John Pittsinger (Johannes Petzinger) from Dudenhofen born in 1757, a Cannoneer in the Hessen-Hanau
Artillery Corps attached to Burgoyne. He was captured at Bennington and imprisoned at Rutland, Massachusetts. He was paroled and went to work as a carpenter in West Springfield and Northampton while periodically reporting in at Rutland. He worked on parole from prison until war’s end when he deserted. In 1780 he married Rhoda French of Westhampton and settled at Chesterfield where they had five sons, three surviving: John (1) (died), John (2), William, Jonathan and Harvey
(died). John died in 1823 and Rhoda in 1831. His life story and genealogy has been published.34 One of John and Rhoda’s granddaughters was Eliza Ann Pettsinger(sic)((Eliza Ann Pittsinger)) known as the “California Nightingale.” She was a noted poet, her greatest work entitled “Song of the Soul Victorious.” (Editor’s note: The Pittsinger story appears in the 2000 volume of this journal.)[2]
John Pittsinger (Johannes Petzinger) from Dudenhofen born in 1757, a Cannoneer in the Hessen-Hanau
Artillery Corps attached to Burgoyne. He was captured at Bennington and imprisoned at Rutland, Massachusetts. He was paroled and went to work as a carpenter in West Springfield and Northampton while periodically reporting in at Rutland. He worked on parole from prison until war’s end when he deserted. In 1780 he married Rhoda French of Westhampton and settled at Chesterfield where they had five sons, three surviving: John (1) (died), John (2), William, Jonathan and Harvey
(died). John died in 1823 and Rhoda in 1831. His life story and genealogy has been published.34 One of John and Rhoda’s granddaughters was Eliza Ann Pettsinger(sic)((Eliza Ann Pittsinger)) known as the “California Nightingale.” She was a noted poet, her greatest work entitled “Song of the Soul Victorious.” (Editor’s note: The Pittsinger story appears in the 2000 volume of this journal.)[2]