In This Article
His Story
In October 1781, Joseph Hewins was serving on the New York frontier when American forces moved against a British-supported expedition in the Mohawk Valley. His company had been ordered toward the area of Fort Herkimer, but before the men could join the fighting, they heard the gunfire of the Battle of Johnstown. On their return, they encountered American troops who had taken part in the engagement.
That episode, preserved in Hewins’s own Revolutionary War pension declaration, provides an unusually direct account of the uncertainty and rapid movement that characterized frontier warfare during the American Revolution.
Born on March 2, 1764, according to later family research, Joseph was reportedly the son of Increase Hewins and Jerusha Bryan. His family belonged to a broader New England lineage with roots in colonial Massachusetts and Connecticut. By the time of the Revolution, Joseph was associated with the Berkshire County community of West Stockbridge, near the New York border.
Hewins was a Massachusetts resident whose military service carried him into the network of forts and settlements protecting New York’s Mohawk Valley. He served in 1781 under officers associated with Colonel Marinus Willett’s command, and returned to military service in 1782 for an extended enlistment that continued beyond the formal end of the war.
His later duties took him among Fort Plain, Fort Herkimer, Fort Dayton, and Fort Stanwix. These posts guarded a region repeatedly threatened by raids, destroyed settlements, and military expeditions involving British forces and their Indigenous allies.
Hewins’s declaration describes arriving near Fort Herkimer after buildings had been burned and property destroyed. The fires had not entirely died out when his company reached the area.
He eventually received his discharge on January 6, 1784, after serving in the New York State Battalion. Nearly half a century later, he appeared before a Massachusetts court seeking federal recognition of his wartime service.
Joseph’s later life is now more clearly represented through genealogical and cemetery records. WikiTree identifies his wife as Phebe Kingsley Hewins and his son as Douglas Hewins. A published transcription of Hewins Cemetery in Sheffield, Massachusetts, lists Joseph, Phebe, and Douglas with death dates matching the family profiles.
Joseph Hewins died on August 14, 1848, according to both WikiTree and the Hewins Cemetery transcription. His surviving pension records preserve the movements of a soldier whose service continued through the Revolution’s final years and into the difficult period of maintaining frontier defenses after the fighting had largely ended.
Early Life
Birth and Family Origins
WikiTree reports that Joseph Hewins was born on March 2, 1764. The location of his birth has not been established in the supplied genealogical material.
His reported parents were Increase Hewins, born about 1739 and believed to have died about 1790, and Jerusha Bryan, born about 1742 and reported to have died February 5, 1795.
The same family research identifies Joseph’s younger brother as Ebenezer Hewins, born January 29, 1766. Ebenezer later married Zilpha Robinson at West Stockbridge on October 29, 1792, and died in Harpersfield Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio, on May 16, 1828.
Joseph’s reported paternal grandparents were Ebenezer Hewins (1707–1751) and Judith Porter (about 1710–1755). His maternal grandparents were Augustin Bryan (1694–1769) and Mary Thomas (1707–1791).
These relationships form part of the WikiTree family reconstruction and have not been independently verified through original birth, probate, or marriage records for this biography.
A Family with Colonial New England Roots
The family tree supplied through WikiTree traces Joseph’s paternal Hewins line through his grandfather Ebenezer to an earlier Joseph Hewins, born in 1668 and deceased in 1755, and then to Jacob Hewins, born about 1625 and deceased in 1711.
Through his mother, Jerusha Bryan, the reported ancestry extends into colonial Connecticut, particularly communities associated with Milford, New Haven, and surrounding settlements.
Such family connections place the reported ancestry within the long development of English colonial settlement in New England. The exact documentary chain linking each generation remains a subject for further genealogical verification.
West Stockbridge and the Revolutionary Generation
At the time of his pension application, Joseph Hewins lived in West Stockbridge, a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, near the New York border.
West Stockbridge occupied a position along the western edge of Massachusetts, where roads and communities connected the Berkshire region with the Hudson Valley and interior New York.
Those geographic connections help explain how a Massachusetts resident could enter military service associated with New York frontier defenses.
When the Revolutionary War began in April 1775, Joseph was eleven years old if the reported March 1764 birth date is accurate.
By the summer of 1781, when his first documented enlistment began, he was seventeen.
His occupation, education, and household circumstances before enlistment have not been established from the examined pension pages.
Revolutionary War Service
The First Enlistment — July 1781
Joseph Hewins declared that around July 1, 1781, he enlisted at West Stockbridge for a term of three months in a company commanded by Captain Marsh.
Within several days, the company marched into New York, passing through Albany, Schenectady, and settlements along the Mohawk Valley.
His pension transcription names a place rendered as “Schoham,” likely referring to a location in the Mohawk region, although the exact spelling and identification require comparison with the original manuscript.
At Fort Plain, Hewins’s company joined the regiment of Colonel Willett, identifiable in the historical context as the American commander Marinus Willett.
Willett had become an important officer in the defense of the Mohawk Valley, where British-supported expeditions and frontier raids threatened American settlements and military posts.
