Bertie County NcArchives Biographies.....Dundelow, Henry 1750 - unk
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Gerald Thomas gerald_thomas00@comcast.net May 28, 2020, 11:03 am

Source: Research
Author: Gerald Thomas

HENRY DUNDELOW

by 

Gerald W. Thomas
2020


Author’s introductory comments

During the late 1970s, shortly after I began researching my ancestral roots, I
learned of a family legend from several distant relatives. The primary subject of
the tale was a purported Indian, John Cale, also reportedly known as “Cucklemaker,”
of Bertie County during the 1700s. A facet of the legend conveyed that the Indian
married Elizabeth Marie Calais Duneleaux, the widow of Henre Duneleaux, a Frenchman.
In 2013 – after more than three decades of research and analyses – I prepared and
disseminated a paper, “A Critical Examination of a Family Legend: John Cale,
Purported Indian,” which conveyed the results of my research. In short, documentary
evidence revealed that John Cale was not an Indian and related aspects of the legend
were also not true. That paper addressed in detail the variations contentions of the
family legend and will not be repeated in this document. This paper conveys the
results of my research into the life and experiences of Henry Dundelow (“Henre
Duneleaux” of the legend).#

* * * * * 
Henry Dundelow had arrived in Bertie County by the spring of 1774. His place of
nativity and date of birth are not documented in extant records, although he surely
was at least twenty-one years of age by 1774 – the legal age of majority in colonial
North Carolina at that time. Apparently, he was a brick mason by occupation. On
Tuesday, May 10, 1774 – during the county’s quarterly session of court – presiding
justices Arthur Brown, George Lockhart, Thomas Ward, and Humphrey Nichols ordered
Thomas Jones, about seven years old and the orphan of Mourning Jones, to be bound an
apprentice to Henry Dundelow to learn the trade of a bricklayer. Almost a month
later, on June 6, Dundelow witnessed a promissory note from George Keen to Peter
Clifton. Also, Henry was enumerated in a 1774 Bertie County tax list which was
prepared between May 1 and November 1. The list indicates that two persons in his
household were taxable – one “white person” and one “Negro” male at least sixteen
years old.2 Clearly, Henry Dundelow was an established resident of Bertie County by
mid-1774.
	Dundelow, while a relatively new resident of Bertie County, was by late summer 1774
becoming involved in legal actions within the county’s court system. During the
August session, the officers of the court filed suit against him for nonpayment of
costs related to Thomas Jones’ apprentice indenture. Dundelow owed £0.12.8. John
Johnston, the clerk of court, ordered Sheriff Arthur Brown to detain Dundelow and
have him appear at the November 1774 court to “satisfy” and “pay” the amount owed.
Brown successfully “executed” the order and presumably, Dundelow paid the debt as no
further records related to the matter are found.3
	During the November 1774 court session, Henry Dundelow, Abraham Sea, and Stephen
Sea filed a suit against William Jenkins for “Trespass” – wrongful conduct directly
causing injury or loss per British law (and subsequently, North Carolina colonial
law) of the 1700s. The plaintiffs sought £20 in damages from Jenkins for whom Clerk
of Court Johnston ordered Sheriff Brown to have Dundelow appear at the February 1775
court. By that session the Seas were no longer parties to the suit. Dundelow’s case
against Jenkins was decided in favor of Jenkins during the May 1775 court session.
The court awarded £3.10.4 which Dundelow failed to pay before the session’s end.
Once again, Johnston ordered Sheriff Brown to have Dundelow appear at the August
1775 session to reemit the sum owed to Jenkins.4
	Also, during the May 1775 court, Henry Dundelow was the defendant in a suit for
trespass brought by James Wiggins. Dundelow failed to appear and the presiding
justices issued a ruling by “default and inquiry” in favor of Wiggins. The case was
also on the docket for the August 1775 court, presumably regarding Dundelow’s need
to pay damages (unspecified per relevant court records).5
		Dundelow, like other freemen in Bertie County, was required to perform various
civic duties as directed by the county’s justices. One common duty was building,
maintaining, and repairing area roads. During the August 1775 court session, Henry
Dundelow, David Curry, and James Curry petitioned the court to be exempted from
working on a new road being constructed from the Peel Cypress Road to Windsor. The
justices approved the three men’s request, but ordered them to work on the road
running from the new road to the fork near Wills Quarter Swap bridge.6
On April 19, 1775, longstanding tensions between the thirteen American colonies and
their mother country, Great Britain, erupted in hostilities at Lexington,
Massachusetts. Colonial minutemen and regular British soldiers fired on each other
igniting the Revolutionary War. The war would impact Henry Dundelow’s life. At the
time the conflict began, Dundelow’s taxable household consisted of himself and one
“wench” (young woman or peasant girl)7
North Carolina law mandated that all freemen ages sixteen to sixty years be members
of the militia. Therefore, Henry Dundelow was a member of the Bertie County militia
and apparently served at least once as a rider early on during the war. In 1776,
Charles W. Jacocks, the Commissioner for Militia in the Edenton District, paid
£1.6.5 to Job Redditt for him and two other men, express riders, to go after Henry
Dundelow. No other details are derived regarding the payment.8
	In May 1776 – two years after Henry was first a party in Bertie County’s public
proceedings, his brother, Hugh Dundelow, appeared. During that month’s quarterly
court sessions, justices ordered Hugh and several other men to work on the road of
which Jeremiah Lester was overseer. Records do not reveal for what period of time
Hugh had resided in Bertie County.9 The county’s 1774 and 1775 tax lists did not
indicate that two “white persons” were members of Henry Dundelow’s household.
	By January 1777 the Revolutionary War had been ongoing for twenty months when Henry
Dundelow enlisted as a private on the 26th of the month for three years in Capt.
Howell Tatum’s Company, First North Carolina Regiment. Col. Thomas Clark commanded
the regiment. (Other Bertie County men, including John Cale – the subject of the
“Indian legend” – also enlisted and served in the First Regiment.) On February 5,
officials transferred the regiment from the Southern Department to the main
Continental Army. On July 8, 1777, the First Regiment was assigned to the North
Carolina Brigade of Gen. George Washington’s Main Continental Army. On November 23,
