When President James Madison signed the declaration of war against Great Britain on 18 June 1812, my 5x great grandfather Thomas C. Frederick Sr. (a Revolutionary War veteran, who died in 1808) and his wife Ann Margaret Tibbens Frederick, had nine sons. Seven of those sons were of military age: George, Thomas Jr., Jacob, the second John, Henry, Noah and Samuel. I can document that four of these sons, Thomas Jr. (my 4x great-grandfather), Noah, the second John and Samuel; served their country in the War of 1812. Two other sons were not able to serve – they are the first son named John, who died in infancy; and William Frederick, who was only 12 years old in 1812.
Here is a brief synopsis of my research on Thomas Frederick Sr.’s seven sons of military age in 1812:
GEORGE FREDERICK: The oldest son, George Frederick, b. 1775, was 37 in 1812, and married with six children. He was a miller, and lived in Columbiana County until about 1835. He then moved to Gallia County, Ohio. Gallia County history does not mention George serving in the War of 1812. His grave in Gallia County is not marked as a veteran’s grave. There was a George Frederick who served from Ohio – see the “Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812” – but that George Frederick was probably from Ross County.
The Frederick family lateral file at the Wayne County Public Library notes that George Frederick served as a Captain in the First Regiment, Second Brigade, Fourth Division, Ohio Militia that was organized in 1806 in Columbiana County. This is probably our George Frederick but, while he may have served in the militia, there is no evidence he served in the War of 1812.
Brothers Thomas Frederick Jr. (my 4x great-grandfather) and Noah Frederick (my 4x great-granduncle) joined Capt. Samuel Martin’s Company of the Ohio Militia. This information comes from, “Ohio War of 1812 Soldier’s Family Groups” – see https://resources.ohiohistory.org/roster/index.php Noah Frederick was a Sergeant and Thomas Frederick Jr. was a Private. Their pension and bounty land applications indicate that they served from August to November 1812.
THOMAS FREDERICK JR.: According to his official War of 1812 pension record, Thomas Frederick Jr. was drafted at New Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio, into Captain Martin’s Company of the Ohio Militia on 4 Aug 1812, and discharged on 30 November 1812. In his pension application, Thomas stated that he marched through Wooster and Mansfield, Ohio to the mouth of the Huron River, where he was discharged. For his service, Thomas received two bounty land warrants, one of 40 acres and the other of 120 acres.
Thomas Frederick Jr. applied for a war pension on 25 May 1871, but apparently died (11 August 1871) before receiving any pension money.
Thomas Frederick Jr. and his wife, Elizabeth Shawk Frederick (my 4x great-grandparents), moved to Chippewa Township in Wayne County, Ohio in 1813. According to Wayne County Ancestors (v. 17, I. 1), Thomas Frederick Jr. was the first settler in Chippewa Township. Thomas and Elizabeth were the parents of 14 children: Jacob, Harriet, Margaret, Sophia, Reasin, Dorothy, Rachael, Matthew Elder, William, Henry, Catherine Ann, Sarah Ann, Elizabeth and Mary Ann.
In Wayne County, Ohio, Thomas Jr. was a well-known hunter. He is said to have shot the last bear in Chippewa Township. Thomas was a “famous pedestrian” and is said to have walked or jogged everywhere. He did not ride on horseback or in a carriage – though he kept horses and had a carriage for his family.
Elizabeth Shawk Frederick died in 1847. Thomas Frederick Jr. died in 1871 at the age of 93. According to his obituary in the Tri-County News, published on 23 August 1871, he had 14 children, 62 grandchildren, 113 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great grandchildren. Cemetery records indicate both Thomas Jr. and Elizabeth are buried in the Doylestown Lutheran Church cemetery. Sometime in the 1950s this cemetery’s caretakers removed all the gravestones, thus their graves are unmarked.
NOAH FREDERICK: Noah Frederick’s pension application notes that he served in Captain Martin’s Company from 25 August 1812 to 30 November 1812, for a total of 98 days. According to his military record, Noah was honorably discharged at the Huron, or Lower Sandusky, about 1 January 1813.
Noah Frederick applied for Bounty Land and received 40 acres. I am not sure where this land was located. In the Bounty Land application, Noah stated he was never in a battle.
Noah was granted a pension of $8 per month on 19 September 1871. According to his pension file, Noah reported residing in Columbiana County, Ohio in 1850, 1855 and 1871.
Noah Frederick married Hannah McAllister on 11 March 1811 in Beaver County, Pa.
Noah Frederick died on 4 October 1877 in Madison Township, Columbiana County, Ohio. He does not appear on the “roster” of the Frederick Family Cemetery in Columbiana County, Ohio. I do not know where he is buried.
JACOB FREDERICK: Jacob Frederick, 4th son of Thomas Frederick and Ann Margaret Tibben, was born in 1783, making him 29 years old in 1812. He was married by this time, and had two daughters (Joana and Larrah).
There are several Jacob Fredericks who served in the War of 1812, but I am not convinced that any of them are our Jacob Frederick.