Hewins stated that he spent most of this enlistment with Willett’s regiment.
Captain Gross and the Approach to Johnstown
Approximately three weeks before the Battle of Johnstown, Hewins marched toward that area under Captain Gross.
His account places him there for approximately two weeks before returning to Fort Plain.
After remaining at Fort Plain for about four days, Hewins was among approximately thirty men ordered northward in response to reports of destruction or other hostile activity.
The detachment advanced toward Fort Herkimer before receiving orders to turn back.
During the return march, Hewins recalled hearing the firing from the Battle of Johnstown.
At a place transcribed as “Stonaraba,” the men encountered American troops who had participated in the engagement.
The location appears to correspond to Stone Arabia, a Mohawk Valley settlement, but the original handwriting should be checked before treating that reading as definitive.
Additional Duty at Fort Dayton
Hewins reported that his original term of service expired the day after the Johnstown engagement.
Rather than immediately returning home, he agreed to remain on duty at Fort Dayton for nine additional days.
His declaration connects this extension with the pursuit of enemy forces following the battle.
He then received his discharge and returned home, a journey he described as taking five days.
He calculated the complete period of this service, including his movements home, as three months and fourteen days.
Because his account was made decades after the events, its precise calculation should be distinguished from independently verified muster-roll service.
A Second Enlistment — April 1782
Hewins returned to military service in April 1782, enlisting at West Stockbridge for a stated term of two years.
His new company was commanded by Captain Simeon Newell.
The company marched to Albany, Schenectady, and Stone Arabia, where Hewins remembered remaining for approximately two weeks.
He then described a nighttime march toward Fort Herkimer.
Enemy forces had recently attacked the surrounding area, destroying buildings and property. Hewins recalled that some of the burned structures were still smoking when his company arrived.
This passage records the immediate aftermath of frontier destruction as observed by a soldier arriving after the attackers had withdrawn.
From there, the company marched to Fort Plain and again joined Colonel Willett’s regiment.
Fort Herkimer, Fort Dayton, and Fort Plain
During the remainder of 1782, Hewins performed duty at several frontier stations, including Fort Herkimer and Fort Dayton.
His declaration indicates that around November he was stationed at Fort Plain, where he continued military duty into the following summer.
These assignments occurred during a period when the American military position was changing. Major British armies had suffered serious reverses, but frontier posts still required protection.
The Mohawk Valley remained vulnerable to raids, disruption, and uncertainty, making the maintenance of local garrisons an important military responsibility.
Final Service at Fort Stanwix
Hewins stated that around the middle of August 1783, he marched from Fort Plain to Fort Herkimer.
He remained there for approximately seven weeks before moving to Fort Stanwix, near present-day Rome, New York.
Fort Stanwix had been an important frontier fortification during the Revolution, although its military condition and use changed over the course of the war.
Hewins continued performing military duty in the area until January 6, 1784.
His declaration preserves a transcription of the discharge issued under the authority of Captain Peter B. Farn, acting as commanding officer.
The discharge identified Hewins as a soldier of the New York State Battalion and referred to orders received from Governor George Clinton.
This final document establishes that Hewins’s military service extended beyond the 1783 peace settlement and continued into the following January.
Battles and Campaigns
Defense of the Mohawk Valley
July–October 1781 · Central New York
The Mohawk Valley was a strategic corridor linking settlements and military positions across interior New York. During the Revolution, it became a contested region involving American troops, Loyalist forces, British-sponsored expeditions, and Indigenous nations whose political and military positions were not uniform.
American military posts at Fort Plain, Fort Herkimer, and Fort Dayton helped protect settlements, support troop movements, and provide bases for patrols.
Colonel Marinus Willett was an important commander in this theater. His forces attempted to counter raids and preserve American control over vulnerable settlements.
Hewins personally reported joining Willett’s regiment at Fort Plain and spending much of his first enlistment in the region.
Participation classification: Personally reported in pension testimony.
Battle of Johnstown
October 25, 1781 · Johnstown, New York
The Battle of Johnstown occurred during a British-supported expedition into the Mohawk Valley led by Major John Ross. The expedition included Loyalist and Indigenous forces and threatened American settlements and military positions.
American forces under Colonel Marinus Willett moved to confront the expedition near Johnstown.
The resulting engagement was fought amid the continuing struggle for control of the New York frontier, even as the major British surrender at Yorktown was taking place farther south.
The fighting was followed by American efforts to pursue the withdrawing expedition.
Joseph Hewins’s Connection
Hewins stated that he had been ordered with approximately thirty men toward an area north of Fort Plain following reports of hostile activity.
His detachment turned back near Fort Herkimer.
During the return march, he heard the firing at Johnstown and later encountered American soldiers who had participated in the battle.
His own statement therefore places him near the operation and within hearing distance of the engagement, but it does not establish that he fought on the battlefield.
Participation classification: Personally reported nearby service and hearing the battle; individual combat participation not established.
