James Trowbridge (1754-1821)

James Trowbridge (1754-1821). Revolutionary War Veteran. Born in Bedford, New York, a descendant of English settlers, James Trowbridge was 20 when the War of Independence broke out in the spring of 1775. Trowbridge enlisted in the New York Militia, serving under Colonel James Holmes. His unit marched to Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain, where the Patriots secured their first victory over the British. The following year, Trowbridge served in the 2nd Westchester Regiment (later renamed the 4th) under Captain Elijah Hunter and Samuel Lawrence. , Trowbridge married Katherine Harris of Bedford in 1777. After returning to duty as a member of Richard Sackett's company, he was taken prisoner and confined for six months in New York City, which was still British Territory. He escaped and returned to his family and his regiment, serving as a sergeant until November of 1782. , Trowbridge and his wife lived in Bedford and had eleven children. Nicknamed “Captain,” he held several civic positions there, including constable. Three of his daughters married local men, which may be why he and Katherine moved to Sing Sing (Ossining) around 1810. (Daughter Sarah's headstone is to the right.) Perhaps Trowbridge's former commander, Elijah Hunter, who bought 196 acres here after the war, was a connection. In the late 18th century, Sing Sing was known as Hunter's Landing. (Elijah Hunter is also on the Dale Cemetery Heritage Trail.) , Trowbridge's youngest child, daughter Catharine, married James McCord Jr., a son of another Revolutionary War veteran, in 1820. Catharine is buried across the cemetery path next to her first husband. She may have erected this stone to her father's memory, which reads “A Soldier of the Revolution.”