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CORNELL 
UNIVERSITY 

LIBRARY 


oiin    ^   ^924  028  834  541 

Overs 


Cornell  University 
Library 


The  original  of  this  book  is  in 
the  Cornell  University  Library. 

There  are  no  known  copyright  restrictions  in 
the  United  States  on  the  use  of  the  text. 


http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028834541 


COURT  HOUSE,  SOHOHARIE,  N.  Y. 


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SOME  OF  ITS  PROMINENT  MEN  AND  PIONEERS. 


By  WILLIAM  E.  ROSCOE. 


Published  by   D.   MASON    &   CO., 


SYRACUSE,  N.  Y. 


^  —1882.--  ^ 

^.» ^^^  ei.  -i^-^' &«^. 


SYIU5.DIISE,  N,  Y,/ 

TRUiilR,   SMITH  &  BRUCE, 

PRIWTEHS  iUNrn  BINDERS, 
1BB2, 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 
CHAPTER  I.— The  Geraians  — Cause  of  their 
Leaving  Germany — Palatine  Tenants — 
Kocherthal's  Petition — First  Immigra- 
tion Agents  sent  to  Geimany — Hunter's 
Petition  —  Report  of  Board  of  Trade 
Favorable  to  Immigration  —  Robert 
Hunter  Appointed  Superintendent  of 
Immigration — His  Letter  of  Arrival  at 
New  York — Appointed  Governor — Ac- 
tion of  the  City  Council — German  Chil- 
dren Apprenticed — Settlement  at  the 
"  Camps  " — Number  of  Settlers — Trou- 
ble Experienced  —  Discontent  of  Ger- 
mans—  Meetings  Held  —  Lord  Claren- 
don's Letter — Expedition  to  Canada — 
Germans  Petition  to  the  King g 

CHAPTER  II. —  The  Foregoing  Chapter  Re- 
viewed—  Expense  of  the  Germans  — 
Located  at  Schorie — Their  Hardships 
— Judge  Brown's  Account — Fight — In- 
dians of  what  Tribe — Hunting  Grounds 
— Ka-rig-hon-don-tee  the  Chief — Sale 
of  Lands  by  Gov  Hunter — Schuyler 
and  Coeymans'  Purchase— Gov.  Hun- 
ter's Defense  to  the  Board  of  Trade — 
Bayard's  Visit  to  Schoharie — Resumed 
Lands — Sheriff  Adams — Adam  Vroman 
— The  Germans  Trespass  upon  Him — 
His  Letter  lo  Gov.  Hunter — Weiser  in 
England  —  Confined  in  the  Tower — 
Clark's  Letter — Jeremy  Long's  Council 
for  the  Germans — Purchase  of  Lands  in 
1719  —  Location  of  Weiser's  Dorf  — 
Other  Dorfs — .Spread  of  .Settlements — 
Mode  of  Living — Implements — Negro 
Slaves  and  Customs  —  Indians  —  Their 
Petition — Number  of  them  in  Schoharie 
— Military  Affairs — Division  of  Albany 
County — Early  Officials 21 

CHAPTER  III.  — Loyalty  of  Germans  to  Britain 
— Sacredness  of  their  Oath  —  Mohawks 
and  Tomahawks— First  Committee  of 
Safety — Military  District  and  Officers — 
Events  of  1777 — Division  of  Schoharie 
— McDonald's  Invasion — The  Harpers 
— Adam  Crysler — Skirmish  at  Oriskany 
— Bemis  Heights — Building  of  Forts — 
Battle  of  Cobleskill — Morgan's  Corps 
—  Johnson  and  Brant's  Invasion  at 
Middle  Fort — Lower  Fort — Incidents — 
Brave  Women— Colonel  Vroman's  March 


CHAPTER  III— Continued.  page. 
to  Mohawk — Seths  Henry  at  "Turloch" 
— Dockstader  at  Currytown  and  Sharon 
— Willett — Seths  Henry  at  Fox'sCreek— 
Crysler  at  Vromansland  in  1781 — Cap- 
tain Hager's  Fight  at  the  Lake — Camp- 
bell's and  Simms'  Labors — Returned 
Tories  and  Indians —  Muster  Roll  of 
1777 — Schoharie  Supplies  Division  of 
Albany  County  —  Inundation  of  the 
Schoharie  River 35 

CHAPTER  IV.  —  Formation  of  County  — The 
Name  of  Schoharie  —  Population  — 
Boundaries  —  Surface  —  The  Schoharie 
and  Tributaries  —  Inundations  —  Lakes 
— Formation  of  Towns — First  County 
Officers  —  First  Court  House  —  Poor- 
house  —  Paupers  —  County's  Progress  — 
War  of  i8l2 — Delegates  to  State  Con- 
vention— Governor  Bouck's  Message — 
Sourkrout  Message — Anti-Rent  War — 
Railroads  —  Plank  Roads  —  Seminary 
Mania — Susquehanna  Railroad — Scho- 
harie Valley — Sharon  and  Cherry  Valley 
— Howe's  Cave  Enterprises  —  Mineral 
Springs  —  Education — Religion — Tem- 
perance—  Sabbath  School  Societies  — 
Bible  Society — Masonic  Lodges — Agri- 
cultural and  Medical  Societies — Tele- 
phone Lines  —  Newspapers  —  Criminal 
List — Summary  of  Facts — Population  by 
Census  of  1880 56 

CHAPTER  V.  —  Civil  War— The  Year  1861— 
Captain  Snyder — Volunteers  first  Re- 
cruiting—  Colonel  Mix  and  Comrades — 
The  76th  Regiment — Members — 134th 
—Members  of  Companies — The  44th — 
Members —  M  embers  of  other  Regiments 
— Colored  Volunteers — Hero  Martyrs...     86 

CHAPTER  VI.— Schoharie  County  Civil  List- 
Judges  of  Common  Pleas  —  Assistant 
Judges — Session  Justices — Surrogates — 
District  Attorneys— County  Clerks— Sher- 
iffs—Treasurers-Superintendents  of  Poor 
—School  Commissioners— Loan  Commis- 
sioners—Excise— Inspectors — Governor 
— Treasurers — A  d  jutant  General — Canal 
Commissioners  —  Canal  Appraisers  — 
Curator  of  State  Library — Legislature — 
Senators— Congress — Presidential  Elect- 
ors— Consuls 102 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 
CHAPTER  VII.-History  of  the  Town  of  &lboa 
—Town  Formed— First  Town  Officers 
—Board  of  Inspectors— Division  into 
Districts  —  Town  Meeting  of  1849— 
Anti-Rent  Difficulties  -  Sheriff  s  Posse 
of  Soldiers-First  Settlers  and  Mills— 
Tohn  Dise— Archibald  Croswell— 1  an- 
nerv-Tuttle  &  Osborne  Tannery  — 
Grist  Mill  Purchased  by  Piatt,  Potter  & 
Co  —Cotton  Factory  — Luman  Reed- 
First  Tavern— Gilboa  Bridge— Furnace 
—Churches— Merchants— Broome  Cen- 
tre—Henry Tibbetts— McKeys  Corners 

—  David  Ellerson— His  Narrative— Offi- 
cial List— Supervisors— District  Attor- 
ney—County Clerk— Assembly  —  State 
Senator— Boundaries "9 

CHAPTER  Vin. — History  of  the  Town  of  Cones- 
viUe— Scenery— Manorkill  Falls— Stry- 
ker  Brothers'  Tannery  —  Stevens'  Mill- 
Colby  Reed— The  First  Store— Hunting 
Grounds— Indian  Relics— Dise  Purchase 
of  Land— Ury  Richtmyer  —  The  Dise 
Sons— Litigation  —  Peter  Richtmyer— 
His  Capture  by  Indians— Escape— Re- 
building of  His  House— He  Opens  an 
Inn— Humphrey's— Additional  Settlers 

Dairying — Prominent  Settlers— Town 

Formed  — Boundaries — Jonathan  Cone 
—Town  Records '■ 129 

CHAPTER  IX.  — History  of  the  Town  of  Broome 

—  When  Formed  —  Name  Changed  — 
Catskill  Creek— Indian  Trail  —  General 
Aspect— First  Settlers— Daniel  Shays— 
His  Life— Rebellion  and  Death— David 
Williams— His  Life— Incidents  Rela- 
ting to  Capture  of  Andre  —  Livings- 
tonville— Asa  Starkweather— His  Argu- 
ment in  Convention  —  Death  —  Adam 
Mattice— Presbyterian  Church— Meth- 
odist Church— Draft  of  1813— Smithton 
—Hubbard's— The  "Vly— Supervisors- 
Bounds  133 

CHAPTER  X— History  of  the  Town  of  Jeffer- 
son—When Settled— By  Whom — Inter- 
est in  Education — First  Town  Meeting 
— Effort  to  Change  the  Name  of  Town 
— Heman  Hickok — Jefferson  Academy 
— Donators — Stephen  Judd's  Donation 
of  Farm— Teachers  in  Academy — Pres- 
ent School  —  Tanneries  —  Presbyterian 
Church — Merchants — Physicians— Judd 
Family  —  Societies  —  M  asonic  Grand 
Army  Republic  — Methodist  Church — 
West  Kill  Methodist  Church  —  Gait's 
History  of  the  Methodist  Society  of 
the  Town — Revolutionary  Incidents — 
Smith  Street— Tory  Clawson— Taken 
Prisoner  —  Smith  Family  —  Battle  at 
Lake — Official  —  Supervisors  —  General 
Appearance  of  Town  —  The  Lake  — 
Tryon  County  Line  —  Rebellion  — 
Amount  of  Town  Bonds  Issued  — 
Boundaries - 142 

CHAPTER  XI— History  of  the  Town  of  Summit 
— Hon.  Seymour  Boughton — The  Lake 
— Johnson  and  Brant's  Halt — Early  Set- 
tlers— Brown  and  Other  Business  Men 
— Charlotte  Valley— Service  Tragedy — 


„  PAGE. 

CHAPTER  XI— Continued.  J 
Murphy's  Own  Statement- Murphy  s 
Purchase -Act  of  1777  —  Abraham 
Becker— Suit  Gained— Service  s  Attair 
Contemplated— Settlement  of  the  West- 
ern Part  of  the  Town— Seminary— Its 
History— Faculty,  etc— Dairy  Interest 
Elisha  Brown— Assemblymen— Sher- 
iffs-John Lawyer— S.  J.  Lake-Isaac 
W  Beard— John  H.  Coons— Churches 
—First  Baptist  Church— Second  Baptist 
Church— Reformed  Church  of  Eminence 
—Methodist  —  Free  Methodist  —  Luth- 
eran of  Lutheranville  —  Lutheran  of 
Beard's  Hollow— Town  Volunteers  — 
Medical  Fraternity— First  Town  Meet- 
ing —  Resolutions  —  Report  of  1880— 
Officials— Eminence I53 

CHAPTER  XIII— History  of  the  Town  of  Ful- 
ton—First Purchase  of  Land  by  Adam 
Vroman — Adam  Vroman  and  Family- 
Indian  Deeds  —  Captain  Vroman  —  In- 
dian Castle— Colonel  Peter  Vroman— 
Swart  Family— Peter  Swart- His  Man- 
uscript—Death— Crysler  Family— Mrs. 
John  Bouck  — Henry  Hager  — In  Mc- 
Donald's Camp  —  Captain  Hager  at 
Bemis  Heights— Upper  Fort— Exempt 
Volunteers — Invasion  by  Crysler — Mur- 
der by  Beaciaft— Prisoners— Crysler's 
Invasion — Murder  near  the  Fort — En- 
gagement with  Captain  Hager— Richard 
Hagadorn  Wounded  —  Conflict  at  the 
Lake — Johnson's  and  Brant's  Invasion 
— Mary  Hagadorn — Bouck  Family  and 
Island— Wm.  C.  Bouck— His  Life- 
Inhabitants  of  1788— Timothy  Muiphy 
— His  Life  and  Historical  Incidents- 
Town  Formed— Patriotism  of  1812 — 
Petersburgh—Breakabeen— First  Lands 
Settled  — Fultonham — Charles  Watson 
—West  Fulton— Churches— Polly  Hol- 
low —  Reformed  Church — Physicians — 
Supervisors — Boundaries 166 

CHAPTER  XIV.  —  History  of  the  Town  of 
Middleburgh — Weiser's  Dorf— Conrad 
Weiser  —  His  Daughter  —  John  Peter 
G.  Muhlenberg — Conrad  Weiser,  Jr — 
Settlers  of  the  Dorf — Relics  of  the  Past 
— Reformed  Church — Its  Early  History 
— Edifice  Rebuilt  in  1785 — Petition  to 
Assembly — Pastors'  Reformed  Church 
— Lutheran  Church — Methodist — Epis- 
copal— The  True  Reformed  Church — 
Middle  Fort — Description — Zielie  Fam- 
ily —  Colonel  Zielie  —  His  i.  hildren — 
Peter  Swart  —  Ln«  Dutch  Beckers  — 
Borst  Family  — Grist  Mills  —  Louck's 
Family — Eckerson's — First  Merchant — 
Grist  Mill — Bellinger  Family — Hart- 
man's  Dorf — Richtmyer  Family— Alex- 
ander Boyd — J.  M.  Scribner  —  John 
Hinman  —  Nathan  Hinman — Jonathan 
Danforth  — Atchinson  House — Freemire 
House —  Merchants — Freeman  Stanton 
—John  P.  Bellinger— D.  D.  Dodge- 
General  Danforth  —  Physicians — Legal 
Fraternity  —  Hon.  Lyman  Sanford  — 
National  Bank — Masonic  Lodge — I.  O. 
G.  T — G.  A.  R.  Post — Incoiporatioii — 
Hunter's  Land — Supervisors — Bounda- 
ries     196 


CONTENTS. 


S 


PAGE. 
CHAPTER  XV.— Histoiy  of  the  Town  of  Sharon 
— Formation  of  New  Dorlach — .Sharon 
— Dorlach  Grant— First  Settlers— Later 
Settlers  —  Peter  Sommers  —  Mereness 
Brothers — William  Beekman — Battle  of 
Sharon— Colonel  Marinus  Willett—Leem 
and  Hopper  Families — Maria  Leem — 
Capture  of  Myndert  and  Others — Will- 
iam Kneiskern — Rev.  Peter  N.  Som- 
mers—  St.  John's  Church — Reformed 
Church — Turnpikes — Taverns — Beek- 
man's  Corners  —  Peter  A.  Hilton  — 
Robert  Eldredge^Eldredge  Family — 
Dr.  Palmer — Engle's  Mill — I,eesville— 
Dormant  Villages — Leesville  Lutheran 
Church  —  Leesville  Baptist  Church  — 
Cemetery — Rockville — Sharon  Springs 
— Public  Houses — Analysis  of  Water — 
Merchants — Roman  Catholic  Church — 
Sharon  Centre — John  Beakley — Sharon 

Hill  and  Hollow— E.  S.  Wales Zach- 

ariah  Keyes — Killing  of  Van  Schaik — 
Johannes  Loucks — William  Davenport 
— Lemuel  Cross — Kling  Settlement — 
Slate  Hill  Cemetery — Bellenger  Family 

—  Van  Valkenburghs  —  Gilbert's  Cor- 
ners— Reformed  Church  of  Sharon  — 
Masonic  Lodge — Officials — Boundaries  226 

CHAPTER  XVI.— Histoi7  of  the  Town  of  Blen- 
heim   249 

CHAPTER  XVII. —  History  of  the  Town  of 
Seward — Town  Formed — Peter  Hynds 

—  Henry  Haines — First  Grist  Mill — 
Capture  of  the  Hynds  Family — The 
Crysler  Brothers  —  Invasion  of  Seths 
Henry — Murder  of  Michael  Merckley 
— Murder  of  Catharine  and  Sebastian 
France — Frederick    Merckley's   Family 

—  France  Family — John  Rice — First 
Meeting  House — Murder  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hoffman — Rhinebeck  Church  — 
Henry  Moeller  and  Other  Pastors  — 
First  Settlers  of  Rhinebeck — ^Strobeck 
— Hyndsville — Seward  Valley — Seward 
Station  —  Gardnersville  —  Rev.  Philip 
Wieting  —  Colonel  Willett's  Raids  — 
Mills — Business  Interests — Churches — 
Dairy  Interests  —  Physicians  —  Town 
Bonds — Supervisors — Boundaries 268 

CHAPTER  XVIII.— History  of  the  Town  of  u' 
Richmondville — Formation  of  Town — 
First  Settlement  —  George  Warner  — 
John  Zea  and  Family — Captain  Snyder 
— fiis  Life — Snyder  Family — Warner- 
ville— George  Mann— Warnerville  Meth- 
odist Church — Christian  Church — Sem- 
inary— First  Tavern — John  Warner — 
First  Justice  of  the  Peace — Hon.  John 
Westover  —  Physicians  —  Churches  — 
Methodist,  Lutheran  and  Christian — 
Seminary  —  Richmondville  Bank  — 
Newspapers  —  .School  at  West  Rich- 
mondville— Supervisors — Present  Busi- 
ness of   Town 283 

CHAPTER  XIX.— History  of  the  Town  of  Car- 
lisle— First  Settlers — Dorlach  Grant — 
New  Rhinebeck — Mrs.  Philip  Karker 
— Judge  Brown — George  William  Brown 
Young  Family — John  C.  McNeill — Set- 
tlement of  Grovenor's  Corners — Joseph 


CHAPTER  XIX.— (Continued.)  page. 
Taylor  —  Benjamin  Young  —  Squire 
John's  Place  —  Carlisle  Centre  —  First 
School  House  —  Merchants  of  Grove- 
nor's Corners  —  Settlement  upon  the 
Turnpike  —  Carlisle  Formed  —  First 
Officers— P.  I.  Cromwell— D.  W.  Seeley 
— Sloan's  Tavern — Huntington  Tavern 
— Carlisle  Church — Henry  M.  Brown — 
Killing  of  Keller— First  Store— Mer- 
chants of  Carlisle  Village — Argusville 
— Physicians — M  ercantile  Firms — The 
Bear  Swamp — Carlisle  Seminary — Rob- 
bery of  Peter  Becker — J.  H.  Angle — 
First  Mills— Selleck's  Cave — Churches 
— Valuation  of  Town  —  Supervisors- 
Boundaries  of  Town 301 

CHAPER  XX.— History  of  the  Town  of  Esperance 
— Location  of  Esperance  Village — Pur- 
chase of  the  Lands  by  TenEyck — By 
General  North  —  Turnpike  —  Bridge — 
Daniel  Hare — His  Inn — Other  Inns — 
Calvin  Wright— J.  C.  Wright — Isaac  H. 
Tiffany — Other  Lawyers — Presbyterian 
Church — Methodist  Church — Physicians 
— Storrs  Messenger — Judge  Briggs  — 
Merchants — Village  Corporation — Stage 
House  and  Route — Academy — Feathers 
House — Judge  Fletcher — Peck's  Inn — 
First  Gate  Keeper — Sloansville — Van- 
Valkenburgh  Settlement — Brown  Broth- 
ers' Settlement — Sloan  Family — Other 
Settlers — Stores  —  Stone  Heap — Rev. 
Hawley's  Narrative  —  Foster  Mill  — 
Kneiskern's  Dorf — Kneiskern  Family 
— Enders  Family — First  Grist  Mill — 
Johnson's  Invasion  —  Encampment  — 
Town  Formed — First  Officers — General 
Brown  — A nti-Rent  Troubles — Assem- 
blymen—  Supervisors  —  Baptists — First 
Newspaper — Quotations  from  it — Land 
Patents 320 

CHAPTER  XXL— History  of  the  Town  of  Wright 
— Town  Formed — First  Settlement — 
Becker  Family — Becker  Land  Grant — 
First  Saw  Mill— Hon  Yost  Becker — 
John  Dominick  and  Family — Events  of 
1782 — Burning  of    Zimmer's  Buildings 

—  Becker  Murdered  —  Advance  Upon 
Major  Becker's  House  —  Snyder  and 
Mann  Captured- — Traditionary  Tale  of 
Seths  Henry's  Death — Major  Becker's 
Death — Stone  Store  at  Shutter's  Corners 
— Henry  Becker — Founding  of  School 

—  Hunting  Family  ■ —  Gallupville  — 
Churches — Reformed  Church,  Metho- 
dist and  Lutheran  —  New  Village  — 
Wagon  Making — Dutch  Settlement — 
Weidman's — Hiram  Walden  —  Super- 
visors—Valuation— Merchants  and  Phy- 
sicians— Boundaries 341 

I 
CHAPTER  XXII— History  of  the  Town  of  Scho-  " 
harie — First  Settlers  of  Brunnendorf — 
Schaefler  Family  and  Name — Lutheran 
Church  and  Parsonage — Dominie  Som- 
mers, and  other  Pastors — Doctor  Lint- 
ner — Reformed  Dutch  Church — Church 
Converted  into  a  Fort — Doctor  Budd — 
"Post  Mix" — Peter  Mix — Doctor  Brig- 
ham — Physicians  of  Schoharie — Captain 
Mann  —  Captain   Snyder  —  Taverns  — 


CONTENTS. 


CIIArXER  XXII— (Continued.)  page. 
Present  Hotels  —  Fox's  Dorf — Dietz 
Family— Colonel  William  Dietz— Will- 
iam Fox  and  Settlers  of  Fox's  Dorf — 
Smith's  Dorf — Court  House— George 
Tiffany — Lawyer  Family  —  Oarlock's 
Dorf — Jacob  Vroman — Samuel  Smith 
O.  H.  Williams— J.  G.  Caryl— Strubach 
Mill— Village  at  Depot— First  Grist- 
M  ill— Carding  Mill— Distillery— Busi- 
ness of  I  Sio— Engagement  at  Fort — 
John  Ingold — Bouck  House,  and  other 
Buildings— Burning  of  Court  House — 
Great  Fires  — Fountain  Town  School 
House — Schoharie  Academy — Metho- 
dist Church-African  Church-Gebhard's 
Cave — Schoharie  Bridge — Formation  of 
Town  —  First  Officers  —  Supervisors — 
Lutheran  Cemetery — Commodore  Hard- 
ing    354 

CHAPTER  XXIII.— History  of  the  Town  of 
Cobleskill — First  Settlement — Brown's 
Mill  and  Stream— Cobleskill  Militia- 
Building  a  Fort— Invasion  by  Indians 
and  Tories — First  Schoolhouse — Lam- 
bert Lawyer — Jacob  L.  Lawyer — Chas. 
Courter — Augustus  C.  Smith — Hotels 
and  Inns — Early  Merchants — Churches 
— Mrs.  Borst — The  Schaeffer  or  Shafer 
Family  —  Van  Dresser  Farm  —  Richt- 
myer  Family — Captain  Brown — Henry 
Shafer  —  Berner  Settlement  —  Doctor 
Werner  —  Kilmer  Settlement — Wetsel 
Family — Brayman's  Mill— Howe's  Cave 

—  Mineral  Springs  —  Paul  Shank  — 
Methodist  Church  of   Mineral  Springs 

—  Lawyersville — First  Settlers — Angle 
Family— Young  Family — General  Dana 

—  John  Redington  —  William  Elman- 
dorf  —  Jared  Goodyear — Isaac  H.  Tif- 
fany— Thomas  Lawyer — Jedediah  Mil- 
ler— Doctor  Shepherd — Shutts  Family 
— Thomas  Smith — Henry  Smith — J.  H. 
Ramsey — William  H .  Young — Ceme- 
tery —  Wakeman  Family  —  Reformed 
Church — Lutheran  Church — Early  Mer- 
chants —  Physicians  —  Legal  Fraternity 

—  Manufacturing    Interest  —  Masonic 
Society  —  Good  Templars  —  G.   A.   R. 
Post  — i  National  Bank  —  Formation  of     ■ 
the  Town — First  Officers — Supervisors 
— Efforts  to  Remove  the  Court  House 

— Boundaries 386 


APPENDIX 449 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Bouck    Governor    William    C,    Fulton,    portrait 

facing  176 

Bouck  lion.  Charles,  Fulton,  portrait facing  176 

Bergh  Philip,  Fulton,  portrait igo 

Becker  Sarah  E.,  Sharon,  view  of  residence .  facing  239 

Best  Benjamin,  Fulton,  portrait facing  177 

Couchman  Hon.  Peter,  Conesville,  portrait.. facing  132 

Clark  Hon.  William  S.,  Esperance,  portrait.. facing  337 


PAGE. 
Colby  Thomas,  Gilboa,  view  of  residence.  ...facing  128 
Courter  Charles,  Cobleskill,  portrait,  (steel)  facmg  444 

^  ,,  frontis 

Court  House 

Freemire  John,  Jr.,  Fulton,  portrait • ■•   193 

Holmes  Judge  Charles,  Cobleskill,  portrait  (steel) 

facing  431 

Howe's'cave,  Cobleskill,  view  of  Cave  House 407 

Howe's  Cave,  Cobleskill,  view  of  Crystal  Lake 409 

Keyser  Barent  and  wife,  Blenheim,  portraits 266 

Kilts  Wesley  H.,  Sharon,  view  of  residence.. facing  228 
Lawyer  General  Thomas,  Cobleskill,  portrait,  (steel) 

facing  441 

Mattice,  Adam  L.,  Fulton,  portrait X94 

Murphy  Peter,  Fulton,  portrait 191 

Mayham  Hon.  Stephen  L.,  Schoharie,  portrait 384 

Miller  Jedediah,  Cobleskill,  portrait 434 

Norwood  Dr.  J.  E.,  Schoharie,  portrait facing  363 

Old  Brick  Lutheran  Church,  Cobleskill 398 

Ramsey  Hon.  Joseph  H.,  Cobleskill,  portrait  (steel) 

facing  435 

Shafer  Jacob  L.,  Blenheim,  portrait 267 

Swart,  Dr.  Peter  S.,  Schoharie,  portrait 385 

Sanford,  Hon.  Lyman,  Middleburgh,  portrait  (steel) 

between  222-223 

Stone  Fort,   Schoharie 360 

Tanner  James,   Cobleskill,  portrait  (steel).... facing  445 

Vroman  Ephraim  B.,  Fulton,  portrait 195 

Wieting  Rev.  Philip,  Cobleskill,  portrait 448 

Westover  Hon.  John,  Richmond ville,  portrait  (steel) 

facing  299 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

Bergh  Philip,  Fulton 190 

Best  Benjamin,  Fulton facing  177 

Bouck  Governor  William  C. ,  Fulton 176 

Bouck  Hon.  Charles,  Fulton facing  176 

Clark  Hon.  William  S.,  Esperance 337 

Colby  Thomas,  Gilboa between  128-129 

Couchman  Hon,  Peter,  Conesville  132 

Courter  Charles,  Cobleskill , 444 

Freemire  John  Jr.,  Fulton  193 

Holmes  Judge  Charles,  Cobleskill 431 

Keyser  Barent,   Blenheim 265 

Lawyer  General  Thomas,  Cobleskill 441 

Mattice  Adam  L.,  Fulton 194 

Mayham  Hon.  Stephen  L.,  Schoharie 383 

Miller  Jedediah,  Cobleskill 433 

Murphy  Peter,  Fulton 191 

Ramsey  Hon.  Joseph  H.,  Cobleskill 435 

Sanford  Hon.  Lyman,  Middleburgh... between  222—223 

Shafer,  Jacob  L.,  Blenheim 267 

Swart  Peter  S.,  M.  D.,  Schoharie 385 

Tanner  James,  Cobleskill 445 

Vroman  Ephraim  B.,  Fulton igj 

Westover  Hon.  John,  Richniondville 299 

Wieting  Rev.  Philip,  Cobleskill 447 


INTRODUCTION. 


In  compiling  the  facts  chronicled  in  the  following  pages,  the  Author  has  not 
been  led  by  an  idea  of.  financial  gain  or  literary  glory,  but  by  a  sense  of  the  worthi- 
ness of  Schoharie's  history  being  published  by  itself,  and  not  in  connection  with 
that  of  other  localities.  In  this  County  he  has  a  pride.  It  is  the  "  land  of  his  birth  !  " 
He  glories  in  her  beauty  and  grandeur. 

Whether  it  be  among  her  fossiliferous  rocks,  within  her  winding  caverns,  or 
upon  the  romantic  surface,  he  feels  that  it  is  home ;  full  of  instruction,  pleasing 
associations  and  wonders,  such  as  few  sections  can  boast. 

Prompted  by  such  motives,  and  the  solicitations  of  those  earnest  in  interest, 
the  Author  was  induced,  many  years  ago,  to  garner  the  harvest  of  events  connected 
with  the  County,  which  he  here  presents  for  the  instruction  and  pleasure  of  the 
youth  of  Schoharie,  with  the  hope  that  a  presentation  of  the  struggles  of  their  fore- 
fathers and  mothers,  in  esta.hlishing  peace/u/  homes,  and  their  triumphs  through  sac- 
rifice of  life,  fortunes  and  personal  pleasures,  in  obtaining  the  rich  blessings  of  free- 
dom, may  animate  them  to  a  just  appreciation  of  the  priceless  inheritance  bequeathed 
to  them. 