Post-Battle Duty at Fort Dayton
Late October–November 1781 · Mohawk Valley, New York
Following the Battle of Johnstown, American forces continued operations intended to prevent the enemy expedition from withdrawing without further opposition.
Frontier garrisons remained important during this period because troops needed secure posts, supplies, and protected routes.
Hewins recalled that his enlistment expired immediately after the battle, but that he voluntarily continued serving at Fort Dayton for nine additional days.
This is an individually documented extension of his reported service, not merely an assignment inferred from his regiment.
Participation classification: Personally reported in pension testimony.
Frontier Destruction Near Fort Herkimer
1782 · Mohawk Valley, New York
Although large-scale British military operations had declined following Yorktown, frontier settlements remained exposed to smaller attacks and destruction.
Hewins described marching at night toward Fort Herkimer after enemy forces had burned buildings and destroyed property.
He stated that the attackers had withdrawn before his company arrived.
His recollection of the still-smoking buildings offers direct testimony concerning the aftermath of an attack, but the available transcription does not identify the specific raid by name.
The incident should therefore not be assigned to a particular documented battle without additional evidence.
Participation classification: Personally reported observation of destruction after an unidentified attack.
Final Mohawk Frontier Garrison Service
1782–January 1784 · Fort Plain, Fort Herkimer, and Fort Stanwix
As the Revolution approached its formal conclusion, military authorities continued maintaining garrisons in parts of New York.
These posts supported the transition from active wartime operations to the administration of frontier security and military demobilization.
Hewins’s account records extended duty at Fort Plain, Fort Herkimer, and Fort Stanwix.
He remained in service until January 6, 1784, when he received a discharge from the New York State Battalion.
Participation classification: Personally reported service, supported by a discharge transcribed in his pension declaration.
Military Honors and Recognition
The examined pension records identify Joseph Hewins as a private who served during the Revolutionary War.
They do not establish that he received a military decoration, battlefield commendation, or honorary rank.
Recognition Through Federal Pension
His military service was eventually recognized through a pension awarded under the Act of June 7, 1832.
The pension roll recorded an annual allowance of $42.88, commencing March 4, 1831.
This federal pension was a benefit based on qualifying service rather than a military medal or decoration.
Original Military Records
Joseph Hewins’s pension file contains an administrative pension record, a supplementary sworn statement, and pages of his 1832 declaration describing military service.
Pension Certificate and Administrative Record
Archival image: 4159451_00310.jpg
National Archives Identifier: 54861301
This record identifies Joseph Hewins as a Massachusetts pensioner and describes service as a private in the Massachusetts line.
It names Captain Gross and a colonel transcribed as Millett, and credits twelve months and twenty-six days for pension purposes.
The colonel’s name differs from the Willett spelling in Hewins’s declaration. The original document should be inspected to resolve the discrepancy.
The pension was recorded at $42.88 annually, with a certificate issued October 10, 1837.
Additional Pension Accounting Entry
Archival image: 4159451_00311.jpg
A brief handwritten entry identifies Joseph Hewins and includes a separate service-duration notation of nine months and sixteen days.
The purpose of this accounting entry is not fully established from the transcription alone.
It should not be substituted for the more detailed service chronology in Hewins’s sworn declaration.
Supplementary Sworn Statement — July 30, 1833
Archival image: 4159451_00312.jpg
Hewins acknowledged that old age and loss of memory prevented him from swearing positively to the precise duration of his military service.
He estimated three months and fourteen days of service in 1781 and one year, eight months, and twenty days during 1782–1783.
He stated that he claimed a pension for two years of service.
The statement was sworn before Justice of the Peace Robbins Kellogg.
Original Pension Declaration — October 27, 1832
Archival image: 4159451_00313.jpg
Hewins appeared before the Berkshire County Court of Common Pleas at age sixty-eight.
He described his enlistment in Captain Marsh’s company, his march into the Mohawk Valley, service under Colonel Willett, and movements around the Battle of Johnstown.
This page is particularly important because it distinguishes his presence near the battle from direct battlefield participation.
Continued Declaration and Military Discharge
Archival image: 4159451_00314.jpg
This page describes Hewins’s April 1782 enlistment under Captain Simeon Newell and his subsequent duty at Fort Plain, Fort Herkimer, Fort Dayton, and Fort Stanwix.
It also preserves a transcription of the discharge dated January 6, 1784, issued under Captain Peter B. Farn.
The discharge identified Hewins as a soldier of the New York State Battalion.
Revolutionary War Pension
The Application of October 1832
On October 27, 1832, Joseph Hewins appeared before the Berkshire County Court of Common Pleas in Massachusetts.
He stated that he was sixty-eight years old and lived in West Stockbridge.
His application sought the benefit of the federal pension law enacted June 7, 1832, which provided pensions for qualifying Revolutionary War veterans.
Hewins described two major periods of military service: a shorter enlistment in 1781 and an extended enlistment beginning in 1782.
His account included officers’ names, military posts, movements through the Mohawk Valley, and a copy of his final discharge.
