The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
Joseph Cram1,2 was born on June 24, 1750 in Hampton Falls, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. He was the youngest son of Jonathan Cram ( 1706-1760) and Elizabeth Heath (1709-1772) who had nine children. Joseph was a descendant of John Cram who was the first Cram in America who arrived in Boston and was a founding member of Exeter, NH in 1638.
Joseph Cram settled on family property in nearby Deerfield, NH in 1772. He was a farmer, a tailor and a minuteman. Joseph Cram joined the New Hampshire Militia which was activated in Exeter, NH on September 8, 1777 to create the 4th New Hampshire Regiment lead by Colonel Steven Evans3. The unit was better known as Evans Regiment of Militia. Private Joseph Cram served as the waiter1,2 of Capt. Nathan Sanborn of Deerfield, NH.
When activated ,Evans Regiment of Militia and other militias quickly moved west to join forces with the Continental Army's Gen Horatio Gates west of the Hudson River at Stillwater, Saratoga County, New York. Two Battles at Saratoga4 resulted; Freeman's Farm (September 19, 1777), a minor victory for the British, and the main battle at Bemis Heights (October 7, 1777 ). Bemis Heights was strategically important as its bluffs overlooked the Hudson River. According to battlefield records Private Joseph Cram and Evans Regiment of Militia served in Brigadier General Ebenezer Learned's Brigade. It was Learned's men that were suddenly taken over by a defiant Major General Benedict Arnold who led the charge to overwhelm the British soldiers who were without many of their officers thanks to Colonel Daniel Morgan's long riflemen. Days later, realizing they (British) were totally surrounded and running out of supplies, British General John Burgoyne surrendered 6,000+ British troops on October 17, 1777 to the Continental Army's General Horatio Gates. Private Joseph Cram returned home and his militia unit was temporarily deactivated. Nine Cram family members5 fought at the Battle of Saratoga. The American victory at Saratoga was considered the turning point of the Revolutionary War. To celebrate the American victory at Saratoga, the Continental Congress issued a proclamation for a national day , December 18, 1777, "for solemn Thanksgiving and praise," the first official holiday observance with that name.
Private Joseph Cram and Evans Regiment of Militia were reactivated in the summer of 1778 to support Continental Army Commander General John Sullivan at the Battle of Rhode Island6 (also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill) and the Siege of Newport (August 29, 1778). The Continental Army and militia withdrew to the northern part of Aquidneck Island after abandoning their siege of Newport, RI when the BritishRoyal Navy ships arrived and began firing . Continental forces later withdrew to the mainland, leaving Aquidneck Island in British hands. Private Joseph Cram and Evans Regiment of Militia were released to return home and deactivated.
Joseph Cram married1,2 Deborah Batchelder in North Hampton, NH. on November 18, 1780. They settled down on the family farm in Deerfield and had three children; Elizabeth, Jonathan and Steven Batchelder Cram. Joseph Cram died on April 17, 1841 at the age of 91 and is buried next to his wife Deborah in the Cram Family cemetery south of Ridge Road in Deerfield, NH.
References:
1. Cram, Michael A., The Cram Sourcebook, 1996, Bowie, Maryland, Heritage Books, Inc., Vol. 2, pages 1, 17,18 and 40.
2. Rev. Elliot C. Cogswell, History of Nottingham, Deerfield and Northwood, Comprised Within The Original Limits of Nottingham, Rockingham County, NH., With Records Of The Centennial Proceedings At Northwood and Genealogical Sketches, 1878, Manchester, NH., John B. Clark, pages 358-368.
3. Wikipedia, Evans' Regiment of Militia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evans%27_Regiment_of_Militia, viewed June 26, 2019.
4. Wikipedia, Saratoga Campaign, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_Campaign, viewed June 26, 2019.
5. Goodway, Frank, Saratoga County, NY Genweb Project, American Participants At The Battles of Saratoga, http://saratoganygenweb.com/sarapk.htm#Top, August 1997.
6. Wikipedia, Battle Of Rhode Island, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rhode_Island, viewed June 26, 2019.
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