Others  with  more  pleasing  pens,  have  traced  our  early  history  previously 
in  connection  with  other  border  settlements,  and  brought  to  light  many  facts  that 
would  have  been  lost,  or  marred  by  ruthless  tradition  but  for  these  labors  at  the 
time  ;  yet  the  inveterate  animosity  created  by  antagonistical  interest  through  the 
settlement  of  the  Palatines,  and  later  through  the  Revolutionary  war,  has  not  died 
away,  and  much  that  was  chronicled  has  been  proved  through  more  recent  discoveries 
of  documents,  to  have  been  exaggerations,  dictated  by  those  "  bitterest  of  feelings." 

The  settlement  of  the  Germans,  and  incidents  connected  with  their  pioneer  life, 
was  based  entirely  upon  tradition,  leaving  important  facts  in  doubt,  and  dates  open 
to  conjecture.  The  only  work  upon  that  event  was  by  the  late  Judge  John  M.  Brown, 
in  his  "  Brief  Sketch  of  the  First  Settlement  of  Schoharie,"  published  in  1823,  when 
he  had  arrived  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-eight.     The  work  was  founded  upon 


INTRODUCTION. 


tradition,  with  the  exception  of  such  events  as  came  under  his  personal  observation, 
and  proves  to  be  incorrect,  yet  it  is  an  interesting  and  amusing  work,  with  too  few 
pages  to  satisfy  the  reader,  upon  such  an  interesting   subject.      Campbell,  in  his 
"  Annals  of  Tryon  County,"  and  Jeptha  R.  Simms,  in  his  "  Border  Wars,"  have 
traced  the  same  line  of  events  through  tradition,  and  brought  their  conclusions  be- 
fore the  reader  in  nearly  parallel  lines.     They  were  better  acquainted  with  the  in- 
cidents connected  with  the  Revolution,  through  many  of  the  actors  in  that  strife, 
with  whom  they  were  intimate,  and  to  them  we  are  indebted  for  many  authentic 
facts  that  make  up  the  general  history  of  that  eventful  period.     Revolutionary  facts 
thus  handed  down,  coupled  with  those  collected  in  the  forepart  of  the  century  by 
the  Author's  parent,  who  was  conversant  with  many  of  the  old  patriots,  together 
with  rusty  documents  of  late  brought  to  light  and  never  before  published  or  con- 
sulted, assure  the  authenticity  of  this  work,  from  the  first  settlement  of  the  County 
to  the  close  of  the  war,  which  part  of  our  history  has  hitherto  proved  unsatisfactory. 
In  collecting  facts  relating  to  the  time  intervening  between  the  last  event  and 
the  present  day,  the  writer  has  spared  neither  time  nor  expense,  and  has  traveled 
thousands   of  miles,   repeatedly   visiting   each   neighborhood   to   consult  persons, 
records,  and  public  archives,  and  feels  that  his  labors  have  been  in  the  main,  fruitful 
in  interest  and  accuracy. 

The  latter  has  been  a  pleasing  portion  of  the  task,  as  it  has  brought  him  in 
close  acquaintance  with  the  people  of  the  County,  from  whom  he  has  received  the 
kindest  hospitality,  assistance  and  encouragement  in  the  work,  and  given  birth  to 
many  associations  that  will  be  treasured  with  pleasing  remembrances  and  jealous 
care. 

Among  the  many  visited,  were  aged  ones— the  silver  rays  of  Schoharie's  heroic 
days-who  have  cleared  the  portals  of  seventy,  eighty,  and  even  ninety-five,  with 
lobust  forms  and  active  minds,  and  to  them  the  writer  has  many  times  been  indebt- 
ed for  explanations  and  the  information  necessary  to  a  correct  filling  out  of  records 
carelessly  kept. 

Those  who  have  aided  and  encouraged  in  the  work,  have  been  almost  "  Legion  " 
and  to  all  such  the  writer  extends  his  grateful  thanks,  and  hopes  his  efforts  to  pre- 
sent a  truthful  history,  will  not  prove  fruitless,  but  that  it  may  be  a  mile-stone  of 
events  reared  upon  our  County's  century  course,  and  read  by  our  youth  and  posterity 
with  profit,  and  by  their  true  patriotism,  industry  and  frugality,  be  enabled  to  add 
as  worthy  a  record  of  their  day  and  generation,  as  the  fathers  of  the  County  have 
here  transcribed  through  the  author 

WI  LLIAM  E.  ROSCOE. 


HISTORY 


O  F 


Schoharie   County. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Germans — Cause  of  Leaving  Germany 
— Palatine  Tenants — Kocherthal's  Pe- 
tition— First  Immigration  Agents  Sent 
to  Germany — Hunter's  Petition — Re- 
port OF  Board  of  Trade  Favorable  to 
Immigration — Robert  Hunter  Appointed 
Superintendent  of  Immigration — His  Let- 
ter OF  Arrival  at  New  York — Appointed 
Governor— Action  of  the  City  Council — 
Feeling  of  Enmity  —  German  Children 
Apprenticed — Settlement  at  the  "Camps" 
— Number  of  Settlers — Trouble  Experi- 
enced— Discontent  of  Germans — Meet- 
ings Held — Lord  Clarendon's  Letter — 
Expedition  to  Canada —  Germans  Petition 
TO  THE  King. 

TV  FTER  wandering  through  the  picturesque 
£\_  valleys  and  over  the  noble  hills  of  Schoharie 
County,  visiting  the  many  places  made  historic 
by  the  scenes  and  incidents  enacted  in  the 
"  days  that  tried  men's  souls, "  and  after  glean- 
ing from  family  records,  official  documents, 
public  and  private  journals,  and  archives  in  gen- 
eral, we  find  ourselves   upon   a  mountain  of 


facts,  from  which  we  can  look  over  the  whole 
territory.  From  this  position  let  us  look  back 
beyond  the  advent  here  of  the  first  pioneers, 
and  satisfy  ourselves  as  to  whom  they  were,  and 
the  causes  that  induced  them  to  brave  old 
ocean's  calms  and  storms ;  and  also  at  what 
time  they  came. 

Let  us  not  forget,  however,  that  we  are  tread- 
ing upon  tender  ground  that  has  been  gleaned 
by  others  of  riper  age  and  greater  ability,  nor 
the  natural  propensity  to  condemn  where  ideas 
disagree.  From  this  "  mountain  of  facts  "  we 
find,  regardless  of  the  differences  of  opinion  in 
relation  to  the  time  and  the  causes  which  led  to 
the  first  settlement  of  Schoharie,  that  all  writers 
agree  as  to  the  nationality  of  those  settlers,  and 
ascribe  to  them  those  commendable  character- 
istics— Honesty,  Frugality  and  Industry. 

Many  sections  of  our  country  have  been  the  asy- 
lums of  the  religiously  and  politically  oppressed 
— of  those  who  fled  from  their  homes  in  the  Old 
World,  to  enjoy  the  privileges  that  conscience 
craves  of  the  one,  and  free  thought  and  speech 
of  the  other,  even  if  it  could  only  be  granted  in 
an  unknown  wilderness,  infested  by  savages  and 
wild  beasts. 

It  has  been  conjectured  that  the  Germans 
who  settled  at  Schoharie  fled  from  their  homes 
to  avoid  religious  persecution ;  but  those  who 
have  advanced  this  idea  have  been  content  to 


10 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


follow  in  the  path  marked  out  by  imaginary  tra- 
ditions and  self-satisfied  conjectures,  without 
taking  pains  to  explore  archives  that  concealed 
documents  left  by  those  sturdy  ones  to  enlight- 
en us. 

It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  history  is  more 
truthful  after  the  lapse  of  a  century  or  more 
from  the  time  the  events  transpired,  than  at  a 
nearer  date,  as  all  personal  animosities,  self- 
interests,  jealousies,  and  all  other  monitors  of 
fictitious  chronicles  die  out,  leaving  the  field 
open  for  the  impartial  to  glean  facts  as  they 
were,  without  distrust  of  disapprobation  by 
factions,  cliques  or  communities. 

The  first  settlers  of  this  County  were  Pala- 
tine tenants  from  the  lower  part  of  Germany. 
They  were  called  "  Palatines  "  from  the  fact 
that  the  lands  which  they  occupied  were  owned 
and  ruled  by  officers  under  the  Crown,  called 
"  Palatines,"  and  the  country  over  which  they 
presided,  as  governors,  were  "  Palatinates. " 
By  studying  the  history  of  that  time,  we  find 
that  the  poorer  class — the  tenants  of  those  of- 
ficials— were  ground  down  by  crown,  state  and 
church  taxation,  so  much  so  that  they  barely 
made  a  living.  Yet,  the  church  requirements 
were  more  obligatory  through  choice  than  com- 
pulsion, as  the  people  had  long  been  free  from 
the  Popish  grasp,  and,  as  a  mass,  were  followers 
of  L'uther. 

In  order  to  give  an  idea  of  the  cause  of  the 
German  immigration  to  this  country,  we  will 
draw  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  a  letter,*  writ- 
ten by  one  Joshua  Kocherthal,  a  minister  to  the 
Board  of  Trade  in  London  in  1 708.  He  petitions, 
"  in  behalf  of  himself  and  the  poor  Lutherans,  to 
be  transported  to  some  of  ye  Ma'e»  plantations 
in  America."  "  We  humbly  take  leave  to  repre- 
sent that  they  are,  in  number,  forty-one — ten 
men,  ten  women  and  twenty-one  children  ;  that 
they  are  very  necessitous  and  in  the  utmost 
want,  not  having  at  present  anything  to  subsist 
themselves ;  that  they  have  been-rendered  to  this 
by  the  ravages  committed  by  the  French  in  the 
Lower  Falatinat,  where  they  lost  all  they  had."  f 
This  small  band,  on  the  29th  of  June,  1709, 
was  settled   upon   Quasek    Creek  J   in   Ulster 

*  London  Documents, 
■j-  Documentary  History. 
X  Now  Chambers  Creek. 


County,  and  was  the  first  German  immigration 
to  America. 

By  referring  to  European  history,  the  reader 
will  find  that  in  1702,  England,  Hollatid  and 
Germany  declared  war  against  France,  in  sup- 
port of  Charles,  Archduke  of  Austria,  to  the 
Spanish  throne. 

Charles  the  Second  of  Spain  died  in  1700, 
and  Louis  the  Fourteenth  of  France,  wishing  to 
make  Spain  an  ally,  trumped  up  a  candidate  for 
the  throne  in  the  person  of  Philip  of  Anjou. 
The  war  lasted  until  the  year  17 13.  During  the 
years  1708,  '09  the  French  carried  hostilities 
upon  German  soil,  and  devastated  the  Lower 
Country,  as  stated  by  Kocherthal  in  his  petition. 
England,  possessing  a  goodly  portion  of  Ameri- 
ca and  receiving  but  meager  supplies  from  her, 
embraced  the  opportunity  (as  she  was  but  thinly 
inhabited)  of  peopling  her  possessions  with  the 
homeless  Palatines ;  and,  according  to  Brown's 
Pamphlet  History,  sent  agents  throughout  the 
Palatinates  to  induce  them  to  immigrate  here;  as 
we  of  to-day  find  our  Western  railroad  companies 
that  received  large  bounties  in  land  from  the 
government  sending  agents  throughout  Europe, 
to  induce  immigration,  that  their  claims  may 
become  settled  and  produce  a  revenue.  A  goodly 
portion  of  the  Western  States,  through  such 
agencies,  have  been  peopled,  and  numberless 
poor,  delving,  tenants  of  the  Old  World  have  be- 
come landlords  here,  under  the  influence  of  our 
generous  laws.  We  trust  they  will  continue  to 
come  by  thousands,  as  in  them  we  find  indus- 
trious, energetic  and  law-abiding  citizens. 

Seeing  the  opportunity  offered  of  peopling 
the  American  possessions,  Robert  Hunter,  a 
man  of  official  ambition,  conceived  the  idea  of 
immigrating  a  large  colony  of  the  Germans,  and 
petitioned  the  London  Board  of  Trade  to  that 
eff'ect.  The  board  made  the  following  report 
"To  the  Queen's  Most  Gracious  Majesty,"  on 
the  sth  of  December,  1709,  which  was  approved 
January  7th,  17 10. 

From  this  second  immigration  came  the 
pioneers  of  Schoharie  County.  As  we  shall 
be  under  the  necessity  of  referring,  in  several 
points,  to  the  above  mentioned  report,  we  will 
copy  a  portion  of  it,  leaving  out  that  which  will 
be  of  no  service  to  us,  it  being  too  monotonous 
for  the  matter-of-fact  American  reader : — 


ROBERT  HUNTER'S  PETITION. 


n 


"  May  It  Please  Your  Majesty :  "  In  obe- 
dience to  your  Majesty's  commands,  signified  to 
us  by  the  Right  Honbi'the  Earl  of  Sunderland, 
we  have  considered  the  proposals  made  to  us 
by  Colonel  Hunter,  for  settling  3,000  Palatines 
at  New  York  and  Employing  them  in  the  Pro- 
duction of  Naval  Stores,  and  thereupon  humbly 
Represent  to  your  Majesty — 

"That  the  Province  of  New  York  being  the 
most  advanced  Frontier  of  Your  Majesty's 
Plantations  on  the  Continent  of  America,  the 
Defence  apd  Preservation  of  that  place  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  the  security  of  all  the 
Rest ;  and  if  the  said  Palatines  were  seated,  they 
would  be  an  additional  strength  and  security  to 
that  Province,  not  only  with  regard  to  the  French 
of  Canada,  But  against  any  Insurrection  of  the 
scattered  Nations  of  Indians  upon  that  Conti- 
nent, and,  therefore,  we  humbly  propose  that 
they  be  sent  thither. 

"  By  the  best  Information  we  can  gett,  the 
most  proper  Places  for  the  seating  them  in  that 
Province,  so  as  they  may  be  of  benefit  to  this 
Kingdom  by  the  Production  of  Naval  Stores, 
are  on  the  Mohaques  River  and  on  the  Hud- 
sons  Rivers,  where  are  very  great  numbers  of 
Pines  fit  for  Production  of  Turpentine  and  Tar, 
out  of  which  Rosin  and  Pitch  are  made. 

"First — In  relation  to  the  Mohaques  River: 
Your  Majesty  was  pleased,  by  your  order  in 
Council  of  the  26th  June,  1708,  to  confirm  an 
Act,  passed  at  New  York,  the  2nd  of  March, 
169I  foir  vacating  several  Extravagant  Grants, 
whereby  large  Tracts  of  Land  are  returned  to 
your  Majesty,  and  among  the  rest. 

"  A  Tract  of  Land  lying  on  the  Mohaques 
River,  containing  about  50  miles  in  length  and 
four  miles  in  breadth,  and  a  Tract  of  land  lying 
upon  a  creek  which  runs  into  the  said  River, 
which  contains  between  24  and  30  miles  in 
Length.  This  last  mentioned  Land,  of  which 
Your  Majesty  has  the  possession,  is  claimed  by 
the  Mohaques,  but  that  claim  may  be  satisfyed 
on  very  easy  terms. 

"  The  Objection  that  may  be  made  to  the 
seating  of  the  Palatines,  on  the  fore-mentioned 
Mohaques  River,  is  the  Falls  that  are  on  the 
said  River  between  Schenectady  and  Albany, 
which  will  be  an  interruption  in  the  Water 
Carriage,  but  as  that  may  be  easily  helped  by  a 


short  land  carriage  of  about  3  miles  at  the 
west,  we  do  not  See  that  this  objection  will  be 
any  hindrance  to  the  seating  of  them  there.  In 
Case  there  be  not  an  opportunity  of  doing  it 
more  convenientlyin  some  other  part  of  that 
Province. 

"  We  therefore  humbly  offer  that  the  Gover- 
nor or  Commander  in  Chief  be  Directed  upon 
their  Arrival  to  Seat  them  all,  either  in  a  Boddy 
or  in  different  Settlements,  upon  those  or  other 
Lands  as  he  shall  Find  most  proper  and  that 
they  be  Encouraged  to  settle  and  work  in  Part- 
nership, that  is,  5  or  more  families  to  unite  and 
work  in  common. 

"  That  the  Governor  be  hkewise  Directed  to 
grant,  under  the  Seal  of  that  Province,  without 
fee  or  Reward,  40  acres  per  head  to  each 
family,  after  they  shall  have  repaid,  by  the  pro- 
duce of  their  Labour,  the  charges  the  publick 
shall  be  at  in  settling  and  subsisting  them  there, 
in  the  manner  as  hereinafter  proposed:  To 
have  and  to  hold  the  said  Lands,  to  them  and 
their  heirs  forever,  under  the  usual  Quit-Rent, 
to  commence  and  be  payable  after  seven  years 
from  the  date  of  Each  respective  Grant ;  and 
further,  that  in  every  such  grant  there  be  an  ex- 
press Proviso  that  the  Lands  so  granted  shall 
be  seated  and  planted  within  a  reasonable  time, 
to  be  therein  prefixed,  or,  on  failure  thereof, 
such  Grant  to  be  void  and  to  revert  to  the 
Crown.  And  for  the  better  preventing  those 
people  from  falling  upon  the  Woollen  Manufac- 
tures, it  will  be  proper  that  in  every  such  grant, 
a  Clause  be  inserted,  declaring  the  said  Grant 
to  be  void,  if  such  Grantee  shall  apply  himself 
to  the  making  of  Woollen  or  such  hke  manu- 
facture. 

"As  these  people  are  very  necessitous,  they 
will  not  be  able  to  maintain  themselves  there 
till  they  can  reap  the  benefit  of  their  labour, 
which  will  not  be  till  after  one  year  at  the 
soonest.  We  therefore  humbly  offer,  that  they 
be  subsisted,  the  men  and  women  at  the  rate  of 
6''  sterling  a  head  p""  day,  and  the  children  under 
the  age  of  10  years,  at  4"^  Sterhngpr  day,  which 
as  we  are  informed,  will  be  sufficient. 

"  When  their  houses  shall  be  built  and  the 
ground  cleared  for  making  their  settlements, 
they  may  then  be  Employed  in  the  making  of 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Turpentine  Rozin  Tar  and  Pitch,  and  that  this 
will  be  beneficial  not  only  to  the  said  Palatines, 
but  to  this  Kingdom. 

***** 

"  As  these  Palatines  are  ignorant  in  the  Pro- 
duction of  those  Stores,  it  will  be  necessary  that 
three  or  four  persons  well  skilled  in  the  doing 
thereof  (if  to  be  had)  be  sent  from  hence,  to  in- 
struct the  said  Palatines  there,  and  that  they 
be  allowed  ;^2oo,  New  York  money,  per  an- 
num each,  during  their  being  employed  in  this 
work. 

"  In  case  no  such  persons  can  be  found  here, 
then  We  propose  that  Mr.  Bridges,  Surveyor- 
General  of  Your  Majesty's  Woods  on  the  Con- 
tinent of  America,  who  was  sent  4  or  5  years 
ago  to  New  England  to  instruct  the  People 
there,  be  Directed  to  go  to  New  York  for  that 
purpose,  and  that  he  bring  with  him  3  or  4 
other  persons,  the  most  skilfull  he  can  get, 
who  may  assist  him  in  the  instructing  the  said 
Palatines,  and  for  their  pains  therein  have  a 
Salary  of  ;^ioo  p''  annum  during  such  their 
employ  and  stay  at  New  York. 

"  It  will  be  likewise  necessary  that  there  be 
Supervisors  appointed  to  reside  among  the  said 
Palatines  to  over  see  and  keep  them  at  work, 
with  a  Salary  of  ^^loo  per  annum  each.  As  to 
the  number  of  the  said  supervisors  we  humbly 
conceive  it  cannot  well  be  regulated  here,  for 
that  will  Depend  in  a  great  measure  upon  the 
number  of  the  Palatines  settlements,  and  On  the 
Distance  they  may  be  one  from  the  other. 
Therefore  we  are  of  opinion  that  this  be  left  to 
the  Discretion  of  Your  Majesty's  Governor  after 
his  arrival  there. 

***** 

"And  we  further  offer  that  the  Premium 
given  by  an  Act  made  in  the  3d  and  4th  year  of 
Your  Majesty's  Reign  to  encourage  the  Im- 
portation of  Naval  Stores  from  Your  Majesty's 
Plantations  in  America,  be  paid  to  such  factor 
or  Agent  to  and  for  the  sole  Benefit  of  such 
Palatines,  who  were  the  Manufacturers  of  such 
Stores,  in  like  manner  as  Premiums  are  allowed 
to  other  Importers  of  Naval  Stores  from  those 
parts. 

"  Lastly,  we  humbly  offer  that  the  said  Pala- 
tines, upon  their  arrival  there,  be  Naturalized 
without  fee  or  leeward,  that  they  may  enjoy  all 


such  privileges  and  advantages  as  are  Enjoyei 
by  the  present  Inhabitants  of  that  Province." 

While  the  Palatines  were  in  London,  Brig 
adier  Robert  Hunter  was  appointed  to  superin 
tend  the  transportation  of  them  by  Quee: 
Anne.  They  set  sail  some  time  between  th^ 
approving  of  the  report  (January  7th,  1710)  an( 
the  14th  of  June  following.  After  their  arrival 
Hunter  addressed  the  following  letter  to  thi 
board  of  trade  in  London  : — 

New  York,*  July  24th,  1710. 
"  My  Lords: 

By  a  small  vessel  bound  for  Lisbon,  I  gav( 
your  Lordships  notice  of  our  arrival  here  (Jun( 
14th).  Since  that  time  all  the  Palatine  ships 
separated  by  the  weather,  are  arrived  safe,  ex 
cept  the  Herbert  Frigat,  where  our  Tents  an( 
Arms  are.  She  was  cast  away  on  the  East  enc 
of  Long  Island,  on  the  7th  of  July,  the  men  ar( 
safe,  but  goods  much  damaged.  We  still  wan 
the  Berkley  Castle,  which  we  left  at  Portsmouth 
The  poor  people  have  been  mighty  sickly,  bu 
recover  apace.  We  have  lost  above  470  of  ou: 
number. 

"  Soon  after  our  arrival,  I  sent  the  surveyor ' 
with  some  skillful  men  to  survey  the  land  ox 
the  Mohaks  river,  particularly  the  Skohare,  tc 
which  the  Indians  had  no  pretense — being  Col 
Bayard's  grant — they  however,  by  the  instiga 
tion  of  some  ill-intentioned  men,  at  first  refusec 
to  suffer  it  to  be  surveyed,  upon  pretense  of  its 
having  returned  to  them,  after  the  resumption 
but  have  been  better  advised  since.  So  at  this 
time  he  is  actually  surveying  of  it.  These  lands 
however,  I  beheve  will  be  no  ways  fit  for  the 
design  in  hand,  being  very  good  Lands  which 
bears  no  Pines  and  lyes  verry  remote.  I  shal 
however  be  able  to  carry  it  on  elsewhere,  foi 
there  is  no  want  of  Pines,  but  the  Pine  land 
being  good  for  nothing,  the  difficulty  will  lye 
in  finding  such  a  situation  as  will  afford  good 
land  for  their  settlements  near  the  Pine  lands, 
I  am  in  terms  with  some  who  have  lands  on  the 
Hudsons  River  fitt  for  that  purpose,  which  ] 

*  London  Documents,  XVIII. 

f  Augustus  Graham  was  the  surveyor  that  was  sent  tc 
Schoharie  to  survey  the  land,  and  his  bill — now  in  thf 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  State — amounted  to  £\1\. 
being  employed  one  hundred  and  twenty  days  at  twentj 
shillings  per  day. 


SECOND  IMMIGRATION  OF  PALATINES  IN  1710. 


13 


intend  to  view  next  week  in  company  with  Dr. 
Bridges,  who  is  now  with  me,  and  gives  me  good 
encouragement." 

On  the  same  day  of  Hunter's  arrival  at  New 
York  (June  14th,)  he  was  appointed  Governor 
of  the  "  Province  of  New  York  and  its  depen- 
dencies.'' Thus  we  find  this  the  second  immi- 
gration of  Germans  arriving  at  New  York  in 
June  and  July,  1 7 10. 

We  find  that  the  city  council  had  the  fact  of 
the  arrival  brought  before  them,  by  Mr.  Beek- 
man,  its  President,  on  the  13th  of  June  and 
"  desirredthe  council  to  give  their  opinion  what 
measures  are  proper  to  be  taken  with  respect  to 
them,"  and  "  that  the  mayor  of  ye  city  having 
petitioned  to  the  board  from  himself  and  the 
corporation,  setting  forth  that  there  is  just  cause 
to  beheve  that  there  are  many  contagious  dis- 
tempers among  them,  which  they  are  apprehen- 
sive, will  endanger  the  health  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  citty  if  they  be  landed,  in  any  part  there- 
of," etc.  In  council,  June  i6th,  it  was  ordered 
that  certain  officials  "doe  draw  upp  a  Scheme, 
for  ye  Ordering,  RuUng,  and  Government  of 
ye  Palantines,  and  that  it  is  the  opinion  of 
this  board,  that  Nutten  Island  (now  Governors) 
is  the  properest  place  to  put  the  Palantines," 
etc. 

Huts  were  constructed,  and  the  Germans  kept 
upon  the  Island  until  other  provisions  could 
be  made  for  them.  New  York  city  at  that  time, 
was  mostly  Holland  or  Low  Dutch,  yet  under 
English  government.  They  were  not  on  the 
best  of  terms  with  the  Germans,  or  High 
Dutch.  Whether  enmity  had  existed  towards 
each  other  at  home,  as  a  people,  or  was  an  off- 
spring of  selfish  commercial  dealing  here,  we 
are  unable  to  say ;  but  by  preserved  letters  of 
business  transactions  between  the  two  branches 
of  Dutch,  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  copy,  we 
find  that  their  early  intercourse  at  New  York 
was  marked  by  ill  feeling ;  and  from  the  tenor 
of  their  communications,  we  are  led  to  think 
that  the  Germans  were  very  distrustful  of  the 
honesty  of  their  neighbor  Hollanders. 

Among  the  Germans  at  Nutten  Island  were 
many  children,  quite  a  number  of  whom  were 
orphans,  made  so,  no  doubt,  by  the  sea  voyage, 
as  stated  by  Hunter.  The  Government  having 
the  whole  in  charge,  to  provision  etc.,  we  find 


that  the  council  ordered,  (so  as  to  retrench  ex- 
penses) on  the  20th  of  June,  the  following: — 

"There  having  been  severall  Proposalls  made 
for  the  taking  many  of  the  Palantines  children 
for  a  Term  of  years,  and  there  being  many  Or- 
phans who  are  unable  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves to  work  and  many  who  by  sickness  are 
Rendered  incapable  of  doing  any  service  for 
some  time  &  in  that  condition  would  be  a  great 
expense  and  there  being  noe  prospect  of  Set- 
tling them  this  summer  by  reason  its  soe  much 
advanced.  His  Excellency  does  appoint  Doctor 
Staats  and  Mr.  Van  Dam  or  either  of  them  to 
take  such  Proposals  for  Placing  out  the  orphans 
and  other  children  whose  Parents  have  a  nu- 
merous Family,  entering  into  an  Instrument  in 
Writeing,  to  Cloathe,  Victual  and  use  them 
well,  and  to  deliver  them  to  the  Government 
when  called  for."* 

We  find  that  the  boys  were  apprenticed  until 
the  age  of  seventeen,  and  the  girls  until  fifteen 
years  of  age.  Thirty-four  were  bound  out  in 
1 7 10 — twenty-five  in  17 11 — three  in  17 12 — 
and  one  in  1714. 

Here  we  are  led  to  think,  undue  advantage 
was  taken  of  the  poor  Germans  by  Govern- 
ment officials.  We  cannot  believe  that  they 
would  have  immigrated  under  the  protection  of 
a  foreign  government,  unless  great  inducements 
were  offered  for  doing  so.  If  they  had  not  been 
assured  of  their  little  effects  and  families  being 
retained,  and  also  their  freedom  granted  to  sup- 
port and  maintain  them,  we  do  not  believe  they 
would  have  listened  to  England's  entreaties. 
Apprenticing  the  orphans  was  right,  as  they  had 
no  one  to  care  for  them  ;  but  taking  children 
away  from  their  able-bodied  parents,  was  inhur 
man,  and  uncalled  for.  The  Government  knew 
their  situation  and  the  expense  likely  to  occur 
from  transporting  and  settling  the  Palatines, 
and  if  they  did  not  wish  to  support  the  children, 
they  ought  not  to  have  taken  them  nor  their 
parents  under  its  protection.  By  a  petition  to 
the  Crown  in  1720,  to  which  we  will  draw  the 
reader's  attention  hereafter,  this  act  of  appren- 
ticing children,  is  spoken  of  among  a  long  list 
of  grievances,  and  also  the  promise- made  to 
them  of  "forty  acres  of  land  to  each  person," 

*  Historical  Documents, 


M 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


with  necessary  utensils,  etc.,  upon  their  arrival; 
but  after  being  huddled  together  upon  Nutten 
Island  until  November,  Hunter  wrote  to  the 
Board  of  Trade,  that  he  had  purchased  a  tract 
of  6,000  acres  of  Robert  Livingston  "for  the 
settlement  of  the  Palantines,"  and  upon  the 
14th  of  November,  17 10,  he  wrote  to  the 
same : — 

"  I  have  now  settled  the  Palantines  upon 
good  lands  upon  both  sides  of  the  Hudson's 
River,  about  one  hundred  miles  up,  adjacent 
to  the  Pines.  I  have  planted  them  in  five 
Villages,  three  upon  the  East  side  of  the  River 
upon  6,000  acres  I  have  purchased  of  Mr. 
Livingston  about  two  miles  from  Row  Lof 
Jansens  Kill.  The  other  two  on  the  West 
side  near  Sawyer's  Creek,  as  your  Lordships 
will  observe  by  the  inclosed  sketch  No  10  com- 
pared with  your  maps. 