The Problem of Remembering Service
In a supplementary statement dated July 30, 1833, Hewins explained that his age and declining memory made it difficult to swear to the precise length of his military service.
He nevertheless provided his best recollection of the time served.
He reported three months and fourteen days during 1781 and one year, eight months, and twenty days during the later enlistment.
Those figures total approximately two years and four days under a thirty-day-month calculation, although the detailed 1782–1784 chronology raises questions about how the later period was counted.
The Pension Award
The administrative pension record credits Hewins with twelve months and twenty-six days for the purpose of his recorded allowance.
He was placed on the Massachusetts pension roll at an annual rate of $42.88, commencing March 4, 1831.
His pension certificate was issued October 10, 1837.
The same record lists arrears of $278.72 through September 4, 1837, together with a semiannual allowance of $21.44, for a combined accounting amount of $300.16.
These figures are administrative pension calculations. They should not be interpreted as evidence of Hewins’s personal wealth or annual earnings.
From His Account
Joseph Hewins’s pension declaration contains firsthand recollections of military events. The excerpts below follow the supplied transcriptions, which have not been independently checked against the original handwriting.
Hearing the Battle of Johnstown
“on our march back heard the firing at the battle at Johnstown”
Hewins described being ordered back toward Fort Plain after advancing with a detachment toward Fort Herkimer.
His statement establishes that he heard the battle. It does not place him in the fighting itself.
Source: Pension declaration, October 27, 1832, image 4159451_00313.jpg.
The Destruction Near Fort Herkimer
“the buildings which they had burned were still smoked”
This wording is preserved as it appears in the supplied transcription. It describes the aftermath of an enemy attack encountered during Hewins’s second enlistment.
Source: Continued pension declaration, image 4159451_00314.jpg.
His Military Discharge
“the bearer Joseph Hewins a solder in the New York state Battalion is hereby discharged”
The transcription preserves the spelling “solder.” The discharge was dated January 6, 1784, and attributed to Captain Peter B. Farn.
Source: Discharge copied into pension declaration, image 4159451_00314.jpg.
Remembering His Service in Old Age
“by reason or Old age and the consequent loss of memory he cannot swear positively as to the precise length of his service”
This passage comes from the supplementary sworn statement of July 30, 1833. It helps explain why the service durations reported in different parts of the pension file should not be treated as perfectly reconciled.
Source: Supplementary statement, image 4159451_00312.jpg.
Military Service Record
| Conflict | American Revolutionary War |
|---|---|
| Allegiance | American Patriot cause |
| Rank | Private |
| Residence in 1832 | West Stockbridge, Massachusetts |
| First Enlistment | About July 1, 1781 |
| 1781 Commander | Captain Marsh |
| Other 1781 Officers | Captain Gross; Colonel Willett |
| 1781 Service | Three months and fourteen days, according to declaration |
| 1781 Stations | Albany, Schenectady, Fort Plain, Fort Herkimer region, Fort Dayton |
| Battle of Johnstown | Heard battle; did not claim to have fought in it |
| Second Enlistment | April 1782 |
| 1782 Commander | Captain Simeon Newell |
| Later Organization | New York State Battalion |
| 1782–1784 Stations | Stone Arabia, Fort Herkimer, Fort Plain, Fort Dayton, Fort Stanwix |
| Discharge Date | January 6, 1784 |
| Discharging Officer | Captain Peter B. Farn, as transcribed |
| Pension Law | Act of June 7, 1832 |
| Pension Certificate | Issued October 10, 1837 |
| Annual Pension | $42.88 |
| NARA Identifier | 54861301 |
Service qualification: The detailed enlistment periods reflect Hewins’s own recollections. The pension administration credited a shorter duration for the allowance. Those two types of records should be distinguished rather than silently reconciled.
Later Life and Burial
Return to Civilian Life
After his discharge in January 1784, Joseph Hewins eventually returned to civilian life in Massachusetts.
His pension declaration establishes that he lived in West Stockbridge in October 1832. The examined military documents do not identify his occupation or household circumstances during the intervening decades.
Later genealogical research identifies his wife as Phebe Kingsley, born October 3, 1771, and deceased May 9, 1843.
WikiTree identifies their son as Douglas Hewins, born August 1, 1805, and deceased March 15, 1858. The date of Joseph and Phebe’s marriage has not been established from the supplied sources.
A Veteran Seeking a Pension
Hewins was sixty-eight years old when he applied for a pension in 1832.
His supplementary declaration the following year reveals the difficulties of reconstructing military service from memories that were more than fifty years old.
Nevertheless, he supplied a detailed account of his officers, routes, military stations, and discharge.
His pension certificate was issued in 1837, when he was approximately seventy-three years old.
West Stockbridge, Lenox, and Sheffield
Joseph’s pension declaration places him in West Stockbridge in 1832, while the administrative pension record associates him with Lenox, Massachusetts.
WikiTree reports that he died in Sheffield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, on August 14, 1848.
These three Berkshire County locations are consistent with a life connected to western Massachusetts, but the supplied documents do not establish precisely when or why he moved between them.
