William Hunter's Company
From Black Hawk Slept Here
William Hunter's militia company was an independent rifle company of men who were mostly from the Sturgis, Michigan area. Barnett's roster lists 29 men, the majority of whom served from May 21 through June 6, 1832. The others served from May 21 through June 21.
The 1877 St. Joseph County history describes it as follows (on page 80):
An independent rifle-company was raised and sent to White Pigeon, and thence to Niles, and a few of the Sturgis men went to Door prairie. They were a jolly lot, and had, as Hiram Jacobs, who was one of the volunteers, says, "a big time." Besides Mr. Jacobs there were Asa W. Miller, P.H. Buck, Captain Hunter, who commanded the company, John Parker, Moses Roberts, Edward Mortimore, Baumgartner, and several others, who volunteered to serve out a sixteen days' campaign, making their principal raid on the commissary supplies, there being no other enemy on whom to forage.
The 1907 county history (page 238) describes it as follows, apparently deriving its information from the 1877 history and/or the sources used for that history:
To give St. Joseph county full credit for what she did in the raising of men for the Black Hawk war, mention must also be made of the independent rifle company organized in Sturgis township, in command of Captain Hunter. Among its members were Hiram Jacobs, Asa W. Miller, P.H. Buck, John Parker, Moses Roberts and Edward Mortimer. They volunteered for a sixteen-days' campaign, but as one of the boys remarked after he was gray-headed, "there being no enemy on whom to forage, they made their principal raid on the commissary supplies and had a 'big time.'"
The militia men listed in the county histories
Some of the men listed in the paragraphs above are also listed in Barnett's roster, but some are not. The following list is annotated with comparisons to Barnett.
- Hunter - captain - listed as William Hunter on Barnett's roster
- Hiram Jacobs - also listed in Barnett's roster, as a private
- Asa W. Miller - Nobody by that name, or any name recognizably close to it, is listed in Barnett's roster as a member Hunter's company or any another company. A search of census records did not reveal anyone with that name at that time and place, nor are there any GLO land records for him. A search of St. Joseph county histories did not reveal any more information about him than what is in the quoted material above.
- P.H. Buck - Barnett's roster lists Peter H. Buck with the rank of sergeant, not in Hunter's company, but in Alanson Stewart's Company from Centreville.
- John Parker - also listed in Barnett's roster, as a private
- Moses Roberts - also listed in Barnett's roster, as a private
- Edward Mortimer - also listed in Barnett's roster, as a private
- Baumgartner - A Bolsor Bumgardner is listed in Barnett's roster, in Hunter's company, with the rank of 2nd sergeant. There are three GLO land records for Bolser Bumgardner, one of which spells his first name "Balser." The 1860 federal census lists a Bolsor Gardner in Sturgis Township. The 1889 county history mentions a Bolser B. Gardner. This may be the same person.
References
- Le Roy Barnett and Roger Rosentreter. 2003. Michigan's early military forces : A roster and history of troops activated prior to the American Civil War.
- 1877. History of St. Joseph county, Michigan, with illustrations descriptive of its scenery, palatial residences, public buildings ... Philadelphia,: L. H. Everts & Co.
- 1911. History of St. Joseph County, Michigan. Cutler, H.G. ed. Chicago, New York: The Lewis Publishing Company.
- Bureau of Land Management - General Land Office Records
