An Early American Cover Up

The Tip-Off

I came across this real-life spy story completely by accident. I was researching an area of New Jersey for some genealogy information, and one record simply noted "John Meeker - known Revolutionary spy". There was no other documentation for it listed in that record, but of course, you can't let the word "spy" go down without getting visions of Hollywood in your head. And the fact that he was confirmed as a spy made it seem like there was a bit more to the story, since generally spies don't want to be made known.

The Story

On 29 Sep 1777, while General George Washington was at Pennybackers Mill in Pennsylvania, he wrote to a Maj John Clark, Jr. General Washington, in the letter, confirmed that a John Meeker had delivered Clark’s letter to him, and that Meeker, John Hendricks, and Baker Hendricks, a pair of brothers, were to receive enclosed passports and be sent into New York (likely Staten Island, since that is nearest Elizabeth Town), posing as merchants and gathering intelligence on the British[2]. 

Unfortunately, it appears that quite a few citizens from the area, as a means for continuing their businesses and livelihoods, were continuing to trade with the British, to the point that the Governor of New Jersey, William Livingston, complained to Washington on 22 Nov 1777 that the British were becoming “plentifully supplied with fresh Provisions, & such a Quantity of British Manufactures brought back in Exchange as to enable the Persons concerned to set up Shops to retail them.” His letter was to inform Washington that he had issued warrants on 20 Nov 1777 for the arrest of three men and was hopeful that the law would catch up to them[3].

Those three men? John Meeker, John Hendricks, and Baker Hendricks[4]. The Hendricks brothers appear to have been arrested and sent before the New Jersey Council of Safety, similar to a bail hearing, on 3 Dec 1777. They posted a £300 bond each and were released on their own recognizance. John Meeker did not appear to the Council until 5 Dec 1777, but it is unclear exactly when he was taken into custody or how. Like the Hendricks brothers, it was “Agreed that John Meeker enter into recognizance with Tho(mas) Saffen his surety in £300 Each, to appear at the Next Court of Oyer & Terminer to be held for Essex[5].” The Court of Oyer & Terminer was literally the “hear and determine” court, which was the equivalent of both a grand jury for indictments and a trial court.

General Washington was informed of the men’s arrest via a letter from Elias Dayton dated 13 Jan 1778. At the time, Dayton was a colonel in the Continental Army and in charge of the 3^rd New Jersey regiment. He also was directed by Washington to organize an American spy ring in Staten Island[6], and the letter to Maj Clark referenced earlier indicated that Dayton had personally recommended Meeker and the Hendrickses for that purpose. Dayton vouched for the men’s work to Washington, and begged the general to step in to save their lives.

“I hold my self not only in justice but in honor bound to defend those much Abused persons, have Already entered into bonds for their Appearance at Court but fear my influence will be insufficient, and unless your Excellency will be pleased to interfere, they will be punished for serving their Country, and A Shamefull tryal for their lives conviction of haveing been to the enemy, condemnation in consequence, and the chance of A pardon, will be the only reward for their Servicess fatigues, and hazard of their lives in an enemys Camp, instead of thanks, and a pecuniary compensation at least[7].

Washington, who was by then famously camped at Valley Forge, received the letter from Dayton on the night of 19 Jan 1778, and the very next morning wrote to Governor William Livingston. In the letter dated 20 Jan 1778, Washington confirmed to Livingston that John Meeker and the Hendricks brothers were, in fact, “employed by Colo. Dayton last summer to procure intelligence of the movements of the Enemy while upon Staten Island, for which purpose I granted them passports allowing them to carry small quantities of provisions and to bring back a few Goods the better to cover their real designs.” Washington pointed out that the men couldn’t exactly defend themselves by letting the public know they were spies – they would then be completely useless to the Americans and likely targeted by the British – and flat out requested that Livingston put a stop to the trial[8].

