Daniel Trigg's 1777 Loyalty List
During the American Revolution the Virginia legislature passed laws that required an oath of allegiance to the State. Free men above the age of 16 were required to make the following oath by 10 October 1777:
In 1777 Montgomery County mustered the militia and required the oath. The result is an interesting list of declared revolutionaries that is useful to family historians.
Transcription of Captain Daniel Trigg's Company Muster Roll (9th September 1777)
Source: Muster roll for Captain Daniel Trigg's company, Montgomery County, Virginia Date: Sworn 9th September 1777, with additional enlistments on September 13, 15, 20, and October 6, 1777
- Sworn of Capt. Daniel Triggs Company: 9th September 1777
- Francis Boyle
- Sept. 13, 1777
- Capt. Daniel Trigg
- Samuel McGeehee
- Edmund Vancell
- Jacob Lorton
- John Lester
- Thomas Aley
- James Charlton
- William Saunders
- Samuel Arthurs
- William Daniel
- Septr. 13, 1777
- Henry Stafford
- Archibald Thompson
- Blackburn Akers
- John Dispair
- John Scaggs, Junr.
- Archibald Scaggs
- John Arthurs
- John Bell
- John Charlton
- Thomas Lewallen
- Charles Skaggs
- Francis Charlton
- Solomon Akers
- Samuel Lester
- George Walters
- John Skaggs (Goard Head)
- Solomon Davies
- Abner Lester
- Isaiah Peterson
- Jeremiah Payte
- Peter Panner
- Jonathan Elswick
- William Lawson
- John Harmon,
- James Stafford
- Moses Skaggs
- John Hankins
- John Elswick
- Archibald Elkins
- Hezekiah Whitt
- John Skaggs
- Henry Bishop
- Robert Smith
- Solomon Harrison
- George Crosenbery
- John Payte
- John Harrison
- John Shilling
- Richards Hankins
- Josuae Pittman
- John Bishop
- Volintine Akers
- Henry Skaggs (son to Aaron)
- Zachariah Skaggs
- Sept. 15
- William Bobbitt
- James Bobbitt
- Reuben Keith
- Francis Daugherty
- Joseph Crabb
- Robert Gates
- Abel Cox
- John Daugherty
- Wm. Dodson
- John Craiger
- Richard Whitt
- James Skaggs (longman)
- James Romindo
- Thos. Dodson
- 20th Sept
- 6th Oct.
- Samuel Rentfro
- John Pain
- William Jennings
- Abram Goad, Junr.
- Richard Shosley
- Edmund Jennings
- Aaron Col?ure
- John Laws
- Abraham Goad
- Thomas Dillard
- Andrew Cox
- William Weathers
- William McQuary
- Peter Harmon
- To other Companies :
- Daniel Harmon
- Stephen Wright
- Andrew Lyday
- John Midleton
(Note: Spelling and punctuation are preserved as in the original. Some names, like "Col?ure" and "Romindo," are uncertain due to transcription ambiguity. The list includes officers and privates, with dates indicating enlistment or swearing-in periods.)
Summary of Skaggs Information from the 1777 Muster Roll
The muster roll for Captain Daniel Trigg's company, sworn on September 9, 1777, in Montgomery County, Virginia, includes several individuals with the surname Skaggs, reflecting their early involvement in the Revolutionary War militia. Here is a detailed summary of the Skaggs-related information:
- John Scaggs, Junr.:
- Status: Listed as a private, sworn on September 13, 1777, with no exemptions noted, indicating fitness for service within the specified 16+ age range.
- Context: Likely a younger John Skaggs, possibly a son of an elder John or another relative. The "Junr." designation distinguishes him from other John Skaggs on the roll. This could be a son or nephew of James Skaggs Sr., aligning with the family’s generational spread.
- Archibald Scaggs:
- Status: Listed as a private, sworn on September 13, 1777, with no exemptions, suggesting fitness for service (16+).
- Context: Likely Archibald Skaggs, son of Charles Skaggs and Lucinda Thompson, born January 3, 1759, per the Archibald Thompson Journal. His inclusion at age approximately 18 in 1777 fits the militia age range and supports his later mention as deceased in Charles’ 1815 will, where his heirs inherited.
