His own words- " "I was born said he, "in the town, of Newburyport, Mass., on the 31st of November, 1761. One day, when I was a small boy, my parents, went across the bay in a sail-boat to a. place called Joppa." https://www.americanrevolution.org/last_men/lastmen1.php
"He was the last one of the Revolutionary Pensioners". Sylvester in "History of Saratoga County" says Samuel "fought in the Revolution. Early settler in the western part of Edinburg." In 1797 he worked on Providence roads district 22 which in 1801 became part of Edinburg. Per Sylvester he lived to the age of 103 years.(Note: 105 years on the stone !). On his 100th birthday he went to the woods and felled a tree to celebrate. Also supposedly he built the first frame house in the town in 1795. It was on the south side of King Road NW of town.
"THE LAST OF A GLORIOUS BAND. - A telegram of the 18th ult., was received in
Washington, announcing the death of Samuel Downing, of Saratoga, N. Y., the last
surviving soldier who actually bore arms in the war of the Revolution. Mr.
Downing's age is stated to be something near a hundred and six, but we are not
able to determine exactly the precise figure. He enlisted in New Hampshire,
near the close of the war, and when peace was declared he found his way to New
York, in which State he lived for upwards of fifty years. Almost yearly we hear
the announcement of the "last of the pensioners" leaving this world, but we
presume that the death of this well known patriot closes the list, and that
there is not a man now living who actively engaged in the struggle for
Independence. Sixty-seven years have gone by since Washington died, and he was
almost the first, not slain in battle, to lead the long array of heroes whose
glorious line is finished by the departure of Samuel Downing."
The Daily Evening
Reporter (Napa, CA), Tuesday Evening, 9 Apr 1867, pg. ?, column 1.
Samuel's children were Susanna 1784-1823 m. Z.Cornell; Anna 1786-1838 m. W
Cornell; Margaret 1788-1859 m. Baker; Charles 1790- ; Elizabeth 1791-1798;
Hannah 1794-1865 m. Fuller; Samuel Adams 1795-1845; Thomas 1797-1798; Thomas
Jefferson 1800-1869; Mary Polly 1802-1830; Elizabeth 1805-1827 m. Hunt; George
Washington 1808-1892 m. Greenleaf; James Madison 1811-c.1892.
"He was the last one of the Revolutionary Pensioners". Sylvester in "History of Saratoga County" says Samuel "fought in the Revolution. Early settler in the western part of Edinburg." In 1797 he worked on Providence roads district 22 which in 1801 became part of Edinburg. Per Sylvester he lived to the age of 103 years.(Note: 105 years on the stone !). On his 100th birthday he went to the woods and felled a tree to celebrate. Also supposedly he built the first frame house in the town in 1795. It was on the south side of King Road NW of town.
"THE LAST OF A GLORIOUS BAND. - A telegram of the 18th ult., was received in
Washington, announcing the death of Samuel Downing, of Saratoga, N. Y., the last
surviving soldier who actually bore arms in the war of the Revolution. Mr.
Downing's age is stated to be something near a hundred and six, but we are not
able to determine exactly the precise figure. He enlisted in New Hampshire,
near the close of the war, and when peace was declared he found his way to New
York, in which State he lived for upwards of fifty years. Almost yearly we hear
the announcement of the "last of the pensioners" leaving this world, but we
presume that the death of this well known patriot closes the list, and that
there is not a man now living who actively engaged in the struggle for
Independence. Sixty-seven years have gone by since Washington died, and he was
almost the first, not slain in battle, to lead the long array of heroes whose
glorious line is finished by the departure of Samuel Downing."
The Daily Evening
Reporter (Napa, CA), Tuesday Evening, 9 Apr 1867, pg. ?, column 1.
Samuel's children were Susanna 1784-1823 m. Z.Cornell; Anna 1786-1838 m. W
Cornell; Margaret 1788-1859 m. Baker; Charles 1790- ; Elizabeth 1791-1798;
Hannah 1794-1865 m. Fuller; Samuel Adams 1795-1845; Thomas 1797-1798; Thomas
Jefferson 1800-1869; Mary Polly 1802-1830; Elizabeth 1805-1827 m. Hunt; George
Washington 1808-1892 m. Greenleaf; James Madison 1811-c.1892.
