Hugh Jolly and family

Hugh Jolly's name appears on the plaque remembering Revolutionary War soldiers at the graveyard that is located on Dinmore Road in Selkirk. Hugh (1721-1804) was buried there along side his wife Eleanor Key (1736-1804). On the plaque, his service is listed as "Third Regiment, Albany County Militia".

Our trusty book New York in the Revolution has him listed in the Albany County Militia (Land Bounty Rights) Third Regiment section. His son James is listed on page102 as an enlisted man in the Third Regiment, Albany County Militia. 

Several sources report that Hugh and Eleanor and their children came here from Scotland in 1772.  Which is interesting because the 1756 List of the Inhabitants of the city of Albany reports "Jolly. Irish Man. Sells Liquor". Maybe this is our guy?* I say this because Jolly is known to have been a proprietor of a tavern (or tipling house) two miles south of Albany (which later became known as the Abbey Hotel).**

Hugh also turns up in the Committee of Correspondence records (remember that commission to detect and defeat conspiracies?) on March 11, 1777 with this record (directly quoted if you please)

"Hugh Jolly and his Son in Law having been apprehended by order of this Committee for harboring Negroes and being Persons Inimical to the Cause of America and it having appeared that the Son in Law does not reside at Jolly's but accidently came there Resolved Thereupon That the Son in Law be discharged from Confinement, and that Jolly remain in Confinement till the farther order of this Committee." 

Despite his confinement against the cause, Hugh Jolly signed up for those Land Bounty Rights mentioned above for service during the war.  Individuals had individual responses to the call to rise up against the king.  Some chose revolution, we call them Patriots, some remained Loyalists, some switched back and forth making the best decisions that their personal circumstances required. 

I imagine someone like Hugh Jolly, an older man (he would have been in his upper 50s) relatively newly arrived from Scotland, would make different decisions compared to a younger man (like his son James - about 20 during the war years). 

A little bit more about the Jolly family because we still have Jolley Road here in Bethlehem, a direct link to the time Hugh ran the old Abbey hotel in the late 1700s.  And I do mean that literally, on the old maps, modern Jolley Road, instead of ending at the new housing development, takes a turn to the east heading down the hill to the location of the Abbey. 

This whole area was Jolley family land. I wrote about the roads surrounding the 9W/Feura Bush Road/Glenmont Road roundabout back in 2021. It has a bit about Jolley Road - below is the pertinent paragraph.*** 

"Hugh Jolley (1721-1804) arrived here from Scotland in 1772. He was also Revolutionary War veteran. He and his wife Eleanor [1736-1823] are buried at the Nicoll – Sill cemetery in the Cedar Hill section of town. Jolley Road originated as the lane to the Jolley family’s Crystal Farm. It is unclear whether this is Hugh and Eleanor’s farm or one founded by his son Hugh, or Hugh’s son Henry. The dates line up for it to be Henry’s farm as the 1851 Pease map has the location as “Heirs to H. Jolley”. By the 1866 map and onward, it is clearly the farm of Samuel Jolley and his wife Caroline Rosekrans. Samuel (1833-1917) is Hugh and Eleanor’s great grandson who, according to his obituary, was born, raised and died at Glenmont."

Crop of the 1851 Pease map. Heirs of H. Jolly is near the top left. To the right of that on the river is The Abbey and  Jolly Island is just beyond. Babcock's Corners is modern day Bethlehem Center. Frazertown is the historic location of Glenmont. Bisby and Jolly Island are likely modern Beacon Island, which isn't really an island anymore.

Getting back to Hugh and Eleanor, they had at least seven children, that's how many are named in Hugh's will. They are Samuel, Hugh, James, Jane, Jennett, Barbara and Mary. It looks like several of them were born in Scotland and came over with their parents. The will, dated 1802, just a couple years prior to his death, lists monetary bequests to his "dearly beloved wife Eleanor" and all of his children. Sons Samuel and Hugh are listed as receiving "all the residue of my estate, after the above legacies are paid to wit Bonds, Bills, Notes & Book debs, Horses, Horned cattle, Hoggs, Sheep & all farming utensils to be equally divided betwixt them and I give to my wife Eleanor the Choice of a cow out of my Stock if she wishes to have one."  I wonder if Eleanor picked out a cow.  Samuel and Hugh are listed as executors along with their sister Mary as executrix. That's the first time I've seen a daughter listed in that capacity. 

