William Fife, the son of John Fife, the pioneer, was born in 1751. He and his wife, Margaret Boyd Fife, were married in 1782 and they would raise nine children. William died on July 25, 1808; Margaret Boyd Fife was born in 1763 and was age eighty-six when she died on May 19, 1849.

Family tradition says that William was born in County Tyrone, Ulster and, as a child, emigrated with his parents to the American colonies. In 1756 his father, John Fife, The Pioneer, was farming land at a location quite likely in Berkley County, an area now within the state of West Virginia, about 20 miles north of Winchester.

Before 1763, the frontier, instead of moving westward, had skirted the mountains and pushed southward down the Valley of Virginia from the Winchester area. But by 1762, this easy land was not there for the taking. Newly arrived Scotch-Irish immigrants to this Valley of Virginia in the 1750s encountered a system of redemptioners, share-cropping, or tenant farming not dissimilar to that which the Scotch-Irish had so distastefully left behind in Ulster. Some were looking to the west, beyond the formidable mountain range, into the wilderness where the risks were viewed as less dismaying than inviting.

In the early 1760s, there began trickling over the mountains from Virginia and westward along the wooded banks of the Monongahela a hardy and aggressive kind of man. They were Frontier People. Among them, many were Scotch-Irish who would have been derisively labeled as "back country people". The Indians regarded these settlers as clearly a lower order of people -- a sentiment shared by the majority of those whites who were living, often quite comfortably, along the eastern shores. But to the Indian, the most profoundly disturbing feature of these frontiersmen was the preposterous assumption of private land ownership. The 1766 influx of new settlers to country near the forks of the Ohio incensed the Indians - and aggravated the officers of the crown whose duty it was to guard the interests of Indians with whom eastern merchants wanted to increase trade.

History records that every man, woman, and child on the frontier burned with hatred for all Indians. Those who suffered the most were the first to come -- and it's said that the children of the frontiersmen learned to rip off a scalp at an age other children were learning to read.

It's recorded in family writings that in the year 1766, when young William was 15 years old, the Fifes made the arduous trek westward to frontier country then claimed by the colony of Virginia. The family settled on the 1,000 acre tract where father John "made the location" in Yohogania County, District of Augusta, Virginia. It's written that the Fifes were the earliest settlers in the area located south of the forks of the Ohio and several miles west of the Monongahela River, within today's Upper St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Stefan Lorant writes in his 1964 book, "Pittsburgh -- The Story of An American City":

"The pioneer family was a self-supporting unit, a complete world in itself. Father was a man of a thousand trades; he built his cabin, he made his plowshares, buckets, tubs and tankards. Mother spun flax, wove linen, cut and sewed the clothes for the family. And the children split brooms, helped make candles, and made themselves useful in many other ways. Every member of the family worked either in the fields or at home; no one was idle.

"The room of their cabins offered little comfort. It was drafty and smoky. The bearskins and blankets on the beds bred fleas. At night rats and snakes crawled on the floor.

"They dressed simply; the men wore a tan or red hunting shirt. Breeches and leggings were made of deerskin. Though better materials were brought over the mountains for the women, only a few were able to afford them. The little money the pioneer family possessed was used for salt, nails, gunpowder, and bullets rather than for clothing.

"They ate what the Lord provided . . . and behind each cabin was a truck patch with corn, pumpkin, squash, beans, potatoes, turnips, watermelons. The chief crops were maize, wheat, rye, flax, Irish potatoes, in that order. All farming (in the beginning) was done by hand, with the ax, the hoe, the scythe, and plows made of wood."

. . . and the farming settlers faced numerous local issues: the dispute between the colonies of Virginia and Pennsylvania threatened their land certificates, local government needed organization, and always foremost on their minds were the constant Indian attacks on white settlers between their area and Wheeling.

William Fife's Revolutionary War Service

When the news of Lexington and Concord reached these settlers, the young men of the area subordinated local concerns to the larger issues of the Revolution. After all, these Scotch-Irish always had an inbred disrespect of the British Crown. History records, however, that many were reluctant to leave their families, and elected local militia service rather than leave their families undefended.

In the year 1777, at the age of 26 years, William Fife enlisted at Fort Pitt for eighteen months as a private in the 12th Virginia Regiment, Virginia Continental Line. This regiment had been organized in October 1776 to help fill Virginia's expanded quota of troops established by the Continental Congress. Colonel James Wood and Lt. Colonel John Neville were commissioned November 12, 1776. Lt. Colonel Neville had probably been sent to Fort Pitt to recruit men for the 12th Regiment which he led east to join other troops in eastern Virginia. In April 1777, these troops were marched north to Morristown, New Jersey where a general reorganization of the Virginia Line was being effected.

