General Notes

Named for maternal gr-fa Aert Van der Bilt.  As as adult he settled in New
Brunswick where he and his bro Benjamin were listed ad freeholders in 1748 and1750 and where they were in business together.  He is said to have gone on abond for friend for which he had to pay resulting in a move to Rowan Co. NC inMay 1650.  Bought a farm from Daniel Boone and Rebecca his wife 21-2-1764.  HeHe assisted in Mecklenburn Convention and its declaration of 20-5-1775 whichsome people consider to have been the first Declaration of Independence.

Another source gives his birth date as "presumably" 1711.......manuscript of R. S. Harvey on the VanCleef family.  He was the first of the family to spell the name with an A....VanCleave instead of VanCleve

On 17 Oct 1737, Reuben Ruynon and Aaron VanCleave were appointed Chimney Viewers for the town of New Brunswick.  I'm not sure what a "freeholder" was but the town of New Brunswick was credited with 91 freeholders, among them Aaron and Benjamin VanCleave.  These two brothers were partners in some unknown business.  They became involved in debt which caused Aaron to move to North Carolina.  At one time, he seems to have been engaged as a Captain of a trading vessel....from various newspaper clippings and such: 
           VanCleave entered the Port of Boston from Perth Amboy(Boston News Letter, 22-9-1743)
           Boston out, for Perth Amboy, 10-10-1748, Van Clief (New York Bostboy, 17-10-1743
           Newport, Rhode Island, June 29, entered Aaron VanCleave from Perth Amboy, etc.

The will of one Joseph Williams of Squam in Monmouth Co. NJ Jan 25, 1763 states that the sum of 100 pounds was to be collected from Captain Aaron VanCleef, brother of Benjamin Van Cleef of Monmouthl

In the spring of 1751 Aaron left New Brunswick with his family and on 1-5-1751, arrived at the forks of the Yadkin River in Rowen Co. NC.  Here he spent the remainder of his life.  At that time, his family consisted of father, mother seven sons and one daughter.  In the court House of Salisbury NC is the original record of the deed by which Daniel Boone transferred 640 acres of land to Aaron VanCleave for the sum of 80 pounds proclamation money of the State of NC.  This deed is dated 21-2-1764 and was proved of record in the April 1764 term of the court.  It was signed by Daniel Boone and Rachel Boone, who made her mark and witnessed by Thomas Holman, Samuel Bailey, who made his mark, and Benjamin VanCleave.  The deed describes the land which was the first home of the Boones at the forks of the Yadkin River and Shows the transfer of this tract on Dec 29, 1753 from the original grant by the "Right Honorable John" Earl of Granville, to Squire Boone.  On Dec 12, 1759, Daniel Boone, Planter, bought this tract of land from his father (Squire) for 50 pounds. 
Aaron VanCleave served as constable in and for the lower end of the forks of the Yadkin.  He was one of the leaders of the group that met at the "Dutchman's Creek Meeting House".
He is said to have attended and participated in the meetings in NC which resulted in the appointment of the Committee of Patriots that drafted the famous Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence o9 May 20, 1775. 
He died in 1780 and is buried in the Burning Ridge Cemetery at the fords of the Yadkin River.  His wife, Rachel, is said to be buried there also.
Of Aaron's sons, Samuel is said to have gone to Virginia and Thisgen(?) to Ohio.  Nothing more is known of these two men except that a descendant of Samuel one visited the Rev. Jonathan VanCleave at Crawfordsville, IN.  The other five sons and their sister Jane sent to KY with the Boones.  John went in about 1775, William and Benjamin in 1776 and Jane in 1777.  Ralph and Aaron Jr. in 1785.