Lt. Col. John Henry Antes Jr.

A Patriot of the American Revolution for PENNSYLVANIA with the rank of LIEUTENANT COLONEL. DAR Ancestor # A002859

John Henry Antes settled along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River about 1772. His property was on the very edge of the Pennsylvania frontier. Antes’ neighbors on the north side of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and west of Lycoming Creek were beyond the pale of the colonial government of Pennsylvania. They banded together to form the Fair Play Men. Antes, as a Justice of the Peace for what was then Northumberland County, worked closely with the Fair Play Men. He conducted their weddings and his stockade provided some protection against raids conducted by local Native Americans, who began fighting back against the encroachment of the Europeans.

Antes built a gristmill at the mouth of Antes Creek in 1773. It was the most advanced construction of any kind in frontier north-central Pennsylvania. When scouts returned after the "Big Runaway" in 1777, they found it had been burned and the aroma of roasted grain still tainted the atmosphere. When peace was restored and the country had become tranquil, he rebuilt the mill in 1792. For a long time it was patronized by the settlers within a radius of thirty or forty miles and it only succumbed to time in 1873, when it was torn down.

John Henry Antes served as a Justice of the Peace from July 29, 1775 until January 24, 1776, when he was appointed captain of 58 militiamen under Colonel James Potter. After participating in a raid conducted by Colonel William Plunket against settlers from Connecticut in the Wyoming Valley near Wilkes-Barre, Antes returned to his gristmill, home and future fort in mid-1777. He also was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel that same year.

The Lenape Indians, allies of the British, began conducting raids on the Pennsylvania frontier soon after the outset of the American Revolution. An attack at the mouth of Pine Creek in December 1777 and another attack further upstream, near modern day Lock Haven, prompted action by Pennsylvania's militia to try to protect the frontiersmen on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Colonel Samuel Hunter ordered Colonel Antes to gather a force of men from the West Branch Valley at Antes' property. The men of the militia built a stockade that was at least 12 feet high around the Antes home. The stockade enclosed approximately three quarters of an acre. Colonel Antes was forced to defend an extensive frontier that was under steady attack from Native American and Tory forces that were dispatched to Pennsylvania from Fort Niagara on Lake Ontario in New York.

Fort Antes was a stockade surrounding the home of Colonel John Henry Antes. It was built in early 1778, during the Revolutionary War. The fort was built under the direction of Colonel Antes, who was a member of the Pennsylvania militia. It was on the east side of Antes Creek, overlooking and on the left bank of the West Branch Susquehanna River on a plateau in Nippenose Township south of modern day Jersey Shore in western Lycoming County. The local militia held the fort for a short period of time until it was ordered to be abandoned during the Big Runaway by Colonel Samuel Hunter. Despite being abandoned and attempts by the attacking British forces to burn it down, Fort Antes was one of only two structures in the valley to survive the Big Runaway.

Two settlers, who were staying near Fort Antes, were killed in June 1778. A party of four men and two women had left the safety of the fort and crossed the West Branch of the Susquehanna River to milk some cows that had been left there to pasture. Zephaniah Miller, Abel Cady, and James Armstrong left the riverbank and meadow to gather a cow who had wandered into the surrounding woods. These three men came under attack by a group of warriors who had been hiding in the woods. Sounds of fighting stirred the men at the fort. They crossed the river despite the objections of Colonel Antes who thought that the Native Americans may have set a trap. Upon reaching the other side of the river, the militiamen found Miller dead and Cady and Armstrong mortally wounded. Only Bouser and the women, one of them Cady's wife, survived the attack. This was just one of many attacks in the West Branch Valley that continued to make life more dangerous for the settlers, who were encroaching tribal land.

All of these attacks and the lack of military help from the Pennsylvania government disheartened the settlers along the West Branch of the Susquehanna. News of impending attacks caused much worry among the settlers and the leaders of the militia. This news was provided by a friendly Native American named Job Chilloway at Fort Reed (modern Lock Haven), who had been converted to Christianity by Moravian missionaries. The Wyoming Valley battle and massacre occurred on July 3, 1778 (near what is now Wilkes-Barre). A mass attack there first overwhelmed small settler forts, followed by a massacre of many of the women and children who had taken refuge in the valley. This news caused the local authorities to order the evacuation of the whole West Branch valley. Although Colonel Antes and his men were successful in building Fort Antes, they were forced to abandon their efforts in July 1778 during the Big Runaway. The raiding parties of Indians and Tories were too numerous for the militia and farmers to defend their lives and property.

Colonel Henry Antes was one of the first settlers to return to the West Branch Valley following the Big Runaway. He found that his mill had been destroyed, but that his home within the fort had not. Antes soon built a larger home on Antes Creek. The fort was abandoned. It gradually decayed before being dismantled. The ground was leveled and then farmed.

Colonel Antes was elected the sheriff of Northumberland County in 1782, thirteen years before Lycoming County was established. In 1810, he built a fulling and carding mill on the creek about midway through the gorge in the mountain. It was run for many years by Elias P. Youngman, his son-in-law. John Henry Antes died on May 13, 1820 when he was 83 years old.

DAR Ancestor #: A002859 See sources for the following: Fort Antes (1777?-1778) - The home of Colonel John Henry Antes, a member of the Pennsylvania Militia, this fort was surrounded by a stockade. Built in about 1777, it was situated on the east side of Antes Creek, overlooking and on the left bank of the West Branch Susquehanna River on a plateau in Nippenose Township in western Lycoming County.