Livingston, for his part, appeared to have been only mildly sympathetic to the men’s plight. Based on his response to Washington, it is not clear if the men admitted to being spies for the Patriots when they were arrested, and were not believed until Livingston received the letter from Washington, or if Livingston put what they said at their “Examination” together with the information from Washington’s letter. He grumbled slightly that “It also appeared that they had carried to the Enemy greater Quantities of Provision, than were necessary to disguise their design in going to the Island,” and that the general public wasn’t inclined to be merciful. He also informed Gen Washington that the current state law didn’t allow him to simply stop a trial. However, he did point out that the men had not actually been “charged with anything in particular, but will be tried for whatever shall then appear against them [at the Court of Oyer and Terminer],” and promised Washington that, should the men actually be convicted of anything related to their intelligence activities, he would make sure they were pardoned immediately[9].

It is unclear precisely what legal proceedings happened to the men after that, or what actions Governor Livingston took to ensure their safety. There is no known record of a trial, conviction, or pardon for any of the three men, and John Meeker and Baker Hendricks, at least, obviously survived the war. In a letter, again from Valley Forge, dated 2 Feb 1778, Washington thanked Livingston “for the interest you take in the affair of the two Hendricks and Meeker; and I have no doubt that the measures adopted are, considering all things, best[10].” It is likely that Livingston simply recommended that no charges be brought against the men, although, again, there are no records of them ever appearing in court at all.

John Meeker passed away 22 Nov 1802, at the age of 60 in Sussex, New Jersey. He does not appear to have ever applied for a soldier’s pension, and there is no documentation of him ever discussing his work for the Revolution. The preserved letters of George Washington, Governor Livingston, and the like in the national archives are, so far, the only way to piece together this story.

Further Reading

If you are like me and did a head tilt when confronted with the ideas of spies during the American Revolution, I highly recommend Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager's book George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved The American Revolution. It is a non-fiction account of the heroism of the Culper Spy Ring and their work against the British on Long Island, and is a great place to start researching the history of clandestine affairs on U.S. soil. Though the my story recounted above did not touch the Culpers, or at least, I have not yet found any evidence that the Staten Island ring and the Culper Ring worked together in any direct way, it was very helpful in understanding the type of information John Meeker may have been providing to the Continental Army and the risks he and the Hendricks brothers voluntarily assumed in support of a free country. 

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[2] “From George Washington to Major John Clark, Jr., 29 September 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-11-02-0370. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 11, 19 August 1777 – 25 October 1777, ed. Philander D. Chase and Edward G. Lengel. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 2001, p. 344.]

[3] “To George Washington from William Livingston, 22 November 1777,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-12-02-0350. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 12, 26 October 1777 – 25 December 1777, ed. Frank E. Grizzard, Jr. and David R. Hoth. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 2002, p. 354.]

[4] New Jersey Council of Safety. “Minutes of the Council of Safety of the State of New Jersey.” Vol. 1, p. 164, entry for 20 Nov 1777. Published by John H. Lyon, 1872. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/minutesofcounci00newj/page/164 on 17 Feb 2019

[5] New Jersey Council of Safety. “Minutes of the Council of Safety of the State of New Jersey.” Vol. 1, p. 169, entry for 20 Nov 1777. Published by John H. Lyon, 1872. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/minutesofcounci00newj/page/168 on 17 Feb 2019

[6] Mahoney, Henry Thayer and Marjorie Locke Mahoney. Gallantry in Action: A Biographic Dictionary of Espionage in the American Revolutionary War. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, Inc., 1999. ISBN 978-0-7618-1479-5. p. 126.

[7] “To George Washington from Colonel Elias Dayton, 13 January 1778,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-13-02-0182. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 13, 26 December 1777 – 28 February 1778, ed. Edward G. Lengel. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2003, pp. 217–218.]

[8] “From George Washington to William Livingston, 20 January 1778,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-13-02-0257. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 13, 26 December 1777 – 28 February 1778, ed. Edward G. Lengel. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2003, p. 297.]

[9] “To George Washington from William Livingston, 26 January 1778,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-13-02-0311. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 13, 26 December 1777 – 28 February 1778, ed. Edward G. Lengel. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2003, pp. 352–354.]

[10] “From George Washington to William Livingston, 2 February 1778,” Founders Online, National Archives, version of January 18, 2019, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-13-02-0362. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 13, 26 December 1777 – 28 February 1778, ed. Edward G. Lengel. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2003, pp. 441–442.]