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About Capt. Van Swearingen
VAN SWEARINGEN, b. Bet. 1742 - 1750, Shepardstown, Jefferson, West Virginia or Berkley County, Virginia; d. December 02, 1793, Virginia.
Revolutionary War soldier
Eleanor Virgin was Swearingen's second and possibly his third wife. He had four children of record prior to his marriage to her in 1786: Drusilla, Zachariah, Thomas and Elzey.
- U.S. Veterans Gravesites, ca.1775-2006
- about Van Swearingen
- Name: Van Swearingen
- Service Info.: CONTINENTAL LINE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
- Cemetery: Brooke Cemetery
- Cemetery Address: 1515 Charles Street Wellsburg, WV 26070
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Publication of the state historical society of Wisconsin Collection Volume XXIII Draper Series Volume IV
Page 360 Footnote# 1
Van Swearingen, known in frontier parlance as "Indian Van" was a native of Berkeley County VA. About 1774 he removed to the West, settling on the Monongahela in what is now Fayette County, PA. At the outbreak of the Revolution he raised an independent company of riflemen which on Aug 9, 1776 as attached to the Eighth Pennsylvania Regiment. In the battle of Stillwater 1777 he was wounded and taken prisoner. He served with his regiment until Aug 10, 1779 when he resigned and settling in Washington County became (1781-84) its first sheriff. In 1785 he removed to the neighborhood of Wellsburg on the Ohio, where he was employed in scouting during the Indian wars. His death occurred at the age of fifty one years, Dec 2, 1793. His only daughter, Drusilla, married Capt Samuel Brady.
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From http://genforum.genealogy.com/swearingen/messages/3199.html
Van Swearingen married Eleanor Virgin, May 1786, and is indeed the same Van that "pregnated" Betty Zane. According to information, the child's name was Miriam.
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I'm writing a book involving Elizabeth "Betty" Zane who was made famous by saving Fort Henry by carrying much-needed gun powder to the fort during what is said to be the last battle of the Revolution in 1782.
I've found court records in Ohio Co., WV which indicate that early in 1784 a man named Van Swearingen fathered Elizabeth Zane's illegitimate daughter (named Miriam Zane). Witnesses of the proceedings are listed as David Shepherd and John Boggs. Van Swearingen is required to give Betty Zane and her child some land so that the child will not become the responsibility of the county.
The question I ask you, then, is who do you think this Van Swearigen would be? I see three imediate possibilities: One) It could be the soldier Van Swearingen who is the son of Thomas Swearigen IV and nephew of "Indian Van" Swearingen . He is born cir. 1763 and died in 1791 at St. Clair's defeat on the Wabash. This is my first choice since records indicate that "Indian Van" lived in the area near Fort Henry where the Zane's had settled in Wheeling. He would have been 20 or 21 years of age in 1783. Betty Zane would have been about 24. TWO) Could it be "Indian Van" Swearingen himself. He was older but still unmarried in 1783. He was Sheriff of nearby Washington Co, PA from 1781-1784, then he moved to Wellsburg in 1785. He would have been about 40 years old, Betty Zane's senior by 16 years. THREE) Could it possibly be the son of the man known as "King Van" Swearigen. "King Van's" son was also named Van. I've found some compelling evidence to suggest that this man was at the fort at Strode's Station in Clark Co., KY in 1781 when it was attacked by Indians. This man, who would have been 29 or 30 in 1783. The fact that he settled in Kentucky makes him more doubtful, although without evidence of his movments, I'll never know for sure.
Can any of you Swearingen and/or Van Swearingen people help me to solve this mystery? Which Van Swearingen was the father of Elizabeth "Betty" Zane's illegitimate child?
From http://brookecountywvgenealogy.org/Van_Swearingen.html
Commanded by Captain Can Swearingen. From Feb 3-1776, until he as commissioned in the 8th Pa Regt on Aug 99-1776, Capt Swearingen commanded an independent company in the State service, formed to defend Westmoreland Co. against Indians. In the summer of 1777, he was put in command of one of three detachments, formed of picked riflemen drawn from all companies of the regiment, which were attached to a special task force under Col. Daniel Morgan and sent to reinforce Major General Horatio Gates. While on this assignment on Sep 19-1777 near Bemis Heights, N.Y. Swearingen as wounded and with a number of others, taken prisoner by Indian elements of British-Indian force which raided Morgan's camp at Stillwater. Before the Indians could kill Swearingen, he was rescued by a British soldier, who took him to the British commander, Gen. Simon Fraser, Swea ringen refused to give answers when Fraser interrogated him, at which Fraser threatened to hand him, Swearingen is reported to have said, "You may, if you please." Fraser with his bluff called, had Swearingen put in with the other prisoners. There is no record of Swearingen being exchanged, but he resigned from the army on Aug 10-1770. Until that time he was carried in the regimental rolls.
Van must have been exchanged after about a year for on Dec 29, 1778 he bought 800 acres from William Brashear in what is now Strabane Twp. Washington Co. Pa. - then Yohogania Co. Va. This was near his brother, Andrew. On Mar 23-1770 Van was named by Yohogania court as administrator of the John Murphy estate. He served in the Washington County militia 1781-1782. He was taxed in Strabane Twp 1783-85. Van became a county trustee when Washington County was formed. He was sheriff from Nov 30-1781 to Nov 2000-1783. When George Washington visited Washington County in 1784, Van rode with him from Cannonsburg to Monongahela. Did they talk about 1755, when Braddock and Washington were at Swearingen's ferry on the Potomac?
Soon after selling his land on Feb 1-1785 Van moved to what was Ohio county, VA.--now Brooke Co. - near Wellsburg and bought land from the Coxes. In 1787 he became a trustee for the Ohio County court house. He die Dec 2-1793 "in his 51st year". At one time or another he had over a dozen land grants in Pennsylvania and (West) Virginia, in all the Swearingen family had 23 land grants in Washington Co., 6 in Fayette Co., 4 in Greene Co. and 8 in the West Virginia panhandle.
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Capt. Van Swearingen's Timeline
| 1742 |
1742
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Jefferson, WV, United States
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| 1760 |
October 1760
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Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States
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| 1784 |
1784
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Wheeling, West Virginia, United States
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| 1788 |
December 6, 1788
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Wellsburg, Brooke County, West Virginia, United States
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| 1793 |
December 2, 1793
Age 51
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Wellsburg, WV, United States
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1793
Age 51
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Brooke Cemetery, Wellsburg, Brooke, West Virginia, United States
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of Pennsylvania
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