Author: Timothy D. Mallory
Peter Mallery was born abt. 1741, the first-born son of Peter Mallery and Joanna Hall married at Redding, CT. The Mallerys travelled the Housatonic River from CT to northwestern MA. The Housatonic River was the pathway for the Mallerys that left New Haven to the valley of Great Barrington in the 1740s, settling at Noble’s Town west of Pittsfield. The Knurow Collection at the Berkshire Athenaeum in western Massachusetts (MA) provides a plethora of historic information in conducting family research. The article “Over Pathways of the Past” written by William B. Browne in vol. 3, pg. 479, discusses the early settlers of New Ashford in the period 1750 to 1850. In 1767, Peter Mallery and his brothers Eli and Uriah of Nobletown, today Hillsdale, NY, each received tracts of land in a place called the “Jericho Grant” in the mountainous region of Berkshire, MA. He is listed in the proprietor’s records kept by William Kellogg of Nobletown who settled many land disputes, and established the boundary line separating eastern NY and western MA. He came to New Ashford, Berkshire County, MA, from Nobletown, NY. Peter Mallery married Anna Dorwin of New Ashford, Berkshire Co., MA following Revolutionary War c. 1788. He married four times, and had twelve children. Of course he did live to be 101 years old. Peter Mallery died 2 Mar 1842. (Hillside Cemetery, North Adam, MA, gravestone photo). Peter Mallery enlisted on August 14, 1777 in New Ashford to serve in the Revolutionary War, Battle of White Plains. On his service card, he appears with the rank of Private on the muster and payroll of Captain Amariah Babbit’s Company, Col. Benjamin Simond’s Regiment. The time of discharge is shown as August 19, 1777. His time of service is shown for a six days road march from New Ashford to Meloomscuyck (Walloomsac) near Bennington, VT. The Berkshire Militia aided in the defense of Fort Ticonderoga. Peter Mallery assisted officers who met with Gen. John Stark and Col. Seth Warner, in the noted conference at the Catamount Tavern just before the Battle of Bennington.

Source: Military Service Records for Peter Mallery of New Ashford, MA, in 1777. Peter is the last name on the payroll list of militia in Capt. Amariah Babbit’s Company.

Excerpt from an article under North Adams: “The body of Simeon Sweet, a Revolutionary soldier, has been moved from the old cemetery on North Church street to the soldiers’ mound at Hillside cemetery. This is the second body of a Revolutionary soldier to be taken from the old cemetery since the moving of bodies from that place was begun. In one of the graves was found the body of Peter Mallery, who was 101 years old at the time of his death. He was the grandfather of Charles Mallery of Yale Street.” <- Springfield Republican, 22 Sep 1904.