Griffen, William
John M. McDonald interview — 1846-11-18
William Griffen recalls William Lounsbury, a resident of Mamaroneck who was killed near the village on August 29, 1776, while recruiting Loyalist soldiers. He notes that the British force that went north to burn Bedford in 1779 left from near his family’s house near Mamaroneck, and that Cornelius Oakley served as guide to Aaron Burr when the latter led a successful mission to burn a Loyalist blockhouse in West Farms in present-day Bronx County. Griffen also recounts an incident when Fade Donaldson was taken prisoner at his home in Greenwich, Connecticut by a group of British soldiers who crossed the Long Island Sound. Donaldson was able to make his escape before the party left Connecticut.
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Transcription
372 143 30 [margin: 1846] /Elijah Haddow of Mamaroneck Village, Carpenter. Eliza Sydney lives with Alexander Norton a shoemaker in New York./
November 18. William Griffen. "Lounsbury was a lieutenant under the King before the war and lived in Mamaroneck. Was about 40 years old. Quite a company taken with him. The party that burnt Bedford marched west from near our house (which was about two miles from Mamaroneck bridge village) in the night in great silence and returned the following night. None of us knew they were gone. C. Oakley was Burr's guide when he burnt the Block house at West Farms. There was a frolic at Fade Donaldson's house at Greenwich, and a party crossed from Long Island, and surrounded the house and took Fade Donaldson, having crossed for that purpose. As they were going to their boats they had to cross a salt creek, and Fade Donaldson watched his opportunity, the tide being down to throw himself into the creek, and escaped in the sedge. Meanwhile the Americans were alarmed and pursuing, and the [page break] 144 31 Refugees were compelled to retreat, not having time to make search for Donald =son.
November 17th Augustus Crozier: Capt. Ogden with his children at Vermille's under the hill. When taken his son had a broken arm. My father took sur- =gical care of him (the Captain) when he had a severe wound in the arm. (Ogden took very good care of his children.) Joshua Barnes was a Captain of foot in Emmerick's. (?) General Washington on the 5th of July 1781, dined in Camp fore at Van Courtland's big house — that's Bibby's. Part of the American army encamped at Paparimmo in 1776, and when they moved north towards White Plains burnt their Barracks. [margin: Notice for Beebe lived in the Van Cortland house at Yonkers.] 24