And a side note, the Son in Law listed in the Committee of Correspondence record was either Jane's husband John Crumb, Jennett's husband James Alexander or Barbara's husband Robert Henry. Mary was still single at the time the will was written.

As noted above in regards to Jolley Road, the family remained in the area. Son Samuel's death notice, published February 6, 1851 in the  Albany Argus reads:

At his residence, in Coeymans, on the night of the 31^st … Samuel Jolly, aged 87 years, brother of the Rev. Hugh Jolly. The Messrs Jolly emigrated to America from Scotland with their parents on or before the commencement of the American revolution, and the family continued residents first of the town of Bethlehem and since (for nearly half a century) of the town of Coeymans. When followers of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church first came into the county of Albany, Samuel and Hugh Jolly became early converts… … 

And that is it, for now!, about the Jolly/Jolley family.

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* Pop over here to the People of Colonial Albany history project for more on the 1756 census. It was made in order to determine where British troops could be quartered within the city. You can also click thru to the info on Hugh Jolly and his son James.

https://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/census1756.html

** Here is a quote from Bethlehem Revisited about the Abbey:

The Abbey Hotel was a former landmark along Route 144 in Glenmont. It was buit about 1710 by, it is said, a Van Rensselaer. During its 250-year history, it had many owners, two of whom were Hugh Jolley and Henry Parr. Hugh Jolley, who was born in Galway, Scotland, in 1721 and came to America in 1772, owned the hotel during the Revolutionary War. 

*** Pop over here for the whole article.

https://bethlehemnyhistory.blogspot.com/2021/10/our-towne-bethlehem-october-streets-of.html

Joseph Betty (or Bettis) and Jellis LeGrange - Revolutionary War stories

 Recently, the Bethlehem Historical Historical Association hosted Michael Aikey who spoke about Joseph Bettys: Revolutionary War Patriot, Loyalist and Desperado.* It was fascinating. Turns out Bettys had some remarkable connections to our local area. 

This was mostly during the spring and summer of 1781 when Bettys was scurrying around the Helderbergs, New Scotland and Bethlehem trying to round up support for the Loyalist cause. Aikey specifically mentioned that Jellis LeGrange, a Loyalist, went to the Commissioners for detecting and defeating conspiracies to report that Bettys was in the New Scotland area. And why would Jellis do that, turn in another Loyalist? Aikey reported that it was because Bettys had ran off with Jellis' daughter Desdemona. Oh, there is a story there I thought.  

To dig a little deeper, first I turned to the Minutes of the Commissioners for detecting and defeating  conspiracies in the state of New York: Albany county session, 1778-1781.**

The index sums up Bettys' (spelled Bettis in the book) activity. Below, I have transcribed them word for word except for the page numbers. They are in chronological order as Bettis name came up in the committee meeting :

Bettis, Joseph (Joe), British emissary,

visits New Scotland
visits west district of Rensselaerwyck Manor
person hired to apprehend him
recruiting for enemy
aid of miliary sought for his capture
plot of negroes concerted with
offer of slave to give information about
persons who have harbored him to be apprehended
lurking in Helderbergs
discharged prisoner to give information about
attempt to capture him in Helderbergs
engaged in recruiting
person arrested for harboring
returns from Canada
continental troops to attempt to capture
young man returns to Canada with
person confined for harboring
his brother-in-law confined

"returns from Canada" and "continental troops attempt to capture" are the ones that include Jellis LeGrange.

Here are the sections - hope you can read them

Couple of interesting items to note - Jellis is requesting to come before the commission to report that Bettis is in the area, and, if Jellis provides more info, the board will use its influence to "procure his liberation from confinement."  To me, this confirms that Jellis was a Loyalist under house arrest. Then Christian Lagrange comes into the picture reporting that Bettis was at his house that very day. The commissioners then requested that Continental troops under Col. Cortland to set off to apprehend Bettis.

No mention at all of a daughter. 

Turning to Aikey's original article, after Bettis returned to Canada and the royal fort at St. John's he was restricted to the fort for "refusing to give up his Desdemona." There is also a reference to his "female recruit."***   Aikey leaves out how he knows that Bettis' Desdemona is a daughter of Jellis Legrange. I would love to find that reference!

