AMREV-HESSIANS-L Archives

From: John Helmut Merz <>
Subject: History of Great Barrington.
Date: Fri, 01 Jan 1999 22:01:14 -0800

In yesterdays posting about the Hessian deserter Nothwehr, I mentioned
the article published in the History of Great Barrington, and what was
written about Yarre Notewire.

The article mentioned two more Hessian names as follows:
"Emanuael Hodget, who ended a laborious life by falling from the
bridgeway of the old mill in Water street and breaking his neck,
February 7th, 1824;
John Whitty, for nearly thirty years a soldier in foreign wars, who
lived to the advanced age of 102 years and died in 1812, and whose
tombstone in the upper burial ground bears the following inscription:
"This monument is gratuitously erected by the friends of
JOHN WHITTY the old German Soldier who died March 24th, 1812,
in the 103d year of his age nearly 30 of which he spent in the
bloody wars of Europe."

Yarre Notewire, whose real name was Georg Nothwehr, a Brunswick soldier,
captured at Saratoga, it could be assumed that his two comrades were
also Brunswickers. In the case of John Whitty I have narrowd down
the search for his identity to two Brunswick soldiers,

1.) Johann Wetter, from Perleberg, age 48/05 (1730/31) who is listed
as a prisoner whereabouts unknown, and

2.) Jobst Witte, from Delligsen, age 45/08 (1733/34), also listed as
prisoner whereabouts unknown.

The other soldier, named Emanuel Hodget, whoever, remains a complete
mystery, probably a Brunswicker, but there is no Emanuel listed with
anything close, but to many possibilities to check for the real name.
Perhaps someone one day gets a hold of church records and clears this
mystery up. There should be descendants around to be interested in him.

Is this not fascinating stuff?
Help me, John.

This thread:

• History of Great Barrington. by John Helmut Merz <>