The EFA will develop sections of historical interest. This page is devoted to original articles about Eddy family members who served on Clipper ships during the age of sail, Eddy's in the military, or intelligence services.
Contributions in the form of short articles for these pages should be directed to the President of the EFA at [email protected].
We will begin this section by capturing the service of those recorded in the various Eddy Genealogy Publications. This will be an on going project. Those who send contributions / short Articles will be added below the information from our publications. We may eventually create sub web pages if this becomes a popular section.
From Eddy Family Genealogical Data
JOHN EDDY (WILLIAM) - For over thirty years he was a member of the military company. When finally he was sixty-two years old and getting infirm he petitioned the court to be excused and understood that his petition had been granted. But much to his surprise he was one day summoned to training and found that he could be excused only by paying a fine. Thereupon he wrote the letter found in Bulletin No. 3 on p. 32, in which he begs the authorities to give him youthful strength and vigor, if they expect the service of a young man.
Bond, in his Watertown History, states that on Dec. 15, 1673 John Eddy "then 77 years of age asked to be excused from military training." If Bond's dates are correct, John Eddy must have been summoned a second time, when too old to serve.
When John Eddy first settled in Watertown he came into possession of a Home stall of forty acres, which was situated on the north side of Mill St. (now Mt. Auburn St.). As time went on he received several grants and purchased several other pieces of property, so that he became a large landholder.
Barnabas Wines Husband of ANNA EDDY (WILLIAM) - In 1654 Barnabas Wines was made a corporal of a military company, Southold, and in 1662 he was made a Freeman of Connecticut Colony.
JOHN EDDY (OBADIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - John Eddy's name is on the Roster of the First Military Company of Taunton, on May 30, 1700 (Hist. of Taunton, Emery, p. 354). Among the Capt. Thomas Leonard Papers is a record dated 1691. "Accounts of First Mil. Co. of Taunton."
"An accompt of all the fines I ever gathered as Military Clarke in Taunton and disbursements,-John Edy (his name is one of eight) - 6 shillings besides in a general way of repairing all the drums of yours, which by law comes to about £to out of which must be taken one shilling on Edy."
BENJAMIN EDDY (OBADIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - He spent the earlier part of his life in Middleboro, where he was a member of the First Military Co. on Jan. 19, 1710/ 11 (Hist. of Plym. Col.).
SAMUEL EDDY (OBADIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - The earliest record of the First Military Co. of Middleboro, taken Jan. 19, 1710/11 has on its list, Serg't Samuel Eddy, and also the name of Benjamin Eddy. (Hist. of Plymouth Col.)
BENJAMIN EDDY (JOSHUA, ZACHARIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - On the military list of RI the name of Benjamin Eddy appears as Ensign in Providence in 1746-1947; as Lieutenant in 1748, 1749 and 1750; and as Capt. in 1751, 1752 and 1753.
Benjamin served in Col. Hopkins Reg't in 1756 and as 1st Lieut. of Captain Jenckes Co. in 1758 and as Capt. of the 9th Co. in 1759. The RI Colonial Rec., Vol. V, state that Benjamin Eddy was made 1st Lieut. of the 5th Co. Mar. 17, 1758 and Capt. on Feb. 26, 1759 to command the troops of this colony.
JONATHAN EDDY (JOSHUA, ZACHARIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - His name appears on the military census of RI in 1777 as a resident of Glocester and over 6o years of age.
ZACHARIAH EDDY (JOSHUA, ZACHARIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - On the Military Lists of RI Zachariah Eddy of Johnston appears as a Lieutenant in 1761-1762 and as Captain in 1763-1765.
WILLIAM EDDY (JOSHUA, ZACHARIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - He is possibly the William Eddy who is Ensign in Glocester in 1789 and Capt. in 1790 (Civil and Military Lists of RI). He was a private in Capt. N. Blackmar's co. in the Rev. War.
CORNELIUS BASSETT husband of LYDIA NORTON (HEPZIBAH COFFIN, BEULAH EDDY, JOHN, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - Cornelius was active in civil and military affairs. Colonel of militia 1757-1762; deputy sheriff, 1768.
ENOS EDDY (ELISHA, ZACHARIAH, ZACHARIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM)- He was made a Freeman of Glocester in 1750 and again in 1760, and his name appears on the Civil and Military lists of RI.
GIDEON EDDY (JOSEPH, ZACHARIAH, ZACHARIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - Gideon Eddy's name appears on a pay abstract in the 4th Vol. of Military Papers on file in the RI Historical Rooms.
BARNARD EDDY (JEREMIAH, JOHN, ZACHARIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - He was Ensign in the Prov. 5th Co. in 1758 and served until 1763, when he became Captain. He appears as a captain in 1763 and 1768.
