Simeon DeWitt is indeed a very interesting person. He had an interest in
history and archeology. In excavating the site of Dutch Fort Orange in
Albany (1624-1676), we first excavated some of the remains of Simeon DeWitt's
house which he had built on that site in the 1790s. My dissertation on Fort
Orange tells the story of Simeon DeWitt's activity as Surveyor-General of New
York at that time, his acquisition of the lots containing the Fort Orange
site, and what later happened to the property. Also I wrote about his early
role in archeology in the article on the history of New York State archeology
in the recent issue of the New York State Archeological Association Journal
and Bulletin.
Paul Huey