Main Menu
Reference
Bibliography
Works cited on "Moses Van Campen ... In Tribute"
Books
Hubbard, John Niles. Sketches of Border Adventures, In The Life and Times of Major Moses Van Campen, A Surviving Soldier of the Revolution. Bath, NY: R.L. Underhill & Co., 1842.
Description (preface excerpt): "Moses Van Campen, the subject of this memoir, has long been known by many in this part of the State, and by many also in the State of Pennsylvania, as one who took an active part in the struggles which gave birth to our national independence. Especially is he known for the severe encounters he has had with the Indians, and for the hardships which he has endured in watching for this wary foe, as he made his sudden and fearful incursions upon what were called the border settlements. The service which he has thus rendered his country as a soldier, entitle his name to some remembrance among a free and grateful people."
Hubbard, John Niles, and John Stearns Minard. Sketches of Border Adventures, In The Life and Times of Major Moses Van Campen, A Surviving Soldier of the Revolution. Filmore, NY: Jno. S. Minard, 1893.
Description (preface excerpt): "And so at last, without any claim to literary merit or excellence on my part, with a deep sense of obligation for generous support and encouragement, this little book is launched upon the public, with a hopeful trust that it will revive such an interest in the Life and Adventures of Moses Van Campen, as will keep green for a long time to come the memory of a distinguished historical character, and also impress upon the youth of our land a higher estimate of the services rendered, the struggles, hardships, sufferings and privations, endured by those patriotic and determined frontiersmen of the Revolution, to whom, under God, we are so largely indebted for the rich inheritance of popular and personal liberty we now enjoy."
Beer, Molly. Three Journeys to the Genesee, The Life of Moses Van Campen, A Frontier Biography. Angelica, NY: Molly Beer, 2009.
Description - Author's summary from book's back cover: "By foot and by boat, once in his underwear, Moses Van Campen (1757-1849) traveled to the Genesee River three times in his life. This brief new biography of Moses Van Campen details the adventures (and misadventures) of these three journeys, including General Sullivan's march across Iroquois territory, Van Campen's captivity as a prisoner of war, and the story of his long feud with the Seneca chief John Mohawk, to whom Van Campen had "lent his hatchet." Two centuries after Moses Van Campen settled in Angelica, New York, where he is considered a founding father, he remains iconic, a figure of his times and situation. "I was nurtured in the school of the rifle and the tomahawk," Moses like to boast, and this cultural ambidexterity is the result of a particular intersection in American geography and history."
Ogden, David A.D., Jr. and DePuy, LeRoy. Contributions to the Family History and Genealogy of the Van Campen Family of America Ulster County, N.Y., Branch, Volume I. Seattle, WA: Todd Raymond Still, 1995.
Description - Excerpt from the Editors' note To the Reader: [Volume I] "collected in one place key documents concerning the Ulster County, NY, descendants of the emigrant, Garrit Jansen Van Campen. These documents ranged from the early and tireless efforts of Charles Howard Van Campen to the compilations of Charles E. Stickney and the contemporaneous and more rigorous research of Jerry H. Van Campen. To all those was added an array of appendices on collateral families and transcriptions of original documents from primary sources."
Ogden, David A.D., Jr. and Van Campen, J.H. and Stowe, R.A. Contributions to the Family History and Genealogy of the Van Campen Family of America Ulster County, N.Y., Branch, Volume II. Seattle, WA: Todd Raymond Still, 1999.
Description - Excerpts from the Editors' note To the Reader: [Volume II] "attempts to remain true to the purpose of its predecessor to increase the storehouse of knowledge of the Van Campen family in America. In this work, we resume the story of Jan Van Campen (Gerrit) and learn of his numerous offspring who found their way into the New Jersey counties of Hunterdon and Somerset." "The reader will please note that this volume does not claim to be a "genealogy" of the Van Campens, at least not in the sense of those publications which conform to the increasingly rigorous standards of the field of modern genealogy." "Rather, this work might more properly be termed a 'research draft' or 'research guide.' It is to be hoped that all such guides will be compiled with care and are respectful of sources. But its purpose is an intermediate one. It is designed to guide serious family researchers into productive arenas of further inquiry." "No one will be surprised to learn that neither Volume I nor Volume II will tell the full story of the Van Campen family in America. Already a great deal of new material has surfaced. Some puzzles have emerged which will keep family historians employed for a time, and of course the more recent generations clamor to be recognized in future volumes. There is plenty of work to go around!"
Reynolds, John F. The Almond Story. Hornell, NY: John F. Reynolds, 1962.