When the French and Indian War broke out Barnard Eddy volunteered on the alarm of Aug. 1757 (List of RI Soldiers and Sailors in the Old French and Indian War, by Howard Chapin). When the Revolutionary War broke out Barnard Eddy was called upon for the defense of the town. On May 15, 1775 he served three nights as a watchman to prevent the town from being taken by surprise (Providence Town Paper No. 803). On the 6th of Sep. 1775 he was chosen to take a list of men's names, guns, bayonets, cartridges, cartridge boxes, flints, powder and balls, swords and pistols which he found in the hands of the people of Providence, so that the strength of the town might be known, and on Feb. 9, 1776 he was one of those listed in whose hands powder and arms might be found. Later in the spring Barnard Eddy was given charge of the construction of the fortifications which were to be builtField's Point andSassafras Point. These became known as Fort Independence and Robin's Hill Fort. In the summer of this same year he was appointed by the Continental Congress, captain of a company which he was to raise. This was to be a company of carpenters who were to be taken to the regions of the upper Hudson and Lake Champlain where they were to construct ships for the defence of those regions.
The following is an interesting letter, copied from the Archives of the American Forces. (Vol. I, Fifth Series, p. 377; and p. 378.)
To the President of the Congress. July 16, 1776.
I have appointed Captain Barnard Eddy, a very suitable person, the chief carpenter. He has already enlisted twenty men who are to be provided well with tools and arms the same rate which the Marine Committee have enlisted those Philadelphia. He informed me that he shall be able to procure the whole number required of us and march with them on Monday or Tuesday next the farthest. He proposes to send off baggage on Saturday. Captain Eddy to General Gates. "On Saturday last I was honored with the command of the General Congress to procure fifty ship carpenters to build ships for the defense of the lakes."
(Vol. I, Fifth Series, p. 1003.) A letter dated Aug. 17, 1776Williamstown contains the following. "Sir, I am requested by Captain Eddy, commander of a company of ship carpenters from Rhode Island, to inform you that said captain and company having been exposed to take the smallpox on their march from Rhode Island have since been inoculated and are now sick with some disorder in Williamstown, and that Captain Eddy . . . despairs of his life, but is still most anxious for the welfare of his soldiers."
The Military Census of RI taken in 1774 lists Barnard Eddy as the head of a family consisting of four males over 16 years of age, and two under 16, and four females over 16, and three under 16.
ESEK EDDY (JEREMIAH, JOHN, ZACHARIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - In 1777 when the population of Prov. was taken for military purposes his name did not appear because he was already enrolled in the army.
JONATHAN EDDY (JONATHAN, JOSHUA, ZACHARIAH, SAMUEL, WILLIAM) - In the RI Civil and Military Lists, he is called Capt. Jonathan Eddy. His service in the Revolutionary War follows: Jonathan Eddy. Private, Capt. Generals Cavaliers co., for service in expedition to Island of RI from July 24 to Aug. 31, 1778; rec'd pay for 4 da. service.
Articles Shared by Family Members
William Crawford ("Bill") Eddy (this is an edited version of an article appearing in Wikipedia. You can read the full article here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Eddy)
(August 22, 1902 – September 15, 1989) He completed high school at the New York Military Academy, then received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy.
Upon graduating from the Naval Academy in 1926, Eddy's first assignment as an ensign was on the light cruiser USS Cincinnati (CL-6). He was initially sent to Nicaragua to "fight the Banana Wars," then dispatched to China to protect American interests and "show the flag" along the Yangtze River. In 1928, Eddy requested and received a transfer to the submarine service. At six-foot six, he was almost too tall for submarines, but nevertheless received an assignment on the USS S-35, patrolling the Asiatic waters from the Philippines.
In 1930, Eddy was sent to the Naval Submarine Base New London in Connecticut. Here he qualified as a submarine commander and was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade). Remaining at New London, Eddy set up an electronics course for officers. He had his own laboratory for conducting research in underwater sound gear and signal communicating from a submerged position; his research resulted in four secret patents. When standing a physical examination for promotion to lieutenant, hearing loss was identified and he was forced into disability retirement at the close of 1934.
On December 7, 1941, when Eddy heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he took a night train from Chicago to Washington, D.C., intent on returning to active duty as a Navy officer. Eventually he found a senior officer in the Training Division of the Bureau of Navigation.
When the officer told Eddy that highly skilled personnel were desperately needed to maintain a new type of high-frequency radio equipment, Eddy responded, "You'll need lots of radar men. We can train 'em. We've got room, equipment, skilled personnel – you can have it all!" Eddy was invited to join this planning group and quickly became the leader.
In less than a month, Eddy's group had developed plans for what came to be recognized as the most challenging training program of WWII, popularly called the Electronics Training Program (ETP).
The ETP was initiated on January 12, 1942 and Eddy was returned to active duty, and in less than three years was promoted to the rank of captain. The greatly enlarged activities became Naval Training Schools – Radio Chicago, and were under the command of Eddy for the duration of the war. At the end of the war, Eddy declined a further promotion to rear admiral and retired (again) in December 1945. He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his wartime accomplishments.