Death on August 14, 1848
WikiTree reports that Joseph Hewins died August 14, 1848, at age eighty-four, in Sheffield, Massachusetts.
The WikiTree biography cites Massachusetts vital records, 1841–1910, held by the Massachusetts Archives and available through AmericanAncestors.org, as its source for the death information.
A separate transcription of Hewins Cemetery in Sheffield lists “Hewins, Joseph” with a birth year of 1764 and death date of August 14, 1848.
The agreement between the genealogical profile and cemetery transcription provides substantial support for identifying the Revolutionary War pensioner with the Joseph Hewins buried in Sheffield. The original vital-record entry and gravestone have not been independently examined for this biography.
Hewins Cemetery
Joseph Hewins is listed in a published transcription of Hewins Cemetery, Town of Sheffield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, maintained through the Massachusetts GenWeb Project on RootsWeb.
The same transcription records Phebe Hewins, born in 1771 and deceased May 9, 1843, and Douglas Hewins, born in 1804 and deceased March 15, 1858.
Those entries correspond closely with the family relationships reported by WikiTree. The cemetery list itself does not explicitly state that Phebe was Joseph’s wife or Douglas his son.
Douglas’s reported birth year differs between the sources: WikiTree gives August 1, 1805, while the cemetery transcription gives 1804. Both agree on his death date.
The cemetery also contains other Hewins burials, including Joseph H. Hewins, Jerusha Hewins, and a younger Phebe Hewins. Their precise relationships to Joseph remain unverified.
Joseph’s reported burial in Hewins Cemetery connects his military history with a local family burial ground in Sheffield, where several generations of people bearing the Hewins surname were memorialized.
Family History
The Yost Post · Family DirectoryJoseph Hewins’s family has been reconstructed through WikiTree profiles and a published transcription of Hewins Cemetery in Sheffield, Massachusetts. The cemetery records corroborate several death dates, while the relationships and earlier ancestry remain attributed to the genealogical profiles unless independently supported by original records.
Family Name & Heritage Hewins Explore surname origins and family history
Meaning and Etymology
Hewins is a patronymic surname associated with the Scottish personal name Ewan, an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Eogann. The final s represents a patronymic development, indicating descent from or association with a person bearing the underlying personal name. SurnameDB connects Eogann with the Latin Eugenius and Greek Eugenios, traditionally interpreted as well-born or noble. Earlier explanations associated the name with John, derived from the Hebrew Johanan, meaning God has favored, while another proposed interpretation connects it with a Proto-Celtic expression meaning born of the yew. These explanations represent different historical attempts to account for the name's origin and should not be treated as equally established. The surname Hewins developed within a wider group of related personal-name and patronymic forms, including Ewan, Ewen, Hewin, Ewens, and Yewen. Its recorded spelling reflects the interaction of Gaelic naming traditions with English-language pronunciation and recordkeeping.
Early Historical Records
SurnameDB identifies the personal-name forms Ewen and Ewei in the Domesday Book of 1086 for Herefordshire, demonstrating the presence of related names in England during the eleventh century. These are personal-name occurrences rather than established examples of the hereditary surname Hewins. The earliest related surname spelling cited is Walter Ywain, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire in 1202 during the reign of King John (1199–1216). Later Scottish parish records include the baptism of James, son of William Eunson, at Banchory Devenick in Kincardineshire on June 7, 1743. Another example is the marriage of David Eunson and Jean Duncan at Old Machar, Aberdeen, on May 25, 1758. These records demonstrate the continued use of related patronymic forms in Scotland during the eighteenth century. However, the individuals recorded under the names Ywain and Eunson cannot be assumed to belong to the same genealogical family as later bearers of the surname Hewins.
Historical Spellings and Variations
Related personal-name and surname forms identified by SurnameDB include Eogann, Ewan, Ewen, Ewei, Ywain, Ewin, Ewing, Hewin, Yewen, Ewens, Ewins, Ewings, Youens, Eunson, and Hewins. Some forms represent personal names, while others developed as hereditary surnames or patronymics. The initial H in Hewin and Hewins may reflect historical variation in pronunciation or written representation, while the final s is consistent with patronymic surname formation. Eunson represents another patronymic development associated with the same broader naming tradition. These linguistic relationships do not establish that all families bearing these surnames share a common ancestor. Genealogical connections require documentary evidence linking particular individuals and generations.
Historical Development
The Hewins surname developed from a personal-name tradition associated with Gaelic-speaking Scotland and related forms recorded in medieval England. The name Eogann became Anglicized in forms such as Ewan and Ewen, which could subsequently develop into hereditary surnames. During the medieval period, personal names frequently served as the basis for identifying descendants, with patronymic endings distinguishing individuals through their fathers or earlier ancestors. In English and Scottish naming practices, the addition of s could produce forms indicating a son or descendant, contributing to surnames such as Ewens and Hewins. The appearance of Ewen and Ewei in the Domesday Book of 1086 demonstrates the antiquity of related personal-name forms in England. Walter Ywain's appearance in Warwickshire records in 1202 provides an early example of a related medieval surname spelling. By the eighteenth century, Scottish parish registers preserve additional patronymic forms, including Eunson, in Aberdeen and Kincardineshire. The historical development of these forms reflects regional pronunciation, the interaction of Gaelic and English naming systems, and the gradual establishment of hereditary surnames. The surviving examples establish the use of related names across several centuries but do not demonstrate one continuous Hewins family lineage.
