Aaron Hankinson (February 7, 1735 – October 9, 1806) was a military officer during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
Matawan
Matawan is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A historic community located near the Raritan Bay in the much larger Raritan River, Raritan Valley region, the borough ...
Province of New Jersey
The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after the ...
, to Rachel Mattison (1707–1784) and Joseph Hankinson (1706–1783).Schaeffer, Casper (Rev., M.D.) and Johnson, William M. (1907) Memoirs and Reminiscences: Together with Sketches of the Early History of Sussex County, New Jersey. Hackensack, New Jersey: privately printed. During his youth, the family moved to Rowland Mills in Readington Township in the northern Highlands region of
Hunterdon County
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county, On February 9, 1764, he married Mary Snyder (1740–1806), and relocated to Sussex County north of the present-day village of Stillwater, then in Upper Hardwick. His father purchased 363 acres which he divided between Aaron and his brother William (1737–1796).
On July 26, 1775, Hankinson was commissioned a captain in the Sussex County Militia, commanded by Colonel Ephraim Martin. He was raised to Colonel the following year and stationed at
Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.
The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...
to defend the New Jersey coast along
New York Harbor
New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Con ...
near Philadelphia. Later in the war, Hankinson and the militia were stationed in the Minisink, a region encompassing the area north of the Delaware Water Gap surrounding the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...
's valley in northwestern New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania, and the
Neversink River
The Neversink River (also called Neversink Creek in its upper course) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in southeastern Ne ...
in
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen. This county was first created in 1683 and reorganized with its present boundaries in 1798.
Orange ...
. Here, after the burning of Machackameck (now Port Jervis, New York, the militia was ordered to prevent incursions by British loyalists, tories, and their allied Indian tribes (Munsee, Lenape, Iroquois) under Captain
Joseph Brant
Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant (March 1743 – November 24, 1807) was a Mohawk people, Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York (state), New York, who was closely associated with Kingdom of Great Britain, Great B ...
. This region was formerly defended by
Pulaski's Legion
Pulaski's Legion was a cavalry and infantry regiment raised on March 28, 1778 at Baltimore, Maryland under the command of Polish-born General Casimir Pulaski and Hungarian nobleman Michael Kovats de Fabriczy for their service with the Continent ...
before their deployment to operations in South Carolina. At the close of the war, Hankinson was promoted to
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
.
After the conclusion of the Revolution, Hankinson was elected to serve in the New Jersey General Assembly, and served several terms from 1782 to 1786 and 1788 to 1792. In ''Memoirs and Reminiscences'', Schaeffer describes Hankinson as "a farmer by occupation, an elder and leading member of the Hardwick church, and at one time chorister of the same. The old gentleman was a good kind of man."
Hankinson died on October 9, 1806, and was buried in the churchyard of the Yellow Frame Presbyterian Church (known then as Upper Hardwick) presently located on the border between Fredon Township and
Frelinghuysen Township, New Jersey
Frelinghuysen Township () is a township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 2,199, a drop of 31 people since the 2010 census.
Hankinson and his wife Mary (née Snyder) had 13 children, and among his descendants include
William A. Newell
William Augustus Newell (September 5, 1817August 8, 1901), was an American physician and politician, who was a three-term member of the United States House of Representatives, served as a Republican as the 18th governor of New Jersey, and as the ...