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About Abraham Van Ness
This is the story of the murder of Abraham Van Ness, an officer in the Revolution, in august, 1777. The following description of the locality in which the tragedy occurred is inserted at the request of two prominent gentlemen of the county:
"The highway leading from the present village of Malden Bridge to Chatham Centre passes through a series of fertile farms, which are washed on their eastern border by the Kinderhook creek, the surface sloping gently upward from the stream to the crowns of a range of uneven and picturesque hills.
"On the east side of this road, and at the distance of a little more than a mile from the village of Malden, stood in the year 1777 the homestead of John Van Ness, the pioneer of the Chatham family of that name, who with his wife, Jane Van Alen, removed from Kinderhook and settled there about the year 1749, when he acquired title to what is now divided into several farms, including also the site of the village of Malden Bridge, and extending from the north bounds of the old Van Hoesen farm (now owned by Hon. Perkins F. Cady) the the Rensselaer county line.
"The homestead or dwelling-house, at the date mentioned, was of stone, and pierced with loopholes for defense, being used as a fort or rallying-place, in case of sudden alarm.§ Here were born and reared the family of the proprietor, numbering one daughter and five sons; several of the latter serving as officers in the American army during the Revolution. A portion of the same stone walls now form the lower story of the residence of Samuel Hand, Esq. A small stream, flowing eastwardly into the Kinderhook creek, then as now crossed the road a few rods south of the house, spanned by a road bridge, beyond which and on the west side of the road stood an old-fashioned Dutch barn, with low projecting eaves."
The locality thus described was the scene of the murder of Abraham Van Ness, the circumstances of which are related as follows, by Mr. Jesse Van Ness (now of Wisconsin), a grandson of John Van Ness, and consequently a nephew of the murdered Abraham:
"At the time Burgoyne was making his way south to form a junction with the British commander at New York, the Tories through the region of the Hudson river were collecting in squads to go north to join Burgoyne's army, one lot of whom was composed of men from the region south of grandfather's [i.e., John Van Ness'], and quite a number of them acquaintances of the family; a portion of them, from the Kline Kill neighborhood, were the party that did the robbing and killing. It appears---as I have been informed by my father and Uncle 'Bot' (Bartholomew) Van Valkenburgh and an old gentlemen who belonged to the militia at the time, named John Sluyter (a brother of the late Dominie Sluyter, of Claverack)---that the family of sons of grandfather as well as himself were at work in the harvest at the time, and not having seen any Tories for a number of days, it was supposed that they had left for the north [that is, for Burgoyne's army]. Uncle Abraham held a commission of some kind, and had been absent on duty for some time, and returned on furlough the day before he was killed, and was resting on the day of his death, when suddenly the house was attacked, and the family had barely time to close and fasten the doors, yet the doors were broken open with axes, etc. The Tories having entered the house, Uncle Abraham was taken by them, and after they had him a prisoner, they consulted as to what disposition they should make of him; some of the Tories were for taking him along to Burgoyne's army, while others said that he was acquainted with them, and if he should escape he would inform against them, and that he had better be disposed of, and he was consequently shot.
"Now whether this is wholly correct as to the details I am unable to say, but that he was a martyr to the cause of liberty in undeniable, and that seven of that same band of Tories were executed, near Albany, for that and other acts of like nature is quite certain; and in the a connection, the old gentleman, John Sluyter, was one of the guard around the gallows, and witnessed the execution, as I had it from his own lips, and the old veteran would shed tears profusely while relating the killing of uncle and of the execution,---the latter part would arouse the old man, and he seemed to feel all the ardor of his youth returning at the recital, Uncle 'Bot' (Bartholomew) Van Valkenburgh has frequently told me of the circumstances, and how himself and his brother, the father of John J. Van Valkenburgh,¶ was called and laid out the body of Uncle Abraham, made a coffin, and how he was buried while the party was guarded by armed men."
William I. Van Ness, brother of Jesse, and now a resident of Northampton Co., Va., adds to the above, concerning the murder of his uncle Abraham, as follows: "The active company, at the time of my uncle Abraham's death, had for captain my uncle David; lieutenant, Uncle John; and for ensign, Uncle Abraham. the company, with David as captain, was at Saratoga at the surrender of Burgoyne.
"The Tories at that time considered the rebels as outlaws, and organized bands to rob and to arrest any active Revolutionist. Whole neighborhoods of patriots would join to work, first this and then that man's field, while a small guard would be left at their houses. My grandfather's family were particularly marked for their disloyalty, and one of these bands of Tories (I think eleven of them) watching their chance, fell upon the house when only my grandfather and Uncle Abraham were on guard. Grandfather at the time was at the barn. Resistance was useless. They took my uncle out-doors, and were about to tie him. He broke away, but was fired on by the whole party** while on the bridge, between the house and barn, and fell, pierced by several balls. Grandfather from the barn and grandmother from the house saw their son fall. The Tories hurriedly plundered the house and left.
"Now comes in a little scrap I got just fifty years ago. While yet an apprentice in Troy, I was sent down to the nail-factory to collect a bill from an old man (I regret I have lost his name). On giving him my name he asked my genealogy. When I told him, he at once brightened up to tell one of the descendants of that awful time and scene. He was one of the neighbors in the field. He said, 'We got the alarm, and in three hours we had thirty men after them. Your grandfather knew them (or most of them), and that very night we had three of them hanging on trees, and the next day we caught more. We did not stop to try them. Most of them were hung near Albany.'
Source: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/columbia/genhistcolco/chapt5_...
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Abraham Van Ness's Timeline
| 1756 |
February 18, 1756
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| 1777 |
August 1777
Age 21
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New York, NY, United States
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