1777, the regiment was at Camp White Marsh, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The
Battle of White Marsh commenced on December 5, between Gen. Washington’s Main
Continental Army and British forces. The combat, which took the form of a series of
skirmish actions, continued to the eighth and was the last major engagement between
American and British forces during 1777. The result of the battle was inconclusive
with neither combatant gaining a decidedly advantageous position. The Main
Continental Army arrived at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on December 19 and went into
winter camp. Gen. Lachlan McIntosh commanded the North Carolina Brigade during the
army’s stay at Valley Forge.10
	On June 18, 1778, elements of Washington’s army began departing Valley Forge.
General Washington had been informed that British forces were leaving Philadelphia
(their winter quarters) and moving toward New York. Washington’s army fought the
British Army at Monmouth, New Jersey on June 28, 1778. The armies battled and
bloodied each other in the summer heat until late in the day when the British
withdrew – the Americans did not pursue. Reportedly, the North Carolinians behaved
well during the day’s action.11
	Henry Dundelow’s name appears on a roll of Captain Tatum’s company of the First
North Carolina dated September 8, 1778. (John Cale’s name also appears on the roll.)
Five months later, in February 1779, Dundelow was promoted to the rank of corporal
in Tatum’s unit.12
	Corporal Dundelow continued to serve with the First Regiment throughout the
remainder of his term of service. After the Battle of Monmouth, he was not again
involved in a “major” hostile action.  On July 19, 1779, the North Carolina Brigade
was transferred from the Main Continental Army to the Highlands Department (New
York}. The brigade was next transferred to the Southern Department on November 11,
1779. Cpl. Henry Dundelow was discharged from the army on January 27, 1780, having
fulfilled his three-year term of service.13 He returned to Bertie County.
	During the May 1778 session of Bertie County court – while Henry Dundelow was
absent from the jurisdiction serving in the Continental Army – James Wiggins’ civil
lawsuit against Dundelow for trespass was once again on the court’s docket. The
presiding justices, as they had previously, issued a judgment by default and
inquiry. The case again appeared on the court’s docket during the August 1778 and
November 1778 sessions.14
	A little more than a year after leaving the army, Henry Dundelow found himself
embroiled in another civil action in Bertie County court. During the February 1781
session, he filed a suit against John Oxley for defamation. The suit was continued
through the May court to the August session at which Oxley was found not guilty and
the case was dismissed.15
	During the August court, Dundelow’s legal troubles continued as he was charged with
a criminal offense – stealing an ax. Initially detained by law enforcement, he was
released upon his personal recognizance pending the payment of an extraordinarily
inflated security bond of £50,000. The bond stipulated that Dundelow appear at the
next court to be held in November “to do and receive what shall be then & there
enjoined him by said Court.” Obviously, Dundelow was unable to remit the stipulated
sum to the court. However, two county justices, Simon Turner and Andrew Oliver,
provided the funds. On Tuesday, November 13, 1781, Dundelow appeared in open court
and “was discharged from his recognizance.”16
	On January 24, 1782, Henry’s brother, Hugh Dundelow died in South Carolina while
serving as a private in the First North Carolina Regiment. Dundelow had enlisted on
April 15, 1781, for a twelve-month term of service and was assigned to Capt. Tilman
Dixon’s company. At the time of Dundelow’s death (apparently due to illness or
disease), the First Regiment was stationed near Charleston, South Carolina.17
	Henry Dundelow’s legal problems continue to arise. During the August 1782 session
of Bertie County court, Nicca [aka Nicey] Weston sued Dundelow for “trespass [and]
debt.” Weston sought £13 in damages. Clerk of Court Stevens Gray ordered Sheriff
Jonathan Jacocks to have Dundelow appear at the November 1782 court to answer
Weston’s charges. Apparently, Henry had broken a contract or agreement in which he
had entered with Weston. Subsequently, Hardy Weston was added as a co-plaintiff in
the suit. The case was not settled until the February 1783 court when a jury found
for the plaintiffs and awarded them £9.13.0. Dundelow was also liable for court
costs related to the trial. In order to gather sufficient funds to satisfy the
jury’s award, the justices ordered Jacocks to take possession of Dundelow’s goods,
chattels, land and tenements to the extent necessary to generate £12.14.5 (by a
public sale of property) and provide the funds to the court at the May 1783 session.
However, for undisclosed reasons, Jacocks did not produce the funds owed to the
Westons during the May court. Gray issued another order to Jacocks to take
possession of Dundelow’s property and generate £12.18.2. Jacocks was to have the
designated sum at the courthouse on the second Monday of August 1783 (opening day of
the quarterly session).18
	During three consecutive quarterly sessions of Bertie County court – February 1783
through August 1783 – Henry Dundelow was the defendant in a case brought by the
State. Little information is derived from the State docket regarding the case which
noted that Dundelow was “not guilty with leave replication & Issue.” A replication
is a pleading made by a plaintiff in reply to a defendant’s plea or answer.19
	Henry Dundelow, with his legal issues, was surely a man in need of money.
Throughout his three-year term of service in the army during the Revolutionary War,
he had not received all the pay that was due to him. By voucher dated May 1, 1983,
the state of North Carolina determined that it was indebted to Dundelow in the
amount of £80.12.0 for arrears in military pay. He was paid in July 1783.20
	In Bertie County court on August 13, 1783, justices appointed Henry to serve as the
administrator of Hugh Dundelow’s estate. Elisha Rhodes served as security (£50
specie) for Dundelow’s administration bond. On September 10 Henry prepared an
inventory of his deceased brother’s estate which he presented to the court in
November 1783. Relatedly, he filed civil actions against Joseph Collins (from whom
Hugh Dundelow had purchased one hundred acres of land in 1781) and Jesse Collins
(son of Joseph) seeking amounts allegedly owed to Hugh’s estate. Eventually, during
the November 1784 court session, a jury awarded £4.12.0 to Hugh Dundelow’s estate
from Joseph Collins. Even though Hugh Dundelow owned very little property, Henry was
unable to completely settle the estate.21



