LTC Thomas Farrington, 1735-1808
Birth: Mar. 8, 1735 Andover Essex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay
Death: Apr. 9, 1808 Delhi, NY
Thomas Putnam Farrington, born March 8, 1735 in Andover, Essex County, Province of Massachusetts April 9, 1808, was the son of Daniel Farrington of Andover, Massachusetts and Elizabeth Putnam, who was born in Salem, Massachusetts. His mother, Elizabeth Putnam, was a granddaughter of Ann Carr Putnam, the primary instigator which started the Salem witch trials hysteria.
Thomas Farrington served in the Revolutionary War under General Rufus Putnam. Thomas was commissioned a Lt. Colonel on January 1, 1777. Prior to that he was serving as a volunteer in the expedition against Canada and as a Captain in the 16th Continental Infantry.
Thomas was cashiered (dismissed with dishonor) after he was accused of counterfeiting money. He placed a newspaper notice proclaiming his innocence, but he was remanded to jail after his court martial, to face civil charges. According to Thomas' pension papers, son March describes the counterfeiting incident as a “misunderstanding” between Thomas and his commander. Abigail Adams, wrote about the incident and more in a letter dated May 6, 1777 to her husband, future president, John Adams:
“I must add a little more. A most Horrid plot has been discovered of a Bank of villans counterfeiting to a Great amount, no person scarcly but what has more or less of these Bills. I am unlucky enough to have about 5 pounds LM of it, but this is not the worst of it. One Col. Farrington who has been concerned in the plot, was taken sick, and has confessd not only the Counterfeiting, but as they had engaged and inlisted nearly 2 thousand Men who upon the Troops comeing to Boston were to fall upon the people and make a General Havock. How much mercifull God than man, in this providentially bringing to light these Horrid plots and Schemes. I doubt not Heaven will still continue to favour us, unless our iniquities prevent."
General George Washington argued for Thomas to be executed, saying:
“Whoever attempts to destroy their credit, particularly that of those, emitted by the United States, is a flagitious Offender & should forfeit his life, to satisfie the demands of public justice. In the case before us, the enormity of the crime, is aggravated in a peculiar manner by the post, Farrington held”. Despite Washington's call for execution, Thomas was only cashiered.
Colonel Thomas Farrington settled in 1786 just above the village of Delhi, in a double log house. Putnam and Philip Farrington, his sons, came to Delhi with him. Three Farringtons were enumerated on the 1800 census in Dehli as heads of household: Thomas, March, and Putnam.
Thomas’ second marriage was to Jerusha Hammond in 1776. Jerusha applied for a widow's pension based on Thomas's service in the Revolutionary War. Jerusha died November 11, 1840 in Meredith, Delaware County, possibly in the home of her stepson, March. There is no evidence the pension was awarded. In 1846, her family members applied for a pension on Thomas's record for themselves. I have no more information on that.
Burial: Woodland Cemetery Delhi Delaware County New York, USA
Plot: 204
Sources: Geni.com, WikiTree, dcnyhisotry.org
