The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-17
A MISSING n
Death of the Son of the Man Who RAISED
the Fla on Evacuation Day.
New York Herald. Thursday.

Ne" 1pTh heTalu, lHuTSuay.
Old David Van Arsdale will not hoist the
flag at the battery on Evacuation Day, as was
his wont for many years. He died yester-
day, and in his death a link between the
present and the past is severed. His long
life of eighty-seven years was one of the few
remaining that reached back to the early
days of the republic. He was the descendant
of an early Dutch settler; through his father
he was linked, as it were, to the days of the
revolution; he was himself a veteran of the
war of 1912. His fathers name will be per-
petuated as that of the man who first hoisted
the flag of the liberated republic in New
York, after the British troops had taken
their departure from the city. In memory
of this David Van Arsdale had for years
been chosen to hoist a flag on the mast in
Battery Park on the morning OF Evacuation
Day. He ives to have don so on the COM
ing centennial anniversary in the sight of
thousands, amid the thunder of joyous artil-
lery. He looked forward to the occasion with
pleasurable pride, until severe sickness
brought his death in view. He had often
said that he wished his grandson, Mr.. Chris
topher r. Forbes, the son of his only daugh-
ter, to take his place in the annual observ-
ance after his death. He repeated the wish
shortly before he died, and it is probable that
the young man will begin the new century
just as his great-grandfather did-then a
young man, too-did the expiring one, by
hosting the standard of independence over
the roofs of Manhattan.
The Van Arsdale family traces its g~eneqlo-
gy back to Jan Van Arsdale a knight of Hol-
land, who fourished in 1911. The family
was a notable one, and there is a quaint old
fortress in the Netherlands to which it has
given q name. Symon Jansen Van Arsdalen,
a descendant of the knight, emigrated to the
New Netherlands in 1858, and settled at Flat
lands, becoming the progenitor OF a numer-
Gus race, which intermarried with all the
leading families of Long Island. His great
great-grandson, John Van Arsdale, was the
famous holster of the flag. He was born in
1856, and with his father and four
brothers he took the field under Washington
and fought with bravery through the war for
independence. He was wounded at Fort
Montgomery. and was held a prisoner of war
for nine months in New York, obtaining his
release through an exchange of prisoners in
1778. After this he was employed against
the Indians in the northern part of this
State, aud it is related that he was once again
made prisoner by the savages, and with two
companions escaped from torture and death
only through the drunkenness of his captors.
John Van Arsdale remained in the service
until 1882, when he left with the rank of
sergeant. On June 16, 1888, he married
Mary Crawford, the daughter of a Scotch
Presbyterian settler on Long Island. On
Nov. 25 following he raised the flag while
the British hosts retreated to their ships.
The defeated soldiery before leaving the city
had gratifed their spleen by a last insult to
the Americans. They had cut the flag hal
lizards attached to the tall staff on the Bat
terry, they had detached all the cleats from
the pole, and, lest any agile fellow might
succeed in climbing it. they had covered
the surface with sludge to render it
slippery, Van Arsdale, who had been
a sailor boy before he entered the
revolutionary army, went with hundreds
of other citizens to rhe Battery to see the
flag raised after the evacuation. When the
difficulties of the situation were realized he
attempted to climb the pole, but after two
or three attempts was forced to give up the
endeavor. According to the common story.
wood and a saw were procured, cleats were
made, and the young soldier-sallor made his
ascent, mailing on the steps one by one, and
then climbing on them until he reached the
top. His granddaughter saws the tradition
in the family is that her grandfather saw a
ladder near by, fetched it to the foot of the
pole and assembled 70 the top of it, carving
the flag halliards fastened to his waist. What
ever dispute there may be as TO the minor
circumstances, there is no manner of doubt
as to the broad fact that John Van Arsdale
reeved the new gear, and ran up the flag on
the morning of the first Evacuation Day.
David Van Arsdale, who died yesterday,
| was the third son of the old Revolutionary
hero. He was born Sept. L, 1896, in a coun-
try house on a grassy knoll situated where
Scanned street now rum Early in life he
followed his father into sea-faring life, and
for many years he found an occupation in
the ~coasting and inland trade. In the war of
1912 he proved that be was not unworthy of
his father. He fought through the entire
| struggle as a member Of the First regiment
of volunteers of this State. He was for
many years after the color-bearer of the vet
| eran organization of that corps.
In 1924 he married Mary McGary, and it
may be mentioned as characteristic that from
that time to the day OF his death he lived in
only two houses. 1t appears that Miss Nc
Gary's father had built himself a country
house on the site, which. in later days,
became No. 262 Rivinston street, near
Columbia street. 1t had a brick front
and side and rear walls of frame
| construction, after the style of the day,
| and it was surrounded with beautiful Shade
trees. Young Van Arsdale before his mar
| rage lived about where Ludlow and Broome
streets intersect, and it is told that his sweet
heart was very much exercised as to his safe
ty whenever he came to see her, so wild and
so frequented by roughs were the rocks and
woods that lay between their dwellings. The
old man often told his daughter that he had
| carried home a cord of wood" he was sure,
in sticks given him as weapons of defense by
his betrothed as he left after an evenings
visit. One night she had nothing but an old
| spade handle, which she insisted on his tax
ing for want of a better weapon. He resisted,
but the lady carried her point. 1t was fortu-
nate she did, for that night, indeed, the
young man was beset near his home by two
or three highwaymen, whom he with diff
Guilty routed.
After his wedding David Van Arsdale went
to live at the Rivington-street house. He
staid there for forty years, and then moved
to No. 442 East 121st street, where his body
| now lies. For the past forty-seven years Mr..
Van Arsdale had been an employee of the
barge office, having been appointed under
Martin Van Buren,. His wife died twenty
three years ago, but he is survived by two
sisters, respectively eighty-six and eighty
two years ole. His daughter and his grand
children have always lived with him. He
was a very religious man, being a member of
the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church,
formerly the Second-avenue Church. He