Isaiah Hamblin - War of 1812

3rd Great-Grandfather

http://archive.org/details/ourgoldheritage00

Isaiah Hamblin was a large man, six feet six inches tall. He was of mild and even temper and was not easily excited. He was a farmer. Democrat, and Freemason. He was a pious man, believing in the teachings of the Bible. However, he would not allow his children to attend church because he said the preachers did not teach in accordance with the Bible. 

Isaiah was a soldier in the War of 1812, serving under General Dearborn, and was wounded at Plattsburg, New York. His wife heard the guns of the battle, put her babe, some bandages and medicine into a boat, and rowed 20 miles to the scene of the action. She arrived in time to see the British flag go down.

After the war he was engaged in lumbering on the St. Lawrence River in northern New York. Living quarters were very crude in the lumber camp. His workmen, mostly Canadian, slept in bunks arranged around a huge fireplace with their feet toward the fire to keep them dry and warm. They had the habit of stripping naked to go to bed. The 'Kanucks' (Canadians) had a trick they liked to play on the 'Yankees' while they were asleep. They would put pitch wood splinters between their toes and then set them on fire. The men would awake stamping and bellowing. They were not only angered, but sometimes badly burned. When some of the men became disabled because of this sport, Isaiah decided to put a stop to the practice. One night he went to bed and feigned sleep. Soon a big 'Kanuck' came prowling around looking for a victim for his pranks. Spying Isaiah's feet bared to the warmth of the fire, he whispered gleefully to his companions, 'La bushwa! La bushwa!' (The boss! The boss!) Then he prepared some splinters for the fun. Just as he stooped to set fire to them, Isaiah drew back his feet and kicked the big fellow plumb in the chest. He stumbled back and landed stark naked upon the bed of living coals of fire. He gave a roar which aroused the entire camp. The man was rescued, but badly burned. Isaiah regretted the incident, but there were no more burned feet in the camp.

The next spring Isaiah, his brother-in-law, William Haynes, and a Mr. Dodge were floating down the St. Lawrence River on a raft.  Needing supplies, they ran their raft aground near a small settlement and went ashore.  The settlement happened to be the home of the man Isaiah had kicked into the fire.  A crowd soon gathered around them.  One man grabbed Isaiah and another Mr. Haynes, and told them they wanted to wrestle with them.  Isaiah whispered to Dodge to hurry to the raft with the supplies while he and Haynes took care of the men.  They soon threw their men and ran to the raft.  Part of the crowd had followed Dodge to the raft and when his friends arrived he had a large chain and was beating off the mob while he loosened the raft from its moorings.  They soon had the raft afloat and were safely out onto the river, not too badly hurt.

 In 1819 he was sheriff of Geauga County, Ohio.  He had charge of Fowler's flour mills and at one time lived in Bainbridge, Ohio.

Isaiah worked as a missionary among the Indians. Isaiah died in Santa Clara, Washington, Utah, 7 Oct 1856. At the time of his death he was a patriarch in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Obituary - Deseret News March 11, 1857, Page 8
DIED
In Fort Clara, Santa Clara, Sept 7 1856, Isaiah Hamblin, aged 66 years
Elder Hamblin was born in Barnstanoble County, Mass and fought as a volunteer under Gen. Deaborn in the last war with Great Britain: at the Battle of Plattsburgh had his hearing greatly impared by the roar of the cannons; and at the close of the war was honorably discharged.
Hearing of the Latter-day work he went to Nauvoo in 1845 and was baptized; shared in the troubles of the Saints in Nauvoo, produced by the sons of those with whom he had fought side-by-side for his country's liberty! - and had the mortification to see the Government he had fought to establish and maintain avow such acts!!