Inventory of the Hugh Dundelow’s as taken by Henry Dundelow, September 10, 1783: 100
acres of land, one mare and two fold, two cows and one yearling, one featherbed, one
saddle, one pewter dish and plate. 


Concurrently, as Henry Dundelow was dealing with his brother’s estate, he was
personally being sued by others. Peter Clifton filed a complaint with Justice
William Benson on April 22, 1784, contending that Henry Dundelow was indebted to him
in the sum of £1.18.10, plus an undisclosed amount of interest. Clifton informed
Benson that Dundelow “hath removed himself” from Bertie County and the state of
North Carolina … “so absconds or conceals himself.”22 While it cannot be proven that
Dundelow had hurriedly departed Bertie County, he most likely was hiding from
authorities and clearly, Peter Clifton, himself a Bertie County justice, was not
able to locate him.
Furthermore, during the August 1784 court, James Moore filed a complaint with
Justice Clifton that Henry Dundelow and Elisha Rhodes jointly owed him £3, plus
interest, from February 10, 1776. Moore presented a promissory note to Clifton
supporting his complaint. Clifton issued an order to the Sheriff James Campbell to
apprehend Dundelow and Rhodes, and deliver them to himself or any other Bertie
County justice to answer Moore’s complaint. The defendants (likely Elisha Rhodes for
himself and on behalf of Dundelow) requested an appeal. The case of Moore vs. Rhodes
and Dundelow was continued from the November 1784 court session to the February 1785
session when jurors confirmed that the defendants owed Moore £3 with interest.
Rhodes and Dundelow appealed the decision, which was confirmed by the presiding
justices. But, Rhodes and Dundelow failed to remit the sum owed per the court’s
determination. On April 22, James Moore appealed to Clerk of Court Stevens Gray
seeking to have Dundelow and Rhodes pay the amount owed. On May 9, 1785, Stevens
Gray – having obviously affirmed the jury’s decision – ordered the Sheriff Campbell
to take possession of property of Dundelow and Rhodes and generate the necessary
monies (through public sale(s)) to pay James Moore. The order directed the sheriff
to deliver the monies to the November 1785 court. Then sheriff, John Wolfendon,
“satisfied” the order and apparently, James Moore received his jury award.23 
	Simultaneously, as Henry Dundelow was caught up in legal issues involving Hugh’s
estate and his own personal dealings, his sister-in-law, Ann Dundelow – the widow of
Hugh – was facing criminal charges for engaging in an adulterous affair with John
Cale (subject of the “Indian legend”). Bertie County court officials issued various
warrants from February 1783 through May 1784 for Ann and Cale’s arrests. The pair
was evading Bertie County law enforcement officers. John Wolfenden finally detained
Ann pursuant to an arrest warrant dated May 20, 1784. Justices decided during the
August 1784 court to not prosecute Ann. Law enforcement officers also eventually
captured John Cale.24 Likely, Ann’s legal troubles had no effectual bearing on
Henry’s inability to close successful settle his brother’s estate. During 1783 and
1784, cases involving Dundelow family members were prevalent on Bertie County’s
civil and criminal dockets.
	Henry Dundelow built structures on land within the Town of Windsor for which he was
not the owner. During the February 1785 court, presiding Justices William Gray,
Peter Clifton, William Pugh, and Cader Powell ordered Dundelow to remove his houses
off of “public lots.” The justices’ order apparently prompted Dundelow to acquire
the site where his structures were situated – on February 13, 1785, he purchased
from the Commissioners of Windsor one-half of a lot (one quarter of an acre) in the
town for £7.10.0. The resulting deed was proved in county court during May 1786 by
the oath of Amos Turner.25
	By April 1785, a year had passed since Justice Peter Clifton filed suit against
Henry Dundelow for debt owed. On April 22, 1785, Clifton filed another complaint
contending that Henry Dundelow owed him £7.11.10. Clifton, in seeking access to
Dundelow’s assets, executed an “attachment bond” with the court. The Clifton vs.
Dundelow case was included on the docket for the August 1785 court. Henry Dundelow
apparently failed to show for the proceedings, and the justices rendered a favorable
“judgment by default” for Clifton.26
	By the summer of 1785, Henry Dundelow was no longer financially viable. Bertie
County officials deemed him insolvent – unable to pay debts owed. Six months later,
during the February 1786 court session, justices ordered Elisha Rhodes to take
possession of the property which remained in Hugh Dundelow’s estate.27 In essence,
Rhodes replaced Henry Dundelow as the estate’s administrator. After two and one-half
years, Henry had not satisfactory “administered” his deceased brother’s small
estate. 
	Dundelow continued to reside in Bertie County for an undeterminable period of time.
He was enumerated in a 1787 census of the county. His household consisted of one
white male (aged 21 to 60 years) and one white female. In February 1787 he filed a
complaint (“plea of trespass”) against Whitehouse Hawkins for £40. In August 1787 he
was complainant in a non-suit civil action against William Virgin. By August 1790,
he had relocated to Halifax County, North Carolina. His household consisted only of
himself, indicating that any other household or family members remained in Bertie
County.28 Henry Dundelow had resided in Bertie County for less than two decades.
Anecdotal evidence derived from available sources clearly reveal that during his
residency in the county he struggled financially and in his personal dealings with
others. He was likely a pauper before he departed Bertie County.
	Possibly, the opportunity for an income and adventure arose for Dundelow in Halifax
County. Joseph Montfort, a resident of Halifax and a veteran company commander in
the North Carolina Line during the Revolutionary War, had been given authority by
the War Department to raise a company of North Carolinians to serve in nation’s
Regiment of Infantry, formerly the First American Regiment of Infantry. Thomas
Pasteur, also a veteran officer of the Revolutionary War, was commissioned a
lieutenant subordinate to Montfort. The First American Regiment of Infantry was the
first peacetime regular army infantry unit authorized by the Continental Congress
following the Revolutionary War. It was organized in August 1784 and served on the
northwestern frontier (region of present-day western Pennsylvania and Ohio). Col.
Josiah Harmar commanded the regiment. From August 1784 until 1791 the regiment was
the only infantry regiment in the service of the United States as the nation
