Elizabeth Charlotte Fairchild was born on October 10, 1768, in Morristown, Morris County, British Colonial New Jersey. Charlotte married Loammi Casterline on September 24, 1786, in Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey. Charlotte Casterline died on November 23, 1842, in Blackford County, Indiana.
Elizabeth Charlotte Fairchild was born on October 10, 1768, in Morristown, Morris County, British Colonial New Jersey, the eighth child of Phineas Fairchild and his wife Sarah. Elizabeth Charlotte, who went by the name “Charlotte”, grew up in Morristown with her 2 brothers and 5 sisters.
Charlotte was 13 years old when the Revolutionary War began. Morristown became an important location for General Washington due to the town's proximity to both Philadelphia and New York City and also for its resources. Some units of the Continental Army made winter camp in Morristown in January of 1777. At the time the town consisted of a church, a courthouse, 2 or 3 shops, a tavern and about 50 homes, Charlotte's home being one of the 50. General Washington headquartered at the tavern “Arnold's Tavern on the Green”. Prior to the war, Charlotte's father was Morristown's constable, the courthouse and jail right across the street from the Tavern.
Two years later In December of 1779, General Washington and the entire Continental Army returned to Morristown and camped at Valley Forge for the winter. General Washington stayed in the home of Col. Jacob Ford.
A sketch written decades later by Charlotte's son Ira Casterline stated that Washington stayed with Charlotte's father Phineas Fairchild, and that Charlotte helped her mother cook for the General. Where Washington slept is well documented for both of his visits to Morristown, Arnold's Tavern and Col. Jacob Ford's home. However it would not have been unusual for an officer to be quartered in the Fairchild's home, nor would it be unusual for General Washington to visit the home to meet with his officer.
Sometime during the war Charlotte met Loammi Casterline who hauled wood for the Continental army. Loammi lived in Mendham, west of Morristown. A few years after the end of the war, 17 year old Charlotte married Loammi Casterline on September 24, 1786, in the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, New Jersey. Charlotte and Loammi had the following known children:
- Phineas Casterline
- Abraham Casterline
- Timothy Casterline
- Nancy Casterline
- Polly Casterline
- Keturah Casterline
- Mahetable Casterline
- Betsy Casterline
- Ira Casterline
- John Casterline
- Sally Casterline
Prior to 1803 Charlotte and her family moved northward to Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey.
While Charlotte and Loammi married in the Prebysterian Church at some point the family became Baptists and likely attended the Hamburg Baptist Church in Vernon Township. It was in this church that several of Charlotte's children were married.
In 1809 son Phineas married Eleanor “Nelly” Havens, in Sussex County, New Jersey. Thomas Teasdale, the minister of Hamburg Baptist Church, officiated.
In 1812 Charlotte's husband Loammi purchased a little over 8 acres of land from Joseph Sharp and Joseph's wife Elizabeth. The land was located in Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey.
In 1813 son Timothy married Jane Havens, sister of his brother Phineas' wife.
About 1817 son Abraham married Hannah Burr. Following the marriage Abraham moved his family a few miles up the road, across the New Jersey-New York border to Warwick, Orange County, New York. Near Amity, Abraham opened a shoe shop.
About 1818 daughter Keturah married William Miles.
In December of 1819 two of Charlotte's daughters married. Betsy married Richard Vernon and a few weeks later Mahetable married Lewis Carver.
In 1824 Phineas and Charlotte sold their land to Josiah Sprague and moved to Steuben County, New York, about 225 miles from Sussex County. Loammi and Charlotte traveled with their younger children Ira, John and Sally to Steuben County. Also making the journey were son Timothy and his family, daughter Mahetable and her family, and daughter Keturah, her husband William Miles, and William Miles' parents. It is uncertain whether Betsy and her husband Richard Vernon made the journey in 1824, however by 1830, the Vernon's resided in Wheeler near the rest of the Casterlines.
In Steuben County, son Ira met and married Malinda Saxon in 1828. Son John met and married Elizabeth Wixom in 1831.
Charlotte's husband Loammi died in December of 1835, likely intestate. Following Loammi's death, oldest son Phineas and his family moved to Steuben County. The rest of the Casterlines, including Charlotte and family members of her children's spouses, moved to Indiana in 1836.
The families traveled to Fayette County, Indiana, by ox teams and covered wagons, the trip taking about 6 weeks. Charlotte was 68 years of age. A few years later, Charlotte and her sons Ira and John, her daughters Keturah and Sally, and their families moved northward to Blackford County.
In April of 1842 Charlotte gave a deposition before the Blackford County commissioners as part of an application for a Revolutionary War widow's pension. When the application was processed the pension was denied, the reason given “widows whose husbands were alive on the 7 June 1832 are not entitled to the benefit of the act of 7th July 1838 … She can not therefore be allowed a pension.”
On October 30, 1842, Charlotte's daughter Sally Benedict died. A few days later on November 3, 1842, daughter Keturah Miles died.
Less than a month later, on November 23, 1842, Charlotte Fairchild Casterline died in Blackford County, Indiana, at the age of 72. It is not known where Charlotte was buried.
Genealogical Research and Life Sketch Completed: May 2022
Sources:
"New Jersey Births and Christenings, 1660-1980", database, FamilySearch, Charlotte Fairchild, 1769.
“Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, ca. 1800 - ca. 1912”, Record Group 15: Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 1773 - 2007, Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 1796 for Loammi Casterline, New Jersey, NARA, Washington DC.
"New Jersey Marriages, 1678-1985", database, FamilySearch, Sharlotte Fairchild, 1786.
“New Jersey Land Records, 1785-1930," images, FamilySearch, Sussex Co., Deeds 1810-1813 vol X-Y, Folio 139; microfilm 007896856, FHL, Salt Lake City, Utah.
“New Jersey Land Records, 1785-1930," images, FamilySearch, Sussex Co., Deeds 1825-1826 vol B3-C3, Folio 150; microfilm 008217812, FHL, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Casterline, Ira. “Records and My Recollection”. Autobiography. 1885.
“Blackford and Grant Counties, Indiana. A Chronicle of their People Past and Present with Family Lineage and Personal Memoirs - Vol 1.” Compiled under the editorial supervision of Benjamin G. Shinn. The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago and New York. 1941.
“Casterlines Are Another Pioneer Family of This County”. Newspaper and Date Unknown.
