Dirck Becker and Wouter Becker

Dirck Becker and Wouter Becker are on "The List" as having served in the American Revolution.

Hopefully you are aware of Beckers Corners, the old Becker family homestead nearby on Maple Avenue and of course A. W. Becker Elementary School.  I have written about the Beckers many a time on this blog so use the search function to find those articles.  Oh, and do you know the old brick house on the grounds of Sabic? (The former GE plastics plant -you can see the old house from Creble Road.) That is a Becker homestead too. 

But things get complicated when I turned my eye to the Revolutionary War service of Dirck and Wouter.  Our trusty New York in the Revolution has many, many men with the last name of Becker. Wouter turns up as an enlisted man in the 5th Regiment of the Albany County Militia, and Dirck turns up in the Land Bounty Rights section of the 3rd Regiment, Albany County Militia. I was most impressed with the 15th Regiment of the Albany County Militia which has 25 men with the last name of Becker in it. None of whom are Dirck or Wouter.*

So far so good, but then I thought to go back to Bethlehem Revisited.  The Military chapter lists both Dirck and Wouter as lieutenants but does not say what regiment or give any other supporting info. 

The Bethlehem Revisited reference got me thinking about Howell & Tenney's Bi-Centennial History of the County of Albany 1609-1886. ** There is a great section on the Albany area during the Revolution. Here is my favorite quote:

"The year 1777 was marked by events that demanded unusual exertions and sacrifices from the people of Albany County. The summer was one of intense anxiety. An army of disciplined and veteran British troops was on the march to Albany with hostile intent. To the peace-loving population of the city, their progress spread the wildest terror; to the loyal Tories ecstasies of hope and bold impudence; to the patriotic friends of liberty, anxiety and dread. From mid-spring to late autumn all was excitement, alarm and activity." [This was the time when the battles of Saratoga unfolded]

And then there is a section on the Militia of 1776-1776.

"Albany County, as it existed during the time of the Revolution, first organized Seventeen Regiments of Militia... we give the officers of such as belonged wholly, or in part, to the present Albany County.  They were numbered and officered... as follows: First Regiment, City of Albany... Third Regiment, First Rensselaerwyck Battalion..."

Of interest here are Fourth and Fifth Companies of that Rensselaerwyck Battalion (remember there was no Bethlehem in 1776, we were on the West Manor of Rensselaerwyck). All of the men in these companies, including Dirck and Wouter Becker, appear on "The List".  This looks to be where Bethlehem Revisited got its info on Lt. Wouter and Lt. Dirck.

So, Wouter and Dirck definitely served, but the exact nature of that service is not well documented.

But what about them personally? As noted in the first paragraph, the Becker family was pretty prominent here in Bethlehem. 

The first Becker in Bethlehem appears to be Albertus Becker (1719-1800) who married Helen Van der Zee. His homestead can be found on the 1767 map of Rensselearwyck. (Right next to one of the few women listed on that map, Areantie Becker)

I believe their son Wouter (born 1736, I don't have a death date for him) would be our Revolutionary War soldier. He and his wife Annetje deRidder had at least two children, Albertus and Caterina. This Albertus (and I am sure his wife Polly Van der Heyden had a say) built the large brick home on Maple Avenue. ***

I hope you can read this transcription of an old Dutch Bible. I love how several of the children are listed as the children of Polly Becker.

I can't quite figure out how Dirck is related to Wouter or the other Bethlehem Beckers.  The 1790 Census has both Dirck and Walter in Watervliet (which included all of Bethlehem at the time). The 1799 tax assessment roll for Bethlehem clearly lists Walter Becker & Sons and Dirck Becker & Sons. So, he was here, but how related still remains a mystery.

When researching the Becker family, especially in the census record, I cannot help but notice that the family were enslavers, as were many of the old Dutch families in Albany County. The 1800 census really smacks you in the face with it. Walter's household has 14 people in it, 4 free white people and 10 slaves. That is a high number for this area. It is distressing to read the section on slavery in the Bi-Centennial History book because it downplays the reality of enslaved people. Basically, it says that everyone was happy down on the farm. Which really, cannot be true when the slaves had no freedom at all. They may have had a place to sleep, food to eat, or lighter labor compared to southern plantations, but still. New York's gradual emancipation law didn't come into full effect until July 4, 1827. 

A very slight hopeful bit is found on the 1800 census line underneath Walter's. It simply reads "Jack, a Free Negro".  There are 5 people in his household.

Above is the full 1800 census page. Below is a crop highlighting Walter and Jack.

So, yes, our Revolutionary War soldiers made sacrifices for the American Revolution, but we also have to recognize the good, the bad and the ugly about them. People live in the context of their times. Histories are written in the context of their times, and I am writing in the context of mine. July 4, 2026 is just around the corner. America 250, in all of its iterations, is in full swing. I focus on local Bethlehem people, their stores and experiences partly because I just am not feeling the rah rah hoopla about the 250th. Our country is seriously messed up right now, and it was messed up back in 1776. The question is, what can we learn from the past to make our future better?

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* You know I had to list them all. Under Colonel Peter Vroman we have Major Jost Becker, Capt. Storm Becker, Ensign Isaac Becker and the following enlisted men: Abraham, Adam, Albartus, Bill, Coenraed, David, Frederick, Garrit, George, Harmanus, Hendrick, Jacob, Johannes, Johannes K. John  A., John Alb., John Gert, John J., Nicholas, Storm, Storm A., and William.

** Both Archive.org and Google books have digital copies of the bi-centennial history book. And you can also find  Bethlehem Revisited at the Bethlehem Public Library's local history page.

And just a side note if you made it all the way down here.  It is hard to keep track of the many Walters (Wouter) and Alberts (Albertus) in the family tree. So here's a little graphic. Literally a picture from my notebook.  Please take the birth and death dates with a grain of salt. They need double checking. I'd really like to get some dates for Anna Haswell Becker, and some informatinn on where her and her husband A.W. Becker are buried.  They lost the house on Maple Avenue about 1900 to Adam Winne, then it looks like they moved to the Normansville/Delmar/Singerlands area.  For along time I thought they were interred in Elmwood Cemetery, but I think I might be wrong about that.  Per usual, more research needed!