predominantly relied on state militias for defense and security. Congress passed an
act on March 3, 1791, which mandated that the United States Army be reorganized to
include two regiments of infantry. Henry Dundelow enlisted as a private in Captain
Montfort’s company on September 18, 1790. He was one of the first nine individuals
to enlist and his pay was $3 per month.29
	Hostilities between the United States and Native Americans began in the formerly
British-controlled region comprised of present-day Ohio shortly after the
Revolutionary War. The United States established the Northwest Territory in 1787 to
encompass the area west of the Appalachian Mountains and north of the Ohio River.
Army general, Arthur St. Clair, was appointed governor of the territory. By the fall
of 1790, the so-called Northwest Indian War, had been ongoing for approximately
three years in the territory as forces of the United States Army confronted a
confederacy of Native American tribes.30
	In October 1790 – as Joseph Montfort was recruiting men for his company – Bvt.
Brig-Gen Josiah Harmar led more than 1,300 troops (regulars and militia) on a
disastrous campaign near present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Regiment of Infantry
was part of Harmar’s army for the campaign. Harmar, acting on orders from Pres.
George Washington, was focused on destroying the Miami tribe’s settlement at
Kekionga (situated at the confluence of the Saint Joseph, Saint Marys and Maumee
rivers), the center of Indian resistance to the western migration of American
settlers across the Ohio River. Chief Little Turtle led the Miami people. On October
19, a 300-man force which Harmar had ordered to move north of Kekionga was ambushed
by a Miami contingent led by Little Turtle. The affair, which occurred new
present-day Heller’s Corner, Indiana, resulted in almost total annihilation of the
American force. Three days later, Harmar sent another force to attack Kekionga.
However, Little Turtle’s warriors outmaneuvered the American troops, inflicting
heavy casualties (including killing two of the primary officers leading the
soldiers). When the battle ended, 183 United States soldiers had been slain and
Harmar was compelled to retreat with his force to Fort Washington. Chief Little
Turtle and his warriors had staunchly held their village in the first battle
involving the United States Army since the conclusion of Revolutionary War. The
battle became known as “Harmar’s Defeat.”31
Raising, organizing, equipping and initially training a new company of soldiers was
time consuming and laborious for Captain Montfort. Not until April 1791 was
Montfort’s 61-man company of North Carolinians finally marching to join their
regiment. The company, having passed through the Cumberland Gap, arrived at Fort
Washington (near present-day Cincinnati, Ohio) on July 14, 1791.32 Montfort’s men
had marched approximately 600 miles. The company was integrated into the regiment as
a constituent component.
	In early November 1791, the United States Army, under the command of Maj. Gen.
Arthur St. Clair, was campaigning in western Ohio. An element of the First Infantry
Regiment was dispatched to search for an overdue supply train. The supplies were not
found. On the evening of November 3, St. Clair's force – consisting of regular army
soldiers and militia – established camp on a hill near the present-day location of
Fort Recovery, Ohio. Unbeknown to the Americans, a force of Native Americans
estimated at 1,000 warriors, led by Chiefs Little Turtle and Blue Jacket, were
concealed in the woods near the encampment. The warriors waited in the woods until
dawn, November 4, when the American soldiers stacked their weapons and proceeded to
their morning meals. The natives, seizing their opportunity, struck, stunning the
Americans and totally overrunning their camp. The infantrymen of the First Regiment
who had been detailed in search of the supply train were marching to rejoin the main
force when they heard gunfire. The Americans broke their musket stacks and
counterattacked, forcing the natives to pull back. The natives then flanked and
closed in on the soldiers. The Americans attempted several bayonet charges, with
futile results. Eventually, after three hours of chaotic close-in combat, Gen. St.
Clair’s forces collapsed. St. Clair was forced to call a retreat. Survivors fled the
scene and ran for Fort Jefferson. The battle, subsequently known as St. Clair’s
Defeat, was the worst defeat (highest percentage of casualties) in the history of
the United States Army. The casualty rate among the soldiers was more than 97
percent (632 men killed and 264 wounded). Almost 200 camp followers (civilians) were
slaughtered by Little Turtle and Blue Jacket’s warriors. Approximately one-fourth of
the entire United States Army had been wiped out. President Washington became
incensed when he learned of the battlefield trouncing and the horrific loss of life
endured by the troops.33
	Pvt. Henry Dundelow was not one of the American casualties. His company
(Montfort’s) had been manning newly-constructed Fort Hamilton (present-day Butler
County, Ohio) during the battle. The fort was situated more than seventy miles to
the south of the battle site. Three days after the battle, Gen. St. Clair dispatched
Captain Montfort’s company from Fort Hamilton with medical supplies. On November 9,
Captain Erkuries Beatty and a 58-man detail from his company were sent northward to
assist Captain Montfort in bringing in stragglers and the wounded the found. On the
10th, Montfort’s company had returned to Fort Hamilton and was protecting wounded
soldiers until they could be transported to Fort Washington.34
	In February 1792 Capt. Joseph Montfort’s company was assigned to Fort Jefferson
(near present-day Greenville, Ohio). On April 27, 1792, Montfort was killed by
“hostile Indians” while on patrol near the fort. Thomas Pasteur assumed command of
the company. He had been promoted to captain in March 179235
	Pres. George Washington, on September 4, 1792, pursuant to an act of Congress dated
March 5, 1792, directed that the Army of the United States be designated as the
Legion of the United States, which was divided into four sub-legions. Each
sub-legion was comprised of two battalions of infantry, a rifle battalion, and a
troop of dragoons., The First Regiment (with Henry Dundelow as a member in Pasteur’s
company) formed the infantry component of the First Sub-Legion. Gen. Anthony Wayne,
Commander in Chief of the Army with headquarters at Fort Lafayette in Pittsburgh,
immediately issued general orders announcing and prescribing the formation of the
Legion. Maj. John F. Hamtramck commanded the First Regiment at the time.36
As a result of two disastrous defeats – Harmar’s and St. Clair’s – Pres. George
