August 4, 1975 [i.e., 1976]

Dear Florence and Fritz,

Good to hear from you during your New England trip!

As promised I am sending herewith a xeroxed copy of Aunt Minnie's application to the D.A.R. I wrote to the Registrar General but the copy which was sent to me is quite light and consequently your's (enclosed) is even lighter.

Anyway as I see the lineage:

Thos. Lennington, the Ensign, married Sarah Sickerton. Apparently they had four children:

• Sarah who died about 40
• Abbie (Lennington Wolf)
• Thomas II (for whom there is no birthdate recorded)
• Sarah who died at age 5

Thomas II, the son, married Sarah Van Sickles. Their daughter Abby (probably named for her aunt Abbie, above, who became Abbie Lennington Wolf) married and became Abby Lennington Thorne, who was the mother of Sarah Lennington Thorne, who became Henry Lefman's wife and mother of Aunt Minnie and Grandma Windmuller.

It is interesting that there are four Sarahs. I hope I have this right.

• Sarah Sickerton Lennington, wife of Thomas the Ensign.
• Sarah Lennington, their daughter who died at 5.
• Sarah Van Sickles, wife of their son Thomas II (and so their daughter-in-law)
• Sarah Lennington Thorne (Lefman), daughter of Abby who was daughter of Sarah Van Sickles and Thomas II and also great granddaughter of Sarah Sickerton Lennington and Thomas Lennington, the Ensign.

Aunt Minnie was Sarah Lennington Thorne Lefman's daughter and so is the great great granddaughter of Sarah Sickerton Lennington and Thomas Lennington, the Ensign.

Grandma Clara confused me when she mentioned two marriages but she couldn't be certain about it so I was always under the impression that there was a "half" relationship but Aunt Minnie's papers establish the relationship. The insertions seem to have been made during the checking by the D.A.R. on the application.

[paragraph omitted giving address for contacting the D.A.R.]

I hope I haven't confused you by throwing the comments above. The Sarahs. Maybe another Sarah may come along some day!

I wonder where all these people are buried? Ensign Thomas died in N.Y. City apparently.

Is Louis the only descendent of Ensign Tho. Lennington to serve in the military?

Looking at the birth dates of Ensign Thomas's children there was quite a span of years so there may have been others. Infants didn't always live in those days and even later years.

In the special 1776 issue of Time magazine last month there is an account about the Canadian encounter and the defense of Ticonderoga. [Florence quotes extensively from the article. It can be found in full here: <Goodbye to the 14th Colony.]

You will note Aunt Minnie's records referring to Thomas Lennington -- that "He was before Quebec in that capacity and in that company and resigned on Feb. 14, 1776 (according to record). He was taken prisoner some time later while in charge of a prize on the St. Lawrence river. Served as ensign in Col. Nicholson's regiment before Quebeck in April 1776."

According to the D.A.R. lineage book, Lennington was taken prisoner and confined fourteen months in Quebec and Halifax.

On Aunt Minnie's application it refers to the Muster roll before Quebec of Feb. 14, 1776 and the list dated Headquarters before Quebeck April 15, 1776. (Another reference to the Muster roll dated Ticonderoga Sept. 28, 1775.)

All this just a few weeks before Independence July 4, 1776. You were here in S.D. [i.e., San Diego] just 199 years later!

Bear with me!

Hope you have patience and this all is helpful.

Love, Florence

[Postscript ommitted]