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. 

Remembering Revolution this Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, I keep thinking about this quote. It deeply informs my current project researching Bethlehem's Revolutionary War veterans. So, as a break from me complaining about The List, please take a moment to remember your ancestors, those of recent generations and those from the deep past.  You wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. 

Today I am remembering my great great great great grandparents Lucy Richardson and Stephen Shattuck.  Stephen, born 1760 in Pepperell, Mass. served with the Continental Army out of Massachusetts for three years and received a pension.  On April 26, 1781 he and Lucy married in Pepperell . By 1798 the couple had made their way to Francestown, New Hampshire settling "upon the place lately occupied by Mrs. George Whitfield near Shattuck Pond in the northern part of town."* They had eleven children together.  The youngest was Fanny, born in 1806, my 3rd great grandmother.

Above top right is a picture of Fanny's daughter Martha Dean (1833-1904) her husband David Todd and their children Hattie and Charles. 

Above is a portion of Stephen's pension application, with his signature and dated April 30, 1818, which reads:

This with my labor enabled me to live comfortably heretofore; but will not be sufficient for that purpose hereafter in consequences of my age and infirmities. From my reduced circumstances therefor I need assistance from my country for support. 

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*This from a book called The History of Francestown from its earliest settlement April 1758 to Janaury 1, 1891 with a brief genealogical recor

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.