1746 - 1818

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• Birth	17 Nov 1746	Warwick, Orange, New York   [2]
  Gender	Male
  Died	26 Dec 1818	Warwick, Orange, New York   [2]
  Person ID	I110772	Brainard (Brainerd) / Foster / Fish
  Last Modified	18 Sep 2005 00:00:00
  Family	Lydia SEELY, b. 26 Dec 1749
  Married	9 Jan 1770  [3]
  Children	1. Sarah ROWLEE, b. 19 May 1771, Warwick, Orange, New York   2. Lois ROWLEE, b. 16 Nov 1772, Warwick, Orange, New York > 3. Charles ROWLEE, b. 14 Jan 1774, Warwick, Orange, New York   4. Matthew ROWLEE, b. 30 Sep 1777, Warwick, Orange, New York   5. Elijah ROWLEE, b. 8 Jan 1780, Warwick, Orange, New York   6. Nathan ROWLEE, b. 16 Apr 1782   7. Mary ROWLEE, b. 15 Apr 1785, Warwick, Orange, New York   8. Heman ROWLEE, , Jr., b. 27 Aug 1787   9. Elizabeth ROWLEE, b. 29 Aug 1791   10. Lydia S. ROWLEE, b. 5 Feb 1788
  Family ID	F15232	Group Sheet

• Notes

  Heman Rowlee was born November 17, 1746. Of his life previous to his marriage, in 1770, little is known. In all probability he grew up in the hills east of the Hudson River, and when old enough was apprenticed to learn the stone mason's trade, by which he afterwards earned his living. In 1769 he bought a farm in southern Orange County, a region already quite densely populated by Dutch, Scotch and Irish emigrants, and by pioneers from Long Island and Connecticut. January 9, 1770, he married Lydia Seely. Her parents' names are unknown, but she had a sister Charlotte, who married Isaac Seaman. These sisters were no doubt descendants of Robert Seely, the valiant soldier who is said to have come to America with Governor Winthrop's fleet.(*) Heman Rowlee first appears in Revolutionary records as lieutenant in the Florida-Warwick Company of the Fourth Orange County Regiment of Militia under Colonel John Hathorn. The only specimen of his handwriting known is where he signed a receipt for pay on Colonel Hathorn's voucher, now filed in the Controller's office at Albany. Whether he was made an officer on account of previous military training or some other cause does not appear. He did not sign the Revolutionary pledge. Orange County was part of the frontier during the Revolutionary War and was subjected to murderous raids from time to time. The most notable of these was led by Brandt and ended in the battle of Minisink, which was little less than a massacre of the Orange County provincials by the Indians and Tories.(+) The company to which Heman Rowlee belonged was called upon to support their comrades, but arrived after the fight was over. While the seat of war was in the Hudson valley, the militia was called upon to do desultory but very active work. The service was, however, much more like guerilla warfare than regular army service. The stories told by later generations of Indian and Redcoat outrages were no doubt traditions from these Revolutionary experiences. Heman Rowlee protected his home and family. Ten years after the Revolutionary War closed he had prospered so that he determined to build a new home. Heretofore he had lived in a log house. He now had ten children, five boys and five girls, the older ones old enough to render efficient aid in the construction of the new house. Stone in that country was plenty, and he naturally concluded to build it of that material. The earth was excavated to bed-rock and the four walls started upon it. There were to be two rooms in the cellar, two rooms on the first floor, and an ample attic above. The walls were eighteen inches thick, and in the gable ends were carried up to the ridge pole. The windows were narrow and were provided with solid board shutters like the houses of Philadelphia. The chimney was a massive affair built entirely of stone. Leading into it were two fireplaces, one in each room on the first floor. The hearth for these was supported on an immense corbel built out in the cellar. The front or east side was of dressed stone in regular blocks, the ends and back of irregular rubble. The rafters were tamarack poles flattened on one side, and the beams and joist were all hewn. The plates were held in place on the side walls by heavy wrought iron straps bent into shape so as to hook inside the wall and outside the plate. The house stands in good condition to-day. It is located a mile east of Edenville, in the town of Warwick. It was bequeathed to Heman Rowlee, Jr., by his father, and was owned and occupied by him until his death in 1866. It is now owned by G. H. Davenport. Since the death of Heman Rowlee, Jr., a larger part has been added to the house. The front was given a thick coat of plaster which has peeled off in places. It is now 116 years old. The door and window frames, the sash and blinds are crumbling with age, but the walls, beams and rafters are as sound as when built.

• Sources

  [S2330] Lieut. Herman Rowlee (1746-1818) and his descendants, Willard Winfield Rowlee, (Ithaca, New York, 1907), Page 5. [S2331] OneWorldTreeSM. [S2330] Lieut. Herman Rowlee (1746-1818) and his descendants, Willard Winfield Rowlee, (Ithaca, New York, 1907), Page 9.