John Swearingen

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151304518/john-swearingen

A Patriot of the American Revolution for PENNSYLVANIA. DAR Ancestor #: A111704 patriotic service

Builder of Swesringen's Fort

From http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~thesays/dick/histories/myl...

John Swearingen, son of Van and Elizabeth Swearingen, was born February 15, 1720 in Ringgold Manor, Maryland, and moved with his parents to Frederrick County, Maryland.  He was married September 15, 1742 to (Catherine) Kathryn Stull, born 1723, daughter of John and Martha Stull.  DAR Patriot Index, page 662 list John, Sr. (born February 15, 1720, died September 6, 1786, patriotic service, Pennsylvania.)  They made their home near the Potomac River.

 John was commissioned and ensign in the troop of General Braddock and General Washington when they proceeded against the French and Indians in the Ohio Territory.  On the upper reaches of the Potomac River, Mills Creek cuts a gap through the mountains toward Snow Creek, a tributary of the Monongahel's, and on the Ohio River.  A road was cut along this route and Braddock proceeded to his defeat and to his death.  John Swearingen liked the looks of this new county and within a few years moved his family and possessions.  Beside livestock he had about a dozen slaves.  He secured a thousand acres of land near the Cheat River in southwest Pennsylvania.  This was Springhill Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania about 1770.  At that time Virginia claimed far beyond this point.  Washington's Fort Necessity and Braddock's grave are located close by.

 On the Cheat River John built a fort large enough to shelter the community during Indians raids.  He was elected to the Commission of Observation and Safety.  These commissions were a part of every community through the thirteen colonies.  One of his sons was commissioned a lieutenant in the state militia and sent against the Indians at Sandusky, Ohio.  Two other sons were captured by the Indians.  The older of these bargained with the Shawnee Indians.  He promised to remain with them if the younger brother would be returned home.  The Indians sent the younger on home with a peace pipe to be given to the parents.  (This peace pipe was handed down through the descendant. It is now in the possession of Decia Swearingen Wilson, Marshallton, Iowa.)

The Bible record of his children is in the Ross County Historical Society Ohio Museum (at Chillicothe, Ohio).

The older boy named Marmaduke, at the time of his capture he was wearing a homespun blue jacket.  Forever afterwards he was know as Blue Jacket, becoming Chief Blue Jacket later.  (The hand loom which wove the cloth was set to Razortown, 1779, taken to Ohio, then Kentucky, and finally placed in the Kansas Historical Museum by Mr. Howard B. Chamberland, St. George, Kansas.  Mrs. Hester Kelly, Belevae, Kansas, great granddaughter of Sarah, gave a piece of Blue cloth woven on the same loom, to the Kansas Historical Society.

Links

• http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:John_Swearingen_%287%29
• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/a/m/John-Mark-Campbell...

John Swearingen Sr 

Birthdate: November/December, 1721

Father: Van "Maryland Van" Swearingen Mother: Elizabeth Walker

Spouse: Catherine Stull Married: 15 September 1748 Maryland Prince George's, Maryland

Died: August 13, 1784 age 62 years 9 months Spring Hill, Fayette, Pennsylvania

A Bible record has John's death as August 13, 1784, age 62 years 9 months, which would make his birth in November/December 1721

September 6, 1784 is the date his will was proved in court.

•*¨*•🌼•*¨*•

Story 1: History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania

John Swearingen and Van Swearingen, father and son, were among the earliest settlers in Springhill township, Fayette County, Pa, being here as early as 1770 and possibly in 1769, Van Swearingen being in the latter year twenty-six years old. Thomas Swearingen Sr. and his son Thomas Swearingen came to WesternPennsylvania about the same time and settled west of the Monongahela.

The ancestors of all the Swearingens in this region were Garrett Van Swearingen and Barbara De Barette, his wife, who came from Holland to America, settled in Maryland and were with their children Garrett and Barbara naturalized in that province in April, 1669, as is shown by the records in Baltimore.

Two other children of theirs, Elizabeth and Zachariah, were born in the Delaware counties and so needed no naturalization. The prefix Van was afterwards dropped from the surname of the family, but was used as we see, as the Christian name of the son of John Swearingen.