Colonial American Connections
The supplied SurnameDB history does not identify a specific Hewins immigrant to colonial North America, establish the surname's earliest American appearance, or document a particular Hewins family during the Revolutionary War. The surname's Scottish and English linguistic associations provide a possible geographical background for families who later settled in America, but they do not establish the ancestry of any individual American bearer. Colonial records may preserve variant spellings, making it important to examine Hewins alongside potentially related forms such as Hewin and Ewens when the historical evidence supports doing so. Research into American Hewins families should include church registers, town records, probate documents, land transactions, tax lists, immigration records, and military service documentation. Particular attention should be given to identifying parents, spouses, children, residences, and changes in surname spelling across generations. A Revolutionary War soldier named Hewins should not automatically be connected to the Scottish Eunson records or the medieval English Ywain record without evidence establishing the intervening family relationships.
Surname Research Note
The etymological history of Hewins involves several related but distinct questions. SurnameDB identifies Hewins as a patronymic associated with Ewan and Gaelic Eogann, while also discussing proposed Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and Proto-Celtic explanations for the underlying personal name. These theories should be distinguished from the documented history of individual surname bearers. The Domesday Book entries for Ewen and Ewei in 1086 are personal-name examples, not proof that Hewins existed as a hereditary surname at that date. Likewise, Walter Ywain in 1202 represents a related medieval spelling rather than a confirmed early bearer of the exact surname Hewins. The eighteenth-century Scottish records concern individuals named Eunson and do not independently establish their relationship to Hewins families. For Revolutionary War research, the surname's general linguistic background should remain separate from a soldier's documented genealogy. A specific family's Scottish or English ancestry must be demonstrated through records rather than inferred from surname similarity.
Family relationships and colonial ancestry are reported by WikiTree. Joseph’s Revolutionary War service is independently documented through his pension file. The Hewins Cemetery transcription corroborates death dates and reported burial locations but does not itself establish kinship.
His Parents
WikiTree identifies Increase Hewins as Joseph’s father and the son of Ebenezer Hewins and Judith Porter. His birth and death years are approximate.
View Additional Research
Increase Hewins
Increase is reported to have married Jerusha Bryan and fathered Joseph and Ebenezer Hewins.
His WikiTree biography associates the family with Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Claims about his wider movements require independent chronological and documentary verification.
The precise date and location of his death have not been established through an original record examined for this biography.
WikiTree identifies Jerusha Bryan as Joseph’s mother, the wife of Increase Hewins, and a daughter of Augustin Bryan and Mary Thomas.
View Additional Research
Jerusha Bryan
WikiTree reports that Jerusha was born about 1742 in the Canaan area of Connecticut and died February 5, 1795, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
Her reported parents were Augustin Bryan (1694–1769) and Mary Thomas (1707–1791).
The supplied WikiTree profile cites a later Massachusetts death-record entry mentioning Jerusha in connection with Elijah Hewins. That citation should be examined before treating it as direct proof of every biographical detail.
His Wife
WikiTree identifies Phebe Kingsley as Joseph Hewins’s wife and the mother of Douglas Hewins. Her death date is corroborated by the Hewins Cemetery transcription, which lists Phebe Hewins as dying May 9, 1843.
View Additional Research
Marriage and Family
The date and place of Joseph and Phebe’s marriage have not been established from the supplied material.
The cemetery transcription lists Phebe as born in 1771, consistent with WikiTree’s more precise reported birth date of October 3, 1771.
Her parents have not been identified in the supplied WikiTree family information.
The marriage relationship should be corroborated through an original marriage record, probate document, or contemporary family record.
His Children
WikiTree identifies Douglas as the son of Joseph Hewins and Phebe Kingsley. It reports a birth date of August 1, 1805. The Hewins Cemetery transcription gives a birth year of 1804. Both sources record his death on March 15, 1858.
View Additional Research
Douglas Hewins and His Family
Douglas’s WikiTree biography names Mary Vosburg as his wife, although its structured family section does not identify a spouse.
The same profile identifies Arthur M. Hewins Sr. as Douglas’s son.
Douglas is listed in Hewins Cemetery in Sheffield, Massachusetts, where Joseph and Phebe are also recorded.
His birth year remains unresolved because the WikiTree profile and cemetery transcription differ by approximately one year.
His reported marriage to Mary Vosburg and relationship to Arthur M. Hewins Sr. require additional supporting documentation.
His Brother
WikiTree identifies Ebenezer as Joseph’s younger brother and a son of Increase Hewins and Jerusha Bryan.
View Additional Research
Marriage and Migration
Ebenezer married Zilpha Robinson on October 29, 1792, in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The supplied WikiTree profile cites a FamilySearch Massachusetts vital-record entry for this marriage.