So who is Jellis LeGrange?  As you can imagine, there are not many men named Jellis in the records. The LeGrange family genealogy I consulted had exactly two, one of whose dates are not appropriate (this Jellis was born in 1670 and died in 1710). His grandson, born 1728 might be, but there is conflicting information about him.  

Some notes then we'll try and draw a conclusion.

Jellis was under house arrest for loyalty to the crown in the summer of 1781 at his home which was probably on the land his ancestors acquired in the late 1600s now in the modern day area of the Vista Technology Park in the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland. 

He was baptized in 1728 in New Jersey. His parents were Christian and Catlynte. He married Jenneke Molenaer and they had six children (Catlyntje, Christian, Susanna, Ante, Jacobus, Peter and Elizabeth). All of these children appear to have been born (or baptized at least) in New Jersey. One source said that he died sometime before 1796 because that is the year his wife remarried. 

DAR records (under the name Jellis De La Grange) indicate that the descendants of his son Peter entered the DAR based on the record of Jellis' service in the Patriot cause found in Fernow's book stating that he served as a Lieutenant in Capt. Abraham Slingerlandt's regiment of the Albany County Militia.  This info conflicts with the New York in the Revolution book that has Jellis LaGrange listed under Albany County's Third Regiment Land Bounty Rights.

Born in 1728, he would have been in his 50s (or there abouts) during the war years. The DAR record indicates he died in Janaury 1777 (online I cannot see what the documentation is for that date) and I don't think it was his ghost haunting the Conspiracy Commissioners. 

So, we are left with questions (again!). Is this the correct Jellis with changing loyalties? Maybe this is not the correct Jellis at all and there is another one that I am not aware of.  Or maybe there was another LeGrange man who had a middle name of Jellis and that is the name he went by. It is all very murky.

And which daughter ran off with Bettys (Bettis)? From this short analysis, we know a woman did.  What is her story?  I really want to know!

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* The recording will be up soon on the Bethlehem Public Library's YouTube channel.  Read Aikey's article here:

  https://allthingsliberty.com/2017/10/joseph-bettys-revolutionary-war-patriot-traitor-desperado/

**Read it here: https://archive.org/details/minutesofcommiss0000newy/page/n5/mode/2up?q=Jolly

*** These quotes are from the book King's Men by Mary B. Fryer.  Desdemona, I am sure, is an allusion to Shakespeare's Othello, not the actual name of Bettis' "female recruit."

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Here is your bonus tidbit if you made it all the way down here on the blog.

Apparently, a Jelis Legrange was the defendant against plaintiff Amos Ogden in the NY Supreme Court in NYC for debt. The date is April 8, 1785

Cornelius Van Der Zee

Triangulating.

That is what I have been doing to figure out the two Cornelius Van Der Zees who were both soldiers of the American Revolution.  One "from" Bethlehem, the other "from" Coeymans. 

I started with this entry in the Red Book (aka The Records of the People of the Town of Bethlehem 1698-1880) for Elmwood Cemetery.*

Great - there we go I thought. Clearly the word "Revolution" next to Cornelius' name. But how to verify that statement? 

New York in the Revolution has two Cornelius Van Der Zees. **  The 3rd Regiment of the Albany County Militia has Albert, Albertus, Cornelis as enlisted men.  The 5th Regiment has Cornelius Van Der Zee listed as an ensign. There is also a Walter in the Land Bounty Rights section. 

Turning to the DAR records, their online database lists

- Cornelis, born 1740 in Bethlehem, died post 1786 in Bethlehem. Spouse is Annetie Veder. Children are Storm and Ester. Served under Captain Hogan and Col. Schuyler.  

- Cornelius, baptized 1740 in Coeymans, died 1823 in Coeymans. Spouse is Agnitz/Agnes Whitbeck. Children Andrew and Harmen.  Served 4th Regiment, Rensselaerwyck Battalion. 

Remember William Winne and his company, part of Van Den Bergh's Regiment, who were chasing Tories in May of 1777?  Ensign Cornelis Van der Zee is named on that payroll document.

This all sort of jives - the 3rd was under the command Col. Schuyler and there is a Captain Jarvin Hogan.  The 4th was reorganized into the 5th, whose Colonel was Van Den Bergh.

