Thomas Donnelly (1764–1835) was

Sergeant-at-Arms A serjeant-at-arms, or sergeant-at-arms, is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin ''serviens'', which means "servant". Historically, s ...

of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

from 1806 to 1813, and from 1814 to 1817.

Biography

He was born in 1764. His parents were married in Trinity Church, Manhattan. At the outbreak of the revolution, his family was forced to move away from Manhattan because his father Peter was an outspoken well known patriot (Sons of Liberty). They bought a tavern in

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...

. Peter Donnelly was a Minuteman in the Militia. Newburgh was later the location of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's headquarters from 1781 to 1782. At the age of 14, Thomas Donnelly fought in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

as an express rider messenger for Washington. His rank later was private in the regular army. His pension papers are at the national archives. Thomas Donnelly married Ruth Pettinger (1768–1838). Their daughter Hester Donnelly married Ulysses F. Doubleday (1792–1866). He was

during the sessions of the 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 34th,

35th Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...

, 36th, 38th, 39th and 40th New York State Legislatures. He died in 1835.

Legacy

Thomas's grandchildren were Colonel Thomas D. Doubleday (1816–1864),

Abner Doubleday Abner Doubleday (June 26, 1819 – January 26, 1893) was a career United States Army officer and Union major general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pi ...

(1819–1893), General Ulysses Doubleday (1824–1893).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donnelly, Thomas 1764 births 1835 deaths Military personnel from New York City Politicians from Newburgh, New York