1739 - 1799 (59 years)
Set As Default Person
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Name Israel SHREVE Title Col. Relationship 
with Henry Walter ROLFE Birth 24 Dec 1739 Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA 
Gender Male Military Service 9 Oct 1775 When the Battle of Bunker Hill occurred on 17 Jun 1775, Israel Shreve was a farmer and owner of a farm homestead near Georgetown, a village that is one mile north of the historic Shreve family homestead at Mount Pleasant. After news came of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Israel and his brothers, Samuel and William, enlisted as officers in the New Jersey State militia.
On 9 Oct 1775, the 2nd New Jersey Regiment, or Jersey Line, was raised with Israel Shreve appointed Lieutenant colonel in the second battalion. After volunteering, John Shreve, Israel's thirteen-year-old son, also served in the second battalion. Three of Israel's brothers (Caleb, Samuel and William) and two of his nephews (Caleb's son, Benjamin and William's son, Richard) also enlisted as volunteers and served during the Revolutionary War.[8] They were all members of the Society of Friends, a religious group that supported pacifism.
The 2nd New Jersey Regiment was sent north to relieve Benedict Arnold's attack on Quebec. The regiment arrived in Albany, New York by 27 Mar 1776, then reached Fort Ticonderoga by 18 Apr. Shreve arrived in Quebec City 3 May under cannon fire from the British. When a British fleet appeared in the Saint Lawrence River, Shreve retreated west with 1,900 Americans. General John Thomas ordered Shreve to take some of the wounded to Sorel, at the juncture of the Richelieu and Saint Lawrence River. By 11 Jun American forces had been defeated by British troops near Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and they abandoned Sorel on 14 Jun, just three hours before the British arrived. Shreve was back at Fort Ticonderoga 16 Jun 1776, and remained there until November, when the enlistments for the 2nd New Jersey expired.
By April 1777, Shreve and his regiment were in Princeton, New Jersey. He spent the summer in Reading, Pennsylvania, and returned to service in November 1777. From March to May 1778, Shreve and the 2nd New Jersey were stationed at Haddonfield, New Jersey. In mid-June, the British, now under the command of General Sir Henry Clinton, departed Philadelphia, crossed the Delaware River and began their march in a northeasterly direction across New Jersey. When some of his men burned Shreve's home and other buildings near Georgetown, Clinton offered a reward of 25 guineas for information on the soldiers' identities. Shreve's 2nd New Jersey pursued the British to Monmouth Courthouse, site of the Battle of Monmouth on 28 Jun 1778. Shreve walked over the battlefield after the British had retreated farther north to New York.
The following year Shreve took the 2nd New Jersey on the Sullivan Expedition. They left Easton, Pennsylvania, on 18 Jun 1779, arriving in Wyoming, Pennsylvania, five days later. They remained in Wyoming more than a month before loading 117 rowboats with 1,200 pack horses and 900 cattle. The regiment reached Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, on 5 Aug and Tioga Point on 11 Aug. The next day General John Sullivan ordered his combined forces to Chemung, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Tioga Point, where they burned an Indian village and Israel's son, John, witnessed a skirmish with a retreating native tribe; a man standing next to him was killed by musket fire. Both Israel and John Shreve returned to an army fort at Tioga while Sullivan led his command farther west.
In Nov 1779, Shreve led the 2nd New Jersey Regiment to the Continental Army's winter encampment at Morristown, New Jersey. On 7 Jun 1780, the British Army under Henry Clinton crossed from Staten Island to New Jersey. On 23 Jun they came west from Elizabeth, New Jersey, toward Chatham and Morristown, and met Americans at Springfield Township. The ensuing fight became known as the Battle of Springfield. Shreve's men waited at a bridge just west of the village of Springfield as Hessians under Lieutenant General Wilhelm, Baron von Knyphausen came from the east. As Shreve's men fired cannons, a musket ball crashed into a soldier standing next to John Shreve, and as he turned his companion over another musket ball hit John's calf. Israel Shreve's regiment was in danger of being surrounded, so General Nathanael Greene ordered him to retreat.
On 20 Jan 1781, Shreve alerted Washington about revolt in the New Jersey Line of the Continental Army at Pompton, New Jersey, "It is with pain I inform your Excellency, that the troops at this place revolted this evening and marched towards Trenton. Their behavior and demands are similar to those of the Pennsylvania line." Washington answered the same day requesting to suppress the Pompton Mutiny, which was accomplished by General Robert Howe.