So Bethlehem's Cornelius served in the 3rd. Coeymans' Cornelius in the 5th. 

The record of our Cornelius' November 20, 1766 marriage to Annatje Veder is found with the First Church Albany. One of their daughters, Hester, was baptized there in 1769. Cornelius's will, written in Janaury 1800 lists five daughters (Easter, Elizabeth, Affe, Rauhel and Anny) and three sons (Storm, Walter and John). And maybe a son Garrit.***  

Now, where did Cornelius and Annatje live and farm and raise their family? **** His will gives their son Storm 120 acres "which is the farm I now live on" and "the new possession joined to my farm, lately run out by Jacob Winne." Triangulating with various old maps,  I believe the farm was located in modern day South Bethlehem.

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* The data typed in the book matches the family grave monument that is located at Elmwood Cemetery. 

This is my photo from July 28, 2026.
Findagrave has a more readable one if you want to pop over there. 

All four sides of the tall monument have info on Van Der Zee family members. The date 1883 is inscribed on the spire. I take this to mean that is when the monument was installed.

Did you note that Cornelius died in 1800? Which is interesting because Elmwood Cemetery didn't open until 1860. 

Each plot in the cemetery with an older death date has its own story. Some are actual graves and/or old gravestones that were moved there, likely from the church lot (at First Reformed Church of Bethlehem) or from family grave yards. Others, like this one for Cornelius, indicate a family remembering an ancestor on a more modern stone. I don't know where his original family plot was. 

There is another Van Der Zee family stone nearby at Elmwood that remembers another Cornelius Van Der Zee (1786-1846). And we do know where his original plot is because it still exists in a bunch of lilac bushes on the edge of South Albany Road.  The Red Book lists this Cornelius both at the family cemetery and Elmwood Cemetery. 

The plot on South Albany Road, photo from 2016.

** Just acknowledging the spelling issue here. Is it Cornelis or Cornelius? I've seen it both ways. Similarly, is it Van Der Zee, Van Derzee, Vanderzee? For the purpose of this article, I have settled on Cornelius Van Der Zee.  If quoting directly, I use the spelling the document uses.

And where does the name come from you ask? These Van Der Zee's are descendants of Storm Van Der Zee whose mother, Annetje Barents, gave birth to him in 1636 during a storm while crossing the Atlantic. She and her husband, Albert Andreiesz Bratt named their infant son Storm. As an adult, he chose the name Van Der Zee, Storm from the Sea. Storm became a common name through the Bratt, Slingerland and Van Der Zee families. 

And in case you are curious, these two Corneliuses are distant cousins. They connect with Annetje and Albert, their great grandparents. Their lines split off from there.   

  

***  Easter/Esther married Peter Rosekrans who was a Revolutionary War soldier - see my earlier blog post about his service. Also note that the names match those on the typewritten list at the top of the story. Except for the spelling ;)

I could do a whole other blog post on this will. I found two of them and the only difference was that the earlier one, filed August 1800 has the line “I also give unto my son Garrit Van Der Zee One Doller” while the second one filed in October 1800 is exactly the same except that one line is not included.

I've been reading a lot of early 1800s wills lately. All found via ancestry and they all seem to be copied carefully into record books by clerks for the court where the will was filed. 

This is will is rife with phonetic spellings. I assume the clerk copied it letter for letter into the ledger book. Cornelius' son Storm stated that he wrote down the exact words his father said. So I am thinking the spelling is his. By the way Cornelius signed it with an X, his mark.  

Below is an example paragraph. Some of the phonetic spelling, like dauter for daughter, was relatively consistent throughout. Others, like hears and heairs for heirs not so much. And we have the reality of slavery intruding as well. At least we know the enslaved person's name - Prince.

Fisrt, I give unto my loving wife Annautey my negro man Prince & my Red mair to her & her Hears, further I give unto my three Dauters, Elizabeth, Rauhel & Anny & to thair Heairs, Each two Milk Cows, further I give unto my five Dauters, Easter, Elizabeth, Affte, Rauhel & Anny & to thare Hears, each twenty Dollars.