William likely brought with him his own rifle as troops were encouraged to provide their weapons. He probably wore the uniform of the backwoodsman, one that at Bunker Hill had proved effective against the British who discovered these riflemen were outstanding marksmen. It was said that the mere sight of the outfit struck fear into the hearts of the British regulars. This uniform consisted of a hunting shirt (a long loose coat) and long breeches buttoned at the sides and held down by straps under the shoes. The leggings were often made of tow cloth which had been steeped in a tan vat until they became the color of a dried leaf. There were ruffles of the same material around the neck, at the bottom of the coat, and at the shoulders, elbows, and wrists. The hat was round and dark, with a broad brim turned up in three places and one of which contained a sprig of green. A white belt over the shoulder held the cartouch, or cartridge case. The hair was bound in a cue at the back.

During most of the War, the 12th Virginia Regiment together with 4th Virginia, the 8th Virginia, Colonel William Graysons Regiment at large and Colonel John Patton's Regiment of the Pennsylvania Line comprised the Brigade of Brig. General Charles Scott from Virginia.

At Morristown, in the Spring of 1777, Washington's Army had dwindled to the minimum required to be called an "army". Many officers had resigned their commissions for lack of adequate compensation and other soldiers had left for their homes. Washington knew that the Spring was a time to build his strength. He had picked Morristown because the position could be easily defended, and the location was ideal for raids in the areas of the Amboys and New Brunswick. These raids deprived the British, headquartered in New York, of control of New Jersey. General Scott's troops participated in these raids throughout May and June 1777.

When marching or camping for short periods, the soldiers usually slept in tents. These tents and the blankets were carried in a baggage train which, when a battle appeared likely, would be sent to a rear area, requiring the soldiers to sleep in the open following battles. When the army was in camp for any length of time, the soldiers were permitted to construct log huts for shelter. Food seemed always in short supply, but the troops would elect their own cook for a group of about thirty men. When the army was in camp for any length of time, there was always a lack of fire wood, often resulting in uncooked food. Even under good conditions, the quality of meals was poor. One common dish, for example, was called "fire cakes", consisting of a mixture of flour and water baked on a hot rock.

It was Washington's plan to remain camped at Morristown until the British made a definite move from New York, either up river to join Burgoyne at Saratoga or south in an offensive to capture Philadelphia. In July, Washington's spies reported great British activity off Sandy Hook, New Jersey, including the largest armada ever to ply American waters and British troops numbering 18,000. Washington ordered his 6,000 men to march to the protection of Philadelphia. Before marching through the streets of Philadelphia, they were ordered to look smart and make a good appearance that would raise the morale of the citizens. Though uniforms were somewhat tattered, they placed fresh sprigs of green in their hats and even the Tories were impressed. The troops camped south of Philadelphia until August 19 when news was received that the British fleet was floating a major force up the Chesapeake Bay.

The Battles of Brandywine and Germantown

Sir William Howe commanded the veteran British force that landed at the head of the Chesapeake, about 50 miles southwest of Philadelphia. His objective: Philadelphia. The American commander, George Washington maneuvered his army to defend the city.

After a series of delaying fights by small elements of the American forces, the main bodies of the two armies faced each other at Chadds Ford on Brandywine Creek in a conflict now known as The Brandywine. William Fife's unit was involved in some of the heaviest fighting. The British performed a flanking movement that resulted in defeat for the Americans who retreated in an orderly manner. The soldiers were without baggage as it had been sent off to Chester before the battle.

Washington's plan was to keep his army between the British and Philadelphia, thereby preventing the city's quick capture. After a series of minor conflicts, the British entered Philadelphia unopposed on September 26, 1777. The Americans had provided time for Congress to slip out of town to York, PA where they remained until the British left Philadelphia in June 1778.

On October 4, 1777, the Americans moved down the Germantown Pike and attacked the British near Philadelphia. In a heavy fog, the surprise successfully pushed the British back through Germantown. The fog resulted in some confusion, and the Americans retreated to an area north of the city that is now known as Fort Washington. The British unsuccessfully attacked the position, but were unable to penetrate the defenses. They returned to Philadelphia, and the Battle of Germantown was considered a draw.

William Fife at Valley Forge

On December 19, 1777, when Washington's poorly fed, ill-equipped army, weary from long marches, struggled into Valley Forge, snowy winds blew as the 12,000 Continentals faced winter's fury. The snow was six inches deep when they arrived at the winter encampment. The soldiers were undernourished, clothing was tattered, long marches had destroyed shoes, blankets were in short supply.

The encampment area was high ground, easily defensible, close enough to the British in Philadelphia to keep their raiding and foraging parties out of the interior, yet far enough away to halt British surprise attacks.

