Peter Rosekrans should be on our list!

 

Peter Rosekrans grave marker at Elmwood Cemetery

Honestly, The List drives me crazy.  It is really arbitrary. Before I call it quits on this project, the last thing I will do is make a new and improved list, with the hopes that years from now someone will complain about it too.

Anyway, let me introduce you to Revolutionary War soldier Peter Rosekrans  who was definitely from Bethlehem. 

Let's start with his pension application which opens with the simple statement "I, Peter Rosekrans, of the Town of Bethlehem". The statement then sets out his service as an enlisted man with the Second Regiment of the Dutchess County Militia. 

The first page of Peter's pension narrative.

This is the first pension application narrative I have seen that details a specific incident. Let's let Peter tell it.

that on the first day of August 1776, he enlisted in Fishkill town for five months under Captain Durzee in Col. James Swarouts Regiment of militia...raised for the purpose of guarding that part of the  Eastern shore of the North or Hudson’s River against depredations and incursions from the British Ships Roebuck and Asia, which lay opposite Pugsleys point nearby opposite Tarry-town, Westchester county; in the course of which enlistment this declarer marches to Pugsleys point to Spytendevil Kingsbridge; from thence to the white plains and was in the battle fought there in which a Capt. Van Wyck of the militia was killed; that General MDougall brigade was on the right in the battle, ...that the hottest part of the battle was on the right where McDougall’s brigade were engaged; that during the engagement and whilst in the intrenchments one man was killed in the near.. where this declarer lay... Liet. Horton who lay in the same intrenchment with this declarer as he was dodging his head at the word “Shot” given by our Colonel, to Caution the men against cannon shot, in bringing down his head, struck his mouth and lips on a stump; which set his mouth a bleeding, which induced this declarer to say to the Lieutenant in a jocose manner, “Why Liet. you are wounded” to which he replied “Hold your tongue”..."

Don't you love that phrase "in a jocus manner"?

The second page includes Peter's signature

Peter served in and around Fishkill for several terms of service with the final one being in 1781. As the application says, " he was engaged under Capt. Van Benchouten in apprehending one Jacocks as a Spy who was afterwards executed, and on this tour he was engaged for two days."

Peter, the son of John Rosekrans and Sarah Schoonmaker was born September 15, 1754 in Fishkill, New York.  (Or "Fishkill town" as he put it.)  He married Antje Westervelt on September 11, 1779 in the Dutch Reformed Church of New Hackensack, Dutchess County. The couple first shows up here in the records of the Bethlehem Reformed Church in December of 1795 where they are listed as members. 

I could not find a death record for  Antje but she must have passed away not too long after that because the next record I find is where Peter and his second wife Esther Van Derzee had their twin daughters Anne Marie* and Hannah Eliza baptized. The girls were born May 29, 1806. Another daughter, Margaret born December 4, 1808, was also baptized at the Bethlehem Reformed Church. 

According to Peter's will (written in 1828, probated after his death in 1835) he had 3 other children, Sarah, Abraham, and Catherine. I don't know whether these were Antje's or Esther's children. 

Peter turns up regularly in Census reports and tax assessment rolls for the town of Bethlehem between 1800 and 1830. I cannot pinpoint where Peter and Esther lived. That might be because his will directs his executors to sell all of his real and personal property within one year of his death to pay his debts. 

Regarding his "worldly estate" he directed 

"First, that all my property both real and personal (except clothing and two feather beds and necessary sheets, pillows and covering for the same) be sold at auction within one year after my death and all my debts be paid out of the amount of said sale, the remainder of my property I dispose of in the following manner: First, I give to my wife Esther four hundred dollars and also the clothing, beds and bedding above described to belong to her and her heirs forever, to my son Abraham I give one Dollar, to my daughter Catherine, wife of John Hillebreth, I give one Dollar, the remainder of my property after paying the above I give to my four daughters viz Sarah wife of Casper Salisbury, Ann Maria wife of Lewis Spawn, Hannah Eliza and Margaret to be equally divided between them to belong to them and their heirs forever, and Lastly I do nominate, ordain and appoint David P. Winne, Abraham Rosekrans and John Garnsey, my true and lawful executors." 

So there you have a bit about one of Bethlehem's Revolutionary War soldiers.

This photo is from Findagrave. Peter's stone is on the left, Esther's on the right. 