Description - Excerpt from the Author's Introduction: "Midway along the eastern boundary of Allegany County, New York, where some of the westernmost tributaries of the Susquehanna River start their journey to the sea, lies the Town of Almond; rather it is typical in that it shares a rich heritage of folklore and history in common with the many communities throughout the State. Nothing of great national moment has happened here. No famous person has claimed Almond as his birthplace. The only battles were those fought between the pioneers and the wilderness they subdued. It was with no thought of glory that those hardy men and women came to this land with their families and scant possessions, but rather they came for much less romantic reasons and the inherent desire of all mankind to improve its situation. The privations they experienced were to them the accepted way of life. There has been much material progress since then which cannot be measured or appreciated unless we glance back along the path we have trod. The farther end of the path is veiled in haze as the keeping of records was not one of the virtues of the pioneers. Occasional scraps of history and folklore still can be found and when pieced together a fascinating tale unfolds of the land, of the people and their accomplishments, and of the events that followed which provide the Almond story."
Hutson, Arlene Aust and Williams, Robert L. A Place Called Home...A History of the Van Campen Inn and the Families who Lived There. Walpack Center, NJ: Walpack Historical Society, 1992.
Description - Excerpt from the Authors' Foreword: "The goal of the two authors of this book was to present a glimpse of the daily life of those who lived in the Rosenkrans-Van Campen house, generally referred to as the Van Campen Inn, and of the impact upon them of the environment and nearby settlers. This has been addressed from two different points of view. The first approach involved the study and interpretation of the genealogy of the owners of the house from the mid-18th Century period of its construction through the 19th Century. The revelations of the identity of these family owners - a picture of who they were - were enhanced, again, by other resources such as census records, deeds and wills, and published and privately printed studies of local history. These contributions were assembled by genealogist Arlene A. Hutson and comprise the first four chapters of the book. The second approach, through the residents' recollections of the events in their lives and their relationships with neighbors and family members, develops a picture of life of a small community, spanning the decades of the 20th Century. Obtained through interviews with owners and tenants of the house, these reminiscences have been illustrated by photographs from family collections and other documents such as letters and newspaper accounts. These memories were compiled by Robert L. Williams, historian, who has also contributed his own experiences of the restoration of the Van Campen Inn."
Meginness, J.F. Otzinachson or A History of The West Branch Valley of The Susquehanna. Philadelphia, PA: Henry B. Ashmead, 1857.
Description: "A Full Account of Its Settlement—Trials And Privations Endured by the First Pioneers—Full Accounts of The Indian Wars, Predatory Incursions, Abductions, Massacres, &C, Together with an Account of the Fair Play System and the Trying Scenes of the Big Runaway Interspersed with Biographical Sketches of Some of the Leading Settlers, Families, Etc., Together with Pertinent Anecdotes, Statistics, and Much Valuable Matter Entirely New."
Meginness, J.F. Otzinachson or A History of The West Branch Valley of The Susquehanna, Revised Edition. Williamsport, PA: Gazette and Bulletin Printing House, 1889.
Description - Author's note To the Reader: "The first edition of this work was published in 1856, but as it had gone out of print many years ago, the author was frequently requested by those desiring copies to publish a revised edition. Reluctantly yielding to these requests, a new edition, entirely rewritten, is now published. It is fully two hundred pages larger than the old work, and in the arrangement of the matter care has been taken to give the historical events as closely as possible in chronological order."
Davis, William W. H., A.M. History of Bucks County Pennsylvania, From The Discovery of The Delaware To The Present Time. New York, NY: Lewis Publishing Company, 1905.
Peck, George, D.D. Wyoming; Its History, Stirring Incidents, and Romantic Adventures. Franklin Square, NY: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1858.
Description (preface excerpt): "The present work is composed of a brief history of Wyoming, followed by a series of historic scenes, which constitute natural amplifications of the general outline. Each story is a complete picture in itself, and yet is a necessary part of the wholes; The plan has the advantage of presenting independent views of the historic drama from many different stand-points. Our heroes not only reflect the lights and shades of their own character and actions, but give us their separate versions of the eventful scenes through which they passed. The events herein recorded constitute a part of the wonderful history of the early development and fearful struggles of America, and we believe they will not fall behind any portion of that story in exciting interest. With the diffidence which a profound sense of the difficulties to be overcome in the execution of such a work naturally inspires, we publish the result of our labors, hoping that it may both interest and instruct the reading community. The work, so far as we are concerned, has been a " labor of love," and our desire is that it may inspire in the reader a spirit of enlarged patriotism, noble heroism, patient endurance under severe trials, trust in Providence, and gratitude to God."
Severance, Frank H. Publications Of The Buffalo Historical Society, Volume VI. Buffalo, NY: Buffalo Historical Society, 1903.
Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties Pennsylvania, Volume I. Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1915.
Description (preface excerpt): "In the preparation of this history of Columbia and Montour counties the publishers have been guided by several factors, the principal one being to record facts. In this vicinity of quaint legend and marvelous incident it is perhaps quite natural that writers of the past should have yielded much to the temptation to romantic narrative. Pains have been taken to revert to the unimpeachable records of the early times, which are still available to investigators, and for verification of the statements in the present work we direct attention to files of newspapers of the period in question, and other records to be found now in the Bloomsburg and Danville public libraries and the courthouses of the two counties, as well as in the archives of the Columbia County Historical Society and in private homes."
