SKETCH XXVI
A FAMILY OF FRENCH HUGUENOTS
The sons and daughters of “Glorious old Norfolk” are not excelled by those of any other community on the face of the globe, in all the qualities essential to the building up of a moral, free and enlightened commonwealth. This high social status is the growth of one short century. Not to any one pioneer element can it be attributed, but to a combination of elements. If the old foundation builders had been of one nationality and one temperament, or had they been of one religious faith, or all of the same bias we could not have attained so high a standing in so short a time. It is only by a commingling and an intermarrying of the best human elements gathered from all nations and all climes, that the highest development in the shortest possible space of time can be effected.
One of our old Woodhouse pioneers added a French Huguenot element to the blood of Norfolk, which has been widely diffused, and which has materially aided in improving the general tone of our people. The element is represented by the well-known Decew family. There are numerous American branches of this family, and a variety of forms have been adopted by the various branches for spelling the name. The old French form was “De Ceaux,” which became “De Ceue.” Among the anglicized forms in vogue are “Decou,” “Decow,” “Decue,” and “Decew.” Sometimes one of the latter forms is written with a capital “C,” thereby preserving something of the French form.[1]
When the Reformation commenced in Germany and France its adherents in the latter country were called Huguenots—a corruption of a German word meaning “confederates.” The Decews espoused the Protestant cause, and, in common with their co-religionists, were subject to cruel persecution. They fled from their native land and found a place of refuge in Yorkshire, England, where they settled. The date of this removal is not known, but it probably occurred during the time the notorious Guise family were in the ascendancy, before the dawn of the seventeenth century.
Isaac Decew, of Yorkshire, England, came to America about 1685, and settled at Newcastle, Maryland, on land bought of William Penn.[2] This was only four years after Penn received his famous grant from the Crown, and three years after his interview with the Indian tribes, under the old elm tree at Shackamaxon, now Kensington. The first meeting of Quakers in America was held in Isaac Decew’s house. In this family were four sons—Jacob, John, Isaac and Emmanuel; and two daughters—Elizabeth and Susanna. The youngest daughter was the sole issue of a second marriage, the mother being one Susanna Aston and the date of the marriage, 1681. Of this generation, Jacob settled in Burlington, Vermont, where he lived and died. John remained in England, and died in 1721, in his 51st year. Isaac settled in Burlington Co., New Jersey, where he died; and Emmanuel died in England in infancy. The descendants of two of Isaac’s granddaughters are living in New Jersey at the present time.
Jacob Decew, son of Yorkshire Isaac, had three sons—Isaac, Jacob and Eber. Isaac lived and died in Burlington, Vermont. Jacob was born in 1710, married Jane Duncan in 1736, and settled in Sussex County, New Jersey. Eber was born in 1712, and lived and died in Burlington. His descendants are living there still.
Jacob Decew, son of Jacob, of Sussex County, New Jersey, had four sons—John, Edmond, Abram and Abner; and three daughters—Patience, Jane and Sarah. It is from members of this family the Canada Decews are directly descended. The family came to the Niagara settlement about 1788. It is said that Abram remained in New Jersey. John was a captain in the Lincoln Militia in the war of 1812, and although a descendant of the progenitors of the real, simon-pure “Yankee,” he proved himself a loyal son of his adopted country.
Captain John Decew was born in 1766, and was twenty-two years old when he came to Canada. He secured a tract of land in Thorold and Grantham, on the Beaver Dam Creek, at what is known as Decew’s Falls. He traded an axe and an Indian blanket for one hundred acres of this land, and gave a gold doubloon for another one hundred acres. Aided by Colonel Hamilton, of Queenston, who imported the necessary machinery from Scotland, Mr. Decew built the first saw-mill between the two lakes, and sawed the first lumber in old Niagara district. Before the war of 1812 broke out, Captain Decew had built a commodious stone house at Beaver Dams—as it was called; and this house was used for storing military supplies. It was here where Lieutenant FitzGibbon was stationed with a small force, when Colonel Harvey conducted his brilliant exploit at Stony Creek; and it was here where the heroine, Mrs. Laura Secord, delivered her message of warning to Lieutenant FitzGibbon, after her long walk of twenty miles. FitzGibbon thus forewarned of the intended attack by Major Boerstler with six hundred Americans, was enabled to make that skilful arrangement of his little band of patriots in Captain Decew’s woods, that led the invaders to believe they were surrounded by a large force; and after a brief resistance, surrendered to only one-half their own number. In an account of this engagement written by Captain Decew, he states that the Americans were attacked by a small force of Indians in ambush, as they marched through the woods; that Lieutenant FitzGibbons advanced from the barracks at Beaver Dams on horseback bearing a white flag; that he informed them they were surrounded by an overwhelming force, and that it would be better for them to surrender as prisoners of war than to hold out against the merciless fury of the Indians. The ruse was a success, and every student of Canadian history is familiar with the result. In after years, while Mr. Decew was engaged in sawing into lumber one of the pine trees that stood in the woods where the Americans had the skirmish with the Indians, a saw was ruined by coming into contact with a grape-shot which had been imbedded in the tree. While this scene was being enacted about his home, Captain Decew was a prisoner in Philadelphia awaiting execution with a number of others. He made his escape and, under many trying difficulties, succeeded in reaching Canada by way of Vermont, passing through Burlington in the guise of a drover, and meeting some of his relatives. He reached home in safety, and was afterwards placed in charge of the Commissariat at the battle of Lundy’s Lane. After the war he built a grist-mill, but the building of the Welland Canal ruined his mill-site and destroyed the value of his mill property. In his declining years he purchased a tract of land, containing a mill priviledge, in the township of Cayuga, on which he laid out and settled the village of Decewsville. He died in 1855 in his 90th year. Mrs. Thomas Faywell, of Port Dover, and Mrs. John Hicks, of Delhi, are descendants of Captain John Decew, as was also the late Mrs. Margaret Bloomfield, of Townsend.