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* Anne Marie has an interesting story. She was born in 1806 and married Lewis Spawn (also spelled Spaun) in December 24, 1825 Bethlehem's First Reformed Church. According to Findagrave, she died in 1854 and is buried at Soop-Pleasantview Cemetery in Van Buren Township, Wayne County, Michigan.  I am very curious about how she and Lewis ended up in Michigan.  Also, Soop is a Bethlehem family name.  There must be a story there!  Oh, and Lewis served during the Civil War and was killed in action at the Battle of Bull Run, August 30, 1862.   

Here's the link to Anne Marie's entry on Finda. Poke around there for more about Lewis. 

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40663257/ann_marie-spaun

Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies

Perhaps I am dating myself, but there is nothing quite like the process of combing back and forth through actual books checking indexes and following page numbers, reading surrounding texts and making connections. 

Today I sat with The Minutes of the Commissioners for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies in the State of New York Albany County Sessions 1778-1781 looking for info about our Revolutionary War soldiers.

After a general flipping through of pages I hopped right to the index and the letter "B" for Bethlehem of course.

There is exactly one entry for "New Bethlehem in the Manor of Rensselaerwyck" and it is regarding the "numbers of Torys...collecting in the night time." Seth Perry was directed to apprehend "all such disaffected persons".

Other local place names in the book include Coxsacki, Onesquethaw, Norman's Kill, and New Scotland. But the big winner is The Helderbergs. As described in the introduction in the book, "the Helderbergs and adjacent regions were regular nests of robbers and hatcheries of treasonable designs."

There are plenty of local people in the books as well. Remember Cornelius Glenn from a previous blog post? His flip flopping on whether to join the rebellion or not is pretty clear just in the index entries (see picture below.) 

I haven't written about him yet but John Leonard has an interesting interaction with the Commissioners. He was almost kidnapped!

I also haven't written about the Haswell family yet (I will - there is some good stuff there!), but there is a notation in the minutes for when John Haswell bailed out a suspected Tory named John Harrison who had been "taken by the Party of Oneyda Indians a Prisoner."  

The Haswell family papers on file with the Town Historian's office contain a reminisce about Haswells during the Revolution. It asserts that there was a nest of Tory's on Meads Lane and that Beckers were Torys.  While I didn't find any Becker's in this book (and our list of Rev. War soldiers includes Dirck and Wouter Becker) I found so many Hoogtelings that were Torys. For example, Jacobus was apprehended as a robber and a follower of Butler and Brant. And William of Rennselaerwyck Manor who declared himself a "King's man."

But what exactly were the Commissioners for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies up to?

For years the provincial government of New York was concerned about "intestive enemies." (That's a quote from a May 1776 committee appointed to deal with such folks).

Feb. 5, 1778 saw the passage of the law that established the commission that this book is concerned with. Let me just quote it from page 12:

In the original legislative act creative of the commissioners whose Albany proceedings constitute   these volumes, the reasons given are "the present invasion of this State;" "the disaffection of sundry of the Inhabitants of the same," and to guard and secure effectually the peace of the State "against the wicked Machinations and Designs of the Foreign and Domestic Foes thereof."

The commissioners' functions were defined as having the power "to send for Persons and Papers, and administer Oaths; to apprehend and confine...as necessary for public safety... all Persons whose going at large shall appear dangerous to the Safety of the State...

And there you have it about the Commission for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies. Basically a commission with the power to round people up who were thought to be against the Revolution. They could detain people and demand bail money for their release but could not perform any corporal punishment.  I wonder about the amount of paranoia that must have been running rampant in the county. 

Have I got you intrigued about this set of meeting minutes? You can read them online here but it is not the same as flipping actual pages!

https://archive.org/details/minutesofcommiss0000newy/page/n17/mode/2up

Land Bounty Rights

 

Something that keeps coming up in my exploration into Revolutionary War soldiers "from" Bethlehem is the topic of Land Bounty Rights.  You can see this phrase on a couple of local historic markers including Patrick Callanan's at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in South Bethlehem. 

But what does it really mean? 

For soldiers of the Line, i.e. New York Continental regiments under the command of George Washington, things are pretty straight forward. After the war, cash was in short supply, so New York gave out plots of land to compensate its soldiers. The Balloting Book provides lots of details on the patents to land that were granted. 