Washington's plan of defense assigned General Scott's Brigade, which was William Fife's unit, to a location on the outer line of defense on the southwestern flank. This location within today's Valley Forge National Historical Park is on "Outer Line Drive", above the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The area is marked by a memorial to General Scott's brigade about 200 yards beyond the equestrian statue of General Anthony Wayne.

The soldiers were divided into squads of twelve men, and each squad constructed standard 14 x 16 ft log huts which were mostly completed by mid-January 1778. The bitter weather was unrelenting. Frostbite and amputations were common. The army was ravaged by sickness throughout the winter. A January muster roll listed only 5,000 men fit for duty.

Baron Friedrich von Steuben, the skilled Prussian drillmaster, arrived on March 1st. As the weeks passed, the army trained and underwent a dramatic transformation. Supplies, equipment, and fresh troops arrived - and, in the Spring, came word of the French alliance with its guaranty of military support. An ordeal had ended, but the War for Independence would last another five years.

William Fife was probably released from the army in May 1778, and he would likely have followed a route home through Reading and Carlisle, and westward with stops at Fort Loudon, Fort Bedford, Fort Ligonier, and finally Fort Pitt.

Verification of Continental Line Service

Payroll records in the Virginia State Library in Richmond lists the following:

"William Fife is listed as a Private in Captain Andrew Waggoner's Company, 12th Virginia Regiment, on payrolls for the period from March 1777 through April 1778. The only period he was not with his company was in July 1777, when the notation 'sick in hospital' appears next to his name. The entire Virginia Continental Line, including the 12th Virginia Regiment, was at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777 to 1778."

Captain Andrew Waggoner's Company, the 12th Virginia Regiment, was under the command of Brig. General Charles Scott's Brigade during the winter and spring 1777-1778.

William Fife's Revolutionary War service record is verified in Pension Record W 7265.

The War on the Frontier

William Fife was almost 28 years old when he returned to the home of his father, John Fife. He found that the war on the frontier was even more ferocious than in the east where conflict was confined to battlefields among soldiers. On the frontier, the constant danger of Indian raids at any time, any place, had become a most serious threat in this and surrounding areas. Indians attacked the people in their homes and fields, burning cabins and destroying precious crops, and taking captives or killing women and children. Their homes were always in danger from small wandering bands of Indians. Few men had volunteered to go east to fight because their families would be left undefended.

A well-documented and written history of the period can be found in Allan W. Eckert's 1995 book titled "That Dark And Bloody River".

The frontiersmen formed volunteer militia forces comprised of men formed into units usually from a specific geographic area. Every able-bodied man between the ages of eighteen and sixty was expected to be part of his local militia unit.

William Fife enrolled as a private in Captain Robert Johnson's Company of the Westmoreland County Rangers until their area became Washington County in 1782. William, his brother John Jr., and his father John are listed next to each other in the records. (Re: Pennsylvania Archives Series 3, Vol. XXIII, Page 308).

After the Washington County Militia was formed, William Fife was commissioned on February 4, 1782, as Captain of the 4th Company, 2nd Battalion, Washington County Militia. (Re: Pennsylvania Archives, Series 6, Vol. II, page 81 and page 218.)

Militia officers were often chosen at the rendezvous point through popular election among the volunteers. It was hardly surprising that the men of the area turned to William Fife, not only a veteran of the Continental Army but also a man with extensive militia experience. He was 31 years old when commissioned and, at that time, still unmarried. Those under his command, probably all from Washington County, comprised a company of ninety-six men.

The responsibility of Captain Fife's command was to patrol the western border between Wheeling and Fort Pitt. Unlike the east, where roads were common, the frontier soldier rode horseback along narrow trails. All streams and rivers were forded at shallow points; there were no bridges whatsoever.

The Company was mustered many times in 1782. While fighting in the east had practically stopped following the British surrender at Yorktown in October 1781, the conflict continued furiously on the frontier until peace was signed at the end of 1782.

Captain William Fife's company participated in the disastrous Sandusky Expedition in May-June 1782 (Pennsylvania Archives, Series 6, Vol. II, page 391). At the time, William was 31 years old, and he and wife Margaret had been married less than two months.

Captain Fife volunteered for this campaign against the Indians, but only thirteen privates of his company joined him. Each brought his own horse, food, and rifle. The rendezvous point was at Mingo Bottom, on the Ohio River three miles below Steubenville.

Colonel William Crawford had been elected to command the expedition comprised of eighteen detachments of companies.

On May 25th, the expedition headed northwest from Mingo, following an Indian trail. From the beginning, Indian spies observed the action, and swift runners bore the news to Sandusky. The element of surprise had vanished. It was a ten-day march to cover the 160 miles to the Sandusky river. The British and Indians had been reinforced, and the militia decided upon retreat. But, the strange panic common in Indian warfare seized the troops, and a great amount of confusion resulted. Many of the men were separated from the main body of the militia.