WikiTree identifies their son as Darwin Hewins (1816–1881).
Ebenezer reportedly died May 16, 1828, in Harpersfield Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio, and was buried in Harper Cemetery.
His WikiTree profile cites Find a Grave Memorial 108036333 for the burial information.
His Grandparents
Reported by WikiTree as the father of Increase Hewins and a son of Joseph Hewins and Mehitable Lyon.
Reported by WikiTree as the wife of Ebenezer Hewins and daughter of William Porter and Phebe Dorman.
Reported by WikiTree as the father of Jerusha Bryan and a member of the Bryan family associated with Milford, Connecticut.
Reported by WikiTree as the wife of Augustin Bryan and mother of Jerusha Bryan.
Earlier Hewins Ancestors
WikiTree places this earlier Joseph Hewins in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and identifies him as the father of Ebenezer Hewins (1707–1751).
Reported by WikiTree as the wife of the earlier Joseph Hewins and mother of Ebenezer Hewins.
The earliest Hewins ancestor in the supplied paternal lineage, according to WikiTree. His precise English origins and relationship to later generations require verification through original records.
Reported by WikiTree as Jacob Hewins’s wife. Her maiden surname has not been established in the supplied family tree.
Reported Grandson
WikiTree identifies Arthur M. Hewins Sr. as a son of Douglas Hewins, making him a reported grandson of Joseph Hewins.
The supplied material does not establish Arthur’s birth, death, spouse, or burial details.
Other Hewins Burials in Sheffield
The Massachusetts GenWeb transcription of Hewins Cemetery lists additional individuals bearing the Hewins surname. Some may have been relatives or descendants of Joseph and Phebe, but their relationships have not been established from the cemetery list alone.
| Name | Birth | Death |
|---|---|---|
| Anson K. Hewins | 1807 | October 1, 1866 |
| Aurelia Hewins | 1799 | October 11, 1884 |
| Chandler S. Hewins | 1848 | September 14, 1916 |
| George B. Hewins | 1864 | 1873 |
| Henry B. Hewins | May 8, 1841 | December 28, 1841 |
| Horatio L. Hewins | 1838 | May 27, 1863 |
| J. Sylvester Hewins | 1835 | January 22, 1866 |
| Jerusha Hewins | 1814 | June 7, 1891 |
| Joseph D. Hewins | 1862 | 1873 |
| Joseph H. Hewins | 1808 | March 19, 1843 |
| Phebe Hewins | 1802 | June 27, 1871 |
Joseph H. Hewins, Jerusha Hewins, and the younger Phebe Hewins were born during a period compatible with being children of Joseph and Phebe, but chronology and shared surname are insufficient to establish parentage. They should remain research leads rather than confirmed descendants.
Outstanding Family Research
Original records are still needed to confirm the reported marriage of Joseph Hewins and Phebe Kingsley, establish Douglas Hewins’s correct birth year, and document the parent-child links in the earlier colonial lineage.
The Hewins Cemetery transcription supplies strong corroboration for the death dates of Joseph, Phebe, and Douglas. A gravestone photograph or contemporary burial register would provide additional evidence.
The relationships of Anson K., Aurelia, Jerusha, Joseph H., and the other Hewins individuals buried at Sheffield remain open questions.
Original Sources
This biography draws on Joseph Hewins’s Revolutionary War pension file, published genealogical profiles, and a cemetery transcription. The pension file is the principal evidence for his military service. WikiTree and the cemetery transcription provide the reported family and burial information.
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Joseph Hewins — Revolutionary War Pension File.
National Archives Identifier 54861301. Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, M804.
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Pension Certificate and Administrative Record.
Image 4159451_00310.jpg. Massachusetts pension roll; $42.88 annual allowance; certificate issued October 10, 1837.
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Additional Pension Accounting Entry.
Image 4159451_00311.jpg. Handwritten service and accounting notations.
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Supplementary Sworn Statement of Joseph Hewins.
July 30, 1833. Image 4159451_00312.jpg. Statement concerning memory and estimated service duration, sworn before Robbins Kellogg.
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Joseph Hewins’s Original Pension Declaration.
October 27, 1832. Image 4159451_00313.jpg. Berkshire County Court of Common Pleas. Account of 1781 service and movements near the Battle of Johnstown.
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Continuation of Pension Declaration and Discharge.
Image 4159451_00314.jpg. Account of service beginning in April 1782 and transcription of discharge dated January 6, 1784.
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WikiTree — Joseph Hewins (1764–1848).
Collaborative genealogical profile reporting Joseph’s birth and death dates, parents Increase Hewins and Jerusha Bryan, wife Phebe Kingsley, brother Ebenezer Hewins, and son Douglas Hewins. Profile managed by John Green; last modified October 4, 2021, according to the supplied profile text.
The profile cites Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910, through AmericanAncestors.org for Joseph’s death.
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WikiTree — Douglas Hewins (1805–1858).
