The letters in this collection demonstrate the close relationships maintained by the Bennett, Tandy, and Van Winkle families during the American Civil war. The Bennett correspondents in this collection are fifth generation descendants of William Adrianse Bennet, who along with Jacques Bentyn, bought tracts of land from the Canarsee Native Americans in 1636, and became the first settlers of Gowanus in Brooklyn, New York. Catharine M. Bennett Tandy, Winant (Winie, Winnie), and Harmanus (Harmie, Harman) Bennett are three of the six children of Maria Wyckoff and Harman Bennett. Catharine Bennett married Abram Van Winkle Tandy; Abram's uncle, Frank Van Winkle and Winant Bennett both fought for the Union Army and Navy during the American Civil War. Winant Bennett served in the 90th New York Infantry Regiment at the Marine and Stewart Hospitals in Key West, Florida and at Camp Parole in Annapolis, Maryland. Frank Van Winkle served in the Union Navy at Fort Monroe and Port Royal, among other places.
From the guide to the Bennett family collection of Civil War correspondence and other material, 1832-1909, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