 **** The other Cornelius Van Der Zee and his wife Agnes Whitbeck lived in southern Coeymans. His farm was in the family for over 200 years and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This link should take you to more info about the house. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316369 

There are several Van Der Zee homes around.  I believe the one shown below, located on Rowe Road, town of New Scotland, was built by Cornelius (Agnes' hubby) father Harmon Van Der Zee. 

Bonus article on Bethlehem's Revolutionary War Soldiers

The Bethlehem Historical Association's summer newsletter just came out and its got some great stuff.  

Bill Ketzer, Bethlehem's Town Historian, shares his thoughts about soldiers "from" Bethlehem. He introduces us to Richard Hilton and Thomas Milwaine, a couple of Patriots I have to add to my list. He also mentions Peter Rosekrans. 

And my story about John D. Winne is in there as well as other BHA articles and information.  

Can you guess the "Wat is er?"

Pop over here to read the whole thing.

https://www.bethlehemhistorical.org/pdfviewer/summer-2026/

 

Major Richard Sill: From Bethlehem by way of Connecticut

Major Richard Sill, one of our Revolutionary War soldiers "from" Bethlehem, was born (1755) and raised in Lyme Connecticut in an area known as Sill Town. He was a descendant of Johanna and John Sill who arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1637.  He was the youngest son of John  Sill's (1710-1796) ten children. Richard's mother was Hepzibah Lee (?-1783), John Sill's second wife (after Phebe Fithen but before Lucy Peck).*

A map of Sill town from the book Old Sill Town, Something of its History and People
by Sarah Sill Welles Burt

Richard graduated from Yale in 1775 and soon became involved in the Revolutionary cause. Let me just quote the family genealogy book, its easier. 

"He entered the Continental army as a Lieutenant, in 1776, was on Long Island at the time of the battle, and with the army at King's Bridge. He spent the winter with the army at Valley Forge, and was connected with the quarter or pay master's department, and the most of his time seems to have been employed at West Point, and towns in the vicinity of the Hudson. In 1782, he was appointed aid-de-camp to the American general, Lord Sterling. He was known as Major Sill.

At the close of the revolutionary war, Major Sill studied law in the office of Col. Aaron Burr, and settled in the practice of that profession in the city of Albany. He was favored with an extensive and successful practice for several years, till his health became impaired."

See page 18 for info on Major Sill

It is probably through Arron Burr that Richard met his wife Elizabeth Nicoll (1764-1821). She was a daughter of the prominent Nicoll family of Bethlehem. The Nicoll's were connected to the Schuylers and Van Rensselaers. And we know that Burr visited Bethlehem house.** 

Richard and Elizabeth were married in 1785 and had two sons together, William Nicoll Sill and John Lee Sill.***.  

I have conflicting information about where the family lived. Several sources, including Richard's own will (where he left his "dwelling house in the city of Albany and the lot of Ground on which the same Stands" to his dear wife Elizabeth's use while she remained a widow) report that they lived in Albany where he practiced law.  

Allison Bennett, in an article entitled "A Wedding House Present on the River" (The Spotlight, April 8, 1976) opens with this statement " When Elizabeth Nicoll married Maj. Richard Sill in 1785, her father, Col. Francis Nicoll, gave her a sumptuous wedding gift - the beautiful house pictured here. The home was built for Elizabeth on land adjoining the Nicoll mansion, or Bethlehem House as it was more properly called, near the falls of the Vlaumanskill Creek at Cedar Hill."  She then goes on to detail the then current owner, their family and household antiques. Bennett does not document where this info about the wedding house comes from. Read Allison's whole article here

https://webapps.bethlehempubliclibrary.org/spotlight/years/1976/1976-04-08.pdf

Photo from Bennett's book Times Remembered

I am going to go with the idea that Richard and Elizabeth had both of these dwellings.  I imagine that they enjoyed the house at Cedar Hill as a summer home, or a place to be close to her parents, but not too close if you know what I mean. 

That said, when Richard's poor health caught up with him in the spring of 1790, sources report that the family removed to Elizabeth's parent's home, Bethlehem House, aka the Nicoll-Sill House. Sadly, Richard died there on June 4, 1790 at the young age of 34. He was buried in the cemetery plot across the street from the old home. 

Major Richard Sill lived in our area for only a short time, and actually died before the town of Bethlehem was even created (which was 1793).  Elizabeth Sill went on to marry twice more, Samuel Nicoll and then Robert Ludlow. She died in 1820 and is buried next to her first husband, Major Richard.

