He was captured by the French in 1781 while carrying dispatches to Lord Cornwallis but soon obtained parole and returned to New York. Barclay served with distinction throughout the war, taking part in action in New York, New Jersey, and the Carolinas. In 1780 he was named to command the newly formed Provincial Light Infantry. Later that year he was promoted major in recognition of his gallant service at the capture of forts Clinton and Montgomery on the Hudson River. Towards the end of 1776 he joined the British forces in New York and in April 1777 was commissioned a captain in the Loyal American Regiment. His legal career was soon interrupted by the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. After graduating from King’s College (Columbia University) in 1772, he entered John Jay’s law office as a student and was called to the bar in 1775. Barclay’s marriage strengthened his ties to the colonial establishment, for the DeLanceys had long been among the most influential families in New York.īarclay spent his early life in New York. His father was a prominent Anglican clergyman who served as rector of Trinity Church in New York City, and his mother was the daughter of a rich brewer of old New York Dutch descent. Thomas Henry Barclay was one of the most illustrious loyalists to settle in Nova Scotia. 1775 Susan DeLancey in West Falls (New York City), and they had 12 children d. 21 April 1830 in New York City. 1753 in New York City, eldest son of the Reverend Henry Barclay and Mary Rutgers m. BARCLAY, THOMAS HENRY, lawyer, politician, militia officer, and office holder b.

Small City in a Big Valley by Tom Henry