The big excitement here is that Aaron Van Benschoten supposedly took care of George Washington’s horses & was in his body guard. Both Aaron & his dad, Isaac, were Revolutionary War soldiers & you can find them in the official DAR & SAR records.
Although I think it is pretty amazing to trace back to Teunis in the Netherlands in the 1600s as well!
I haven’t verified everything myself in original records yet, but here is what I have so far from various sources:
![The Ancestors of Nellie Benschoter](https://www.jillholman.com/genealogy/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Nellie-Benschoter-Pedigree-1024x272.jpg)
And let’s chat about Oliver a bit because he sounds like quite a character. He was married to his first wife Martha & they had 6 kids & then he married Sarah & she had 10 kids. There are nice stories of Oliver in frontier Iowa, being a great blacksmith, running a hotel & being sheriff.
And Oliver is still remembered! He was one of the pioneers in Voices from the Past at Riverview Cemetery in Algona in 2014.
![Oliver Benschoter](https://jillholman.com/genealogy/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Oliver-Benschoter.jpg)
![Sarah Crose Benschoter](https://jillholman.com/genealogy/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Sarah-Crose-Benschoter.jpg)
Following this family through the census records:
1790 – Aaron is in Shawangunk, Ulster, NY
1800 – Aaron is in Mamakating, Ulster, NY
1810 – Aaron is in Neversink, Sullivan, NY
1820 – Aaron is in Red Hook, Dutchess, NY
1830 – William is in Middleton, Delaware, NY
1840 – Oliver is in Berlin, Erie, OH
1850 – Oliver is in Berlin, Erie, OH
1860 – Oliver is in Algona, Kossuth, IA
1870 – Oliver is in Algona, Kossuth, IA
1880 – Oliver is in Portland, Kossuth, IA
1885 – Oliver is in Portland, Kossuth, IA
1895 – Oliver is in Silver Lake, Martin, MN
1900 – Sarah is in Silver Lake, Martin, MN
1910 – Sarah is in Silver Lake, Martin, MN
Resources
- History of Kossuth and Humbolt Counties, Iowa from 1884
- Memorial Record of the Counties of Faribault, Martin, Watonwan and Jackson, Minnesota from 1895
- Ray McWhorter’s Van Benschoten, Benschoten, Seeley, Seely: The Benschoter Line of Alice Esther Benschoter Seely
- Concerning the Van Bunschoten or Van Benschoten Family in America by William Henry Van Benschoten