NameColonel Philip Frederick ANTES 1520
Birth Date2 Jul 1730948
Birth PlaceFalkner Swamp, Montgomery Co., PA, USA
Death Date20 Sep 1801 Age: 71
Death PlaceLancaster, Lancaster Co., PA, USA
Burial PlaceChurch Yard of The German Reformed Congregation, Lancaster, Lancaster Co., PA, USA948
Burial MemoGerman Reformed Church
OccupationJustice of the Peace, County Commissioner, Judge 1468
FatherRev. Johann Heinrich ANTES (1701-1755)
MotherChristina Elizabeth DeWEES (1702-1782)
Misc. Notes
“Colonel” a member of the Philadelphia Co. militia.1199,1196
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Philip held several public offices, was a member of the provincial council and of the general and state assemblies, judge of the court of common pleas, and a colonel of state militia.

He was so conspicuous and ardent a patriot during the revolution that the British offered a reward for his head. In 1776, in company with a Mr. Ports at Warwick furnace, he successfully cast an eighteen-pounder, the first cannon ever made in America.1654
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Justice of Peace, Philadelphia County (Pa Arch, Set 111, Vol 9, pp 711-799)
British laid a price on his head for his ardent patriotism
Cast the first cannon (18 pounder) at Warwick Furnace
Member, Pennsylvania Provincial Council
Judge of Election, Philadelphia County, 8. Jul 1776
Member, Pennsylvania State Convention, 15. Jul 1776
Member, Pennsylvania General Assembly
Colonel, Philadelphia County Militia
One of those named to sign issue of $200,000 paper money issued 10 Apr 1777
Move to Northumberland County, 1779, (Impoverished by war)

As did his brother, Phillip Frederick served in various county (then Northumberland, now Lycoming) posts after the war:

Justice of the Peace
County Commissioner
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas1655,1468
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November 19, 1764, [Philip] Frederick Antes was appointed a justice of the peace for Philadelphia County, and May 23, 1770, and April 27, 1772, he was reappointed to the office.

Upon the approach of the Revolutionary struggle, Frederick Antes, and his brothers William and John Henry, promptly took a firm and positive stand on the side of the colonies. Frederick Antes boldly proclaimed his devotion to the effort for the independence of his native country, and actively entered upon the performance of responsible and hazardous duties in connection with the inauguration and prosecution of the war. This required no small degree of courage and sacrifice on his behalf.

He was a man of considerable property, and, moreover, he held the commission of an officer of the crown, -justice of the peace. These considerations, however, did not daunt him in his burning zeal for the cause of American liberty. The British commander, at an early stage of the war, laid a reward on his head, but though sometimes dangerously near to the emissaries of the King, Antes eluded them to the end. His conspicuous and outspoken position must have exercised a great influence upon the community in which he lived and held office, and history shows that that section of country was notably faithful to the cause of freedom during the long years of strife which ensued.

Frederick Antes brought to this task rare qualifications, -ability and intelligence; the mechanical skill inherent in all of his name; high standing in the community and inflexible strength of charter; unflinching courage and enthusiastic, heroic patriotism. All these qualities at once had full play, but not alone in the limited field afforded by the neighborhood of his home. He was called into the counsels of the State and the country at large. Much that he did and that the most daring and effective--is doubtless unrecorded and buried in oblivion. As may be surmised, many delicate and dangerous services were rendered by him that required the utmost caution, sound judgement and profound secrecy. Of these we may never know. But of those of his public acts, notice of which is scattered through the pages of the records of our commonwealth, a brief summary is presented.

On the 3d of February 1776, upon application of Mr. Antes, an order was granted to Mr. Towers to deliver to him six pounds of powder, to repay that quantity borrowed by him to prove a cannon made by himself and Mr. Pott[s] at Warwick Furnace.

Under the date of 14th of August 1776, there was paid Frederick Antes twenty-five pounds for an experiment made on an eighteen-pounder cannon by agreement of the late Committee of Safety. He was appointed a member of the provincial conference of committees of the province of Pennsylvania held at Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, June 18-25, 1776. He attended the sessions.