"The  lands  on  the  West  side  belong  to  the 
Queen.  Each  family  hath  a  sufficient  Lot  of 
good  arable  land,  and  ships  of  15  foot  draught 
of  water  can  sail  upp  as  far  as  the  Plantations. 
They  have  already  built  themselves  huts, 
and  are  now  imployed  in  clearing  off  the 
grounds.  In  the  Spring  I  shall  set  them  to 
work  preparing  the  Trees,  according  to  Mr. 
Bridges  direction."* 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing  letter, 
that  the  Germans  were  settled  at  Livingston's 
Manor,  in  November  17 10,  in  five  villages  or  en- 
campments, which  originated  in  the  place  being 
called  "  the  Camps."     Livingston  was  a  man  of 
large  means,  for  those  days.     He  owned  a  mill 
and  brew-house,  and  made  a  contract  with  Gov. 
Hunter  to  supply  "the  camps"  with  provisions 
at  the  Governments'  expense.     Such  supplies 
were  to  consist  of  "  For  each  person  of  them, 
each  day,  the  quantity  of  Bread,  equal  to  one- 
third  of  a  Loaf  of  bread  of  such  sort  and  assize 
which  is  comonly  at  the  prise  of  four  pence  half 
penny  in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  one  quart 
of  Beer  such  as  is  usually  called  Ships  beer,  of 
the  Prise  of  three  pounds  for  each  Tun,  All 
which  is  to  be  delivered  to  the  commissary  of 
the  Palentines."     The  first  account,  for  the  sub- 
sistence of  the  Palatines,  shows  that  the  first 
arrival  at  "the  camps"  was  Oct.  6th,  17 10,  and 

*Documentary  History. 


the  number  of  persons  213.  "On  Jan.  ist, 
1711,  they  numbered  1,434.  In  June  i7"> 
there  were,  upon  the  east  tide  of  the  river,  four 
villages — called  '  dorfs' — namely — Hunters- 
town,  Queensbury,  Annsbury,  and  Haysbury, 
containing  1,189  Palentines."  On  the  west  side, 
there  were  three,  Elizabethtown,  Georgetown, 
and  Newtown,  with  614,  making  1,803  Palatines 
at  "the  camps."  Over  each  of  these  villages, 
or  "  dorfs  ",  was  placed  one  of  their  number,  to 
keep  a  correct  account  of  their  condition,  wants, 
etc.,  and  was  required  to  make  a  report  to  the 
commissary,  at  the  beginning  of  each  month. 
Those  overseers  or  head  men  were  called  "  List- 
masters,''  and  were,  in  the  order  of  the  villages, 
just  mentioned — "John  Peter  Kneiskern,  John 
Conrad  Weiser,  Hartman  Windecker,  John 
Christopher  Tucks,  John  Christopher  Gerlach, 
Jacob  Manch  and  Philip  Peter  Granberger." 

In  the  spring  of  17 11,  the  Germans  became 
dissatisfied  with  the  lands  upon  which  they  were 
located,  and  asked  to  be  taken  to  those  which 
they  had  been  promised — namely — Schoharie — 
or — as  called  by  them  "  Schorie.''  Here,  it  will 
be  observed,  that  the  Germans  first  speak  of  a 
"  promise  "  to  be  taken  to  "  Schorie."  During 
their  discontentment  at  the  "  camps  "  they  were 
firmly  determined  to  leave  them,  and  go  to 
"Schorie,"  stating  that  the  Governor  and  other 
officials  had  deceived  them,  by  promising  them 
while  in  England,  to  locate  them  in  Schoharie, 
and  to  give  to  each  forty  acres  of  land,  with 
necessary  implements,  etc.  The  oflScials  denied 
making  such  a  promise,  but  as  to  the  forty  acres 
of  land,  admitted,  that  they  were  to  have  it  after 
paying  for  it,  together  with  the  expense  the 
Government  had  been  to  for  transportation,  in 
tar  and  pitch.  But  the  Governor  and  council 
of  New  York  had  made  arrangements  to  begin 
the  manufacture  of  tar  and  pitch  at  this  time, 
yet  upon  attempting  to  set  them  to  work,  the 
overseers  found  the  Palatines  "  resolute  in  dis- 
obeying orders,"  in  fact,  mutinized.  Secretary 
Clarke,  in  writing  to  the  London  Board  of  Trade 
says : — 

"About  a  fortnight  ago  his  Excel'"^-  hav- 
ing received  information  from  their  Over- 
seers and  other  Officers  that  these  people  had 
taken  a  Resolution  neither  to  work  in  making 
Pitch  and  Tarr  nor  to  remain  on  the  land  they 


SECRETARY  CLARKE'S  LETTER  TO  THE  LONDON  BOARD  OF  TRADE.        15 


are  settled  upon  for  that  purpose,  but  even  by 
force,  If  they  could  not  otherwise  effect  it  to 
remove  to  Schohary  (a  tract  of  resumed  lands) 
and  that  they  had  actually  hindered  the  Sur- 
veyor from  laying  out  more  Lots  to  them  "  also 
"  By  their  deputies  they  returned  for  answer 
that  when  the  surveyors  came  to  lay  out  more 
land,  the  People  called  them  out,  told  them 
'twas  worth  nothing,  they  would  have  no  more, 
so  that  'twas  needless  to  survey  it  and  that  they 
would  have  the  land  at  Schohary  which  the 
Queen  had  ordered  them  by  their  contract. 
******* 

"  His  Excellency  replyed.  That  as  to  the 
lands  at  Schorie,  its  the  malace  of  those  who 
would  have  them  for  their  slaves  that  put  them 
on  demanding  it,  fqr  that  those  lands  the  In- 
dians had  not  yet  parted  with,  nor  were  they  fit 
for  their  labor,  no  pine  being  within  Twenty 
miles  of  it,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  sub- 
sist them  there,  or  defend  them  against  ye 
French  and  French  Indians  &  besides  they  had 
obhged  themselves  to  settle  on  such  lands  as  he 
should  assign  them  and  then  desired  their  final 
answer,  which  was,  that  they  would  have  the 
lands  appointed  them  by  the  Queen. 

"  Whereupon  his  Excellency  in  writing  told 
them  that  since  neither  their  duty  or  allegience 
or  regard  to  Her  Maj'^  unparalled  Charity  in 
goodness  in  taking  them  up  and  providing  for 
them  when  they  were  starving,  and  abandoned 
by  the  world  beside,  had  been  of  any  force  to 
keep  you  within  the  bounds  of  their  duty,  and 
since  they  had  no  regard  to  a  solemn  contract 
signed  by  them,  he  was  come  to  require  &  en- 
force the  execution  of  it,  Copies  and  Transla- 
tions of  which  they  had  in  their  own  language, 
and  that  they  must  give  their  final  answer  the 
next  day  at  four  in  the  evening. 

"A  few  minutes  after  the  deputies  were  gone, 
His  Excellency  was  informed  that  a  body  of 
three  or  four  Hundred  of  them  were  then  pass- 
ing the  brook,  the  Deputies,  among  whom  were 
the  Captains,  returned  to  him,  and  in  appear- 
ance seemed  softened,  and  then  went  to  the  peo- 
ple who  were  drawn  up  on  the  hill  above  the 
house,  towards  whom  his  Excell'^y-  marching 
with  his  detachment. 

"One  of  the  commisary's  who  had  been  with 
them  told  him  they  had  come  to  pay  their  com- 


pliments to  him,  so  his  Excellency  walked  up  to 
them,  and  asked  them  what  they  meant  by  ap- 
pearing in  arms,  they  told  him  what  they  told 
the  Commisary. 

"  Thereupon  his  Excellency  ordered  them 
home  to  their  habitations  and  being  gone  about 
a  mile  they  discharged  all  their  firelocks. 

"  But  their  saying  they  came  to  pay  their  com- 
pliments was  only  a  pretence,  for  they  told  two 
of  their  officers,  as  they  were  going  home,  that 
they  came  to  relieve  their  Deputies  in  case  they 
had  been  confined.  The  next  day  the  Dep- 
uties came  according  to  order  with  their  an- 
swers which  begins  indeed  with  a  desire  that  his 
Excellency  would  assist  them,  that  they  might 
be  settled  in  the  lands  of  Schohary,  but  they 
soon  forgot  their  humble  style  and  told  his  Excel- 
lency that  they  had  rather  lose  their  lives  im- 
mediately, than  remain  where  they  are,  that  they 
are  cheated  by  the  contract,  it  not  being  the 
same  that  was  read  in  England  there,  they  say  it 
runs  thus,  '  that  seven  years  after  they  had  forty 
acres  a  head  a  piece  given  them,  they  were  to 
repay  the  Queen  by  Hemp,  Mast  trees,  Tarr 
and  Pitch,  or  anything  else,  so  that  it  may  be 
ho  damage  to  any  man  in  his  family.'  Upon 
these  terms  they  will  perform  the  contract,  but 
to  be  forced  by  any  other  contract  to  remain 
upon  the  lands  all  their  lives  and  work  for  her 
Majesty  for  the  ship  use,  that  they  will  never 
consent  to  doe.  What  does  it  signify,  they  say, 
to  promise  them  this  land  that  they  shall  make 
pitch  and  Tarr.  They  will  be  obedient  to  the 
Queen,  but  they  will  have  the  promise  kept  that 
Mr.  Cast  read  to  them  in  High  Dutch  in  Eng- 
land, and  upon  that  land  which  was  promised 
them  they  will  be  there,  and  if  they  cannot  they 
desire  three  or  four  men  may  goe  for  England  and 
lay  their  case  before  the  Queen.  They  say  hke- 
wise  there  are  a  great  many  things  promised 
them — Clothing,  household  goods  and  working 
tools  wch  they  desire  to  have."  "They  say 
further  their  people  dye  for  want  of  care  and 
proper  remedyes  and  desire  money  to  subsist 
themselves  and  lastly  they  say  Mr.  Cast  told 
them  he'd  make  them  slaves  and  therefore  desire 
his  Excellen'^y-  to  appoint  another  in  his  room. 

"Whilst  his  Excellen'^y-  was  talking  to  the 
Deputies  he  received  information  that  there  was 
a  great  body  of  men  in  arms  on  the  other  side  of 


^ 


i6 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  brook  and  having  by  that  time  a  re-enforce- 
ment of  seventy  men  more,  he  marched  the  de- 
tachment immediately  and  passed  the  brook,the 
Palentines  were  run  home  to  their  houses.  His 
Excellency  marched  to  the  first  village  and 
ordered  them  to  bring  in  all  their  arms,  which 
they  did  immediately  except  a  few.  He  could 
goe  no  further  that  night,  but  the  next  morning 
marched  to  ye  other  three  villages  on  the  same 
side  of  the  river  and  disarmed  them  all  and 
then  returning  to  Mr.  Livingston,  sent  orders  to 
the  villages  on  the  other  side  to  bring  in  their 
arms  that  day  to  the  storehouse  to  be  transport- 
ed to  him,  which  I  believe  they  have  done."* 

The  letter  is  lengthy,  and  having  given  an 
idea  of  the  Germans  discontent  and  the  extent 
of  the  mutiny,  we  will  not  copy  the  remainder, 
as  the  writer,  in  substance,  "  wonders  how  a 
people  can  be  so  ungrateful  to  the  Queen,''  and 
that  "Its  hardly  creditable  that  men  who  reap 
so  great  a  benefit  as  they  doe  by  these  people — 
not  only  by  the  consumption  of  their  provisions, 
but  by  the  increase  of  strength,  should  be  so 
malicious  to  possess  them  with  notions  so  inju- 
rious to  themselves  and  prejudicial  to  Her 
Majesty's  Interest  but  yet  it  is  so.'' 

Whom  those  were  that  "possessed"  the  Ger- 
mans we  are  unable  to  tell,  but  we  are  satisfied 
that  John  Conrad  Weiser,  the  List-master  over 
Queensbury,  urged  their  disobedience,  as  we 
find  he  was  a  very  "  malicious  "  man,  in  the 
officials'  estimation  after  removing  to  "  Schorie." 
Without  doubt,  great  advantage  was  taken  by 
the  officials  over  the  Germans,  especially  by  Mr. 
Livingston,  in  furnishing  the  supplies;  as  he 
was  a  shrewd,  money-making  man,  and  as  more 
modern  "government  contractors  "  do,  stinted 
in  quality  if  not  in  quantity,  to  the  detriment 
of  the  stomachs  of  the  Palatines.  Various  in- 
terested men  wrote  to  the  London  Board  of 
Trade  in  regard  to  the  "maliciousness"  of  the 
Germans,  and  without  doubt  that  honorable  body 
had  discussed  the  matter.  Being  aware,  how- 
ever,of  the  temptations  held  out  for  money-mak- 
ing, a  portion,  at  least,  of  that  body,  took  a  fair 
view  of  the  matter  and  one  in  particular,  Lord 
Clarendon,  wrote  to  Lord  Dartmouth  in  regard 
to  Mr.  Livingston,  as  follows : — 

"  I  think  it  is  unhappy  that  Col.  Hunter  at 

*  London  Documents. 


his  first  arrival  in  his  Government  fell  into  so  ill 
hands,  for  this  Livingston  has  been  known  for 
many  years  in  that  province,  for  a  very  ill  man.  , 
He  formerly  victualed  the  forces  at  Albany,  in 
which  he  was  guilty  of  most  notorious  frauds, 
by  which  he  greatly  improved  his  estate.  He 
has  a  Mill  and  a  Brew-house  upon  his  lajid,  and 
if  he  can  get  the  victualing  of  those  Palentines, 
who  are  so  conveniently  posted  for  his  purpose, 
he  will  make  a  very  good  addition  to  his  estate, 
and  I  am  persuaded,  the  hopes  he  has  of  such  a 
Subsistence  to  be  allowed  by  Her  Majesty,  were 
the  chief,  if  not  the  only  Inducements,  that  pre- 
vailed with  him  to  propose  to  Gov.  Hunter,  to 
settle  them  upon  his  land,  which  is  not  the  best 
Place  for  Pine  Trees.  The  borders  of  Hud- 
son's River  above  Albany,  and  the  Mohawk 
River,  Schenectady,  are  well  known  to  be  the 
best  places  for  Pines  of  all  sorts,  both  for  num- 
bers, and  largeness  of  Trees.  *  * 
My  Lord,  upon  the  whole  matter,  I  am  of  the 
opinion,  that  if  the  Subsistence  proposed,  be 
allowed,  the  consequence  will  be,  that  Livings- 
ton and  some  others  will  get  Estates,  and  the 
Palentines  will  not  be  richer.'"" 

The  Germans  became  convinced,  no  doubt, 
that  they  had  been  deceived,  either  by  their 
misunderstanding  the  contract  in  England  or 
the  dishonesty  of  those  who  read  it  to  them, 
and  resolved  to  keep  quiet,  at  least  until  after 
the  contemplated  campaign  against  Canada. 
In  June  of  1711,  a  secret  expedition  was 
started  from  New  York  city,  both  by  sea 
and  land,  to  take  Quebec  from  the  French. 
A  land  force  was  to  form  a  junction  with 
the  fleet  before  the  city,  and  capture  the 
fortress.  In  July,  Gen.  Nicholson  started  with 
the  land  force,  and  was  joined  at  the  "Camps" 
by  300  of  the  Palatines,  under  the  command 
of  Capt.  John  Peter  Kneiskern,  Conrad  Weiser, 
Hartman  Windecker  and  J.  Christopher  Tucks. 
The  vessels  encountered  a  heavy  storm  and 
were  driven  back,  and  a  few  of  them  were 
wrecked  and  failed  to  reach  Quebec.  The  land 
force  waited  impatiently  for  the  vessels  and  at 
last  decided  to  return,  which  they  did  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  August  following.  They  found 
that  their  families  had  been  poorly  provided  for 
and  were  upon  the  verge  of  starvation  which 

*  London  Documents,  XVIIL 


PETITION  OF  THE  PALATINES  TO  KING  GEORGE. 


17 


again  aroused  them  to  a  sense  of  the  injustice 
with  which  they  were  dealt,  and  a  deeper  desire 
to  remove  from  the  "  Camps."  Some  of  them 
became  "  unwary,"  and  settled  upon  lands  be- 
longing to  others,  and  "ye  justices"  were  or- 
dered to  cause  them  to  return  to  their  own  set- 
tlements, and  in  May,  17 12,  a  detachment  of 
troops  was  ordered  among  them,  as  they  "  will 
not  obey  orders  without  compulsion." 

Upon  the  6th  of  September,  1712,  the  Gov- 
ernor wrote  a  letter  *  to  Mr.  Cast,  one  of  the 
commissioners,  the  substance  of  which  we  will 
here  give ;  and  we  desire  its  special  notice,  as 
reference  will  be  given  to  it  again.     He  says  : — 

"  I  have  at  length  exhausted  all  of  my  credit 
I  was  master  of,  for  the  support  of  the  Palen 
tines;  and  have  thereby,  I  assure  you,  embar- 
rassed myself  with  difficulties,  which  I  know  not 
how  to  surmount,  if  my  bills  of  exchange  be 
not  paid.  »  »  »  * 

"When  you  call  the  people  together,  and 
communicate  together  the  present  state  of  my 
affairs,  you  will  tell  them,  that  I  wish  they  would 
accept  any  employment  they  may  get  from 
farmers,  and  others  in  this  Province,  and  New 
Jersey,  for  their  own,  and  their  families  support, 
until  they  are  recalled  by  Proclamation  or  other 
public  notice."       *  *  *  * 

Upon  learning  the  situation  of  affairs  from 
Mr.  Cast,  the  discontent  became  greater,  and 
since  they  were  obliged  to  seek  employment 
elsewhere,  and  that,  too,  at  the  close  of  the 
year,  they  concluded  to  embrace  the  opportunity 
of  seeking  the  "  promised  land  Schorie,"  and 
after  years  of  "  dhrouble  "  even  in  that  imaginary 
paradise,  they  sent  a  petition  to  King  George — 
as  their  devoted  Queen  Anne  had  gone  to  her 
rest — laying  their  grievances  before  his  Majesty, 
which  we  will  here  copy  as  it  gives  us  the  true 
dates,  to  verify,  in  a  measure  that  which  we 
have  already  noticed. 

"  The  Condition,  Greivances  and  oppressions 
of  the  Germans  In  His  Majesty's  Province  of 
New  York  In  America,  1720: — 

"In  the  year  1709  was  her  late  Majesty 
Queen  Anne  most  graciously  pleased  to  send  a 
body  of  between  3  and  4000  Germans  to  New 
York  under  the  Inspection  and  Care  of  Robert 

♦Documentary  History. 


Hunter,  then  Governor  there,  with  particular 
Orders  &  Instructions  to  settle  them  upon  lands 
belonging  to  the  Crown,  and  such  as  was  most 
proper  for  raising  Tarr  &  Pitch  and  other  Naval 
stores. 

"  Before  they  left  England  they  were  promis'd 

5  pounds  in  money  pr.  head,  of  which  they  have 
received  nothing  at  all.  It  was  likewise  promis'd 
that  on  their  arrival  there.  Each  of  them  should 
receive  Cloaths,  Utensils,  tools  and  other  Con- 
veniency's  belonging  to  Husbandry,  all  which 
were  sent  with  them  from  England  for  their  use 
but  of  these  they  have  received  but  little. 

"They  were  moreover  to  have  a  grant  of  40 
acres  of  land  to  each  person  but  it  was  never 
perform'd. 

"  On  their  landing  at  New  York  they  were 
quartered  in  tents  on  the  comon  &  divided  in 
six  companies  over  each  of  which  was  a  Cap- 
tain appointed  to  Command  them,  (of  which 
number  John  Conrad  Weiser  arrived  here  in 
London  1718)  with  an  allowance  of  ;^is  per 
annum  each  but  not  one  farthing  has  been 
hitherto  paid  to  them. 

"About  the  same  time  took  the  Govern'' 
without  &  against  their  consent  many  children 
from  them  and  bound  them  to  several  of  the  In- 
habitants of  that  province  till  they  should  arrive 
to  the  age  of  2 1  years,  particularly  two  Sons 
from  Captain  Weiser,  one  of  twelve  and  another 
of  13  years  of  age  by  which  means  they  were 
deprived  of  the  comfort  of  their  Childrens  Com- 
pany and    Education   as  well  as  the  assistance 

6  Support  they  might  in  a  small  way  have 
reasonably  expected  from  them. 

"  In  the  fall  of  that  year,  those  that  were  liv- 
ing [then  it  must  be  observed  that  during  their 
voyage  thither  and  after  their  landing  a  great 
number  of  them  died]  were  removed  to  a  tract 
of  land  belonging  to  one  Mr.  Livingston  where 
they  liv'd  in  houses,  erected  by  themselves,  till 
the  Spring  following,  when  they  were  ordered  to 
the  woods  to  make  Tarr  &  Pitch  and  continued 
there  nearly  two  years,  but  as  the  land  was  im- 
propper  to  raise  any  sort  of  naval  stores  in  any 
Considerable  Quantity  their  labors  turn'd  to  a 
different  account  and  the  profits  of  building  & 
Improving  the  lands  fell  to  a  private  person,  they 
not  being  able  to  make  more  than  200  barrels  of 
Pitch  and  tarr.     The  small  prospect  they  had 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


\ 


of  being  in  a  Capacity  to  serve  the  nation,  who 
had  so  generously  &  Charitably  advanc'd  very 
great  sums  of  money  for  their  relief  &  Support 
and  the  Impossibility  there  was  of  raising  Corn, 
Cattle  &  other  provisions  for  their  subsistence 
on  such  ordinary  &  allmost  barren  land  oblig'd 
them  to  petition  the  aforesaid  Governor  that 
they  might  be  put  in  possession  &  settle  on 
the  land  Call'd  Schorie  which  the  Indians  had 
given  to  the  late  Queen  Anne  for  their  use,  he 
answered  that  tho  the  lands  was  theirs  he  could 
nor  would  not  take  it  from  them,  neither  could 
he  settle  them  there,  because  it  would  oblige 
him  to  maintain  to  many  Garrisons. 

"The  said  Governor  thought  fitt  sometime 
after  to  visit  all  the  villages,  where  they  were 
settled  and  view  the  people  there,  who  with  one 
Consent  apply'd  to  him  again,  humbly  praying 
they  might  go  and  inhabit  the  above  promis'd 
land,  upon  which  he  in  a  passion  stamped  upon 
the  ground  &  said,  here  is  your  land  (mean- 
ing the  almost  barren  rocks)  where  you  must 
live  and  die. 

"  The  second  year  after  our  arrival  were  or- 
ders sent  to  them  to  detach  300  able  men  to 
serve  on  the  late  unfortunate  expedition  against 
Canada,  which  they  willingly  &  Cheerfully  did, 
and  on  their  return,  were  their  arms  taken  from 
them,  tho  all  that  went  on  the  expedition  should 
have  kept  them  by  her  late  Majesty's  particular 
Order  without  paying  them  any  wages  or  Sallery, 
(notwithstanding  they  were  put  on  the  Estab- 
lishment of  New  York  and  New  Jersey  or  both, 
&  the  money  received  by  the  said  Governor) 
they  marched  home,  where  they  found  their 
family's  allmost  starved,  no  provisions  having 
been  given  them  during  their  absence. 

"  The  Winter  following  did  the  Inhabitants 
of  the  frontier  Town  of  Albany  desire  the  Gov- 
ernor that  they  might  have  (being  fearfull)  the 
assistance  of  some  of  them  to  strengthen  ye 
Garrison  of  that  town  from  Invasion  of  the  In- 
dians in  Conjunction  with  the  French  of  Cana- 
dy,  which  the  Governor  agreeing  to,  they  went 
accordingly,  but  were  never  paid. 

"  In  the  second  year  of  their  abode  at  Living- 
ston's on  the  pitch  wood,  three  of  their  people 
were  sent  down  to  Col.  Hunter,  Petitioning 
that  he  would  be  pleased  to  order  them  their 
full  allowance  of  provisions,  which  they  never 


hitherto  had,  to  which  he  answered  that  they 
should  return  home  &  he  wou'd  send  orders 
after  them,  and  about  8  days  after  came 
this  surprising  message  from  him,  that  he  had 
not  received  any  subsistance  for  them  from 
England,  &  therefore  every  one  of  them  must 
shift  for  himself,  but  not  out  of  the  province. 

"  This  was  the  latter  end  of  the  year  and 
winter  just  at  hand  which  is  very  severe,  there 
being  no  provisions  to  be  had,  &  the  people 
bare  of  Cloaths,  which  occasioned  a  terrible 
Consternation  amongst  them  &  particuUy  from 
the  women  and  children,  the  most  pityful  Cryes 
and  lamentations  that  have  perhaps  ever  been 
heard  from  any  person  under  the  most  wretched 
and  miserable  circumstances,  so  that  they  were 
at  last  much  against  their  wills,  put  under  the 
hard  &  greeting  necessity  of  seeking  releif  from 
the  Indians.  Upon  which  some  of  their  Chiefs 
were  suddenly  dispatch'd  away  to  the  Indians 
by  whom  they  were  kindly  received,  &  to  whom 
they  open'd  their  miserable  condition  &  that 
being  wholly  cast  off  by  the  sd  Governor,  & 
left  destituted  of  the  means  of  living  elsewhere, 
they  intreated  them  to  give  'em  permission  to 
settle  on  the  tract  of  land  call'd  Schorie  which 
they  immediately  granted,  saying,  they  had 
formerly  given  the  sd  land  to  Queen  Anne  for 
them  to  possess  and  that  nobody  should  hinder 
them  of  it,  and  they  would  assist  them  as  farr 
as  they  were  able.  Whereupon  these  chiefs 
returned  to  the  people  acquainting  them  of  the 
Indians  favorable  disposition. 

"  This  put  the  people  in  some  heart  &  find- 
ing it  absolutely  necessary  to  embrace  that 
opportunity  so  providently  bestowed  on  them 
all  hands  fell  to  work  and  in  2  weeks  Clear'd  a 
way  thr'  the  woods  of  15  miles  long  with  the 
utmost  toyle  and  labor,  tho  almost  starved  & 
without  bread.  Which  being  effected  5  o  fam  ily's 
were  immediately  sent  to  Schorie  when  being 
arrived  &  allmost  settled  they  there  received 
orders  from  the  Governor,  not  to  goe  upon  that 
land  &  he  who  did  so  shou'd  be  declared  a 
Rebell. 

"  This  message  sounded  hke  thunder  in  their 
ears,  and  surprised  them  beyond  expression, 
but  having  seriously  weighed  matters  amongst 
themselves  &  finding  no  manner  of  likelyhood 
of  subsisting  Elsewhere  but  a  ceftainty  of  perish- 


PETITION  OF  THE  PALATINES  TO  KING  GEORGE. 


19 


ing  by  hunger,  Cold,  etc.,  if  they  returned,  they 
found  themselves  under  the  fatal  necessity  of 
hazzarding  the  Gov'ts  Resentment,  that  being 
to  all  more  Eligible  than  Starving. 

"In  the  same  year  in  March  did  the  remain- 
der of  the  people  (tho  treated  by  the  Governor 
as  Pharao  treated  the  Israelites)  proceed  on 
their  journey  &  by  Gods  assistance,  travell'd  in 
fourtnight  with  sledges  tho  the  snow  which 
there  covered  the  ground  above  3  foot  deep, 
Cold  &  Hunger,  Joyn'd  their  friends  and  Coun- 
tryman in  the  promised  land  Schorie. 

"  The  number  of  Germans  who  came  hither  to 
search  for  bread  for  themselves,  their  wifes  and 
children,  were  more  than  the  land  already 
granted  them  by  the  Indians  cou'd  supply  with 
settlements  &  some  of  the  people  of  Albany 
endeavoring  to  purchase  the  land  around  em 
from  the  Indians  on  purpose  to  close  them  up, 
and  deprive  them  of  any  rang  for  their  Cattel, 
they  were  obliged  to  solicit  all  the  Indian 
Kings  there  adjoining  for  more  land,  which 
they  wiUingly  granted  'em  &  sold  'em  the  rest 
of  the  land  at  Schorie  being  woods  Rocks  and 
pastaridg  for  300  pieces  of  Eight. 

