The Jacob and Donald A. De Haven Memorial Foundation for Youth Advocacy and Justice: April 2009

"FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE DE HAVEN CLUB"

Mrs. Dorothy Bertine, President of The De Haven Club, writes in her opening letter to newly joining members of the club, which was formed in 1896, and open only to members of the De Haven family that the De Havens'... "have many things to our credit in the founding of this Nation. Evert, Elizabeth, and their children were known to be in Philadelphia in 1698. Evert had bought land while still in Mulheim and he promptly bought more next to his original acreage at Blue Bell, Whitpain Township, PA. He also bought 440 acres in Perkiomen / Skippack Township in 1702 for Gerhard and Harmon when that development was opened; so we know that he was not a poor man.

Gerhard and Peter both signed English wills with a “mark” and witnesses indicating that they could not read English, but each of the four men signed his own name to the ship list and to the naturalization petition in 1709. They signed in Deutch as “In de Hoffe” and “In den Hoven." Each of them could read and write in Deutch. All of the DeHaven family went back to the French form of their name in the first generation. This was “DeHaven” in one form or another.

Harmon later sold his ½ of the 440 acres in 1723 to his brother and went to Lower Providence where he lived near to Trappe. One thing William Penn did for his colony at once, was to establish a place for a church and a school in each township, so that every person could be literate. In the first generation, all of the children continued their religion, which was the religion of their parents -- High Dutch Reformed. Later, some of them departed to other faiths. All of Peter I’s children were baptized at Boem’s Reformed Church in Blue Bell, Whitpain Township. All of Harmon’s children were baptized in Blue Bell or Perkiomen by Mr. Philip Boehm, even though Harmon had married Annica Op de Graff, a Mennonite. Gerhard’s children were also baptized by Mr. Boehm.

At the time of the Revolution, all of the grandsons owned large sections of land. D3B Captain Abraham DeHaven, oldest son of Harmon was in the British Army in Virginia in 1756 and the family became known to Washington who was a Lieutenant in that same Army. He must have become acquainted with the bored rifle which Peter II made because Captain DeHaven must have been using one. When the war began with England, Washington instantly conscripted Peter II and his son, Hugh, to make the rifle for the American Army and teach the principle to other gunsmiths. Peter manned the Powder Mills and gun lock factories throughout the war, often at his own expense. So, Washington could not have done so well without him.

Not only did Jacob loan Washington $50,000 in gold, plus all the commodities (valued at $400,000), but in going through the old loan records of the Colonies, I found that Modlin DeHaven’s husband, Hance Supplee, her brothers, Samuel DeHaven I, and Peter DeHaven II, and other family members loaned large sums of money to the government also. Some were repaid, some were not. 50 men from the Family served in the Revolution who were descendants of Evert DeHaven. Some with the name DeHaven and the others with the names of the daughters' husbands. Some served during the entire conflict, from 1776 to 1784. Truly we made a great contribution to the foundation of this Nation. D4A1 Edward, grandson of D4 Peter and son of D4A Edward was one of the special riflemen selected by Washington to be a part of the crack rifle team that Captain Daniel Morgan (brother to Daniel Boone’s mother) formed to go to Saratoga and defeat General Burgoyne. General Burgoyne gave the rifle team a great tribute when he said, “If it had been on my side, I would have won the battle.” I am sure that all of the riflemen were using Peter’s Bored Rifle.

Modlin DeHaven’s son, Peter Supplee, was wounded at the Battle of Germantown and died later at Valley Forge. He is buried with a splendid marker at Bethel Hill United Methodist Church Cemetery between Blue Bell (PA) and Worcester and his name is written on a paper in the Bell Tower at the Cathedral Church at Valley Forge. (Let me say here, that there are two museums at Valley Forge. One at the Cathedral Church and, one at another place in the Park.) Our Memorial is in the Bell Tower of the Cathedral Church and not at the regular Valley Forge Museum. They also have an original letter written by Peter II in the Cathedral Church Museum. Jacob lost his second son in the Battle of Germantown and his first son died in infancy, so he had no heirs. All of Peter I’s children and their descendants became his heirs. D3A7/A9A B.

Franklin DeHaven’s oil paintings and prints are in the American Museum of Art at the Smithsonian. When Mrs. Hoover was in the White House, she hung his paintings in the White House. She said, “This is the American White House, we should have American paintings hanging here.” We were among the first to go into the Northwest Territory later known as Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. We went with Boone into Virginia and the Carolinas, and with him into Kentucky and with him to the Mississippi. We were among the first to go to Missouri in 1836 when that area was opened up. Some of our cousins went with Lewis and Clark to the Pacific. We were among the first to go to the gold fields of California and Colorado. We stayed and became part of the community. These are but a few of the events in the life of the DeHaven Family.

Every descendent of Evert and Elizabeth is eligible for membership. We are a very old Heritage Society having been founded in 1894, just two years after the DAR was founded.

Come one and come all and join your very own Family Heritage Society and learn more about your heritage.

Welcome.

May the Lord Bless the DeHaven Family as we serve Him.

Mrs. George F. Bertine (Dorothy W.)

President."