How the different militia musters were ordered and dated in this study

The Flower Swift militia company: Ordering and dating the lists

Based on the similarities between the lists (see table 1 below) the oldest list is the Draper list. Next is list “3”, then list “1”, then list “2”. This is reinforced by Table 2, which shows that list 3 is probably closest in time to the 1782 tax list. The Draper list predates that list. List 2 has no new recruits who were on the 1782 Montgomery County personal tax list, reinforcing the view that it is most distant from 1782. There may exist additional militia rosters and additional tax lists that I have not seen. If the exact date that men moved into the area could be learned from deeds or other methods it would help pin down the dates more exactly.

Table 1. Similarity between the militia musters
Number of matches
  Draper List 3 List 1 List 2
Draper X 41 14 10
List 3 41 X 18 13
List 1 14 18 X 33
List 2 10 13 33 X

Notes:

  1. J. Clonch on 1777 Cox militia
  2. Samuel Cox on 1777 Cox militia
  3. J. Hill on Cox 1782, Cox abt 1783 and Swift #2
  4. C. Morgan on Elk Creek 1782
  5. J. Cook on Elk Creek 1782 and 9/6/1782
  6. Harmon Cox on 1777 Capt. John Cox muster
  7. Sgt. John Hill (list 2) on Capt. John Cox 1782
  8. The company totals were 64 men on the Draper list, 68 men on list 3, 57 men on list 1 and 48 men on list 2.
  9. Most of the non-Quakers that are on Draper’s list, but not list 3 are very difficult to find genealogies for. I suspect that most of them are from Surry/Stokes Co., NC. Not one of them is on the Montgomery Co. 1782 tax list. The men on list 3 seem to have mostly survived the war.
  10. Very few of the men who are on List 1 and List 2, but not on list are on the 1782 personal tax list or the 1793 list. Those that I could find seem to have little property and are probably young men.
Table 2. Percent of muster members on the personal tax lists
  % of all on the muster % of new recruits
  1782 1793 1782 1793
Draper’s list 50 30    
List 3 62 28 61 22
List 1 37 32 22 24
List 2 35 29 0 25
  1. 1782 Montgomery County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List
  2. 1793 Wythe County, Virginia Personal Property Tax List

Rosters are found HERE.