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Author: Mark A Byars
Joseph Penney was born in 1763 in Orange County, New York, the son of Joseph and Dorothy (Atkinson) Penney. He enlisted in the 4th Ulster County, New York Militia in 1779 at the age of 16, but his path to becoming a patriot was an unlikely one that reflected the divided politics of his time.
His father, Joseph Sr., immigrated from Yorkshire, England, in the mid-1760s to teach school in Newburgh, New York, a small frontier town on the Hudson River about 60 miles upstream from New York City. By 1773, Joseph Sr. had acquired about 2,000 acres of land and had given up education to farm and operate a grist mill and sawmill to support his family of nine children. As a large landowner and native Englishman, Joseph Sr. had reason to support the British government to preserve his property and social position. In July 1775, the regional Committee of Safety required every adult male to sign a pledge to follow and support the resolutions of the Continental Congress, and Joseph Sr. was one of only a handful of men who refused to do so. In July 1776, Joseph Sr. was briefly imprisoned by the local Committee of Safety on suspicion of supporting the loyalist cause and was again detained in December 1776 on the same charge. He was released in early 1777 after signing a pledge of good conduct and promising to remain a non-combatant for the duration of the conflict 1,2
What prompted the 16-year-old son of a locally infamous loyalist to enlist with the rebel militia in 1779 is not entirely clear. Perhaps Joseph had a teenager's rebellious streak, and his politics differed from his father's. Perhaps the family was coming around to the patriot cause, and his enlistment was a public demonstration of this change. Most likely, it was in response to the threat of attack from Native American warriors who were allied with the British and a desire to protect his family and home. Joseph enlisted in 1779, and in May of that year, a small force of about 150 Esopus Lenape warriors, Tory militia, and Hessian deserters were threatening local inhabitants and their property. In response, the 4th Ulster County Milita was called up for the defense of the region. Joseph's enlistment with the 4th Ulster ran for three years, and the only action his unit was called for was that of regional defense.3,4
Joseph received a land bounty for his service. Following the war, he stayed in Newburgh and continued working for the family farm and business operations, even beyond his father's death in 1794.
He married Anna Townsend in 1789, and they had sixteen known children:
John was born in 1790
Daniel was born in 1792
Isaac was born in 1797
Elijah was born in 1798
David was born in 1799
Anna was born in 1800
Altrisnon was born in 1802
Dorothy was born in 1804
James was born in 1806
Robison was born in 1807
Joseph was born in 1808
William was born in 1810
Townsend was born in 1811
Jasper was born in 1812
Jane was born in 1813
Alexander was born in 1815
In 1800, Joseph exercised his land bounty claim and moved to a farm near Plattekill, New York, about ten miles north of Newburgh. By 1820, he had moved about 20 miles northwest to Wawarsing, New York, and by 1828, he had moved 15 miles southwest to Wurtsboro, New York, to live with his son, Isaac.5,6,7
The Patriot died in 1828 and was buried in Chester A. Stanton Memorial Cemetery in Wurtsboro, New York, alongside his wife, Anna (1770-1853).
Sources:
Ruttenber, History of the Town of Newburgh, New York, 1859, pp53, 244
Minutes of the Committee for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies in New York, Vol 1, New York Historical Society, 1925, p35)
Roberts, James A., Comptroller, New York in the Revolution as Colony and State, 2nd ed. New York. Albany: Brandow Printing Company, 1898, pages 264-265
Letter to George Washington from George Clinton, 18 May 1779.
Townsend-Penny Family Bible
1800 U.S. Census, Ulster Co., NY
1820 U.S. Census, Ulster Co., NY
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