26 May 2009

A War of 1812 Veteran Who Moved To Michigan

While browsing through the Major Index Pension List War of 1812 by Annie Walker Burns [Bell] while at the Allen County Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I noticed that the Andrus family who lived in the metro Detroit area. Even though I do not maintain a database of Macomb County, Michigan, residents, it's close enough to my Lapeer, Oakland, and Genesee areas to be of interest. Further research found that Nancy (Lamb) Andrus was a Backus descendant, as am I. Small world.

The War of 1812 Pension information for Elon & Nancy (Lamb) Andrus:

Andrus, Elon & Nancy L. W. O. 3974 W.C. 26070
Bounty Land Warrant #29541 for 40 acres 1850
& 37012 120 acres 1855
Private in Captain Jarvis Crittenden's Company, NY Militia
Enlisted: 29 Aug 1814
Discharged: 29 Sept 1814
Residence of Soldier: 1851, 1855 Washington, Macomb Co., Michigan
Residence of Widow: 1871 Washington, MI
Maiden name of Widow: Nancy Lamb [A Backus descendant!]
Married 29 Aug 1808 - Warsaw, Wyoming Co., NY
Soldier's death: 16 July 1865, Washington, MI [Buried here]
Widow's death: 19 June 1878, Washington, MI

Here is a land patent issued to Elon Andrus, of Genesee Co., New York, in 1823.

The Andrus family was found in Macomb County in 1850:

1850 MI Macomb Co.
Andrus, Elon, 64, VT
", Nancy, 56, MA
", Truman, 36, NY
", Betsey, 36, England
", E.W., 5, MI
", George, 2, MI
Next Door:
(Andrus), Loren, 34, NY
", Lucina, 30, NY
", Dwight, 6 or 4, b. MI
Davis, Mary, 15, MI
" , Nancy, 60, VT

In 1880, the widowed daughter-in-law of Elon and Nancy was living in Macomb Co. with three of her children (she was living with them in the 1850 census):

Betsy ANDRUS Self W Female W 56 ENG Keeping House ENG ENG
Edward ANDRUS Son S W 35 MI Farmer NY ENG
Charles ANDRUS Son S W 24 MI On Farm NY ENG
Truman ANDRUS Son S W 16 MI NY ENG
Source Information: Census Place Washington, Macomb, Michigan

A quick Google search did not reveal any specifics about what Capt. Crittenden's Company did in the War of 1812. In which theatre of war did Private Andrus participate?

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