Charity Van Auken

Gerritje/Charity (Van Auken) Vandemark was the daughter of Jacobus and Elizabeth (Van Benschoten) Van Auken. She was the wife of Lodewycke/Lodewick Vandemark
.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 8 2019, 9:33:56 UTC

• I17 Lodewick. b. Feb. 18, 1760; m. Charity Van Auken.
  

pg 139-143

117 LODEWICK VAN DER MARK (son of Frederick, Jr.. 37), b. Rochester (now Accord). Ulster Co., XI:. Y.. Feb. 18.1760. bap. there March 2,1760; d. Phelps Jan. 6. 1513 : m. Dec. 20. 1783, Charity Van Auken, bap. Minisink region (Machackemeck now Port Jervis) June 14, 1761 ; d. Phelps Sept. 30. IPK). dau. of James and Elizabeth (Bunschoten) Van Auken, of Tyschog, Pa. (See OU. Vol. 5. p. 249). After Lodewick's death Charity married Charles Humphrey.
Lodewick was a "drummer" in the Company of Capt. Benj. Cartwright. Cot. Levi Padding in May. 1776 at Rochester. and was at the capture of Burgoyne in 1777. He also served four or five months in 1778.

Early in 1784 Lodewick removed with his father Frederick from Rochester (now Accord) to Northampton Co., Pa., which then included the present Pike County and town of Milford. He served in the Militia under Capt. Jacob De Witt and for this service received, in 1794, a warranty of land of 200 acres in Northampton County. (See Pd. 6th s.. \'ol. 3, p. S74; 3rd S.. Vol. 26, p. 195). His children were baptized at Deerpark (now Port Jervis, formerly the old Machackemeck fort, just over the Pennsylvania line, a few miles from Milford). The three states. New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, come together there and that section was known as the Minisink region. In the early days the four Reformed Dutch Churches in that small district served the residents of those three states. The first United States census, taken in 1790. gives Lodewick as living in Upper Smithfield township, Northampton Co., Pa.. (Milford, Pike County) with his wife and three small children, evidently Frederick, James and Mary.

On April 14, 1792, Lodewick and his brother James received land, mills, mill dams, mill runs and water forces from their father, who was evidently dividing his property among his children at that time, when his son Joseph removed to Phelps. N. Y. According to records in the courthouse at Easton, Pa., James died without issue and Lodewick inherited James's share of this property, including the Quick Mill on Van der Mark Creek, and on June 16, 1794, he and his wife sold this land, which his father had originally bought from Joseph Rider in 1784. At this time Lodewick and his brother-in-law, John Burnett, who was a witness to this deed, and probably living there at that time, moved to Phelps, N. Y. Joseph had taken up a tract of 600 acres of land on the Canandaigua Outlet for himself and Lodewick, the latter settling on the north side of the road on what was later known as the Holbrook farm. Joseph's land and the Van der Mark Cemetery, on the south side oi the road, were later the John Salisbury farm. These two brothers were among the first settlers in the "District of Sullivan" in the "Phelps and Gorham Purchase."

The town of Phelps was formed under the Aa of Jan. 27. 1789, and was named in honor of Oliver Phelps. one of the proprietors of the "Purchase," which contained more than 2.000.000 acres and formed nearly an oblong square 80 miles long by 42 miles wide. The first Town meeting was held in 1796, at the home of Jonathan Oaks (the hamlet. Oaks Comers). In 1801 and 1806 Lodewick bought land in Ontario County, N. Y.. from Charles Williamson.
In 1876 Amelia Van der Mark, .granddaughter of Lodewick through his son Capt. Frederick. wrote an account of the family from which are taken some notes. She starts with a description of the move oi Frederick Van der Mark (No. 37) with his family, including Lodewick. from Rochester (now Accord), Ulster Co.. N. Y., to Milford, Pike Co.. Pa. Frederick was a man of fine personal appearance, tall and broad shouldered, with broad. high brow and blue eyes of piercing brightness. His wife, Mary Oosterhout. is described as having dark eyes and hair and as being of the finest type of character. He was very successful in his new home where he owned his farm, a saw mill and a grist mill and accumulated a surplus with which to start each of their children in a financial way. Both Frederick and his wife died of consumption. His son Joseph went to Phelps in 1792 and located 600 acres of land bordering on the Canandaigua Outlet, 300 acres of which was for his brother Lodewick, who followed him to Phelps two years later.

To plan and accomplish the journey from Milford, Pa., to Phelps. Ontario Co., N. Y., was a very great undertaking. Lodewick and his wife left Milford early in the Fall with three children-Frederick 9, James 7, and Joseph, a babe in arms. They travelled in their own conveyance until they arrived at the Susquehanna River. Then everything was moved and floated up that river as far as it was navigable. Again they journeyed in their cwn conveyance until they arrived at the head of Seneca Lake, not far from Phelps. Lodewick and his two sons and the family goods embarked on a rude raft made of logs, while Charity. disliking to be on the water in so rude a craft, chose to go around the lake on horseback carrying her babe in her arms. There was no road through the primeval forest but they followed marked trees. She had with her for company and assistance a lad of 14 years. With them were 3 horses, 5 cows and 12 sheep. The last night of her journey, before reaching Geneva at the end of the lake, they stopped at the house of a farmer who gave them food, thus saving her the preparation of her own. He said to his daughter. "You know how tired you were, my child, when we journeyed here."

