Sarah Dense from some accounts had a colorful history, I for one, have found nothing to corroborate the fantastic tale you are about to read but it was out on the internet so I will let you decide on your own.
"Rumors are that Sarah was born in The Netherlands and came to America as a young girl. She was captured by Indians and lived with them until her escape then she married John Van Wie." Wow! If only I could find documentation!
Sarah Dense (or Duense) was born on September 24, between 1778 and 1782 depending on the source. On the 1850 Census it states her birth place as New Jersey; on the 1860 Census she is shown as having been born in New York; on the 1870 Census it states that she was born in Connecticut. It is my opinion that she was born in New York state but I have no documentation to prove it. New York Genealogical Records state her birth date as 1782 and born in New York City.
Regardless of when or where she was born, Sarah was married to John Van Wie around 1797 supposedly in Orange County, New York. They lived around Seneca, New York and by all accounts lead a very normal life. Sarah and John had 9 children during their time together.
1. Lesbe Van Wey (1798-1871) married Daniel Easton
2. Mary Dense Van Wey (1799-1883) married Joseph Gallup
3. Charles Van Wey (1801-?) may be buried in Boise, Idaho
4. John M. Van Wey (1802-?)
5. Richard Stuphin Van Wey (1805-1880) married Catherine Lord
6. Eliza C. Van Wey (1808-1889) married Morgan Lewis Walldorf
7. Grace G. Van Wey (1810-1813)*
8. Infant Van Wey (1812-1812)*
9. Sarah Van Vey (1813-1813)*
After John's death in 1814*, Sarah married Thomas Horton in 1815. She must have thought highly of her 1st husband because her son with Thomas was named 10. John Van Wey Horton who was born in 1816 and later married Margaret Jordan. After Thomas died in 1830 Sarah went to live with her daughters until her death in 1872. Her obituary in "The Havana Journal, NY" dated June 29, 1872 states: At the funeral services of Mrs Sarah Horton, held at the M. E. Church in Lodi, on the 2nd of June, there were represented in the line of mourners five successive generations, the deceased, ninety-four years of age, having a daughter, a granddaughter, a great-granddaughter, and a great-great-granddaughter, all of whom followed her remains to the grave. Very few can say that they have attended their great-great-grandmother's funeral.
Sarah is buried in Ovid Union Cemetery, Seneca County, New York.
*There were several epidemics that were recorded along the Canadian border during the War of 1812. Among them were measles and typhoid fever. It is only speculation on my part that this might have been a contributing factor to these deaths.
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