Jethro New, originally from Delaware, died in Indiana in the 1820s, a veteran of the Revolutionary War and father of a dozen children, several of whom became politicians and religious leaders in Southern Indiana.
In their biographies and family histories, they recount the tale that Jethro New, as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, was a guard for Major André and witnessed his execution.
Major John André
As a member of the British Secret Service, John André was responsible for corresponding with Benedict Arnold.
In 1780, during a mission, he was traveling through Westchester, New York with correspondence tucked into his boot. He was stopped by patrolling militiamen and the incriminating paperwork was discovered.
He was arrested, convicted and sentenced in a matter of days. He was held in Tappan, New York and in early October of 1780, hanged as a spy.
Henry Neill, of the Second Delaware Regiment
A Membership Application to Sons of the American Revolution states that Jethro New enlisted in 1778 and he served under Col. Henry O’Neill in the 2d Delaware Regiment. The Delaware Archives lists Jethro New as a soldier of indeterminate rank in Henry Neill’s 2nd Delaware Regiment.
Henry Neill was the Lieutenant Colonel of a regiment of Delaware militia that served in northern New Jersey during the summer of 1780. The regiment served the garrison at Dobbs Ferry on the Hudson. They finished their service shortly after the execution of André, and they were sent home by end of November 1780.
Dobbs Ferry was situated across from the Palisades and just 5 miles east of Tappan, New York where André was hanged. It was an area of considerable activity between the British and the Colonists. The Delaware Regiment, while stationed there were garrisoned at the earthworks, charged with creating more earthwards and conducted patrols along the river.
In the course of their duties, Col. Neill encountered Benedict Arnold as he arrived in the area on a barge on the Hudson. Additionally, when the British sent men to ask Washington to spare André’s life, they “selected Dobbs Ferry as a point of contact”. In reward for their service at Dobbs Ferry, the Delaware men were each awarded a quart of rum.
Sources
Ancestry.com. U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. #92427
Delaware Archives. (1912). United States: Star Publishing Company, p. 646
https://archives.delaware.gov/guide-revolutionary-war-records/
Washington, George. George Washington Papers, Series 3, Varick Transcripts, 1775 to 1785, Subseries 3B, Continental and State Military Personnel, 1775 to 1783, Letterbook 12:- Dec. 31, 1780. 1780. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/mgw3b.012/
“Col. Neill’s Delaware Milita Faced Traitors” The Morning News | Wilmington, Delaware | 21 Jun 1962, Thu • Page 17 | newspapers.com
Finding the Yellow Bricks 