Father in Law to 4 Vets: Josiah Whittlesey 1714 - 1796

A remarkable facet of this family is that each of the 4 daughters of Josiah and Elizabeth Whittlesey married Revolutionary War soldiers. In fact, and even more astounding, each of the four husbands of the Whittlesey women served with Josiah Whittlesey in the same Company of the same New Hampshire regiment. Bedel’s regiment, commanded by Col. Timothy Bedel, was organized for “. . . the defense of the frontier of the upper Connecticut Valley . . .” Muster and payrolls of Captain Timothy Barron’s Company in Bedel’s Regiment in 1777 and 1778 have the names of the three Hunt brothers – Daniel, Zebulon, and Joshua – 4th son-in-law to be William Abbott, and their future (or, in Daniel Hunt’s case, current) father in law Josiah Whittlesey.

Of these 5 Revolutionary War veterans, only Zebulon Hunt has a grave marker acknowledging his service in the war. In fact, the inscription on his headstone reads in part “A Revolutionary Soldier.” Daniel Hunt’s grave location is known, but since he was a pauper at the time of this death, there is no gravestone and no acknowledgement of his service in the cemetery. However, the Bath NH War Monument does record the 3 Hunt brothers as Revolutionary War soldiers, along with their company and regimental commanders, the Timothys -  Barron and Bedel. There is no known acknowledgement of the service of William Abbott or Josiah Whittlesey anywhere in the region.