William Belden of Greenfield, New York
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William Belden of Greenfield, New York
From the Portrait and Biographical Album of Knox County, Illinois (Chicago: Biographical Publishing Co., 1886):
William Belden was the first settler at Greenfield, N. Y.; in fact, that town grew up around him. He was a soldier under Col. George Washington in the war which broke out between England and France in 1756, and was of the surveying party that marked the line of march through the wilderness against Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburg, Pa.) in 1758; was with the "Father of his Country" during the seven years' struggle for liberty. He lived to a ripe old age, always refusing a pension, saying "that he was enjoying the fruits of his labors from day to day as he breathed the air of liberty, and saw around him the happy faces of the 'free.'"
William Belden was the first settler at Greenfield, N. Y.; in fact, that town grew up around him. He was a soldier under Col. George Washington in the war which broke out between England and France in 1756, and was of the surveying party that marked the line of march through the wilderness against Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburg, Pa.) in 1758; was with the "Father of his Country" during the seven years' struggle for liberty. He lived to a ripe old age, always refusing a pension, saying "that he was enjoying the fruits of his labors from day to day as he breathed the air of liberty, and saw around him the happy faces of the 'free.'"