The Balloting Book has a wealth of information about Continental regiments
but not a word about militia units. 

This is how The Balloting Book describes one of the initial acts made by the New York Assembly:

An act to appropriate the Lands set apart for the use of the Troops of the Line of the State, lately serving in the Army of the United States and for other purposes therein mentioned passed February 28, 1789.

The lands were surveyed and gridded out as seen in the map below.

The three Continental soldiers on our "from" Bethlehem list, Peter Boise, John Sager and James Selkirk each received a land bounty patent. And we can find them on the map. Here are Sager's and Selkirk's.

John Sager's 600 acre lot in Tully is marked in blue.

James Selkirk's 600 acre lot in Locke is circled in blue.

Now did they actually physically get the land and maybe go check it out? Probably not. Soldiers often sold their land grant sight unseen to brokers for cold hard cash. For example, The Balloting Book tells us James Selkirk's patent was received by James McKie for William McGill and John Sager's was received by James Sadler for James Caldwell.*

But what about those militia units? Here we turn back to New York in the Revolution which provides some clarity. 

I placed the whole section above to provide context, but basically, at the end of the war New York militia men, including many of ours "from" Bethlehem, asserted a claim for Land Bounty Rights. 

Here is the pertinent part:  

They were signed directly before the close of the war, and there is no evidence in these documents to show that they ever saw actual service. They were however ready to serve; and the fact that they may not have been called upon to serve should not detract from the credit due them. Still, it would be unfair to incorporate their names in the regiment proper...

The author goes on to assert that the real standing of all the cases must be settled with original documents and additional proof.  Basically, more research needed!

So far I haven't seen any evidence of Bethlehem's militia men actually receiving a land grant, or bounty, or patent.  Maybe that info is out there somewhere?

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* Do you remember Zimri Murdock from a previous post? I was surprised to see his name turn up twice in The Balloting Book, both times receiving patents that had been granted to other folks. 

In the section Delivery of Patents for Lands in the Military Tract, Zimri turns up as having received the patent of William Hudson and then again as receiving the patent of Peter Oosterhoudt, dead. 

It seems like rarely is the patent delivered to the person who earned it. Look for the word "Himself".

Just a snippet from The Balloting Book showing 2 patents delivered to the person who earned them with the military service. 

 Addendum (April 22, 2026)

While looking for something else, I came across this great map that shows you the context of where the military tract was.  It is the green grid in the middle.

Image from Richard's Atlas o f New York State, published by Frank E. Richards in 1965

David Niver and Peter Flansburgh - Revolutionary War Veterans maybe?

 

The Argus, October 22, 1903

This obituary for Peter Niver (1810-1903) recalls his grandfathers, David Niver and Peter Flansburgh, both of whom are stated to be soldiers of the Revolutionary War. The trouble is that I can't definitively document that service in the historical record. Sigh.

Let's start with David Niver. 

This is what the obit has to say

Niver was a subaltern officer, first sergeant in Captain Conrads Van Dalsten’s company, under General Schuyler, and was present at the surrender of General Burgoyne at Stillwater, October 27, 1777.

David Niver does turn up on our list of Revolutionary War soldiers "from" Bethlehem. 

Where he does not turn up is in New York in the Revolution or any other pension, payroll, or muster roll that I can find including the D.A.R. and the S.A.R.

The Nivers* that do turn up are William (The Line, 5th Regiment), Jacob (Dutchess County Militial)  and Michael (DAR says Albany County Militia but he is not in NY and the Rev).  Also Johannis Nives served with the Albany County Militia (Land Bounty Rights, 10th Regiment) under Capt. Conrad Cline. There is also a Marks Nives in that same company. 

An unpublished genealogy from the family says that Johann Michael Neifer (and his wife Margerita Gehring) had six kids, one of whom was Johann David Neifer. 

Johann David Neifer and his wife Margarite (or Grite) Wagonor were definitely in the Bethlehem area by the early 1790s as they served as witnesses to the baptism of children at the First Reformed Church and the Jerusalem Reformed Church.  Also, according to the obit, David "purchased a tract of land in colonial times lying partly in the towns of Bethlehem and Coeymans, then a primeval forest" that in part of which was still in the family in 1903.

So I'm thinking Joannis Nives, Johann David Niefer and David Niver are all the same person. Maybe.