Periodicals
Harzard, Samuel. "From the Young Man's Advocate. Maj. Moses Van Campen." Hazard's Register of Pennsylvania. 20 Jul. 1833: 38-40.
Moore, Charles W. "Celebration at Dansville, NY." The Freemason's Monthly Magazine. 1 Aug. 1847.
Johnson, F.C. "Van Campen's Descendants." The Historical Record. Jul. 1888.
Related Works
Fiction
Pattison, Eliot. Bone Rattler: A Mystery of Colonial America. Berkerly, CA: Counterpoint, 2007.
Author's Description: "Aboard a British convict ship bound for the new world, exiled clan chief Duncan McCallum witnesses a bizarre series of murders and suicides among his fellow Highland scot prisoners. Compelled by the masters of his prison company to resolve the crimes while remaining a prisoner, Duncan soon makes a fearful discovery."
Pattison, Eliot. Eye of the Raven: A Mystery of Colonial America. Berkely, CA: Counterpoint, 2010.
Author's Description: "With the aid of the Indian Shaman Conawago, Duncan McCallum has begun to heal from the massacre of his Highland clan by the British. But his new life is shattered when he and Conawago discover a dying Virginian officer nailed to an Indian shrine tree. To their horror, the authorities arrest Conawago and schedule his hanging. As Duncan begins a desperate search for the truth, he finds himself in a maelstrom of deception and violence. The year is 1760, and while the British army wishes to dismiss the killing as another casualty of its war with France, Duncan discovers a pattern of ritualistic murders that have less to do with the war than with provincial treaty negotiations and struggles between tribal factions. Ultimately he realizes that to find justice, he must brave the sprawling colonial capital of Philadelphia. There the answers are to be found in a tangle of Quakers, Christian Indians, and a scientist obsessed with the electrical experiments of the celebrated Dr. Franklin. With the tragic resolution in sight, Duncan understands the real mysteries underlying his quest lie in the hearts of natives who, like his Highland Scots, have glimpsed the end of their world approaching."
Pattison, Eliot. Original Death: A Mystery of Colonial America. Berkely, CA: Counterpoint, 2013.
Author's Description: "Despite the raging war between French and British, Scottish exile Duncan McCallum has begun to settle into a new life on the fringes of colonial America, traveling the woodlands with his companion Conawago, even joining the old Indian on his quest to find the last surviving members of his tribe. But the joy they feel on reaching the little settlement of Christian Indians is shattered when they find its residents ritually murdered. As terrible as the deaths may be, Conawago perceives something even darker and more alarming: he is convinced they are a sign of a terrible crisis in the spiritworld which he must resolve."
Danson, Edwin. Drawing the Line: How Mason and Dixon Surveyed the Most Famous Border in America. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2008.
Publisher's Description: "The Mason-Dixon line-surely the most famous surveyors' line ever drawn-represents one of the greatest and most difficult scientific achievements of its time. But behind this significant triumph is a thrilling story, one that has thus far eluded both historians and surveyors. In this engrossing narrative, professional surveyor Edwin Danson takes us on a fascinating journey with Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, two gifted and exuberant English surveyors, through the fields and forests of eighteenth-century America. Vividly describing life in the backwoods and the hardships and dangers of frontier surveying, Drawing the Line discloses for the first time in 250 years many hitherto unknown surveying methods, revealing how Mason and Dixon succeeded where the best American surveyors of the period failed. In accessible, ordinary language, Danson masterfully throws the first clear light on the surveying of the Mason-Dixon line. Set in the social and historical context of pre-Revolutionary America, this book is a spellbinding account of one of the great and historic achievements of its time."
Sharra, Jeff. Rise to Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution. New York City, NY. Ballantine Books, 2001.
Author's Description: "Rise to Rebellion is a vivid account of history's most pivotal event. The story reveals with new immediacy how philosophers became fighters, ideas their ammunition, and how a scattered group of colonies became the United States of America."
Sharra, Jeff. The Gloriouos Cause. New York City, NY. Ballantine Books, 2002.
Author's Description: "The despair and triumph of America's first great army is conveyed in scenes as powerful as any Shaara has written, a story told from the points of view of some of the most memorable characters in American history. There is George Washington, the charismatic leader who held his army together to achieve unlikely victory; Charles Cornwallis, the no-nonsense British general, more than a match for his colonial counterpart; Nathaniel Greene, who rose from obscurity to become the finest battlefield commander in Washington's army; the Marquis de Lafayette, the young Frenchman who brought a soldier's passion to America; and Benjamin Franklin, a brilliant man of science and philosophy who became the finest statesman of his day. From Nathan Hale to Benedict Arnold, William Howe to "Light Horse" Harry Lee, from Trenton and Valley Forge, Brandywine and Yorktown, the American Revolution's most immortal characters and poignant moments are brought to life in remarkable Shaara style. The Glorious Cause is more than just a story of the legendary six-year struggle. It is a tribute to an amazing people who turned ideas into action and fought to declare themselves free."