His own words- " "I was born said he, "in the town, of Newburyport, Mass., on the 31st of November, 1761. One day, when I was a small boy, my parents, went across the bay in a sail-boat to a. place called Joppa." https://www.americanrevolution.org/last_men/lastmen1.php
"He was the last one of the Revolutionary Pensioners". Sylvester in "History of Saratoga County" says Samuel "fought in the Revolution. Early settler in the western part of Edinburg." In 1797 he worked on Providence roads district 22 which in 1801 became part of Edinburg. Per Sylvester he lived to the age of 103 years.(Note: 105 years on the stone !). On his 100th birthday he went to the woods and felled a tree to celebrate. Also supposedly he built the first frame house in the town in 1795. It was on the south side of King Road NW of town.
"THE LAST OF A GLORIOUS BAND. - A telegram of the 18th ult., was received in
Washington, announcing the death of Samuel Downing, of Saratoga, N. Y., the last
surviving soldier who actually bore arms in the war of the Revolution. Mr.
Downing's age is stated to be something near a hundred and six, but we are not
able to determine exactly the precise figure. He enlisted in New Hampshire,
near the close of the war, and when peace was declared he found his way to New
York, in which State he lived for upwards of fifty years. Almost yearly we hear
the announcement of the "last of the pensioners" leaving this world, but we
presume that the death of this well known patriot closes the list, and that
there is not a man now living who actively engaged in the struggle for
Independence. Sixty-seven years have gone by since Washington died, and he was
almost the first, not slain in battle, to lead the long array of heroes whose
glorious line is finished by the departure of Samuel Downing."
The Daily Evening
Reporter (Napa, CA), Tuesday Evening, 9 Apr 1867, pg. ?, column 1.
Samuel's children were Susanna 1784-1823 m. Z.Cornell; Anna 1786-1838 m. W
Cornell; Margaret 1788-1859 m. Baker; Charles 1790- ; Elizabeth 1791-1798;
Hannah 1794-1865 m. Fuller; Samuel Adams 1795-1845; Thomas 1797-1798; Thomas
Jefferson 1800-1869; Mary Polly 1802-1830; Elizabeth 1805-1827 m. Hunt; George
Washington 1808-1892 m. Greenleaf; James Madison 1811-c.1892.
"He was the last one of the Revolutionary Pensioners". Sylvester in "History of Saratoga County" says Samuel "fought in the Revolution. Early settler in the western part of Edinburg." In 1797 he worked on Providence roads district 22 which in 1801 became part of Edinburg. Per Sylvester he lived to the age of 103 years.(Note: 105 years on the stone !). On his 100th birthday he went to the woods and felled a tree to celebrate. Also supposedly he built the first frame house in the town in 1795. It was on the south side of King Road NW of town.
"THE LAST OF A GLORIOUS BAND. - A telegram of the 18th ult., was received in
Washington, announcing the death of Samuel Downing, of Saratoga, N. Y., the last
surviving soldier who actually bore arms in the war of the Revolution. Mr.
Downing's age is stated to be something near a hundred and six, but we are not
able to determine exactly the precise figure. He enlisted in New Hampshire,
near the close of the war, and when peace was declared he found his way to New
York, in which State he lived for upwards of fifty years. Almost yearly we hear
the announcement of the "last of the pensioners" leaving this world, but we
presume that the death of this well known patriot closes the list, and that
there is not a man now living who actively engaged in the struggle for
Independence. Sixty-seven years have gone by since Washington died, and he was
almost the first, not slain in battle, to lead the long array of heroes whose
glorious line is finished by the departure of Samuel Downing."
The Daily Evening
Reporter (Napa, CA), Tuesday Evening, 9 Apr 1867, pg. ?, column 1.
Samuel's children were Susanna 1784-1823 m. Z.Cornell; Anna 1786-1838 m. W
Cornell; Margaret 1788-1859 m. Baker; Charles 1790- ; Elizabeth 1791-1798;
Hannah 1794-1865 m. Fuller; Samuel Adams 1795-1845; Thomas 1797-1798; Thomas
Jefferson 1800-1869; Mary Polly 1802-1830; Elizabeth 1805-1827 m. Hunt; George
Washington 1808-1892 m. Greenleaf; James Madison 1811-c.1892.
