Ira's birthdate comes from his Revolutionary War pension application. He was baptized 12 Oct 1760 in the West Parish Church in Barnstable, the son of Ebenezer Cannon and his second wife, Patience Goodspeed. Ira was a descendant of Mayflower passengers Richard Warren, John & Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland, and Elizabeth's parents John & Joan (Hurst) (Rogers) Tilley.
In his pension application, taken before William P. Walker, Court of Probate in Berkshire County, on 5 Feb 1833, he stated that he had enlisted twice: first, at Colrain, Massachusetts for a period of eight months from 15 May 1777, in Capt. Toogood's Company, Col. Nixon's Regiment, Gen. Nixon's Brigade. During this first period of service he fought at the Battle of Saratoga and helped reinforce Fort Ticonderoga. Ira stated that he enlisted for a second eight-month term, at Suffield, Connecticut in Col. Glover's Regiment, Gen. Huntington's Brigade, but he could not remember the name of the company captain. His memory was also inaccurate as to his colonel's name; he appears on the extant muster rolls of the 3rd Company, 1st Connecticut Regiment, commanded by Lt. Colonel Grosvenor. His rank is shown as private and his enlistment date was 8 May 1782.
In Ira's pension file is a note from the Commissioner of Pensions to the effect that Ira's name did not appear on the rolls of Col. Nixon's Regiment, and instructing him to apply to the office of E.D. Bangs, Esq., Secretary of the State of Massachusetts, for evidence of his service. He must have obtained the necessary certificate because he and Olive both received their pension benefits until their deaths in 1834 and 1853, respectively.
Ira's sons and grandsons were all farmers, and it is likely that Ira was a farmer as well. He and Olive lived most of their married life in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in the communities of Becket, Washington and Tyringham.
NOTE: There seems to be no significance to the use of one N versus two in the spelling of the family surname. Earlier generations were consistently shown as "Cannon." It has been said that a family feud caused Ira and his descendants to change the spelling of their surname, but documentary evidence disproves this theory. He was Ira "Cannon" in land records from 1797-1828, and it is also how he signed his 1833 pension application. Ira's son James used "Cannon" in his 1852 pension application, but in 1851 a letter from his brother John was addressed to James "Canon." His daughter was Hannah "Cannon" before she was Hannah Hawkins. The descendants of Ira's sons James and John generally, though not uniformly, spelled their surname with one N, while the descendants of Ira's son Ebenezer consistently spelled their surname with two.
In his pension application, taken before William P. Walker, Court of Probate in Berkshire County, on 5 Feb 1833, he stated that he had enlisted twice: first, at Colrain, Massachusetts for a period of eight months from 15 May 1777, in Capt. Toogood's Company, Col. Nixon's Regiment, Gen. Nixon's Brigade. During this first period of service he fought at the Battle of Saratoga and helped reinforce Fort Ticonderoga. Ira stated that he enlisted for a second eight-month term, at Suffield, Connecticut in Col. Glover's Regiment, Gen. Huntington's Brigade, but he could not remember the name of the company captain. His memory was also inaccurate as to his colonel's name; he appears on the extant muster rolls of the 3rd Company, 1st Connecticut Regiment, commanded by Lt. Colonel Grosvenor. His rank is shown as private and his enlistment date was 8 May 1782.
In Ira's pension file is a note from the Commissioner of Pensions to the effect that Ira's name did not appear on the rolls of Col. Nixon's Regiment, and instructing him to apply to the office of E.D. Bangs, Esq., Secretary of the State of Massachusetts, for evidence of his service. He must have obtained the necessary certificate because he and Olive both received their pension benefits until their deaths in 1834 and 1853, respectively.
Ira's sons and grandsons were all farmers, and it is likely that Ira was a farmer as well. He and Olive lived most of their married life in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in the communities of Becket, Washington and Tyringham.
NOTE: There seems to be no significance to the use of one N versus two in the spelling of the family surname. Earlier generations were consistently shown as "Cannon." It has been said that a family feud caused Ira and his descendants to change the spelling of their surname, but documentary evidence disproves this theory. He was Ira "Cannon" in land records from 1797-1828, and it is also how he signed his 1833 pension application. Ira's son James used "Cannon" in his 1852 pension application, but in 1851 a letter from his brother John was addressed to James "Canon." His daughter was Hannah "Cannon" before she was Hannah Hawkins. The descendants of Ira's sons James and John generally, though not uniformly, spelled their surname with one N, while the descendants of Ira's son Ebenezer consistently spelled their surname with two.
