Our American story is

yours to discover.

Hannah Fayerwether Winthrop and her husband Professor John Winthrop were ardent Patriots of the American Revolution. After her husband’s death, Hannah supported the Revolutionary War effort by making a Continental Loan on March 2, 1780. Hannah also engaged in patriotic correspondence with Mercy Warren and Abigail Adams, two other well-known Massachusetts women who, like Hannah, supported the American cause. In a letter to Mercy Warren, Hannah eloquently wrote, “And be it known unto Britain, even American daughters are Politicians & Patriots and will aid the good work with their Female Efforts.” Learn More About Hannah Fayerwether Winthrop.

What can be said about the life and contributions of Andrew Ferguson? His historic and, in many ways, unprecedented journey as a Black Patriot highlighted the loyalty some free Blacks felt toward America during the war. Of all the battles that Andrew the younger participated in, his role in the Battle of Kings Mountain was especially noteworthy because that conflict is considered a turning point for the Patriots during the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War. It was a battle between Loyalist and Patriot militias and was the first major Patriot victory following the British invasion of Charleston, South Carolina in May 1780. At least one dozen Black soldiers participated in the fighting, but only five have been identified so far, one of which, of course, was Andrew. Learn more about Andrew Ferguson.

On the night of December 25, 1776, John Glover and his Marbleheaders ferried 2,400 American troops, artillery and horses across the ice-choked Delaware River in the midst of a roaring nor’easter snowstorm, then marched 8 miles to Trenton, participated in the First Battle of Trenton, marched back to the river, and ferried the victorious Continental Army and about 1,000 Hessian prisoners back to Pennsylvania. The tide of the war had turned, and the American cause went forward. Learn more about John Glover.

Colonel Louis Cook/Atayataghronghta was born in 1737 to an African father and an Abenaki mother on the Schuyler Plantation in Saratoga, New York. In 1745, Louis was captured by French and Native raiders, and the Mohawks of Kahnawake adopted him.  Learn more about Louis Cook.

Lydia Barrington was born in 1728 in Dublin, Ireland. She married William Darrah on November 2, 1753. Together, they traveled to the colonies and settled in Philadelphia. Their children were Mary (1754), Charles (1755), Ann (1757) and John (1763). William, Lydia and Mary died in infancy. Lydia Darrah was a Quaker, a pacifist living in Philadelphia with her family. In 1777, the British proved victorious against the Continental forces. Washington’s troops had to retreat to White Marsh, and General Howe’s British forces set camp in Philadelphia. Learn more about Lydia Barrington Darrah.

Elizabeth “Betty” Zane was born around 1760 near the south branch of the Potomac River, in August County, Virginia, to William Andrew Zane and Nancy Ann (Nolan) Zane. Betty’s brothers were Ebenezer, Silas, Jonathan, Isaac and Andrew. At an early age, Betty moved to what is now Wheeling, West Virginia. This was a hostile area due to the taking of the American Indians’ land. The Zane family helped build Fort Henry in 1774. The garrison was built on a hillside overlooking the Ohio River and was practically impregnable. Learn more about Elizabeth Zane.

Caesar Rodney was born in Dover, Delaware, in October 1728. His early years were spent on his parent’s farm. As a child, he was tutored by his parents and may have attended a Parsons school. His father died when Rodney was 17. After his father’s death, Rodney was placed under the guardianship of Nicholas Ridgely, the Clerk of the Peace in Kent County Delaware. Ridgely was the inspiration for Rodney’s political and law career. Caesar Rodney never married and had no children. Learn more about Caesar Rodney