Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of James Lingo

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Descendants of James Lingo

Generation No. 1

1. JAMES¹ LINGO¹ was born Abt. 1738 in Worcester Co., Maryland ², and died Abt. June 18, 1781 in Ninetysix, So. Carolina (Siege Of Ninetysix, Revolutionary War)^3,^4,⁵. He married CATHARINE "CATY"^6,^7,⁸ Bef. 1776. She died Bet. 1793 - 1794 in Probably Essex Co., Virginia ⁹.

Notes for JAMES LINGO:
Little is known of James Lingo's early life. He was born i n Worcester Co., Maryland about 1738, and may have been a s hoe maker. He may have had an early marriage that we are u naware of. He married Catherine, and they were living in E ssex Co., Virginia, by 1774. It is likely that their daugh ter and two sons were born there. In May of 1774, Essex Co . Court records show that James Lingo was to be a witness i n a lawsuit, but he and the other witnesses failed to sho w up. As a result, the Court fined each 350 lbs. of tobacc o for the use of Mr. Johnson, the individual who brought su it. However, when the Court met in June, James was release d from this fine "on reasons appearing to the Court", so h e must have provided a worthy excuse.

Sarah Lingo states in the PAST AND PRESENT OF CHRISTIAN COU NTY, ILLINOIS that her paternal grandfather, James Lingo o f Virginia, died in the Revolutionary War, and that his wif e died not too long after the War, leaving 3 children, an d that the children were all bound out to other families i n Virginia upon their mother's death. Sarah also stated th at James and Caty Lingo's property was destroyed by the Tor ies during the War, leaving the widow and children destitut e. Tyre Lingo's biographical sketch also states that his g randfather Lingo died in the Revolution.

Searches of War records so far find only one James Lingo wh o served. Revolutionary War payroll records from the Nation al Archives show that James Lingo, Private, served in the 7 th Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line, Capt. James W ebb's Company, commanded by Col. Alexander McClenachan. Th e payroll records are from only a portion of his service, D ec. 29, 1776 to Apr. 5, 1778, and indicate he was absent si ck part of the time. An index to Rev. War Muster Rolls fou nd in the National Archives lists James Lingo's rank at ind uction as Corporal. James Lingo is listed also in the HIST ORICAL REGISTER OF VIRGINIANS IN THE REVOLUTION, SOLDIERS , SAILORS, MARINES 1775-1783, by John Gwathmey, 1938, p. 47 6. It indicates that he was with the 7th Continental Army.

The payroll records indicate that James was at the Battle o f Brandywine and Valley Forge. The Battle of Brandywine wa s fought on Sept. 11, 1777, near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania . 18,000 British soldiers launched a surprise attack on 11 ,000 American soldiers under the command of Gen. Washington , during a British march on Philadelphia, then capital of t he U.S. The Americans were beaten badly and suffered heav y casualties. James Lingo's payroll papers contain a note t hat "he ran to Virginia after Brandywine", and was "absen t sick" for a month or more. He was at Valley Forge by th e spring of 1778.

The court records of Essex County show that the county prov ided an allowance to Caty and other families whose men wer e serving. This allowance consisted of 4 barrels of corn a nd 200 lbs of pork for the support of herself and 3 childre n.

Late in 1780, James Lingo appears on a roll of men who me t at Chesterfield County Courthouse, Virginia, probably t o reorganize to full strength from the remnants of severa l regiments and companies. He gave his age as 42, his birt hplace as Worcester County, Maryland, and his residence a s Essex Co., Virginia. (Worcester Co., MD was just across C hesapeake Bay from Essex Co., VA.) His occupation was liste d as "S. Maker" (shoe maker?) and he was described as havin g brown hair, gray eyes, fair complexion, and 5'7" tall. Th e following months were to be his last.

War pension records at the Library of Virginia say this: " Essex January Court, 1787: The Court orders it to be certi fied that Caty Lingo is the widow of James Lingo formerl y a soldier in the Continental Army, who was killed at th e Seige Ninety-Six, as appears by the testimony of Williams on Hardy who deposed he saw the said Lingo after he was kil led--that the said Caty Lingo has three small children thu s is in indigent circumstances and it also appears from th e testimony of Dr. Mace Clements that said Lingo was a sold ier at the said Seige, and was returned killed."

The Siege of Ninety Six grew out of one of the great drama s of the Revolution; the second British attempt to conque r the South. The Continental Army under Gen. Nathanael Gre ene set out to reduce the chain of posts the British held a cross the back country of the Carolinas, bringing his arm y of a thousand to the village of Ninety Six in May of 1781 . The post was garrisoned by 550 Loyalists. Greene opene d siege operations on May 22, with a series of trenches an d a rifle tower. When Greene learned that a powerful relie f column was marching to the Loyalist's aid, he resolved t o storm the fort before he was trapped between the two forc es. The onslaught began at noon on Jun. 18. The Continenta ls met stiff resistance and were driven off by a fierce cou nterattack, fighting hand to hand, and with much bloodshe d on both sides. The rescue column was too near for Green e to organize a general attack. Greene gathered his army a nd slipped away before dawn on the 20th, having lost many m en, including James Lingo.

Caty received an annual pension of 10 pounds from the Esse x County Court from at least April 1778 through September o f 1793. The fact that she did not claim her pension in Apr il of 1794 probably indicates her death during that time.

Family stories vary as to the origin of the Lingo family . Tyre Martin Lingo's obituary states that his grandfather , James Lingo, was an Englishman by birth. A story in on e branch of the family is that they were French, and had so me affiliation with Lafayette. A great-granddaughter of Ja mes and Caty Lingo, Dollie Claussen Arionus, believed tha t they were Scotch-Irish. Currently the research is leanin g toward Scotland. At least one of James' and Caty's childr en, James, was of the Cumberland Presbyterian faith, whic h points to Scot ancestry. And there was a large Lingo fam ily that settled in the predominantly Scottish communitie s around Chesapeake Bay very early and who immigrated fro m Scotland.

More About JAMES LINGO:
Record Change: December 27, 2004

Notes for CATHARINE "CATY":
Caty's surname may have been "Miles". It has been been st ated that this is correct by other family researchers, bu t as yet no solid sources have been cited. Given James' ag e when their children were born, it is possible this was no t his first marriage. For more on Caty, see the James Ling o notes.

More About CATHARINE "CATY":
Record Change: December 27, 2004

Children of JAMES LINGO and CATHARINE are:

FEMALE² LINGO¹⁰, b. Bef. 1777, Probably Virginia; d. Aft. 1794.

Notes for FEMALE LINGO:
According to his daughter Sarah, James Lingo had an older s ister who survived to at least young adulthood, who, like J ames and their younger brother, was bound out at the time o f their mother's death. Nothing more is known of her at thi s time.

More About FEMALE LINGO:
Record Change: December 27, 2004

2.	ii.		JAMES LINGO, b. July 05, 1777, Virginia (Probably Essex Co.); d. August 11, 1835, Bond County, Illinois.
3.	iii.		ARCHIBALD D. ? LINGOW, b. February 25, 1780, Probably Essex County, Virginia; d. June 24, 1859, Rutherford County, Tennessee.

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