Moses Dunbar (3 June 1746 – March 19, 1777) was a Connecticut land-owner and officer in a Loyalist regiment during the American Revolutionary War. He was one of the few men in the state of Connecticut to be convicted of high treason and executed.William Stone of Stamford and Robert Thomson of Newton were two others; they each also were hanged in 1777
Early life Moses Dunbar was born in Wallingford, Connecticut on June 3, 1746 to John and Temperance Dunbar,Anderson p.12 the second of sixteen children. In 1764, Moses married Phebe Jerome of Farmington, Connecticut,Anderson p.30 with whom he had seven children. Soon after marriage, Moses and Phebe joined the Church of England,Anderson p.35 causing a rift with Moses' Congregationalist father.
Involvement in the American Revolution On May 26, 1776, Dunbar's wife Phebe died after months of illness.Anderson p.150 Dunbar subsequently married Esther Adams.Anderson p.156 In September, Dunbar traveled to Long Island and in October, he accepted a commission as a Captain in the King's American Regiment, a British provincial regiment which was raised for Loyalist service.Anderson p.159 He then went back to Farmington, Connecticut, and was trying to persuade some other young men to enlist in the British army when he was arrested, and his royal commission and a list of Loyalist recruits was found in his pocket.Anderson p.161,165
He was indicted for high treason, tried in the superior court in Hartford, Connecticut, and on January 23, 1777, found guilty.Anderson p.165 on March 19, he was executed on the gallows which stood near the present site of Trinity College.Anderson pgs.177-179 Dunbar is buried in the Ancient Burying ground, in Hartford.Ryan, J. Francis. "Chapter XVII." Plymouth Conn., 1776–1976. Plymouth, Conn.?: n.p., 1976. N. pag. Print.
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References Citations
Sources Anderson, Virginia DeJohn (2017). "The Martyr and the Traitor: Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and the American Revolution", Oxford University Press Pond, E. LeRoy (1909). "The Tories of Chippeny Hill, Connecticut", Grafton Press External links Moses Dunbar, The Other Connecticut Man Hanged in the Revolution Nathan Hale & Moses Dunbar – Two Very Different Victims From Revolutionary America