Washington knew that the army needed to be better trained and disciplined. He
selected a fiery veteran general of the Revolutionary War, Anthon Wayne, to lead the
effort. Gen. Wayne selected a site on the Ohio River about twenty-two miles from
Pittsburgh to be the central training facility of the Legion. He dubbed the camp,
Legion Ville (near present-day Baden, Beaver County, Pennsylvania). On November 9,
an advance party arrived at the site and began preparing the camp for the arrival of
the main army (i.e., the Legion). General orders of November 27, 1792, Headquarters,
Legion of the United States, directed: “The signal for marching will be a gun from
the park which will fire exactly at 9 O’Clock in the morning upon which the whole of
the Artillery, Infantry and Rifle Corps will move and embark on board the Boats.”
The next morning, General Wayne and his troops departed Pittsburgh and less than
four hours later, disembarked at the new cantonment.37
	Within a few weeks of arriving at the Legion Ville camp, Pvt. Henry Dundelow had
become ill. Per a muster roll dated January 1, 1793, Dundelow was reported “sick in
the hospital” at the camp. He died one week later, January 8, and was buried at the
cantonment.38 Likely, he was in his early to mid-forties when he passed away.
	No records have been discovered identifying a wife or children of Henry Dundelow.
Nor can the identity of a possible wife be determine based on available information
from discovered records. However, circumstantial information and related analyses
indicate that Henry likely had two daughters – Sarah Dundelow and Lucy Dundelow –
who continued to reside in Bertie County after he departed the community.
	Following the Revolutionary War, North Carolina set aside land in upper Middle
Tennessee as a military reservation. (The area encompassed by the state of Tennessee
was initially part of North Carolina. Tennessee was admitted to the Union on June 1,
1796.) The land was reserved for soldiers (or their heirs) who served in the North
Carolina Continental Line during the Revolutionary War. In 1782 surveyors were sent
out to the designated area to initiate the surveying process.39 Henry Dundelow was
entitled to a land warrant based on his military service during the war. However, he
died without have sought the warrant.
	On December 5, 1805, Lemuel Hosea (also known as Lamuel) and his wife, Sarah Hosea,
appeared before Justice James Whedbee in Perquimans County and appointed their
“worthy friend,” Daniel Cherry of Wilson County, Tennessee as their power of
attorney. Cherry was delegated authority to seek whatever money or military land
warrant was due to the Hoseas as the heirs of Henry Dundelow. The next day Lemuel
and Sarah filed a petition to the North Carolina General Assembly stating that
Dundelow never received a land warrant, nor had they as his heirs. They stated that
they were “the only heirs of the sd [said] Henry.” They requested the lawmakers to
direct the Secretary of State to issue a military land warrant to them. On December
8, James Layton and Ezekiel White stated under oath in Bertie County before Justice
George Outlaw that they had been acquainted with Sarah Hosea “ever since she was an
infant.” They confirmed that she was the only heir of Henry Dundelow. Subsequently,
William White, the North Carolina Secretary of State, reported that Dundelow “stands
mustered for 3 years” and no warrant had been issued in his name. The state issued
Warrant No. 143 for 428 acres to the Hoseas. On April 3, 1807, Lemuel and Sarah sold
the warrant to Daniel Cherry.40
	The documents related to the issuance of the land warrant for Henry Dundelow’s
service unequivocally reveal that Sarah Hosea was his only legal heir (i.e., direct
relative). Sarah married Solomon Sparkman in Bertie County on December 22, 1797.
However, Solomon died less than four years after the marriage. Bertie County court
officials appointed Henry Pugh as administrator of Solomon’s estate on August 10,
1801. Subsequently (but prior to December 1805), Sarah Dundelow Sparkman married
Lemuel Hosea of Perquimans County. Lemuel, known as Lamuel by his family, was born
ca. 1780-1782 in Perquimans County. His parents were Joseph Hosea and Mary Johnston
who were married on July 15, 1779. Joseph Hosea died between July 20, 1785 (date of
his will) and October 1785 (date his will was proved in Perquimans County court). At
the time of his demise, he and Mary had three young children – Lamuel (aka Lemuel),
Mary, and Joseph (none of whom were likely older than five years of age).41
	Prior to December 1805 Sarah Dundelow married Lemuel Hosea, before that date.  was
probably not twenty-five years old. Assuming that Lemuel and Sarah were
approximately the same ages (born during the late 1770s to early 1780s), the author
posits Sarah as the daughter of Henry Dundelow.
	Available records, although quite limited in number, indicate that Lucy Dundelow
was of the proper generation to also have been a daughter of Henry Dundelow. Lucy’s
name first appears in Bertie County public records in January 1799 when she filed a
civil action against James Rhodes, the brother of Elisha Rhodes (who, as conveyed
above in this paper, was a party to several legal interactions with Henry Dundelow).
No detailed information is derived from the available records – a summons dated
January 10, 1799, for Bersheba Rhodes and Rachel Dupell to appear in Bertie County
court during the February 1799 session as witnesses on behalf of James. Rhodes. The
docket notes that during the May 1799 court session the case was “Nonsuited” (i.e.
terminated) with the remark “Not taken on account of her situation.” David Curry Jr.
married Lucy Dundelow in Bertie County on September 16, 1801. As previously noted in
August 1775, David Curry [Sr.] and Henry Dundelow were parties to a petition to the
Bertie County court to be exempted from working on an area road.41 Logically, Curry
and Dundelow must have resided within reasonable proximity of each other. If so,
David Curry Jr. and Lucy Dundelow may have known each other from childhood. They
were surely of the same generation and quite likely approximately the same ages.
Therefore, based on the circumstantial information, the author posits Lucy Dundelow
as the daughter of Henry Dundelow. Since Lucy was not named as an heir of Henry
Dundelow by Lemuel and Sarah Hosea in the December 1805 petition to the Legislature
for Henry Dundelow’s military land warrant, the author assumes that Lucy died
between the date of her marriage to Curry and December 1805. No records have been
found to indicate that Lucy Dundelow was a daughter of Hugh Dundelow and his wife,
Ann, or possibly an out-of-wedlock child of Ann.

