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Family Notes September 2019
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Family Notes - September 2019

This is a sample of the information provided to members of the P*rr*tt Society in the most recent edition of Family Notes. Family Notes is a quarterly magazine that is distributed to society members in both printed and electronic format. All previous editions of the journal since 1984 are available online to society members.

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Calling All Male P*RR*TTS

The P*rr*tt DNA project is administered by P*rr*tt Society members Wayne Parrott and Harald Reksten. The project uses Y-DNA testing which looks at markers on the male Y chromosome to determine relationships men within a family will share a Y chromosome with only occasional rare changes which can be used to estimate the genetic distance between individuals. Y-DNA testing is particularly useful for one-name studies like the P*rr*tt Society.

A great deal of work has been done to connect P*rr*tt families with common ancestry in the US, however it would be really helpful if more male P*rr*tts could test, both in the US and elsewhere in the world, as this will help to determine the origins of different P*rr*tt lines and perhaps provide a link between US families and those still living in their countries of origin or who have emigrated elsewhere.

If you or a male member of your family who has a P*rr*tt surname would be interested in participating in this project, you can find further details at: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~parrott/genealogy/index.html.

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A Revolutionary War Captain

Revolutionary War records on Fold3 were available to access free of charge in early July. I noticed that several Revolutionary War Pension records from Connecticut mentioned a Captain Peter PERRETT of Milford and wondered what more could be found about him.

Further research reveals that there are a number of records pertaining to Captain Peter PERRITT available on Ancestry and FamilySearch.

Ancestry includes an index from a database of ‘Connecticut Soldiers, French and Indian War, 1755-1762 which includes a Peter PERRIT of Connecticut serving as a Second Lieutenant in the Third Company of the Second Regiment in 1759/1760.

The Historical reg. of officers of the Continental Army by Francis Bernard Heitman, referenced in the American Genealogical-Biographical Index on Ancestry, includes a Captain Peter PERRITT born 1740 in Connecticut, however the Record of Conn. Men in mil. And naval service during the Rev. war, 1775-1783 by Henry P. Johnston, in the same Index, lists Peter PERRITT, a private, born in 1750 in Connecticut. Assuming this is the same person who served in the French and Indian War, the 1740 birth date is more plausible.

Captain Peter PERRIT(T) was camped at the Heights of Harlem in autumn 1776 with the 19 Regimental Continental Troops at the time of the Battle of Harlem Heights, in which he almost certainly participated.

Captain PERRIT(T)’s service was curtailed on 16 November 1776 when he was taken prisoner by the British, along with almost 3,000 other prisoners, at Fort Washington.

It appears that Peter PERRIT(T) spent some time thereafter imprisoned on Long Island. The American Biographical Libraryrecords that he was a Captain in the 7thConnecticut from 6 July to 10 December 1775 before transferring to the Continental Infantry. He was exchanged as a prisoner on 18 September 1778 and subsequently served as Captain in the Connecticut State Regiment.

The U.S. War Bounty Land Warrants record set lists a warrant in the name of Captain Peter PARRIT for 300 acres, which was the prescribed amount of land to be granted to a Captain. The land itself would most likely have been located in the U.S. Military District of Ohio.

There is a Peter PERIT listed on the 1790 US Federal Census for Milford, New Haven, Connecticut and a Peter PERRITT on the 1800 US Federal Census for the same place. An extract from death notices in the Columbian Centinelincludes the following entry:

PERRIT, Peter, Capt. officer in French and revolutionary war, d. in Milford (C.C.Oct.5,1803)

Peter PERRITT’s age at death was recorded as 68, giving him a date of birth around 1735. A number of Ancestry and FamilySearch trees have his parents showing as Peter PERRITT and Abigail SHEPARD, however none of these pedigrees –so far as I can see –includes any sources to validate this relationship.

Can any of our members –American or otherwise –tell us more about Peter?

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It's In the Papers

We’ve scoured the pages of newspapers recently added to the British Newspaper Archive website to bring you some P*rr*tt related articles.

BRISTOL TIMES AND MIRROR (Bristol, England) – 19 November 1814

Saturday James Chinnick, of Freshford, was committed to Ilchester gaol, by W. Clark, Esq.charged with having stolen a pig from Mr. Perrett, of Downhead. The pig was found in Chinnick’sout-house.

BRISTOL TIMES AND MIRROR (Bristol, England) – 4 February 1832

Caution. -At a petty sessions held on Tuesday, at the Red Cow inn, Bedminster, before Col Whetthamand T. Kington, Esq., John Perrott and Richard Wyatt were held to bail for twelve months, for an assault on the collector of the poor rates, in the discharge of his duty.

BRISTOL TIMES AND MIRROR (Bristol, England) – 14 January 1837

Jane Griffin was found Guilty of stealing the goods of Mr. John Parrott, but recommended to mercy. Three Months’ Imprisonment and hard labour.

FIELD (London, England) – 4 April 1863

ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION … They also decided to send a new lifeboat and transporting carriage to Fishguard, on the Welsh coast, in lieu of the present ones there. They also decided to call the boat the Sir Edward Perrott, after the honourable baronet of that name, in acknowledgment of his long and valuable services to the lifeboat cause as chairman of the preparatory committee of the institution.

HUDDERSFIELD DAILY EXAMINER (Huddersfield, England) – 17 Apr 1888

CONGREGATIONALISMS AT ELLAND. -… The chief event of the evening was the presentation of a congratulatory address to the Rev. Thos. Porritt on the completion of ten years’ pastorate of the church. The address, which was handsomely illuminated and framed, and which had been executed by Mr. T. Prichett, of Halifax, was presented by Mr. Job Hanson, one of the deacons. –Mr. J Raey, on behalf of the committee, also presented to Mr. Porritt a purse containing £20 in gold, and both Mr. Hanson and Mr. Raeyspoke in high terms of praise of Mr. Porritt’s work. –Mr. Porritt suitably acknowledged the gifts. He was glad that his lot had been cast among them. He had worked hard for the ten year he had been their pastor, especially in connection with the erection of their new place of worship, but he had been well supported. He hoped they would all work unitedly together, and then, with God’s blessing, the prosperity of the church was certain.

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Last modified: 16 January 2020