Display Patriot - P-336601 - James EDRINGTON/EDERINGTON
James EDRINGTON/EDERINGTON
SAR Patriot #:
P-336601
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.
"Lost Patriots" Monument located at the "Welcome to Cadiz" sign
Headstones honor the eleven Patriots buried in lost / unknown graves within the borders of Trigg County, KY
Photos displayed courtesy of G. Geoff Baggett, KYSSAR
no Find-a-Grave record found - Feb 2023
The memorial Stones for these Patriots are located at the Cadiz Welcome Garden, Jct. of US Hwy. 68 and US 68 Business.
The GPS Coordinates for the location is 36.866755, -87.796257
Directions to Cemetery / Gravesite:
Photo: 1 of 2
Photo: 2 of 2
Author: Rev George Geoffrey Baggett
James Edrington was born in Stafford County, Virginia. The exact date of his birth is a matter of some contention. The Daughters of the American Revolution list his date of birth as February 24, 1756. However, in his affidavit offered in his pension application in Trigg County in April 8, 1846, he is described as, “aged 104 years.” That would place his date of birth around 1742. Most historical sources lean toward the 1756 date. Since he did not live to reach the 1850 census when specific ages for each household member were listed, the question will remain something of a mystery.
1846 was a very late year for making application for a Revolutionary War pension. When questioned about that fact in his affidavit, he replied, “In my former life I was able to live without it, but reduced to poverty I am forced to apply for a pension.” The story of his life seems to back up this claim. Though his pension was denied due to lack of evidence of service, a careful scrutiny of his testimony will demonstrate that he knew details and names that prove his first-hand knowledge and verify his claims.
He testified in the pension record that his family his family relocated from Virginia to the Fairfield District of South Carolina, along the Broad River, when he was seventeen years of age. That date would be some time between 1759 and 1773, well before the Revolutionary War.
He testified, as best he could remember, that he was first called into the militia service for a tour of three months in 1777, under the command of a General Williamson and a Colonel Joseph Strickland and marched on the Florida Expedition, which turned back upon reaching the St. Mary’s River. His memory served him well, except for the year. The Florida Expedition, also known as the “March Through Georgia,” took place in March-May 1778. Both of the officers he mentioned, General (Andrew) Williamson and Lt. Col. Joseph Kirkland, were both known officers of South Carolina’s Fairfield District Militia Regiment.
He further testified that he served somewhere between six and eight three-month terms of service in the militia, totaling at least eighteen months, over the next few years. He specifically names Captains by the name of Liles, Frost, Hughes, and Pearson. Once again, Captains by the name of Armana Liles, Robert Frost, William Hughes, and John Pearson were all know Captains in the South Carolina’s Fairfield District Militia Regiment.
Edrington mentioned two combat engagements with remarkable specificity. He described how “General Lee,” who was actually Col. “Light Horse” Harry Lee, the grandfather of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, led an attack on what he called the “Congaree Fort.” He described Lee’s use of a cannon and the surrender of the British. The “Congaree Fort” was also known as Fort Granby, and was located in the Orangeburg District, present-day Lexington County. This engagement took place on May 14-15, 1781. Edrington’s description perfectly matches the historical account of Lt. Col. Henry Lee’s attack upon and capture of this fort using a single six-pound cannon.
He also testified that he was in the Battle of Eutaw Springs on September 15, 1781. This was the last major battle of the war in the Carolinas. Again, he vividly described one event from the battle, when Colonel (William) Washington “was taken prisoner by having his horse shot from under him and was carried to Charleston by the British.” Again, his description matches perfectly with the historical capture of this distant cousin of General George Washington.
There can be little doubt that Pvt. James Edrington was present for all of the events that he claimed in his pension testimony. That testimony demonstrated a record of service spanning the years 1778 through 1781.
James Edrington remained in the Fairfield District through 1790, when he appears (as James Ederington) there on the first Federal census, where he appears with a household containing himself, his wife, two sons, three daughters, and five slaves. His time of departure from South Carolina is not known with specificity. However, he relocated at some time in the decade following to Green County, Kentucky, where he appears in 1800 in the community of Greensburgh with a household of seventeen, including seven slaves.
James Edrington was married three times. The name of his first wife is unknown. His second wife was named Catherine McTier, and was the mother of most of his children. He married the third time to Mary Forbis in Green County on October 24, 1813.
The Patriot relocated to Trigg County in his old age to live with his daughter, Catherine Edrington Henderson, the wife of Bennett Henderson. This is the location where he gave testimony in county court regarding his Revolutionary War service.
The widower and Patriot James Edrington died in his daughter’s home in Trigg County on June 4, 1857. The location of his burial is unknown, though the most likely location is the Hallamon-Henderson Cemetery on the old Henderson Farm (6.9 miles out Hwy. 139 North). His son-in-law, Bennett Henderson, is buried in this cemetery.
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Additional Information:
DAR NOTE: (there are potential issues) regarding this man's service and lineage
UNABLE TO VERIFY PENSION - REJECTED BECAUSE NO PROOF OF SERVICE PROVIDED. 8/2019
MAIDEN NAME OF HARRIET, WIFE OF DAVID FANT, IS ROBINSON NOT WOODWARD.7/2022