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* Richard's oldest brother, David Fithen Sill, also served in the Revolutionary War. 

Under Captain Joseph Jewett, along with several fellows I am going to assume were his cousins (Privates Ezra, Isaac and Micah Sill)  David "marched from Lyme for the Relief of Boston in the Lexington Alarm April 1775". David Sill continued in service with the 1st Connecticut line throughout the war.  The Old Sill Town book mentioned above includes the drawing below of David's powder horn. It maps out David's service and includes Saratoga, Stoneabby (this might be Stone Arabia), Fort Johnson and Albany.

**I even wrote a short post about it - pop over here to read it. Be sure to follow the link there to the Altamont Enterprise article - it is really good and includes a letter written by Richard Sill.

 https://bethlehemnyhistory.blogspot.com/2016/11/hey-yo-im-just-like-my-country-im-young.html

*** John Lee Sill married Abigail Noyes who was from Old Lyme. They moved from our area (Albany I think) back to Lyme about 1815. Their house in Lyme, known as the John Sill House, still stands and is part of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. Pop over to this website for more information. Be sure to find the bit about the goods hidden in the house by smugglers! There is also a wonderful portrait of Abigail.

 https://flogris.org/profiles-abigail-noyes-sill/

William Nicoll Sill married Margaret Mather and remained in the Bethlehem area.

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Richard Sill and Cornelius Glenn

If you made it all the way down here you get the extra story connecting Richard Sill with Cornelius Glenn. I wrote about Cornelius here 

https://bethlehemnyhistory.blogspot.com/2025/05/cornelius-glen-its-complicated.html

As I have been writing these little biographies of Revolutionary War soldiers "from" Bethlehem, interesting connections present themselves. Like the fact that Richard Sill and Cornelius Glenn were good friends.  Indeed, one of the executors of Richard Sill's will was "my beloved and trusty friend Cornelius Glen of the City of Albany, merchant." 

They were also related by marriage, sort of, across a generation. Richard's wife Elizabeth Nicoll had an aunt, also Elizabeth Nicoll, who was married to Cornelius Glenn. Does that make Glen Sill's uncle-in-law?

And remember the Balloting Book which recorded all of the land grants soldiers received? Cornelius Glen is listed four times, all in the Book of Delivery Section which details the Patentee's name and to whom the patent was delivered. 

On page 155, the book records that Joseph Carley's patent was delivered to "Corn. Glen, exec'r to Rich. Sill's estate".

Glen's other entries do not connect with Sill, but they are interesting. 

Goodale, Benjamin.....To Martin Hoffman, for Cornelius Glen

Haynes, Thomas.... To Martin Hoffman, for Cornelius Glen

House, Henry........ To Bartholomew Fisher for Cornelius Glen

I am wondering if Glen, and perhaps Sill too, were trading in those land patents. Glen was an attorney, so perhaps it is just that. 

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!

The Haswell Family and the Revolution

My favorite way to talk about the Haswell family and their experience of the American Revolution is to start with the quote below from Samuel V. B. Haswell given in 1964 in an interview about Bethlehem history. 

"Haswells did not fight in Revolution, but often times the officials of Colonial committees came around and asked for money for the cause.  Haswell gave money when he was asked for money and had none he took off his coat and offered that instead of money.

One of early Haswell men mentions in some correspondence the following – Rangers were a home military unit during the Revolutionary War for home protection against Tories and Indians.  Tories had a camp and rendezvous near the banks of the Vlaumenskill in Mead’s Lane.  Tories plundered and burned, stole cattle, sometimes disguised themselves.  Beckers were Tories so this writer says.  Hans Burhans discovered the Tory camp in a grove of trees near Mead’s Lane.  Hans Becker threatened him.  Burhans did not dare say for a long time what he had see for fear of reprisals."

There is so much to unpack in this statement. Let's begin with the fact that Haswells did indeed serve in the Revolution. 

Turning to our trusty New York in the Revolution, we've got Joseph Haswell in the 5th Regiment, Albany County Militia and John Haswell in the Albany County Militia (Land Bounty Rights) 3rd Regiment.  This is backed up by this page from a Haswell family Bible.

