Ner Middleswarth (December 12, 1783 – June 2, 1865) was an American politician from New Jersey who served as a Whig member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district is located in the south-central region of the state. It encompasses all of Dauphin County as well as parts of Cumberland County and York County. The district includes the cities of Harrisburg and York. ...

from 1853 to 1855. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from 1815 to 1841 including two terms as speaker of the house. He also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 15th district from 1853 to 1854.

Early life

Middleswarth was born on December 12, 1783 in New Jersey, of Dutch ancestry, the son of John and Martha (Reed) Middleswarth. He was baptized 12 April 1745 in

Somerset County, New Jersey Somerset County is a county located in the north-central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 345,361, an increase of 21,917 (6.8%) from the 323,444 counted at the 2010 U.S Cen ...

. John Middleswarth served as a Quartermaster Sergeant for Colonel Sylvanus Seely's regiment in the New Jersey militia during the American Revolution. John Middleswarth was from the Van Middleswaert family, who came from the Netherlands to

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

to Flatbush and then moved to Somerset, New Jersey in the 1690s. The Dutch used a Patronymic naming system and took the first name of the father, and made it the last name. Teunis Nyssen, the ancestor who came to America from Ultrecht, Binnick, Netherlands, used Nyssen or DeNys. His son Jan Teunis Nyssen baptized 1654 used a last name of Teunison and eventually the surname Van Middleswart. In 1792, Middleswarth moved with his parents to Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. He grew up on this farm with his brother Abraham, and his four sisters-Mary, Martha, Rachel and Rebecca. Indians would visit the spring near their home to cure their meat and game. Ner had only three months of formal schooling. He was self-taught in both the English and

Pennsylvania German The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spea ...

languages and spoke both fluently. He grew up to be a strong 200-pound man, filled with a strong sense of duty to his friends and neighbors. He married Christine Schwartzkop and raised a family of twelve children.

Public service

In 1812, Ner Middleswarth raised a company of Volunteers and entered the war of 1812 as captain, attached to the Pennsylvania Riflemen. Again in 1814, he raised another company which was attached to General

Thomas McCall Cadwalader Thomas McCall Cadwalader (September 11, 1795 – October 22, 1873) was an American who trained to be a lawyer but made his career in the military, retiring as a major general. Early life Thomas McCall Cadwalader was born on the family estate ca ...

's Division, commanded by Colonel Uhl during the

Niagara campaign The Niagara campaign occurred in 1814 and was the final campaign launched by the United States to invade Canada during the War of 1812. The campaign was launched to counter the British offensive in the Niagara region which had been initiated with t ...

. At the completion of his military service in 1815, Middleswarth was elected to the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

. He was re-elected for thirteen terms during the period of 1815-1842 in the Legislature. During his tenure, he was named as

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

in 1828 and 1836. He was elected to the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

, for one term, and from 1853 to 1855 he was a member of the United States House of Representatives from

. He was a Whig, and later a Republican. In 1858, he served as an Associate Judge of the county. This was his final role as a public servant.

Final years

Ner was quite successful in business outside of government. He lost a great deal of his wealth, however, on a failed iron business called "Beaver Furnace" near Paxtonville, Pennsylvania. Middleswarth died at the age of 81 years on June 2, 1865. He is buried with his wife Christina Schwartzkop at Beavertown Cemetery in

Beavertown, Snyder County, Pennsylvania Beavertown is a borough in Snyder County, located in Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley, United States. The population was 1,005 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total are ...

References

Notes

*Snyder County Pa Historical Society, volume I, page 81 and 82 *"Hon. Ner Middleswarth, written by his grandson Ner B Middleswarth

Sources