"  No  sooner  had  Governor  Hunter  notice  of 
their  settlement  and  agreement  with  the  Indians 
but  he  ordered  one  Adam  Vroman  to  endeavor 
to  pursuade  the  Indians  to  break  the  agreement 
made. 

"  Upon  the  first  settlement  of  this  land  the 
misery's  of  those  poor  &  almost  famished 
Creatures  underwent  were  incredable,  &  had  it 
not  been  for  the  Charity  of  the  Indians,  who 
shew'd  them  where  to  gather  some  eatable  roots 
and  herbs,  must  inevitably  have  perished,  every 
soul  of  them,  but  what  God  said  in  Anger  to 
Adam  was  in  mercy  fulfilled  viz  Thou  shalt  eat 
the  herbs  of  the  fields,  when  they  continued 
about  one  year  on  this  land,  build  small  houses 
and  huts  and  made  other  Improvements  thereon, 
with  their  bloody  sweat  &  labor  and  under  the 
most  greivous  hardships  &  dayly  hazard  of  their 
lives  from  the  French  &  Indian  Enemy's,  as 
well  as  from  those  more  dreadful  ones.  Cold  & 
Hunger,  severall  Gentlemen  Came  to  them  from 
Albany,  declaring  they  had  bought  that  land  of 
Gov.  Hunter  &  if  they  intentioned  to  live 
thereon  they  must  agree  with  them,  to  which 
demand  these  poor  people  answered.     That  the 


land  was  the  Kings  and  that  they  were  the  Kings 
subjects  and  had  no  power  to  agree  to  anything 
about  his  Majesty's  lands  without  his  special 
order,  upon  which  these  Gentleman  said.  Wee 
are  Kings  of  this  land,  but  the  Germans  reply'd 
that  their  King  was  in  England,  &  that  the  land 
shou'd  not  be  taken  from  them  without  his 
Majesty's  particular  order. 

"Sometime  after  did  these  gentleman  send 
the  Sheriff  with  some  others  upon  the  land  and 
to  take  the  sd  Captain  -by  force,  dead  or  alive, 
but  he  having  timely  notice  of  it  was  on  his 
Guard  so  they  were  prevented. 

"These  Gentleman  finding  the  Inhabitants 
resolut  in  keeping  possession  of  the  lands,  they 
had  thus  improved  and  from  whence  they  drew 
the  only  support  to  themselves  and  familys  fell 
on  an  other  project  which  was  Clandestinely 
and  basely  to  endeavor  to  sew  Enmity  betwixt 
them  and  the  Indians  and  if  possible  to  pur- 
suade them  (for  Money  or  Rumm)  to  put  them 
in  possession  of  the  land  and  declare  them  right- 
ful owners  thereof,  but  in  this  they  also  fail'd, 
tho  not  without  great  trouble  &  charge  to  those 
poor  people  who  were  forced  to  put  themselves 
on  the  mercy  of  the  Indians  by  giving  them  out 
of  their  nothing  and  begg  of  them,  that  since 
they  had  so  long  suckled  them  at  their  breast, 
not  to  ween  them  so  soon  and  cast  them  off". 

"  In  the  spring  of  1 7 1 5  the  Gentleman  from 
Albany  sent  a  man  to  affix  some  papers  on  the 
land,  Containing  in  Substance  t];iat  whoever  of 
the  Inhabitants  shou'd  see  those  papers  must 
either  agree  with  them  or  leave  the  land. 

"  This  with  their  threatenings  being  done  in 
the  Spring,  the  best  planting  time  for  Indian 
corn  (the  chief  of  their  subsistance)  damp'd  the 
spirits  of  these  poor  people — slackened  their 
Industry  &  did  'em  great  damage. 

"In  the  year  1717  came  the  Governor  to  Al- 
bany and  sent  orders  to  the  Inhabitants  of  the 
land  Schorie  that  3  men  of  every  village  shou'd 
appear  before  him  on  a  day  appointed  and  par- 
ticularly the  above  mentioned   Captain  Weiser. 

"  When  they  appeared  before  him,  he  said 
that  he  would  hang  J  ohn  Conrad  Weiser  and  or- 
dered them  to  answer  him  the  3  following  ques- 
tions viz : — 

"  ist,  Why  they  went  to  inhabit  the  land 
Schorie  without  his  order  ? 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


"2d.  Why  they  would   not  agree   with   the 
people  of  Albany  ? 

"  3d.  Why  they   concerned    themselves    so 
much  with  the  Indians  ? 

"  Their  answer  to  the  first  question  was,  that 
his  Exceir<=y  had  ordered  them  to  shift  for  them- 
selves &  denied  them  further  subsistance,  the 
utmost  necessity  and  poverty  forced  them  to 
remove  thither  to  earn  their  bread  for  the  main- 
tainance  of  their  wifes  and  children  and  that  they 
continued  their  settlement  on  the  same  motives 
in  expectation  of  His  Majesty's  Grace  and  His 
Exceir-^y  favor. 

"  When  they  mentioned  his  Majesty  the  Gov- 
ernor in  a  passion  said  What  Great  Britian  & 
Mr.  Leivingston  added,  here  is  yr  King,  mean- 
ing the  Governor.  Whereupon  they  beg'd  his 
pardon,  and  that  he  would  forgive  them  their 
Ignorance  and  Inadvertency. 

"  To  the  second  question  they  returned  their 
answer  that  the  people  were  so  many,  the  land 
so  small  and  the  wages  so  bad,  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  agree  with  the  gentleman  on  their 
extravagant  terms,  especially  after  the  vast  ex- 
pense and  labor  they  had  had,  not  mentioning, 
that  the  Indians  had  given  it  to  the  Crown  for 
their  use  and  that  there  was  no  direction  imedi- 
ately  from  his  Majesty  to  confirm  it  to  them, 
they  being  sent  over  with  a  promise  of  so  much 
land  pr  head  and  if  they  served  any  body  it 
must  be  the  King  and  not  a  privat  person. 

"  They  answered  to  the  3d  point,  that  because 
they  lived  on  the  borders  of  the  French  as  a 
Frontier  &  were  liable  to  their  dayly  insults 
against  whom  they  could  scarcely  stand,  they 
were  obliged  to  keep  fair  with  the  friendly  In- 
dians amongst  whom  they  dwelt,  which  was  the 
only  way  to  be  protected  and  live  in  peace. 

"Governor, Hunter  then  ordered  that  those 
who  wou'd  not  agree  with  or  turn  tenants  to 
those  Gentleman  from  Albany,  to  whom  he  had 
sold  the  land  for  1500  pistoles  shou'd  remove 
from  their  habitations  and  Improvements  & 
that  they  should  make  two  lists,  one  of  those 
that  wou'd  agree  the  other  of  those  that  wou'd 
not  agree  with  the  Gentleman  &  and  that  he 
soon  expected  an  order  from  England  to  trans- 
plant them  to  another  place,  but  no  such  thing 
was  performed. 

^'  They  then  most  submissively^  remonstrated 


with  the  Gov.  how  hard  it  would  be  to  leave  & 
abandon  their  houses,  lands  and  Improvements 
for  nothing  beside  that  they  were  indebted  for 
other  necessary's,  thereupon  Gov.  Hunter  an- 
swered, that  he  would  send  12  men  to  examine 
their  works  and  Improvements  and  give  them 
money  to  pay  their  debts  but  it  was  never  per- 
formed. 

"  The  winter  following  they  sent  3  men  to 
New  York  to  the  Governor  humbly  beseaching 
him  to  grant  them  liberty  to  plough  the  lands 
or  otherwise  take  care  of  them,  but  he  answered, 
What  is  said  is  said,  meaning  the  Prohibition 
of  plowing  at  Albany 

"This  was  a  thunder  clap  in  the  ears  of  their 
wifes  &  children  and  the  lamentations  of  all 
the  people  increased  to  such  a  hight  and  their 
necessity's  grew  so  great,  that  they  were  forc'd 
for  their  own  preservation  to  transgress  those 
orders  and  sew  some  Summer  Corn  and  fruits 
or  Else  they  must  have  starv'd. 

"  These  Gentleman  have  thrown  one  of  their 
women  in  Prison  at  Albany,  who  still  continues 
there  also  a  man  for  ploughing  the  land  and  will 
not  release  him  till  he  gives  One  Hundred 
Crown's  security,  the  same  has  also  happened 
to  others. 

"  The  Governor  sent  orders,  that  all  the 
Germans  should  take  their  oaths  of  being  faith- 
ful and  withal  to  pay  8  shillings  pr  head,  which 
they  willingly  agreed  to,  in  hopes  of  a  settle- 
ment, but  this  with  all  the  promices  formally 
made,  unto  them  was  in  vain." 

[Endorsed]     "  Greivances  of  the 
Palentins  in  New  York 
Rd  Aug  20th  1722." 


CHAPTER  II. 
The  Foregoing  Chapter  Reviewed — Ex- 
pense OF  Germans — Review  of  the  Ger- 
man Movements — Located  at  Schorie — 
Their  Hardships Judge  Brown's  Ac- 
count— Fight — Indians  of  What  Tribe 
— Hunting  Grounds — Ka-rig-hon-don-tee 
The  Chief — Sale  of  Lands  by  Gov.  Hun- 
ter— Schuyler  and  Coeyman's  Purchase 
— Gov.  Hunter's  Defense  to  the  Board 
OF  Trade — Bayard's  Visit  to  Schoharie 


REVIEW  OF  THE  EARLY  PALATINE  SETTLEMENTS. 


21 


— Resumed     Lands — Sheriff     Adams 

Adam  Vroman — The  Germans  Trespass 
Upon  Him — His  Letter  to  Gov.  Hunter 
—The  Fourth  of  July  Spirit — Official 
Corruption — Hunter's  Order  of  Arrest 
— Weiser  in  England— Confined  in  the 
Tower —  Clark's  Letter — Jeremy  Long's 

Council    for    Germans Purchase    of 

Lands  in  17 19 — Location  of  Weiser's 
DoRF — Other  Dorfs — Spread  of  Settle- 
ments— Mode  of  Living — Implements — 
Negro  Slaves  and  Customs — Indians — 
Their  Petition — Number  of  Them  in 
Schoharie— Military  Affairs— Division  of 
Albany  County — Early  Officials. 

PERHAPS  we  have  drawn  too  freely  upon  doc- 
umentary history  to  be  pleasing,  as  it  is  con- 
sidered by  the  general  reader  to  be  uninteresting. 

But  we  are  aware  that  our  County's  history 
has  been  written — its  life  and  character  drawn, 
and  long  years  ago  its  fac-simile  impressed  upon 
the  minds  of  her  people  in  a  different  light 
from  that  which  the  foregoing  chapter  casts,  and 
to  make  such  contrary  assertions  without  proof, 
would  be  useless.  Therefore,  we  produce  these 
copies  raked  from  dtisty  archives  to  prove  the 
facts,  and  from  them  we  glean  much  that  must 
change  the  impressions  that  conjecture  and  tra- 
dition have  made,  however  much  we  have  been 
content  with  the  well  told  and  pleasing  tale. 

It  will  be  seen  that  it  was  the  intention  of 
Gov.  Hunter  to  settle  the  Germans  at "  Schorie  " 
upon  their  landing  at  New  York,  as  by  his  let- 
ter to  the  Board  of  Trade,  he  had  sent  the  sur- 
veyors there  to  lay  out  their  lots — also  through 
the  petition,  that  the  Indians  had  given  the  land 
for  that  purpose. 

It  was  so  understood  by  the  Palatines  while 
in  England,  and  we  have  not  a  doubt  but  they 
were  made  to  believe  that  they  were  to  have  forty 
acres  each  with  necessary  utensils,  immediately 
after  landing,  or  they  would  not  in  their  honest 
simplicity  have  so  persistently  petitioned  to  the 
Governor  and  King  to  that  end. 

But  the  officials  required  them  to  pay  the  ex- 
pense their  immigration  had  incurred,  in  pitch  and 
tar,  before  any  farther  movements  were  made. 


Hunter's  sole  excuse  for  not  settling  them  in 
the  "  promised  land  Schorie,"  was  that  it  "  would 
incur  too  great  expense  to  maintain  a  garrison 
for  their  protection  from  the  invasion  of  ye 
French  and  French  Indians " — while  he  kept 
them  at  the  camps  at  an  expense  to  the  govern- 
ment of  from  eight  to  twelve  hundred  pounds 
each  month.  After  they  came  to  Schoharie 
they  did  not  cost  the  government  a  single  farth- 
ing for  their  subsistence.  The  fact  was,  as  Lord 
Clarendon  wrote,  that  "  Gov.  Hunter  fell  in 
very  ill  hands  "  when  he  concurred  in  Mr.  Liv- 
ingston's scheme  to  employ  and  subsist  the  Ger- 
mans, and  His  Lordship's  words  proved  true 
that  "  Livingston  and  some  others  will  get  es- 
tates and  the  Palatines  will  not  be  the  richer." 
There  was  a  speculation  in  the  labors  and  sub- 
sistence of  the  Germans,  and  they  knew  it,  and 
for  their  persistent  efforts  to  obtain  a  recom- 
pense for  their  labors  in  desirable  homes  for 
their  families  and  a  plentiful  amount  of  eatables, 
they  were  stigmatized  by  the  officials  as  ignorant 
and  willfully  obstinate.  In  reviewing  the  peti- 
tion of  1720  and  letters  which  we  have  copied, 
we  learn  that  they  landed  in  New  York  in  June, 
£710,  and  were  taken  to  Livingston's  manor  in 
the  fall  of  that  year. 

In  the  spring  of  17 11  they  commenced 
making  tar  and  pitch,  and  in  June  following, 
three  hundred  of  them  joined  the  Canadian 
expedition.  Here  we  will  state  that  John  Con- 
rad Weiser,  Hartman  Windecker  and  others, 
whom  all  writers  agree  were  among  the  first 
settlers  in  the  Schoharie  valley — were  on  that 
expedition  from  June  to  October,  which  con- 
futes the  statement  of  the  Schoharie  settle- 
ments being  made  in  17 11. 

During  the  winter  of  17 11  and  17 12  many 
were  sent  to  Albany  to  strengthen  the  garrison, 
while  others  were  working  "in  the  pines," 
where  they  remained  "  nearly  two  years  "  from 
the  spring  of  1711.  That  "  nearly  two  years  " 
extended  to  the  winter  of  1712  and  17 13,  when 
Gov.  Hunter's  supplies  gave  out  as  seen  by  his 
letter  to  Mr.  Cast,  of  September,  17  12,  granting 
them  permission  to  work  for  farmers,  and  inter- 
preted by  the  Germans  in  the  petition  to  "shift 
for  themselves." 

The  sending  of  their  "chiefs"  (List-masters,) 
to  treat  with  the  Indians,  must  have  been  in 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  fall,  ^d  the  arrival  of  the  first  party  in  the 
Schoharie  valley  must  have  been  after  the  ist 
day  of  January,  1713,  as  we  find,  that  "the 
same  year  in  March,  did  the  remainder  of  the  ist 
people  proceed  on  their  journey,"  showing  con- 
clusively, that  all  arrived  in  the  same  year,  and 
not  at  an  earlier  date,  than  between  the  ist  of 
January  and  April,  17 13.  Then,  we  find  the 
List-masters  named  here,  at  the  Schoharie 
valley,  where  Middleburgh  now  stands,  and 
then  known  as  "  Weisersdorf "  The  number 
that  came  is  not  known,  but  the  fifty  families 
that  first  sought  the  valley  would  number  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five,  according  to  the 
average  of  the  whole,  at  the  camps.  But  how 
many  families  came  a  short  time  after,  or  how 
many  the  "remainder  that  came  in  March" 
numbered,  we  are  unable  to  say. 

In    1 7 18  a  census  was  taken  to  obtain  the 
number  of  inhabitants  in  the  province  of  New 
York,  and  Joshua  Kocherthal  and  John  Fred- 
erick Hager  were  commissioned  to  report  the 
number  found  along  the  Hudson,  Mohawk  and 
Schoharie.      They  reported  seven    villages   or 
"dorfs"  at  Schoharie  "  consisting  of  170  fam- 
ihes,  containing  six  hundred  and  eighty  souls."* 
Being  located  at  "Schorie,  the  promised  land," 
in  the  midst  of  winter,  we  cannot  conceive  the 
amount  of  hardships  they  were  compelled  to 
endure.     Their  petition  expresses  in  a  manner 
their  deep  troubles,  but  words,  we  know,  were 
inadequate  to  "tell  the  tale."     Arriving,  as  they 
did  when  there  were  three   feet  of  snow  upon 
the  ground,  without  shelter  or  food  and  undoubt- 
edly with  but  little  clothing,  in  a  desolate  and 
unknown  wilderness,  with  none  to  aid  but  a  few 
half-starved  savages,  we,  who  enjoy  ourselves 
so  luxuriantly  upon  the  broad  acres  they  regen- 
erated  from   the  wilderness,  are  unable  to   im- 
agine their  critical  condition.     But  with  deter- 
mined purposes,  they  overcame  all  obstacles. 
They  hved  upon  roots  and  herbs,  found  so  plen- 
tifully near  the  Indian  encampment.     But  when 
warm,  and  gentle  spring  came,  melting  the  snow 
and  ice  from  the  hills  and  valleys,  with  what  heart- 
felt gratitude  they  must  have  returned  thanks  to 
the  Divine  Head  for  their  deliverance  from  the 
frosty  chains  of  unmerciful  winter ! 

Immediately  they  commenced  planting,and  the 

*  Consult  Chapter  16. 


richness  of  the  soil  soon  furnished  them  with  an 
abundance  of  eatables.  Brown,  in  his  Pamph- 
let History,  says  that  the  first  settlers  came  from 
the  camps,  by  way  of  Albany,  and  upon  arriv- 
ing at  the  Helleberg,  and  enjoying  ablutions  by  a 
creek,  the  lice  washed  off  from  their  bodies 
floating  down  the  stream,  gave  it  the  appella- 
tion of  "  Louse  Creek."  He  also  tells  us  of  a  free 
fight  from  some  unknown  cause  between  those 
pioneers.  We  do  not  wish  to  contradict  so 
good  an  authority  as  Judge  Brown  nor  will  we 
deny  that  such  proceedings  were  enacted ;  but 
it  does  not  look  reasonable,  that  the  settlers 
whom  we  have  followed  from  the  camps  in  the 
depth  of  winter  would  have  come  by  the  way  of 
Albany  as  at  that  time  there  was  a  road  upon 
the  east  side  of  the  river  from  New  York  to 
Albany,  which  would  have  made  it  useless  for 
them  to  have  cut  a  road  through  the  woods  as 
the  petition  states.  Besides,  at  the  time  these 
settlers  "  proceeded  on  their  journey,  with  snow 
three  feet  deep,"  and  nearly  starved,  we  cannot 
think  they  would  stop  to  take  an  out-door  bath 
on  the  summit  of  the  Helleberg.  While  we  are 
perfectly  willing,  indeed  anxious,  to  accord  to 
every  object,  whether  man,  beast,_or  louse,  all 
credit  due  for  acts,  especially  endurance,  we 
cannot  think  that  either  the  Germans  or  lice, 
could  "stand the  test"  upon  that  mountain,  in 
mid-winter. 

Without  doubt,  some  of  the  Germans  that 
were  sent  to  Albany  to  strengthen  the  garrison, 
joined  their  countrymen  at  Weisers  in  the  spring 
of  1713  or '14,  and  being  disappointed  in  not 
having  an  opportunity  of  displaying  their  "mar- 
tial spirits"  at  the  garrison  by  a  conflict  with  "ye 
French  and  French  Indians,"  concluded  to  have 
a  private  rough  and  tumble  upon  the  mountain, 
and  leave  a  mark  of  their  "inroads,"  if  not  upon 
trees,  stones  and  earth — upon  ribs,  shins  and 
noses. 

There  was  an  Indian  path  leading  to  the 
Schoharie  valley  from  the  Hudson  river  near 
Catskill,  over  which  the  Stockbridge  and  Mohe- 
gan  hunters  and  visitors  travelled,  that  the  first 
German  settlers,  no  doubt,  followed;  as  we 
believe  they  came  direct  from  the  camps,  over 
hills  and  along  valleys,  without  making  the  cir- 
cuitous route  by  the  way  of  Albany,  and  the 
"  three   weeks  cutting   a  way  through  the  wil- 


THE  SCHOHARIE  TRIBE  OF  INDIANS. 


23 


demess,"  was  in  making  a  road  to  intersect  the 
Indian  path  at  the  nearest  point  from  the  camps. 

Upon  the  advent  of  the  whites,  a  small  tribe 
of  Indians  occupied  the  Schoharie  valley,  but  at 
what  particular  time  they  congregated,  as  a  dis- 
tinct tribe,  or  branch  of  the  Mohawks,  is  not 
known.  We  can  only  conjecture  and  indefi- 
nitely date  their  organization  from  the  time 
those  tribes  from  which  they  came  began  to 
disband  by  the  progressive  march  of  the  whites 
upon  their  possessions,  or  through  repeated 
wars. 

The  "  Schoharie  Tribe  "  was  a  mongrel  one, 
made  up  of  different  tribes,  and  numbering,  ac- 
cording to  Brown,  about  three  hundred  warriors. 

The  Mohegans,  of  the  Thames  and  Yantic 
of  Connecticut,  were  stationed  in  considerable 
numbers,  near  the  present  Middleburgh  village. 

The  native  tribe  once  numbered  thousands, 
but  by  numerous  wars  with  the  Mohawks  and 
Narragan setts,  were  reduced  to  a  few  hundreds. 

At  the  death  of  Uncas,  their  venerated  chief, 
in  1683,  quite  a  number  left  the  tribe  and  with- 
out doubt  sought  a.  home  among  the  Mohawks, 
and  were  placed  by  them  in  the  Schoharie 
valley. 

Oweneco,  the  son  of  Uncas,  succeeded  his 
father  as  chief  and  with  a  few  followers  remained 
near  the  graves  of  their  fathers,  living  upon  the 
charity  of  the  English,  to  whom  their  camps 
and  hunting  grounds  were  sold.  In  17 10, 
Oweneco  died,  and  another  scattering  was  made, 
and  perhaps  another  addition  to  the  Schoharie 
tribe. 

A  band  of  Stockbridge  Indians,  also,  was 
here  but  could  not  have  come  as  early  as  the 
Mohegans,  unless  they  were  refugees  from  the 
native  tribe  for  misconduct  or  crimes,  from  the 
fact  that  the  tribe  remained  nearly  intact  up  to, 
or  near,  the  year  1700.  Asquadof  Tuscaroras, 
too,  united  with  them,  but  at  what  time,  tra- 
dition does  not  tell.  In  17 12,  the  Tuscaroras 
united  with  the  Five  Nations,  but  by  a  letter  we 
read  several  years  ago,  written  by  an  Indian 
trader  in  171 1,  the  tribe  was  represented  in  the 
valley  at  that  time.  There  being  a  few  of  the 
Delaware  Indians  here  mingled  with  the  whole, 
perhaps  the  Tuscaroras  came  with  them,  led  by 
the  fascinating  hunting-grounds,  unless  they  were 
refugees  from  the  council  fires. 


When  we  look  over  the  hills  and  valleys  of 
Schoharie,  we  cannot  imagine  but  that  they 
were  once  noble  hunting  and  fishing  grounds  that 
would  excite  the  envy  of  any  Nimrod  or  Walton 
whether  he  were  savage  or  civilized  ;  and  pre- 
vious to  theformationof  the  Schoharie  tribe,  we 
believe  they  were  trodden  by  the  Mohawk  and 
Delaware  hunters  in  quest  of  the  abundance  of 
deer,  bears,  foxes  and  panthers  that  were  found 
here.  For  lovers  of  such  sports  to  have  built 
their  wigwams  upon  such  grounds,  would  not 
seem  strange,  but  on  the  contrary  very  consis- 
tent. These  different  squads,  with  different 
dialects  and  perhaps  customs,  settled  separately, 
but  were  subjects  of  Ka-rig-hon-don-tee,  whom 
the  Mohawks  placed  here  as  their  chief.  Tra- 
dition tells  us  that  he  was  a  captive  Canadian 
Indian  chief,  and  married  a  Mohawk  squaw. 
Brown  says,  his  "  father-in-law  sent  him  there, 
and  gave  him  land,  for  fear  that  the  Mohawks 
would  kill  him  when  they  got  drunk,  as  they 
bore  a  great  enmity  to  the  French."  Allowing 
that  the  Mohegans  came  in  1683,  the  Stock- 
bridges,  in  1700,  and  the  Tuscaroras  a  few  years 
later,  we  can  but  see  that  the  "make  up"  of 
the  tribe  was  but  a  few  years  previous  to  the 
settlement  of  the  whites.  Various  places 
through  the  County  bear  the  marks  of  Indian 
encampments  and  burial  places,  that  would  lead 
us  to  think  were  far  back  of  those  dates.  Un- 
doubtedly the  whole  territory  of  the  present 
County,  was  occupied  by  the  confederate  tribes 
and  the  Delawares,  Stockbridges,  Mohegans, 
Narragan  setts,  and  many  others,  as  hunting- 
grounds  as  far  back  as  any  other  portion  of  the 
country.  When  the  whites  settled  along  the 
Schoharie  valley  the  Indians  were  marked  as 
being  a  revengeful,  murderous  set,  which  gives 
us  the  impression  that  they  were  the  scum,  as 
it  were,  of  the  tribes  from  which  they  came. 

The  Mohegans,  as  a  tribe,  were  ever  friends  to 
the  whites,  but  much  to  the  discredit  of  the 
whites  they  many  times  proved  traitors  to  the 
Indians'  confidence  in  them. 

The  Stockbridge  tribe,  also,  were  a  quiet  and 
friendly  people  when  used  by  the  English  with 
any  degree  of  kindness  and  fairness,  and  the 
friendship  of  the  Tuscaroras  towards  our  strug- 
gling forefathers,  through  the  Revolution,  should 
suffice  for  us  to  think  well  of  them. 


24 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


In  comparing  the  general  characters  of  each 
tribe  with  their  representatives  in  the  valley, 
we  cannot  but  believe  that  they  were  the  out- 
casts from  each,  or,  as  termed  by  the  white 
man's  code,  criminals. 

To  follow  up  traditionary  tales  of  noble  In- 
dian tribes  is  a  pleasing  and   interesting   task 
and  to  the  competent,  doubly  pleasing  it  must 
be   to   reverberate,  to   after  ages,  their  heroic 
deeds  and  valorous  exploits.     But  to  chronicle 
the  characters  and  acts  of  the  Schoharie  tribe 
would   prove  to   be  no  embellishment  to  the 
meagre  history  of  the  ■'  untutored  savage."     We 
have  before  us  a  deed  dated  Oct.  7,  1722,  given 
by  Adam  Vroman  to  his   son  John,  conveying 
a  piece  of  land  upon  a  part  of  which  the  chief 
resided.     The   writing   states   that,  "  I  (Adam 
Vroman,)  promised  to  several  scachams  when  I 
bought  thelandof  them,  that  Ca-ree-ah-dun-kah 
should  be  allowed  to  hve  where  he  now  Uves,  as 
long  as  he  chooses,  and  reserve   for  his   use, 
where  he  lives."     The  land  was  sold  for  "  twen- 
ty morgans  of  land,"  and  without  doubt  was  that 
lying  by  the  "  Dovegatt,"  in  Vromansland  where 
the  castle  was  built.     The  writer  of  the  deed  was 
an  excellent  penman,  and  to  judge  by  the  lan- 
guage used,  a  fair  scholar,  that  would  be  apt  to 
write  the  chief's  name  as  pronounced  by  the  In- 
dians with  whom  he  was  conversant,  with  more 
accuracy  than  Judge  Brown  who  came  at  a  much 
later  date,  and  wrote  when  at  an  advanced  age. 
After  the  Germans  had  been  settled  over  one 
year  and  received  many  threatenings  from  the 
Governor  and  in  fact  had  a  few  of  their  num- 
ber imprisoned,  Gov.  Hunter  sold  to  Myndert 
Schuyler  and  others  the  land  upon  each  side  of  the 
river  from  a  point  above  Middleburgh  down  the 
stream,  to  one  on  the  same  river  between  the  old 
ferry  opposite  Sloansville  and  Esperance  bridge. 
It  was  intended  to  take  in  all  the  "  flats  "  but 
the  stream  being  very  crooked  below  Jacob  Vro- 
man's — along  the  Lendrum  farm  and  those  ad- 
joining, the   lines  ran  over  the  hill,  instead  of 
keeping  with  the  stream,  (the   points  of  com- 
pass not  being   changed.)     The  hne  bore  con- 
siderably to  the  east  of  north  and  if  continued 
on   in  the  same   course  would  have   met  the 
stream  again  below  Esperance,  but  at  a  point 
upon  the  hill  back  of  Lendrum's  the  course  was 
changed  nearly  to  the  northwest,  and  ran   to 
the  river  as  before  mentioned. 


