Person:John Van Aken (65)

Source: Van Benschoten, William H. "Concerning The Van Bunschoten or Van B enschoten Family in America." 1907. pg. 429-31 1556.v.John Van Auken. Doubtless the first stage after "pulling infanc y" was "the unwilling school boy" one, though after baptism our next glimp se of him is as a drummer boy in the Revolution. In the year 1778 he volunteered as a musician under Capt. De Witt and Lieu t. Simeon Westfall in Co. Stroud's regiment, he living at the time in t he town of Upper Smithfield, now New Milford. He served from Apr. 1, 177 8, six months, then went home; from May 1, 1779, four months thenhome: fr om Apr. 1, 1780, fourmonths; from Mar. 1, 1781, eight months,and from Ma r. 1, 1782, eight months again. During these five seasons hewas in acti ve service guarding the frontier along the Delaware riverand assissti ng in building three fortifications in the valley. He wasinno large batt le but took part in one warm skirmish with the Indians and endured much ha rdship and exposure. Much of the time his commandwasstationed at Fort De fiance near Tyshock, across the river from the present Port Jervis, b ut he was frequently out against the Indians at many different points alo ng the river, and on scouting and alarm duty inthe high country back. On one occasion John and his drum were the salvation of a fort. The menha ppened to be all away--no one but women and children in the fortification- -when suddenly the enemy appeared at the edge of the woods. A consultati on followed and it was decided that boy John should go out with his dru m, ostensibly as a defiance but really as a summons to the men. Young Jo hn drummed and drummed as if a regiment were at his back. The ruse worke d, the savages withdrew without attacking, and to hero John and his drum w as due the escape of the fort that day. Long afterwards, under the legisla tion of June 7, 1832, the then seventy-five-year-old drummer-boy was grant ed a pension of eighty-eight dollars a year. At the close of the way and when but fifteen years of age John became choi r-master in the old Mahackemack Dutch Church at Port Jervis, thus showin g, it would seem, a real aptitude for music. One June 16, 1789, he m., according to the Mahackemack records, Margaret W estfll, b. Mar. 11, 1773, dau. of his old commander Lieut. Simeon Westfa ll and wife Jennetje Westbroeck. In 1796 John, following the lead two years earlier of his brother-in-law, Ludowick Van Demark, emigrated to Phelps, N.Y., brave Margaret carryi ng in her arms a son three months old. The hardships of the journey were g reat, what with three small children, household goods and cattle and the w ild state of the country traversed. They made the journey witha covered l umber wagon and two yoke of oxen. Four cows and ten head ofsheep journey ed with them driven by one Richard Quick. As they nearedthe Susquehanna a nd were passing over a ledge of rocks they broke anaxle-tree and this h ad to be replaced. The fording of the streams dded greatly to their diffic ulties, in particdular the passing of the Chenango river. After grievous t rouble they made the crossing of that water and came to Newtown (Elmira) w here Gen. Sullivan had fought one of his battles with the Six Nations. He re Elias Middagh, half-brother of John, had settled. With him they rest ed a few days and then took up thestruggle through the wilds gain; ideed d, wilderness trials beset themuntil the head of Seneca Lake was reach ed where a scow was engaged tocarryfamily, wagon, and goods to Geneva; t he oxen, cows and sheep were driven by Quick down the west side of the lak e. Near the jouney's end he encountered the Outlet to Keuka Lake and acro ss thi he had to drag the silly sheep one by one. Surely one expedie nt on the trip must have madefor rejoicing; the milk was put into the chu rn and the rough journeying did the rest--made the butter ccome. They settled upon a tract of six hundred acres rich in timber and waterpr ivileges on the Canandaigua Outlet four miles east of Phelps. At first th ey built on the banks of the Outlet; here the Indians proved toofreque nt visitors, so they withdrew to distant and higher ground and built a sec ond time. This farm is still in the family, Henry Van Demark,a great-gran dson, occupying it. "The child is father to the man." Having in boyhood taken a part in theRe volution it is not at all surprising to find John in the war of 1812--a nd a Captain. "He fought," says the Syracuse Courier, "at the battle of Qu eenstown Heights and was engaged during the entire contest at different po ints." He was reputed a fine-looking man; tall, straight and weighing some twohu ndred pounds. Given to joking one of his chronic bits of fun was totell s trangers that he had nine boys and that every boy had a sister."What!" th ey would exclaim, "eighteen children!" "Ah, no; ten only." He was public-s pirited nd always ready to id in local matters. He took an active pa rt in school affairs, in fact gave the land for and largelybuilt the fir st schoolhouse. And he an Margaret were among the charter members who orga nized the church at Oaks Corners, erected in 1804, firstas a Union Socie ty bu passing later into a Presbyterian one. Their son George said that me etings were held in this church for a number of years without any fire, a nd that it had no window glass until 1818. "I well recollect," says he, " my mother's old foot-stone that she always carried with her to church in c old weather." John's interest in religious matters was pronounced nd in h is latter days he would at times preach in the schoolhouse. He d. at We st Junius, Mar. 19, 1854, at noon, at the home of his daughter Lucina V an Demark, and is buried at Phelps.Margaret d. at Hudson Mich., at the ho me of her son Harrison, Feb.21,1861. In 1883 the descendants of John a nd Margaret numbered abouttwo hundred and fifty.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Van Benschoten, William Henry. Concerning the Van Bunschoten or Van Benschoten family in America: A Genealogy and Brief History. (Poughkeepsie, NY: A. V. Haight Co. Printers, 1907)
   423.
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Ann Croston (?). Typewritten file about Marinus to Anthony descendants
   3.
3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Van Benschoten, William Henry. Concerning the Van Bunschoten or Van Benschoten family in America: A Genealogy and Brief History. (Poughkeepsie, NY: A. V. Haight Co. Printers, 1907)
   431.