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| Thursday ye 20th | |
| Mrs Erwin and Sidney Howell and Peggy Johns came in ye morn: but could get no man to bear evidence. Lewis sent me word that I must shut my doors and windows and if they would come to let them Make a forcible entry. Accordingly I did so and a little after 10 o’clock they knocked violently at the door three times. The third time I sent Nurse and called out myself to tell them I was in possession of my own house and would keep so and that they should gain no admittance. Hereupon which they went round in ye yard and tried every door but could none open. Then they went to the kitchen door and with a scrubbing brush which they broke to pieces they forced that open. We women standing in ye entry in ye dark they made repeated strokes at ye door and I think was 8 or 10 minutes before they got it open when they came in I had ye windows opened they looked very Mad. There was Peel, Smith, ye Hatter, and a Col Will, a pewterer in second street. I spoke first and told them I was used ill: and showed them the opinion of ye Lawyers. Peel read it: but they all despised it and Peel said he had studied ye Law and knew they did right. I told them nothing but force should get me out of my house Smith said they knew how to manage that and that they would throw my clothes in ye street and: and told me that Mrs Simpson and forty others were put out of ye lines in one day… | Mrs. Erwin, Sidney Howell, and Peggy John came in the morning. But we could not find a man to join us. Lewis sent a message telling me to lock the doors and windows so the Patriots would be forced to break in if they wanted to enter the house. I followed his advice. Shortly after 10 o’clock some Patriots arrived and banged on the door three times. The third time I sent the nurse down to tell them to leave. I also called out that I was in my own home and planned to keep it. I told them they would not get in. They went around the house and tried every door, but they could not get in. Finally, they went to the kitchen door and used a scrubbing brush to break in. It took them eight to ten minutes to get the door open, and they broke the brush all to pieces. We women were all standing in the entryway in the dark. When they entered the house, I ordered the windows opened so we could see. They looked very mad. I saw Peel, Smith, the hatter, and a Colonel Will who was a pewterer on Second Street. I told them they were treating me unfairly and showed them a letter from my lawyers. Peel read it but they all belittled it. Peel said he knew the law and they were in the right. I told them I would never leave and that they would have to drag me out. Smith said they could manage that and that they would throw my clothing in the street. He told me Mrs. Simpson and forty others were put out of the lines in a single day. . . |
| Tuesday ye 20th | Tuesday April 20, 1779 |
| Went to Billy Turners. The two Mrs Bonds there. Ye Widdow and I very sociable but Mrs Bond rather shy but did not mind her but got my spirits at command and laughed at ye whole Whig party. I told them I was ye happiest woman in town for I had been stripped and turned out of doors yet I was still the very same and must be Joseph Galloways wife & and Lawrence Growdon’s daughter and that it was not in their power to humble me for I should be Grace Growdon Galloway to ye last and as I had now suffered all that they can inflict upon me I should now act as on a rock to look on ye wrack of others and see them tossed by the tempestuous billows while I was safe ashore; that if my little fortune would be of service to them they may keep it for I had exchanged it for content: that a wooden waiter was as useful though not so sightly as a silver one: and that I would never let these people pull me down for while I had ye splendid shilling left I would be happy in spite of them; I could not do as Diogenes (Drink out of the first brook therefore threw his cup away as Useless) but I would keep my wooden cup if I could get No other; and be happy to the last if I could not get a silk gown I could get a Linsay one and so it kept me warm I owed not. My borrowed bed I told them was down and I could lay me down and sleep composedly on it without feeling one thorn which was more than the creatures could do who had robbed me: but all that vexed me was that I should be so far humbled as to be ranked as a fellow creature with such brutes for I could not think they could be called men so I ran on and was happy though Madam Bond seemed sometimes to wince. I went as far as O. Jones with them Billy Turner came home with me. I continued in good spirits all even supped by myself. Debby sat a little with me. I am not sorry at anything I said for I now defy ye villains… (pp. 75-76) | Went to Billy Turner’s. The two Mrs. Bonds were there. The widow and I had a good chat, but Mrs. Bond was rather shy. I did not mind her. I mustered good spirits and laughed at the whole Whig party. I told them I was the