06/17/2026
The Sons of the American Revolution Binghamton Chapter and Town of Kirkwood Historian Karen Ferguson held a Patriot Burial Marker Dedication this past Saturday, June 13, at Layton Cemetery in Kirkwood NY. Following is the keynote address for Captain David Compton. This also serves as this month's Historian's article.
Keynote for Patriot Burial Marker Dedication
Pvt. David Compton—Layton Cemetery– June 13, 2026
The grave for “Capt. David Compton” is often mistaken as the oldest grave in Broome County, It is not; however, it is one of the oldest graves in the Town of Kirkwood, if not the oldest, dating back to 1805. Because of that, he never drew a pension and there is very little information about him.
David Compton was born on May 10, 1756.
He married Abigail Prindle on March 9, 1779, in Monroe Township, Orange County, NY. Together they had two children: Elizabeth born in 1780 & James born in 1782. Unfortunately, this is all we know about his wife and children.
According to a muster roll of Capt. Thomas McKinstrey’s Company in the 1st regiment of New York Levies in the service of the United States Commanded by Colonel William Malcolm dated July/August 1780. David Compton enlisted July 24, 1780. Just a few months later, the muster roll for September/October 1780
reports him as being sick at Schenectady.
While we don’t know much about Compton’s service, we do know Colonel Malcom’s Levies were active in the Hudson, Mohawk, and Schoharie Valleys in 1780 during the Revolutionary War.
In 1788, David marries Phebe Carpenter of Hopewell, Mercer County. That same year they moved to this area and settled next to the Park farm, He operated a well-known Tavern on the Finch farm.
His brother Joseph Compton also arrived and settled across the river.
Phebe and David had 3 children: 2 boys and 1 girl. Ashman was born in 1792, John was born in 1794 & Sally was born in 1796.
A few years after the birth of his daughter, David Compton was listed as an ensign in Lt. Colonel Commandant David Pixley’s Tioga County regiment of militia (Major Commandant William Whitney’s Battalion) on January 18, 1800.
On March 31, 1802, he was listed as a Lieutenant in Brigadier General Stoddard’s Tioga County Brigade (Lt. Colonel Commandant William Whitney’s Regiment)
He became known as “David Compton, Captain” on March 10, 1803, in Lt. Colonel’s Commandant William Whitney’s Tioga County regiment. He resigned on April 5, 1805, due to developing dropsy and died on August 24.
His tombstone reads: “Here lays the body of Captain David Compton who was born on May 10 in the year of our Lord 1756. By a long and lingering disorder called dropsy, departed this life August 24, 1805 being 49 years of age.”
I mentioned that David had a son named Ashman. It should be noted that Ashman and his wife Polly had 5 children: David (1815), Henry (1817), Harriet (1820), John (1823) and Mary (1828). Their youngest daughter, Mary, only lived to the age of 5 and is buried next to her grandfather. Following her death, Ashman’s
family moved to Madison County and they are all buried in the Madison Street Cemetery in Hamilton.
*Note: Due to only having primary sources listing David Compton's enlistment as a Private, that is the rank recorded on the Patriot Burial Marker.
