Author: Roger Eastman Nelson
Thomas Stewart was born in Tinicum Township, Bucks, Pennsylvania 9 March 1752, and grew up on his father’s farm there. When the Revolutionary War began in 1775, he enlisted as a Private in the New Britain Township, Bucks County Militia. He was among General Washington’s Continental Forces that crossed the Delaware River Christmas Eve 1776 capturing Trenton from the Hessians, and later winning victory at Princeton. In spring 1777, Thomas was commissioned as Ensign in the Fourth Battalion Pennsylvania Militia. In the fall of 1777, the British began an offensive march, pressing battle and winning at Brandywine and Paoli and Germantown, pillaging farmlands, destroying the iron work forges along the Schuylkill River (supplier of Continental musket barrels, shot, cannons and ball), before returning to Philadelphia for the winter. In mid-December, Washington’s battered Army encamped at Valley Forge. Although a tall, muscular equestrian, Thomas’ name is not in the muster rolls of the Commander-in-Chief’s guards. Rather, Thomas was appointed Secretary for the Commanding General, most likely due to his military presence and beautiful penmanship described as like “copper plate”. Washington needed a skilled penman to draft the many letters sent to the Continental Congress during the winter of 1777-78.

This story from family tradition (confirmed by multiple sources of Stewart and deWees ancestry) reports that during winter 1777-1778, a British Cavalry troop undertook a foraging expedition into the Schuylkill River Valley. As the British approached the Mount Joy manor house of Lieutenant Colonel William deWees III, owner of the Valley Forge plantation, word reached General Washington who ordered Thomas to take charge of Washington’s guard troops then on duty, and ride to defend the manor house while army Regulars were being assembled for battle. The British withdrew as Thomas’ troop arrived, leaving no serious damage apart from feather beds split in a vain search for hidden silver. It was during this event that Thomas first met Rachel deWees, youngest sister of Lieutenant Colonel deWees. Thereafter they fell in love and married a few months later. As the bridal party began the journey to the groom’s home, a chance encounter was made with General Washington and his troop of guards. The general, being acquainted with both Thomas and Rachel, ordered his troop to form a parade of honor, dismounted, congratulated the newlyweds and claimed a kiss from the bride.

In May of 1780, Thomas was promoted to Lieutenant and was assigned to the 4th Company, Captain Jacob Shoup, 2nd Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel John Keller. In May 1788, his company was reassigned to 3rd Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Robinson.

After the war, Thomas returned to civil engineering and farming. In 1793, he moved his family to a 360 acre farm he had purchased in Greenwich Township, Sussex, New Jersey. The stone home he built eventually grew into a clustered village, later named Stewartsville. Reportedly, Thomas surveyed most of the farms in Sussex (now Warren) County and drafted the deeds. He also served as Justice of the Peace, Common Pleas Court Judge, church elder and Trustee of the company which built the bridge over the Delaware River at Easton-Phillipsburg. Thomas and Rachel raised nine children. He died in 1836 and is buried with Rachel in the Presbyterian Cemetery in Greenwich Township.