Hart Balch(November 9, 1751-February 15, 1846)was born to Hart Balch, Sr. and an unknown mother (family name Bourne) in Newbury, Massachusetts, 1751. His father had died some time before he was born and his mother ended up marrying a British soldier and moving to Nova Scotia without him. He lived in the house of his Aunt Deborah (his father's sister) until he became the apprentice of a shoemaker.
Hart would marry twice in his life, first to Priscilla Holt in 1772, then to Dorcas Somers(or Somes) September 27, 1779. With Priscilla he had three children and with Dorcas he had eight more children. In 1777, during some of his military service, Hart was described as being six foot tall and twenty six years of age.
During the American Revolution Hart enlisted into Captain William Walker's Company, Col. Reed's Regiment, on April 23, 1775 (members of this company were from the Dunstable, NH region). On August 9, 1775 he was discharged from service and only returned to military duty almost two years later in 1777. Starting on June 29, 1777 he reenlisted into Captain Roger Gilmore's Company this time serving part of his time reinforcing the fort at Ticonderoga. On May 14, 1778 he enlisted yet again, for a year, with Captain Caleb Ronbinson's Company, Col. Nathan Hale's Regiment. His final enlistment was into the 9th Company of Col. Joseph Cilley's Regiment on April 24, 1781 (lasting for three years).
During the early years of his military service, 1775-1776, it looks as though Hart may have lived in the area of Dunstable, New Hampshire. Later, around the year 1777, it looks as though he had moved to the Jaffrey, NH area. Later, around 1781 or so, Hart seems to have been living in the Dublin, NH area and ended up serving with the 9th Company from that area. One source indicates that he remained in the Dublin, NH area for several years after the war.
In November of 1787 the town of Dublin voted to pay Hart Balch the sum of five dollars for their failure to maintain his land during his years of military service. The deal, given to Hart and two other soldiers, had been a certain sum of money at the end of three years along with the continual maintenance of their lands and farms. The town of Dublin had apparently neglected to follow through completely on their end of the bargain so they ended up paying him the sum of five dollars to compensate him for the neglect of his land.
In 1788 Hart moved to Andover, Vermont where he later shows up in the first American census taken in 1790. Hart apparently remained in Andover until his death on February 15, 1846.
Genealogy of Hart:
Father: Hart Balch
Mother: ____ Bourne
Wife1: Priscilla Holt
Married: 1772
Children:
1. Nathan
2. Joel
3. Deborah
Wife2: Dorcas Somers
Married: Unknown
Children:
1. Deborah
2. Hart
3. Asa
4. Francis S.
5. Er
6. Sally
7. James Parker
8. Jacob Abbot
Primary Sources/Links:
Genealogy of the Balch Families in America - By: Galusha B. Balch
Early Dublin - By: Samuel Carroll Derby
Revolutionary Soldier Detailed Informaton
The History of Dublin, NH - By: Levi Washburn Leonard, Charles Mason
Andover Vermont Genealogy - History
Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790