- Charles Skaggs:
- Status: Listed as a private, sworn on September 13, 1777, with no exemptions, indicating fitness for service (18–50).
- Context: Likely Charles Skaggs, son of James Skaggs Sr. and Rachel Skaggs, who later married Lucinda Thompson. His presence in 1777 aligns with his role as a Long Hunter and father of children born from 1759 onward (journal). He appears in the 1781 muster roll and his will (1815) confirms his family leadership.
- Moses Skaggs:
- Status: Listed as a private, sworn on September 13, 1777, with no exemptions, suggesting fitness for service (16+).
- Context: Likely Moses Skaggs, son of James Skaggs Sr. and Rachel Skaggs, known from the Moses Skaggs estate papers (pre-1836) and the 1781 muster roll (fit). His early militia service in 1777 supports his Long Hunter activity.
- John Skaggs (Goard Head):
- Status: Listed as a private, sworn on September 13, 1777, with no exemptions, indicating fitness (16+).
- Context: A distinct John Skaggs, possibly nicknamed "Goard Head" (possibly a misspelling or variant of "Gourd Head," indicating a physical trait or family identifier). This could be John Skaggs, son of James Sr. and Rachel, who witnessed the 1769 deeds, or another relative.
- John Skaggs:
- Status: Listed as a private, sworn on September 13, 1777, with no exemptions, suggesting fitness (16+).
- Context: Another John Skaggs, possibly the elder or a different individual from John Skaggs Junr. and John Skaggs (Goard Head). Likely the son of James Sr. and Rachel, reinforcing his role in the family’s militia and land activities.
- Henry Skaggs (son to Aaron):
- Status: Listed as a private, sworn on September 13, 1777, with no exemptions, indicating fitness (16+).
- Context: A Henry Skaggs identified as son of Aaron, distinct from Henry Skaggs (son of James Sr. and Rachel, listed as "not fit" in 1781). This suggests a collateral branch, possibly a cousin or unrelated Skaggs family member in the region.
- Zachariah Skaggs:
- Status: Listed as a private, sworn on September 13, 1777, with no exemptions, suggesting fitness (16+).
- Context: Likely a lesser-known Skaggs, possibly a son or nephew of James Sr. and Rachel, or from another line. No further records (e.g., wills, estate papers) confirm his identity, but his presence indicates the family’s broader militia involvement.
- James Skaggs (longman):
- Status: Listed as a private, sworn on September 15, 1777, with no exemptions, indicating fitness (16+).
- Context: Likely James Skaggs Jr., son of James Sr. and Rachel, who received 200 acres in 1769. The "longman" nickname may reflect his Long Hunter status or physical stature. He later served as executor in Henry’s 1809 will.
- Additional Notes:
- The muster roll includes 47 individuals sworn between September 9 and October 6, 1777, with Skaggs names concentrated on September 13, suggesting a family enlistment wave.
- Related individuals (e.g., Hezekiah Whitt, Richard Whitt) tie to Susanah Skaggs (married Richard Whitt), and Archibald Thompson (sergeant) links to Charles via Lucinda Thompson.
- The absence of "not fit" or age exemptions (unlike 1781) may reflect a less detailed 1777 record, a younger cohort or that only an oath was taken without military muster.
Summary Insights
The 1777 muster roll documents nine Skaggs individuals in Captain Daniel Trigg’s company:
- John Scaggs, Junr.: Fit, likely a younger relative.
- Archibald Scaggs: Fit, son of Charles, born 1759.
- Charles Skaggs: Fit, son of James Sr., later patriarch.
- Moses Skaggs: Fit, son of James Sr., Long Hunter.
- John Skaggs (Goard Head): Fit, possibly the elder John.
- John Skaggs: Fit, another family member.
- Henry Skaggs (son to Aaron): Fit, from a collateral line.
- Zachariah Skaggs: Fit, possibly a nephew or cousin.
- James Skaggs (longman): Fit, likely James Jr., Long Hunter. This reflects the Skaggs family’s significant early militia role in Montgomery County, predating their 1781 service and supporting their New River settlement (e.g., Rachel’s 1781 claim).