Other details about David's service from the obit are interesting.  Col. Philip P. Schulyer and his 3rd Regiment, Albany County Militia were definitely at the Battle of Saratoga but I can't find a Niver or a Van Dalsten listed. 

There is a John Van Dalfsan from Coeymans who is listed as part of Albany County Militia, land bounty rights, 11th regiment. Van Dalfsan - Van Dalsten - maybe? The whole obit entry is just so specific, you'd think I'd be able to track it down in the record.  But nope.

The thing to remember is that the obit was written when no one living had actual first hand knowledge of the soldiers mentioned. Maybe Peter Niver knew his grandfather and heard his stories, but he would have been very young, (Peter was born about 1810, his grandfather (if he was Johann David) died in 1816 when Peter was 6 years old.) 

Oh, and what about Peter Flansburgh? Was he a Revolutionary solider "active in service on our northern frontier a long time" as the obit says? He is not on our Bethlehem "from" list and nor on the Coeymans "from" list.

 But low and behold, there is a Peter Flansburgh serving under Col. Schuyler in the 3rd Regiment Albany County Militia.  Along with Peter, there is a David, Denal and John Flansburg.

And remember Captain Winne's company on the west side of the river?  It lists Sgt William Flansburg, and privates Matthew F., Daniel, Peter and Peter Jr. 

So why didn't Peter Flansburg make our "from" the list? 

List of the Names belongs to Capt William D Winne Company

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*And yes I tried to check every alternative spelling: Kniver, Niver, Neuffer, Nifer, Niser, Knyver, Neifer, and Niphes 

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And a fun little Niver/Flansburg family tidbit... the guy above with the obituary, Peter Niver, his parents were John Niver and Elizabeth Flansburgh. His aunt and uncle were Margarita Niver and John Flansburg. John and Margarita were siblings and Elizabeth and John Flansburg were siblings. 

Peter Boice (Boyce, Buis, Boyes, Boys, Buys)

 Is that enough alternative spellings for Revolutionary War veteran Peter Boyce? 

Oh wait, I forgot one, Biess.

And yes, I was able to confirm that he was "from" Bethlehem.

According to D.A.R. records, Peter Boyce was born circa 1760 in Poughkeepsie and died February 9, 1817 in Bethlehem N.Y. His wife was Abigail/Abby Brown. Peter served with the 2nd New York Regiment as a private under Captains Hallet and Hamtramck.   

One interesting thing about Boyce is that he served with the Continental Army. Most of the veterans I have researched so far served with the Albany County Militia. 

During the Revolution there were three main elements: The Line (Continental troops under George Washington), The Levies (troops that were called up by the states for shorter terms of service as needed) and The Militia (called out by states usually with a term of service of three months for local defense).

Boyce was born in Poughkeepsie. One record states that he was baptized in 1756 with the name Petrus Buys. He enlisted in 1776 and served with the 2nd New York Regiment through 1783. With such a long term of service, Ancestry has many pages of his records including several Company Muster Rolls.  

After the war, the question for me becomes, how did Peter end up in Bethlehem? 

First some more documented info about Peter and Abby. Note the locations where these events happened. 

Peter Biess, son of Johannis and Abigail Brown, of Josiah were married March 17, 1786 in the Dutch church in Schoharie. The entry says that both lived at Beaverdam.

A record from the Dutch Reformed Church Records "Schenectady, Berne and Schaghticoke, Book 5"* indicates their son John was baptized in 1787. Next I find that they had two children baptized at the First Reformed Church of Bethlehem. Peter Buis and Ebby Buis had a child named Jacob baptized on August 10, 1794.  Then Peter  Boyes and Abigail Brown had a daughter Hannah baptized on September 14, 1800.**

Abby Boyce made an application for a widow's pension. She declared on November 16, 1838 that she was a resident of the Town of Bethlehem, aged 77 years, that she "married Peter Boyce, or Boiss, a solider of the United States in the Revolutionary War and served as such in the Second New York Regiment." She goes on to state that at the time they were married she "resided at a place called Beaverdam" and her husband "lived in a place called the Helleberg"***. 