happiest woman in town for I had been stripped and turned out of my home, but I was still the same. I am Joseph Galloway’s wife and Lawrence Growdon’s daughter, and they do not have the power to humble me because I will be Grace Growdon Galloway until the end. Now that I have suffered all they can throw at me I can watch the suffering of others calmly. I can see them tossed in the storm while I am safe on shore. I said if my small savings is useful to them, they can keep it, because I have enough. A wooden tray is as useful as a silver tray, even if it is not pretty. I said I would never let these people pull me down because as long as I have any money left I will be happy regardless of what they do. I could not give everything up like the philosophers recommend, but I will keep my wooden cup and be happy. If I cannot get a silk gown, I will be warm enough in a wool gown. I told them my new bed is down and I can sleep peacefully on it without any guilt, which is more than I can say for the people who robbed me. The only thing that bothers me is that I am now considered the same rank as these brutes. That is the only word that seems fit to describe them. They cannot be called men. I said all this and I was happy enough, though sometimes I made Madam Bond uncomfortable. I walked to O. Jones with them and Billy Turner walked me home. I stayed in good spirits all evening. I even had supper by myself. Debby sat a little with me. I am not ashamed of anything I said because I am defying the villains who robbed me. |
Grace Growden Galloway, Diary of Grace Growden Galloway, 1778-1781.
Background
When the war ended, many states passed laws that confiscated the property of known Loyalists as a way of punishing people who did not support the Revolution. Most of these laws treated women whose Loyalist husbands fled after the war as widows. They allowed the women who remained to keep one third of their husbands’ property.
Grace Growden Galloway’s husband Joseph was an important political leader in the colony of Pennsylvania before the outbreak of the American Revolution. Grace came from a wealthy family and had lived a life of privilege until Joseph was asked to renounce his loyalty to Great Britain in 1776. Joseph refused, choosing instead to sail for London in 1778 when political tensions were so high that it was no longer safe for him to remain in Pennsylvania. He took their only surviving child, leaving Grace to protect their property. He may have assumed that Grace’s gender and social status would keep her safe.
About the Documents
These excerpts come from the wartime diary entries of Grace Growden Galloway. She started the diary the day Joseph left, intending it to be a way to keep him up to date. Over time, it evolved into a record of Grace’s efforts to protect and recover her family’s property. The first excerpt describes the day that Patriots invaded her home and kicked her out because of her husband’s loyalties. The second describes a conversation she had with a friend trying to make the best of her circumstances. Together these excerpts help us understand what life was like for Loyalist women during the American Revolution.
After her home and possessions were seized, Grace began a long legal battle to get her property returned and secure her daughter’s inheritance. But Grace had been vocal about her Loyalist support throughout the war, so she was viewed as a traitor equal to her husband. Her attempts to get a third of her husband’s property were unsuccessful. She died in February 1782.
Vocabulary
- Loyalist: A person who supported the British during the American Revolution.
- Patriot: A person who supported the American rebellion during the American Revolution.
Discussion Questions
- Why did the Patriots take Grace Growden Galloway’s home and possessions? What does this reveal about the experiences of Loyalist women during the American Revolution?
- Why do you think Grace Growden Galloway chose to write about her experiences during the American Revolution? Why is her diary a valuable historical record?
- How does Grace Growden Galloway’s story complicate the narrative of the American Revolution?
Suggested Activities
- Pair this resource with Life Story: Margaret “Peggy” Shippen Arnold and Life Story: Lorenda Holmes for a lesson about women Loyalists during the American Revolution.
- Compare this resource with Reflections from the Home Front to consider how social class shaped the experiences of women during the American Revolution.
- Contrast this resource with Protesting Tea. How might women engaged with the Patriot cause have experienced the outbreak of war differently than those associated with the Loyalist cause?
- Pair this resource with Life Story: Jane Spurgin to discuss how women with Loyalist husbands fared during the American Revolution.
Themes
POWER AND POLITICS; DOMESTICITY AND FAMILY
The New York Historical Curriculum Library Connections
- For resources relating to the American Revolution in New York, see The Battle of Brooklyn.
