EXPLORING THE WYSOCTON CAPTURE

by

J. Kelsey Jones

2010

The VanValkenburg and Strope families were some of the earliest families to settle on the Susquehanna River in what became Bradford County. They are a well known family due to their capture by Indians at Wysox during the American Revolution and the story of the family bible being rescued and now in the custody of the Bradford County Historical Society. This article will explore some records not previously discussed and will endeavor to explore the conflict this family endured during a period in American history when families often had difficult choices to determine their destiny and survival. Their capture in Wysox by Indians during the American Revolution was narrated by Jane Strope, herself one of the captives. The lengthy obituary of her cousin Polly Strope who died in 1851, prior to Jane’s death in 1852, also communicated the capture, though the two accounts differ in some aspects. In the course of study of these families it became evident that a genealogy was forthcoming to accurately portray their relationships. The families studied for this article are Isaac VanValkenburg and Jannetje Clement and their daughters Lydia and Margare who married brothers Sebastian Strope and John Strope. It is these three couples that I will endeavor to explore in more depth their capture and relationships.

The VanValkenburg and Strope families settled on the Susquehanna River before the American Revolution leaving their homes in Catskill, New York. Historical records indicate the party consisted of Isaac VanValkenburg and Jannetje Clement and their married daughters Lydia and Margrietje (English equivalent is Margaret) who had married brothers Bastian (became Sebastian) and Johannes (English equivalent is John) Strope and their children; Harmen VanValkenburg a brother of Isaac, and Isaac and Jannetje’s daughter Eva VanValkenburg. The families who made the trek to the Susquehanna was larger than what history has recorded as Isaac and Jannetje had other children, including daughter Annatje VanValkenburg and husband Isaac Larroway who resided near them on the Susquehanna. Margrietje VanValkenburg, sister of Isaac, and her husband Lambert VanAlstine and their extended family also lived nearby. Isaac VanValkenburg’s son Isaac by a union with Maria Bradt before his marriage to Jannetje Clement may have also been amongst the party with his wife Anna Maria Werner, and as many as ten of their children, but that has not been established.

The date of 1773 is the date contributed to their arrival by the narrative of Jane Strope – “My father and mother (Sebastian Strope and Lydia VanValkenburg) with their family, myself being of the number, settled at Wysox, then called Wysocton, in Bradford Co., Pa., just below Towanda on the other side of the river, five years before the Massacre at Wyoming.” Furthermore, in a deed by which they quit claimed their possession to William Ross they describe it as a lot improved by them in May 1773 (on 7 April 1787, Isaac Van Valkenburg and Bastian Strope quit claimed to William Ross, by deed, “a lot improved in May, 1773, lying on Miscuscim flat, two miles below the Standing Stone, and six miles above Wyalusing”). The baptism of Annatje Strope, daughter of Sebastian Strope and Lydia VanValkenburg occurred 5 September 1773 in the Catskill Reformed Church records, which could perhaps indicate they arrived in the spring of 1774. They only remained at Miscuscim for two or three years when they removed up the river to Wysocton (or Wysockin) which was to become Wysox. What prompted this move is unclear but perhaps they considered it a better location, clearer title to property or various other reasons. It is known and documented that several Susquehanna River families all up and down the river stretching to the Wyoming Valley began moving further up river due to the growing uncertainty and impending hostilities that were evolving during the early days of the Revolution. Many of those families were settling further up river to escape the scrutiny of the lower and more populated settlements further south in the Wyoming Valley as tensions mounted between those honoring the King of England as a Loyalist or those interested in forging a new Nation. Their move up river was about six miles which would not seem to be significant in terms of early tensions of Patriot and Loyalist issues. The river often floods and perhaps the Wysox location was better suited to escape flooding of crops and household.