Shreve resigned his commission in the Continental Army in Jan 1781. Two years later, he joined other New Jersey officers in becoming a founding member of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Jersey.Correspondence5 Apr 1776 Albany, Albany County, New York, USA Correspondence5 Apr 1777 Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey USA Correspondence11 Apr 1777 Westfield, Union County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence4 Aug 1777 Chimney Point, Addison, Addison County, Vermont, USA Correspondence2 Nov 1777 Correspondence23 Mar 1778 Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence6 Apr 1778 Valley Forge, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from 19 Dec 1777 to 19 Jun 1778.
Correspondence6 Apr 1778 Valley Forge, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from 19 Dec 1777 to 19 Jun 1778.
Correspondence7 Apr 1778 Barnegat Township, Ocean County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence9 Apr 1778 Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence17 Apr 1778 Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence23 May 1778 Valley Forge, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from 19 Dec 1777 to 19 Jun 1778.
Correspondence25 May 1778 Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence27 May 1778 Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence5 Oct 1778 Correspondence24 May 1779 Middlebrook Encampment, Bound Brook, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence26 May 1779 Middlebrook Encampment, Bound Brook, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence27 May 1779 Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence27 May 1779 Middlebrook Encampment, Bound Brook, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence10 Jun 1779 Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence12 Jun 1779 Correspondence8 Jul 1779 Wyoming Valley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence12 Jul 1779 Correspondence24 Jul 1779 Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence28 Aug 1779 Fort Sullivan, Tioga Point, Athens, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence30 Aug 1779 Elmira, Chemung County, New York, USA Correspondence30 Aug 1779 Elmira, Chemung County, New York, USA Correspondence3 Sep 1779 Wyoming Valley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence8 Sep 1779 Geneva, Ontario County, New York, USA Correspondence10 Sep 1779 Wyoming Valley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence15 Sep 1779 Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence25 Sep 1779 Correspondence25 Sep 1779 Fort Reed, Hallstead, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence26 Sep 1779 Fort Reed, Lock Haven, Clinton County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence16 Jan 1780 Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence12 May 1780 Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence20 May 1780 Correspondence27 Jul 1780 Jersey Camp, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence24 Nov 1780 Correspondence19 Dec 1780 New Windsor, Orange County, New York, USA Correspondence22 Dec 1780 Mount Kemble, Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence26 Dec 1780 Ramapough Pass, Orange County, New York, USA Correspondence31 Dec 1780 New Windsor, Orange County, New York, USA Military Discharge 1 Jan 1781 Correspondence1 Jan 1781 Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence2 Jan 1781 Mount Kemble, Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence4 Nov 1782 New Windsor, Orange County, New York, USA Correspondence3 Apr 1784 Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA Correspondence18 Sep 1784 Bloomsbury, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence20 Nov 1785 Devores Ferry, Monongahela, Washington County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence20 Mar 1787 Mount Vernon, Faifax County, Virginia, USA Correspondence23 May 1787 Valley Forge, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from 19 Dec 1777 to 19 Jun 1778.
