The following is according to Pamela Lee Sliker Miller BEGIN ... Daniel Bray is the son of James and Elizabeth Bray. From a newspaper clipping (referring to Daniel Bray): "Brigadier General of the NJ Militia, the young officer who was commissioned by George Washington to gather the boats with which he made his famous crossing of the Delaware on the night of December 25, 1776. A trust which he fulfilled greatly to his own credit and to the satisfaction of his chief." END wikipedia.org ... BEGIN Daniel Bray (October 12, 1751 – December 5, 1819)[1] was a Captain on General George Washington's staff during the American Revolutionary War. Captain Bray, along with members of the Hunterdon County Militia under his command, collected the boats necessary for crossing the Delaware River on the night of December 25–26, 1776 prior to the Battle of Trenton.[2] After the war he became the general in the New Jersey state Militia. He was married to Mary Wolverton. Children of Daniel Bray and Mary Wolverton are: Elizabeth Bray, b. January 24, 1775, d. date unknown. Delilah Bray, b. February 1, 1777, d. date unknown. John Bray, b. May 25, 1779, d. January 26, 1818. Jonathan Bray, b. June 25, 1781, d. date unknown. Hannah Bray, b. April 28, 1783, d. date unknown. James Bray, b. August 2, 1785, d. March 16, 1786. Susannah Bray, b. December 6, 1786, d. date unknown. Andrew Bray, b. December 12, 1789, d. date unknown. Sidney Bray, b. December 15, 1791, d. June 2, 1803. Wilson Bray, b. December 21, 1793, d. November 22, 1850. Daniel Bray, b. July 20, 1795, d. 1857. Gardner Bray, b. December 15, 1797, d. January 15, 1798. Mary Bray, b. October 10, 1801, d. April 25, 1812 The boats played a very prominent part in the attack on Trenton. For all time Washington crossing the Delaware will be one of the most dramatic incidents of the great struggle. Art has fixed it upon canvas, history has dwelt upon it. But few eyes beheld that little band of men risking life and health through the long nights. bringing the boats to Washington. A large portion of New Jersey Route 29 is named the Daniel Bray Highway in honor of Captain Bray's vital role in this critical phase of the Revolutionary War. In 1903 Joseph F. Folsom wrote "The Ballad of Daniel Bray", which is printed in "Patriotic Poems of New Jersey" compiled by W. C. Armstrong, and in "Historic Trenton" by Louise Hewitt.[1] Author: Rev. Joseph F. Folsom "Many patriots who in the long struggle did less for their country's freedom than Daniel Bray are to-day more honored and sung, although he, through many perils, gathered by night the fleet of boats by which Washington crossed the icy Delaware. Even had the battle of Trenton proved a disaster for the Americans, instead of the glorious victory it actually became, the dangerous descent of the swiftly flowing river, from the mouth of the Lehigh to Malta Island, a journey of fifty miles through long wintry nights, accomplished by Captain Bray and his compatriots, should at least give his name a place beside those of Paul Revere, Sergeant Jasper and Molly Pitcher." After the war, Daniel Bray, like Cincinnatus, went back to being a Hunterdon County farmer, on his homestead farm in Kingwood Township. He and his wife Mary Wolverton already had four children by the end of the war. Daniel Bray is also listed as a noble traitor in the House of Lords England and him and his descendants would suffer loss of title and property in the British Empire. References 1. Folsom, Joseph. "Bray, Daniel, Patriot of the Revolution". 2. "The Rosemont Cemetery". 3. http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/b/r/a/Richard-S-Bray/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0115.html External links http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11192245 This page was last edited on 28 December 2016, at 16:17. END jeffbray.blogspot.com ... BEGIN Friday, June 15, 2012 The Ballad of Daniel Bray taken from: "Patriotic Poems of New Jersey," compiled by W. C. Armstrong, 1906 Background: Daniel Bray was a captain in the Second regiment of the Hunterdon county militia. He was born at Baptisttown, Hunterdon county, N. J., October 12, 1751, and died at Kingwood, in the same county, December 5, 1809. Washington abandoned Jersey in the early part of December, 1776, the last man of the rear-guard under Lord Stirling reaching the Pennsylvania shore on December 8th, about midnight. To prevent the passage of the British, all boats had been removed from the Jersey shore; but Washington soon had far deeper plans in mind; he wished a little fleet of boats collected so that he and his army might recross the river at will. Accordingly he summoned Captain Bray and directed him to gather secretly all the river-craft that could be found on the Delaware from Phillipsburg downward. Associated with Capt. Bray in this undertaking were Capt. Jacob Gearhart and Adj. Thomas Johnes; these three met at Baptisttown, about three miles inland, to make their plans and engage the assistance of others. They worked at night disguised as hunters; and no easy task it was to find the boats hidden away in creeks by their owners, to cut them out of the ice and to keep them from being swamped in the rapids while taking them down the icy current in the