If I am sorting it all out correctly, after the war, Peter landed in the town of Berne, married and had one child there, then the family turns up in Bethlehem. Where exactly in Bethlehem is still a question. (And remember that up until 1832 Bethlehem included all of the town of New Scotland.) Abby is found in the 1820 census living in Bethlehem. She must have been a property owner as she is listed individually with a total of 5 people in her household.  Right next to her in separate household is John Boyce whom I am think must be her son. 

Sadly, I cannot find any burial records for either Peter or Abby. If found, that might indicate where they lived.   

A summary of the Boyce data from a 1924 search of the pension records. 

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*Those are widely divergent locations geographically.  I am going to make the call for Berne as that makes more sense.  

** This info is from the book Records of the People of the Town of Bethlehem which also has many entries for husband and wife Peter Boise and Elisabeth Stiles. I am thinking this Peter might be a son of Peter and Abby but don't have any records to that effect. 

*** Beaverdam is an old hamlet name in the town of Berne, and Helleberg is the old name for the the Helderbergs.  Today we know that as the Helderberg Escarpment, the ridge west of Albany. You might know Thacher Park, the state park with the wonderful views that rests along the ridge. 

And if you are ready for a side quest, go to Archive.org or your local library and see if you can round up a copy of the book Old Hellebergh by Arthur B. Gregg.  

https://archive.org/details/oldhelleberghhis00greg/page/6/mode/2up?q=beaverdam

The chapter on the Revolution is fascinating. I looked up Beaverdam and came up with this lovely bit.

That period of tranquility which had existed from the day of first settlement was broken abruptly at the beginning of the revolution. While at no time was there the gruesome slaughter of inhabitants that occurred at Beaverdam, Gallupville, Schoharie, or Cobleskill, there is every indication that our locality suffered more than any other from the enemy within its own bosom – the Tory. Every reference to “Helleberg” is one of loyalist activity. 

Now, also if you are like me, you've got to look up the "gruesome slaughter of inhabitants." Start here with the story of what happened to the Dietz family of Beaverdam, aka Berne.

https://albanyhilltowns.com/The_Dietz_Family_Massacre

And a last thought on Tory activity in the Hill Towns, I hope you have seen the historic marker at Thacher Park about the Tory Cave.

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If you have made it all the way down here and didn't get distracted by the gruesome, below is a transcript of part of Abby's application for her widow's pension. When applying, one had to have testimonials. Abby's was from Hugh Mosher who knew both of the Boyces since he was ten years old. 

State of New York
Albany County

I Hugh A. Mosher of the Town of Bethlehem in the said county being duly sworn disposed  as follows

I am fifty five years of age. I am well acquainted with the within named Peter Boyce, in his life time, and knew him from the time I was of the age of ten years until the time of his death. He has been died about twenty years. He died in the Town of Bethlehem where he resided many years.  He left the within named Abby Boyce his widow, with whom I have been acquainted about forty five years. She has remained a widow ever since the death of her said husband.

I have frequently heard him speak of his service as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and have head him relate incidents that occurred during the war and have no doubt that he was a solder as within stated

Subscribed this 16^th day of November 1839        Hugh A. Mosher

Marytje Slingerland, daughter of Abraham and Rebecca

This is not a Revolutionary War veteran story, altho if you are following along and read the previous post, Abraham was a veteran. I could be writing about the challenges that Rebecca faced running the mills and estate at Normans Kill while her husband and sons were away at war.  Or the fact that Rebecca's family, the Viele family, was quite prominent especially in the Schenectady area. Several of her direct ancestors were killed in the Schenectady massacre that happened February 8, 1690.

This post however is about their daughter Mary, spelled the Dutch way - Marytje - in both Rebecca and Abraham's wills.  Mary's story as revealed in the wills is very curious to me. I could have a lot of fun speculating. 

But first the facts.

Mary was child number six of Abraham and Rebecca's eight kids, born December 16, 1769.  

Abraham signed off on his last will and testament July 13, 1784.  He was 54 years old and concerned about the welfare of his children. All are mentioned in one way or another, summed up with the item that begins "I do give and bequeath unto my beloved children namely Tunis, Peter, Albert, Abraham, Stephen, Catriena and Marytje all and singular the rest of my estate real... to share and share alike and to their heirs and assigns forever." *

The older boys, Teunis age 27, Peter 24 and Abraham 22, were given funds and the mills on the Normans Kill.  Abraham ordered that the younger boys, Albert age 11 and Stephen as 9, "shall be given common Schooling out of my estate and then be put to a trade and be maintained until they come to twenty one years."

