Richard Hewlett (d.1789), of Hempstead, New York, served as a captain during the French and Indian War (1755-1763) under Colonel Oliver De Lancey. During the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), he served again under De Lancey, this time as a Loyalist colonel for the British Army. After the war, Hewlett left New York circa 1784-1785 for Nova Scotia, where he died in 1789.
Oliver De Lancey (1708-1785) was born in New York City and was the youngest son of Etienne (Stephen) De Lancey, a New York City merchant born in Caen, France. Oliver De Lancey served as a colonel in the New York Provincial Troops during the French and Indian War. Under General Abercrombie, his troop participated in the attack on Fort Ticonderoga in July of 1758. De Lancey was a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War, and as Brigadier General, served as commanding officer on Long Island for the British Army. After the war, he left New York for England and died in 1785 in Beverly, Yorkshire. The original De Lancey family residence still stands in New York City. Built in 1719, it is now the Fraunces Tavern Museum located at 54 Pearl Street in Manhattan.
-
Sources:
- Hamm, Margherita Arlina.
Famous families of New York: Historical and biographical sketches of families which in successive generations have been identified with the development of the nation. New York; London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1902.
From the guide to the Richard Hewlett French and Indian War orderly book, 1758, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