Collaborative genealogical profile reporting Douglas as a son of Joseph Hewins and Phebe Kingsley, husband of Mary Vosburg, and father of Arthur M. Hewins Sr. The profile reports a birth date of August 1, 1805, and death date of March 15, 1858.
The supplied profile does not identify a specific original record supporting the marriage or parent-child relationships.
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WikiTree — Ebenezer Hewins (1766–1828).
Collaborative genealogical profile identifying Ebenezer as Joseph’s brother, husband of Zilpha Robinson, and father of Darwin Hewins.
The profile cites a Massachusetts vital-record entry available through FamilySearch for the October 29, 1792, marriage.
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WikiTree — Increase Hewins (about 1739–about 1790).
Collaborative genealogical profile identifying Increase as Joseph’s father and son of Ebenezer Hewins and Judith Porter. The dates and family relationships require independent verification.
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WikiTree — Jerusha Bryan Hewins (about 1742–1795).
Collaborative genealogical profile identifying Jerusha as Joseph’s mother and daughter of Augustin Bryan and Mary Thomas.
The profile cites a Massachusetts death-record entry mentioning Jerusha in connection with Elijah Hewins.
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Hewins Cemetery, Town of Sheffield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
Published cemetery transcription through the Massachusetts GenWeb Project, hosted on RootsWeb. The supplied transcription lists Joseph Hewins (1764–August 14, 1848), Phebe Hewins (1771–May 9, 1843), and Douglas Hewins (1804–March 15, 1858), together with other Hewins burials.
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Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841–1910.
Original records held by the Massachusetts Archives and referenced in the WikiTree profile for Joseph Hewins. The original entry was not independently examined for this biography.
Source qualification: The linked National Archives catalog record is the file-level reference. The individual image names are archival identifiers, not separate verified public image URLs. The WikiTree and cemetery details were supplied as transcribed text and have not been independently checked against the original records.
Historical Research Note
Documentation and Historical Interpretation
Primary military evidence: This biography relies on five transcribed images associated with Joseph Hewins’s pension file, National Archives Identifier 54861301.
Birth: WikiTree reports March 2, 1764. This is consistent with Hewins’s statement that he was sixty-eight years old in October 1832. The original birth record has not been independently examined.
Parents: Increase Hewins and Jerusha Bryan are identified as Joseph’s parents by WikiTree. Original records establishing the relationship remain to be examined.
Wife and child: WikiTree identifies Phebe Kingsley as Joseph’s wife and Douglas Hewins as their son. Matching death dates in the Hewins Cemetery transcription support the identification of these individuals, but the cemetery list does not independently establish the relationships.
Douglas Hewins: WikiTree gives his birth as August 1, 1805; the Hewins Cemetery transcription gives 1804. Both sources report March 15, 1858, as his death date. The discrepancy remains unresolved.
Earlier ancestry: The reported Hewins paternal line extends to Jacob Hewins, born about 1625. The reported maternal Bryan line extends into colonial Connecticut. The genealogical connections have not been independently verified generation by generation.
Military service: Hewins described service in 1781 and an extended enlistment beginning in April 1782. His account continued through his discharge on January 6, 1784.
Battle of Johnstown: Hewins explicitly reported hearing the battle and encountering troops who had participated in it. His statement does not establish that he personally fought in the engagement.
Regimental names: The pension certificate uses a colonel’s name transcribed as Millett, while Hewins’s declaration names Willett. The identification of Colonel Marinus Willett is supported by the historical context, but the manuscript spelling should be examined.
Service duration: Hewins’s supplementary statement claims approximately two years of service. The administrative pension record credits twelve months and twenty-six days for its recorded allowance. These differences have not been independently reconciled.
Discharge: Hewins’s declaration includes a copy of a January 6, 1784, discharge identifying him as a soldier in the New York State Battalion. The original discharge document has not been independently examined.
Death: WikiTree reports Joseph’s death on August 14, 1848, in Sheffield, Massachusetts, citing Massachusetts vital records. The same death date appears in the Hewins Cemetery transcription.
Burial: Joseph is listed in Hewins Cemetery in Sheffield. Phebe and Douglas also appear in the cemetery transcription. The original gravestones have not been independently inspected.
Other cemetery burials: Additional individuals bearing the Hewins surname are listed in the cemetery. Their relationships to Joseph are not established solely by shared surname, approximate ages, or burial location.
Place names: Some locations in the pension transcription are difficult to read. “Stonaraba” appears consistent with Stone Arabia, and “Fort Stanwise” with Fort Stanwix. These identifications should be checked against the original scans.
Portrait disclosure: The accompanying image, “Colonial Militia Portrait with Musket,” is a modern artistic interpretation supplied for The Yost Post. It is not an authenticated eighteenth-century likeness of Joseph Hewins.
Research status: The biography distinguishes Hewins’s personal military recollections, later pension administration, published cemetery information, collaborative genealogical research, and unresolved questions. Original muster rolls, Massachusetts vital records, probate records, marriage records, and cemetery inscriptions may clarify the remaining uncertainties.