John Swift (general)
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Palmyra, New York
United States of America
Brigadier General John Swift | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 17, 1761 |
| Died | July 12, 1814 (aged 53) |
| Buried | Gen. John Swift Memorial Cemetery 43°03′54″N 77°14′02″W / 43.065°N 77.234°WPalmyra, New York |
| Allegiance | Thirteen Colonies United States of America |
| Branch | Continental Army United States Volunteers |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
John Swift (June 17, 1761 – July 12, 1814) was an American military officer during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. He founded the town of Palmyra, New York.
Swift was born on June 17, 1761, in Kent, in what was then the Connecticut Colony.[1] His parents were Elisha Swift and the former Mary Ransom; one of his brothers, born two years later, was Philetus Swift, who eventually became a prominent legislator in New York State.
Revolution
Swift enlisted in the Continental Army and served as a private in Elmore's Regiment (an unnumbered regiment in the Connecticut Line) under Captain Lathrop Allen.[2]
Pennamite Wars
Swift was among the Connecticuters who attempted to settle in the Wyoming Valley in northeastern Pennsylvania, sparking the Second Pennamite War.[2] When the Pennsylvania legislature decided the land claims in favor of the Pennsylvania Mennonites, Swift decamped for Western New York (even though the Connecticut settlers were eventually granted Pennsylvania residency).
Palmyra
In the winter of 1788–89, with the Wyoming Valley situation not going in the Connecticuters' favor, John Swift and John Jenkins purchased a large tract within the Phelps and Gorham Purchase in what is now Wayne County, New York, with the intent of helping their fellow Connecticuters settle there instead. When Swift set up residence near Ganargua Creek in 1790 (after buying out Jenkins), the area was named "Swift's Landing".[2] It later was named "Tolland" before being renamed "Palmyra" at the first town meeting in 1796.[3]