Alexander Oliver
Encyclopedia
Alexander Oliver was an American
soldier who fought during the Revolutionary War
.
, to Launcelot Oliver and Mary Walker. Before the war he married Mary Warner, third cousin of Seth Warner
and seventh cousin of George Washington
. His decision to fight against the British
was very much disliked by part of his family, mainly because his second cousin was Andrew Oliver
, a Massachusetts
politician who was commissioned to enforce the Stamp Act in Massachusetts, and another cousin more distant this time Thomas Oliver
would become Lieutenant Governor
of Massachusetts. He was made a corporal of 13th Massachusetts Regiment
raised by Colonel
Samuel Brewer
, while in the 13th he fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill
, Battle of Valcour Island
and Battle of Saratoga
where he led a group of men to capture general John Burgoyne
. Then he was Regimental Quartermaster
of Jeduthan Baldwin's Artillery Artificer Regiment, then an Ensign
or Second lieutenant
in the 5th Massachusetts Regiment
, then a Lieutenant
, and then a Colonel
for Massachusetts. Alexander Oliver was in charge of recruiting men to fight all around Massachusetts. Oliver was a participant in the Boston Tea Party
. Alexander was also in George Washington's staff at Dorchester Heights
and was near him as they marched into Boston
.
He was also the third great grandson of Thomas Oliver one of the first Olivers in the Colonies and a Ruling Elder of the Church of Boston.
Nathan Goodale were sent with an exploring committee down the Ohio River
into the Kanawha River
for about six weeks to find out as much information as possible on the area, traveling through present day West Virginia
, Virginia
, and North Carolina
on the way.
along with thirteen other Revolutionary War veterans. After leaving Belpre he moved to Point Pleasant, Ohio
where he later died.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldier who fought during the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Background and the American Revolution
Oliver was born in Sherborn, MassachusettsSherborn, Massachusetts
Sherborn is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is in area code 508 and has the ZIP code 01770. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the town population was 4,119. The assessed value of the town for the fiscal year 2005 is $1,008,146,994....
, to Launcelot Oliver and Mary Walker. Before the war he married Mary Warner, third cousin of Seth Warner
Seth Warner
Seth Warner was born in Roxbury, Connecticut. In 1763, he removed with his father to Bennington in what was then known as the New Hampshire Grants. He established there as a huntsman....
and seventh cousin of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. His decision to fight against the British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
was very much disliked by part of his family, mainly because his second cousin was Andrew Oliver
Andrew Oliver
Andrew Oliver was a merchant and public official in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Born in Boston, he was the son of Daniel Oliver, a merchant, and Elizabeth Belcher Oliver, daughter of Governor Jonathan Belcher. Andrew had two brothers: Daniel Oliver and Peter Oliver...
, a Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
politician who was commissioned to enforce the Stamp Act in Massachusetts, and another cousin more distant this time Thomas Oliver
Thomas Oliver (Lieutenant Governor)
Thomas Oliver was the last Royal Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay.-Biography:Born in Antigua to a wealthy plantation owner, Thomas Oliver graduated from Harvard College in 1753...
would become Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
of Massachusetts. He was made a corporal of 13th Massachusetts Regiment
13th Massachusetts Regiment
The 13th Massachusetts Regiment was first raised on July 11, 1776 as the 6th Continental Regiment under Colonel Edward Wigglesworth and was manned with troops raised primarily from Essex, York, and Cumberland Counties. It was first known as Wigglesworth's State Regiment. An additional battalion was...
raised by Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Samuel Brewer
Samuel Brewer
Samuel Brewer , was an English botanist.Brewer was a native of Trowbridge in Wiltshire, where he possessed a small estate, and was engaged in the woolen manufacture, but seems to have been unsuccessful in business...
, while in the 13th he fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
, Battle of Valcour Island
Battle of Valcour Island
The naval Battle of Valcour Island, also known as the Battle of Valcour Bay, took place on October 11, 1776, on Lake Champlain. The main action took place in Valcour Bay, a narrow strait between the New York mainland and Valcour Island...
and Battle of Saratoga
Battle of Saratoga
The Battles of Saratoga conclusively decided the fate of British General John Burgoyne's army in the American War of Independence and are generally regarded as a turning point in the war. The battles were fought eighteen days apart on the same ground, south of Saratoga, New York...
where he led a group of men to capture general John Burgoyne
John Burgoyne
General John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician and dramatist. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several battles, mostly notably during the Portugal Campaign of 1762....