Do you remember Captain William Winne's payroll records from previous blog posts? They've got John and Joseph listed, plus brother Robert. He is noted as a drummer on one record (as well as Peter Flansburg who is a fifer.)

This page also has Joseph Haswell.

So who were these Haswell brothers you ask? If you are from Bethlehem, do you recognize the name Haswell Farms, the modern subdivision that starts on the corner of Feura Bush Road, Murray Avenue and Hasgate Drive? Do you know the old white house that is on the corner there? That is an old Haswell home. The original part was built about 1820.  However, the land itself (where the subdivision is and beyond) was leased by John Haswell from the patroon Stephen Van Rensselaer on Jan 7, 1792. And the family was definitely in the area before then, probably by 1774. 

Ok, backing up a bit...

John Haswell (1728-1808) and Mary Miller (born 1730, died before 1764) married in England and had six children together (including the John, Joseph and Robert mentioned above.) After Mary M. died, John Haswell married Mary Haliday and had nine children with her. It is with Mary H. that John packed up his 11 children, aged 1 to 23, boarded the Golden Rule and emigrated to America.* The ship set sale May 31, 1774 and arrived June 7.  On the emigration record** Haswell (with the spelling Hastwell) is listed as a "Husbandman" and his purpose was to "settle in America."

John Haswell (1751-1777), Joseph Haswell (1753-1813) and Robert Haswell (1755-1820) were among the Haswell offspring aboard the Golden Rule.  They had only been here a couple of years when they answered the Revolutionary call in 1776.  

Thinking things through, I believe the John Haswell who served was the son. He would have been aged 25 and his father, also John, would have been busy with all those kids and establishing the farmstead. Since John died in 1777, I also believe it was the father John who leased the land from the patroon in 1792. ***

Joseph married Mary Marks in 1779 and died in 1813. 

Robert married Sarah Marks**** and settled in Hoosick. He died in 1820.

There are several homes still standing in Bethlehem that have Haswell family connections. The original part of the white one at Murray Avenue and Feura Bush Road mentioned above was likely built in 1820 by son William Haswell and his wife Elizabeth Udell on part of the land that his father originally rented from the patroon. Generations of the Haswell family lived there until 2003 when it sold out of the family. (The Samuel who made the statement above was a descendant of William and lived in the house his whole life - he died in 1971). 

Other houses with Haswell connections are the big old brick house on 9W near where Route 32 comes in (just north of the Five Guys shopping plaza), the old brick house across the street from the Delmar Fire Department building on Feura Bush Road and the old Haswell-Houk Tavern just down Feura Bush Road at the four way stop with Elm Avenue.  I'd have to do a bunch more digging to figure exactly how they are connected to John Haswell and Mary Haswell (both of them, Miller and Haliday) and their many many descendants. *****

And all of this is probably enough for one blog post - don't worry - I will circle back around to the Tories on Meads Lane and the Beckers and the Burhans.

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* Four of Mary H.'s children were born after arriving here, giving John Haswell a total of 15 children.

**Emigrants from England 1773-1776 compiled by Gerald Fothergill and published by the New England Historical and Genealogical Register.

*** If you like your family trees complicated, consider that John Haswell and Mary H. named another son John. He was born in 1780, lived until 1868 and married Peggy Burhans. 

**** The Haswells and the Marks were a seriously intertwined family. Haswell brothers Joseph, Robert, Thomas and Richard all married a Marks sister (Mary, Sarah, Elisabeth and Deborah) and then Margaret Haswell married Isaac Marks (brother of all those Marks sisters.)

***** You can find articles about two of these houses written by Town Historian Allison Bennett in 1976 for the Spotlight by following the links below. Put Haswell in the search bar and you'll hop right to them.

https://webapps.bethlehempubliclibrary.org/spotlight/years/1976/1976-04-22.pdf

and

https://webapps.bethlehempubliclibrary.org/spotlight/years/1976/1976-10-21.pdf

And finally, here are the Haswell connected homes that I know of that are still standing, from Google Street View of course. 

Top left is 708 Feura Bush Road - the one at the top of Haswell Farms subdivision, next to it is 808 Feura Bush, across from the fire house.

Bottom left is the one on 9W, one on the right is the old tavern at the corner of Feura Bush & Elm.