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.
State of Service: VA
Qualifying Service: Patriotic Service
Birth: 11 May 1761 Williamsburg / James City / VA Death: 30 Jun 1840 Richmond / Henrico / VA
Qualifying Service Description:
Repaired and defended the Williamsburg Magazine in 1775
Hired a substitute for service
Additional References:
SAR Patriot Index Edition III (CD: PP2210, Progeny Publ, 2002) plus data to 2004
Brumbaugh, Gais Marcus: Rev War Records, Volume 1, pg 558
Richmond Whig, Richmond, Virignia, 1 July 1840, "Died," pg 2
Spouse: (1) Mary Ann Willis; (2) Mary Lorraine Charlton Children: Robert; Mary Jane;
Members Who Share This Ancestor
None*
*This means that the NSSAR has no applications for this Patriot on file.
Instead the information provided is best effort, and from volunteers who have either researched grave sites, service records, or something similar. There is no documentation available at NSSAR HQ to order.
Inscription:
ROBERT GREENHOW
NICHOLSON'S COMPANY
VIRGINIA MILITIA
REVOLUTIONARY WAR
Directions to Cemetery / Gravesite:
Photo: 1 of 2
Photo: 2 of 2
Author: William Lewis Schwetke
Robert Greenhow was born in 1761 at Williamsburg, Virginia. After the Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore, seized arms and gunpowder from the Williamsburg Magazine, Robert Greenhow and other young men elected Henry Nicholson as their company commander. They worked to repair and defend the Williamsburg Magazine, still considered to be under threat from Dunmore. Greenhow saw no further active service during the Revolution, but hired a substitute. He was for several years the mayor of Williamsburg, and represented James City County in the legislature for two terms. In 1786, he married Mary Ann Willis at Henrico County. He made his permanent residence at Richmond in 1810. His wife tragically died in a theater fire at Richmond in 1811, but Greenhow was able to save his son, Robert, Jr. In 1812, he married Mary Lorraine Charlston. They had a daughter, Mary Jane Charleston Greenhow. From newspaper records, it is known he was a merchant at Williamsburg and Richmond, and a member of the Society of Friends of the Revolution. He died 30 June 1840, at the home of his son at Washington, DC. He was buried at the Shockoe Hill Cemetery of Richmond, Virginia.
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Additional Information:
There was no entry for this patriot in the NSDAR GRS as of 11 June 2021