Colonel Antes was a man of prominence in Northumberland County, in civil as well as military life. He was a justice of the peace and twice sheriff of Northumberland County. He came to the area in about 1772 and the following year, built a small home and a gristmill at the mouth of the Antes Creek. When Indian hostilities broke out, he was appointed captain of a company of 58 militiamen in the Second battalion under Colonel James Potter, for the defense of the frontier in January, 1775. By May, 1777, he commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel of the Fourth battalion of the militia of Northumberland County.

It cannot be positively stated when the stockade was built, but it must have been in the summer of 1777, when the Indians became especially troublesome on the frontier. The site selected for the fort was on the hill overlooking the mill, which was within rifle shot. It was constructed according to the usual plan, by sinking vertically heavy timbers in a trench dug four or five feet deep, when the earth was tilled in around them.

These stockades were from 10-12 feet high, and notched at the top for musketry. It was thought to have enclosed about a quarter of an acre. A militia company was stationed there for several months. The garrison kept a vigilant outlook for the enemy and scouting parties were frequently sent out for the purpose of keeping communication open with Fort Muncy. The winter of 1777-78 was rendered distressing by the frequent inroads of the Indians, and the fort became a refuge for area settlers.

The attacks in the area continued as a major campaign by Loyalists and Native Americans allied with the British devastated the small communities on the northern and western branches of the Susquehanna River. June 10, 1778 has been called the "bloodiest day" in the history of Lycoming County, with three separate attacks on parties of settlers. In the early summer of 1778 news came of a group of Native American warriors, perhaps accompanied by Loyalist and British soldiers, heading for the West Branch Susquehanna River valley to destroy all the settlements there.

Short on men and ammunition, and unable to defend the small forts of the West Branch Susquehanna River Valley, Colonel Samuel Hunter, commanding Fort Augusta, ordered the region to be evacuated, in what became known as the “Big Runaway.” Colonel Hunter sent word to Colonel Hepburn, who was commanding Fort Muncy, to order all the troops above him on the river to abandon the country and retire below. However, Colonel Hepburn had some difficulty in getting a messenger to carry the order up to Colonel Antes, as the people in the area were panic stricken due to recent Indian attacks.

At length, Robert Covenhoven, who had served under George Washington in the Continental Army, along with a young millwright in the employ of Andrew Culbertson, volunteered their services and started on the dangerous mission. They crossed the river and ascended Bald Eagle Mountain and kept along the summit until they came to the gap opposite Antes Fort. They then cautiously descended at the head of Nippenose Bottom and proceeded to the fort. It was in the evening and as they neared the fort, the report of a rifle rang out. A girl had gone outside to milk a cow, and an Indian lying in ambush fired upon her. The ball, fortunately, passed through her clothes and she escaped unhurt. The orders were passed on up to Fort Horn and preparations made for the flight.

Most settlers had already gathered at the small forts and fortified houses for safety, but now the forts and the settlers' homes and fields were abandoned, with livestock driven along and a few possessions floated on rafts on the river east to what is now Muncy, then further south to Fort Augusta in present-day Sunbury. Women and children rode on the rafts, while the men walked on the river bank to protect them and to drive along the livestock they had been able to save.

Most of the settlers relocated to Fort Augusta at the confluence of the North and West Branches of the Susquehanna River, while their abandoned houses and farms were all burnt. Less than a month after the evacuation, troops were sent back to Fort Muncy and scouting parties were sent out to see what damage had been done. They found the cabins and barns of the settlers burned and their crops greatly damaged. At Fort Antes, they found the mill and outbuildings burned and the embers yet smoking, showing that the Indians had just been there before them. The fort itself; however, was still standing, as the stout oaken timbers of the stockade did not burn easily. The only other building to survive was the Wallis House. The property losses were estimated at £40,000, and there were more deaths among the settlers. Colonel Samuel Hunter, the commander of Fort Augusta, was roundly criticized for ordering the evacuation. Many at the time felt that military assistance would have allowed the settlers to withstand the attackers.

Colonel Henry Antes and his family fled with the rest of the fugitives in obedience to the orders of Colonel Hunter; but he was among the first to return to look after his property. Soon after the return of peace in the area, he rebuilt his mill and for years it was the only one in that section of the valley to supply the settlers with flour. His old stockade was allowed to fall into decay, and it soon became a ruin. In 1782, Colonel Antes was chosen sheriff of Northumberland County. He became governor of Pennsylvania in 1808, and served until 1817 - three terms. He also acquired considerable land on Antes Creek and made many improvements. He died May 18, 1820 at the age of 83.

He was buried in the graveyard near his famous fortification. Today, the site of the fort is in a cultivated field. A historic marker commemorates the site. It is located at Jersey Shore,   Pennsylvania across the West Branch Susquehanna River from Nippenose Township.

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@R-1094418654@ U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,2204::0

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@R-1094418654@ U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Yates Publishing Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,7836::0

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Book Title: The Dewees Family : Genealogical data, biographical facts and historical information 1,61157::1714504

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@R-1094418654@ U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,2204::0

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1,2204::960686

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@R-1094418654@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

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1,60525::96984514

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@R-1094418654@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

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1,60525::96984514

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@R-1094418654@ U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,2204::0

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1,2204::960686

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@R-1094418654@ U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Yates Publishing Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,7836::0

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Source number: 60.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: MAS 1,7836::28084

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@R-1094418654@ U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60525::0

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1,60525::96984514

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@R-1094418654@ North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,61157::0

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Book Title: The Dewees Family : Genealogical data, biographical facts and historical information 1,61157::1714504

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@R-1094418654@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.

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