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.)
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| 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.
* 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.
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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.
