Dublin in the Revolutionary War

      John Davis and Ann Simpson were childhood friends from Pennsylvania. John joined the Bucks County battalion in 1776, when he was just 16, to fight on the side of the colonialists in the American Revolution. We know that he was in the group of soldiers that crossed the Delaware with General George Washington that summer and occupied Valley Forge, as well. It's family rumor that claims he was in the actual boat with the general, and an even bigger tale that he's the one holding the flag in the famous painting by Emanuel Leutze. There's no proof for either of those, though. He eventually moved under the command of Marquis de Lafayette (who shared his birthday of September 6th) and was one of the men that helped to carry the general from the field when he was shot in the leg. He fought until the end of the war and was a witness in Yorktown to the surrender of Cornwallis.

      Ann was not to be outdone by her sweetheart, however. She also wanted to contribute to the war effort and, also at the age of 16, was personally chosen by George Washington to carry his messages across enemy lines to other colonial generals in the field. She was a beautiful red-haired woman whose neighbors recognized her as a familiar and trustworthy citizen. She could slip by them easily, and if she couldn't slip by the redcoats then it's said she could bat her eyelashes a little in order to be let through. Throughout the entirety of the war, Ann was never caught. She also received the same land benefits and recognition as her male counterparts, even earning a letter of commendation from George Washington himself.

      After the war, they were married and moved to Dublin, Ohio in 1816 to lay claim to their land grants from the government for their services. They built a large brick home on the east bank of the Scioto River. John died in 1832 and Ann passed nineteen years later. They are buried in the Davis Cemetery off of Riverside Drive in Dublin.

Sources:

Photo from Find A Grave: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=20314632

Information from the Ann Simpson Davis Chapter of the DAR: http://www.ohiodar.org/c/index.php?cid=4004

Franklin, Peter D and Elaine Kehoe. Dublin's Journey (City of Dublin: Dublin, OH), 2004.