From  the  point  the  course  was  changed 
upon  the  hill  to  the  Schoharie  stream  or  con- 
fluence of  the  Cobleskill,  a  wide  space  was  left 
unclaimed.  Simms  says  :  "  Morris  and  Coey- 
mans  were  sent  to  survey  this  tract,  purchased 
by  Schuyler  and  others,  and  finding  this  space 
not  included  in  the  grant,  purchased  the  same 
themselves."  But  we  find  they  did  not  take 
the  whole  of  that  space,  but  A.  Van  Cortlandt 
in  1753  upon  a  careful  survey,  found  a  tract 
lying  between  Schuyler's  and  Coeymans'  not 
disposed  of  and  purchased  it.* 

Hunter,  knowing  the  fact  of  the  promise  of 
these  lands  in  England  to  the  Germans  and 
that  they  were  upon  it  and  doing  well — without 
cost  to  the  government  and  it  being  unoccupied 
land,  showed  himself  to  be  a  very  unjust  and 
obstinate  official. 

*  There  appears  to  have  been  fourteen  purchasers  of 
the  lands  at  Schoharie,  among  whom  were  several 
officials  then  acting,  whose  names  did  not  appear  in 
some  of  their  transactions.  We  found  an  unpublished 
document  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  under 
the  charge  of  Mr.  B.  Fernow,  (to  whom  we  are  in- 
debted for  many  favors,)  which  we  here  copy,  and 
which   determines   at    what    time    the    troubles   were 

brought  to  a  close  : — 

•'New  York,  Sept.  23d,  1722. 

Gentlemen  : 

Mr.  Van  Dam  informs  us  that  you  want  our  accounts 
concerning  Schohare,  it  may  be  so,  but  is  it  not  as 
reasonable  that  we  should  have  yours.  We  are  of  the 
opinion  with  you  that  the  affair  should  be  bro«  to  a  con- 
clusion, And  the  Lands  Divided.  We  know  no  better 
way  to  do  it,  than  for  you  to  come  down  and  bring  all 
your  accounts,  yours  *  *  *  interchangably  delivered 
we  may  then  finish  that  affair  if  there  be  Power  from 
you  all  so  to  do.  We  consent  to  a  division  of  the 
Lands  in  14  Equal  shares  that  James  Livingston 
to  be  surveyor  appointed  to  that  work  on  the 
terms  already  agreed  on  with  him,  that  he  or  you  may 
hire  chain  Bearers  but  that  if  any  of  you  think  to  be 
present  it  must  be  at  his  or  your  own  expense.  That 
when  the  Survey  to  be  made  and  the  place  of  division  be 
furnished,  it  to  be  sent  to  us  and  when  any  of  you  come 
to  York  on  your  Private  affairs  we  will  then  draw  lots  for 
we  are  desirous  to  Save  Expense  as  much  as  possible. 
Lett  the  Chain  bearers  be  some  of  the  Inhabitants  of 
Schohare  of  good  undei'Standing  whom  you  may  hire 
cheaper  than  it  will  be  to  cary  thera  from  Albany 
To  We  are  Gentleman 

W.  Wasseners  Your  Humble  Serv 

Myndert  Schuyler  Rip  Van  Dam 

RoBT  Livingston  George  Clark 

P.  O.  Benyar  Phil  Livingston  " 

John  Schuyler 


NICHOLAS  BAYARD'S  VISIT  TO  SCHOHARIE. 


25 


In  after  years  when  questioned  in  regard  to 
this  act  by  the  London  Board  of  Trade,  he 
wrote,  "They  went  and  took  possession  of  the 
Lands,  granted  to  several  persons  at  New  York 
and  Albany,  against  repeated  orders."  While 
they  "took  possession  of  these  lands  against 
repeated  orders,"  they  were  not  sold  to  the 
New  York  and  Albany  gentlemen  until  the 
3d  of  November,  17 14;  and  he  says — "in 
compassion  to  the  innocent  women  and  chil- 
dren, I  prevailed  with  the  proprietors  of  these 
lands  to  make  them  an  offer  of  the  lands  free 
from  all  rent,  or  an  acknowledgment  for  ten 
years,  and  ever  after,  at  a  very  moderate  quit- 
rent."  It  was  these  gentlemen,  of  whom  the 
petition  speaks,  as  trying  to  induce  them  to 
become  tenants  here,  as  they  were  at  home,  in 
Germany.  But  the  Germans  were  not  to  be 
moved  by  sweet  songs  of  selfish  sirens,  or  en- 
trapped by  quit-rents  for  all  time  to  come. 

It  was  a  short  time  previous  to  the  sale  of 
these  lands  that  the  Bayard,  of  whom  Brown 
and  Simms  speak,  came  to  offer  free  titles  to  all 
who  would  appear  before  his  august  presence 
with  an  ear  of  corn.  Had  such  an  offer  been 
made,  we  think  Gov.  Hunter  would  have  so 
stated  to  the  Board  of  Trade,  when  he  so  faintly 
defended  himself  against  the  accusations  brought 
forward  by  his  enemies,  as  he  called  them.  If 
Bayard  did  appear  in  the  valley  offering  free 
titles,  we  believe  he  came  without  Royal 
Authority. 

In  Hunter's  letter  of  July  24,  17 10,  we  find 
that  the  surveyors  were  sent  upon  lands  in 
Schorie,  they  being  "resumed  lands  of  Col. 
Bayard's  grant."  To  explain  the  last  quoted 
paragraph,  we  shall  be  obliged  to  call  the  atten- 
tion of  the  reader  to  the  "Report  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  to  Her  Majesty  in  Council,"  as  copied 
in  Chapter  I,  which  says  : — 

"  Your  Majesty  was  pleased  by  your  orders 
in  Council  of  the  26th  of  June,  1708,  to  con- 
firm an  act  passed  at  New  York  the  2nd  of 
March,  1693  and  'g,  for  vacating  several  ex- 
travagant Grants,  Whereby  large  tracts  of  Land 
have  returned  to  your  Majesty." 

Farther  on  it  speaks  of  lands  "  lying  along 
the  creek  running  into  the  Mohawk  (Schoharie) 
which  contains  between  24  and  30  miles  in 
length."     This  extravagant  grant  was  given  to 


Colonel  Nicholas  Bayard,  and  taken  from 
him,  regardless  of  his  official  services,  and  un- 
doubtedly his  feelings  were  not  very  charitable 
towards  the  Government  for  so  doing,  and 
thought  that  by  giving  the  Palatines  free  titles 
they  would  cause  the  Government  trouble  in 
their  removal.  He  must  have  come  for  himself 
and  not  the  Government,  and  the  shame  that 
Judge  Brown  felt  in  writing  the  account  of  the 
affair  might  have  been  saved,  had  he  searched 
records  instead  of  listening  to  the  plausible 
story  of  the  Colonel's  descendants.  Many  such 
family  traditions  are  related  to  show  the  ances- 
tor's prominence,  which,  when  stripped  of  the 
probabilities  with  which  they  are  enwrapped, 
prove  to  be  mere  magic  skeletons,  "without 
form  and  voice."  Not  long  after  the  purchase 
of  the  lands  by  Schuyler  and  others,  Sheriff 
Adams  of  Albany  was  sent  to  dispossess  the 
Germans  and  was  rudely  received  and  waited 
upon  by  the  sturdy  women  of  the  settlements, 
as  told  by  Brown  in  too  plain  English  to  be  pub- 
lished here.  In  1711,  Adam  Vroman,  an  Indian 
trader  living  at  Schenectady,  upon  one  of  his 
expeditions  purchased  a  tract  of  land  of  the  na- 
tives now  called  "  Vroman's  Land."  Not  having 
the  proper  utensils  for  surveying  it,  he  paced  off 
the  tract  and  called  it  four  hundred  acres,  for 
which  he  gave  one  hundred  and  ten  gallons  of 
rum  and  a  few  blankets. 

When  the  Germans  came  in  I7r3,  they  ac- 
quainted the  Indians  with  the  fact  that  the  tract 
contained  a  larger  number  of  acres,  and  that 
they  had  been  cheated  by  Vroman.  This 
caused  them  to  possess  an  enmity  towards  him 
and  to  refuse  to  barter  with  him  for  his  goods. 
For  this  act  Vroman  complained  to  the  Gover- 
nor in  a  very  plaintive  manner,  and  "desired 
him  to  attende  to  the  seditious  Palentines."  He 
also  applied  for  and  obtained  a  grant  of  the  land 
to  him  in  1714. 

Instead  of  its  being  but  four  hundred  acres, 
the  grant  gives  the  same  tract  an  acreage  of 
eleven  hundred.  In  after  years  Vroman  pro- 
cured another  title  from  the  Indians,  perhaps  to 
satisfy  them  of  his  honest  intentions.  In  17 15 
Vroman  commenced  building  a  house  upon  his 
land,  and  the  Germans  being  jealous  of  his 
purchase,  or,  in  truth  beUeving  he  was  sent  to 
"hem  them  in,"  as  they  stated  in  the  petition, 


26 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


took  the  responsibility  of  trespassing  upon  his 
domains  in  a  very  riotous  manner ;  as  will  be 
seen  by  Vroman's  letter,  written  from  Schenec- 
tady to  Gov.  Hunter  bearing  the  date  of  "  the 
9th  day  of  July,  1715." 

"  May  it  please  Your  Excellericy — 

"As  in  duty  bound  by  my  last  to  you,  I 
give  your  Exc'y  an  acct  How  the  Palintines 
threatened  In  a  RebeUious  manner,  If  I  should 
build  or  manure  the  land  at  Schore  that  your 
Exceir<:y-  was  pleased  to  Grant  me  a  Patent  for, 
and  it  Please  your  Excellency,  I  have  manured 
a  great  part  of  the  land,  and  sowed  Consider- 
able grain  thereon ;  they  still  drove  their  horses 
on  it  by  night.  I  then  hired  my  sons  to  go  with 
me,  and  build  me  a  house.  I  was  there  and  was 
making  a  stone  house  23  foot  squar,  and  had  so 
high  so  that  I  had  Layd  the  Beames  for  the 
Chamber.  I,  having  at  the  same  time  an  Indian 
house  about  200  yards  off,  for  myself,  workmen, 
and  negroe  to  sleep  in,  but  on  the  4th  day  of 
this  Instant,  In  ye  night,  following,  they  had  a 
contryvance  to  tie  bells  about  horses  necks,  and 
drive  them  too  and  fro,  In  which  time  they 
pulled  my  House,  Stones  and  all  to  the  Ground, 
the  next  day  I  spok  with  some  of  them,  and 
they  used  such  Rebellious  Expressions,  that  was 
never  heard  off;  but  they  told  me  before  now, 
when  they  done  all  they  would  run  among  the 
Indians.  John  Conradus  Wiser  has  been  the  ring 
leader  of  all  factions,  for  he  has  had  his  son 
some  time  to  Live  among  the  Indians,  and  now 
he  is  turned  their  Interpreter,  so  that  this  Wiser 
and  his  son  talk  with  the  Indians  very  often, 
and  have  made  treates  for  them,  and  have  been 
busy  to  buy  land  at  many  places,  which  is  Con- 
trary to  your  Excellency's  Proclamation,  and 
has  made  the  Indians  drunk  to  that  degree  to 
go  and  mark  off  Land  with  them  ;  and  I  am  no 
wayse  secure  of  my  life  their,  for  after  I  came 
away,  they  went  and  pulled  my  son  off  of  the 
waggon,  and  beat  him,  and  said  they  would  kill 
him,  or  his  father  or  any  body  else  that  came 
their  ;  so  that  my  son  was  forced  to  come  away. 
Likewise  they  say  they  care  for  nobody.  John 
Conradus  Wiser,  and  2  or  3  more  has  made  their 
escape  by  way  of  Boston,  and  have  said  they 
would  go  for  England,  but  has  left  his  Son, 
which  is  their  Interpreter,  to  the  Indians,  and 
every  day  tells  the  Indians  many  lies,  whereby 


much  mischeife  may  Ensue,  more  than  we  now 
think  off,  and  is  much  to  be  feared,  for  the  time 
I  have  been  their,  I  have  made  a  diligent  scru- 
tiny into  all  their  actions,  but  I  dont  find  a 
great  many  Concerned  with  this  Wiser  and  his 
Son,  in  their  disobedient,  unlawful  and  Rebel- 
lious Proceedings.  I  am  well  Informed  who  are 
their  cheifes  ;  for  those  that  are  good  subjects 
among  them,  and  will  not  Joyn  with  them,  are 
afraid  the  others  will  burn  their  houses  down  by 
their  threatening  words.  And  please  you  I  could 
Enlarge  much  more  of  their  misdemeanors  but 
for  fear  of  trobling  yr  Excellency  too  much,  I 
shall  beg  your  Excellency's  pardon  all  this  time, 
and  Ever  Remain  your  Excellenc/s  most  Hum- 
ble and  Obedient  Servant  to  Command. 

^  J     T  1    \  Adam  Vroman. 

Schenectady,  July  ^ 

the  9th  day  1715 

In  haste." 

By  this  letter  of  Vroman's,  we  find  him  ac- 
cusing the  Palatines  of  getting  the  Indians 
drunk,  which  was  an  accusation  brought  against 
Vroman  in  the  petition. 

Much  obstinacy,  as  well  as  ignorance,  is 
shown  in  such  acts,  for  which  we  are  not  apt  to 
have  much  compassion.  But  in  their  case  we 
must  remember,  that  they  believed  that  the 
Queen  had  given  "  Schorie  "  to  them,  and  that 
by  machinations  they  had  been  deprived  of  their 
rights,  and  that  an  attempt  was  being  made  by 
Vroman's  settlement  near  by,  to  take  advantage 
in  some  way  of  them,  Vroman  acting  for 
others. 

We  have  the  story  of  both  parties  but  we 
will  let  the  reader  decide  for  himself  as  to 
which  was  in  the  right.  We  know  that  Vroman 
had  this  advantage — any  request  of  his  to  Gov. 
Hunter,  would  be  granted  while  the  Palatines 
petitioned  to  that  dignitary  in  vain. 

Knowing  this  they  took  the  matter  in  their 
own  hands,  and  upon  the  night  of  the  ever 
memorable  Fourth  of  July,  "  Rebelliously  pulled 
the  house  down,  and  trampled  upon  the  grain." 

Some  spirit  of  "  Rebellion "  partial  to  the 
glorious  Fourth  seems  to  have  been  implanted  in 
the  Anglo-Saxon  heart,  years  and  years  ago,  that 
with  just  or  unjust  cause  has  given  to  monarchy 
— whether  individually  or  collectively —  a  para- 
lytic stroke,  that  will,  in  a  few  more  years,  cause 
its  whitened  and  brittle  bones  to  be  laid  away  in 


WEISER  CONFINED  IN  THE  TOWER  OF  LONDON. 


27 


the  seething  pit  which  its  avarice  and  cruelty 
have  been  constructing  for  ages  to  receive. 

Living  in  these  days  of  "  official  corruption, 
that  stalks  forth  defiantly,  even  at  noon's  broad 
light,"  fearless  of  condemnation,  as  in  its  num- 
berless friends  is  its  strength  and  security 
and  knowing  the  conspiracies,  formed  by  such, 
to  control  and  obtain  the  "Almighty  dollar,''  we 
can  but  think,  that  a  speculation  in  the  labors 
of  the  Palatines,  at  the  camps,  was  fostered  by 
the  officials,  and  engendered  by  Robert  Living- 
ston ;  and  when  they  could  no  longer  hold  them 
at  that  place,  measures  were  taken  to  make 
them  a  poor  tenantry  at  Schoharie.  They 
believed  this,  and  in  order  to  avoid  it,  acted  ac- 
cordingly, and  when  the  "Council  of  His  Ma- 
jesty "  received  the  petition,  they  also  believed 
it,  as  one  of  them  had  given  his  views  to  that 
effect,  over  six  years  before.  Passing  on  to  the 
22nd  of  July,  the  same  month  in  which  the  tres- 
passes were  committed,  the  Governor  having 
had  ample  time  to  receive  Vroman's  letter, 
issued  the  following  warrant  to  arrest  Conrad 
Weiser  : — 

"  Gentlemen  : — I  am  informed  that  one 
John  Conradus  Wiser,  Covenanted  Servant  of 
His  Majesty,  who  has  been  Guilty  of  Several 
Mutinous,  Riotous,  and  other  disobedient  and 
Illegal  practices,  is  now  skulking  in  your  county, 
to  avoid  punishment,  you  are  therefore  on  sight, 
thereof,  to  issue  your  Warrant,  for  the  Appre- 
hending the  said  Wiser,  and  to  cause  him  to  be 
sent  down  in  safe  Custody,  to  the  City  of  New 
York,  that  he  may  be  proceeded  against,  as  the 
nature  of  his  Crimes  shall  require,  hereof  fail 
not. 

"  To  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  of  the  Co.  of 
Albany,  or  any  of  them.  To  the  Justices  of 
the  Peace  of  the  Co.  of  Dutchess,  or  any  of 
them." 

Vroman  thought  Weiser  had  "  gone  for  Eng- 
land," but,  expecting  that  his  arrest  would  be 
made,  he  kept  secreted,  no  doubt,  and  did  not 
go  there  until  the  year  17 18.  As  soon  as  he 
arrived  and  made  himself  known,  they  found  he 
was  just  the  man  they  wanted,  "the  ring-leader 
of  all  Rebellious  and  illegal  practices,"  and  of 
course  locked  him  up  in  the  town.  We  have  no 
proof  that  he  was  caught  and  required  to  pay  a 
fine,  or  imprisoned  for  trespasses,  before  that 


time.  We  think  he  had  escaped  all.  But  what 
a  long  list  of  "  Crimes "  was  brought  against 
him,  all  at  once  !  Weiser  had  time  enough, 
now,  to  ponder,  and  be  Wiser,  still. 

Sitting  within  those  massive  walls  that  had 
once  held  the  great  and  mighty,  his  case  was  a 
lone  one  and  perhaps  it  was  well  that  he  \Vas 
uneducated,  and  ignorant  of  the  fate  of  his 
predecessors,  as  headless  ghosts  of  Kings, 
Queens  and  other  high  officials,  would  certainly 
have  made  his  confinement  hideous. 

While  Weiser  was  perhaps  cogitating  upon 
the  ills  of  human  life,  and  sighing  for  the  "re- 
union of  friends"  around  the  Schoharie  hearth- 
stone, though  humble — the  petition  we  have 
copied  was  laid  before  the  council.  Hunter  was 
removed,  and  William  Burnet  appointed  in  his 
place  as  governor.  Hunter,  to  prove  that  he 
had  subsisted  the  Palatines,  pursuant  to  the 
Queen's  orders,  sent  a  certificate  to  Secretary 
Clarke,  requesting  him  to  get  them  to  sign  it. 
Clarke  put  it  in  the  hands  of  the  governor  and 
others,  who  told  them,  that  unless  they  signed 
it,  they  should  not  have  the  lands  promised  them. 
The  majority  of  them  refused,  and  as  Secretary 
Clarke  wrote  to  Mr.  Walpole,  Nov.  27,  1722, 
"  purchased  land  in  Pennsylvania,  and  are  de- 
termined 10  go  thither,  thus  the  Brigadier  (Hun- 
ter) is  baulked,  and  this  province  deprived  of  a 
good  frontier  of  a  hardy  and  Laborious  people." 

The  petition  was  before  "His  Majesty's  Com- 
missioners for  Trade  and  Plantations "  on  the 
6th  of  September,  1720,  and  "Jeremy  Long 
appeared  in  behalf  of  the  Palatines  "  and  exam- 
ined General  Nicholson  in  regard  to  the  prom- 
ises made  the  Germans.  He  stated  that  he 
only  knew  "  that  he  had  three  hundred  of  them 
on  the  Expedition  to  Montreal "  and  were  sub- 
sisted while  there,  and  as  to  the  arms  then  used 
"  he  knew  of  no  direction  "  in  regard  to  them. 
Mr.  Long  being  unable  to  make  proof  of  any 
of  the  particulars  set  forth  in  the  Petition,  he 
was  made  acquainted  that  copies  of  the  several 
papers  relating  to  them  would  be  transmitted  to 
Mr.  Burnet,  Governor  of  New  York  Province, 
and  it  was  observed  to  Mr.  Long  that  it  seemed 
"  that  several  of  the  Palatins  had  behaved 
themselves  very  undutifuUy  to  his  Majesty  and 
his  late  Governor  of  that  province." 

Weiser  was  released,  and  as  soon  as  he  re- 


28 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


turned,  sometime  in  1722  or  '23,  with  several  of 
his  followers  he  immigrated  to  Pennsylvania 
upon  the  lands  referred  to  by  Secretary  Clarke. 

We  have  herein  laid  before  the  reader  the 
circumstances  connected  with  the  first  settle- 
ment of  Schoharie,  and  given  such  facts  as  are 
of  interest,  relating  to  the  difficulties  the  Ger- 
mans experienced  from  their  landing  in  Amer- 
ica, to  Weiser's  grand  retirement  from  the 
"promised  land."  Their  troubles  have  been 
accorded  to  their  ignorance,  but  we  think  too 
well  of  them  and  believe  they  knew  too  much 
for  the  scheming  officials  that  were  placed  over 
them,  to  be  trapped  by  their  snares.  The  lands 
were  purchased  for  a  nominal  sum  in  17 19  and 
'20,  and  a  "  spreading  out "  was  made,  and  by 
the  year  1730  they  were  settled  in  seven  differ- 
ent hamlets,  called  "dorfs;"  an  appellation 
given  in  Germany  to  farm  villages.  Upon  lo- 
cating in  the  valley  in  the  winter  of  17 13,  it 
cannot  fairly  be  supposed  that  they  settled  each 
of  the  seven  dorfs  during  the  same  season,  as 
tradition  has  intimated,  as  they  were  too  desti- 
tute and  uncertain  of  their  lands.  The  first 
settlement  was  made  where  the  beautiful  village 
of  Middleburgh  now  stands,  and  was  named 
after  the  "  ringleader  of  Rebellious  practices," 
and  known  as  "  Weiser's  Dorf." 

The  time  from  their  arrival  to  the  opening  of 
spring  undoubtedly,  was  occupied  in  building 
huts,  and  while  they  were  being  constructed 
they  and  their  families  were  the  "  guests  "  of 
their  Indian  friends.  If  they  had  been  located  by 
Governmental  agents  or  had  been  acquainted 
with  the  country  we  should  not  consider  it 
strange  if  all  of  the  seven  dorfs  had  been  estab- 
lished in  one  season,  but  being  fugitives,  un- 
acquainted with  the  valley  and  destitute  of  the 
necessaries  of  life,  each  depending  on  the  other 
for  protection  from  the  Savages  and  assistance 
to  build  etc.,  we  cannot  think  that  they  did  oth- 
erwise than  to  begin  at  Weiser's,  clear  up  build- 
ing spots,  erect  huts,  and  all  turn  in  to  make  a 
surety  of  raising  eatables  the  season  following 
and  guard  against  another  winter  of  "  root 
diet."  The  fear  of  French  Indian  invasions, 
which  had  been  an  argument  brought  up  by  the 
Governor  and  his  friends  after  peace  had  been 
proclaimed  between  France  and  England,  to 
influence  them  not   to   think  of  settling  here. 


would  naturally  have  caused  them  to  keep  to- 
gether for  mutual  protection.  Possibly  those 
that  came  over  in  March  were  the  followers  of 
Hartman  Windecker,  and  there  being  too  many 
to  live  comfortably  together  established  "  Hart- 
man's  dorf"  in  the  spring  and  obliged  them  to 
"solicit  more  lands  of  the  Indian  Kings."  An- 
other settlement  was  made  about  the  year  17 17 
or  '18  where  Schoharie  village  now  stands  and 
was  called  "  Brunnen  dorf"  also  "Fountain- 
town."  All  records  of  this  dorf  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  bond  and  a  few  deeds  are  lost,  or 
are  in  the  dusty  tills  of  distant  families  yet  to 
be  discovered. 

They  were  more  of  a  business  class*  taken 
as  a  whole,  especially  the  Lawyer  and  Schaeffer 
families,  and  to  judge  by  their  quahfication  as 
business  men  in  after  years,  we  do  not  believe 
they  would  have  settled  upon  the  disputed  ter- 
ritory upon  uncertainties.  There  were  seven 
settlers  at  this  dorf  within  a  distance  of  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  whose  enterprise  made  the 
"  dorf"  the  business  centre  of  all  others  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  county  seat.  A  short 
distance  below  seven  other  German  families 
formed  a  settlement  which  was  distinguished  as 
"Smith's  Dorf,"  but  at  what  time  the  settlement 
was  made  we  are  unable  to  tell.  Undoubtedly  as 
the  Germans  came  from  time  to  time  from  the 
Camps,  New  York  City  and  the  Mohawk  they 
established  "dorfs"  or  settlements  and  this, 
with  the  three  below.  Fox's  and  Gerlach  or 
Garlock  and  Kneiskern  were  made  or  formed 
in  that  way.  The  papers  relating  to  both 
Smith's  and  Fox's  dorf  are  not  to  be  found. 
We  only  know  when  Fox  sold  his  possessions 
and  moved  away,  but  at  what  time  he  purchased 
or  settled  we  cannot  tell. 

Fox's  dorf  was  pleasantly  situated  upon  the 
low  ground  east  and  north  of  the  Stone  fort 
and  was  in  existence  in  1728,  as  then  the 
"High  dutch  Reformed  church''  was  here 
formed.  It  was  the  first  church  organization 
in  the  County,  whose  history  is  interesting  in 
the  extreme,  and  may  be  found  in  Chapter 
XVIII.  The  Germans  were  a  very  religious 
people,  and  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  they 
lived  very  long  at  this  place  without  religious 
ceremonies.  We  may  place  Fox's  and  Gar- 
lock's  settlements  in  the  year  17 18,   and  have 


LOCATION  OF  THE  VARIOUS    "DORFS." 


29 


them  full  early  enough,  to  correspond  with 
their  individual  members'  presence  at  other 
places. 

"  Kneiskern's  dorf "  was  the  most  northerly 
settlement,  and  was  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Cobleskill  creek  with  the  Schoharie  river. 

While  the  three  last  settlements'  history  is 
wrapped  somewhat  in  darkness,  the  papers 
relating  to  this,  are  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion. John  Peter  Kneiskern,  a  list-master  at 
The  Camps  and  Captain  in  the  Canadian  Ex- 
pedition of  171 1,  was  the  head  man,  and  after 
whom  the  "dorf"  was  named. 

In  1728,  an  article  of  agreement  was  executed 
by  Myndert  Schuyler,  attorney  for  George 
Clarke,  Secretary  of  the  Province  of  New 
York,  Philip  Livingston  and  others  for  the 
lands,  and  in  the  year  following  (1729)  a  deed 
was  given  to,  and  received  by  the  seven  settlers  ; 
namely,  John  Peter  Kneiskern,  Godfrit  Kneis- 
kern, Philip  Berg,  Hendrick  Houck,  Hendrick 
Strubrach,  Johannes  Merkle,  and  Lambert 
Sternberger,  (at  present  Sternbergh). 

A  map  and  description  of  the  lots  was  drawn 
in  1728,  and  signed  by  "  Ed.  Collins,  Dept. 
Sup." 

The  deed  describes  seven  homestead  or 
building  lots  ranging  from  forty  to  fifty  acres 
each;  seven  wood  lots  and  an  equal  number  of 
"low  land  or  meadow  lots."  Thus,  each 
homestead  had  a  wood  and  meadow  lot.  The 
whole  extended  from  the  original  Sternbergh 
farm  (William  Hallenbeck's)  on  the  south, 
down  to  and  taking  in  a  portion  of  the  island 
below  the  old  Ferry,  including  the  rich  flats  and 
some  of  the  high  land  upon  each  side  of  the 
river.  If  this  land  had  been  settled  by  those 
purchasers  at  a  previous  date  and  a  final  settle- 
ment had  just  been  made,  instead  of  the  home- 
stead lots  being  marked  with  numbers  and 
"Homestead"  written,  the  names  of  those 
living  upon  each  lot  would  have  been  put  upon 
the  map,  as  we  have  found  it  invariably  to  be 
in  other  localities. 

In  1753  an  article  was  executed  by  each  of 
the  seven  settlers  agreeing  to  "  divide  with  and 
release  each  other  of  their  possessions." 

Up  to  that  date  the  whole  was  owned  in 
common,  and  as  they  made  the  division,  each 
one  received  a  deed  from  the  rest  of  that  which 


they  occupied  and  designated  the  same  by  the 
number  upon  the  map  and  occupant,  and  as 
"  one-seventh  of  the  Kneiskern  dorf." 

In  1759,  '"  t^he  presence  of  Johannes  Lawyer 
and  John  Newberger,  an  agreement  was  made 
"  to  stand  together  and  make  satisfaction  in 
land,  or  otherwise,  to  him  or  her,  that  shall  lose 
any  part  of  their  land  by  law,'' — which  gives  us 
the  idea  of  their  anticipating  troubles  in  regard 
to  titles. 

