Peter Grewell, American Patriot

• Daughters of American Revolution Ancestor #: A048073
• Service: DELAWARE Rank: SOLDIER
• Birth: (CIRCA) 1750 KENT CO DELAWARE
• Death: 1776 BATTLE LONG ISLAND NEW YORK
• Service Source: DE ARCHIVES, VOL 1, P 41
• Service Description: 1) CAPT JONATHAN CALDWELL,COL JOHN HAZLETT

Peter Grewell was the son of Jacob Grewell and Sarah Cole. He was born between 1740 and 1750 at Little Creek, Kent County, Delaware and died October 8, 1776, at the Battle of Long Island, during the American Revolution. He married Sarah (unk) c.1768 in Kent County, Delaware. Three known children.

Peter's last name is spelled Grewell, Gruwell and Grouvelle. DAR records use Gruwell. Their records show Peter's birth as c.1750 while other sources use the earlier date of 1740. It is probably closer to the DAR date, as his father is believed to have married his mother in 1744. No birth records have been found. If we use the 1750 date, he was 18 when he married, and died in battle at age 26.

The muster rolls for Colonel John Haslett's regiment, Captain Jonathan Caldwell's company shows that Peter Gruwell joined on January 17, 1776 and was in the barracks at Dover on April 12, 1776. According to the Delaware Histories, "This regiment was stationed at Long Island, and was famous for its bravery. Captain Caldwell's company, which was accustomed to relieve the tedium of camp life by fighting Blue Hen chickens, soon became known as the 'Blue Hens' Company,' a soubriquet afterwards applied to all Delaware regiments." Peter's company participated in the Battle of Long Island in October of 1776. This company barracked at Brunswick after the battle where a return shows that from a total of 538 rank and file men in the regiment, five had been killed, including Peter Gruwell.

Peter's wife Sarah's maiden name is not known. The DAR does not list a maiden name in their records. According to family lore, she had been previously married to a Mr. Clement, and at the first husband's death, was left with two young children, Ann and Elizabeth. Ann died unmarried, but Elizabeth later married Samuel Temple.

Each of Peter's three sons migrated from Delaware, thus starting new and distinct Gruwell family lines. John and Isaac Gruwell migrated to Scott County, Kentucky where the Gruelle line originated. Timothy Gruwell, meanwhile, migrated to Stark County, Ohio, where a Quaker branch of the Gruwells was established.

See also:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Long_Island
• http://home.comcast.net/~grukon/ggruwell/1568.html