Draft:John Philip De Haas

John Philip de Haas (1735 - June 3, 1786) was an American farmer, public official, and military leader who served in several conflicts, most notably as a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Life and career
John Philip de Haas was born in 1735 in Holland to John Nicholas de Haas, whose lineage was of of Prussian origin. His family then emigrated to Province of Pennsylvania. By 1739, John Nicholas de Haas had taken out a warrant for "one hundred and fifty acres of land in Lebanon Township," which is now Lebanon County, Pennsylvania and started a farm there.

De Haas entered the army on December 18, 1757 and was commissioned ensign in the Provincial Battalion of Philadelphia. He was promoted to adjutant of the first battalion on April 30, 1758 and saw action during the French and Indian War. In September 1758, he was a participant in the Battle of Fort Duquesne under the command of John Forbes (British Army officer) and his lieutenant Henry Bouquet. The result of the battle was a British loss, but the French subsequently abandoned the fort when they realized they could not hold out against the large number of enemy forces stationed outside the fort.

He subsequently promoted to captain on April 28, 1760 and in August 1763 saw action in the Battle of Bushy Run during Pontiac's War under the command of Henry Bouquet. He was promoted again on August 22, 1764 to major of the Pennsylvania regiment.

In between the wars, de Haas acquired a lot of land through his military service including "a tract of land containing eight hundred and nine acres on Bald Eagle Creek." He also obtained several nearby tracts along the Beech Creek from his fellow officers. His combined land holdings after his service totaled over 1,900 acres. He was appointed a Justice of the peace and Justice of the Court of Common Pleas by Pennsylvania governor John Penn (governor) for the county of Lancaster and held the position until the start of the American Revolutionary War.

George Washington's papers contain a report on the troop strength of the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment under the command of "Col. John P. De Haas."

A Lutheran by faith, he was active in garnering funds to construct the Salem Lutheran Church.

John Philip de Haas died on June 3, 1786 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His remains were buried in the German Reformed Church of Easton, which subsequently became the First United Church of Easton. By the 1900's, the graveyard was going unused and so the land was sold and the Easton Area Public Library was built on the site. Bodies that were located were reported to heirs who had the opportunity to move and re-inter the bodies, and bodies that went unclaimed were reburied in a vault on the site. It is unclear if de Haas' remains are still at the site.