They are related to have located on the west side of Wysox Creek near its entrance to the Susquehanna River. Under date of 17 Feb 1776, Capt. Solomon Strong sells to Isaac and Harmanos Van Valkenburg and to Bostian Strope each one-half share in the Susquehanna Company's purchase, which the grantor bought of Samuel Hogskiss and Daniel Lawrence, they being original proprietors. They were on the fringes of the northern settlements and what eastern city newspapers of the time would have considered the interior country on the western edge of civilization. They had few neighbors to the north up the river of any great numbers until reaching Unadilla, New York. Jane Strope in her narrative stated – “Above Wysox on the river, before the war, the nearest settlers were at Sheshequin and below the Fitzgeralds.” Nearby were their extended family that included the Larraways and VanAlstines and several other familes of German and Dutch ancestry. In all, the VanValkenburg, Strope, Larraway, and VanAlstine families comprised three generations living near each other on the Susquehanna with numerous family members. Isaac VanValkenburg was about 64 years of age when they settled at Wysox and his wife Jannetje Clement about 63. His sister Margrietje was about 63 and her husband Lambert VanAlstine about 66. Baptismal records exist for all four individuals, which helps to establish their approximate age. The other family member that we know little about was Harmen VanValkenburg, brother of Isaac. Harmen was baptized 2 March 1714/15 at Albany. He is found in the Catskill church records on 18 September 1757 when “Harmen Valk (VanValkenburg) and Mareytje Larrowa (Larraway)” were sponsors at a bapstism. On 23 January 1768 “Harmen VanValkenburg and Maria VanValkenburg” were sponsors at the baptism of his great niece Maria daughter of Isaac Larraway and Annatje VanValkenburg. Mareytje or more commonly spelled Maritje is the same as Maria and the Maria Larraway and Maria VanValkenburg may have been the same person as the 1768 entry and several entries during that time frame did not include the female’s given name and it is assumed without further research into her identity that Maria was perhaps his wife.

A 1776 assessment list known as “Up the River” district for the County of Westmoreland and Colony of Connecticut lists Isaac VanValkenburg, Bostion Strope, Isaac Larraway, Old VanAlstine (Lambert), Isaac VanAlstine, and James VanAlstine and all appear together on the same page, indicating they were all living near each other. Connecticut claimed what is now Bradford County at that time. A year later, in 1777, another assessment list for the same district was created and by this time the early years of the Revolution had begun and several families that appeared on the 1776 list are absent from the 1777 list, loyal to the Crown, they had already left or begun preparations to remove from the area due to impending hostilities that was sweeping the land and often drove neighbor against neighbor into conflict. Isac Falkenburg (Isaac VanValkenburg), Bastion Strope, James VanAlstine, Isaac Larraway, Old VanAlstine, and Isaac VanAlstine all appear together on the 1777 assessment list and were still living at Wysox.

On December 20, 1777 several Loyalists in the valley were captured by the Westmoreland militia, and sent, under guard, to Hartford, and held as prisoners of war. The results of this expedition are thus stated in the memorial of Colonel Denison to the Connecticut assembly, dated January, 1778: “The men marched up the river about eighty miles, and took sundry Tories, and happily contented the Tioga Indians and entirely disbanded the conspirators.” At the following session the assembly resolved “that Richmond Berry, Philip Buck, Thomas Silk, Edward Hicks, Edward Hicks, Jr., John Young, Jacob Bowman, Adam Bowman, Jr., Jacob Bruner, John Henry Short, Henry Hover, Nicholas Phelps, Nicholas Phelps, Jr., John Phelps, Jacob Anguish, George Kentner, and Frederick Frank, who were taken in arms against the United States by the militia of Westmoreland, and sent to the deputy commissary-general of prisoners of this State, are ordered to be received and treated as prisoners of war, provided that nothing in the aforesaid order shall be construed to excuse said prisoners from any treasonable offense against the laws of other States.”

