Comments on: Jack Peterson—Patriot

By: BCarroll

BCarroll — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 23:33:58 +0000

One must remember that the DAR for a long time did not admit daughters of revolutionary war veterans if the daughters could not pass the ‘one drop’ test. The DAR was a segregated institution well into the twentieth century.

The DAR denied membership to women who could prove their ancestry through a white war veteran and within my own lifetime I remember that they finally aquiesced and admitted them.

The fact that Jack Peterson does not appear in the DAR rolls may be due to no descendant applying for membership or the DAR rolls have not been updated to reflect his descendants applications.

By: Judy

Judy — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:35:39 +0000

I believe people called him “Rifle Jack Peterson”. He was granted a pension and bounty land “equal to others of the white race” and land ownership in Van Cortlandt Manor. And he did marry, wife not named, and had six children, including a daughter Harriet who married Harrison Moshier.
John Jacob “Rifle Jack” Peterson is buried in the Bethel Cemetery, Croton, Westchester County, New York.
A lengthy biography is found on google:

Source: Peekskill’s African American History: A Hudson Valley Community’s Untold Story

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:00:33 +0000

Judy,

I don’t know for sure whether Jack had family, but it would certainly be worth a look.

By: Judy

Judy — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 14:48:10 +0000

Interesting! I checked the DAR Patriot records and Jack is not listed. Maybe a descendant should apply for membership.