Loammi Casterline was born on April 14, 1763, in Morris County, British Colonial New Jersey. Loammi married Elizabeth Charlotte Fairchild on September 24, 1786, in Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey. Loammi Casterline died on December 14, 1835, in Wheeler, Steuben County, New York.
Loammi Casterline was born on April 14, 1763, in Morris County, British Colonial New Jersey. He is the presumed son of Abraham Casterline, and a descendant of Francis Casterline, a French Hugenot who arrived from France in the 1690's. From Loammi's Revolutionary War pension deposition, it is known that Loammi had at least 1 sibling, an older sister, currently unnamed.
Loammi was raised in Morris County, likely near Mendham, directly west of Morristown. When Loammi was 12 years old the Revolutionary War began.
In June of 1778, Loammi's uncle Joseph Casterline, who had been serving in Washington's Continental Army, needed substitutes for 3 months. Loammi, just 15 years old, agreed to substitute for his uncle and serve for 1 month. During his month-long service, Loammi marched southward with his unit from Mendham to New Brunswick to join the Continental Army at Monmouth. The unit could not reach Monmouth since a bridge was out so they returned to New Brunswick. From New Brunswick the unit marched northwestward through Elizabethtown (today's Elizabeth) to the home of Col. John Rosenkrans on the Delaware River, the river being the border between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It was at Col. Rosenkrans house where Loammi's one month service expired and he was discharged.
Almost a year later, in May of 1779, Loammi enlisted for a term of 6 months. He was 16 years old. During this period, Loammi and his unit were charged with guarding the supply lines along the Passaic River. After serving a little more than 6 months, Loammi was discharged at Newark and returned to Mendham.
In December of 1779 Washington and the entire Continental Army camped at Valley Forge for the winter. Valley Forge is located approximately halfway between Mendham, where Loammi lived, and Morristown, New Jersey. The winter was one of the coldest winters on record and became known by the name “The Hard Winter”. General Washington stayed in the home of Col. Jacob Ford, which is well documented. A sketch written decades later by Loammi's son Ira Casterline stated that Washington stayed with Phineas Fairchild, the man who would become Loammi's father-in-law. Instead Phineas Fairchild likely housed an officer or officers of Washington's army and General Washington may have visited on occasion.
During this time, Loammi “drove a six horse team and hauled wood for the armey [sic army}”. While hauling wood Loammi met Charlotte Fairchild, daughter of Phineas Fairchild and his wife Sarah, who, according to Ira Casterline's sketch, helped her mother cook for General Washington.
A few years after the end of the war, Loammi married Charlotte Fairchild on September 24, 1786, in the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, New Jersey. Loammi and Charlotte 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
Sometime prior to 1803 the family moved northward to Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey.
While Loammi and Charlotte 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 the Casterline 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 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 the 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 Loammi and 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. Why Steuben County, New York? At the time, land was extremely cheap in Steuben county and agents were pursuing settlers to come to western New York. The Steuben County historian also notes that Loammi may have been given land for his Revolutionary War service.
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.
In 1832 Loammi applied for and was granted a Revolutionary War pension, the annual amount of $23.33.
Loammi Casterline died on December 14, 1835, in Wheeler, Steuben County, New York, at the age of 72. It is unknown whether Loammi left a will or died intestate.
Following Loammi's death, oldest son Phineas and his family arrived in Steuben County, New York, while the rest of the Casterline family, including Phineas' wife Charlotte, moved to Indiana in 1836.
Genealogical Research and Life Sketch Completed: May 2022
Sources:
“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.
“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 W. 2522, for Joseph Casterline, New Jersey, NARA, Washington DC.
"New Jersey Marriages, 1678-1985", database, FamilySearch, Loaumi Casterling, 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.
Loami Casterline household, State Census, Steuben County, New York, 1825, Image 205; microfilm 007900957, FHL, Salt Lake City, Utah.
"United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch, Lmoni Casterline, Wheeler, Steuben, New York, United States; citing 395, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 107; FHL microfilm 17,167.
Report from the Secretary of War: Middle Atlantic States. United States, D. Green, 1835.
Casterline, Ira. “Records and My Recollection”. Autobiography. 1885.
