Before I leave the Whipple branch of the family, I will write posts about two of my fifth great-grandparents. In this post I will focus on George Kentner, who lived from about 1737 until sometime between 1811 and 1816. I should note that all of the information in this post has been unearthed by other genealogists.
My grandmother, Janet Nicholas Brown, took pride in the fact that she was descended from Alexander Kirkpatrick, who fought on the American side in the Revolutionary War. This entitled my grandmother to be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.). Little did she know that her husband, Harmon Brown, was descended from George Kentner, a Loyalist who fought against the “Continentals” in New York State as part of the famous (or infamous) unit known as “Butler’s Rangers.” George was the grandfather of my third great-grandmother, Lucinda Kentner Whipple, who in turn was the wife of Jonathan Whipple and grandmother of Lizzie Whipple Brown.
My grandmother, Janet Nicholas Brown, took pride in the fact that she was descended from Alexander Kirkpatrick, who fought on the American side in the Revolutionary War. This entitled my grandmother to be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.). Little did she know that her husband, Harmon Brown, was descended from George Kentner, a Loyalist who fought against the “Continentals” in New York State as part of the famous (or infamous) unit known as “Butler’s Rangers.” George was the grandfather of my third great-grandmother, Lucinda Kentner Whipple, who in turn was the wife of Jonathan Whipple and grandmother of Lizzie Whipple Brown.
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| Joseph Galloway |
George Kentner was born in Wurttemberg, Germany in about 1737. He came to this country in a ship named The King of Prussia, arriving in Philadelphia on October 3, 1764. His fare had been paid by Joseph Galloway, a lawyer and acquaintance of Benjamin Franklin. Galloway owned several estates in southeastern Pennsylvania and Kentner was brought over to serve as an indentured servant for two and a quarter years. At some point he married Sarah Brown. (Yes, there is yet another Sarah Brown among our ancestors.) When his indenture was completed, George may initially have gone to Lancaster County, but eventually he and his family moved farther north up the Susquehanna River to the Wilkes-Barre area.
George was involved in the Pennamite War of 1769, in which conflicting land claims between the colonies of Connecticut and Pennsylvania resulted in fighting. (Connecticut claimed land in what is now northern Pennsylvania.) George fought on the Connecticut side. On September 24, 1771 George was admitted into the town of Wilkes-Barre on the Susquehanna River. It appears that our ancestor, John George Kentner, the son of George and Sarah, was born in Wilkes-Barre in 1773 (although that date is disputed). In 1774 George sold his property in Wilkes-Barre and moved to Tunkhannock, on the Susquehanna thirty-one miles northwest of Wilkes-Barre. From there George moved his family to Sheshequin (Sugar Creek) in what is now Bradford County, Pennsylvania, again along the Susquehanna River. In 1776 George Kentner’s name appears on an assessment list of the Upper River District, County of Westmoreland, State of Connecticut. In 1777 he sold all of his property and, with his family, he and other Loyalists made the difficult trip to Fort Niagara in Canada.
George was involved in the Pennamite War of 1769, in which conflicting land claims between the colonies of Connecticut and Pennsylvania resulted in fighting. (Connecticut claimed land in what is now northern Pennsylvania.) George fought on the Connecticut side. On September 24, 1771 George was admitted into the town of Wilkes-Barre on the Susquehanna River. It appears that our ancestor, John George Kentner, the son of George and Sarah, was born in Wilkes-Barre in 1773 (although that date is disputed). In 1774 George sold his property in Wilkes-Barre and moved to Tunkhannock, on the Susquehanna thirty-one miles northwest of Wilkes-Barre. From there George moved his family to Sheshequin (Sugar Creek) in what is now Bradford County, Pennsylvania, again along the Susquehanna River. In 1776 George Kentner’s name appears on an assessment list of the Upper River District, County of Westmoreland, State of Connecticut. In 1777 he sold all of his property and, with his family, he and other Loyalists made the difficult trip to Fort Niagara in Canada.
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| 1776 Upper River District Assessment List |
At Fort Niagara George joined the British fighting force known as Butler’s Rangers. He participated in the siege of Fort Stanwix and the battle of Oriskany in 1777. After the Rangers withdrew from Fort Stanwix, George and others were allowed to return to the Susquehanna to get cattle and more recruits. There he was captured by the Connecticut militia. He and his friend Jacob Anguish were jailed in Wilkes-Barre and then in Hartford, Connecticut, until 1778.
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| The uniform of Butler's Rangers |
In the Hartford jail, conditions were wretched. At one point the foot of Jacob Anguish froze to the mud floor and had to be torn loose. Anguish and Kentner appealed to the Connecticut Assembly, claiming to be supporters of the Revolution and were released in May of 1778. They then made their way to Tioga, New York, where they rejoined Butler. (“All is fair in love and war”?)
By 1779 George and his family had moved to a kind of refugee camp at Machiche, near Montreal, where they were supplied with food along with other Loyalist families. On June 25, 1780, George enlisted in another Loyalist unit, the King’s Royal Regiment of New York, Second Battalion. In 1784, the regiment was disbanded. Along with other German Loyalists, George and his family settled in Matilda Township of Dundas County, Upper Canada, across the St. Lawrence River from New York State. (The Germans named the township for Charlotte Augusta Matilda, a daughter of King George III of Britain, who later became the Queen of Wurttemburg.) George Kentner died there sometime between 1811 and 1816. His descendants eventually drifted back into New York State, where George’s granddaughter, Lucinda, married my third great-grandfather, Jonathan Whipple.
By 1779 George and his family had moved to a kind of refugee camp at Machiche, near Montreal, where they were supplied with food along with other Loyalist families. On June 25, 1780, George enlisted in another Loyalist unit, the King’s Royal Regiment of New York, Second Battalion. In 1784, the regiment was disbanded. Along with other German Loyalists, George and his family settled in Matilda Township of Dundas County, Upper Canada, across the St. Lawrence River from New York State. (The Germans named the township for Charlotte Augusta Matilda, a daughter of King George III of Britain, who later became the Queen of Wurttemburg.) George Kentner died there sometime between 1811 and 1816. His descendants eventually drifted back into New York State, where George’s granddaughter, Lucinda, married my third great-grandfather, Jonathan Whipple.
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