Michael Cary (or Carey, 1740-after 1835) was the sixth child of David Cary and Mary Canada of Bristol. In 1770, he married Martha “Patty” Gurnsey in Barrington. Michael and Patty had two children: David and Ebenezer Gurnsey. During the Revolution, Michael served as a sergeant in Barrington’s militia company. He took part in the defense of Warren and Bristol during the British raid in 1778. During the Rhode Island Campaign in 1778, Michael was deployed to Aquidneck Island under the command of Daniel Kinnicutt. Patty died in 1824, and at the time of the 1830 United States Census, Michael was living by himself in Barrington. He applied for a pension in 1832, receiving $60 per year. In 1833, Michael walked eight miles from Barrington to Providence to visit United States Representative Tristam Burges. The reason for this visit was a mistake in the processing of his application, which led to him being recorded as a private, rather than a sergeant. Requesting a correction, Burges wrote, “Do gratify this withering monument of another age – He cannot stand through two winters more tho now robust”.
Bristol, Rhode Island in the Revolutionary War 1775-1783
