SOURCE

FRONTIER AD VANCE ON THE UPPER OHIO

BY KELLOGG

     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.

THE SWEARINGENS OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE NORTHERN PANHANDLE OF WEST VIRGINIA

     In 1783 these five persons were taxed in Washington County, Andrew Swearingen (age 30) Cecil Twp. 800a, 2h, 2c, 10sh, 1 slave-Daniel Swearingen (age 28) Peters Twp. 130 a, 3h, 2c, 3 sheep-John Swearingen (age 32) Peters Twp, 500a, 4h, 6c, 12sh, 1 slave- Samuel Swearingen (age 51) Nottingham Twp. 300a, 2 h, 5c, 2 slaves - Van Swearingen (age 51 )Strabane Twp. 700a, 3h, 2c, 11sh, 2 slaves. All except Samuel, got Virginia land certificates to qualify for land grants from Pennsylvania. The dates of settlement given were: Van 1772, Daniel 1773, John 1775, Andrew died in 1824 in Chartiers Twp. Washington Co. , Daniel and John both died in Hollidays Cove, West Virginia - Daniel 1822, John 1830, Van died in 1793 near Wellsburg, WVA, Samuel died in 1823 near Kendall, Hanover Twp. Beaver Co. formerly Washington County. In 1783 in Springhill Twp., Westmoreland Co. (Became Fayette Co. in September 1783) these men who settled in 1770, were taxed: John Swearingen Sr. (age 62) 50a, 2h, 4c, 10 sh, died 1784 Fayette Co. John Swearingen Jr. (age 31) 20a, 2 h, 3c, 11 sh, died 1844 Lewis Co. Ky. Van Swearingen (age 29) 10a, 3h, 2c, died 1839 Shelby Co. Ky. These men were all related, descended from Thomas Swearingen I., who died in Maryland about 1710. The relationships are:

     Thomas I, has a son Van, 4 Swearingen grandsons and at least 6 great-grandsons named Van. Thomas I, had a son Thomas II, 4 Swearingen grandsons and at least 11 Thomas Great-grandsons. It is unusual to find listed in the DAR Patriot Index so many Revolutionary veterans from one family. There are 22 Swearingen men listed and 10 women who married Swearingen soldiers. There were others in service, whose descendants have not joined the DAR. By states: MD 11, VA 8, SC 6, PA 5, NC 2

     The founder of the family in America was Garret Van Swearingen. His descendants dropped the Van, except as a given name. Gerret was born in Beemsterdam, near Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1636. On December 21- 1656 he sailed for America - reaching New Castle, Delaware April 21, 1737. In 1659 he married, first Barbara deBarrette (1639-1670). In 1664 he moved to St Mary's Md. where he, wife and children, Elizabeth and Zachariah, were naturalized April 1669.

     (The story was picked up again from this following page)

     VAN SWEARINGEN OF WELLSBURG OF WELLSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - SON OF THOMAS III

     Van was born near Shepherdstown, now West Virginia, in 1743. His father, who ran the ferry across the Potomac, had settled there about 1734. When Van was 12 George Washington and General Braddock stayed at Swearingen's enroute to Cumberland, aiming for what became Fort Pitt. Braddock was defeated and lost his life. Thomas III died when Van was 17 - will probated in June 1760, Frederick Co. VA.

     Van in the Yohogania Co., Va. court on April 24-1780 told of his service in the 1760's.

      He served as a subaltern officer in the last war in a corps raised in the Virginia service, and continued therein until regularly discharged, and that he never received any satisfaction or advantage under the King of Great Britain's proclamation of 1763, (Crumrine: Va Court Records)

     In 1769 he applied to Pennsylvania for land (order #2852) at what is now Newell, Jefferson Twp, Fayette Co. (earlier Rostraver Twp Westmoreland Co.) This land lay in the loop of the Monongahela River. At the same time - 1769- "Thomas Swearingen Jr." Van's brother got order #2853 on April 5-1769 for land surveyed Oct 7-1769. This land was at what is now West Brownsville, also on the Monongahela River, above Van's land.

     The Thomas Jr. land was deeded June 27-1792 by Elzey Swearingen "heir apparent" and his father, Van, to the Chalfants. A second deed was given by Elzey in 1798 (after Van had died), because in 1792 Elzey was under 21. Thomas Jr. was dead in 1792, and so was his eldest son. Somehow Elzey claimed the land and sold it. In 1770 Van was surveying land on Chartiers Creek, Washington County with Henry Taylor (Crumrine" Wash Co. 146). Brother Andrew later settled on Chartiers Creek.

     Van Swearingen is listed in the 1773 Rostraver Township tax list - now Westmoreland County. He became a justice of the peace before Feb 2-1774, when the Pa.-Va. controversy as at its height. The newly formed West Virginia (Va) court on Feb 22-1775 named Van as one of a group to lay out a road. On Apr 13-1776 Van "of Redstone settlement" sold some of his land, likely the 1769 grant. Van's military r4cord is given in Trussell's The Pennsylvania Line:

      (Eighth Pa Regiment Company C)

      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.

     Van Swearingen in his will, written Nov 5-1793 and probated Feb 3-1794 in Ohio co and Mar 18-1794 in Washington Co., gives son Elzey L25 to buy books for his library; son, Zachariah, 275 acres; daughter Drusilla Brady, 100 bushels of corn; her sons Van and John Brady are named. To his second wife, Eleanor, and their three children, Van, Thomas and Lucy, he gave land. Sarah, daughter of Nancy Brown, was given L00. Land in Pennsylvania and a number of slaves are mentioned. On November 9, he had sold 100 acres to Samuel and Drusilla Brady.

     The Historical Collection of Washington and Jefferson Library has copies of five letters written 1784-91 by Van to his cousin, Captain Josiah Swearingen of Berkeley Co. now W Va. Mention is made by Van of his brother Joseph and his "old uncle" Van. On Mar 12-1786 he wrote "my children Thomas and Druscilla are coming to your neighborhood". Two months later Van married Eleanor Virgin. On Dec 16-1787 he wrote:

      My son, Thomas, is still missing and I can hear nothing from him. A great deal of search has been made for his bones in vain. The messenger that went into the nations to inquire after his has not yet returned.

     May 17-1791 he reported Indians within two miles of his fort. His July 17-1784 letter was written from Washington. On Nov 9-1785 he reported that he had bought the Cox farm on the Ohio River. Coxes Fort stood on his land.

     In May 1786 Van married in Washington County, Eleanor Virgin, daughter of Jeremiah Virgin and sister of Reason, Brice, John and Thomas Virgin. Three months later Van bought the farm where Jeremiah was living Jeremiah moved to the Ohio River near Van and was taxes there in 1787. Van's widow, Eleanor obtained a Revolutionary pension, based on Van's service. In 1848 she was living in Columbus, Ohio. The pension papers (W5415) give information on her life and on some of Van's activities. Her second marriage in 1799 was to John Newhouse. They moved to Kentucky in 1809, where her brother Reason lived; to Butler Co., Ohio in 1813, where her brother Brice, lived; to adjoining Hamilton Co., in 1817, where John Newhouse died July 29-1830