William Stark (loyalist)

William Stark
Born (1724-04-01)April 1, 1724
Londonderry, New Hampshire, U.S.
Died August 27, 1776(1776-08-27) (aged 52)
Long Island, New York, U.S.
Allegiance  Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch
Years of service
  • 1757-1758 and 1759 (Rogers Rangers)
  • 1776 (Loyalists)
Rank
  • Captain (Rogers Rangers)
  • Lieutenant Colonel (Loyalists)
Battles/wars
Spouse(s) Mary Stinson Stark

William Stark (April 1, 1724 – August 27, 1776) was a Revolutionary War era officer. He was the brother of celebrated Revolutionary war hero John Stark.

Early life

Stark was born in Londonderry, New Hampshire.[1] He was with his brother John Stark, David Stinson and Amos Eastman, hunting along the Baker River, a tributary of the Pemigewasset River, on 28 April 1752, when John Stark and Amos Eastman were captured and David Stinson was killed by Abenaki Indians. William escaped in his canoe after being warned by his brother.

Career

During the French and Indian War Stark commanded a company of Rogers' Rangers in northern New York and Nova Scotia where he served under James Rogers. He took part in the assaults on Fortress Louisbourg in 1758, the St. John River Campaign and Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. Early in the American Revolution, Stark did not join the New Hampshire Militia forces in the Siege of Boston, but the sounds of the Battle of Bunker Hill could be heard at his home in Dunbarton, New Hampshire, and he left on his swiftest horse to fight, but he arrived too late and the battle had already ended.

Both General John Sullivan and Colonel Jonathan Moulton recommended Stark to command the new regiment being raised in New Hampshire for service with the Continental Army in the invasion of Canada, but the New Hampshire General Assembly gave the command to Timothy Bedel, a former subordinate of Stark's. Stark, feeling ill-used by his home state, left for New York City, which was occupied by the British Army, and offered his services to them. The British made him a lieutenant colonel of Loyalist troops.[2]

Stark's property in New Hampshire was confiscated by the revolutionary government.

Death

Stark died from injuries he received in falling from his horse in Long Island, New York during the Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776.

Notes from Debbie Carr record that: "According to an "Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots about William Stark" he is buried in: Lyme Plain Cemeter in Lyme, Grafton County, New Hampshire 29I".

Personal life

Stark was the son of Archibald and Eleanor Nichols Stark and the older brother of General John Stark, the hero of the Battle of Bennington. He married Mary Stinson on February 22, 1754 and they had seven children: William JR., John, Archibald, Mary, Stephen, Thomas, and James.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Parker, Edward Lutwyche (1851). The History of Londonderry, Comprising the Towns of Derry and Londonderry, N. H. Perkins and Whipple. p. 96.
  2. ↑ Stark, William. The Loyalist Refugees of New Hampshire, Issue 3. Ohio State University, 1916. p. 4.
  3. ↑ "William Stark". History and Genealogy of Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
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