Of this John Swearingen who settled in Springhill township very little is known beyond the fact of his settlement here and that he was a resident of the township in 1785. His son, Van Swearingen, did not remain long in Springhill but removed to a new location on the east side of the Monongahela near the mouth of Redstone, but retaining ownership of his lands in Springhill at least until 1785. Before that time, however, he had left his second location near Redstone and removed to Washington County, of which he was elected sheriff upon its organization in 1781.

After a few years spent by him in Washington County, he removed to land which he had located in early 1772 in Ohio County, Virginia, and died there December 2, 1793. During all the period of his residence west of the Alleghenies, he was a prominent man both in civil and military life.

•*¨*•🌼•*¨*•

Story 2:

John Van Swearingen was born in Dec. 1721 At Prince Georges, Md. and died on 13 Aug. 1784 at Fayette, Pa.

He married on 15 Sept. 1748 in Frederick, Md. to Catherine Stull.

Catherine was born about 1731 in Hagerstown, Md. and died about 1830 at Springhill, Pa. She was the daughter of John Stull and Martha

•*¨*•🌼•*¨*•

Story 3:

Van Swearingen was born Nov 1721 Prince George's Co, d 13 Aug 1784 Springhill, Fayette Co, PA. Age at death 62 yrs 9 mos. Married ca 1748 Catherine Stull (b ca 1731 MD or PA, d after 1 Nov 1820 Fayette Co PA, daughter of John Stull, miller of Frederick Co, and Martha Jones).

Children from family history and Joseph Swearingen's Bible were Daniel, Elizabeth, John, Van, Drusilla, Sarah, Marmaduke, Joseph, Charles, Isaac Stull, Samuel, Andrew, Thomas.

John's will includes "To son Marmaduke Swearingen one year of Negro Henry, then to return to my wife. To son Joseph one year of Negro Peet, then return to my wife."

•*¨*•🌼•*¨*•

Story 4:

John Swearingen, son of Van and Elizabeth Swearingen, was born February 15, 1720 in Ringgold Manor, Maryland, and moved with his parents to Frederrick County, Maryland. He was married September 15, 1742 to (Catherine) Kathryn Stull, born 1723, daughter of John and Martha Stull. DAR Patriot Index, page 662 list John, Sr. (born February 15, 1720, died September 6, 1786, patriotic service, Pennsylvania.) They made their home near the Potomac River.

John was commissioned and ensign in the troop of General Braddock and General Washington when they proceeded against the French and Indians in the Ohio Territory. On the upper reaches of the Potomac River, Mills Creek cuts a gap through the mountains toward Snow Creek, a tributary of the Monongahel's, and on the Ohio River.

A road was cut along this route and Braddock proceeded to his defeat and to his death.  John Swearingen liked the looks of this new county and within a few years moved his family and possessions.  Beside livestock he had about a dozen slaves.  He secured a thousand acres of land near the Cheat River in southwest Pennsylvania.  This was Springhill Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania about 1770.  At that time Virginia claimed far beyond this point.  Washington's Fort Necessity and Braddock's grave are located close by. 

On the Cheat River John built a fort large enough to shelter the community during Indians raids. He was elected to the Commission of Observation and Safety. These commissions were a part of every community through the thirteen colonies. One of his sons was commissioned a lieutenant in the state militia and sent against the Indians at Sandusky, Ohio. Two other sons were captured by the Indians. The older of these bargained with the Shawnee Indians. He promised to remain with them if the younger brother would be returned home. The Indians sent the younger on home with a peace pipe to be given to the parents. (This peace pipe was handed down through the descendant. It is now in the possession of Decia Swearingen Wilson, Marshallton, Iowa.)

The Bible record of his children is in the Ross County Historical Society Ohio Museum (at Chillicothe, Ohio).

The older boy named Marmaduke, at the time of his capture he was wearing a homespun blue jacket.

Forever afterwards he was know as Blue Jacket, becoming Chief Blue Jacket later. (The hand loom which wove the cloth was set to Razortown, 1779, taken to Ohio, then Kentucky, and finally placed in the Kansas Historical Museum by Mr. Howard B. Chamberland, St. George, Kansas. Mrs. Hester Kelly, Belevae, Kansas, great granddaughter of Sarah, gave a piece of Blue cloth woven on the same loom, to the Kansas Historical Society.

Soon after the Revolution War, Catherine received title, in her own name to a section of land.