According to the “Roster of Ohio soldiers in the War of 1812” (Familysearch), there was a Jacob Frederick who served as a Major in Lieut. Col. John Andrews, First Regiment, Ohio Militia; and a Major Jacob Frederick who served in Colonel John Hindman’s, Second Regiment, Ohio Militia.
US, War of 1812 Service Records list a Jacob Frederick who served as the Quartermaster in the 2nd Odd Battalion (Dawson’s), Ohio Militia.
Finally, family lore states that our Jacob Frederick held the rank of Major in the War of 1812, and was William Henry Harrison’s Quartermaster at the earlier (7 Nov 1811) Battle of Tippecanoe (at this point in history William Henry Harrison, a native of Virginia, was the governor of Indiana). If this is true, and I have no reason to believe it is, then Jacob Frederick participated in a battle where Shawnee natives (the tribe that raised his father) were killed and their village, Prophetstown, burned to the ground along with their winter food supplies. Another problem with this story is that most of the men who fought with William Henry Harrison at Tippecanoe were militia from Indiana and cavalry from Kentucky.
The Frederick family lateral file at the Wayne County Public Library notes that Jacob Frederick served as a Lieutenant in the First Regiment, Second Brigade, Fourth Division, Ohio Militia that was organized in 1806 in Columbiana County (George, John and Thomas Jr. are also listed in this unit). This is probably our Jacob Frederick but, while he may have served in the Ohio Militia, that does not mean he served in the War of 1812.
However, our Jacob Frederick had a very distinguished and productive life. He founded the town of Fredericksburg in Wayne County, Ohio in 1824. He had previously built a grist mill there in 1816, and operated the first distillery there from 1825-1832. He served as an Associate Judge in Wayne County in 1826. It is said (I haven’t been able to document), that in 1840 William Henry Harrison made a campaign speech from the balcony of Jacob Frederick’s home in Fredericksburg.
Jacob Frederick moved to Polk County, Iowa in 1845. Jacob Frederick and his son Benjamin Franklin Frederick, made claims to land in Four Mile Timber in Polk County, where Jacob pioneered sheep raising.
Jacob Frederick died on 6 May 1852 and is buried in the Rising Sun Cemetery in Pleasant Hill, Polk County, Iowa. His grave is not marked as a veteran’s grave. I have researched his life, and the lives of his children, and find no evidence that our Jacob fought in the War of 1812, or with William Henry Harrison at Tippecanoe.
Jacob’s will was presented for probate in 1852 but, in compliance with its terms, property was not sold until the death of his wife, Judith, in 1861. In his will, Jacob asked that his small library be sold, and the proceeds sent to “Washington City to build the monument to the great and good illustrious Washington.”
One sad note. Jacob Frederick bequeathed a small sum to his grandson, Corwin Brown Frederick. Corwin’s parents, Benjamin Franklin Frederick and Abigail Brown Frederick, ended up getting this inheritance as Corwin was killed at the Battle of Vicksburg during the Civil War. Corwin was only 18.
Interesting fact – two of Jacob’s sons, James Madison Frederick and John S. Frederick, went west from Iowa to Oregon via covered wagon. I don’t know when John went west, but know that James Frederick, his wife, and two daughters journeyed on the Oregon Trail in 1847. One of James’ daughters, Judith (Emma), was born on that journey west.
HENRY FREDERICK: Henry, b. 1786, would have been 26 in 1812. I have been unable to find any information on Henry. Some researchers say he died in Moultrie County, Illinois in 1853, but I am unable to document this. A family history compiled by C. W. Frederick says this of Henry:
“Henry Frederick was lost. He fitted out a barge at Pittsburgh and sailed down the river for New Orleans and never heard of afterwards.”
JOHN FREDERICK: John Frederick, born in 1788, would have been about 24 years old when the War of 1812 started. According to “Ohio War of 1812, Soldiers’ Family Groups” published by the Ohio Society U.S. Daughters of 1812, John Frederick served in Capt. Jacob Gilbert’s Company from 25 Aug 1812 to 28 Feb. 1813.
John Frederick married Sophia Charlotte Gloss on 3 March 1808 in Columbiana County, Ohio. They had seven children: Maria, Lydia, Thomas D., Henry (died in infancy), Sophia Charlotte, Henry, and Sarah.
John Frederick died on 19 Aug 1864 and is buried in the Frederick Cemetery in Columbiana County, Ohio. John did not live long enough to apply for a War of 1812 pension. His grave is marked as a War of 1812 veteran.
SAMUEL FREDERICK: Samuel Frederick, was born in 1792, making him about 20 in 1812. According to Ohio, Soldier Grave Registrations, Samuel Frederick served as a Private in Capt. Wm. Foulk’s Company from 25 Aug 1812 to 28 Feb. 1813. Samuel, who died on 3 May 1844, did not live long enough to apply for a war pension.
Samuel married Elizabeth G. Caldwell on 27 May 1813 in Columbiana County, Ohio.
Samuel is buried in the Frederick Family Cemetery. His grave is marked as a War of 1812 veteran. The inventory of his estate includes many books! He was obviously a farmer. His estate inventory includes farm tools, horses, lambs, cows, hogs, wheat, potatoes, hay and two acres of corn.
