What does it mean to be a Revolutionary War veteran "from" Bethlehem?
So, this is a question I have wrestled with. What makes someone "from" a place when you have an official list of those from Bethlehem. Especially veterans.
Was the person born here?
Raised here?
Enlisted here?
Served here?
Lived here before the war? Moved here after the war?
Died here?
Are buried here?
What are the qualifications for being on the list?
Since I needed a place to start, I fell back to the list in the back of Bethlehem Revisited being careful to add those that were in the addendum that was created after publication. You can read that list here: https://bethlehemnyhistory.blogspot.com/2025/06/revolutionary-war-veterans-list.html
I was just searching thru the book for info on the Winne family (William and John D. are veterans "from" Bethlehem") and came across these paragraphs. They are in chapter 4 Bethlehem in the New Nation, not in chapter 13 Military Heritage which is the one I've been focusing on.
In a couple of paragraphs simply labeled "War", the article lists four people in the 1840 census who live in Bethlehem who are receiving pensions for their service in the American Revolution. Does that not make them Revolutionary War veterans "from" Bethlehem? They are not on the list in the back of the book or the addendum. Or any DAR historic marker that I am aware of.
Now I am curious about these folks too. I think I'll add them to the list!
Veterans receiving a Revolutionary War pension listed in the 1840 Census as living in Bethlehem are:
Conrad Goss (age 90), Jacob Laraway (82), Joshua Bailey (76) and Minardt P. Vandenberg (83)
Bethlehem Revisited also includes those from nearby New Scotland:
John Ramsay (81), Garrert J. Sager (87), Christopher Winne (80) and war widow Rachel Van Hosen (80).
If you are curious, pop over to John Ramsey's Find A Grave memorial. It has a nice write up.
