Wisconsin Historical Collections, Volume II (1856)

              1783 shaw's narrative 197 shaw's narrative by col john shaw i was born may 30th 1783 in johnstown montgomery county n t my father's name was comfort shaw and nuy grandfather's was daniel shaw who resided at stonington conn and was of scotch descent and at stonington my father was born soon aftecr the commencemient of the revolutionary war fired by the patriotism of the times my father unable to obtain the permission of his parents to join the american army ran away at the age of sixteen and effected the object so near his heart he had from early life excelled in playing the spiriirstirring fif e and soon re ceived the appointment of fife-major and secrved several years in that capacity in the army he was present and participated in the memiorable battles at saratoga and was ainiong the first that scaled the enemy's breast works on the 7th of october 1777 my father was a man of unusual personal activity and rendered his country long and faithful service in the war of independence towards the close of 1780 he was united in marriage at johns town n y with miss mary hollinbeck whose father was john hollinbeck a native of amsterdam holland and who when a young man came to america and settled at claverack on the hudson he married a istew england wife and raised a large family only one of whom was a son named after his father this was dictated by col shaw and written down by lyman c draper in the fore part of september 1855 and may be relied on as sub stantially correct