A Patriot’s Journey: Major Jonathan Stickney (1737–1795)

As genealogists, we often hope to discover an ancestor whose life reflects the larger story of American history. For me, that ancestor is my sixth-great-grandfather, Major Jonathan Stickney of Billerica, Massachusetts.

Long before the first shots of the American Revolution, Jonathan served the British Crown during the French and Indian War. In 1759, at just twenty-two years old, he enlisted in Colonel Eleazer Tyng’s regiment during Britain’s campaign to remove the French from North America.

Sixteen years later, the colonies were in rebellion.

When news of the fighting at Lexington and Concord reached Billerica on April 19, 1775, Captain Jonathan Stickney quickly assembled his militia company and marched toward the conflict. Less than two months later, his company answered the alarm at the Battle of Bunker Hill, where one of his men, Asa Pollard, became the first Massachusetts soldier killed by British artillery.

Jonathan continued serving his community throughout the Revolutionary era and is later documented with the rank of Major. During Shays’ Rebellion in 1786, he again answered his state’s call, leading the Billerica Artillery through a snowstorm to Cambridge to help protect the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Jonathan’s commitment to service spanned generations. His father, Captain Daniel Stickney, also served during the French and Indian War, and his daughter Silence married Revolutionary War patriot Benjamin Bowers. Following Jonathan’s story has opened the door to generations of military service and reminded me that one ancestor’s life often leads to many more stories waiting to be discovered.

Christine Ordway Klukkert
Sixth-great-granddaughter of Major Jonathan Stickney

Modern digital illustration created with ChatGPT (OpenAI) from the author’s historical research. Jonathan’s military service stretched from the French and Indian War through the Revolutionary era, illustrating one family’s long tradition of public service.