John Swearingen died in 1784. Issue; John, Charles, Van, Marmaduke, Joseph, Samuel, Isaac Stull, Thomas, Sarah, (married Bultter), Susan (married Larsh), Drisilla (married Wilson).

Reference- Maryland History Magazine, Vol. 9. pages 357-359, states that John served in the Maryland troops, Frederick County, Frederick borders Washington County. The fort of John & Catherine Swearingen was near the road from Cheat River to Brownsville.

The fort derived its name either from John, who located the site, or from his son, Van, Captain in the Revolutionary War, officer in the Border Wars and Sheriff of Fayette County. The land where the fort stood was surveyed for Kathryn Stull Swearingen in 1768. It was about a mile from Moore's Crossroads, and the spot can be definitely identified. The fort was a back woods stockade, built of split puncheons and lathe covering a large space of ground enclosed as a refuge for themselves and neighboring settlers, in the time of savage violence.

During this time there were a lot of Swearingen's served in the service with ranks ranging from Private to Colonel.

Children:

All dates are subject to the documentation one is viewing.

1772-1847 - Samuel Swearingen Andrew Swearingen Thomas Swearingen

Daniel Swearingen - 5 February 1749 Elizabeth Swearingen - 1 March 1751 John Swearingen - 19 July 1752 Van Swearingen - 3 November 1754 Drusilla Swearingen - 7 Nov 1758 Sarah Swearingen - 5 November 1760 Marmaduke Van Swearingen - 2 Jan 1763 Blue Jacket Joseph Swearingen - 18 November 1764 Charles Swearingen - 26 Sep 1767 Isaac Swearingen - 22 Oct 1769 Samuel Swearingen - 4 Jan 1772 Andrew Swearingen - 5 Oct 1773 Thomas Swearingen - 5 Sep 1775

James Swearingen Otho Swearingen Eliy Swearingen

•*¨*•🌼•*¨*•

Notes sent from FAG Contributor 47403362 12 September 2016

A few years ago descendant Tom Swearingen visited the farm where Swearingen's Fort was located and was shown pieces of a headstone unearthed while plowing the field.

The pieces contain numbers which could be the date 1784. Even without this information it is almost certain that John was buried on his property where his fort was located. A plaque (still in place) was placed there recognizing the fort's existence by the State of Pennsylvania in 1911. I have seen a photo of the plaque on the internet, but I've been unable to locate it again. During the Revolution John and his son Van took an active part in the suppression of the Tories in the region.

SWEARINGEN'S FORT.

"Swearingen's Fort was in Springhill township, near the cross-road from Cheat river towards Brownsville. It derived its name from John Swearingen, who owned the land on which it stood, or from his son Van Swearingen, afterwards sheriff of Washington county, a captain in the Revolution and in the frontier wars, and whose nephew of the same name fell at St. Clair s defeat."

The Swearingen Fort was on the Catharine Swearingen tract of 468 acres, surveyed April 17th, 1786; not more than one mile from Morris Cross Roads. It stood on a knoll; the spot can be pointed out definitely. Duke Swearingen was captured by the Indians near it while fetching the cows. He never returned.

"The fort was built of split puncheon and dirt [stockade], and covered a large space of ground. There are no signs of the old fort visible, except what is indicated by the surface of the ground being at this place a little higher than the surface immediately around it." (Geo. H. Swearingen, MS.) The land originally was owned by John S. Van Swearingen; it is now owned by the heirs of Michael Grow, dec'd. This fort was made in 1774.

The Swearingen fort was built by John Swearingen (son of MD Van) to protect families from Indians. It was built on his land in 1774.

The current owner showed the plaque placed on the site in 1911 by the State of PA. It is a small hill in the middle of a field behind the current owner's house.

The current owner's husband was plowing the field several years ago near the fort (no longer there) and unearthed part of a tombstone. She showed the stone and much of the writing was missing but..............etched into the stone you could see a 4 and a small 0 to the left of the 4 taking up half the space even with the top half of the 4. Funny thing..........John Swearingen died in 1784.

The bottom half of the 8 is missing so it could be the year 1784!

•🌹¸.•**•.¸🌼¸.•*❤*•.¸🌼¸.•**•.¸🌹

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Aug 20 2018, 3:14:47 UTC