Jehu Eyre
Encyclopedia
Jehu Eyre or Ayer was an American businessman, veteran of the French and Indian War
and American Revolutionary War
, and member of the influential Eyre family, which played a major role in the American Revolution
and the early Republic. Jehu's father George had emigrated to the New World in 1727; the family was descended from one of the oldest noble lines in England.
Eyre was born in Burlington, New Jersey
. He married Lydia Wright Eyre on December 28, 1761, when Jehu was twenty-three years old. Jehu's brother Manuel
, also an officer in the Continental Army, had married Lydia's sister Martha on January 8 of the same year. In total, Jehu and Lydia Eyre would have five children: George (named after his grandfather), Jehu Jr., Franklin, Sarah, and Lydia (named after her mother).
Eyre fought alongside George Washington
in the French and Indian War
, serving as the Chief Engineer and Director of Artillery for the Province of Pennsylvania
. Eyre and Washington were both participants in the July 9, 1755 Battle of Monongahela, when forces under British
General Edward Braddock
were defeated by combined French
and Native American
units.
Of the carnage there, Eyre later wrote:
Eyre served under Washington at Valley Forge
during the winter of 1776–1777. He and his brothers were commissioned by Washington to build vessels for the independence effort at the Eyre family's shipping yards in Kensington
(now part of Philadelphia), and provided some of the first ships in the Continental Navy
. The earliest gunboat
of the American Navy was built under the supervision of the Eyre family; christened "Bull Dog", it was launched at Kensington on July 26, 1775. In that year Eyre also mustered his workers into a force for the defense of Philadelphia known as the "Kensington Artillery".
One of the frigates built by the Eyres, The Alliance, carried the Marquis de Lafayette to France in 1779 and then joined up with the fleet of John Paul Jones
.
On December 25, 1776, Jehu Eyre "had charge of the boats" in Washington's crossing of the Delaware
, http://books.google.com/books?id=OzlZAAAAMAAJ&dq=Jehu%20Eyre&pg=RA2-PA1504 a resounding success and a critical battle that saved the Revolution from being snuffed out in its infancy.
At the Battle of Brandywine
, Eyre fought with his artillery company to halt the capture of Philadelphia, but his efforts were unsuccessful. Following the British occupation of the city in 1777, the naval works at Kensington were destroyed, to be rebuilt after the conflict's conclusion by Jehu's children and grandchildren. The Eyre Mansion, specifically targeted by the British, was ransacked that winter.
Eyre's siblings were also heavily involved in the Revolution, and his and his brothers' descendants remained powerful business leaders for several generations after the war.
During the war, Eyre's shipping yards were destroyed and his house razed, amounting to a total loss of £6,392 as of 1778, for which neither he nor his family were ever compensated.
Eyre died of malaria
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, and his diaries were later published as The Memorials of Colonel Jehu Eyre. In 1853, his remains were taken from the Coates family graveyard and re-interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery
in Philadelphia, where an Eyre family vault was constructed.
A portrait of Jehu Eyre can be found at Trumbull's Gallery at Yale College
.
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
and American 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...
, and member of the influential Eyre family, which played a major role in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and the early Republic. Jehu's father George had emigrated to the New World in 1727; the family was descended from one of the oldest noble lines in England.
Eyre was born in Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....
. He married Lydia Wright Eyre on December 28, 1761, when Jehu was twenty-three years old. Jehu's brother Manuel
Manuel Eyre
Manuel Eyre was a colonel in the Continental Army, a shipbuilder, and the brother of Revolutionary War heroes Benjamin and Jehu Eyre....
, also an officer in the Continental Army, had married Lydia's sister Martha on January 8 of the same year. In total, Jehu and Lydia Eyre would have five children: George (named after his grandfather), Jehu Jr., Franklin, Sarah, and Lydia (named after her mother).
Eyre fought alongside 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...
in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, serving as the Chief Engineer and Director of Artillery for the Province of Pennsylvania
Province of Pennsylvania
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Colony, was founded in British America by William Penn on March 4, 1681 as dictated in a royal charter granted by King Charles II...
. Eyre and Washington were both participants in the July 9, 1755 Battle of Monongahela, when forces under British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
General Edward Braddock
Edward Braddock
General Edward Braddock was a British soldier and commander-in-chief for the 13 colonies during the actions at the start of the French and Indian War...
were defeated by combined French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
units.
Of the carnage there, Eyre later wrote:
"When we came to the place where they crossed of the Monongahela, we saw a great many men's bones along the shore. We kept along the road about 1½ miles, where the first engagement begun, where there are men's bones lying about as thick as the leaves do on the ground; for they are so thick that one lies on top of another for about a half a mile in length and about one hundred yards in breadth."
Eyre served under Washington at Valley Forge
Valley Forge
Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
during the winter of 1776–1777. He and his brothers were commissioned by Washington to build vessels for the independence effort at the Eyre family's shipping yards in Kensington
Kensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kensington is a neighborhood in the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is between the Lower Northeast section of Philadelphia and North Philadelphia. Not to be confused with the former Kensington District, now commonly referred to as Fishtown, the area modernly referred to as...
(now part of Philadelphia), and provided some of the first ships in the Continental Navy
Continental Navy
The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War, and was formed in 1775. Through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron, John Adams and vigorous Congressional support in the face of stiff opposition, the fleet cumulatively became relatively...
. The earliest gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
of the American Navy was built under the supervision of the Eyre family; christened "Bull Dog", it was launched at Kensington on July 26, 1775. In that year Eyre also mustered his workers into a force for the defense of Philadelphia known as the "Kensington Artillery".
One of the frigates built by the Eyres, The Alliance, carried the Marquis de Lafayette to France in 1779 and then joined up with the fleet of John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to...
.
On December 25, 1776, Jehu Eyre "had charge of the boats" in Washington's crossing of the Delaware
Washington's crossing of the Delaware
Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, which occurred on December 25, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, was the first move in a surprise attack organized by George Washington against the Hessian forces in Trenton, New Jersey...
, http://books.google.com/books?id=OzlZAAAAMAAJ&dq=Jehu%20Eyre&pg=RA2-PA1504 a resounding success and a critical battle that saved the Revolution from being snuffed out in its infancy.
At the Battle of Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
, Eyre fought with his artillery company to halt the capture of Philadelphia, but his efforts were unsuccessful. Following the British occupation of the city in 1777, the naval works at Kensington were destroyed, to be rebuilt after the conflict's conclusion by Jehu's children and grandchildren. The Eyre Mansion, specifically targeted by the British, was ransacked that winter.
Eyre's siblings were also heavily involved in the Revolution, and his and his brothers' descendants remained powerful business leaders for several generations after the war.
During the war, Eyre's shipping yards were destroyed and his house razed, amounting to a total loss of £6,392 as of 1778, for which neither he nor his family were ever compensated.
Eyre died of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and his diaries were later published as The Memorials of Colonel Jehu Eyre. In 1853, his remains were taken from the Coates family graveyard and re-interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the second major garden or rural cemetery in the United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998, one of only a few cemeteries to receive the distinction....
in Philadelphia, where an Eyre family vault was constructed.
A portrait of Jehu Eyre can be found at Trumbull's Gallery at Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
.
Sources and external links
- List of Patriots — National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Zachariah Davies Chapter
- Edgar S. MacLay, A History of American Privateers (includes illustration of Eyre)