Ira's birthdate comes from his Revolutionary War pension application. He was baptized 12 Oct 1760 in the West Parish Church in Barnstable, the son of Ebenezer Cannon and his second wife, Patience Goodspeed. Ira was a descendant of Mayflower passengers Richard Warren, John & Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland, and Elizabeth's parents John & Joan (Hurst) (Rogers) Tilley.
In his pension application, taken before William P. Walker, Court of Probate in Berkshire County, on 5 Feb 1833, he stated that he had enlisted twice: first, at Colrain, Massachusetts for a period of eight months from 15 May 1777, in Capt. Toogood's Company, Col. Nixon's Regiment, Gen. Nixon's Brigade. During this first period of service he fought at the Battle of Saratoga and helped reinforce Fort Ticonderoga. Ira stated that he enlisted for a second eight-month term, at Suffield, Connecticut in Col. Glover's Regiment, Gen. Huntington's Brigade, but he could not remember the name of the company captain. His memory was also inaccurate as to his colonel's name; he appears on the extant muster rolls of the 3rd Company, 1st Connecticut Regiment, commanded by Lt. Colonel Grosvenor. His rank is shown as private and his enlistment date was 8 May 1782.
In Ira's pension file is a note from the Commissioner of Pensions to the effect that Ira's name did not appear on the rolls of Col. Nixon's Regiment, and instructing him to apply to the office of E.D. Bangs, Esq., Secretary of the State of Massachusetts, for evidence of his service. He must have obtained the necessary certificate because he and Olive both received their pension benefits until their deaths in 1834 and 1853, respectively.
Ira's sons and grandsons were all farmers, and it is likely that Ira was a farmer as well. He and Olive lived most of their married life in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in the communities of Becket, Washington and Tyringham.
NOTE: There seems to be no significance to the use of one N versus two in the spelling of the family surname. Earlier generations were consistently shown as "Cannon." It has been said that a family feud caused Ira and his descendants to change the spelling of their surname, but documentary evidence disproves this theory. He was Ira "Cannon" in land records from 1797-1828, and it is also how he signed his 1833 pension application. Ira's son James used "Cannon" in his 1852 pension application, but in 1851 a letter from his brother John was addressed to James "Canon." His daughter was Hannah "Cannon" before she was Hannah Hawkins. The descendants of Ira's sons James and John generally, though not uniformly, spelled their surname with one N, while the descendants of Ira's son Ebenezer consistently spelled their surname with two.
In his pension application, taken before William P. Walker, Court of Probate in Berkshire County, on 5 Feb 1833, he stated that he had enlisted twice: first, at Colrain, Massachusetts for a period of eight months from 15 May 1777, in Capt. Toogood's Company, Col. Nixon's Regiment, Gen. Nixon's Brigade. During this first period of service he fought at the Battle of Saratoga and helped reinforce Fort Ticonderoga. Ira stated that he enlisted for a second eight-month term, at Suffield, Connecticut in Col. Glover's Regiment, Gen. Huntington's Brigade, but he could not remember the name of the company captain. His memory was also inaccurate as to his colonel's name; he appears on the extant muster rolls of the 3rd Company, 1st Connecticut Regiment, commanded by Lt. Colonel Grosvenor. His rank is shown as private and his enlistment date was 8 May 1782.
In Ira's pension file is a note from the Commissioner of Pensions to the effect that Ira's name did not appear on the rolls of Col. Nixon's Regiment, and instructing him to apply to the office of E.D. Bangs, Esq., Secretary of the State of Massachusetts, for evidence of his service. He must have obtained the necessary certificate because he and Olive both received their pension benefits until their deaths in 1834 and 1853, respectively.
Ira's sons and grandsons were all farmers, and it is likely that Ira was a farmer as well. He and Olive lived most of their married life in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in the communities of Becket, Washington and Tyringham.
NOTE: There seems to be no significance to the use of one N versus two in the spelling of the family surname. Earlier generations were consistently shown as "Cannon." It has been said that a family feud caused Ira and his descendants to change the spelling of their surname, but documentary evidence disproves this theory. He was Ira "Cannon" in land records from 1797-1828, and it is also how he signed his 1833 pension application. Ira's son James used "Cannon" in his 1852 pension application, but in 1851 a letter from his brother John was addressed to James "Canon." His daughter was Hannah "Cannon" before she was Hannah Hawkins. The descendants of Ira's sons James and John generally, though not uniformly, spelled their surname with one N, while the descendants of Ira's son Ebenezer consistently spelled their surname with two.
Inscription
IRA CANON
DIED
March 26, 1834,
Æ. 74 Y's.