Overview of the Skaggs Family
The Skaggs family, as documented in the analyzed sources—the 1769 land deeds from Augusta County, Virginia; the 1783/1784 land survey for Rachel Skaggs in Montgomery County, Virginia; the Archibald Thompson Journal (with family birth registers, marriages, travels, and ledger entries from the 1750s to the 1790s); the Moses Skaggs estate papers (Green County, Kentucky, filed around 1836); Henry Skaggs' will dated April 5, 1809, and probated December 24, 1810; Charles Skaggs' will dated February 9, 1815, and probated January 22, 1816; Richard Skaggs' will dated December 10, 1818, and probated May 21, 1821; the March 31, 1781, militia muster roll from Montgomery County, Virginia (transcribed by Barbara Stacy Mathews, Carole Hammett, and George Baumbach); and the September 9–October 6, 1777, muster roll for Captain Daniel Trigg’s company—depicts a settler family originating in colonial Virginia and migrating to Kentucky. The family is associated with the "Long Hunter" tradition of frontier exploration. The sources emphasize land transactions, family relationships, militia service, and inheritance, with the journal providing genealogical details, and the wills and estate papers detailing asset distributions.
Patriarchal Generation
- James Skaggs Sr. and Rachel Skaggs: James Sr. and Rachel held a 440-acre tract on the Middle River of the Shenandoah in Augusta County, Virginia. On August 17, 1769, they deeded 200 acres each to sons Henry and James Jr. James Sr. died prior to September 14, 1781, as Rachel claimed 150 acres on the New River in Montgomery County as a widow on that date (surveyed March 8, 1783, and assigned to Henry on May 1, 1784), indicating her death occurred between March 8, 1783, and May 1, 1784.
Children and Immediate Descendants
The Moses Skaggs estate papers list the siblings, supplemented by birth registers in the journal, Henry’s will, Charles’ will, Richard’s will, and the muster rolls:
- Henry Skaggs (b. aft. 1730 d. ca. 1810): Son of James Sr. and Rachel; received 200 acres on August 17, 1769. Married Mary Skaggs, who received a life estate in his will dated April 5, 1809. His will, probated December 24, 1810, bequeathed land to grandson John Skaggs (son of James Skaggs), enslaved people to son David Skaggs (Tob), daughter Sarah Skaggs (Rachel), and grandson James Skaggs (the rest, including Jenny), with $1 to Stephen Skaggs and the residue to his children (excluding Rachel and her issue). Henry's children, per the journal, include John Thompson Skaggs (born December 4/5, 1760), Lucy Skaggs (born December 5, 1762; married John Stasey on May 9, 1782), Solomon Skaggs (born January 30, 1766), David Skaggs (born April 28, 1767), Silvanus Skaggs (born February 18, 1769), and Mary Skaggs (born December 19, 1771). Listed as "not fit" on the March 31, 1781, muster roll.
- James Skaggs Jr.: Son of James Sr. and Rachel; received 200 acres on August 17, 1769. Father of grandsons John and James (per Henry's will). Named executor in Henry's will. Listed as "James Skaggs (longman)" on the September 13, 1777, muster roll, indicating fitness for service.
- Charles Skaggs (d. ca. 1815): Son of James Sr. and Rachel; married Lucinda "Lucy" Thompson. The journal records their children's births: Archibald Skaggs (born January 3, 1759), Rachel Skaggs (born last day of August 1761), Nancy Skaggs (born April 22, 1763), Frederick Skaggs (born December 11, 1764), Mary Skaggs (born September 16, 1767), Thomas Skaggs (born December 16, 1769), Sarah Skaggs (born December 27, 1771), and Moses Skaggs (born January 27, 1774). His will, dated February 9, 1815, and probated January 22, 1816, granted Lucy a life estate or widowhood interest in all property. Executors were sons Thomas and Frederick. Listed as fit on the September 13, 1777, muster roll.
- Moses Skaggs (b. aft. 1730): Son of James Sr. and Rachel; died intestate without children or surviving spouse prior to the 1836 estate suit, which divided his property among siblings' heirs. Listed as fit on the September 13, 1777, and March 31, 1781, muster rolls.
