William Todd (soldier)

William Todd (1739 – October 10, 1810) was an American soldier and politician from Pennsylvania.

Early life

Todd was born in Somerset County, New Jersey in 1739, to Irish Immigrants Robert Todd and his second wife Elizabeth. His ancestors were alleged to be Scottish rebels and Jacobites, Cavaliers in the Scottish Civil War who had raised the standard of rebellion too often and been exiled to Ireland from their native Angus, Scotland. His parents moved to Chester County Pennsylvania about 1755 and then by 1760 to the portion of neighboring Philadelphia County that later became Montgomery County.

French and Indian War

In the French and Indian War, Todd served with the Pennsylvania troops. He fought at the Battle of Kittaning and was involved in the capture of Fort Duquesne, earning the honor of joining the Rangers.

Revolutionary War

Todd was a good friend of Benjamin Franklin and was a player in the brewing situation that would explode into the American Revolutionary War.

He traveled around Pennsylvania and the New England colonies and was active in Boston. He joined the militia and then the Continentals, and served at the war's early battles, including Bunker Hill, before returning to Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the convention which established Pennsylvania as a Commonwealth and State. He became a Judge from his district at the first elections.

He fought bravely for Independence and re-enlisted, this time being more active in the South, serving until 1781 when Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown.

Later years

After the Revolutionary War, Todd was chosen as a member of Pennsylvania's ratifying convention and voted against ratification of the United States Constitution. He held several further political positions in his State, and received a pension for his service in the Revolution, so was well taken care of in his old age.

He died in the town of Unity in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania on October 10, 1810.

His grand niece Mary Todd^[1] would later become Abraham Lincoln's wife, and his descendant Robert Todd (named for a rebellious Jacobite ancestor) served in the 8th Kentucky Infantry, C.S.A. during The American Civil War.

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