The Haswells of Hoosick, New York, are descendants of John Haswell, born in Brough, Strammore, Westmoreland county, England, April 19, 1728, died in Bethlehem, Albany county, New York, September 22, 1808. He married (first) Mary Miller, who died in England. He married (second) Mary Haliday, born July 17, 1740, died December 12, 1824. She accompanied him to America, in 1774, on the sailing vessel, "Golden Gate," where they met the family of Thomas Mark. Four sons of John Haswell married four daughters of Thomas Mark, and one daughter of John Haswell married Isaac Mark. Children of first wife:
- John, born 1751, died 1777, unmarried.
- Joseph, born 1753; married Mary Mark.
- Robert, born March 22, 1755, see forward.
- Arthur, born March, 1757, married Mary Coughty.
- Betsy, born 1758.
- Mary, born 1761.
Children of second wife:
- Thomas, born 1764; married Elizabeth Mark.
- Richard, born 1765; married Deborah Mark.
- Margaret, born 1767; married Isaac Mark.
- Isabella, born 1770; married Jeremiah Wood.
- Edward, born 1773; married Ann Russell.
- Hannah, born 1777; married ———— Jutkins.
- John, born 1780; married Peggy Burhans.
- A son, born 1782.
- William, born 1784; married Elizabeth Udell.
(II) Robert, son of John and Mary (Miller) Haswell, was born March 22, 1755, died January 11, 1820. With his wife, Sarah (Mark) Haswell, who died October 11, 1823, aged sixty-two years, he settled in Hoosick, New York, in the year 1799, purchasing a tract of land on the banks of the Hoosick river of five hundred and six acres from the state called the Expense Lot, paying something over three thousand dollars. Children:
- Mary, born March 1, 1781, died April 15, 1825, unmarried.
- Elizabeth, born January 13, 1785, died January 27, 1835; married William Tweed Dale.
- John R., born August 8, 1789, died May 30, 1863; married Ann Montgomery.
- Deborah, born March 10, 1792, died August 25, 1863; married William Joslin.
- Robert, born March 16, 1794, died February 12, 1867; married Cynthia Haswell, Caroline Hewitt and Mary Hewitt.
- Joseph, born October 17, 1796, see forward.
- Harriet, born July 18, 1799, died February 1, 1882; married Isaac Armstrong.
- Sarah, born August 28, 1801, died March 4, 1858; married Dr. Salmon Moses.
- Philip, born August 26, 1805, died March 29, 1819.
- Julia Ann, born February 16, 1808, died 1863; married John Lottridge.
(III) Joseph, son of Robert and Sarah (Mark) Haswell, was born October 17, 1796, died October 22, 1856. He settled on the road from Hoosick to Hoosick Falls, on a farm consisting of about three hundred and fifty acres adjacent to his father's land. The home was beautifully located on a high elevation known in those days as "The Haswell Hill." It gave a view of the surrounding country which was most picturesque, looking down on the Hoosick Valley. He was a man of sterling qualities, independent in his views, a strong advocate for the cause of temperance which was not popular in those days. He was a member of the Presbyterian church at Hoosick Falls. He was one of the first breeders of Spanish Merino sheep in this section of the state, and the first man to bring his flock to such perfection that they sheared five pounds of wool to a sheep. At the time of his death he was the owner of nearly six hundred sheep, which was a large quantity for those days. He was a stockholder and director of the old stage road which ran from Albany to Montreal called "The Montreal Adams road." It was the great thoroughfare from New York to Canada, and for many years a large portion was under his supervision. He was a man that commanded respect, a gentleman of the old school and one that held an enviable position in the community where he resided. He married (first) Adelaide Leet; married (second) Eliza Haynes; married (third) at Hoosick, New York, Susan Rogers Whiskey, born February 2, 1815, died April 5, 1870, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Rogers) Whiskey. Children:
- Mary Frances, born May 9, 1843, died May 5, 1857.
- Joseph Mark, born March 10, 1846, died November 15, 1909, at Hoosick; he was educated in the public schools; he inherited many of his father's characteristics and propensities, and one conspicuous one was his love and rare judgment of blooded stock, and on his farm at Hoosick on the Bennington road he kept blooded stock of all kinds; he was a member of the Presbyterian church at Hoosick Falls, and a man of high character and firmness of purpose and wonderful energy and courage. In his early days he was a member of "old Capitol police" of Troy under Captain Northrup and Sergeant Rogers; he married, February, 1875, Elizabeth, born January 4, 1856, daughter of George and Mary (Wallace) Brown; children:
- Joseph King, born January 10, 1876, died April 2, 1883;
- William Wallace, born October 16, 1879, married, 1902, Gertrude R. Richmond, born September 16, 1885; child,
- Joseph Edward, born September 9, 1906;
- George Albert, twin of William Wallace, an Osteopath physician, settled in Springfield, Massachusetts;
- Mark B., born June 24, 1884, married, 1908, Mabel Plant Brown; child,
- Wallace Mark, born June 9, 1910;
- Thomas King, born February 2, 1893;
- Kenneth Gorton, born March 18, 1898.
- Amelia Elizabeth, born in Hoosick, New York, March 11, 1848; resides in Troy, where her life is being spent in philanthropic and charitable work; in 1881 she accepted a position as church missionary to the Second Street Presbyterian Church, where she labored faithfully for many years; she was then called to serve as city missionary where there were no limitations to her work; for twenty-one years she has been an ardent worker for fresh air children; for many years she was president of this organized enterprise in Troy; scarcely a poor child in Troy but does not know and love her; for a number of years she had charge of a Gospel rescue mission and held weekly prayer meetings at her home known as "Miss Haswell's Tuesday Night Meeting"; one important and special feature of this meeting was the privilege of sending requests for prayer which sometimes came through the mails; she is well known in this city as an earnest, strong Christian character; she has her own idea of duty, and like some of her antecedents is not controlled merely by public opinion; she has a heart full of sympathy and love for those fighting the hard battles of life, and the poor, suffering and down-trodden know they will find a friend in her; she is a woman of unwavering faith in God, and is not daunted by severe testings; she believes "the things that are impossible with man are possible with God," and this thought inspires in her great courage, perseverance and hope to face great difficulties; one of her favorite mottoes is "Attempt great things for God, and expect great things from God."
- Susan, died in infancy.
- Harriet Josephine, born April 20, 1851; married, in 1870, John Dickinson Warren, son of Dr. Warren, who was a practicing physician at Hoosick for many years, and Susan (Dickinson) Warren. John D. Warren is a Presbyterian minister in Elmira, New York, and has labored in this capacity for many years with success here and elsewhere, and with the aid in his church work of his modest, charming, yet efficient wife, who has this work at heart, their united labors have been richly rewarded in many ways; child,
- Joseph Haswell, died in infancy.
- 6. Sarah, died in infancy.