Mightier Acorns

Sometimes it might be evidence of absence.

When George W. Callin published The Callin Family History in 1911, he didn’t give us a thorough biography of his great-grandfather, James Callin.

“As far as we know the Callins in this country all descended from one man, James Callin, who with his brother John (who never married), emigrated from Ireland to America about the commencement of the Revolutionary War.

“Our fathers tell us that these two brothers enlisted in the Continental Army and fought under Lafayette at the battle of Brandywine and remained in this army till the close of the war. These brothers settled on government land in Westmoreland Co. in Western Penn., where they remained the remainder of their lives, John sharing the home of James, who married about the year 1778.”

When George refers to “Our fathers,” he is most likely referring to his father (William) and uncle (George), and perhaps their younger brother, James. Their father, John, died in Ohio in 1835, a year before William was married, so George W. and his generation never knew their grandfather.

Likewise, I suspect that William, Uncle George, and Uncle James never met their grandfather James, but instead heard the stories about his experiences in the Revolutionary War from their father and uncle.

Fortunately, there are muster rolls from the Revolutionary War¹ showing that a man named James Callin did serve in a unit that would have put him at the Battle of Brandywine, although Lafayette did not have a command in that battle. Considering that Lafayette went on a triumphant national tour in 1824 and 1825², it makes sense that the Callin men would emphasize their ancestor’s possible connection to this celebrity, and James does appear to have served when and where they claimed.

But when it comes to the land records, we have been less fortunate.

Where Did James Callin Live?

Several of James Callin’s descendants have tried to find the records that would tell us where he lived – starting with requests sent to the National Archives, and branching out into online databases as they become available. So far, our searches have come up empty.

His name does not appear in the Bureau of Land Management – General Land Office (BLM-GLO) database. (Not for PA, OH, KY, or anywhere else.)

He does not have a Revolutionary War pension application on file – not for any Pennsylvania unit, not for his Virginia unit, and I have found no “James Callin” of any spelling in other states.

If you read my previous posts (see footnotes), you know that the muster rolls show James and Edward Callin serving in the Revolutionary War and James and John Callin serving in the Kentucky Cavalry under General Scott. Assuming the James Callin in the Kentucky Cavalry is the same James Callin, it is possible that he “settled on government land in Westmoreland Co. in Western Penn.” after the War (so, after 1783), but sold that land and moved to Kentucky by 1794, when he appeared in the Kentucky unit.

A fire destroyed Revolutionary War pension and bounty land warrant applications and related papers on November 8, 1800, so we wouldn’t expect to find an application submitted before that date.³ Congress passed a pension law in 1818, granting pensions for life to Revolutionary War veterans who had not been disabled, based on financial need. Congress amended the 1818 law in 1820 and again in 1822. The pension legislation enacted in 1832 gave full pay for life to officers and enlisted men who had served for two or more years and partial pay for service of six months to two years. We saw two examples of applications for Revolutionary War soldiers who filed under the 1832 law in “William Bowen: Two Revolutionary War Veterans” – but no such application exists for James Callin.

The Evidence of Absence

I need to emphasize that I am still speculating here – failing to find records does not mean that the records didn’t exist, and may not mean that they don’t exist. But looking unsuccessfully in the places they should be may tell us something. The fact that no veteran or widow applications exist for James Callin or his widow after the 1832 law suggests strongly that he and his wife might have died before that date. The lack of an application under the earlier laws may suggest they died as early as 1818.

Of course, I have yet to find any evidence of a James Callin (of any spelling) who died in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, or Kentucky between 1794 and 1832, and I don’t know where, within that vast area, I should be looking.

I suspect that the answer is in a box of records from one of the many small places that existed within that territory that was claimed by Virginia before the Revolution and were later displaced by a state or county government after the end of the War. Until someone finds that box, we will remain…

1. I’ve written extensively about my quest to find James Callin’s Revolutionary War record – see Still Finding James Callin and Theoretical: James Callin’s Military Career ↩︎
2. Barbara Tien at Projectkin put together a wonderful timeline of Lafeyette’s Tour if you’d like to explore the story of one of the country’s first Superstars! ↩︎
3. Nudd, Jean; U.S. National Archives, “Prologue Magazine,” Summer 2015, Vol. 47, No. 2; Genealogy Notes, “Using Revolutionary War Pension Files to Find Family Information” ↩︎