Lewis, James A. Neptune's Militia: The Frigate South Carolina in the American Revolution. (Kent, OH: The Kent State University Press, 1999.)
Smith, Gerald. "Spanning Time: Early Settlers in Southern Tier were Revolutionary War Heroes", (Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, July 5, 2019.)
-------, Elenor. "Find a Grave" Memorial: Joshua Mersereau (1761-1857). (www.findagrave.com, August 18, 2018).
Pension Application of Joshua Mersereau S7224
It has been quite some time since the writer of this blog has focused his efforts on a single individual seaman or marine, commissioned or enlisted, on board the frigate South Carolina. There have been several of these types of posts since to beginning of this blog in September 2014. As long as an appropriate amount of personal information can be located on a specific individual, these types of posts will continue to be written. Yet, there exists an particular man who has been deliberately "skipped over" in these posts on specific individuals. This may be due to the unusual nature of the information that exists concerning this man. He is unique in that he served both on land as an officer and as a carpenter on board the patriot frigate just prior to her capture off the Capes of the Delaware on December 21, 1782. As an officer among the land forces, he may well have been involved in spying activities of one of the well-established intelligence networks run by the patriots. He was directly involved in an attempt to retake the frigate South Carolina on her captive journey to New York City and related these events in detail in his pension application. The writer of this blog has possibly intentionally passed over the writing of the post concerning this man due to a desire to do justice to him and his extensive services both on land and on board the frigate South Carolina. This man is Joshua Mersereau of Northfield, New York and later of New York City, New York.
According to Smith's article, page 1, the Mersereau family was originally French Huguenots who fled France as a result of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. The persecution they, and all Huguenots, endured at this difficult time instilled in them a definite animosity towards authority. Again, according to the account, Joshua's great-grandmother, Elizabeth Dubois Mersereau departed France with her five children - Joshua II (Joshua's grandfather), Paul, Daniel, Mary and Elizabeth - and travelled to England. At some point following their arrival in England, all the family, except Paul, would leave England for the North American colonies. Once here in the colonies, the family would make its home on Staten Island in New York. According to Pitanza's article, page 2:
"...many of the Huguenots crossed the Atlantic, helping to colonize the Eastern seaboard of America. Here on Staten Island, New York, these Frenchmen were among the first group to establish an ongoing permanent settlement in 1661... Speaking geographically, the portion of Staten Island that they settled on is known as Huguenot...." and is located "...at the southernmost tip of the island"."
This information is corroborated by at least a few other sources. According to the Wikipedia article, "Huguenot, Staten Island", page 1:
"Huguenot is a neighborhood on the South Shore of Staten Island, New York City. Originally, named "Bloomingview", it was later named for the Huguenots, led by Daniel Perrin, who settled in the area during the late 17th and early 18th centuries to escape religious persecution.... The community was named after French Protestants fleeing persecution in Catholic-dominated France who settled in the area in the 17th century, and formed one of the first permanent settlements on Staten Island.".
Joshua's father, Joshua III, would be born there on September 26, 1728 along with a brother (an uncle of the Joshua of this post) named John. Thus, the Joshua concerned in this specific post is Joshua IV and according to a few scattered statements and his pension application, "Pension Application of Joshua Mersereau S7224", was born on June 8, 1761 in the town of Northfield; Richmond County; Staten Island, New York. The Wikipedia article, "Northfield, Staten Island", page 1, contains the following interesting information concerning this township:
"Northfield was a town in Richmond County, New York. It was incorporated in 1788 as one of the four original towns of Staten Island. It was dissolved in 1898 upon consolidation into the City of New York.".
Northfield may have been incorporated in 1788 but, it was certainly established much earlier than that date. The French Huguenots arrived in ever increasing numbers following 1661. According to DeLisio and Proscia's article, "SI350 and the Memorial Church of the Huguenots", pages 12-13:
"A few years later, in 1665, the Huguenots became some of the first settlers of Old Town in present day South Beach. Peter Stuyvesant gave them land grants, along with Dutch and Belgian families... The Huguenots were part of this successful settlement as well as being among the Island's first religious refugees. Here in America, the Huguenots were able to exercise their freedom to worship God according to their own belief system....Other French settlements sprang up on Staten Island. Daniel Perrin arrived in New York harbor from Elizabethtown, New Jersey on July 29, 1665. He settled on the South Shore of Staten Island where he was eventually granted 80 acres. Since he was known as 'The Huguenot,' the neighborhood near where he settled eventually became his namesake.".
(Note: Obviously, both the names of Joshua and John were traditionally favorite given names among the Mersereau family and used throughout several generations of males of that family surname. This can cause some confusion as to which specific Joshua is being referred to in any given document due to the fact that there are four of them. The Joshua Mersereau spoken of in this specific post is Joshua IV, whose grandfather, Joshua II, came with his mother (Joshua IV's great-grandmother) to the colonies in the late 1600s.)
So, as can be seen from this brief account of the sufferings endured by the French Protestants known as the Huguenots and their travels across the seas and oceans, these Europeans came to the New World initially in search of religious freedom and a place to live and worship in peace. The ancestors of the Mersereau family would have been among these travellers and would have settled in Northfield, one of the original towns of southern Staten Island. But, in a little over one hundred years, the winds of war would overtake them once again and they would be forced to decide which side they would support in this impending struggle. Yet, for many of these Huguenots, and especially the Mersereau family, their deep distrust of royal authority would place them firmly in the camp of the "rebels" and lead to some incredible experiences for them.