Author’s conclusionary comments

The “real life” Henry Dundelow bore no semblance to the fictitious “Henre Duneleaux”
of the “John Cale, Indian legend. As with most other aspects of the legend, “Henre”
was clearly the product of unsupported generalizations and storytelling.
During his residency in Bertie County, Henry Dundelow overall led an uninspiring
existence. Frequently the party to lawsuits in county court, he seeming was unable
to effectively manage his affairs. His societal position spiraled downward until he
was publicly recognized by county officials as an insolvent citizen – unable to pay
county taxes and satisfy other financial obligations. He even appears to have been a
squatter on public land.
	Despite his mediocre life in Bertie County, Henry Dundelow was an honorable
participant in two momentous events in American history – the Revolutionary War and
the Northwest Indian War. Most likely, no other Bertie County resident could have
claimed such service to the young nation. His life came to an end at Legion Ville, a
desolate army camp in the western Pennsylvania wilderness. He was buried along with
sixteen other soldiers who died at the camp before it was closed on April 30, 1793.
Today, their unmarked graves are in danger of being forever obscured by encroaching
development. According to one Pennsylvania historian, the “men have been forgotten
by most everyone, but their unmarked graves stand as a stark reminder of how our
nation’s proud military got its start in … western Pennsylvania.”43 Nobody can ever
know why Henry Dundelow decided to become an “old soldier” and venture to the
then-frontier of the nation to fight against Native Americans. Maybe it is fitting
that he lies on the banks of the Ohio River where some local citizens still honor
his service by trying to protect his and the other “forgotten” soldiers’ graves. 


NOTES
1  Gerald W. Thomas, “A Critical Examination of a Family Legend: John Cale,
Purported Indian,” unpublished research paper, 2013 (hereafter cited as Thomas,
‘Critical Examination”). 

2  Weynette Parks Haun (comp.), Bertie County, North Carolina Court Minutes,
1772-1780, Book IV (Durham: the compiler, 1979), 19 (hereafter cited as Haun, Court
Minutes IV); Promissory note dated June 6, 1774, George Keen to Peter Clifton,
Bertie County Promissory Notes, CR.010.928.3, folder 1771-1775, North Carolina State
Archives; A List of Taxables taken for the year 1774, G.A.11.1 [General Assembly
Records], Bertie County 1774 Tax List, State Archives.
	The 1774 Bertie County “List of Taxables” is undated, but in accordance with North
Carolina law, the list would have been prepared under the purview of the county
justices between May 1 and November 1. “Laws of North Carolina, 1774,” Clark,
Walter, ed., The State Records of North Carolina, 16 vols. number 11-26 (Raleigh:
State of North Carolina, 1895-1906), 23:934 (hereafter cited as Clark, State
Records). The categories of taxable persons per the 1774 list were: “white persons,”
“mullattoes free,” “Negro men 16 years upwards,” “boys under 16 [years],” and
“wenches.”

3  Bill of costs for Henry Dunnelloe and order to sheriff, August 12, 1774, Bertie
County Civil Action Court Papers, C.R.010.325, State Archives (hereafter cited as
Civil Action Court Papers).
	In accordance with North Carolina law, the Bertie County justices elected the
county sheriff annually in May. They submitted the name of their selectee to the
governor for affirmation. Arthur Brown was elected sheriff in May 1774 with seven
votes from the justices (James Moore received four votes and George Lockhart,
three). Haun, Court Minutes IV, 19.

4  Order to sheriff (for appearance of William Jenkins), November 12, 1774, Order to
sheriff for appearance of Henry Dunnalow, May 15, 1775, Civil Action Court Papers;
February 1775 court, case No. 40, Henry Dunnelow vs. William Jenkins, Bertie County
Trial, Appearance and Reference Docket, Bertie County Court of Pleas and Quarter
Sessions, 1767-1775, CR.010.308.9, State Archives (hereafter cited as Bertie County
Trial Docket).

5  May 1775 court, case No. 12, James Wiggins vs. Henry Dundelow, August 1775 court,
case No. 26, James Wiggins vs. Henry Dunnelow, Bertie County Trial Docket. 

