The Sechler Family in the American Revolution

At least two members of the Sechler family served in the Revolutionary War: our first cousin (5x removed) Michael Sechler and our fifth great uncle John Sechler.

Michael Sechler (1762-1847) was the son of our fifth great uncle Abraham Sechler, whose role in the attack of 1757 was described in a previous post. A marker at Michael’s grave in Montgomery, Pennsylvania (central Pennsylvania between Danville and Williamsport; note that this is different from Montgomery County in southeastern Pennsylvania where the Sechler family lived earlier) commemorates his role as a member of Major Van Heer’s Pennsylvania Dragoons, whose duties included protection of General George Washington.

A description of the Dragoons’ role follows:

The Dragoons served on horseback as George Washington’s bodyguards and were split into two units. The elite guard served Washington in close proximity to keep him from personal harm. The rear guard served as Washington’s eyes and ears and as messengers.

Sechler served in the rear guard for fourteen months near the end of the war and stayed with the unit afterwards and was serving when Washington was inaugurated as President, long after most of the other Dragoons’ service had ended.

Jade Heasley, The Luminary, 2018, describing research of Larry Stout

After the war Michael moved to central Pennsylvania where he lived the rest of his life. He was a farmer, a potter, and a Justice of the Peace.

John Sechler (1739-1831) was Abraham Sechler’s (ten years younger) brother, Michael Sechler’s uncle. Several biographical sources credit John with being an officer on George Washington’s staff, such as the following, mainly about John’s son Jacob (not to be confused with John’s brother Jacob).

This may be a little overstated–John Sechler is a popular reference in DAR membership applications, which generally identify him as Sargent John Sechler, and don’t make any specific mention of direct service to George Washington.

After the war, John eventually joined his brothers Jacob and (fourth great grandfather) Joseph in helping to establish the new town of Danville, where three more generations of Sechlers would live until our great grandfather George moved to Groton and Brooklyn at the end of the 19th century.