SOS Message In A Bottle

John Banks, a sailor impressed by the British, sent a rescue message via a bottle.  After it was found, the message was published.  Hopefully, help was on the way!

THE NEWSPAPER CLIPPING
Philadelphia June 27 - Extract of a letter from Bridgehampton, dated the 21st of June.  "A letter was found in a junk bottle on the Atlantic shore at Chatham, last Tuesday directed at the Collector in NYork.  The writer subscribes his name John Banks, if I mistake not; says he belongs at Hampton, Virginia, that he was impressed on board the Ramillies, as near as I can recollect, between 5 and 6 years ago; has an uncle and a brother in Hampton; and wishes the Collector to inform his friends that they may take measures to liberate him.  The letter was dated in April last."

July 12, 1813 - The enclosed paper will make you acquainted how the information was obtained of John Banks being on board the Ramillies, the person whose release I solicited you a few days to obtain ...I remain very respectfully your obedient servant.  Tho Newton   John Mason, Esq, C. S. P.

Image #91  

Ancestry.com. War of 1812 Papers, 1789-1815 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

Original data: ‘War of 1812 Papers’ of the Department of State, 1789-1815; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M588, 7 rolls); General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives, Washington. D.C.

John Backus In A 1793 Document Found In A War of 1812 File

The information found here gave me the impetus to search the War of 1812 resources on the internet.  I was surprised to find a 1793 document in War of 1812 papers, but there it was, and with a name I research (John Backus).

Didn't find John Backus on this image with "search" feature at Ancestry.com (which wasn't a surprise*).  The indenture document with John Backus's signature was Image #104 on the Ancestry file entitled Agreements for the Exchange of Prisoners of War, 1812, 1813.

THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH, That John Backus Jacob deWitt Zachariah Huntington & Jabez Perkins......of the select Men of Norwich....with the advise of Andrew Huntington, Esqr Justice of Peace for New London County...do bind Thomas Williams, a poor Boy....Apprentice to Eliphalet Carew...book of Accounts and ..teach...art of husbandry
9 December in the 18th year of American Independence...one thousand seven hundred ninety-three (1793)...

Was it John Backus, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Tracy) Backus, who died 27 April 1814, and lived in Norwich, Connecticut?  Probably.

Even though I have three John Backus's in my lineage, it doesn't appear as though the John Backus in the document is mine (they were in NY by 1793).  All of the John Backus's (my 3 and the subject of this post) are descendants of the original immigrant, William Backus.


*Ancestry.com. War of 1812 Papers, 1789-1815 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.  Original data: ‘War of 1812 Papers’ of the Department of State, 1789-1815; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M588, 7 rolls); General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives, Washington. D.C.
This database contains a variety of papers relating to the War of 1812. The Returns of Enemy Aliens and Prisoners of War records are searchable by name. All of the other papers are only searchable by browsing the images.

My New Blog - War Of 1812 Chronicles

I kicked off my new blog, War of 1812 Chronicles, with a small donation to the War of 1812 pension digitization project.  The Indiana Genealogical Society matched my donation dollar for dollar, and then Ancestry.com matched the combined amount (and will do so through August 31st, 2011).



Detour Through History was my first blog; the other blogs I maintain are Relatively Fiction, Richmonds & Connected Lineages, Cameron Collections and In Deeds.