Jeremiah Lochry (Lochrey, Loughry) was a pretty interesting guy. I can understand why William Ralston (1750 – aft. 1801) of N. Huntingdon in Westmoreland County might name one of his sons after him.
Jeremiah Lochry would have been about the same age as William’s father. Lochry was born about 1731 and he immigrated with his father, Jeremiah, and his brother Archibald prior to 1740 from County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. They settled in Lurgan Township, Cumberland County, PA and his father died before 1750.
Jeremiah died 21 JAN 1824 at the age of 94 in Westmoreland County and is buried at Congruity Cemetery. Read a death announcement below:
There is a Robert Ralston who was buried in this cemetery in 1829 at the age of 40, whom I suspect might be Robert Ralston’s son, and William’s nephew. In the Old Congruity Celebration William Ralston is listed as an elder. But I’m not sure if this is the William we are working on. I suspect that it is.
I have already listed and documented a few of Jeremiah Lochry’s service periods in the American Revolution. His brother Archibald is the well-documented Colonel Archibald Lochry who was killed during a fight with Mohawk forces led by Simon Girty and Chief Joseph Brant in 1781. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Lochry
I found a reference that Jeremiah Lochry’s wife was killed either at the burning of Miller’s Station or of Hanna’s Town in 1782. Lochry and his wife had one child, Barbara, born about 1760.
https://jaysteeleblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/02/the-burning-of-hannas-town/
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/1pa/1picts/frontierforts/ff29.html
Jeremiah Lochry signed a 1774 petition, similar to the one Robert Ralston (spelled Roulston) in Hempfield Township signed, to Governor John Penn in regards to their fears of an “Indian war.” Jeremiah signed along with Robert Hanna out of Hanna’s Town. We know that William Ralston lived very close to Hanna’s Town on the Big Sewickley. See History of Indiana County, Pennsylvania: 1745 to 1880, page 138.
According to the book Profiles of Patriots: A Biographical Reference of American Revolutionary War Patriots and their Descendants by Moira Ann Jacobs, in 1784 Jeremiah Lochry became a spy for the American Colonies, signing an oath and recruited by the President of the Extreme Executive Counsel of PA, John Dickinson. (page 54)
Much is written of Jeremiah and published in the Loughry Genealogy, including an autobiographical statement. See the pages listed below.
The historian “Day” says of him: “An old frontier man who had been in Armstrong’s Expedition, lingered around Kittaning for many years wandering from house to house, staying all night with people and repaying their hospitality with anecdotes of his adventures.”
I would surmise that our William was in the company Jeremiah talks about lastly, on pages 13 and 14.
You will note that William Perry was a neighbor to Jeremiah Lochry. You can imagine Lochry vouching for Perry to Ralston to secure Perry’s bonds with his lands. The land Ralston ended up losing in 1801.
You can read the pages in the section on Jeremiah Lochry below:
Voices of My Ancestors 
Jeremiah Lochry II was born in Chester Co. Pa. to James bro of Jeremiah I. He was adopted when his father died. He always grew up on the edge. First in Lancaster Co, then York (Adams), then Westmoreland Co. By the by a lot of Jewetts work is wrong. It is a good start but not gospel. Thank you Donal If you need more please contact.
Also: Jeremiah II father James died in 1729 so he could not have been born in 1731. Adopted 1736 Chester Co.
Childern: William —, Barbara 1762, Barbera 1766, Mary 1768, Jeremiah III 1770.