Colonel William Crawford had turned back to find some kinsmen believed lost. He was captured and later burned at the stake in the valley of Tymoochee Creek, about five miles west of Upper Sandusky. We know of the tragic events because of eyewitness accounts of several prisoners who ultimately escaped.

Captain William Fife's role in the expedition is unknown other than he survived to return to his wife and family. He must have returned home on about June 14, 1782 because he ordered out his militia company to rendezvous on that date.

William's Marriage to Margaret Boyd

Tradition has it that William Fife and his friend, Alexander Gilfillan, who lived on a neighboring farm and with whom he had served together in the Continental Line, went over to Elizabeth Township to visit an old army buddy. Some think it was Andrew Boyd, but it was more likely his son Nathaniel. In any event, there were two sisters, Margaret and Martha Boyd. William and Alexander met them and the couples were married.

Martha (age 22) and Alexander Gilfillan (age 35) were married on 11/29/1781. Margaret (age 19) and William Fife were married on 04/30/1782. Both couples were married by the highly respected Rev'd Dr. John McMillan, a Princeton graduate of the class of 1772.

McMillan founded the "first college school of the West", known as the "Log Cabin" school, the only pioneer school that survived. From that beginning , McMillan played a leading role in the establishment nearby of the Canonsburg Academy, and then, in 1802, it became Jefferson College. He also led the founding of Washington Academy, and the schools united in 1865 as Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pennsylvania.
William Fife received some education - unlike his father and his uncle William who could neither read nor write. The Scotch-Irish families were determined their children would have every opportunity in this new land and, to that end, they advanced and supported education throughout the area.

The births of William's five sons and four daughters are recorded in the family Bible of their mother, Margaret Boyd Fife. A tenth child was born on 10/13/1801, but died six days after his birth.

In naming their sons, William and Margaret adhered to the Scottish naming protocol. The eldest son was named after the paternal grandfather, John Fife; the second son was named after the maternal grandfather, Andrew Boyd; the third son was named after father William.

William Fife served on the Board of Trustees of the Bethel Presbyterian Church after his election in 1803. He was also active in local area government up to the time of his sudden illness and death in 1808.

The Death of William Fife

William Fife's Will was dated July 16, 1808; he died nine days later on July 25th at the age of 57 years. He writes in his Will that he was ". . . weak in body through a late sickness". He left his estate to his wife and four sons, each of whom is mentioned in the Will by name: John, Andrew, William and Samuel Fife.

The Scotch-Irish pioneers were consistent in always leaving clearly-defined wills almost without exception. Their Ulster experience taught them that security was rooted to land ownership. It should not be forgotten that they also had witnessed frequent changes in their area's geographical boundaries. One's Last Will and Testament ensured no disputes in later years. It was customary in those days for land to go to the sons, daughters receiving such household furnishings and linens as were possible at marriage.

William bequeathed to son John a nearby Upper St. Clair farm of 153 acres, to sons William and Nathaniel equal shares of the 227-acre homestead and farm, and to son Andrew "that place of mine lying in Elizabeth Township". The patent map shows the land near Elizabeth, Pennsylvania adjoined that of Nathaniel Boyd, likely the brother of Margaret Boyd Fife.

These four Fife sons were to pay their young brother, Samuel, fixed cash amounts when he reached twenty-one. Samuel, however, died in 1824, a young man of nineteen years.

Grave Markers, Bethel Cemetery

William and his wife, Margaret Boyd Fife, and many of their children and descendants are buried in the historic section of the Bethel Church Cemetery, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. William, Margaret and their 19-year-old son, Samuel, are interred, side-by-side, beneath flat stone slabs whose inscriptions had become so worn and weathered as to be almost indistinguishable.

The Bethel Cemetery Corporation advised in December 1997 that: " . . . as the markers deteriorate in the oldest section one of the cemetery, these locations will be lost. Records of unmarked graves are not known and no burials are made in section one."

We believe it's important that our descendants long remember the contributions of this family - and an ancestor who served on the Continental Line in the war for independence, who volunteered as a frontier militiaman, and whose leadership, during his lifetime, was recognized by his command and his neighbors.

For this reason, some of us have funded a bronze replacement marker recently installed at William's grave site. The inscription is as follows:

WILLIAM FIFE
1751 - JULY 25, 1808

REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER
SON OF JOHN FIFE, SENIOR
HUSBAND OF MARGARET FIFE

CONTINENTAL LINE
12TH VIRGINIA REG. 1777-1778

WESTMORELAND COUNTY
RANGERS 1780-1782

CAPTAIN, 4TH CO., 2ND BAT.,
WASH. COUNTY MILITIA 1782

You are invited to link to: Evidence Versus Family Myths and to the photograph at Photography Page 6