Brakehill, Clovis H., compiler and editor. Revolutionary War Graves Register, (The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 1993).
Hamm, Ruth Bitting, editor. Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois, (Illinois State Genealogical Society, 1975).
Hunt, Bobby. "Find a Grave Memorial - Lewis Field", (record added: 04/05/2015).
Pension Application of Lewis Field S30413
The writer of this blog thought that he had concluded the subject of Lewis Field, the young Kentuckian, who as a prisoner-of-war on board the British transport ship witnessed the final battle of the frigate South Carolina against three British men-of-war off the Capes of the Delaware on December 20, 1782. Lewis Field documented this incident in his pension application filed on May 2, 1844 when he was over eighty years old. Five posts have addressed the long life and varied adventures and experiences of Lewis Field, the most recent being entitled "A Completely Different, and Chance, Perspective...Lewis Field", Pt. V - Further Evidence of the Burial Place of Lewis Field, Kentuckian, and One Final Issue" and is dated "01/24/2016". Since concluding that post concerning Lewis Field, and in doing research on the post immediately below this post, the writer of this blog has encountered new information that disputes the claim made in the earlier post dated "01/24/2-16" and referenced above. Specifically, this newly encountered information disputes the burial place of Lewis Field as being in Kentucky rather than in southern Illinois. The writer of this blog will endeavor to present information for a second time in the course of this blog that will definitively prove that this information is not only incorrect but, for anyone attempting to locate Lewis Field's burial place, is also potentially misleading.
The source of this incorrect and misleading information is none other than a publication by the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War Graves Register, published in 1993. On page 210 of this publication, the following information appears:
(Note: In the Revolutionary War Graves Register, the information is originally cited without any explanation as to what facet of Lewis Field's life the information is addressing. For clarity, and to avoid confusion, the writer of this blog has headed each piece of information with the subject that it actually addresses.)
Name: Lewis Field
Dates of Life: 1763-1845
Burial Place: Area cemetery, near Louisville, KY
Service: Soldier, Virginia
Spouse: Hannah Lewis
In Hamm's work, Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois, page 73, the following information is cited for Lewis Field:
Name: Lewis Field
Born: July 4, 1763 at Culpeper County, Virginia
Died: 1845
Buried: Golconda, Pope County, Illinois
Spouse: Hannah Lewis
Service: Private, Virginia. He was a Scout under Col. George Rogers Clark and was taken prisoner.
Pension: S30413 (Va.)
Sources: Daughters of the American Revolution
DAR Patriot Index
Pension Application
(Note: In the post dated "01/24/2016", the section of information cited above as "Sources" is more fully discussed as to what these sources constitute, the nature of the information contained in these works, and where these sources can be located. Please refer to this earlier post for clarification.)
When a comparison is made between the information contained in the Sons of the American Revolution's (SAR) work, Revolutionary War Graves Register and that contained in Hamm's work, Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois, it is immediately evident that the information contained in the later work is much more detailed and comprehensive in nature. In Hamm's work, not only is his actual birth date given but, also the location of his birth is stated. In this same work, his service is not only stated clearly but, is elaborated on - that he was a "scout", he served under Col. George Rogers Clark, and he was taken prisoner. His pension number is stated and his spouse's name cited, which the later is identical with the Sons of the American Revolution citation. The sole glaring discrepancy is burial place of Lewis Field.
The Sons of the American Revolution's work, Revolutionary War Graves Register, page 210, cites the burial place of Lewis Field as being in an "area cemetery, near Louisville, KY". The writer of this blog feels that he knows from where this information came. According to the site "Find a Grave Memorial", entry for "Lewis Field", the following information is recorded:
Name: Lewis Field
Birth: Unknown
Death: February 10, 1846
Burial: Eastern Cemetery
Louisville
Jefferson County
Kentucky, USA
Plot: 2nd yard, Range 4, Number 4
This is the information in its entirety. The information recorded above is all that is known for certain concerning Lewis Field. The individual who created this entry is Bobby Hunt and this is all he recorded for Lewis Field.
There are two reasons that the writer of this blog feels certain that this is not the Lewis Field whose life has been the subject of five previous posts. First, the discrepancy in the birth and death date's for Lewis Field. Both the Sons of the American Revolution's work and Hamm's work cite Lewis Field's birth date as being either "July 4, 1763" or simply "1763". Hunt's article cites Lewis Field's birth date as being "unknown". Again, both of the above cited sources state that Lewis Field died in 1845, without giving a specific month or day. But, Hunt's article clearly states that Lewis Field died on February 10, 1846. It would appear that two distinct and separate individuals are being spoken of here.
Second, according to the pension application of Lewis Field, "Pension Application of Lewis Field S30413", when Lewis Field initially moved to Kentucky from Culpeper County, VA in 1784, he settled "...near Louisville where he resided until 1811..." This is is single longest residence of the four moves he would make during the course of his long life. But, once he removed from the environs of Louisville, he never returned there. He always moved further westward, including the move out of state to Pope County, IL, where he resided between 1826 and 1834. He resided in the area of Louisville for almost thirty years but, when he moved away from Louisville, he never returned to that area as a resident. He would die in 1845, almost thirty-five years after he had left the area of Louisville, KY. This was a time in our nation's history when a person was buried within reasonable distance of the actual place of death rather than being transported a considerable distance for interment.
(Note: Concerning this last point made, see the post on "John Mayrant, A Heroic Life of Service..." and dated "01/01/2016". John Mayrant had removed to Alabama and was living there at the time he, ostensibly, decided to visit a friend residing in Tennessee. While on the trip he died and was buried in Tennessee, possibly, some where in Greene County.)
Somehow, it would appear that the Sons of the American Revolution's work was referenced by an individual who knew of the Lewis Field buried in Eastern Cemetery near Louisville, KY. This individual cited this burial as being that of the Lewis Field who is cited in Hamm's work, Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois, page 73, as well as the Lewis Field who filed the only pension application that some one of that particular name ever filed. Yet, Hamm's work clearly cites the burial place of Lewis Field as being in the small town of Golconda, Pope County, Illinois, along the banks of the Ohio River. A reference to the pension application of Lewis Field finds that he does indeed cite Pope County, IL as a place of residence for him between 1826 and 1834. A reference back to the post concerning Lewis Field and dated "01/24/2016" provides a few speculations of the part of the writer of this blog as to why Lewis Field would be buried there in Illinois rather than in Kentucky where he had spent the majority of his life after removing from Virginia to Kentucky.
One final point to be made concerns the accuracy of the works cited in this post. Hamm's work, Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois, was written as "...A Bicentennial Project of the Illinois State Genealogical Society..." and was supported by the various different bicentennial organizations operating during the commemoration of our 200th year of freedom. On the other hand, the Sons of the American Revolution's work, Revolutionary War Graves Register, was written in 1993 and, by all indications, seems to be based mostly on individual contributions to the information collected and documented there. These graves are located all over the United States as opposed to the former work being a documentation of graves located in Illinois alone. Checking the veracity of the information found in the latter work would be a truly daunting task. Thus, it is the humble opinion of the writer of this blog that the former work is to be the one relied upon in this case rather than the latter work. In conclusion, the indications are that Lewis Field was buried in Golconda, Pope County, Illinois at some point after his death in 1845 rather than in Eastern Cemetery in the environs of Louisville, KY.