Richard Falley Jr. (January 31, 1740 – September 3, 1808) was a soldier who fought in the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Boston, Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peri ...

Early life

Falley was born on January 31, 1740, in St. George, Maine. He was the son of Richard and Anna (Lamb) Falley. His father was born on

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

, but was reputedly kidnapped as a boy and brought to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

.Excerpts From The Hitchcock Genealogy, Compiled for the Register by H. G. Cleveland, Esq., of Cleveland, Ohio.

Career

At age 16, Falley joined the Provincial Army and was among those captured by Native Americans at the surrender of Fort Edward. He was taken to Montreal and adopted into the tribe. Later he was ransomed from the tribe by a woman for 16 gallons of

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

and returned to Westfield.Roberts, George Simon. ''Historic towns of the Connecticut River Valley''. Robson & Adee, Schenectady, New York, 1906
convenience link
/ref> He later joined Captain Park’s company as an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

and commanded a company at the

where his 14-year-old son, Frederick, served there as a

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

, and reportedly "drummed all through the fight." During the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, Falley made guns for the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

at an armory at the foot of Tekoa Mountain in Montgomery, Massachusetts. He was for many years superintendent of the Armory at

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

Personal life

On December 24, 1761, Falley married Margaret Hitchcock (b. May 25, 1741, Westfield, MA - d. February 11 or 18, 1820, Volney (now Fulton), NY) in Westfield, Massachusetts. Together they had 11 children, 10 of whom survived. # Lovisa Falley, b. Dec 3, 1763 # Frederick Falley, b. Jan 2, 1765 # Margaret Falley, b. Nov 15, 1766 # Richard Falley III, b. Sept 15, 1768 # Russell Falley, b. Oct 5, 1770 # Daniel Falley, b. Dec 3, 1772 (did not survive) # Daniel Falley, b. Nov 15, 1773 # Ruth Falley, b. Dec 7, 1775 # Lewis Falley, b. Jan 15, 1778 # Samuel Falley, b. Oct 9, 1780 # Alexander Falley, b. Apr 4, 1783

Death and legacy

Falley died on September 3, 1808, in Westfield, Massachusetts. He was buried at the Old Burying Grounds off of Mechanic Street in Westfield. Through his daughter Margaret, Falley was the grandfather of Richard Falley Cleveland, who was the father of

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

(twice

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

).''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', 20 August 1884
GOV. CLEVELAND'S GRANDMOTHER; SOMETHING ABOUT HIS FAMILY ON THE MATERNAL SIDE
. Accessed 31 May 2011. Falley Drive in Westfield, Massachusetts, is named for him.

References

External links

Historical Marker for Lieut. Richard FalleyThe twice president and the Guernsey boy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falley, Richard Jr. 1740 births 1808 deaths Continental Army soldiers American adoptees American people of Guernsey descent People from Westfield, Massachusetts People from St. George, Maine Family of Grover Cleveland