Charity was nearly exhausted by her travels of about six weeks. When she arrived at Geneva she was much concerned to find that her husband and sons had not yet come and the waves were rolling high. After a weary. watchful night she joyfully saw them arrive. A cannon was fired. which was the signal agreed upon, to inform the relatives, some six miles distant at Phelps, of their safe arrival at Geneva

They had come with the intention of building a saw mill, which was much needed in Phelps. The prospect so delighted the people that they were ready to give the contemplated builder their warmest welcome. The land on which they settled was high, with a stream below (Canandaigua Outlet). They erected a double log cabin on the lowland, but Charity did not like the location as the Outlet overflowed twice a year, so the next house was built upon the site she chose on the high bluff on the west bank of the Outlet, and there they put up a larger house of logs. This house was near the site of the one which is standing there now the Holbrook House. The forest abounded in sugar maples. oaks, white wood, hickory, elm, pine, etc., and was inhabited by bears, deer. pigeons, squirrels, etc The Outlet below teemed with excellent fish and the fine meadows produced crops which, together with the animals and fish and the fruits from the trees and bushes, gave them a fine living. On these low flats they grew peppermint and marketed the peppermint oil.

Charity used to tell her grandchildren of her girlhood days in Pennsylvania during the Revolution. The aged, infirm, and youth of both sexes were moved into a fort for protection from the Tories and Indians, who were making things pretty warm for them by frequent raids while the men were away in the army. There was a high hill not far away which enabled the Indians to see within the fort. To make as strong a showing as possible the females were dressed up as men and armed with sticks and marched around twice a day to answer the roll call. Charity and a younger brother narrowly escaped being taken prisoner while outside the fort milking. but their fleetness of foot saved them. The Indians did not follow too near the fort. as they had intended to attack it the nest day and thought that they would get this lad and lass anyway, but reinforcements came to the fort to frustrate their plans.

Charity would go into a harvest field and rake and bind as fast as the best cradlers could cradle, so great was her physical strength. Her appearance was plain. but she had more than the ordinary good sense-a help- mate in every sense of the word. Lodewick was a handsome man of medium size, with black hair and eyes, and was inordinately vain and very particular about his personal appearance. He was a millwright by trade, a good machinist and a man of passionate temper.

For some unknown reason the saw mill was not built until ten years after their arrival. It was then built principally by his son Frederick who, later, was a lieutenant, and then captain in the War of 1812. He was then a youth of 19 and a curious crowd watched the start of the mill built by so young a man and predicted failure. The saw started, cut half way through a log and stopped. But the "I told you so's" soon ceased when the mill started again and the log was sawed. The mill was twice partly consumed by fire and immediately rebuilt. It did its last work in I860 in sawing planks for the adjacent bridge over the Outlet. Frederick soon put up a clothier's establishment, in which wool was carded and men's and women's wear was manufactured, which was operated until 1850.

Lodewick was a victim of the epidemic which swept the country when he was 52 years old, but Charity lived to be 79 years old and mamed Charles Humphrey. the father-in-law of her son James. At the age of 79, while living in Phelps. under date of July 20, 1839. she applied for a pen-sion on the basis of the service of her first husband, Lodewick, but the application was refused because she had remarried. She is buried at Phelps beside her first husband. In the Van der Mark Cemetery. where so many oi the family are buried, the graves of Lodewick and Charity are marked by beautiful stones with rounded tops carved with vases and weeping willows. On Charity's stone are these words :

Farewell dear friends my memory keep While in Death's arms my body sleeps Long time I have been spared below JIy Jesus calls and I must go.

Children :

• 291 Elizabeth, b. Minisink July 25. 1784; bap. Deerpark (now Port Jervis) Sept. 26, 1784; d. Dec. 23, 178.1
  
• 292 Frederick, b. Mlilford. Pa., Oct. 24, 1785; m. Lydia H. Cobb.
• 293 Jacobus (James), b. Sept. 29,1787 ; bap. Oct. 28,1787 ; m. Nancy Humphrey.
• 294 Mary, b. Jan. 16, 1790; d. Oct. 9, 1790.
• 295 Catherine, b. July 13. 1791 ; d. Jan. 15. 1793.
• 296 Joseph. b. .Aug. 18, 1793 ; d. young.
• 297 Elizabeth, b. Nov. 23, 1795; d. Aug. 25. 1796.
• 298 Experience (called Spiddy). b. Phelps Feb. 2, 1798; d. 1875; m. Archibald Burnett; lived in Junius, near Phelps. Child (Burnett) :
  • Hamiet. She married and had a daughter who married Byron Barkley of Geneva
• 299 William, b. Phelps Feb. 13, 1800: m. Charity Burnett.
• 300 Silas, b. Phelps Feb. 12, 1802: m. 1st Eliza Bannister; m. 2nd Ruth Carman ; m. 3rd Laura C. North.

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• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Mar 8 2019, 9:50:02 UTC