On Sunday June 23, 1776 he was appointed a judge of election in Philadelphia County, to be held on Monday, July 8, 1776, to elect representatives to the convention to form a new government for the province. He was returned by the judges of election as one of the members elected to the convention of the State of Pennsylvania, on July 15, 1776, the opening day of said convention.

On Monday, August 15, 1776, he was appointed by the convention one of the committee to bring in an ordinance for regulating the militia of the State, so as to render the burdens and expenses of the associators and non- associators as nearly equal it possible.

On Tuesday, September 3, 1776, in the forenoon, by ordinance of the convention of the State, he was appointed a justice of the peace for the county of Philadelphia. October 28, 1776, accounts were passed for blankets, attested by Frederick Antes, lieutenant-colonel of Colonel Potts' battalion, Philadelphia County militia, to be charged to the Flying Camp, -£21 s78. 6d.

Frederick Antes was a member of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth for the county of Philadelphia. This body met on Thursday, November 28, 1776. He was chairman for the committee on grievances.

December 5, 1776, he was appointed chairman of a committee to bring in a draft of a militia law. On Tuesday, December 10, 1776, the House was requested to appoint a committee out of their body to join General Mifflin in a tour through the several counties in the State, in order to stir up the freemen thereof to the immediate defense of the city and country.

On the next day Frederick Antes and Colonel Curry were appointed to accompany General Mifflin through the county of Philadelphia for the purpose stated.

January 18, 1777, an order was made on Mr. Nesbitt to pay Lietenant-Colonel Frederick Antes, Third Battalion, Philadelphia County militia, forty-three pounds ten shillings for drum-major's and fife-major's wages.

On Monday, March 3, 1777, Colonel Antes voted nay on the proposition "That the members of Assembly be exempted from military duty as militia."

On Tuesday, March 4, 1777, he voted in favor of inserting the following words in the militia bill: "And no militia officer shall be required to take and subscribe an oath or affirmation at this time to qualify him to receive a commission to act in the character to which he shall be elected."

On Thursday, May 29, 1777, in the afternoon was read in the Assembly a petition form officers and privates of Captain Reed's Company of Colonel Antes' battalion of Philadelphia County militia setting forth their opinion of the resolves of Congress of the 14th of April and of 9th of May.

At Philadelphia, on the 11th of September, 1777, it was ordered that Colonel Hiester, Colonel Corsey, Colonel Antes and Colonel Dewees' respective battalions rendezvous at Swedes' Ford. On January 13, 1778, Colonel Budd attended and hinted to the Council that about five hundred arms for the service were sent to Colonel Antes; that arms generally suffer in removing for want of boxes. At Lancaster, April 1, 1778, an order was authorized in favor of Frederick Antes for fifteen hundred pounds to buy horses, at request of Congress committee.

A reward of two hundred pounds, set by Lord Howe, for Colonel Antes, dead or alive, induced a party of royalists to attempt his capture at one occasion, while he was visiting his home in Frederick township. It is related that he barely escaped by making good his retreat from the back-door as his pursuers entered at the front.

On the 20th of March, 1777, Frederick Antes was one of the persons designated to sign the issue of two hundred thousand pounds or paper money, dated April 10, 1777. The authority to sign the notes issued by the colonies was esteemed a high honor, and was sought by the best citizens.

One of the biographers of Colonel Antes says, "He was an iron-founder, and cast the first four-pounder pieces made on this side of the Atlantic for the Revolutionary army."

During the year 1779, Colonel Frederick Antes removed to Northumberland County. Although impoverished by the war he took at once a leading position in civil and military life in his new home. He was justice, county commissioner and Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, a member of the State Assembly and county treasurer.

