Rev. Philip Hughes 44th Regiment of Foot 1700's

[lanarman]

I have references to this military Chaplain the Rev. Philip Hughes whose name is on a land transfer deed (selling) in 1764 (with his wife Mary) in Westchester County, New York, USA and then again (if it's the same person) in 1765 in Sunbury Township, New Brunswick, Canada on a land grant with numerous other persons. The 44th British Regiment of Foot did serve in the U.S. during the Revolution and again in Canada but I cannot find any mention of this man's death or family members (a son James, possibly, is mentioned beside Philip's name in the 1765 Canadian land records).
Perhaps I should be posting this on the Canadian board, instead?

[Andy J2022]

The Army Lists for 1758, 1761 and 1767 include Chaplain Philip Hughes as Chaplain of 44th Regiment of Foot in America, with seniority from 4 Jan 1752, which I take to be the date that he was appointed chaplain.

The (British) National Archives holds a letter dated 6 Jan 1775 from the Court of St James's from Lord Rochford to Lord Harcourt that the King [George III] is pleased to approve the following appointments "Reverend Mr Thomas St Clair Abercromby to be chaplain of the 44th Foot in room of the Reverend Middleton Cornys Middleton deceased." The document is in SP 63/445 folios 3-4. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C20406095

The Army List for 1778 lists Chaplain M Cornyn Middleton as Chaplain of the 44th with seniority from 8 July 1768.

From these documents I surmise that Philip Hughes ceased to be chaplain of the 44th between 1767 and July 1768. As you know the Regiment returned from North America to Ireland in 1765 and since Hughes was still listed as being with the Regiment in 1767, I assume that he came back with them and didn't stay in North America. He may, of course, have decided to return of his own accord after leaving the post of chaplain, if he had acquired land in Canada and wanted to settle there.

There are several online histories of the 44th during their time in North America and Canada, but none of them mention Chaplain Philip Hughes. If you want to get an idea of the fighting the Regiment was involved in, probably the best is:  Carter, Thomas (1864). Historical Record of the Forty-Fourth, or the East Essex Regiment of Foot. which is available on Google books. The fighting in Canada ended with the Treaty of Fontainbleu in 1763.

[hanes teulu]

I'd found Philip Hughes, Chaplain, in the 1761 and 1768 army lists.

Also, up popped a Rev. Mr. Philip Hughes - Long Island- as a subscriber to "Poems by C. Churchill. In two volumes", published 1768. Given the Westchester County, New York reference (opening post), and its proximity to Long Island, I wondered if there was a link?

[hanes teulu]

A Rev. Philip Hughes, D.D., Rector of Chester Town, Maryland is listed as a subscriber to Nathaniel Evans' 1772 publication "Poems on several occasion, with some other compositions ....".

[ShaunJ]

Re the one in Maryland, see this article on JSTOR  https://www.jstor.org/stable/42973479

[lanarman]

Thanks to you all.  The Maryland Philip Hughes has me baffled. The other information ties in as the Regimental movements described in the online book that Andy J2022 referenced fit with Long Island, New Brunswick, etc.
From the New Brunswick Provincial Archives website I found Philip Hughes commissioned as a Chaplain of the 44th Reg. on 4 Jan. 1752 (this appears to have been in Ireland). In the same Regiment on 16 August 1760 there was a James Hughes commissioned as an Ensign. Related? Who knows. In 1760 they were in Canada.
To add more confusion, I have a Rueben Hughes, Sergeant in the 44th Regiment of Foot stationed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1782 having a letter waiting on him in the Montreal Post Office. This same Rueben Hughes petitioned for land in 1797 in Prince Edward County, Upper Canada (Ontario) and stated that he had settled in that Province in 1784. Not sure if he is related to the Philip and James above.