6  Haun, Court Minutes IV, 54.

7  Gerald W. Thomas, Rebels and King’s Men: Bertie County in the Revolutionary War
(Raleigh: North Carolina Office of Archives and History, Department of Cultural
Resources, 2013), 22 (hereafter cited as Thomas, Rebels and King’s Men); Laura
Willis, Bertie County, North Carolina Tax Lists for 1775, 1778, 1779, (Mayfield, KY:
Simmons Historical Publications, 2009), 3,11.

8  Clark, State Records, 23:940; Weynette Parks Haun (comp.), North Carolina
Revolutionary Army Accounts, Secretary of State Treasurer’s & Comptroller’s Papers
Journal “A” (Public Accounts) 1775-1776 (Durham: the compiler, 1988), 58.

9 Haun, Court Minutes IV, 63.

10  Revolutionary War Rolls, M246 (microfilm), Roll 79 [North Carolina]; Compiled
Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary
War, M881 (microfilm), roll 781; Clark, State Records, 16:1039;
www.myrevolutionarywar.com/states/nc-01.htm; Thomas, Rebels and King’s Men, 98-108.
The First Regiment was also known as the First Battalion.

11  Thomas, Rebels and King’s Men, 113-114.

12  Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the
Revolutionary War, M881 (microfilm); Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783, M246, Roll
#79 (North Carolina), National Archives; Clark, State Records, 16:1039; Weynette
Parks Haun (comp.), North Carolina Revolutionary Army Accounts (Treasurer’s &
Comptroller’s Papers), North Carolina Continental Line, 1776-1783, Part IX (Durham:
the compiler, 1999), 1150 (hereafter cited as Haun, Army Accounts IX)..

13  Website, www.myrevolutionarywar.com/states/nc-01.htm; Haun Army Accounts IX,
1150.

14  May 1778 court, case No. 25, James Wiggins vs. Henry Dundelow; August 1778
court, Case No. 20, Wiggins vs. Dundelow; November 1778 court, Case No. 17, Wiggins
vs. Dundelow, 

15  February 1781 court, case No. 9, Henry Dunnelo vs. John Oxley; May 1781 court,
case No. 26, Dundelow vs. Oxley, August 1781 court, case No. 25, Dundelow vs. Oxley,
Bertie County Trial Docket. 

16  Weynette Parks Haun (comp.), Bertie County, North Carolina, County Court
Minutes, 1781 thru 1787, Book V (Durham: the compiler, 1982), 9, 12 (hereafter cited
as Haun, Court Minutes V); Henry Dunnelo appearance bond, August 15, 1781, Civil
Action Court Papers.

17 Clark, State Records, 16:1131.

18  Order to sheriff, February 10, 1783, Nicey Weston vs. Henry Dunelo, Civil Action
Court Papers; Order to sheriff for Henry Dunnelo to appear, August 13,1782, Nicey
Weston vs. Henry Dunelo, Civil Action Court Papers; November 1782 court, case No. 6,
Nicca [Nicey] Weston vs. Henry Dunelo, February 1783 court, case No. 8, Nicca
[Nicey] Weston & Hardy Weston vs. Henry Dunelo, May 13, 1783, order to sheriff,
Weston vs. Dunnelo, Bertie County Trial Docket.
	During the May 1783 court session, the Bertie County justices elected James
Campbell to succeed Jacocks as sheriff. Campbell assumed the duties of the office in
August 1783. Haun, Court Minutes V, 44.

19  February 1783, May 1783, August 1783, State vs. Henry Dondelow, Bertie County
State Docket, 1778-1798.

20  Revolutionary War pay voucher, Henry Dundelow, May 1, 1783, North Carolina
Revolutionary War Pay Vouchers, State Archives; North Carolina Revolutionary Army
Accounts, paid July 25, 1783, by John Armstrong, Roster of Soldiers from North
Carolina in the American Revolution (Durham: The North Carolina Daughters of the
American Revolution, The Seeman Press, 1932) 93.

21  Haun, Court Minutes V, 42, 48, 68; David B. Gammon, Records of Estates, Bertie
County, North Carolina, 1734-1788 (Raleigh: David B. Gammon, 1993), 2:27; David B.
Gammon, Records of Estates, Bertie County, North Carolina, 1784-1744, 1762-1790,
1:923; Bertie County deed M-533; August 1783 court, Henry Dondlow, administrator of
Hugh Dondlo vs. Jesse Collins, Civil Action Court Papers; November 1783 court, Henry
Dondelow vs. Joseph Collins, Bertie County Trial Docket; May 1784 court, case No.
23, Henry Dondelow vs. Joseph Collins, November 1784 cocurt, H. Dondelow,
administrator (etc.) vs. Joseph Collins, Bertie County Trial Docket.

22  April 22, 1784, Complaint of Peter Clifton against Henry O’Donileiigh, Civil
Action Court Papers.

23  August 10, 1784, James Moore complaint against Elisha Rhodes and Henry Dunilow,
August 12, 1784, Justice Peter Clifton order to Bertie County sheriff, Civil Action
Court Papers; November 1784 court, case No. 22, James Moore vs. Henry Dundelow and
Elisha Rhodes,; February 1785 court, case No. 68, Henry Dundelow and Elisha Rhodes,
Bertie County Trial Docket; May 1785 court, James Moore appeal, May 9, 1785, James
Moore vs. Henry Dundelow & Elisha Rhodes, Order to sheriff; Civil Action Court
Papers..

24  Thomas, ‘Critical Examination.”

25 Haun, Court Minutes V, 73; Bertie County deed N-236.

26  April 22, 1785, Peter Clifton, attachment bond, Henry O’Donileigh, Civil Action
Court Papers; August 1785 court – case No. 4, Peter Clifton vs. Henry Dunnelo,
Bertie County Trial Docket.