Which brings me to the girls, Catriena, age 19 and Marytje age 15.

"Item I do give, bequeath, desire and order that my two daughters namely Catriena and Marytj, they and each of them, shall have out of my estate at the day of their … marriage …  sixty Pounds money... and if in case it should happen that they or either of them should remain unmarried until my wife’s decease shall have the sum of sixty Pounds ... but if Marytje happens not to marry, to be maintained by the rest of my heirs out of my estate if she should be in want."

To me this section reads like Catriena would be able to take care of herself (either by marrying or able to receive her 60 pounds) but that Marytje needs extra care. Why was Abraham so worried about Marytje? Was it just her age? Altho 15 doesn't seem that young. Surely he expected her to marry as he seemed to expect Catriena to. Why did he anticipate that Marytje would be in want but not Catriena?

The  following items mentions the girls as well.

"Item I do order and give and bequeath unto my two daughters namely Catriena and Marytje all my household furniture and my wife wearying apparel to them their heirs and assigns for ever after my wife’s decease."

Things regarding Marytje get even more interesting when we look at her mother's will. Rebecca very specifically excludes Marytje's husband Gerit Van Wie.

Signed with her mark on January 27, 1792, Rebecca's will begins "I Rebecca Slingerlandt, widow and relict of Abraham Slingerlandt late of the town of Water Vliet in the county of Albany being weak in body but of sound of mind and memory do make this my last will and testament."

Rebecca herself was about 60 years old, daughter Marytje about 23.

After a lot of verbiage related to bequests to her sons Peter, Abraham and Albert we get to this most interesting item:

“And also one horse, one cow, my riding chair and harness, one iron stove and the equal half part of all my household furniture which I have acquired since the death of my husband in trust for the maintenance of my daughter Marytje and her children during her natural life so that her husband Gerit Van Wie shall and may have no manner of claim or right to and after the death of my said daughter Marytje." 

The next item determines that a sixth part of the residue of her estate be designated for the “maintenance and support of my daughter Marytje and her children in like manner as herein above expressed so that the same may not fall into the hands of her husband the said Gerrit Van Wie.”

And then this item "If at anytime it should happen that the income of the estate hereby devised to my daughter Marytje should prove insufficient for her support and she be unable to maintain herself it is my will and I do order and direct that my other children herein above named to wit Peter Abraham Albert and Catherine and my granddaughter Mary and their heirs shall maintain and support my said Daughter Marytje during such her inability."

I am so curious about Marytje's story. Why does she need such support? Why can't she receive her inheritances directly like her sister Catherine?  And what is up with her husband Gerit Van Wie? Why was Rebecca so adamant that nothing should come to him?  She does not make similar remarks about Catherine's husband, Johannes Van Der Werken. Van Der Werken is specifically named in a different passage of the will with no commentary. 

Marytje's parents were both very concerned that she be taken care of after their deaths. And it reads to me like she could not do it herself. And yet she married. Maybe they didn't approve of the wedding? Maybe Van Wie was a ne'er-do-well who just married Marytje for her money? After all, those mills and farms on the Norman Skill were still in the family and still generating income. 

I am going to do a little digging to see if I can find out more facts about Marytje Slingerland and her husband Gerrit Van Wie.  But I think I might just have to write some fiction just to fill them in.

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* There are two versions of Abraham's will available on Ancestry. They are not too hard to read, but I have smoothed out some of the writing and punctuation.  The .... represent sections I left out that did not add meaning to the quote. In my opinion of course - happy to provide the original copies of the will if you want to decipher them.   Same for Rebecca's!

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So my look into Mary and Gerrit quickly turned up this tidbit from a genealogy book about the "first settlers of the ancient count of Albany" under the Van Wie family name.  Note the date of birth for their daughter Jannetje. 

VAN WIE, Gerrit, m. Mary Slingerland, Jan 10, 1790. Ch: Jannetie, b. March 12, 1790.

Gerrit and Mary got married in Janaury, and their daughter was born just two months later. 

And her mom Rebecca was still mad about it two years later when she wrote her will. 

Abraham Slingerland: His Revolutionary War Service and his Mills on the Normans Kill

 Our list of Revolutionary War veterans "from" Bethlehem includes the name Abraham Slingerland.

