great grandson of Isaac Cleaver, a Quaker from Germantown, Pennsylvania, who left the church to join the Pennsylvania militia and was one of the 2,400 who crossed the Delaware with General Washington, I can tell you that there is at least one account - his, in a letter to his sister the week after Trenton, which was among the materials donated to the Quaker Museum in Philadelphia by my father in the 1970s - in which mention is made of their officer reading "Mr. Paine's latest essay" to the men. I remember that, from when my father asked the newly-certified Master of History degree holder (me) to look through the materials that had been handed down to him through the family, to pick out the most important. Unfortunately, the most valuable object, the sword of the Sergeant of the Hessian Guard, which Isaac took from the man after his surrender, has not been donated anywhere because - despite the fact it has been certified by armorers as being Hessian and made in 1767, and the kind of weapon carried by NCOs - there is no "firm provenance" of its ownership (too bad Isaac was too busy that day to get a formal signed receipt). So it hangs on the wall in my writing office, a daily admonition to me to live up to my ancestors' actions.
Your family history is so very incredible-wow! Thx for sharing this. Now, today, you as his descendant (and we) carry on the same fight to preserve what he fought to help create. Humbling. Beautiful. Inspiring. We resist-and we fight however we can.
Wow, TC, awesome family history!!!!
Write on.
Wow TC.. Oh, btw, I nearly fell out of my chair when I read your comments yesterday which included special references to the.. how did you term it, "The Right Reverend MAGA Mike". Lol ! Bravo ~
Fascinating, thank you so much for sharing. And VERY COOL that you have that sword even if he hasn’t been given an “firm provenance”. My husband has his great great grandfather’s Civil War sharp shooters Springfield rifle hanging in his office. Not quite as cool but still History in all forms.
Indeed. A Springfield is definitely cool.
That's still pretty damn cool. I'm thinking that rifle would have been the latest firearm technology at the time. You and your husband might be interested in a book--Rufus: A Boy's Extraordinary Experiences in the Civil War. Phoebe Sheldon, a contemporary of ours, took her great great grandfather's letters home, and crafted them into a fascinating narrative. Rufus Harnden volunteered in 1862, at age 17. He was wise for his age, and we get a soldier's eye account, including of the shooting of Stonewall Jackson which led to his death, I forget how many days later.
Thank you for the information!
BTW just ordered it. ;-)
You're most welcome!
That's a family history to be VERY proud of....and a very impressive artifact of liberty to have hanging on your wall. Trenton was one of those critical moments.
firm provenance, TC: providence had nothing to do with it. ;-)
You are of course right. :-)
Fixed.
This articulate and fascinating account is a pleasure to read. Thank you for several reasons... and an admoniion
(Sp!!) Admonition to us all
Which you do and thank you for it!
Thank you Emily.
TC, a remarkable story from an amazing writer and historian.
Thank you, Tom.
Thanks, TCinLA, for sharing this precious and invaluable family history. This history is a daily reminder to/for us all.
TC you have become an inspiration to me and so many others over the last year. Thank you.
Thank you.
What a great comment to read on a Friday like this.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻💥