This weekend, Dutchess County is kicking off its celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Several local historical societies and organizations will set up displays at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor Center in Hyde Park. Why do we tell you this? Well, because the PPLD’s Local History Room will be there, too. When it comes to documents and collections from the American Revolution, we don’t exactly have much (our collection mainly focuses on the 19th and early 20th century), but what we do have are some very interesting documents that predate the war and showcase a people that were far more devoted to monarchy than you have been led to believe. What are these documents, you say? Glad you asked, as they are called Oaths of Allegiance.
Oaths of Allegiance to the King - 1728 - 1773
These Oaths of Allegiance served as a combination of three pledges. First, there was swearing allegiance to the Hanoverian kings, George the II (1727-1760), and later George the III (1760-1820). The second pledge was declaring that the Stuarts and their heirs had no claims to the throne, and finally, an oath of faith in Protestant beliefs and that all Catholic practices were “Superstitious and Idolatrous.” Dutchess County office holders signed their names (or made their marks) periodically to show their loyalty to the king, who served as the head of the church. For many Dutchess County residents, the idea of reneging on this oath and severing ties with King George III was unthinkable. However, by the summer of 1775, changing political viewpoints and tensions among neighbors would cause many freeholding men to change their minds on paper, if not in spirit.
Parting Ways
Some of the signers of the Oaths of Allegiance would later appear on another document, known as the Articles of Association. This was a different pledge that came about after the bloody battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts in 1775. Here, the signers proclaimed to follow the measures of the newly created Continental Congress, with the hopes that a reconciliation between Great Britain and America could be made. They also pledged to preserve the “peace and good order, and the safety of individuals and private property.” Some of Poughkeepsie’s residents, who appear on both the Oaths of Allegiance and the Articles of Association include Henry Livingston, James Livingston, Gilbert Livingston, Lawrence Van Kleeck, Matthew Dubois, and Tennis Tappen.
Loyalists in Poughkeepsie
There were some who chose to stick to their original oaths and remain loyal to the king. There were also those who decided they didn’t want to sign anything and therefore remained neutral. As a result, they, too, were deemed loyalists. By 1776, the spirit of rebellion had gained momentum and the patriots now had a slight majority over the loyalists in Poughkeepsie. There were several confrontations between old neighbors, and in some situations, family members found themselves on different sides of the fight. For example, Bartholomew Crannel, who owned a large plot of land on what is today Main Street, severed ties with his daughter and her husband, Gilbert Livingston. Livingston was one of the first advocates for independence in Poughkeepsie, and yet his name appears on the Oath of Allegiance from 1769. Crannel moved to Canada after the war and made claims to the king to be reimbursed for the property, lost due to their loyalty. There were several Poughkeepsie landholders who also made claims for lost property, including the Reverend John Beardsley, Richard Everit, and Samuel Harris, to name a few.
A Muddied Perspective
Here in the Local History Room, we are in the process of researching the lives of those who called Poughkeepsie home during this very complicated era. As Jonathan Clark put it in his article, “The Problem of Allegiance in Revolutionary Poughkeepsie,” the city remained a “hotbed of Loyalism” until the summer of 1775, but by 1776, many men had signed the Articles of Association because of either changing political views or out of fear of retaliation from their now rebellious neighbors. Still, several men stayed true to their king, even as their property and lives were being threatened by people they once knew, did business with, or even loved. We hope to conduct a full lecture on this subject matter in the future.
So please join us on Saturday, June 8th, from 10 am to 2 pm, at the Henry A. Wallace Visitor Center. Check out this website for more info, https://dutchesstourism.com/spotlights/rev250
References:
Clarck, Jonathan. The Problem of Allegiance in Revolutionary Poughkeepsie, from the book Saints & Revolutionaries: Essays on Early American History. United Kingdom, Norton, 1984.
“Loyalist Transcripts” Transcribed by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. LH 920 v.1 and v.2
UK, American Loyalist Claims, 1776-1835, via Ancestry.com
Force, Peter (editor). American Archives, Series 4, 1843.
Images:
Photos of some of our Oaths of Allegiance that will be on display on Saturday.