HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



29 



large business, and is one of the largest 

 dealers in that line in Philadelphia. In 

 politics Air. Vansant is a Republican, 

 and takes an active interest in the af- 

 fairs of the town in which he lives. He 

 has been for many years a member of the 

 borough council, and is now filling the 

 position of clerk of that body. He is a 

 member of the Masonic fraternity, being 

 affiliated with Bristol Lodge No. 25, F. 

 and A. M. He is also a member of 

 Neshaminy Lodge, No. 422, L O. O. F., 

 of Hulmeville, of which he is a past 

 grand. He married, November 12, 1895. 

 Cora Wilson, daughter of Charles and 

 Sarah (Snyder) Wilson, of Trenton, New 

 Jersey, and a granddaughter of Chris- 

 topher and Sarah (Snyder) Wilson. They 

 are the parents of two children, Ella 

 Praul, born February 23, 1900; and 

 Elisha Praul, born March 9, 1904- 



ANCESTRY OF MARTIN V. B. and 

 NATHANIEL VANSANT, of South- 

 ampton. 



Captain Nathaniel Vansant, only son 

 of Nicholas and Mary (Brittian) Van- 

 sant, of Southampton, was born on the 

 old homestead in that township, March 

 13- 1745- At the outbreak of the Revolu- 

 tion he was a resident of Bensalem town- 

 ship having purchased a farm there in 

 1777. He was commissioned first lieu- 

 tenant of the Associated company of that 

 township. From the very beginning of 

 the arming for the conflict with the 

 mother country, the Vansants were fore- 

 most in oft^ering their services for home 

 defense and militia service. Garret and 

 Peter were members of the Bensalem 

 company; Garret. of Southampton, 

 brother of Nicholas, ^.nd uncle to Cap- 

 tain Nathaniel, was second lieutenant of 

 the Southampton company in 1775. and 

 was second lieutenant of the Fifth Com- 

 pany of the First Battalion in the re- 

 organization of 1777- Nicholas, father 

 of Captain Nathaniel, and Jacob, his 

 brother were both members of the 

 Southampton company in 1775. In i\Iid- 

 dletown. George and John, sons of Gar- 

 ret and grandsons of Stophel, were mem- 

 bers of the Associated company of that 

 township. James, son of Harman and 

 grandson of Harman. Sr.. the only mem- 

 ber of the family in Northampton, joined 

 the Associated company there in 1775. 

 Peter, of Lower Makefield, son of Isaiah 

 and grandson of Jacobus, was captain of 

 the company of that township, and his 

 brother Cornelius was second lieutenanh^ 



The member of the family, however, 

 who rendered pre-eminent service and 

 suffered untold hardships in the defense 

 of his country was Captain Nathaniel 

 Vansant. of Bensalem. He was commis- 

 sioned a captain January 5, 1776. in Col- 

 onel Robert Magaw's Fifth Pennsylvania 

 Battalion of the Flying Camp, in which 

 there was a large number of Bucks coun- 

 tians. who through the treachery of Ma- 



gaw's adjutant, were badly routed at 

 Fort Washington, New York, on No- 

 vember 16, 1776, and 2,700 American sol- 

 diers were taken prisoners, including 

 Magaw and almost his entire command. 

 Captain Vansant was captured with the 

 rest, and for two years suffered the hor- 

 rors of imprisonment in the floating hells 

 in New York harbor and the loathsome 

 warehouses in the city. Many of the let- 

 ters written home to his wife while a 

 prisoner are in the possession of the 

 Bucks County Historical Society and of 

 members of the family. The quaint 

 chapeau worn by him in the service is 

 also in possession of the Historical So- 

 ciety. 



Captain Vansant married August 27, 

 1768. at the Dutch Reformed church of 

 Southampton, Hannah Vansandt. There 

 seems to be some dispute about the 

 maiden name of Hannah Vansant; both 

 the church records and that of the grant- 

 ing of the license by the civil authorities 

 give it as Vanzandt, while his descen- 

 dants claim that her name was Brittian, 

 the same as that of the Captain's mother. 

 It seems to be conceded that she was 

 his cousin, and it is probable that she 

 was the daughter of his uncle, James 

 Vansandt. who married Margaret, daugh- 

 ter of Hendrick and Hannah (Field) 

 Breece. Hannah was born January 16, 

 1746, and died August 19, 1818. The chil- 

 dren of Captain Nathaniel and Hannah 

 Vansant were as follows: Harman, who 

 died of yellow fever in Philadelphia dur- 

 ing the epidemic of that disease in the 

 city, about the close of the century; and 

 Nicholas, born February 25, 1771. died 

 April 19. 1850. 



Nicholas, as only surviving child of 

 Nathaniel and Hannah Vansant, inher- 

 ited the real estate of his father, who 

 died August 8, 1825. intestate. He lived 

 and died on the old homestead in South- 

 ampton, which remained in the family 

 for six generations and until 1889, when 

 it was sold, a period of at least one hun- 

 dred and fifty years. Nicholas married 

 Alary Larzelcre. daughter of Nicholas 

 and Hannah (Brittian) Larzelere of Ben- 

 salem township. She was born Septem- 

 ber 8, 1772, and died October 27, 1863. 

 The children of Nicholas and Mary 

 (Larzelere) Vansant were: 



1. Alary, born September 6. 1795, mar- 

 ried Jacob Vansant, and had two chil- 

 dren, Franklin, who married a Hogeland, 

 and Angelina. 



2. Nathaniel, born April 14, 1797, mar- 

 ried z\lice Vanartsdalen; see forward. 



3. Elizabeth, born February 24. I799, 

 married Silas Rhoads, and had one child, 

 Alary Ann, who married William Go- 

 forth. 



4. Benjamin, born February 14, 1803. 

 died June. 1869; married (first) Sarah 

 Campbell, born Alarch 7. 1810, died 

 Alarch to. 1853: and (second) Jane Lu- 

 kens. The children of the first marriage 