It turns out two of Abraham's sons also served, Peter and Teunis.  And to make things extra fun, these are NOT the Teunis and Peter Slingerland mentioned in my previous blog post.  One of those named Teunis from the previous post is Abraham's nephew, child of his older sister Hester and her husband Wouter.  This is also the Teunis who was married to Rachel Bogart. And isn't it funny that I have to keep track of the various Teunis Slingerlands by using their wives' names.

Abraham Slingerland (1730-1784ish*) married Rebecca Viele (1732-1792) in 1756 in the Dutch Reformed Church at Albany. He and Rebecca had eight children baptized in the church between 1757 and 1775. 

I don't believe it is stretching things too much to say that Rebecca and Abraham were "from" Bethlehem. Remembering of course that Bethlehem didn't become Bethlehem until after both of them died. I get at this from several documents including Abraham's last will and testament and his son Peter's Revolutionary War pension application. And then the cherry on top is the 1767 Bleeker map of Rensselaerswyck.

Let's take a look at the will.

Abraham describes himself as being a yeoman of the county of Albany and Colony of Rensselaerwyck. A few paragraphs in he states this

"Item I do give and bequeath unto my two beloved sons namely Peter and Abraham all that estate I have at Normans Kill where I now live with utensils therein to belonging, together with the saw mill and fulling mill and utensils to them belonging, to them and either of their heirs and assigns forever after my wife's decease or remarriage."

Did you catch the reference to his mills at Normans Kill? 

Now on to his son Peter's pension application. Peter Slingerland made his application in 1833 when he was 73 years old and living in the town of Maryland in Otsego County. 

The application details his four terms of service. Peter volunteered at the time of the wheat harvest in 1775 and marched to Lake George "to guard the frontier against the enemy" (2 1/2 months service). He volunteered again in the spring of 1776 when his militia company was ordered by Gen. Schuyler on an expedition to Johnstown "for the purpose of taking Sir John Johnson." When they arrived there they found out Johnson had fled to Canada so Peter's group marched back to Albany (10 days service). Next he volunteered "at the time of planting corn" as early as May 20, 1776 where he served at Fort Hunter for 2 months. And finally about the first of June 1777 Peter volunteered and was marched from Albany to Saratoga where he served until after the surrender of Gen Burgoyne "at least 4 months." He was "engaged in the transportation of baggage and provisions for the American army."

All of Peter's terms of service were under the Captaincy of his father Abraham Slingerland, Albany County Militia under the command of Col. Quackenbush (we've seen this man referred to as Quakenbos in previous blog posts). The first term of service included his brother Teunis. 

This is a transcript copy. The application packet I looked at on Ancestry has Peter's detailed declarations.

Now all of that is well and good, but I am trying to get at where the family lived. In Peter's application he states that he was "born on the 4^th of March 1760 in the town of Albany in the state of New York about two miles from the city of Albany – that he resided in the said town of Albany until he was about 40 years of age at which time he moved to the town of Schodake in the state of New York where he lived until … he moved to the town of Maryland in the county of Otsego" 

Peter's application continued "That during the whole war of the Revolution this deponent served with his father Abraham Slingerland who was a Captain in the militia of the state of New York and who owned mills and a tavern in the town of Albany aforesaid"   

Did you catch the "town of Albany" .. "about two miles from the city of Albany" part?  

Which brings me to the 1767 Bleeker map. Hopefully in the picture you can see the number 14 with its little sketch of a house on the Normans Kill just outside of Albany. Number 14 is identified as being Abraham Slingerland's place. For reference, number 16 is Philip Schuyler's place which still stands today.

The mills, tavern and estate of Abraham Slingerland and his heirs were in the town of Bethlehem from 1793 until it was annexed by the City of Albany in 1916.  So, I think we are safe to claim all three men, Abraham and his sons Peter and Teunis, as being Revolutionary War veterans "from" Bethlehem. 

+++++

* the "ish" is because his will is signed July 13, 1784 but his executors were sworn in on Janaury 23, 1786. So he must have died between those dates but I don't have any document of an exact date of death. Rebecca's will was signed Janaury 27, 1792 and her executors appeared in court in September of that year. I cannot find a burial record for either Abraham or Rebecca.  I suspect they were buried in the church lot of the First Reformed Church which was later moved to Albany Rural, but that is just a guess.