Correspondence14 Sep 1787 Alexandria, Virginia, USA Correspondence30 Dec 1788 Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence6 Jan 1789 Fort Harmer, Muskingham River, Washington County, Ohio, USA CorrespondenceApr 1789 New Madrid, New Madrid County, Missouri, USA Also known as L'Anse à la Graisse Correspondence6 Apr 1789 New Madrid, New Madrid County, Missouri, USA Also known as L'Anse à la Graisse Correspondence27 Apr 1789 Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence3 Aug 1792 Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence12 Jan 1793 Correspondence20 Jun 1793 Mount Pleasant, Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA Death 14 Dec 1799 Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA - Israel Shreve and George Washington, although hundreds of miles apart, died on the same day, 14 Dec 1799
Patriarch & Matriarch 
Person ID I52847 Rolfe Family Tree | Military Service Last Modified 9 Mar 2026
Father Benjamin SHREVE, b. 9 Jun 1706, Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA d. 1751, Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA (Age 44 years) Mother Rebecca FRENCH, b. 8 Sep 1709, Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA
Other Partners: George EYRE m. 1754Marriage 23 Apr 1729 Springfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA Family ID F21389 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family 1 Grace CURTIS, b. 1736, Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA d. 12 Dec 1771, Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA (Age 35 years)
Marriage 27 Feb 1760 Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA Children + 1. Lt. John SHREVE, b. 8 Apr 1762, Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA d. 8 Sep 1854, Mount Union, Alliance, Stark County, Ohio, USA (Age 92 years)▻ Abigail RIDGWAY m. 9 Sep 17862. Elizabeth SHREEVE, b. 11 May 1765, Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA d. 1769, Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA (Age 3 years)3. Sarah SHREEVE, b. 1769, Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA d. 1769, Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA (Age 0 years)> 4. Keziah SHREEVE, b. 4 Jun 1771, Gloucester County, New Jersey, USA d. 14 Mar 1834 (Age 62 years)Family ID F19635 Group Sheet | Family Chart Last Modified 8 Dec 2025
Family 2 Mary "Polly" COKELY, b. 17 Aug 1749, Amityville, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA d. 1823, Franklin Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 73 years)
Marriage 10 May 1773 Christ Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Marriage Record (1773 Oct-Dec)
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Christ Episcopal Church
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PennsylvaniaChildren > 1. Esther SHREEVE, b. 11 Aug 1774, Woodbury Creek, Gloucester County, New Jersey, USA d. 8 Aug 1837 (Age 62 years)▻ William BRIGGS m. 29 Dec 17902. Israel SHREEVE, b. 11 Sep 1778, Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA d. Perry Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA 3. George Green SHREEVE, b. 14 Oct 1780, Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA > 4. Rebecca SHREEVE, b. 14 May 1783, Rancocas Creek, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA d. 23 Jan 1868, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA (Age 84 years)▻ Fergus MOORHEAD m. 24 Jul 1804; James C. BLAIR m. 12 Feb 18175. Cpt. Henry Miller SHREEVE, b. 27 Oct 1785, Rancocas Creek, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA d. 6 Mar 1851, St. Louis, Missouri, USA (Age 65 years)> 6. Benjamin SHREVE, b. 27 May 1787, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA d. 11 Nov 1824 (Age 37 years)> 7. Mary SHREEVE, b. 24 Feb 1792, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA 8. Caleb SHREEVE, b. 1794, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, USA d. 1798, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 4 years)Family ID F19639 Group Sheet | Family Chart Last Modified 5 Mar 2026
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Event Map 
Birth - 24 Dec 1739 - Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA 
Marriage - 27 Feb 1760 - Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 5 Apr 1776 - Albany, Albany County, New York, USA 
Correspondence - 5 Apr 1777 - Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey USA 
Correspondence - 11 Apr 1777 - Westfield, Union County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 4 Aug 1777 - Chimney Point, Addison, Addison County, Vermont, USA 
Correspondence - 23 Mar 1778 - Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 6 Apr 1778 - Valley Forge, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence - 6 Apr 1778 - Valley Forge, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Correspondence - 7 Apr 1778 - Barnegat Township, Ocean County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 9 Apr 1778 - Mount Holly, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 17 Apr 1778 - Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence - 23 May 1778 - Valley Forge, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence - 25 May 1778 - Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence - 27 May 1778 - Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 24 May 1779 - Middlebrook Encampment, Bound Brook, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence - 26 May 1779 - Middlebrook Encampment, Bound Brook, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 27 May 1779 - Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence - 27 May 1779 - Middlebrook Encampment, Bound Brook, Somerset County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 10 Jun 1779 - Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Correspondence - 8 Jul 1779 - Wyoming Valley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence - 24 Jul 1779 - Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 28 Aug 1779 - Fort Sullivan, Tioga Point, Athens, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Correspondence - Battle of Newtown - 30 Aug 1779 - Elmira, Chemung County, New York, USA Correspondence - Battle of Newtown - 30 Aug 1779 - Elmira, Chemung County, New York, USA Correspondence - 3 Sep 1779 - Wyoming Valley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Correspondence - 8 Sep 1779 - Geneva, Ontario County, New York, USA Correspondence - 10 Sep 1779 - Wyoming Valley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Correspondence - 15 Sep 1779 - Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Correspondence - 26 Sep 1779 - Fort Reed, Lock Haven, Clinton County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Correspondence - 16 Jan 1780 - Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 12 May 1780 - Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 27 Jul 1780 - Jersey Camp, Bergen County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 19 Dec 1780 - New Windsor, Orange County, New York, USA 
Correspondence - 22 Dec 1780 - Mount Kemble, Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 26 Dec 1780 - Ramapough Pass, Orange County, New York, USA Correspondence - 31 Dec 1780 - New Windsor, Orange County, New York, USA Correspondence - 1 Jan 1781 - Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence - 2 Jan 1781 - Mount Kemble, Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey, USA Correspondence - 4 Nov 1782 - New Windsor, Orange County, New York, USA 
Correspondence - 3 Apr 1784 - Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, USA 
Correspondence - 18 Sep 1784 - Bloomsbury, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 20 Nov 1785 - Devores Ferry, Monongahela, Washington County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Correspondence - 20 Mar 1787 - Mount Vernon, Faifax County, Virginia, USA Correspondence - 23 May 1787 - Valley Forge, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Correspondence - 14 Sep 1787 - Alexandria, Virginia, USA Correspondence - 30 Dec 1788 - Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Correspondence - 6 Jan 1789 - Fort Harmer, Muskingham River, Washington County, Ohio, USA 
Correspondence - Apr 1789 - New Madrid, New Madrid County, Missouri, USA Correspondence - 6 Apr 1789 - New Madrid, New Madrid County, Missouri, USA Correspondence - 27 Apr 1789 - Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA 
Correspondence - 3 Aug 1792 - Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA 
Correspondence - 20 Jun 1793 - Mount Pleasant, Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, USA 
Death - 14 Dec 1799 - Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA = Link to Google Earth Pin Legend 
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
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Photos 
Israel Shreve (1739-1799)
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Notes - Israel Shreve was born 24 Dec 1739, in the Shreve family homestead at Mount Pleasant in Mansfield Township, Burlington County, Province of New Jersey, an old community founded by Quakers. Shreve's father, Benjamin Shreve (the son of Caleb and Sarah (Areson) Shreve), and his mother, Rebecca French (the daughter of Richard and Mary (King) French), were married by Quaker ceremony in nearby Springfield Township on 23 Feb 1729. Israel was the fifth of their eight children.
Israel married Grace Curtis on 27 Feb 1760, at a Quaker meeting in Burlington County, New Jersey. After she died in 1771, Israel married Mary Cokely on 10 May 1773, in Philadelphia. Grace gave birth to four children, and Mary gave birth to seven more, including Henry Miller Shreve. - Israel worked and owned farmland and was appointed justice of the peace for Gloucester County, New Jersey, in February 1775.
- In 1788, he led his wife and six of his children, along with 21 other settlers to southwestern Pennsylvania, and settled in Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania.
From Jan 1789 to Jun 1789, Shreve accompanied retired Continental Army colonel George Morgan to Spanish Louisiana Territory to survey the western bank of the Mississippi River. Morgan, who was a land developer, received permission from the Spanish Ambassador to the United States, Don Diego de Gardoqui to establish a colony on the Mississippi River at Anse a la Graisse, located in present-day Missouri.
On 3 Jan 1789, the expedition departed from Pittsburgh and traveled along the Ohio and Mississippi River until they reached Anse a la Graisse; a new town was demarcated and named New Madrid by Morgan. On 19 Jun 1789, members of the expedition including Shreve safely returned to Pittsburgh. During the journey, Shreve kept a journal, in which he described geography, environment, and encounters with the Native Americans.
Instead of moving to New Madrid, Shreve decided to lease land in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, from General George Washington. Shreve contracted to buy 1,744 acres of land from Washington but spent several years haggling over payments and prices despite settling on the land. Washington threatened to bring a lawsuit for payment, but no suit was recorded. Washington wrote Shreve in 1798 and 1799, asking for payments but could not bring himself to sue a fellow Continental Army officer. On 21 Dec 1798, Shreve wrote Washington, asking for delay in payments.
- Israel Shreve was born 24 Dec 1739, in the Shreve family homestead at Mount Pleasant in Mansfield Township, Burlington County, Province of New Jersey, an old community founded by Quakers. Shreve's father, Benjamin Shreve (the son of Caleb and Sarah (Areson) Shreve), and his mother, Rebecca French (the daughter of Richard and Mary (King) French), were married by Quaker ceremony in nearby Springfield Township on 23 Feb 1729. Israel was the fifth of their eight children.
![Hand-drawn map of Lancelegrace [L'Anse à la Graisse]](histories/thumb_Hand-drawn%20map%20of%20Lancelegrace%20%5BL%27Anse%20%C3%A0%20la%20Graisse%5D%20-%201789.jpg "Hand-drawn map of Lancelegrace [L'Anse à la Graisse]"){kind=small}