Abner Decow, brother of Captain John, married Elizabeth Flummerfelt, of New Jersey, and came to Long Point in the last decade of the last century, and settled in Woodhouse, near Port Dover.[3] He was one of the old advance squad of pioneers who came into Norfolk to clear away the brush for the trench-diggers who came next in order, in the work of laying our social, religious and political foundation. He died in 1826, having reached his 84th year. He had five sons—Eber, John, Isaac, Abner and Samuel; and one daughter—Charity.
Eber Decew, eldest son of Abner, married Susan Baumwart and settled finally in Michigan. In 1802 he was appointed constable for Woodhouse. He had four sons—Isaac, John, Abner and Samuel; and one daughter, Charity.[4]
John Decow, second son of Abner, married Elizabeth Long and settled in Woodhouse. He represented his township in Norfolk’s first Council—the Talbot District Council. In 1801 he was appointed constable for Woodhouse, Walpole and Rainham. He died in 1842, before the second session of the Council convened, and his vacant chair was taken by Axford Bowlby. He had three sons—John, Eber and Abner; and four daughters—Elizabeth, Margaret, Charity and Mary.
Isaac Decew, third son of Abner, married Catherine Baumwart, and settled near the homestead. He had three sons—Frederick, Samuel and Henry; and three daughters—Charity, Susanna and Elizabeth.
Abner Decew, youngest son of Abner, and his brother, Samuel, both died single.
Charity Decew,[5] only daughter of the old pioneer, married Thomas Burger, who was one of the first two settlers in the township of Houghton—George Walker being the other. Mrs. Burger had three sons—Isaac, John and David; and four daughters—Elizabeth, Sarah, Deborah and Catherine.
John Decew used to tell a funny story of his boyhood experiences. He worked a good deal for Colonel Ryerson. The Colonel employed a good many hands, and when the horn blew for dinner it was the signal for a spirited race to the table. It was “first come, first served,” and “de’il tak’ the hindmost,” for he, poor fellow, might be compelled to return to his labor with his appetite unappeased. Mr. Decew was only sixty-four when he died; and his wife, who died in 1860, was seventy-two years old.
Abram Decew, brother of Captain John and Abner, married Mary Hibler, and remained in New Jersey. He had a daughter, Jane, who came to Long Point with her uncle Abner, and married Colonel Daniel McCall about the year 1799. The preceding year, Mr. McCall commenced to build a house, and this house was removed to Vittoria sometime during this century, and is still standing and occupied as a dwelling. Mary, another daughter of Abram Decew, married Simeon Hibler in New Jersey, and ten or twelve years after the close of the the war of 1812 the Hibler family, consisting of Simeon and his wife, his parents, his brother Joseph, and his sisters Nancy and Jane, came to Long Point and settled in Vittoria, where Simeon carried on the business of blacksmithing. Nancy and Jane Hibler married, respectively, Peter Anderson and Richard Powell.[6]
[1] The first two generations in Norfolk County signed their name “Decow” and that spelling continued down to the time of the 1852 Census. Subsequently, some descendants adopted “Decew,” “DeCou” and other spellings.
[2] Early deeds in New Castle County Delaware Land Records 1673-1710 by Carol Bryant, record a sale of 300 acres of land on the south side of St. George’s Creek in New Castle County, Delaware from Roalofe Anderson and Jacob Artson to Isaac Decou, Robert Ashton and Richard Darken on 22 Oct 1786. On 1 Dec 1692, Jacob “Decow,” Isaac’s son and heir apparent, with Richard Darken, sold half of the tract.
[3] This should be Abner Decew, uncle of Captain John. The first record of Abner Decow in Norfolk County was his purchase on January 20, 1800 from Samuel Ryerse of land in Lot 6, Concession 2 and Lot 7, Concession 3, Woodhouse Twp. northwest of Port Dover on the St. John’s Church Road (Abstracts of Deeds Register of Woodhouse Twp.)
[4] In the 1812 Census of Woodhouse Twp., Eber Decow aged 35 and Susanna aged 32 had the following listed with them: John aged 8, Margaret aged 7, Sarah aged 6, and Abner aged 4. Another son Isaac was born c. 1814 according to the 1852 Census of Charlotteville Twp.
[5] Before her marriage to Thomas Burger, Charity Decew apparently had a liaison with Jonathan Sidway, a sailor on the Great Lakes who lived at Buffalo, New York. By this union, a son Edmon D. Sidway was born. Jonathan lived out his life at Buffalo, married there, and had a family. Soon after their marriage, Charity and Thomas Burger were recorded in the 1812 Census of Woodhouse Twp. and Edmon was listed in their household. According to family tradition, Edmon, who lived at Woodhouse Twp. travelled with his wife to Buffalo following Jonathan Sidway’s death and received his father’s rifle.
[6] This should be Abram Decow, uncle of Captain John. There is a confusion of generations here. Simeon and Mary (Decow) Hibler brought their family to Upper Canada in the early 1820’s. Owen suggests that Simeon’s children were his siblings. Simeon and Mary (Decow) Hibler had five children who appeared in Norfolk County records. Nancy married Jacob Cram/Crane on April 1, 1832. Huldah M. married Peter Anderson on April 17, 1832. Simeon Jr. married Permilla Griffin on August 5, 1835. All of these marriages were recorded in the London District Marriage Register. In the successor Talbot District Marriage Register is the record of marriage for Catherine Jane Hibler to Richard Powell on November 18, 1852. Joseph worked as a blacksmith in Charlotteville Twp., recorded in the 1852 Census and never married.