A  farther  history  of  this  dorf  and  the  de- 
scendants of  the  first  settlers,  with  incidents 
connected,  may  be  seen  in  Chapter  XII. 

The  seven  "dorfs"  of  which  we  have  made 
mention,  were  the  first  German  settlements  in 
the  present  territory  of  the  County.  Addi- 
tions were  made  from  time  to  time  by  immi- 
gration from  Germany  and  other  German 
settlements  in  America. 

In  1722,  the  third  immigration  of  Palatines 
was  made  to  our  shores,  and  from  it  were  some 
of  the  settlers  of  Stone  Arabia,  German  Flats, 
and  Schoharie.  Owing  to  some  unknown  cause, 
for  several  years,  they  were  not  allowed  to  land 
at  New  York  City,  and  were  obliged  to  sail  to 
Philadelphia,  from  whence  many  traveled  to  the 
Camps,  Schoharie  and  Mohawk  valleys,  on  foot, 
to  seek  friends  and  relatives  who  had  preceded 
them  to  the  new  world,  and  found  a  land  of 
plenty  but  much  "droubble.''  Thus,  in  a  few 
years,  various  other  settlements  were  made,  and 
from  each  an  increase  by  births,  as  is  very 
common  among  the  Dutch,  both  high  and  low, 
and  they  "spread  out"  to  rear  homes  for  them- 
selves, and  ere  many  years  we  find  that  the 
"  woodman's  axe "  had  made  several  inroads 
upon  the  wilderness,  principally  along  the 
valleys.  The  southeastern  part  of  the  County 
along  the  Schoharie  river,  was  settled  about 
1750,  while  the  valley  of  the  Cobleskill  and  its 
branch  the  Westkill,  was  first  settled  in  1752 
and  1754.  The  higher  lands  each  side  of  the 
valleys  were  taken  soon  after ;  but  those  in  the 
central  part  of  the  County  not  until  after  the 
close  of  the  Revolution. 

During  the  land  troubles  from  1713  to  1722 
but  little  was  done  to  improve  their  possessions, 
and  after  they  were  settled  the  Germans  must 
have  labored  hard,  as  at  the  commencement 
of  the  Revolution  the  whole  valley  from  above 


3° 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Breakabeen  down  to  and  below  "  Kneiskern's 
dorf,"  beside  a  goodly  portion  along  Fox's 
creek  and  Cobleskill  was  cleared  and  dotted 
here  and  there  with  large  barns  and  com- 
modious houses.  Even  the  hills  of  Sharon, 
Carlisle,  and  Blenheim  teemed  with  luxuriant 
growths  of  grain  and  grasses.  A  vast  amount 
of  labor  it  required  to  make  all  of  those  im- 
provements, and  when  we  consider  the  difficul- 
ties under  which  they  labored  for  the  want  of 
utensils  and  many  common  necessaries  of  life, 
we  must  give  them  praise  for  possessing  the 
most  indomitable  wills  and  energies,  such  as 
had  but  few  equals. 

When  the  poor  Germans  first  came  to  Scho- 
harie their  milling  was  done  at  Schenectady,  and 
the  grain  carried  upon  their  backs.  It  being  a 
wearisome  task,  they  devised  the  Indian  mode 
of  pounding  the  grain.  A  large  stump  was  con- 
caved to  hold  a  peck  or  one-half  bushel,  into 
which  the  corn  was  placed,  and  a  large  stone  or 
heavy  wooden  pestle  fastened  to  the  top  of  a 
bent  sapUng,  was  churned  up  and  down  to  crack 
the  kernels.  The  grain  thus  treated  was  mostly 
Indian  corn,  for  the  production  of  which  the 
Schoharie  valley  cannot  be  excelled.  It  was  the 
Germans'  chief  article  of  food,  and  by  drying  it 
thoroughly,  this  mode  would  pulverize  it  nearly 
as  fine  as  the  grinding  process  of  more  modern 
times.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  they  de- 
sired to  make  it  the  fineness  of  our  bolted  meal, 
for  sugared  Johnny-cakes  and  spiced  puddings, 
but  simply  to  crack  the  kernel  in  three  or  four 
pieces  and  boil  until  soft,  as  we  do  "samp." 

Many  of  the  "children"  that  commenced 
house-keeping  in  Cobleskill,  Sharon  and  Car- 
hsle,  did  so  with  very  limited  means.  One  fam- 
ily that  we  have  in  mind,  built  a  log  house,  leav- 
ing a  large  maple  stump  in  the  center  for  a  table. 
The  top  was  made  as  smooth  as  possible  with 
an  axe,  and  the  sides  hewn  down  so  the  base 
would  allow  a  near  approach,  and  a  large  round 
dish  was  cut  out,  similar  to  a  butter-bowl,  in  the 
center  of  it.  There  was  but  the  man  and  wife, 
and  it  was  only  necessary  to  make  a  similar  dish 
for  each,  only  smaller,  from  which  they  ate  their 
food  which  consisted  of  Indian  pudding  in  the 
morning,  potatoes  at  noon,  and  pudding  and 
potatoes  for  supper.  In  that  case  the  individ- 
ual dishes  or  cavities,  in   the  course  of    time 


and  high  Dutch  dexterity  numbered  thirteen 
forming  a  circle  around  the  center  dish,  before 
the  rude  table  was  dispensed  with  for  a  movable 
one  and  a  new  house  built.  The  improved 
tables  were  usually  round  tops,  having  hinges 
near  the  center  upon  the  under  side,  attached 
to  a  square  box  serving  for  a  base.  When  not 
in  use,  this  piece  of  furniture  was  moved  to  the 
side  of  the  room  and  turned  up  upon  the 
hinges  against  the  wall,  thereby  taking  but  lit- 
tle room.  The  box  base  was  used  for  table  lin- 
en, needle  work,  or  odds  and  ends  usually  found 
in  a  careful  housekeeper's  work-basket  at  the 
present  day.  All  cooking  was  done  by  a  fire- 
place, the  dimensions  of  which  were,  in  most 
cases,  large  enough  to  use  wood  four  feet  in 
length  and  deep  enough  to  receive  a  large  log  and 
one  quarter  of  a  cord  of  wood.  The  first  bread 
was  baked  in  a  "bake  kettle''  having  a  cover, 
which  was  placed  in  the  fire  and  covered  with 
ashes  and  coals.  The  bread  thus  baked  far  ex- 
celled any  of  the  modern  baking,  as  all  the 
virtue  of  the  material  of  which  such  food  was 
composed,  was  retained. 

The  "  improvement "  upon  the  mode  of  bak- 
ing, was  in  building  stone  and  mud  ovens,  in 
which  a  fire  was  kept  until  a  bed  of  coals  was 
made,  upon  which  the  "  baking"  was  placed  in 
stone  or  iron  dishes. 

While  the  house-wife's  ingenuity  was  taxed  to 
devise  modes  and  means  to  do  her  work,  and 
add  to  the  comfort  of  her  laboring  family,  for 
the  want  of  proper  cuUnary  and  other  domestic 
utensils,  the  husband  also  was  embarrassed  to 
perform  his  work  for  the  want  of  proper  imple- 
ments. Ease  was  a  stranger  to  him,  as  every- 
thing must  be  done  by  hard  manual  labor. 

The  writer  has  a  plow  that  was  used  nearly 
seventy  years  ago,  and  made  as  all  were  at  and 
before  that  time.  A  wooden  block  hewn  smooth, 
two  feet  in  length  and  five  inches  in  width,  was 
taken  as  a  base,  to  form  the  point  of  mould- 
board,  attach  a  share  and  handle.  One  end  of 
the  block  was  brought  to  a  point  and  sharp  edge 
by  cutting  from  the  upper  right  hand  edge,  di- 
agonally, and  somewhat  concaved.  A  hard 
wood  stick  was  flattened  and  fitted  to  the  con- 
cave, to  form  the  mouldboard,  and  ran  in  line 
with  the  diagonal  cut,  with  a  spread  of  ten  inches 
from  the  handle.     A  wrought-iron  share  with  a 


NEGRO  SLAVERY  IN  SCHOHARIE. 


31 


steel  point  was  fitted  to  the  point  of  the  block 
with  bolts.  An  "  improvement "  was  made  by 
covering  the  arm  or  mouldboard  also,  with  sheet 
iron.  Ten  inches  from  the  point,  a  standard, 
fifteen  inches  in  length,  was  placed  to  support 
the  beam,  and  six  inches  back  of  the  standard, 
a  single  handle  was  mortised  into  the  block,  and 
run  up  four  feet,  to  which  the  end  of  the  beam 
was  attached,  fifteen  inches  from  the  block.  The 
implement  cannot  do  much  better  work  than  a 
single  cultivator  tooth  of  the  present  day. 

Many  young  married  couples  started  in  life 
upon  a  heavy  timbered  farm,  with  nothing  but 
an  axe,  bake-kettle  and  bed,  and  whatever  was 
added  to  the  stock  in  furniture  or  utensils,  for 
many  years  following,  was  such  only  as  they 
rudely  manufactured  themselves. 

It  may  seem  incredulous,  but  nevertheless  it 
is  true,  the  Indian  corrf  was  planted  by  making 
a  hole  in  the  ground  that  had  been  previously 
burnt  over,  with  an  axe  or  sharp  stick,  in  which 
the  kernels  were  dropped,  or  the  wheat  was 
sown  broadcast,  and  in  the  place  of  a  harrow, 
brush  was  drawn  over  the  ground  to  bury  the 
grain.  When  the  grains  were  to  be  harvested, 
a  sickle  was  used  to  cut  them,  a  flail  to  thresh, 
and  winnowing  was  the  only  mode  to  separate  the 
grain  from  the  chaff.  Soon  horses  and  cattle 
were  used  to  thresh,  and  fanning-mills  manu- 
factured to  clean  the  grain.  We  saw  one  that 
was  used  a  short  time  after  the  Revolution, 
which  was  in  itself  a  curiosity,  and  was  capable 
of  cleaning  twenty  bushels  per  day.  The  grain 
cradle  soon  took  the  place  of  the  sickle,  and  in 
a  few  years,  that  will  be  laid  aside  to  give  place 
to  our  life-like  reapers,  as  the  flail  and  horse 
threshing  have,  to  our  modern  threshers  and 
cleaners. 

At  an  early  day  negro  slavery  was  introduced 
into  the  Schoharie  settlements  by  the  Vroman 
family,  and  slaves  were  kept  by  the  Low  Dutch 
for  sometime  before  the  Germans  were  able  to 
purchase  them.  While  we  are  loth  to  admit  that 
the  curse  of  slavery  ever  polluted  our  honored 
soil,  yet  we  rejoice  that  its  stain  was  not  deep- 
ened by  acts  of  brutality  towards  the  enslaved,  as 
is  usually  represented,  but  quite  to  the  contrary. 
The  negroes  of  both  sexes  were  admitted  into 
the  family  to  which  they  belonged,  upon  equal 
footing  with  the  white  members.     They  were 


chiefly  the  true  African  blood, — "black  and 
shiny,''  and  appreciated  the  kindness  shown  to 
them  by  their  masters. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  farmers  to  send  them 
to  market  with  grain,  and  away  upon  other  bus- 
iness, regardless  of  the  amount  of  money  en- 
trusted to  them. 

When  the  act  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  was 
passed  by  the  legislature  of  New  York  in  i8j^, 
many  of  the  slaves  refused  to  be  freed,  and  were 
kept  by  their  masters,  as  long  as  they  lived, 
receiving  the  same  treatment  as  the  rest  of  the 
"  boys  and  girls."  The  act  liberated  only  the 
children  of  slaves  as  they  became  of  age,  but  in 
1828,  a  final  abolition  act  was  passed,  which 
released  all  from  bondage,  and  threw  them  upon 
their  own  exertions  for  support,  which  proved 
very  meagre  in  most  cases  as  they  possessed  a 
natural  dislike  to  labor.  Many  of  the  former 
owners  of  the  negroes,  purchased  lots  and  built 
small  houses  for  the  aged,  especially  at  and  near 
Schoharie,  upon  which  their  children  may  be 
found  to-day.  We  are  unable  to  give  the  num- 
ber of  slaves  in  the  County  when  the  "institu- 
tion "  was  in  full  "  blast,"  but  by  the  census  of 
1820,  there  were  three  hundred  and  two  slaves, 
and  two  hundred  and  sixty-four  free  blacks.  At 
present  a  greater  number  we  believe  of  negroes 
may  be  found  in  the  towns  of  Schoharie  and 
Middleburgh  than  those  figures  show.  To  give 
an  idea  of  the  value  of  a  slave  in  early  times, 
we  will  copy  a  "  bill  of  sale  "  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Henry  Cady  : — 

"Huntersfield,  July  the  fifteent  Day,one  Thou- 
sent.  Seven  hundred  and  Tharty  sex.  Then 
Bouth  of  Storm  Becker  a  negor  man,  and  the  said 
Storm  Becker  Grant  the  Said  negor  unto  Peter 
Vroman  for  his  one  lawful  saruantfore  forty  two 
pount  Corrant  Lawful  money  of  the  provance 
of  new  York.  Wetness  my  hand  and  the  pres- 
ent of 

Storm  Becker. 

Cornelius  Vroman, 

Martines  Vroman. 

July  IS,  1736. 

then  Received  of  Peter  Vroman  the  Just  and 
ful  sum  of  twenty  pounds  one  shilling,  Corrant 
Lawful  money  was  received  by  me. 

Storm  Becker." 


32 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Each  member  of  the  family  was  allowed  one 
pair  of  shoes  in  a  year,  the  leather  of  which  was 
usually  tanned  by  the  people  themselves  in  a 
large  trough  filled  with  pounded  oak  and  hem- 
lock bark  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  to 
cover  the  hides.  During  the  boy  and  girlhood 
of  many  now  living  the  process  was  practiced 
and  a  clear  recollection  is  had  of  being  com- 
pelled to  soak  their  bruised  and  chapped  feet 
each  night  before  retiring  in  the  liquid  thus 
made,  to  heal  and  harden  them.  Upon  attend- 
ing church,  old  and  young,  male  and  female, 
usually  carried  their  shoes  to  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  the  church  or  place  of  holding  meet- 
ings and  then  stop  to  put  them  on,  regardless 
we  presume  of  the  ankle  showing  a  variety  of 
colors  that  the  different  kinds  of  dirt  upon  them 
would  give ;  the  daily  wearing  of  stockings,  to 
use  the  word  of  an  old  patriot,  being  of  "  mod- 
ern invention"  among  the  Dutch  and  German 
settlers,  particularly  the  male  portion.  Cider, 
butter  and  loppered  milk  were  unsparingly  used, 
especially  at  logging  and  stone  bees.  A  large 
quantity  of  maple  sugar  was  manufactured  by 
the  farmers,  and  by  grating  or  shaving  it  fine 
and  sprinkling  it  over  the  surface  of  loppered 
milk,  a  desirable  dish  was  produced  which  was 
greedily  devoured  by  three  or  four  that  would 
surround  the  pan  or  wooden  bowl  with  pewter 
and  wooden  spoons  and  skim  the  sugar  off  with 
such  a  quantity  of  thick  milk  as  the  taste  de- 
sired. When  all  of  the  sugar  had  disappeared 
more  was  sprinkled  on  until  the  contents  of  the 
dish  were  annihilated.  Much  sport  was  enjoyed 
by  the  hardy  settlers  through  the  deprivations 
which  they  were  forced  to  endure,  and  it  is 
questionable  whether  we  of  to-day  with  all  our 
modern  conveniences  enjoy  life  any  better  than 
did  they.  Many  ludicrous  incidents  might  be 
repeated  that  actually  occurred  which  shows 
their  simplicity  and  ignorance  and  which  caused 
a  vast  amount  of  amusement. 

As  we  before  stated  the  number  of  Indians 
that  were  in  the  valley  of  Schoharie  when  the 
Germans  came  is  not  known,  but  they  were  con- 
sidered by  the  white  settlers  as  being  the  true 
owners  of  the  soil  and  a  brisk  trade  was  kept 
up  between  them  and  traders  from  Schenectady 
and  Albany.  Blankets,  trinkets  and  rum  were 
the  chief  articles  of  trade  on  the  part  of  the 


whites,  and  land,  fur  and  roots  on  that  of  the 
Indians. 

The  rum  trade  became  very  annoying  to  the 
Provincial  officials  as  well  as  to  the  head  sachems 
of  the  diffisrent  tribes.  Sir  William  Johnson's 
attention  was  drawn  to  the  subject  at  various 
times  by  the  Indians  themselves  and  he  referred 
the  matter  to  Lieutenant-Governor  Delanceyin 
June  of  1755.     He  says: — 

"Sir  Seth  the  head  sachem  of  the  Indians 
living  near  Shohary,  and  the  leading  sachems  of 
the  upper  and  lower  Mohock  Castles  have  made 
heavy  complaints  to  me  of  the  white  people  in 
those  parts  selling  Rum  to  the  Indians,  repre- 
sented the  ill  consequences  thereof,  and  prayed 
that  it  may  be  prevented.  Your  honor  I  per- 
suade myself  is  sensible,  this  Selling  of  Rum  to 
the  Indians  has  been  ever  attended  with  fatal 
consequences  to  the  publick  Interest  with  them, 
and  at  this  Juncture,  must  be  more  than  com- 
monly detrimental.  If  an  act  of  the  Legislature 
cannot  be  obtained  to  prohibit  this  Sale  of  Rum 
to  the  Indians  without  any  Limitation  of  Time, 
I  do  in  the  most  earnest  manner  request  your 
Honor,  that  you  will  apply  to  the  assembly  to 
form  an  act,  with  such  Pains  &  penalties,  against 
this  Sale  of  Rum  to  the  Indians,  during  the 
present  situation  of  publick"  affairs,  as  may  be 
(so  far  as  possible)  effectual  to  prevent  it.  Un- 
less such  a  law  is  made,  and  the  observance  of 
it  secured  in  the  strongest  manner,  the  General 
Interest  in  my  humble  opinion,  will  infallibly 
suffer,  and  those  measures  now  in  agitation  for  the 
Honor  of  his  Majesty's  Crown,  and  the  Security 
&  Welfare  of  his  Subjects  in  these  parts,  be 
greatly  embarrassed. 

"P.  S.  There  should  be  a  clause  in  the  act  to 
prevent  Peoples  buying  their  Arms  Amunition 
Cloathing  &c  or  Exchanging."  * 

"  Those  measures  now  in  agitation  "  referred 
to,  were  in  gaining  the  Indians'  consent  to  assist 
in  opposing  the  invasion  of  a  French  army  that 
was  threatened  upon  the  Mohawk.  Ever  since  the 
white  man  set  his  foot  upon  the  American  soil, 
every  advantage  has  been  taken  of  the  Indians  by 
them  in  trafficing  worthless  trash  for  such  com- 
modities as  were  peculiar  to  the  race,  and  which 
sold  readily  at  high  prices  in  the  civilized  world. 

*  Documentary  History. 


TREATMENT  OF  INDIANS. 


33 


When  the  Indian  could  not  be  pursuaded  to 
bargain  with  the  tradesman,  rum  was  freely 
given  him  and  while  under  its  potent  influence, 
whatever  he  possessed  was  easily  obtained. 
Many  of  the  finest  tracts  of  land  upon  the 
Mohawk  and  Schoharie  rivers  were  obtained 
from  them  for  a  mere  trifle  in  that  way  and  by 
the  commencement  of  the  Revolution,  scarcely 
sixty  years  after  his  acquaintance  with  the  whites, 
his  hunting-grounds  and  even  the  soil  upon 
which  stood  his  wigwam  were  in  possession  of 
the  white  man.  The  same  treatment  we  find 
meted  to  them  to-day,  throughout  the  West, 
even  under  the  knowledge  of  the  government  to 
which  they  look  up  as  their  Father.  When  they 
resist  in  their  weakness,  the  encroachments  upon 
their  promised  rights,  the  glittering  bayonets  of 
an  army  of  annihilation,  drive  them  to  submit  to 
every  imposition  that  traders  and  agents  feel 
disposed  to  inflict  upon  them.  Allowing  that  the 
majority  of  the  Schoharie  tribe  were  refugees 
from  the  council  fires  of  old  tribes,  it  was  no 
excuse  for  taking  undue  advantage  of  them. 

After  the  Mohawks  learned  a  few  of  the  white 
man's  tricks,  they  often  proved  themselves  equal 
to  hke  emergencies  and  as  often  showed  a  dis- 
position to  do  right.  We  found  a  petition  in 
the  Secretary's  office  that  was  forwarded  to  Gov. 
Hardy  in  September,  1755,  to  aright  a  transac- 
tion in  which  they  were  interested  as  business 
men,  without  the  power  to  settle  the  matter 
themselves.     It  is  as  follows  : — 

"To  his  Excellency  The  Honorable  Sir  Charles 
Hardy  Esq.,  Captain-General  &  Governor  in 
Chief  in,  and  over  his  Majesties  Province  of 
New  York  &  Territories  Thereunto  belonging 
Vice  Admiral  &  Chancellor  of  the  same. 

"  The  Humble  petition  of  the  Mohawk  In- 
dians Living  in  Schohare  his  Majesties  Loyal 
Subjects  &  Soldiers  Whose  names  are  hereunto 
subscribed  most  Submissively  Sheweth  That 
your  Honors  ree  Sold  some  pasture  Land  to 
Johannes  Lawyer  of  Schoharry  That  lay  Con- 
tigus  to  two  farms  he  had,  one  of  said  farms 
bounded  with  the  land  of  Nickolas  Mattice  & 
the  pasture  and  wood  land  Joining  to  said  Mat- 
tice farm  ye  pet"  Excepted  out  of  the  sale  made 
to  Lawyer,  having  covenanted  with  Nickolus 
Mattise  for  that  part  that  lay  convenient  to  him. 
&  when  said   Lawyer   brought   the   Surveyor- 


General's  Deputy  to  lay  out  the  land  ye  Excel- 
lency's Pet'  by  noe  means  suffer  the  Surveyor 
to  lay  out  that  land  covenanted  with  Mattice, 
for  a  song  with  Lawyer.  Except  for  Mattice 
use  &  then  agreed  upon,  it  should  be  for  the 
use  of  Mattice.  The  Land  was  laid  out,  under 
one  which  made  the  coarse  the  easier  for  the 
Surveyor  to  run,  all  this  very  well  known  to  the 
Surveyor  and  some  of  the  principle  men  of 
Scoharry  who  are  men  of  credit  &  veracity. 

"  Now  Lawyer  have  gott  a  patent  by  which, 
he  says  takes  all  the  land  as  well  as  Mattice  as 
what  we  sold  him  &  if  so  it  is  by  folse  &  Injust 
Insinuation  to  the  Secretary.  Lawyer  absolute- 
ly refuses  to  let  Mattice  have  the  land  we  re- 
served to  him  Except  he  bot  it  at  a  Extravagant 
prise,  he  also  sent  for  us  the  other  day  to  pay 
for  the  land  and  desired  we  should  give  him  a 
Receit  in  full  in  order  to  have  to  Shew  he  had 
a  right  for  Mattice  as  well  as  his  own  in  order 
to  cloak  his  Injust  dealings,  which  we  refused, 
Either  to  take  the  money  or  give  a  receit.  May 
it  therefore  please  your  Excellency  to  Consider 
the  premises,  with  the  many  agrivating  Cir- 
cumstances &  that  your  wonted  Probity  & 
Justice  may  be  herein  manifested  by  Rectify- 
ing the  Injury  done  to  y«  Excell^  pet=  &  that 
Nicholas  Mattice  have  his  part  of  the  land  ac- 
cording to  our  Covenant  &  for  ye  Excellency 
long  life  &  prosperity  yr  Pet'  as  in  duty 
bound  will  Ever  pray 

Lowes  Careke  Dumte 
Seth  Careke  Dumte 
Seth  Careke  Dumte  Junior 
Hans  Vre  Careke  Dumte 
Margret  Careke  Dumte 
Mary  Careke  Dumte 
Cathren  Careke  Dumte  " 

The  above  were  Mohawk  Indians,  and  a 
like  exhibition  of  fairness  in  their  dealings,  was 
made  at  Johnson  Hall  on  the  gth  of  April, 
1767,  as  published  in  the  Documentary  History 
of  New  York,  in  a  speech  by  Abraham,  one 
of  the  Sachems,  before  Sir  William  Johnson. 
He  said : — 
"  Brother  Gorah  Warraghiiyagey 

"  We  are  come  to  acquaint  you  with  a  very 
extraordinary  affair  which  we  were  yesterday 
made  acquainted  with  by  some  of  our  Neigh- 


34 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


bors  of  Scoharee,  and  as  it  concerns  us,  We 
would  be  glad  to  hear  from  you  the  reason  of 
such  doings. 

"  It  is  concerning  the  Lands  we  sold  when 
the  Governor  was  at  your  house  last  fall,  for 
the  use  of  Hannis  Lawyer  &  his  associates, 
from  whom  we  then  received  the  full  considera- 
tion for  which  we  agreed,  and  now  we  under- 
stand that  Lawyer  and  his  friends,  are  to  have 
but  half  of  it — To  us  such  doings  appear  strange, 
and  I  believe  You  would  think  hard  of  us  were 
We  to  act  so. 

"  We  cannot  therefore  in  Justice  to  these 
people  (who  have  been  long  about  that  Tract, 
and  at  a  good  deal  of  expense  beside  the  pur- 
chase money)  allow  the  Land  to  be  Surveyed 
for  People  with  whom  we  are  not  ac- 
quainted neither  did  we  hear  of  the  least  inten- 
tion they  had  in  purchasing  them  Lands,  and  if 
they  had  appHed,  we  could  not  think  of  leting 
them,  or  any  other  sett  of  People  have  the  Land 
which  we  had  so  long  ago  promised  to  the  pur- 
chasers, which  you  may  remember  Brother, 
we' declared  to  the  Governor  at  the  time  the 
Deed  lay  on  your  Table  ready  to  be  signed, 
&  gave  our  reason  then  for  it,  which  together 
with  the  careful!  manner  everything  was  then 
done,  we  imagined  there  never  could  be  any 
the  least  squabble  about  it  hereafter,  but  in 
short  Brother,  we  are  sorry  to  see  that  the 
While  People  (who  have  more  sense  than  we) 
will  for  the  sake  of  getting  land  wrong  one 
another,  since  that  is  the  case,  what  are  we 
Indians  to  expect  from  you. 

"  Brother,  We  have  no  more  to  say  to  the  sub- 
ject but  to  request  you  will  let  us  know  if  you 
can,  the  reason  for  such  doings.  If  you  cannot, 
we  would  beg  of  you  to  Enquire  of  the  Gov- 
enor,  who  no  doubt  is  acquainted  with  every 
thing  relative  to  the  affair,  as  it  was  transacted 
in  his  presence." 

Writers  variously  estimate  the  number  of  In- 
dians supposed  to  be  residents  of  the  valley  from 
time  to  time,  ranging  from  three  to  six  hundred, 
but  we  do  not  think  they  ever  numbered  over 
the  former,  if  as  many. 

The  "  Memorial  Concerning  the  Iriquois,"  by 
the  Rev.  Chas.  Inglis,  written  in  1770,  and  dic- 
tated by  Sir  Wm.  Johnson,  says  at  that  date, 
"  The  Mohawks   have   three  villages,  Schoare,' 


Fort  Hunter,  and  Canajoharie,  they  are  all 
within  the  English  settlement  and  contain  420 
souls."  The  Schoharie  tribe  being  much  the 
smaller  of  the  three,  quite  probably  their  num- 
bers would  not  at  that  time  number  one  hun- 
dred. The  settlers  of  Schoharie  were  chiefly 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Yet  every  able- 
bodied  male  over  eighteen  and  under  forty-five, 
was  enrolled  as  a  soldier.  Sir  Wm  Johnson  was 
in  command  over  all  regiments  north  of  the 
highlands,  as  Major-General. 

Schoharie  furnished  a  regimen  t  that  numbered, 
as  far  as  we  can  learn,  nearly  three  hundred, 
over  which  Jacob  Sternbergh  was  colonel.  Peter 
B.  Vroman  and  Jacob  Hager,  were  captains  of 
companies  several  years,  and  did  service  under 
the  Crown  at  Oswego,  Niagara  and  Fort  George. 
It  appears  that  the  former  captain  wasamihtary 
man,  and  did  but  Httle  else  than  perform  mili- 
tary duty.  Sir  Wm.  Johnson  must  have  thought 
highly  of  him,  as  when  a  vacancy  of  a  major  in 
the  regiment  occurred  in  1769.  he  repeatedly 
insisted  to  Governor  Colden,  upon  his  promo- 
tion to  that  position,  and  Vroman  was  honored 
by  the  appointment  in  1770. 

Previous  to  March  12,  1772,  the  whole  terri- 
tory of  Schoharie  was  in  Albany  county,  and  at 
that  date  a  line  was  established  which  gave  the 
western  part  of  the  present  county  to  Tryon, 
and  the  eastern  to  Albany. 

