FREDERICK BUMPUS, A BIOGRAPHY By Marlow Bumpus , a descendant of Frederick Bumpus March 7, 2004 /Revised July 24, 2004/ Frederick Bumpus was born in Cornwall CT. in May of 1764, the son of Edward Bumpus and Susannah Dean. The exact date is not known. Frederick’s father had moved to Cornwall near Sharon and married Susannah in the Congressional Church of Cornwall on March 8, 1758. He was first married to Mariah Benson on November 24, 1748, daughter of Joseph Benson and Jerusha Ellis. Frederick was raised in a family of five children, not a large family for the time. Besides Frederick there was Reuben, b. 1760, Sarah and two older children: Edward, b. Nov. 15 1749 and James, both born to Mariah Benson Bumpus who died before 1758. Susanna was the daughter of Reuben Dean. Edward Bumpus. was in the French and Indian War, signed the Revolutionary War pledge and served in that war. He died at the age of 90. The family later moved to Albany County NY and Frederick was drafted at the age of 17 at Little Hoosick, Albany Co. into the service of the United States for one month in June of 1781. [Little Hoosick is now Petersburgh, and is in Rensselaer County, which was created later from Albany Co.] About the first of April 1782, Frederick entered the service of The United States for nine months as a private and was mustered in at Albany New York in a company commanded by Captain Henry of the New York Regiment commanded by Colonel Willett. Frederick continued in that command for the entire nine months. Nine months was the maximum term for draftees at the time. He joined the regiment at Albany and stayed there two weeks in military training before leaving on a march to Schenectady. Staying only two days, due to a smallpox outbreak amongst the residents. The regiment moved on to Johnstown were they stayed for four or five months under the command of Lieutenant Johnson, a Continental Officer with whom he moved on to Fort Plain where they stayed in a barn for a few days. With John Woodcock, Frederick was sent to Fort Herkimer and Capt. Tiene’s Company. He was generally out on scout but never saw battle. He served with a small detachment ‘keeping garrison’. He eventually returned to Fort Plain where Lt. Johnson discharged him on Dec. 31, 1782 . Returning to Little Hoosick where he remained for about six years before moving on to Rensselaerville in Albany County in about 1788. He lived there until about 1807. Frederick married Catherin in Rensselaerville. Children born to Frederick and Catherine while they lived in Rensselaerville were John in 1792, Reuben in 1800, Mariah in 1803 and probably Frederick Jr. The birth dates of Salathiel, Jane, Effi, Elizabeth and James are not known and at least some may have also been born in Rnesselaerville. Isabella was born in about 1815 in Spencer, Hector or Benton New York. In about 1807 the family moved to Spencer in Tioga Co., New York where they were living in 1810 when the census taker counted them. That year, some of the children were probably staying with their uncle Reuben Bumpus in Rome Pennsylvania, just a few miles from Spencer. Reuben was married to Phoebe Gibbs and had served five hitches in the Revolutionary War. He was the founder of Bumpville, Pennsylvania, near Rome in Bradford County. The 1810 census indicated some children living in Reuben’s home, yet ‘The History of Bradford County, PA.’ credits him with having “no children”. Frederick moved the family from Spencer to Hector in Cayuga County, then to Benton in Ontario County, all in New York State, before settling in Washington Township, Richland County, Ohio in about 1819. Several of the children were married in Richland County and the family lived in the Mansfield/Marion area for many years. As were most families of Richland County, Frederick was a farmer, though either Frederick or his son, Frederick Jr., was said to have also been ‘a whisky distiller who never drank a drop’. Three of his neighbors were William Randal, William Glenn and Alexander Mann who married Mariah Bumpus. These men held Frederick Bumpus in high regard to which they testified in an affidavit dated 1832. Frederick, being a farmer, at times had trouble making ends meet. He applied for a pension for his service in the Revolutionary War on May 7, 1818 while living in Ontario County, New York. He applied again in 1832 in Richland County, Ohio under a new law Congress passed on June 7, 1832 and was awarded a pension of $33.33 per year for life. Frederick was arrested by constable Denial Andrews of Washington Township and was incarcerated for an unknown period of time before being taken before the court on the 15^th day of January 1831 for non-payment of a debt of $9.75 owed to John W Hooper and John H Evens of Hooper & Evens. He was ordered held by Justice of the Peace, J Dunn, ‘until the debt and future costs were paid or he was otherwise legally discharged’. The judge added costs of $2.72 making the debt $12.57. On May 23. 1832, Frederick was ordered released by Judge J Dunn because it was illegal to jail a soldier of the Revolutionary War for debt. The court further ordered that Hooper & Evens pay all ‘costs and charges’ and a judgment was entered against them because they were aware of the law before they proceeded with the ‘process’. In 1836 George B Arnold sued Frederick for $110.86, which he was ordered to pay by the court. The Supreme Court of Ohio upheld the decision in 1837 and Frederick was ordered to pay the amount plus $62.92 in costs. Frederick died in late 1839 or early 1840 and was buried in an unmarked grave, the location of which is not known. The Sheriff, for judgment against him sold Frederick’s farm in1842 and 1843. The 1843 sale identified the land as NW sec 15, twp 20, range 28. His ‘wife Catherine agreed to the sale of land’. This was probably to pay the judgment awarded George Arnold in 1837. /Although all the information in this biography was taken from public record. I would like to give credit to the following, as they have either confirmed and corrected my findings or helped me in some way;/ ‘/Bumpus 375 Years’ by Carly Franklin Bumpus. Published 1911/ /Lynn Albert Bumpus Genealogy Compilation. Published in 1986 in which he included the statement; “Copyrights for this document have purposely not been applied for. My feeling is that the information contained herein is for the use of any person mentioned or whomsoever is related by blood line to use as they wish for genealogy purposes only, without restriction.”/ ‘/Pioneer and Patriot Families of Bradford County Pennsylvania’ by Clement F. Heverly. Published 1915/ /Research by a member of the Richland Co. Genealogy Society at my request./ /1840 WPA map. [A head stone was inappropriately placed in the Marlow Cemetery in Washington Twp, Richland County, Ohio at a recent date and is inscribed ‘Frederick Bumpus, REV WAR’. No dates.]/ /Richland County Ohio marriage records./ /Revolutionary War pension records, pension applications dated 1818 and 1832 and pension payment records./ /New York State Militia records./ /Daughters of the American Revolution./ /US census records of 1790,1800,1810,1820 and 1830./ /Cousins Kathy Haas and Jueanne Myers, descendant’s of Alexander Mann and Mariah Bumpus, for their assistance in interpreting documents of record./ /Margot Bumpus Bishop, My sister./ 3