Home / Macdonald, John. Interview with Barker, William, 1764-1859; (1850-10-23). John M. McDonald Interviews, 1844-1851, WCHS item 1065. Westchester County Historical Society. Transcribed by history.croton.news April 2026. / Passage

Interview with Barker, William

Macdonald, John. Interview with Barker, William, 1764-1859; (1850-10-23). John M. McDonald Interviews, 1844-1851, WCHS item 1065. Westchester County Historical Society. Transcribed by history.croton.news April 2026. 316 words

was such, and he was so well known, that they were afraid of him. Bearsmore, was upper greatly dreaded by the lower party. He charged, pursued, cut down, and gave little quarter. He and Captain Samuel Kipp were the severest and most impe- -tuous of all the Refugee Commanders."

October 23 [and 20th] William [margin: of Eastchester] Barker, aged ; "John and Isaac as well as their brother Cornelius [Bar- -ker] were guides for the American and French armies. Isaac was the father of Mr. Stephen Barker.

Gilbert, brother of Elijah Vincent, went above and joined the Whigs. He was taken soon after at Croton by a party of Refugees from below and conducted to Morris- [page break] ania where the loyalty of his brother and father succeeded in procuring his enlargement. By their request he was paroled to their father's farm. He, as well as his (brother and) father was blacksmith and such bore the name of Gilbert. Shortly afterwards a party of Sheldon's men [This is a mistake. It was a party of French cavalry, and Mr. Barker admitted that it probably was so] who were down upon an excursion called at the father's place, in or near East Chester to get a horse shod. Gilbert Vincent, junr. was the only smith in the shop at the time, and he declined shoeing the horse on the ground that they were out of coal, or for some reason of that kind. This was considered an insuffi- -cient excuse, and some of the West Chester guides were along with the horsemen and knew that the father and Elijah were strong tories. The whole of the American and French party therefore, considered that the want of coal was a mere pretext to avoid doing a service to the upper party and they endeav- [page break] -vored to compel the younger Vincent to do the work by force.