A  Hne  was   drawn  from    St.  Regis    upon  the 
St.  Lawrence  river,  to  a  point  upon   the  south 
bank   of  the    Mohawk,  some  distance    west  of 
Schenectady,  it  being  the  northeast  corner  of  a 
lot  of  land  granted  to  WilHam  Crosby,  Jr.,  in  1735, 
running  from  thence  to  the   Indian  stone  heap 
upon  Bowen's  tract,  (near  Sloansville,)  and  from 
thence  to  a  pine  tree,  now  a  stump,  in  the  Bear 
Swamp  of  Carlisle,  which  is  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  the  "  Dorlach  "  purchase,  thence  to  Lake 
Utsayantho,  in  the  town  of  Jefferson,  and  from 
thence  following  the  Delaware  river  to  the  south 
bounds  of  the  Province.     All  west  of  this  line 
was    Tryon    county.     The   present    towns    of 
Sharon,  Seward,   Richmondville,  and  a  greater 
portion  of  Summit  and  Jefferson,  were  in  Tryon, 
and  continued  so  up  to  the  year   1784,  when 
Tryon  was  changed  to  Montgomery,  in  honor 
of  the  patriot  who  fell  at  Quebec. 

Previous  to  1765  all  civil  officers  of  authority 


SCHOHARIE  AT  THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


35 


over  the  Schoharie  district  were  chosen  from 
Albany,  and  the  supervisor  was  to  be  chosen 
from  the  corporation.  The  people  had  no  re- 
dress except  by  petitions  which  were  frequently 
indited  to  the  Governor,  for  his  influence  in 
their  behalf.  Who  was  the  scribe  we  are  unable 
to  say.  Each  writing  denotes  a  fair  scholar,  and 
nearly  all  seems  to  have  been  written  by  the 
same  person. 

The  Lawyer  family  were  business  men,  but 
there  was  a  resemblance  in  their  hand-writing, 
which  was  unlike  the  documents  to  which  we 
refer.  The  omission  of  words  by  wear  and 
fading  of  ink,  renders  all,  with  but  one  excep- 
tion, useless  to  copy.  After  the  year  above 
mentioned,  the  Supervisor  and  Justices  were 
chosen  from  Schoharie.  Marcus  Bellinger  was 
Supervisor  for  several  years  but  who,  if  any, 
officiated  beside,  we  have  been  unable  to  learn. 


CHAPTER  IIL 


Loyalty  of  Germans  to  Britain^ — Sacredness 
OF  Oath— Mohawks  and  Tomahawks— Inde- 
cision OF  Many— Roused  to  Action— Secret 
Meeting  and  Resolution — First  Commit- 
tee OF  Safety — Military  District  and 
Officers  —  Events  of  1777 — Division  of 
Schoharie —  McDonald's  Invasion  — ■  The 
Harpers  —  Adam  Crysler  —  Skirmish  at 
Oriskany — Bemis  Heights  —  Building  of 
Ports — Battle  at  Cobleskill — Morgan's 
Corps  —Crysler  at  Turloch  and  at  Vro- 
mansland — Johnson  and  Brant's  Invasion 
AT  Middle  Fort — Lovi'er  Fort — Incidents 
— Brave  Women — ^Col.  Vroman's  March  to 
Mohawk — Seth  Henry  at  "Turloch" — 
Dockstader  at  Currytown  and  Sharon — 
WiLLET — Seth  Henry  at  Fox's  Creek — ■ 
Crysler  at  Vromansland  in  1781 — Capt. 
Hager's  Fight  at  the  Lake — Campbell's 
AND  SiMMs'  Labors  —  Returned  Tories 
AND    Indians — Muster   Roll    of    1777 — 


Schoharie  Supplies — Division  of  Albany 
County — Inundation  of  Schoharie  River 
— False  Stories,  Etc. 

THE  settlements  of  Schoharie,  which  in- 
cluded those  along  the  Schoharie  Creek 
and  its  tributaries  and  the  sparse  ones  of  Sew- 
ard and  Sharon,  (old  Dorlach)  up  to  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Revolutionary  struggle  had 
been  quiet  and  progressive. 

Occasional  fears  were  aroused  by  the  British 
officers  as  to  the  imagined  invasion  of  the 
French  and  French  Indians  during  hostilities 
between  the  English  and  French  Governments. 
During  all  the  wars  from  the  time  the  Germans 
came  across  the  ocean  up  to  the  Revolution, 
they  and  their  descendants  proved  true  to  the 
English  Government. 

Quite  a  number  from  this  isolated  section,  as 
before  stated,  took  an  active  part  in  the  contests 
at  Fort  George,  Oswego  and  Niagara,  where 
they  did  signal  service.  All  of  the  companies 
were  equipped  with  guns  and  the  necessary  ac- 
coutrements and  drilled  in  a  rude  way,  which 
proved  to  be  a  schooling  for  them  in  the  use  of 
arms  when  they  needed  such  disciphne  in  their 
struggle  for  hberty. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  both  classes  of 
Dutch,  high  and  low,  found  in  these  settlements, 
were  very  conscientious  as  a  mass,  in  their  duty 
to  God  and  to  each  other.  One  characteristic 
was  more  prominently  displayed  perhaps  than 
any  other;  that  of  the  sacredness  of  their  word, 
especially  an  oath,  and  we  find  many  who  held 
military  positions  and  had  taken  the  oath  of  al- 
legiance as  is  required  by  all  governments,  at 
the  commencement  of  the  war  for  Independence, 
refused  to  desert  the  Crown  and  make  a  stand 
against  it  on  conscientious  scruples,  deeming 
that  the  oath  was  life-long  and  not  to  be  forfeited. 
When  friends  and  neighbors  expostulated  and 
when  the  excitement  became  great  and  led  to 
threatenings,  some  removed  to  Canada  and  were 
quiet  but  others  returned  as  invaders,  while  a 
few  remained  here  until  they  were  compelled  to 
leave. 

The  descendants  of  those  who  remained  loyal 
and  sought  safety  upon  Canadian  soil  may  still 
be  found  living  to  the  west  of  Niagara  and  near 


36 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Toronto.  Those  going  from  the  Mohawk  and 
Schoharie  settlements  and  not  taking  an  active 
part  were  called  "Mohawks,"  while  those  who 
did  return  to  murder  and  plunder  were  called 
"Tomahawks." 

As  we  find  families  divided  upon  political 
questions  to-day,  so  also  many  were  divided 
upon  the  great  issue  at  stake  at  that  day. 

But  very  few  families  existed  but  that  some 
member  or  branch  adhered  to  the  Crown  and 
much  to  the  detriment  of  the  character  of  the 
belligerents,  the  most  heinous  crimes  were  com- 
mitted by  such,  especially  upon  their  kinsmen. 
We  do  not  like  to  chronicle  upon  the  whitened 
page  bloody  deeds  of  more  than  demons,  of 
fathers  and  mothers  falling  beneath  the  toma- 
hawk of  disguised  sons,  and  brothers  bathing 
their  hands  in  fraternal  blood.  Oh  no,  we  wish 
to  pass  them  by,  their  stain  is  hard  to  erase,  but 
such  as  chill  the  blood  without  creating  a  spirit 
of  devotion  to  country  and  pride  of  brotherhood, 
should  be  cast  out  of  the  emerald  pages  which 
the  American  Revolution  caused  to  be  written. 

It  should  be  enou^  for  us  to  know  of  the  dan- 
gers, hardships  and  privations  our  noble  fore- 
fathers experienced  in  the  attainment  of  our 
liberties,  to  animate  us  to  a  just  appreciation 
of  them,  and  enough  to  give  birth  in  us  to  a 
just  pride  in  those  patriots  and  homage  to  their 
spirit  and  principle  by  observing  their  unyield- 
ing devotion  to  country  and  unflinching  patriotic 
endurance,  under  the  most  withering  circum- 
stances. 

Many  upon  the  extreme  frontier,  conceiving 
their  numbers  so  few,  and  those  of  England  and 
her  Indian  allies  so  great,  thought  it  a 
foohsh  and  ignorant  step  to  undertake  to  cope 
with  them.  They  were  placed  far  from  help, 
surrounded  by  Indians  and  enthusiastic  loyal- 
ists, whom  they  believed  would  exterminate 
them  if  they  chose  the  Colonial  cause,  and  con- 
sequently were  led  to  countenance  British  rule 
and  aggression,  when  within  their  hearts  a 
burning  hatred  existed.  When  the  tide  of 
events  began  to  roll  the  almost  wrecked  ship  of 
Independence  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  harbor 
of  success,  they  began  to  feel  a  thrill  of  patriotic 
joy,  and  ere  peace  was  proclaimed  proved 
themselves  active  and  staunch  adherents  to  the 
new  order  of  things. 


Each  one  as  now  had  a  right  to  a  choice,  and 
we  cannot  condemn  those  whose  sympathies 
were  with  the  mother  country,  only  in  the 
manner  in  which  the  majority  of  them  espoused 
the  cause  and  mode  of  warfare.  We  cannot 
but  give  homage  to  one  that  stands  up  man- 
fully and  defends  oppression,  dictated  by  a 
true  sense  of  its  being  just  and  right,  as  well  as 
to  him  who  does  the  same  in  what  we  consider 
a  m.ore  just  cause.  But  the  one  that  clothes 
himself  in  the  garb  of  deceit  and  sneakingly 
defends  his  cause  and  employs  the  most  coward- 
ly means  to  attain  the  end,  and  ruthlessly  de- 
stroys the  innocent  and  helpless,  should  be,  and 
is  condemned  by  all. 

There  were  many  such  during  the  war,  and 
their  acts  were  heartless  crimes  that  would 
make  demons  blush  and  we  wish  we  might  be 
privileged  to  pass  them  by. 

While  actual  hostilities  were  going  on  in 
other  secdons  of  the  country,  the  enemy  to 
political  rights  did  not  pollute  Schoharie  soil 
with  martial  tread  until  the  year  1777.  But 
the  people  were  not  inactive.  When  the  mes- 
senger traversed  the  winding  road  from  Lexing- 
ton to  Concord,  making  the  old  granite  hills  of 
Massachusetts  echo  to  the  clarion  notes  of  the 
bugle,  "To  arms!"  and  the  noble  few  that 
faced  the  British  regulars  upon  Lexington  com- 
mons, poured  their  hearts-blood  upon  the  altar 
of  Liberty  and  Independence  these  yeoman 
were  not  spectators  to  the  scene.  But  as  the 
notes  of  the  bugle  and  groans  of  the  dying 
patriots  sent  their  echo  from  hill  to  hill,  through 
valley  and  over  plain,  it  aroused  the  sturdy 
ones  to  active  and  more  determined  purposes. 
Though  weak  in  numbers  and  distant  from  the 
field  of  action,  a  deep  anxiety  pervaded  every 
heart  and  each  weighed  the  matter  well.  Citi- 
zens gathered  here  and  there  to  discuss  aflfairs 
and  it  cannot  be  supposed  it  was  long  before 
each  knew  of  the  others  decision.  It  was  at 
this  auspicious  moment  that  the  patriots  of 
Schoharie  chose  two  delegates  to  attend  a 
meedng  to  be  held  in  Albany,  to  determine 
upon  the  actions  of  the  future. 

The  meeting  was  secret  and  held  at  the  house 
of  Richard  Cartwright,  "inn  holder,"  on  the 
24th  of  January,  1775,  with  Abraham  Yates  in 
the  chair,  and  Daniel  Budd  and  Peter  Becker 


SECRET  MEETING  AND  RESOLUTION. 


37 


as  delegates  from  Schoharie.     They  drew  up  the 
following  resolution : — 

"  Persuaded  that  the  Salvation  of  the 
rights  and  liberties  of  America  depends  under 
God  on  the  firm  union  of  its  Inhabitants,  in  a 
vigorous  prosecution  of  the  measures  necessary 
for  its  safety,  &  convinced  of  the  necessity  of 
Preventing  the  anarchy  and  confusion  which 
attend  a  dissolution  of  the  Powers  of  Govern- 
ment, We  the  Freemen,  Freeholders  &  In- 
habitants of  the  city  and  county  of  Albany 
being  greatly  alarmed  at  the  avowed  design  of 
the  Ministry  to  raise  a  revenue  in  America  & 
shocked  by  the  bloody  scene  now  acting  in  the 
Massachusetts  Bay,  Do  in  the  most  solemn 
manner  Resolve  never  to  become  slaves  &  do 
associate  under  all  the  ties  of  Religion,  Honor 
&  Love  to  our  country,  to  adopt  &  endeavor 
to  carry  into  execution  whatever  measures  may 
be  recommended  by  the  Continental  Congress, 
or  Resolved  upon  by  our  Provincial  Convention 
for  the  purpose  of  Preserving  our  constitution 
&  opposing  the  Execution  of  the  several  ar- 
bitrary and  oppressive  acts  of  the  British  Par- 
liament until  a  reconciliation  between  Great 
Britain  &  America  on  Constitutional  Principles 
[which  we  most  ardently  desire]  can  be  obtained 
&  that  we  will  in  all  things  follow  the  advise  of 
our  General  Committee  respecting  the  purposes 
aforesaid,  the  Preservation  of  Peace  &  Good 
Order  &  the  safety  of  Individuals  and  Private 
property." 

The  foregoing  was  drawn  by  a  committee 
and  signed  by  sixty-eight,  among  whom  were 
the  delegates  from  Schoharie.  The  afternoon 
meeting  of  that  day  was  attended  by  Adam 
Vroman,  in  addition  as  delegate  of  Schoharie. 

Frequent  meetings  of  committees  and  del- 
egates were  held  at  the  same  place  and  called 
the  "Committee  of  Correspondence."  They 
communicated  with  each  other  on  the  state  of 
feeling  with  the  provincial  assembly,  and  Con- 
tinental Congress,  and  on  the  21st  of  March  fol- 
lowing, ordered  donations  of  wheat,  corn,  etc., 
for  the  distressed  citizens  of  Boston.  A  messen- 
ger was  dispatched  on  horseback  to  that  city  to 
inform  the  patriots  of  Albany  county's  Resolves, 
and  encourage  them  to  remain  staunch  in  oppo- 
sition to  British  aggression. 


On  the  29th  of  April  a  "  Committee  of  Safety" 
was  appointed  in  each  district  who  reported  in 
person  on  the  loth  of  May,  which  was  the  first 
Committee  of  Safety  in  the  county,  and  gave  to 
the  association  formed  on  the  24th  of  January, 
the  name  of  "Committee  of  Correspondence 
and  Committee  of  Safety  of  Albany  City  and 
County."  The  same  extended  their  powers  and 
duties  and  were  called  in  addition  "  Committee 
of  Protection."  Those  first  appointed  in  Scho- 
harie were,  Peter  Vroman,  Jacob  Zimmer, 
Daniel  Budd,  Peter  W.  Zeilie,  Thomas  Ecker- 
son  and  Johannes  Ball.  The  latter  was  chosen 
chairman  and  filled  the  position  to  the  close  of 
the  war.  The  second  board  was  appointed  on 
the  7th  of  November,  1775,  and  consisted  of 
William  Dietz,  Lawrence  Schoolcraft,  Jost 
Borst,  Peter  W.  Zeilie,  Peter  Becker,  Peter  Vro- 
man and  Johannes  Ball.  Associated  with  them 
from  time  to  time,  to  the  close  of  hostilities, 
were  Samuel  Vroman,  Joseph  Becker,  Joseph 
Zimmer,  Nicholas  Sternbergh,  George  Warner 
and  Peter  Swart. 

Deputations  from  Committees  also  from  Con- 
gress and  the  Crown,  besieged  the  Mohawk  and 
Oneida  camps  to  take  decisive  steps,  and  when 
it  became  known  that  the  greater  share  of  the 
Indian  tribes,  to  whom  the  wilds  of  Schoharie 
were  familiar  haunts,  espoused  the  royal  cause, 
many  hearts  quailed,  but  there  were  men  and 
women  whose  patriotism  fainted  not  and  who 
at  once  took  decisive  steps. 

The  duty  of  the  Board  was  to  gather  all  the 
information  they  could  of  the  movements  of  the 
enemy,  to  prepare  for  the  defense  of  the  settle- 
ments and  obtain  supphes.  Their  meetings 
were  held  in  secret  and  it  is  unfortunate  that 
their  proceedings  were  not  kept.  The  counties 
of  the  province  were  divided  into  districts  from 
which  a  regiment  or  more  was  expected,  but  the 
population  of  the  frontier  districts  being  very 
small  and  many  clinging  to  the  Crown,  some  of 
the  regiments  comprised  but  a  few  companies. 
Schoharie  was  attached  to  Duanesburgh  to  form 
amiHtary  district  and  by  the  records  in  the  Adju- 
tant-General's office  at  Albany,  we  find  that  the 
fifteenth  regiment  of  miUtia  was  formed  by  order 
of  General  Schuyler,  and  consisted,  upon  the 
date  of  the  commissions,  of  only  three  compa- 
nies.    The  commissions  bear  date  of  October 


38 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


20,  1775,  and  were  given  to  the  following  per- 
sons : — 

Peter  Vroman,  Colonel. 

Peter  W.  Zeilie,  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

Thomas  Eckerson,  Jun.,  ist  Major. 

Jacob  Becker,  2d  Major. 

Lawrence  Schoolcraft,  Adjutant. 

Peter  Ball,  Quarter-Master. 

Co.  I.  Geo.  Mann,  Captain;  Christian  Stru- 
bach,  ist  Lieutenant ;  John  Dominick,  2d  Lieu- 
tenant ;  Jacob  Snyder,  Ensign. 

Co.  2.  Jacob  Hager,  Captain ;  Martinus  Van- 
Slyck,  ist  Lieutenant ;  Johannes  W.  Bouck,  2d 
Lieutenant ;  Johannes  Lawyer,  Ensign. 

Co.  3.  Geo.  Richtmeyer,  Captain ;  Johannes 
I.  Lawyer,  ist  Lieutenant;  Martinus  W.  Zeilie, 
2d  Lieutenant ;  Johannes  Lawyer  Bellenger, 
Ensign. 

The  first  company  was  organized  at  the  lower 
part  of  the  valley,  at  and  near  the  present  village 
of  Schoharie.  The  Captain,  George  Mann, 
proved  disloyal  by  aiding  in  organizing  a  loyal 
company.  He  was  captured  and  incarcerated 
as  a  prisoner  of  war  until  the  close  of  the  con- 
test, when  he  was  released  and  not  proving  a 
very  bitter  adversary,  his  property  was  not  con- 
fiscated. His  command  was  filled  by  Lieu- 
tenant Strubach,  who  was-promoted  to  a  Major 
at  the  close  of  the  war. 

The  second  company  was  from  the  upper 
part  of  Vromansland,  and  the  third,  at  and  near 
Middleburgh.  Another  company  was  after- 
wards formed  in  Vromansland,  at  whose  head 
was  Tunis  Vroman.  After  Vroman's  massacre, 
Peter  Snyder,  living  near  the  lower  fort  received 
the  command. 

At  Cobleskill,  also,  a  company  was  formed  in 
1777,  with  Christian  Brown  as  captain,  and 
Jacob  Borst  of  the  same  place  as  heutenant. 
The  northwestern  part  of  the  County  was  in 
Tryon  county  until  the  year  1784,  and  a  com- 
pany was  formed  in  1778,  at  Rhinebeck,  as 
"  Tryon  County  Militia,"  of  which  John  Ma- 
thias  Brown,  afterwards  Judge  of  the  county,  was 
captain.  But  their  number  being  few  and  sur- 
rounded by  Tories,  the  company  was  disbanded 
and  its  members  acted  as  scouts  from  the  mid- 
dle and  lower  forts,  watching  the  movements  of 
the  enemy  and  taking  disaffected  ones  to  secure 
places. 


Captain  Brown,  late  judge,  was  lame  in  one 
knee,  and  was  employed  at  the  forts  in  doing 
general  business  for  which  his  qualifications  were 
well  fitted. 

During  the  years  1775  and  '76,  and  the  fore- 
part of  '77,  these  companies  were  employed  at 
Fort  Edward,  Johnstown,  and  along  the  Mo- 
hawk, but  did  not  leave  the  Schoharie  valley 
without  protection,  as  invasions  were  expected. 
In  the  fall  of  1776,  an  invasion  was  expected 
upon  the  Mohawk,  from  Oswego,  and  measures 
were  at  once  taken  to  oppose  it  by  the  Commit- 
tee of  Safety.  On  the  9th  of  October  of  that 
year,  the  colonial  committee  convened  at  Fish- 
kill,  and  appointed  a  committee  "  to  co-operate 
with  General  Schuyler  on  devising  and  carrying 
into  execution  all  such  measures  as  they  shall 
deem  most  effectual  for  repelling  the  invasion 
of  the  enemy's  army  on  the  northern  and  west- 
ern frontier."  The  committee  met  at  Albany 
on  the  27th  of  the  same  m6nth,  "  and  had  in- 
formation of  an  invasion,  and  resolved  to  detach 
troops  for  the  defense  of  the  western  frontier."* 
Captain  Jacob  Hager  was  at  Albany  with  a  de- 
tachment of  fifty-five  Schoharie  militia,  and  on 
the  29th,  the  committee  resolved  that  they 
"  should  return  to  Schoharry  and  hold  them- 
selves in  readiness  at  a  moment's  warning,  to 
march  to  the  defense  of  the  western  frontier, 
whenever  they  shall  receive  orders  from  Col. 
Van  Schaick,  that  they  may  contribute  with  the 
rest  of  their  fellow  subjects,  who  are  now  in 
arms,  to  the  utmost  of  their  power,  in  defense 
of  the  Rights  and  Liberty's  of  their  Country." 
The  company  was  called  to  Fort  Stanwix,  but 
not  being  employed,  returned  to  Schoharie, 
where  we  are  led  to  believe  they  remained  dur- 
ing the  winter,  excepting  at  such  times  as  they 
were  acting  as  scouts  and  arresting  disaffected 
ones,  or  those  imbued  with  Tory  sentiments. 

During  1776,  the  Brirish  were  encouraged  by 
the  success  of  their  arms  upon  Long  Island — 
New  York  City— Fort  Washington,  and  Lee,  and 
to  break  the  chain  of  defense  upon  the  northern 
frontier,  would  embarrass  the  colonists,  and  have 
a  tendency  to  stop  hostihties.  A  grand  move- 
ment, therefore,  was  conceived  and  to  be  made 
in  August  of  1777,  from  various  points.  Gen. 
Burgoyne  was  to  march  at  the  head  of  the  best 

*  Records  Committee  of  Safety. 


MEASURES  FOR  PROTECTION  AND  DEFENSE. 


39 


drilled  and  equipped  army  upon  the  continent, 
down  Lake  Champlain,  while '  St.  Leger  was  to 
devastate  the  Mohawk,  from  Oswego,  at  the 
head  of  a  motley  crew  of  Indians  and  Tories, 
whose  knives  and  tomahawks  were  whetted  for 
the  most  atrocious  crimes,  and  whose  ambition 
was  fired  by  the  royalty  upon  scalps  that  the 
British  officers  promised. 

The  movement  was  well  calculated  to  dis- 
courage the  stoutest  hearts,  and  unless  the 
greatest  wisdom  and  prudence,  besides  patriot- 
ism had  engineered  the  northern  department,  it 
would  have  proved  a  success.  With  these  pros- 
pects before  them,  the  Schoharie  militia  were 
divided.  Some  were  to  be  sent  to  Gate's  re- 
lief, others  were  expected  to  join  Gansevoort  or 
Herkimer. 

The  valley  had  been  in  a  measure  put  under 
a  state  of  defense  and  watch,  by  dividing  it  into 
sections  and  appointing  men  to  oversee  the  ar- 
rangements. An  order  to  that  effect  was  made 
by  the  Committee  of  Safety  as  follows  : — 

"Schoharie  July  7th,  1777,  in  committee 
chamber  first  resolved  that  all  the  persons  be- 
tween the  ages  of  sixteen  and  fifty  years,  from 
the  dweUing  house  of  Christian  Shaffer  to  north- 
ward in  Schoharie  are  to  bring  their  arms  and 
accoutrements  when  they  come  to  the  meeting 
at  either  of  the  two  churches  in  Fountain  town 
to  Fox's  town  on  Sunday  or  any  other  day  when 
kept,  and  if  any  of  them  shall  neglect  in  bring- 
ing their  arms  and  accoutrements  to  either  of 
the  churches,  shall  forfeit  and  pay  the  sum  of 
three  shillings  New  York  currency  into  the 
hands  of  Johannes  Ball,  for  the  use  of  paying 
the  cost  for  the  district  of  Schoharie,  or  if  any 
person  shall  not  pay  the  said  sum  aforesaid,  it 
shall  be  lawful  for  Mr.  Johannes  Ball  to  give  a 
warrant  directed  to  a  sergeant  or  corporal,  and 
levy  the  same  on  the  offender's  goods  and  chat- 
tels, and  also  the  cost  thereof 

"And  all  the  persons  inhabiting  from  the  dwell- 
ing of  Baltus  Krysler  to  the  said  Christian  Shaf- 
fer are  to  bring  their  arms  etc.,  to  the  church  at 
Weiser's  town,  as  they  are  ordered  to  in  Fox's 
town  and  if  neglected  to  pay  the  same  to  Jo- 
hannes Becker  and  be  put  in  execution  by  him- 
as  ordered  by  Mr.  Ball  aforesaid. 

"And  any  person  southward  from  Baltus 
Krysler's  are  to  be  armed  when  they  come  to  any 


meeting  that  may  be  kept  in  Breakabeen  and 
if  neglected,  to  pay  the  fines  to  Mr.  Wm.  Zim- 
mer,  and  to  be  put  by  him  in  execution  as  be- 
fore mentioned,  and  for  the  use  as  aforesaid. 

"N.  B.  Their  resolve  in  Fountain  Town 
Church  is  to  be  paid  to  Mr.  Johannes  Lawyer, 
and  to  be  put  by  him  in  execution  as  within 
mentioned,  and  for  the  use  as  aforesaid,  and 
George  Warner  is  appointed  to  see  that  the  in- 
habitants of  Cobleskill  bring  their  arms  when 
they  come  to  meeting  there,  and  put  their  resolve 
in  execution  as  within  mentioned,  and  for  the 
use  aforesaid. 

"  Secondly  Resolved  that  four  watchers  are  to 
be  kept  in  Schoharie  every  night  from  this  time 
constant,  the  first  to  be  kept  at  the  dwelling 
house  of  Capt.  George  Mann,  and  under  his 
command,  and  in  his  absence  the  next  in  com- 
mand, the  inhabitants  from  Christian  Shaffer's 
dwelling  house,  and  to  northward  are  to  be  un- 
der Capt.  Mann's  command  for  the  watch  to 
consist  of  eight  men.  The  second  is  to  be 
kept  at  the  dweUing  house  of  Mr.  Hendrick  P. 
Becker,  and  under  the  command  of  Capt.  George 
Richtmeyer,  and  in  his  absence  the  next  officer 
in  command.  The  inhabitants  from  Hendrick 
Jansen's  house  and  so  northward  to  Christian 
Schafifer's  are  under  the  command  of  this  second 
watch,  and  to  consist  of  six  men.  The  third  is 
to  be  kept  at  the  dwelling  house  of  Mr.  Johannes 
Feak,  and  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant 
Martymus  VanSlyck,  and  in  his  absence  the 
next  officer  in  command.  The  inhabitants  from 
Baltus  Krysler's  dwelling  house  and  so  north- 
ward to  Hendrick  Jansen's  are  under  the  com- 
mand of  this  third  watch  and  to  consist  of  six 
men.  And  the  fourth  is  be  kept  by  the  inhabi- 
tants from  Baltus  Krysler's  and  so  southward  to 
the  dwelHng  house  of  Hendrick  Hager,  under 
the  command  of  Capt.  Jacob  Hager,  in  his  ab- 
sence the  next  officer  in  commmd  at  this  watch 
is  to  consist  of  six  men.  Every  person  or  per- 
sons neglecting  to  serve  on  such  or  either  of 
such  watches  aforementioned,  shall  for  every 
neglect  pay  and  forfeit  the  sum  of  twelve  shil- 
hngs  for  the  use  of  the  district  of  Schoharie." 

All  arrangements  were  known  and  understood 
on  the  part  of  the  colonists,  and  a  few  had  left 
to  join  Gates,  when  the  valley  was  aroused  by 
the  knowledge  of  an   army  of  invaders,  but  a 


40 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


few  miles  up  the  valley,  bent  on  sweeping  down 
with  fire  and  blade  to  meet  with  Burgoyne,  St. 
Leger  and  Clinton,  at  the  Whig  city  of  Albany, 
to  bask  in  the  sunshine  of  success  at  the  grand 
union  of  human  vultures. 

The  invasion  was  a  surprise,  and  in  the  great 
excitement  the  enemy's  numbers  were  greatly 
exaggerated. 