In 1801, while acting as commissioner in exploration of the Susquehanna, Colonel Antes took cold at Columbia. He repaired to Lancaster, where he died September 20, 1801, and was buried in the churchyard of the German Reformed congregation.1656
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Frederick was credited with “helping to cast” the first cannon, a “4-lb”, at Worwick Furnace, in 1776, which was used by the gallant Continental Army. He was so valued a patriot, that the *British General, William Howe, put a bounty on his head of 200 pounds.1196

Col. Philip Friedrich was a strong revolutionist and had a price put on his head by the British. I have few details of his later life. I believe he inherited the Montgomery County house, and lived there with his mother for some time after Henry's death. He was a magistrate for the County, and his name appears frequently in public records.1473
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According to the Pottsgrove, PA Historical Society, the Antes’ residence, at Upper Frederick, not far from Pottstown, was also utilized as the headquarters for General George Washington between the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, from September 22-25, 1777. Colonel Frederick Antes, a member of the Pennsylvania County Associators, was living in the house at the time of that great conflict.1196
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After the defeat of our armies at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, and during the time that Washington had his headquarters at Valley Forge, this region [of Frederick township] was largely drawn upon for needed supplies and its people were called upon to contribute assistance and render important services.

The larger farmers, if not regularly connected with the army, were impressed, with their teams, into the service where occasion demanded, to transport ammunition, stores and wounded.

During the winter of 1777-[17]78, [General George] Washington spent several days under the friendly roof of Colonel Frederick Antes, in Frederick township, and every morning the Father of his Country walked over to neighbor Samuel Bertolet's house to drink the water of a noted mineral spring.1657
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Philip Frederick held several public offices, was a member of the "Provincial Council," & of the General & State assemblys, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas & a Colonel of the State Militia. See a "German Hero" by Rev. Edwin McMinn.1658
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Frederick Antes was from Philadelphia county, which he represented in the Provincial Conferences of June, 1775 and June, 1776. The date and circumstances of his settlement in Northumberland county are not known, but on the 18th of November, 1780, he was commissioned as president of the Courts, and it is fair to presume that he had resided in the county for some time prior to that date. In the same year he was appointed commissioner to receive forage and supplies at Sunbury and Wyoming. In February, 1782, he became treasurer of the county, which office he filled almost continuously until 1801. He was elected to the Assembly in 1784, 1785, and 1786. His residence was at Northumberland; Priestley mentions him in his "Memoirs," referring especially to his mechanical ingenuity in assisting him to devise apparatus for his chemical experiments. He died at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, September 20, 1801.* [*Denotes footnote at bottom of the page]

*The following obituary appeared in Kennedy's Gazette:

"Died at Lancaster on Sunday, the 20th of September, in the seventy-third year of his age, Frederick Antes, treasurer of this county: and on Monday his remains were interred in the Presbyterian burial ground of that place. In him his wife has lost a good husband, his children an indulgent parent, and the public a very useful member of society. Previous to his decease he was one of the two persons who had undertaken to clear the river Susquehanna."1659
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Deaths. Sunday, September 20, Colonel Frederick Antes, of Northumberland died at Lancaster, buried in the German Reformed churchyard.1660
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I think that Philip Frederick was buried in Upper Frederick township.1513

*General William Howe (1729–1814) was a British army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of Independence. Howe was one of three brothers who enjoyed distinguished military careers.1661
Spouses
Birth Date6 Nov 17321520,948
Death Date6 Feb 17751662 Age: 42
Family ID1072
Marr Date8 May 17551520
ChildrenChristina Elizabeth (Died as Child) (1757-1763)
 Anna Maria (1760-1822)
 [Son] (Died as Infant) (1762-1762)
 John Henry (1766-1805)
 Reinhard (-1811)
Birth Date1750
Misc. Notes
Catharine was the niece of Philip’s first wife, Barbara. [Source cites Par Arch 11 Set, Vol 2, p 18.] 1520
Family ID1833
Marr Date17 Aug 17751520
ChildrenCatharine (1777-1810)
Last Modified 1 Apr 2011Created 17 May 2017 Rick Gleason - ricksgenealogy@gmail.com