27 List of Insolvents, 1774-1822, Bertie County Miscellaneous Records,
CR.010.928.10, State Archives; Haun, Court Minutes V, 85, 98.

28  Alvaretta Kenan (transcriber), State Census of North Carolina, 1784-1787, (2nd
Edition Revised) (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing CO., Inc, 1973), 9, 11; Feb 19,
1787, Order to sheriff for Whitehouse Hawkins to answer Henry Dunnelo, plea of
trespass, Civil Action Court Papers; Bertie County Execution Docket, Dec. 1767 – May
1790, CR.010.304.2, State Archives; Halifax County Census of 1790, Clark, State
Records, 26:619.

29  Joseph Montfort,” “Thomas Pasteur,” Gardner, Charles K., A Dictionary of All
Officers Who Have Been Commissioned or Have Been Approved in the Army of the United
States, 1789-1853 (New York: G. P. Putnam and Company, 1853), 824 (hereafter cited
as Gardner, Army Officers); “First American Regiment,” Wikipedia; Compiled Service
Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served From 1784 – 1811, M905 (microfilm),
National Archives; A Return of All the Non-Commissioned Officers and Privates
belonging to the Regular Establishment of the United States and the times of their
Entering the Servicer, Consolidated Returns of Enlisted Men, 1789-1792, Legion of
the United States, entry 366, RG 98, National Archives. Joseph Montfort’s surname is
also shown as “Montford” in various records.
	The Continental Congress authorized the issuance dollar currency in 1775. On April
2, 1795, the United State Congress created the dollar as the county’s stand unit of
money. However, the British pound continued to be widely used throughout the
country.

30  “Northwest Indian War,” “Northwest Territory,” Wikipedia.

31  “The Battle of Kekionga,” Josiah Harmar,” Wikipedia.

32  Richard M. Lytle, The Soldiers of America’s First Army, 1791 (Lanham, Maryland,
Toronto, Oxford: Scarecrow Press, 2004), 39, 51, 56 (hereafter cited as Lytle,
America’s First Army).

33  “First American Regiment,” Wikipedia.

34  Lytle, America’s First Army, 1791, 112, 114, 115; “Erkuries Beatty, Gardner,
Army Officers.

35  Lytle, America’s First Army, 161.

36  Francis B. Heitman, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army
(Washington: Government Printing Office, 1903), 1:81, 139-141; “Thomas Pasteur,”
Gardner, Army Officers.”

37  “Legion Ville, PA,” Wikipedia; General Orders, November 27, 1792, Headquarters,
Legion of the United States, Pittsburgh, Orders Issued by the Legion of the United
States at Pittsburgh and Legionvile, Sept. 1792 – April 1793, RG 98, National
Archives. Some historians have characterized Legion Ville as the American military’s
first basic training facility.

38  Patrick Riley, M.A. Archaeologist to Neal Baker, June 25, 2002, email message
and copy forwarded from Baker to the author, June 25, 2002. Riley noted in his
message to Baker that he had obtained the cited information on Dundelow from muster
rolls for the First Sub-Legion which he reviewed at the National Archives,
Washington, D.C. On May 13, 2010, the author visited the National Archives and
requested to review the muster rolls of the First Regiment United States Infantry
and the First Sub-Legion. However, the archivists in the Finding Aids Office advised
the author that since the rolls are so old and in “bad condition,” they are no
longer pulled for researchers to handle and review.

39  “North Carolina and Tennessee, Revolutionary War Land Warrants, 1783-1843,”
Ancestry.com (website); Clark, State Records, 24:420.

40  North Carolina Legislative Papers (LP 216), State Archives; Warrant No. 143.
North Carolina Revolutionary Military Papers, Journal of North Carolina Genealogy
(The North Carolinian); Weynette Parks Haun (comp.), North Carolina Revolutionary
Army Accounts (Secretary of State: SS.981.1:S.108.264), Military Land Warrant Book,
1783-1841, Continental Line, 1783-1841, Part XV (Durham: the compiler, 1999), 2128;
Perquimans County deed P-235.

41 Frances T. Ingmire, comp., Bertie County Marriage Records, 1759-1866 (St. Louis,
MO: the compiler, 1984), 11 (hereafter cited as Ingmire, Bertie County Marriages);
Henry Pugh, administration bond, August 10, 1801, Solomon Sparkman’s estate file,
Bertie County Estate Files; Joseph Hosea to Mary Johnston, Perquimans County
marriage records; Joseph Hosea will, No. C-329, Perquimans County.
Coincidently, Lemuel Hosea served in McDonald’s Regiment (First) North Carolina
Detached Militia during the War of 1812. Charney C. Dundelow/Cale), the
out-of-wedlock son of Ann Dundelow (the widow of Hugh Dundelow and thus, Henry
Dundelow’s sister-in-law), also served in that regiment.

42  Summons, January 10, 1799, Bersheba Rhodes and Rachel Dupell, Lucy Dunelo vs.
James Rhodes, Civil Action Court Papers; May 1799 court, case No. 76. Luicey
Dundelow vs. James Rhodes, Bertie County Execution Docket, 1799-1801, CR.010.304.5.,
State Archives; Ingmire, Bertie County Marriages, 11.

43 Jeffrey Snedden, “Histories & Mysteries: The forgotten 17 are America’s earliest
veterans buried in unmarked graves in Beaver County,” The Beaver County Times
(Aliquippa, PA.), November 13, 2018.
	Over the years various attempts have been made to declare the Legion Ville site a
national historic landmark. During the mid-1970s, Sen. John Heinz (Pennsylvania)
pushed a bill through Congress to turn the site into a national park. Unfortunately,
then-President Jimmy Carter vetoed the bill.



File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/bertie/bios/dundelow49nbs.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ncfiles/

File size: 48.0 Kb