Thomas Fitch, V

Thomas Fitch, V (1725 – January 16, 1795) was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from Norwalk in the sessions of October 1761, May and October 1763, May and October 1764, May and October 1765, May and October 1766, May 1767, October 1768, May and October 1769, October 1770, October 1771, October 1772, October 1773, October 1775, and May 1776.

Thomas Fitch, V
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from Norwalk
In office October 1761 – May 1762 Serving with Peter Lockwood
Preceded by	Joseph Platt, Jr., Samuel Fitch
Succeeded by	Joseph Platt, Jr.
In office May 1763 – October 1767 Serving with Peter Lockwood, Joseph Platt, Jr., Joseph Hall
Preceded by	Peter Lockwood, Nathaniel Benedict
Succeeded by	Joseph Platt, Jr.
In office October 1768 – May 1770 Serving with Thomas Belden
Preceded by	Asa Spalding
Succeeded by	Joseph Platt, Jr., Thomas Belden
In office October 1770 – May 1771 Serving with Thomas Belden
Preceded by	Joseph Platt, Jr., Thomas Belden
Succeeded by	Thomas Belden
In office October 1771 – May 1772 Serving with Thomas Belden
Preceded by	Thomas Belden
Succeeded by	Thomas Belden, Uriah Rogers
In office October 1772 – May 1773 Serving with Thomas Belden
Preceded by	Thomas Belden, Uriah Rogers
Succeeded by	Thomas Belden
In office October 1773 – May 1774 Serving with Thomas Belden
Preceded by	Thomas Belden
Succeeded by	Thomas Belden
In office October 1775 – October 1776 Serving with Thaddeus Betts
Preceded by	Thomas Belden
Succeeded by	Thaddeus Betts
Personal details
Born	1725 Norwalk, Connecticut Colony
Died	January 16, 1795 Norwalk, Connecticut
Resting place	East Norwalk Historical Cemetery, Norwalk, Connecticut
Spouse(s)	Sarah
Children	Sarah Fitch St. John (1766 – 1825), Thaddeus Hill Fitch (1775 – 1776)
Military service
Allegiance	Great Britain
Rank	Senior Colonel
Battles/wars	French and Indian Wars  • Battle of Ticonderoga  • Capture of Fort Ticonderoga

He was the son of Governor Thomas Fitch, IV and Hannah Hall Fitch. He served as an officer in the French and Indian War, primarily in upstate New York, near Fort Crailo. Although he and his troops are widely believed to be the inspiration for the song Yankee Doodle, contemporary scholars now believe that its origins are at least twelve years earlier.[1]

Yankee Doodle Legend

There is a legend that during the French and Indian War, Fitch was the commander of four New England Regiments.[2] Tradition states that Captain Fitch received the song in 1755 as a joke from British surgeon Dr. Richard Shuckburgh, making Fitch the original "Yankee Doodle".[2][3][4]

Fitch's grave marker states that he is the inspiration for the song "Yankee Doodle." The marker claims that Captain Fitch had assembled his company of recruits at the Fitch homestead in Norwalk at the beginning of the French and Indian War. His sister Elizabeth was concerned about the recruits' appearance and lack of uniforms, so she presented each man with a chicken feather for their hats that would present the image of uniformity. Their appearance when entering West Albany, with feathers in their hats and unpolished clothing, caused British surgeon Dr. Shuckburgh to write verses mocking Fitch and his men as "Yankee Doodles and Macaronies". However, the sentiment changed to become more favorable after the successful campaigns at Ticonderoga and Crown Point in 1759.

Fitch had the rank of Senior Colonel and was in command of sixteen regiments by the time that he had left the service three years later.

Life after military service

After that conflict, Thomas, V returned to Norwalk. He was a prominent resident during and after the American Revolution. He served as a town councilman. He was, along with Thaddeus Betts, in the first delegation from Norwalk to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1776. He helped with the reconstruction efforts after the burning of Norwalk in 1779.[5]

He died on January 16, 1795 and was buried in the East Norwalk Historical Cemetery.

Historical dispute

Norwalk historian, Gloria Stewart claims that eighteenth century documents available from the Connecticut state archives dispute the Yankee Doodle identity.[6] One document is a bill for work copying and sending letters for the Connecticut General Assembly. The other is a 1775 document written by Fitch stating that he resigned his commission because of rheumatism that he had for twenty years.[6]

In addition, no Thomas Fitch from Norwalk appears as a colonel in the Rolls of Connecticut Men in the French and Indian War, 1755-1762.[7] There were only two regiments in June of 1755. Only Major General Phineas Lyman led more than a single regiment. Indeed, no Colonel appears to been sent from Norwalk in the war. The original Yankee Doodle did not mention a pony, a feather or "Marconi", items which first appear in 1841 in a children's nursery version of the song.[8]

References

1. Connecticut State Library -Yankee Doodle, the State Song of the State of Connecticut Archived 2007-12-26 at the Wayback Machine
2. A sermon, delivered at the funeral of the Hon. Thomas Fitch, Esq.
3. Connecticut State Library - Yankee Doodle Archived 2007-12-26 at the Wayback Machine
4. New York Times - WORTH NOTING; Seeking Dual Citizenship For a Yankee Doodle
5. Fedor, Ferenz (1976). The Birth of Yankee Doodle. New York: Vantage Press, Inc. ISBN 0533-02047-6.
6. The Norwalk Hour –- Both Sides Offering New Evidence in Yankee Doodle Flap
7. Bates, Albert,'Rolls of Connecticut men in the French and Indian War, 1755-1762', 2 Vols. (Connecticut Historical Society, 1903), Index to Vol.1 and 2.
8. Halliwell, James Orchard The Nursey Rhymes of England,'Early English Poetry, Ballads, and Popular Literature of the Middle Ages' (London: Percy Soc, 1841), 82.