submitted by Megan Phyfe Barrett Myers
Two year old Saige Iris Myers of Babcock Lake in Grafton visits the Moses Cemetery with her parents, Zachary Patrick and Megan Phyfe Myers, in light of Independence Day and in honor of a local ancestor who began to fight for our independence during the American Revolution more than 235 years ago. The Moses Cemetery is located in Petersburgh, directly off of NY State Rt. 22.
Buried here is Saige’s paternal great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents, named Sterry Hewitt and Hannah Barnaby. Sterry, a Revolutionary War veteran, and his long time wife Hannah are buried next to one another in this cemetery. Fortunately, both of these old, large, and tall headstones are still standing and readable after nearly 170 years, unlike many headstones in this cemetery.
Sterry Hewitt was the third of seven children, born on April 7, 1756 to Henry Hewitt and Sarah Keeney, in Voluntown, Connecticut. Sterry Hewitt was a Revolutionary War soldier, who fought for our independence for about 21 months. Throughout those months, he acted as a guard at Stonington Point in Connecticut and was frequently called out on alarms, serving on tours of three to four days each time. Heroically, Sterry was in a skirmish at Scotch Plains in the Battle of Short Hills, which was located in an area that is now within the state of New Jersey. Subsequent to serving as a private in the American Revolution, he moved to Petersburgh, then called Little Hoosick, during 1780 and married Hannah on May 1, 1782. They settled in Petersburgh in a mountain cabin on Hill Hollow Road, became farmers and had nine children together. Sterry died on July 29, 1845 in Petersburgh at the age of 89. Hannah died two years earlier, at about the age of 87.
Sterry Hewitt’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Saige Iris Myers’ ancestors, were Thomas Hewitt and Hannah Palmer. Interestingly, Thomas Hewitt was a seafaring man, in command of his own vessel on the Mystic River between 1656 and 1662. His livelihood entailed business transactions such as receiving surplus products from the early planters in exchange for Boston goods, ultimately extending his coastal trade into the West Indies market.
In 1662 Thomas set sail for the West Indies with livestock and goods but never arrived at his destination. Thomas’ vessel was caught in a deadly storm and lost at sea, never to be seen again.
The above historical information was primarily based on Mable Wallace Hewitt’s 1963 genealogy research report, titled “Descendants of Sterry Hewitt of Petersburg, New York and Intermarrying Families.”