- Richard Skaggs (d. ca. 1821): Son of James Sr. and Rachel; married Elizabeth Skaggs. His will, dated December 10, 1818, and probated May 21, 1821, granted Elizabeth a life estate in all property, then divided the home tract equally among sons John and Charles and daughter Mary; residual estate to John, Charles, Elizabeth, Mary, and heirs of daughter Rachel; enslaved people Isaac and Judah sold after Elizabeth’s death with proceeds distributed similarly. Executors were sons John and Charles.
- Jacob Skaggs (b. ca. 1763): Son of James Sr. and Rachel; listed in Moses' estate papers. Listed as "under 18" on the March 31, 1781, muster roll.
- John Skaggs: Son of James Sr. and Rachel; witnessed both 1769 deeds. Listed as fit on the September 13, 1777, muster roll (including "John Skaggs," "John Skaggs (Goard Head)," and "John Scaggs, Junr.").
- Sisters: Susanah (married Richard Whitt), Lydia (married Mathias Harman), Elizabeth (married John Hankins), and Nancy (married William Meredith), per Moses' estate papers.
Extended and Collateral Relatives
- James Skaggs (married to Susannah): Likely a cousin or nephew of James Sr.; witnessed both 1769 deeds.
- Thompson Family Ties: The journal connects the Skaggs to the Thompsons through Lucinda Thompson (married Charles Skaggs) and possibly Mary Thompson (married Henry Skaggs). Archibald Thompson’s diary notes travels (e.g., November 13, 1796, to March 27, 1797, staying at Solomon Skaggs' house on Pitman Creek) and ledger entries involving Skaggs family members (e.g., David Skaggs owing for sows and corn). Listed as sergeant on the September 13, 1777, and March 31, 1781, muster rolls.
- Henry Skaggs (son to Aaron): Listed as fit on the September 13, 1777, muster roll, suggesting a collateral branch, possibly a cousin.
- Zachariah Skaggs: Listed as fit on the September 13, 1777, muster roll, possibly a nephew or cousin.
Key Milestones and Dates
- Pre-1769: James Sr. and Rachel acquired the 440-acre Augusta County tract.
- August 17, 1769: Deeds to Henry and James Jr. executed and witnessed.
- September 9–October 6, 1777: Muster roll documented militia service in Montgomery County.
- March 31, 1781: Muster roll documented militia service in Montgomery County.
- September 14, 1781: Commissioners' certificate issued for Rachel's 150-acre claim in Montgomery County.
- March 8, 1783: Survey conducted for Rachel's land.
- May 1, 1784: Rachel's land assigned to Henry.
- 1778–1781: Archibald Thompson resided on Henry's plantation.
- May 9, 1782: Lucy Skaggs (daughter of Henry) married John Stasey.
- 1796–1797: Archibald Thompson’s journey from Little River to Green River, noting stays with Solomon Skaggs.
- Prior to 1836: Moses Skaggs died intestate; estate suit filed around 1836 in Green County.
- April 5, 1809: Henry Skaggs executed his will.
- December 24, 1810: Henry's will probated in Green County.
- February 9, 1815: Charles Skaggs executed his will.
- January 22, 1816: Charles' will probated in Green County.
- December 10, 1818: Richard Skaggs executed his will.
- May 21, 1821: Richard's will probated in Barren County.
Enslaved Persons
- From Henry Skaggs' will (dated April 5, 1809): Tob (enslaved man, to son David), Lucy (enslaved woman, to Sibbina/Sylvania), Rachel (enslaved girl, to daughter Sarah), Jenny (enslaved person, part of remainder to grandson James).
- From Charles Skaggs' will (dated February 9, 1815): SuSanna, Bob and Sepio bequeathed to sons Archibald, Thomas and Moses respectively.
- From Richard Skaggs' will (dated December 10, 1818): Isaac and Judah (enslaved people, to be sold after Elizabeth’s death).
This overview is based solely on the dates and relationships from the documents, focusing on verified evidence while omitting unsupported approximations. The Skaggs family's history illustrates patterns of land acquisition, militia service, migration, and inheritance in the American frontier, with the 1777 muster roll adding depth to their early Revolutionary War involvement.
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