Marinus Willett, of
Jamaica, Queens enlisted in the
colonial militia after the
French and Indian War broke out in 1754. He participated in the
Ticonderoga campaign and the
capture of Fort Frontenac in 1758. Joining the revolutionary
Sons of Liberty in the 1770s, Willett shortly thereafter enlisted in the
Continental Army in 1775. Serving in the
1st New York, he took part in the
Invasion of Quebec before transferring to the
3rd New York in 1776. Seeing action
at Monmouth, Willett then participated in the 1778
Sullivan Campaign. He was made the
colonel of the
5th New York in 1780 and the
Tryon County militia in 1781, where he fought
at Johnstown. On August 22, 1830, Willett died and was buried in the graveyard of
Trinity Church. The
Willets Point and the accompanying
Mets-Willets Point station is named in his honor.