. Then he was Regimental Quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
of Jeduthan Baldwin's Artillery Artificer Regiment, then an Ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
or Second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the 5th Massachusetts Regiment
5th Massachusetts Regiment
The 5th Massachusetts Regiment also known as the 27th Continental Regiment was raised on April 23, 1775 under Colonel Mansfield outside of Boston, Massachusetts. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Bunker Hill, New York Campaign, Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton...
, then a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, and then a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
for Massachusetts. Alexander Oliver was in charge of recruiting men to fight all around Massachusetts. Oliver was a participant in the Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
. Alexander was also in George Washington's staff at Dorchester Heights
Dorchester Heights
Dorchester Heights is the central area of South Boston. It is the highest area in the neighborhood and commands a view of both Boston Harbor and downtown.-History:...
and was near him as they marched into Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
He was also the third great grandson of Thomas Oliver one of the first Olivers in the Colonies and a Ruling Elder of the Church of Boston.
Ohio River Expedition
Oliver and majorMajor (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
Nathan Goodale were sent with an exploring committee down the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
into the Kanawha River
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.It is formed at the town of Gauley...
for about six weeks to find out as much information as possible on the area, traveling through present day West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
on the way.
Moving to Ohio
After arriving in Ohio Oliver helped found Belpre, OhioBelpre, Ohio
Belpre is a city in Washington County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,441 at the 2010 census....
along with thirteen other Revolutionary War veterans. After leaving Belpre he moved to Point Pleasant, Ohio
Point Pleasant, Ohio
Point Pleasant is a small unincorporated community in southern Monroe Township, Clermont County, Ohio, United States. It is located near the mouth of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area at the Ohio River, around 25 miles southeast of Cincinnati. U.S. Route 52 passes through Point...
where he later died.
Family
Oliver had eleven children with Mary Warner; one of his notable descendants is his granddaughter who married Admiral Raphael SemmesRaphael Semmes
For other uses, see Semmes .Raphael Semmes was an officer in the United States Navy from 1826 - 1860 and the Confederate States Navy from 1860 - 1865. During the American Civil War he was captain of the famous commerce raider CSS Alabama, taking a record sixty-nine prizes...
.
Citations
- Daughters of the American Revolution's "Lineage Book Volume 41" (1928) Pg. 244
- Gerald Faulkner Shepard's "The Shepard Families of New England" (1973) Pg. 125
- Egbert CleaveEgbert Cleave-Publications:* * * * -References:...
's "Cleave's Biographical Cyclopaedia of Homeopathic Physicians and Surgeons" (1873) Pg. 345 - William Thomas Roberts Saffell's "Records of the Revolutionary War: Containing the Military and Financial Correspondence of Distinguished Officers" (1894) Pg. 429
- Samuel Crocker Cobb's "An Historical Address Delivered on the Occasion of the Centennial Celebration at Boston, Massachusetts" (1883) Pg. 45
- Cornelius Evarts Dickinson and Samuel Prescott Hildreth's "A History of Belpre, Washington County, Ohio" (1920) Pg. 191
See also
- Andrew OliverAndrew OliverAndrew Oliver was a merchant and public official in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Born in Boston, he was the son of Daniel Oliver, a merchant, and Elizabeth Belcher Oliver, daughter of Governor Jonathan Belcher. Andrew had two brothers: Daniel Oliver and Peter Oliver...
- Thomas Oliver (Lieutenant Governor)Thomas Oliver (Lieutenant Governor)Thomas Oliver was the last Royal Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay.-Biography:Born in Antigua to a wealthy plantation owner, Thomas Oliver graduated from Harvard College in 1753...
- American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
- Seth WarnerSeth WarnerSeth Warner was born in Roxbury, Connecticut. In 1763, he removed with his father to Bennington in what was then known as the New Hampshire Grants. He established there as a huntsman....