Up until the time of the capture of many of their neighbors in the valley there is no record of the VanValkenburg, Strope, Larraway, and VanAlstine families choosing either side to align with though we can only imagine it must have been a topic of conversation. As the looming days of the American Revolution lengthened the families remaining on the Susquehanna would not escape conflict and when any war comes to your doorstep people have to make decisions that they think is best suited for their families and survival. The numerous VanAlstine family chose sometime in 1778 to join the British forces as they later made claims for their losses on the Susquehanna. The Larraway family also chose to align with the British and Isaac VanValkenburg and Jannetje Clement’s eldest grandson Petrus (Peter) Larraway appears on a list of Major John Butler’s Company of Rangers acknowledging full amount of pay from 7 May 1778 to 24 October 1778. This company contained many of those who were on the Susquehanna in the vicinity of present Bradford County, Pennsylvania. Earlier research into the families appearing on the 1776 and 1777 assessment lists in the Susquehanna Valley in what is now Bradford and Wyoming Counties indicates those choosing to align themselves with the British was far greater than those choosing to oppose British rule.

The VanValkenburg and Strope families chose to remain at Wysox during these conflicts which included raids and captures of neighbors by militia units intent of ridding the valley of Loyalists and by small parities of Indians and British traversing the valley. Did the VanValkenburgs and Stropes have Loyalist or Patriot leanings or did they only want to occupy their land and remain neutral? The Strope name never appears with other Susquehanna families in the 1777 and 1778 Loyalist troop and pay lists that have survived. The name of Isaac VanValkenburg appears on a list of persons employed in the Indian Department at $2 New York currency per diem, but it is unknown if this was the elder Isaac but more likely it was his son Isaac who had married Anna Maria Werner. There were several other names along with Isaac’s on the list who were residing on the Susquehanna (List of Officers Employed in the Indian Department with their Rank and Pay, June 15, 1777). The name of Isaac Volkenburg also appears on a list of Captain William Caldwell’s Company of Rangers acknowledging full amount of pay from 24 December 1777 to 24 October 1778. This company contained many of those who were on the Susquehanna.

The claims given later in this article of Isaac Larraway (his wife Annatje was a daughter of Isaac VanValkenburg and Jannetje Clement) and the VanAlstines indicate they were Loyalists though none of them appear along with many of their neighbors in troop and pay lists of 1777 and it would appear most did not join British forces until sometime in 1778 perhaps having delayed their decision longer than other Loyalists on the Susquehanna. The whereabouts of the women and children in the Larraway and VanAlstine families in 1778 is unknown. They may have still been living at Wysox. They were in what is now Quebec in 1779 when they appear on provisioning lists. Provisioning lists were a tally of families in various refugee camps who were receiving food rations and other supplies from the British government. They subsequently made claims in Canada for their losses on the Susquehanna. The claims give some idea of their life at Wysox and their losses.

Jane Strope narrated “my mother and her six children, including myself, were made captives by the Indians on the 20th day of May, previous to the Massacre (1778). My grandparents who had come with my father from Catskill, were also captured.” Jane makes no mention of any other families taken captive though later she stated – “My brother (evidently Henry) and cousin (this could be Isaac son of John Strope and Margaret VanValkenburg unless it was one of her Larraway cousins), two pretty well grown boys (Henry and Isaac both would have been ten years of age), pushed the canoes and fished for us in going up and coming down the river.” This statement referring to the cousin would imply that other family members were part of the capture. The obituary of Polly Strope indicates that her parent’s John Strope and Margaret VanValkenburg were also among the captives. The captive party at least included Isaac VanValkenburg and Jannetje Clement, Lydia Strope and six children (I am only aware of five), John Strope and Margaret VanValkenburg. Sebastian Strope, husband of Lydia VanValkenburg was not among the captives. History records that he had gone to Wyoming but that cannot be confirmed without further research. Were the Larraways and VanAlstines still residing at Wysox when the VanValkenburgs and Stropes were captured or had they left for parts of New York or Canada?

Why were these families captured and what purpose could it undertake? One possibility is that capture was often for the purpose of pressing male members of a family into military service.