darkness. Capt. Bray and his companions worked at this for ten nights and succeeded in collecting about twenty-five craft, including fourteen Dur ham boats, four scows and several rafts for the transportation of cannon; all these they hid behind Malta, a heavily-wooded island opposite Lambertville. Thus were the boats gathered for Washington s famous crossing. THE BALLAD OF DANIEL BRAY December, 1776. The Delaware, with stately sweep, Flows seaward as when armies fought: But they who struck for freedom sleep Beneath the soil their valor bought. At Rosemont, inland, Daniel Bray, In lonely grave, with rest hard won, Waits for his country s voice to say: "He brought the boats to Washington." At Trenton lay the Hessian host, Pluming their pride with gay parade; They thought the freeman s cause was lost And hoped his last brave stand was made; But safe on Pennsylvania s shore, The master patriot aimed the blow Which thenceforth in the nation s lore Would mark oppression s overthrow. To Captain Bray on Kingwood height A horseman sped by field and brake, Till on his door, at dead of night, He knocked, and bade the soldier wake s A hasty mount, a quick farewell, And then miles down the frozen track, Like musket shots the hoof-beats fell, While Mary slept and dreamed him back. Down Stony Batter Hill they sped, Across Duck s Flat; then up the slopes To Rittenhouse (where sleep the dead) Their coursers climbed with steadier lopes; The ten-mile creek is left behind, Gilboa s slant is swiftly run; At Coryell s the inn they find, And waiting them, great Washington. That hour Bray heard his general say: "Seize all the boats from Easton down, And guard them safe, by night and day, Until we cross to take the town." The echoes of a noble voice Hied with him from that meeting place, Praise made the soldier s heart rejoice, And spurred his zeal to quicker pace Ere gray dawn paled o er Hunterdon, He ranged a circuit twelve miles wide, For brave Gearheart of Flemington, And Johnes of Amwell countryside. To foil the Tory s cunningness, With squads in hunter s garb uncouth, They pierced the Jersey wilderness, From Ringoes to the Lehigh s mouth. Then downward on the broader stream, They drove by night their project bold, With but the planet s wintry gleam To cheer them in the bitter cold. December s slashing wind cut keen O er ice-cakes massed with frosty grip; And longside, in the dusky sheen, They watched the chill black waters slip. Beneath the river s gloomy banks, And where the friendly ferry plied, They seized the craft with scanty thanks, And launched them on the swirling tide: Through eddies deep, and rapids swift, They guided sure their precious fleet; Minding the rock and treacherous rift, And creeks where angry currents meet. No hostile shot disturbed the verge, Where ghostly woods loomed drear and dark No voice, except the hound s sad dirge, Or, far away, the wolf s gruff bark; But sometimes cross the distant slope, A farmhouse shed its candle ray, And warmed the wand rer s heart with hope Of fireside joys and freedom s day. The river s speech is low and weird, It bears no tales of deeds long past ; But Bray, ere morning light appeared, His boats by Malta Isle made fast; And on that famous Christmas night, They bore the heroes o er the tide, Who broke the spell of Britain s might, And flung the Hessian mob aside. The Delaware shall ever flow Through sacred soil, forever free. And every free-born child shall know The tale of Trenton s victory: And till the stars shall cease to shed Their light o er hilly Hunterdon, Of Daniel Bray it shall be said: "He brought the boats to Washington." --Joseph Fulford Folsom. Hunterdon County NJ Archives Biographies.....Daniel BRAY END findagrave.com ... BEGIN Capt Daniel Bray Birth: Oct. 12, 1751 Hunterdon County New Jersey, USA Death: Dec. 5, 1819 Hunterdon County New Jersey, USA Captain Daniel Bray was the Kingwood Township, New Jersey farmer who, with other members of the Hunterdon County Militia under his command, collected all of the boats on the upper Delaware. Boats were gathered from Easton to Bordentown, being then hidden on Malta Island so the British could not follow Washington as he escaped across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. Daniel Bray was the leader of the "Boat Gatherers". He also fought at Millstone, Germantown, Monmouth, Paramus, Passaic, Woodbridge, Passaic Falls, Springfield, Byers, Elizabethtown Point, and Quibbletown. This action was part of Washington's retreat across New Jersey prior to the famous Battle of Trenton, Christmas night 1776, when he moved his army back into New Jersey and defeated the British and Hessians, reversing the course of the war. Family links: Spouse: Mary Wolverton Bray (1756 - 1840)* Children: Elizabeth Bray Rittenhouse (1775 - 1845)* John Bray (1779 - 1818)* Hannah Bray Blackwell (1783 - 1858)* Andrew Bray (1789 - 1849)* Wilson Bray (1793 - 1850)* *Calculated relationship Inscription: Sacred to the memory of Daniel Bray, born October the 12th, A. D. 1751, and departed this life December the 5th, A. D. 1819, in the 69th year of his age. Burial: Rosemont Cemetery Rosemont Hunterdon County New Jersey, USA Created by: Duke Thatcher Record added: Jun 17, 2005 Find A Grave Memorial# 11192245 END