By Candy Willis | April 23, 2026
Peter Van Der Veer was a simple farmer.
Born in Flatbush in 1734, he married Janetye Schenck in 1758 and soon settled on the Millstone River/Bedens Brook intersection in Belle Mead to farm and to raise his seven children.
The Van Der Veer house on River Road in Belle Mead was damaged during Hurricane Ida and sadly will be torn down.
He had purchased two tracts of land in the 1760s, one on each side of the brook. His holdings consisted of meadows stretching to the river and land extending to what was to become a road (Dead Tree Run Road) in the 19th century.
Although the details of Van Der Veer’s military service as a private in the Somerset County militia during the war remain elusive, he is perhaps the most celebrated of Montgomery’s Revolutionary War soldiers.
According to family legend, after the British were soundly defeated at the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777, several soldiers got lost on their way back to their barracks in New Brunswick.
They spotted Van Der Veer’s house across the frozen Bedens Brook, barged in, ate the family’s breakfast, and then forced Peter to show them the way to New Brunswick. He died later that year from the rigors of the march.
But wait! The story does not end there! In the late 1790s, the land was equally divided amongst his four sons and at least one of the properties, albeit reduced in size, remains in the hands of his descendants to this day.
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In 1985, descendant Duncan Campbell and wife Betty (both passed away), long-time Van Harlingen Historical Society members, donated a tavern table to the Society — it may be the very one the Van Der Veers were gathered around all those years ago.
Two hundred ten years later, on a cold, bleak January 3, 1987 morning, more than 75 history enthusiasts gathered on the bank of Bedens Brook to commemorate the British soldiers’ surprise visit to Van Der Veer’s house.
The rugged outdoor party featured a gigantic bonfire, hot chili, spiced hot cider, and s’mores.
Around that time, the township erected a sign on River Road to memorialize the British intrusion and Peter’s subsequent death. Van Der Veer’s house, much altered, still stands. It has been subjected to extensive flooding over the years. In 1999, when Hurricane Floyd flooded the cellar and first floor, then owner, Toni Palter, had it raised up an entire story.
And then along came Hurricane Ida in 2021 – total devastation! There is no saving it this time. The current owner was forced to move out, turning it over to FEMA. It is slated for demolition soon.
Despite pleas from Society members, it is not possible to construct any type of commemorative structure on the property but they did agree to erect a large sign.
It is ironic that this house, oozing history, might be demolished as we celebrate the nation’s 250th. Wouldn’t it be fun to gather on January 3, 2027 at the property nestled on the Bedens Brook — to build a bonfire and eat chili, drink hot cider, and toast s-mores?