The  Schoharie  militia  could  not  be  recalled, 
and  efforts  were  made  to  procure  aid  from 
Albany.  Colonel  Peter  Vroman,  says  Simms,  dis- 
patched two  messengers  on  foot  on  the  nth, 
and  fearing  they  would  be  captured,  Captain 
Hager  and  Henry  Becker  were  sent  the  next 
morning  on  the  same  mission.  Colonel  John  Har- 
per* arrived  the  same  day  in  the  valley,  and  being 
fearful  of  the  messenger's  ability  to  procure  as- 
sistance, at  once  set  out  on  horse,  but  proceed- 
ed only  to  the  present  village  of  Schoharie,  and 

*  The  following  is  extracted  from  Campbell's  "Annals 
of  Tryon  County  ;" — 

"  In  1768,  William,  John,  Alexander  and  Joseph 
Harper,  with  eighteen  other  individuals,  obtained  a 
patent  for  twenty-two  thousand  acres  of  land  lying  in 
the  now  county  of  Delaware.  The  Harpers  removed 
from  Cherry  valley  soon  after,and  made  a  settlement  there 
which  was  called  Harpersfield.  This  settlement  began 
to  flourish  at  the  commencement  of  the  war.  Col.  John 
Harper  had  the  command  of  the  forts  at  Schoharie,  in 
1777  and  '78.  The  following  account  of  a  successful 
enterprise  of  Col.  John  Harper,  was  furnished  by  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Fenn,  who  received  the  information  from  him  : — 

"  He  informed  me  that  in  the  year  1777,  he  had  the 
command  of  the  fort  in  Schoharie,  and  of  all  the  frontier 
stations  in  this  region.  He  left  the  fort  in  Schoharie, 
and  came  out  through  the  woods  to  Harpersfield,  in  the 
time  of  sugar  making,  and  from  thence  laid  his  course 
to  Cherry  Valley,  to  investigate  the  state  of  things  there, 
and  as  he  was  pursuing  a  blind  kind  of  Indian  trail,  and 
was  ascending  what  are  now  called  Decatur  Hills,  he 
cast  his  eye  forward  and  saw  a  company  of  men  coming 
directly  towards  him,  who  had  the  appearance  of  Indi- 
ans. He  knew  that  if  he  attempted  to  flee  from  them, 
they  would  shoot  him  down  ;  he  resolved  to  advance 
right  up  to  them,  and  make  the  best  shift  for  himself 
that  he  could.  As  soon  as  he  came  near  enough  to 
discern  the  white  of  their  eyes,  he  knew  the  head  man 
and  several  others;  the  head  man's  name  was  Peter,  an 
Indian  with  whom  Colonel  Harper  had  often  traded  at 
Oquago,  before  the  Revolution  began.  The  Colonel  had 
his  great  coat  on,  so  that  his  regimentals  were  concealed, 
and  he  was  not  recognized;  the  first  word  of  address  of 
Col.  Harper's  was,  ■  How  do  you  do,  brothers?'  The 
reply  was,  '  Well— how  do  you  do,  brother?  Which 
way  are  you  bound,  brother  ? '  '  On  a  secret  expedi- 
tion,' said  Harper.  '  Which  way  are  you  bound,  broth- 
ers ? '  '  Down  the  Susquehannah  to  cut  off  the  Johns- 
ton settlement,'  they  answered.  (Parson  Johnston  and  a 
number  of  Scotch  families  had  settled  down  the  Susque- 
hannah, at  what  is  now  called  Sidney  Plains,  and  these 
were  the  people  whom  they  were  about  to  destroy). 
Says  the  Colonel,  '  Where  do  you  lodge  to-night  ? '  'At 
the  mouth  of  Schenevus  creek,'  was  the  reply.  Then 
shaking  hands  with  them,  he  bid  them  good  speed,  and 
proceeded  on  his  journey. 


remained  over  night.  The  Tories  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, especially  at  "and  around  Fox's  creek, 
were  jubilant  over  the  prospect  of  affairs,  and 
made  an  attempt  to  arrest  the  Colonel  at  his 
lodgings.  Being  a  brave  and  resolute  man, 
their  cowardly  spirits  quailed  before  his  stern 
address,  and  retired.  As  day  dawned,  he  con- 
tinued his  journey,  but  was  followed  for  several 
miles  by  two  Indians,  whose  courage  proved  too 
weak  for  an  attack  upon  him.  He  arrived  at 
Albany  in  safety,  and  procured  a  company  of 
cavalry,  under  the  command  of  Major  Wyn- 
koop,  and  arrived  in  Schoharie  on  the  next  day 
(14th). 

Stopping  at  Captain  Mann's  residence,  they  de- 
manded his  presence,  but  being  on  the  alert,  he 
was  not  to  be  found.  Taking  with  them  an  In- 
dian as  prisoner  from  Mann's,  who  in  attempt- 
ing to  escape  was  killed,  the  companyproceeded 

"He  had  gone  but  a  little  way  from  them,  before  he 
took  a  circuit  through  the  woods,  a  distance  of  eight  or 
ten  miles,  on  to  the  head  of  Charlotte  river,  where  were 
a  number  of  men  making  sugar;  ordered  them  to  take 
their  arms,  two  day's  provisions,  9.  canteen  of  rum,  and 
a  rope,  and  meet  him  down  the  Charlotte  at  a  small 
clearing  called  Evan's  place,  at  a  certain  hour  that  after- 
noon; then  rode  with  all  speed  through  the  woods  to 
Harpersfield,  collected  all  the  men  who  were  there,  and 
being  armed  and  victualled,  each  man  with  his  rope  laid 
his  course  for  Charlotte;  when  he  arrived  at  Evan's 
place,  he  found  the  Charlotte  men  there  in  good  spirits, 
and  when  he  mustered  his  men,  there  were  fifteen,  in- 
cluding himself,  exactly  the  numljer  as  there  were  of  the 
enemy.  Then  the  Colonel  made  his  men  acquainted 
with  his  enterprise.  They  marched  down  the  river  a  lit- 
tle distance,  and  then  bent  their  course  across  the  hill  to 
the  mouth  of  Schenevus  creek.  When  they  arrived  at 
the  brow  of  the  hill  where  they  could  look  over  the  val- 
ley, they  cast  their  eyes  down  upon  the  flat,  and  discov- 
ered the  fire  around  which  the  enemy  lay  encamped. 
'  There  they  are,'  said  Colonel  Harper.  They  descended 
with  great  stillness,  forded  the  creek,  which  was  breast 
high  to  a  man.  After  advancing  a  few  hundred  yards, 
they  took  some  refreshments,  and  then  prepared  for  the 
contest — daylight  was  just  appearing  in  the  East.  When 
they  came  to  the  enemy,  they  lay  in  a  circle  with  their 
feet  towards  the  fire,  in  a  deep  sleep.  Their  arms  and 
all  their  implements  of  death,  were  all  stacked  up  ac- 
cording to  the  Indian  custom  when  they  lay  themselves 
down  for  the  night.  These  the  i-olonel  secured  by  car- 
rying them  oft  a  distance,  and  laying  them  down,  then 
each  man  taking  a  rope  in  his  hand,  placed  himself  by 
his  fellow.  'The  Colonel  rapped  his  man  softly  and 
said,  '  Come  it  is  time  for  men  of  business  to  be  on  their 
way,'  and  then  each  one  sprang  on  his  man,  and  after  a 
most  severe  struggle,  they  secured  the  whole  of  the  en- 
emy. After  they  were  all  safely  bound  and  the  morning 
had  so  far  advanced  that  they  could  discover  objects  dis- 
tinctly, says  the  Indian  Peter,  '  Ha!  Colonel  Harper, 
now  I  know  thee  ;  why  did  I  not  know  thee  yesterday  ?' 
'Some  policy  in  war,  Peter.'  •  A  me  find  em  so  now.' 
The  Colonel  marched  the  men  to  Albany,  delivered 
them  up  to  the  commanding  officer,  and  by  his  bold  and 
well  executed  feat  of  valor,  he  saved  the  whole  Scotch 
settlement  from  a  wanton  destruction." 


ADAM  CRYSLER. 


41 


up  the  valley  and  met  the  Schoharie  militia  at 
the  stone  dweUing  of  John  Becker,  which  they 
had  barricaded  with  rails  and  timber,  for  a  for- 
tress. Here  we  will  leave  the  first  troops  that 
visited  the  valley,  expecting  them  to  be  admired 
by  the  uncouth  yeomanry,  as  well  as  to  be  re- 
galed by  a  few  social  mugs  of  "  reviving  spirits,'' 
such  as  the  hospitality  of  every  household,  in 
those  days  presented,  while  we  will  reconnoi- 
tre the  enemy's  position,  aim  and  strength.  At 
the  upper  part  of  Vroman's  land  lived  one, 
Adam  Crysler,  upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
Mrs.  John  S.  Lawyer.  He  was  a  farmer  who 
owned  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  was  a  shrewd 
business  man.  He  was  commissioned  Ensign 
on  the  14th  day  of  October,  1768,  in  a  company 
of  militia  of  which  Isaac  Vroman  was  cap- 
tain. 

In  the  year  1781  he  made  an  official  report 
to  the  British  Government,  which  has  lain  in 
obscurity  among  his  descendants  in  Canada, 
until  quite  recently,  which  we  here  copy  in  part 
as  far  as  regards  the  invasion  upon  which  we 
are  dwelling.     The  report  says  : — 

"  I  thought  it  my  duty  to  get  as  many  men 
and  Indians  for  government  as  laid  in  my 
power,  which  will  be  seen  as  follows,  and  my 
proceedings. 

"In  March  [1777]  I  had  to  maintain  all  the 
Indians  which  were  at  Schoharie  in  number  25, 
until  the  loth  of  August.  In  the  meanwhile  I 
recruited  all  the  men  for  Government  that  laid 
in  my  power  being  in  number  70.  In  June  I 
received  a  letter  from  Brant  who  desired  me  to 
remain  at  Schoharie  in  readiness  until  he  came 
to  me.  On  the  9th  of  August,  Captain  Mc- 
Donald joined  us  with  28  men  from  Charlotte 
creek  &  I  found  them  all  in  Provision  for  one 
day  and  night  &  from  thence  we  went  down  the 
river  about  4  miles  to  the  lower  end  of  Vro- 
man's land  where  we  remained  one  day  &  night 
&  where  we  were  informed  the  rebels  had  got  a 
reinforcement  and  we  thought  it  proper  to  re- 
treat, until  we  saw  a  convenient  place  to  make 
a  stand,  which  was  at  my  house ;  from  whence 
I  detached  35  men  to  intercept  the  Rebels  at 
Breakabeen  if  they  should  take  that  route.  In 
the  meanwhile  the  Rebels  advanced  until  they 
came  to  the  place  where  we  laid  in  ambush 
waiting     for     them,    when    we    gave   them   a 


volley,  killed  and  wounded  three  men  and  nine 
of  their  light  horse.  At  the  same  time  we  were 
informed  they  were  400  strong  and  we  retreated 
back  in  the  woods  which  was  on  the  14th  of 
August,  where  we  held  a  consultation  and  con- 
cluded, that  with  the  small  number  of  men  we 
had,  it  would  be  needless  to  attack  their  in- 
creasing numbers  which  was  already  four  to  one, 
but  colle<;t  all  together  and  proceed  to  Oswego 
to  the  army,  for  which  purpose  Mr.  David 
Brass  (now  Lieutenant  in  Corps  of  Rangers) 
went  in  search  of  the  35  men  which  were  de- 
tached to  Breakabeen,  on  his  return  he  in- 
formed me  they  were  all  dispersed." 

It  will  be  seen  by  Crysler's  report  that  his 
and  McDonald's  force  numbered  but  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eight  if  he  had  the  whole  force 
of  recruits  and  Indians,  but  the  patriots  accord- 
ing to  tradition  estimated  it  to  be  between  four 
and  five  hundred.  The  cavalry  and  militia 
having  rested  and  having  become  acquainted 
with  each  other  and  the  manner  of  attack, 
proceeded  to  give  battle  to  the  invaders.  Not 
having  any  authentic  account  of  the  skirmish 
except  the  one  already  copied,  we  cannot  give 
any  plainer  facts.  As  the  Colonists  over- 
estimated the  strength  of  the  invaders,  so  also 
did  the  invaders  over-estimate  that  of  the 
Colonists,  as  it  could  not  have  been  in  numbers 
to  exceed  one  hundred.  The  stand  made  by 
Crysler  was  upon  the  rise  of  ground  near  the 
house,  and  lasted  but  a  few  moments.  After 
the  volley  was  given  by  Crysler's  party  the 
cavalry  made  a  grand  rush  upon  them  and 
.  scattered  their  forces,  which  were  not  collected 
to  renew  an  attack. 

According  to  Simms,  whose  informants  were 
in  the  fight,  the  patriots'  loss  was  "David  Wirt, 
a  lieutenant  of  cavalry,  and  two  privates 
wounded, — one  Rose,  mortally, — who  died  three 
days  after."  Farther  on,  the  excellent  author 
says  truly  "  David  Wirt  was  the  first  man  that 
fell  in  Schoharie  defending  the  principles  of 
free  government."  The  small  and  weary  force 
returned  to  the  rude  fortress  having  the  key  of 
the  gate  to  the  valley  safely  in  their  grasp.  The 
Tories  that  were  so  jubilant  in  the  morning 
were  silent,  and  those  who  through  trembling, 
nervous  fear,  were  led  to  join  McDonald's 
and   Crysler's   clan,  repented   of  their   choice 


44 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


as  the  patriots  placed  an  iron  heel  upon  them, 
and  forced  them  to  do  duty.  Col.  Vroman 
proceeded  in  the  track  of  the  invaders  a  few 
days  after  and  found  many  that  were  returning 
to  their  homes,  stating  they  were  forced  to 
follow  them.  While  the  Schoharie  settlements 
were  in  the  greatest  consternation  upon  the 
Mohawk,  St.  Leger  had  found  his  progress  im- 
peded by  as  brave  patriots  as  the  world  has 
ever  known. 

Brave  Gansevoort  held  Fort  Schuyler,  while 
determined  Herkimer  at  Oriskany,  with  gallant 
Willet's  timely  aid,  and  Arnold's  cunning 
message,  put  to  flight  the  barbarous  clan. 

Many  of  the  "  bravest  of  the  brave "  fell 
upon  that  historical  day.     They 

"  Fought  eye  to  eye  and  hand  to  hand, 
Alas  !  'twas  but  to  die  ; 
In  vain  the  rifle's  deadly  flash 
Scorched  eagle  plume  and  wampum  sash, 

The  hatchet  hiss'd  on  high, 
And  down  they  fell  in  crimson  heaps 
Like  the  ripe  corn  the  sickle  reaps." 

The  Mohawk  valley  was  saved  and  another 
army  less  to  exult  at  the  anticipated  junction. 
Burgoyne  laid  down  his  arms  upon  the  17th 
and  joy  reigned  supreme  in  the  American 
camp. 

The  gloom  that  pervaded  every  patriotic 
heart  but  a  few  days  before,  was  now  dispelled, 
and  all  felt  gratitude  to  the  God  of  battles. 
All  honor  to  the  brave  Herkimer,  Gansevoort, 
and  Willet.  All  glory  to  Arnold  and  Schuyler, 
whose  laurels  were  plucked  by  Gates,  and  all 
reverence  to  the  sturdy  ones  that  stood  before 
the  exultant,  well-fed  foe — like  the  oak  before 
the  blast — unyielding,  unflinching. 
"  O  few  and  weak  their  number^  were 
A  handful  of  brave  men. 

But  to  their  God  they  gave  their  prayers, 
And  rushed  to  battle  then. 

They  left  the  plowshare  in  the  mold. 

Their  flocks  and  herds  without  the  fold. 

The  sickle  in  the  unshorn  grain, 

The  corn  half  garnered  on  the  plain. 

And  muster'd  in  their  simple  dress, 

For  wrongs,  to  seek  a  stern  redress. 

To  right  those  wrongs,  come  weal,  come  woe. 

To  perish  or  o'ercome  the  foe.'' 

The  reverses  with  which  the  British  arms  met 
at  Oriskany,  Breakabeen,  Bemis  Heights  and 
down  the  Hudson,  at  once  satisfied  the  most 


intelligent  and  far-seeing  of  the  loyalists,  that  it 
was  useless  to  continue  the  struggle  by  force  of 
arms  to  conquer  the  patriots  in  the  Northern 
Department,  and  that  it  could  only  be  done,  if 
done  at  all,  by  cutting  off  supplies  from  the 
already  poorly  clad  and  fed  army,  and  carry 
hostilities  upon  Southern  fields.  Therefore  it 
was  conceived  by  those  in  command  to  make 
invasions  and  devastate  those  sections  from 
which  large  supplies  were  procured. 

The  fact  was  known  by  all  the  Tories,  and 
boasts  were  made  by  them  that  nothing  should 
be  allowed  to  grow  or  be  gathered,  and  their 
vigilant  eyes  were  turned  to  the  productive 
vales  of  the  Mohawk,  Schoharie,  Susquehanna 
and  even  to  the  Wyoming,  The  patriots  know- 
ing their  intentions,  kept  on  the  alert  at  every 
avenue  leading  to  those  sections. 

The  Schoharie  valley  being  open,  without 
any  place  but  the  forest  for  the  people  to  flee  for 
protection.  Colonel  Samuel  Campbell  of  Cherry 
Valley,  personally  appeared  before  General  La 
Fayette  while  at  Johnstown  attending  an  Indian 
Council,  and  petitioned  for  the  building  of 
three  forts  in  the  valley,  each  to  be  manned 
with. a  company  of  regular  soldiers  and  a  field 
piece.  Accordingly  engineers  were  sent  out  to 
locate  and  superintend  their  structure  in  the 
month  of  November,  1777. 

The  stone  house  already  barricaded  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  moat  and  enclosed  by  pickets, 
and  was  called  the  "  middle  fort."  About 
four  miles  above  at  the  upper  end  of  "  Vro- 
man's  land,"  upon  the  west  side  of  the  river, 
another  house  was  barricaded  and  a  block- 
house erected,  which  was  called  the  "upper  fort." 
The  stone  church  near  Schoharie  village  was 
enclosed,  two  block-houses  built,  at  diagonal 
corners,  the  same  as  the  upper  and  middle 
forts.  These  three  were  nearly  an  equal  dis- 
tance apart  and  were  well  arranged  for  the 
people  of  the  surrounding  settlements  to  remove 
their  valuables  for  safety  and  to  find  protection 
from  the  prowling  enemies.  Each  was  furnished 
with  two  small  cannon  and  with  such  facilities 
as  to  warrant  safety  and  comfort,  yet  would 
prove  very  inadequate  at  the  present  day  to 
withstand  the  projectiles  that  would  be  brought 
to  bear  upon  them  by  our  well-disciplined  and 
equipped  soldiers.     Within  the  pickets  of  each 


SCENES  AND  INCIDENTS  DURING  THE  WINTER  AND  SPRING  OF  1777-78.     43 


fort  the  citizens  built  rude  huts  to  which  they 
resorted  for  safety  each  night  from  many  miles 
around,  deeming  it  hazardous  to  risk  their  hves 
upon  their  own  hearthstones,  as  the  prowling 
demons  were  at  all  times  upon  the  watch  to 
capture  or  kill  the  patriots  after  the  battle  of 
Breakabeen  down  to  the  close  of  the  struggle. 

Nothing  more  of  importance  (aside  from  the 
building  of  the  forts)  of  a  warlike  nature  oc- 
curred in  the  valley  during  the  year  1777.  It 
is  well  known  by  every  one  that  the  winter  of 
1777  was  indeed  a  trying  time  to  the  provincial 
army.  Washington  lay  at  Valley  Forge  with 
his  nearly  starved  and  frozen  army  and  the  army 
of  Gates  at  Bemis  Heights,  with  meagre  supplies. 

The  citizens  of  Schoharie  furnished  them 
with  grains  from  their  well  filled  granaries  and 
assisted  in  transporting  cannon,  powder,  and  all 
other  army  necessaries  for  the  campaign  of 
1778.  In  the  latter  part  of  May  of  that  year, 
when  the  earth  began  to  teem  with  luxuriant 
grains  and  grasses  such  as  are  peculiar  to  the 
Schoharie  valleys,  the  enemy  was  found  lurking 
in  the  vicinity  of  Cobleskill.  Captain  Christian 
Brown  knowing  his  force  was  too  weak  to  cope 
with  any  considerable  numbers,  dispatched  a 
messenger  to  the  lower  fort  for  assistance. 
Captain  Patrick,  with  a  company  of  forty  regu- 
lars responded,  and  upon  the  first  day  of  June 
he  marched  them  together  with  the  Cobleskill 
militia,  only  seventeen  in  number,  about  two 
miles  and  one  half  to  the  west  of  the  present 
village  of  Cobleskill,  to  the  "  George  Warner 
house."  While  tarrying  for  a  few  moments  and 
enjoying  the  hospitality  of  that  "committee- 
man," a  few  Indians  made  their  appearance  a 
short  distance  to  the  west.  The  small  force 
pressed  forward  and  was  drawn  into  an  ambus- 
cade planned  by  the  sagacious  Brant. 

The  battle  raged  furiously  for  but  a  few  mo- 
ments as  it  was  discerned  that  the  Indians  were 
surrounding  them  with  untold  numbers.  Cap- 
tain Brown  ordered  a  retreat  as  it  was  found  that 
Patrick  had  fallen,  mortally  wounded.  In  their 
flight,  they  passed  the  Warner  house— in  which 
a  few  noble  ones  sought  shelter  to  retard  the 
advance  of  the  blood-thirsty  foe. 

After  burning  the  house  and  inmates  the  inva- 
ders passed  down  the  valley,  leaving  houses, 
barns,  and  stacks  of  hay  in  ashes,  and  such  stock 


as  they  found  they  either  killed  or  drove  along. 
Women  and  children  sought  safety  in  the  forest 
and  wandered  to  the  Schoharie  or  lower  fort. 
The  patriots'  loss  was  twenty-two  killed  and  two 
made  prisoners  from  their  force  of  fifty-seven. 
The  enemy's  strength  according  to  official  ac- 
counts was  about  two  hundred.  Their  loss  is 
not  known.  This  invasion  cast  a  deep  gloom 
over  the  Cobleskill  settlement  and  caused  the 
inhabitants  to  seek  and  remain  at  the  Lower 
fort.  The  men  cautiously  returned  each  morn- 
ing to  do  their  work  some  time  after,  and  walked 
the  distance  of  ten  miles  back  in  the  evening. 
During  the  year  rumors  were  afloat  many  times, 
of  the  Indians'  appearance  to  devastate,  and  the 
military  officers  at  Albany  were  repeatedly 
called  upon  to  send  a  force  to  Schoharie.  We 
have  the  pay  roll  of  a  company  under  Captain 
Marselus  of  Colonel  Lansing's  regiment  of  militia 
that  was  sent  in  August,  and  was  at  the  lower 
fort  from  the  isth  to  the  31st.  They  num- 
bered, officers  and  men,  forty-four.  Others 
were  here  from  time  to  time,  beside  the  home 
guards  and  militia  belonging  to  the  district, 
which  gave  the  inhabitants  an  assurance  of  pro- 
tection, and  which  undoubtedly  restrained  the 
Tories  and  Indians  from  making  another  unholy 
visit.  It  was  in  July  of  that  year  the  terrible 
massacre  was  made  at  Wyoming  which  chills 
the  heart  blood  and  which  presented  scenes 
that  devils  incarnate  should  be  ashamed  to  own. 
It  may  be  interesting  to  know  the  fiend  in  hu- 
man form  whose  report  we  copied  in  relation  to 
the  invasion  of  McDonald,  was  present  upon  that 
occasion.  We  did  not  intend  to  diverge  from 
the  County's  history,  but  being  fortunate  to  ob- 
tain a  copy  of  so  valuable  a  document  as  there- 
port  of  Adam  Crysler,  which  has  loomed  up  as 
a  guilty  conscience — to  acknowledge  deeds  that 
had  been  placed  against  others  and  not  being 
before  published,  we  will  repeat  for  history's 
sake  what  he  acknowledges  in  regard  to  the 
affair : — 

"In  May,  1778,  I  received  [Crysler  was  at 
Unadilla]  orders  from  Colonel  Butler  to  come 
to  Canatasago,  accordingly  I  did  and  brought 
nineteen  men  with  me  (who  are  with  Colonel 
Butler's  rangers  now)  at  which  time  he  made  me 
a  Lieutenant — and  from  there  I  went  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Butler  to  Wayomen  where 


44 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


we  had  an  engagement  and  killed  about  460  of 
the  enemy  and  from  there  we  went  to  Aughqua- 
gy."  Also  we  find  he  was  at  the  destruction  of 
Cherry  Valley,  and  says  : — 

"  In  November  I  went  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Butler  (Walter  Butler)  to  Cherry 
Valley  and  destroyed  that  whole  settlement  and 
returned  to  Niagara  in  December." 

Hearing  of  such  invasions  and  massacres  it  is 
not  to  be  wondered  that  the  people  of  Scho- 
harie felt  fearful  and  insisted  upon  the  presence 
of  soldiers. 

Through  the  year  1779,  also,  the  three  forts 
were  well  supplied  with  soldiers,  while  the  militia 
belonging  to  the  settlements  were  busy  scouting 
and  foraging  for  the  subsistence  of  the  garri- 
sons.    During  that   season  several  despicable 
Tories  were  captured  or  killed  by  them,  among 
whom  was    one  Service,  living  upon  the  Char- 
lotte who  was  in  the  engagement  at  Cobleskill 
and  who  furnished  the   invaders  with  provision. 
[See   Summit.]     It  was  in  August  of  that  year 
that  Lieutenant-Colonel  William   Butler  of  a 
Pennsylvania  regiment  and  a  company  of  rifle- 
men from  Morgan's  corps  came  to  the  valley  and 
took  command  of  the  middle  fof  t.     Among  the 
riflemen  were  the  brave  Tim  Murphy  and  David 
Elerson  whose  strategy  and  courage  won  the  ad- 
miration of  the  people,  and  who  permanently  set- 
tled in   the  County.     Other  equally   as   brave 
men   came  with  them  but  did  not  either  have 
an  opportunity  of  displaying  that  characteristic, 
or  had  not  the  tact  to  impress  it  upon  the  mind 
of  the  people  as   forcibly.     They  were  Thomas 
Boyd  (who  was  ruthlessly  butchered  while  on 
the  Invasion  of  the  Indian  country  under  SuUi- 
van  in  1779,  and  whose  ashes  lie  in  Mt.  Hope 
Cemetery,  Rochester,  as  one  of   "  liberty's  mar- 
tyrs,")    William  Leek,Wm.  Lloyd,  John  Wilber, 
Frederick  Ullman,  (who  afterwards  joined  Wil- 
let's  force  at  Fort   Plain,)    Elijah    Hendricks, 
Philip  Hoever,  Richard  Tufts,    Derrick  Haga- 
dorn,  Joseph  Evans   and   others  whose  names 
have  been  lost.     It  is  supposed  all  of  the  regu- 
lars that  were  stationed   in    the  valley  in   1778 
and '79  joined,  Chnton's  force  to  form  a  junc- 
tion with  Sullivan  at  Tioga  for  the  destruction 
of  the  Indian  towns  to  the  west  and  north-west 
of  that  place.     The  Indians  hung  upon  the  rear 
of  the  army  and  among  them  were  Captain  Mc- 


Donald and  Lieutenant  Crysler.     The  report  of 
the  Tatter  says: — 

"Went  to  Shemung  where  we  faced  the  whole 
army  of  the  Rebels  and  was  forced  to  retreat  to 
Oyenyange  (now  Elmira,)  where  we  attacked 
them  again  and  from  whence  we  retreated  again 
to  Niagara." 

At  the  close  of  the  campaign,  Colonel  Wm. 
Butler,  with  his  followers,  returned  to  Schoharie, 
where  they  remained  during  the  winter,  and 
which  no  doubt  they  appreciated  as  they  were 
in  a  section,  in  which  plenty  and  hospitality 
abounded. 

Winter  passed  away  with  all  its  pleasures  and 
hostile  quietude,  and  the  spring  of  1780  came. 
The  farmers  planted  and  sowed  bountifully 
as  their  countrymen  in  arms  were  to  be  fed  and 
clothed,  and  were  looking  to  their  spacious  fields 
for  a  share  of  their  subsistence.  Already  had 
large  amounts  been  furnished  by  the  unselfish 
patriots  for  such  uses,  without  recompense,  ex- 
cept the  worthless  currency  that  the  distressed 
government  had  in  good  faith  issued,  and  the 
slow  but  sure  success  of  the  cause  of  Inde- 
pendence. Liberty  was  the  object,  and  their 
products,  labors,  privations  and  endurances  the 
beaconage. 

Burning  under  the  chastisement  Sullivan  gave 
to  them  the  summer  previous,  and  acting  under 
the  command  to  devastate  all  points  that  gave 
the  Colonial  armies  supplies,  the  Indians 
and  Tories  under  their  inhuman  comman- 
ders, made  several  advances.  The  first  upon 
Schoharie,  was  in  July,  under  Adam  Crysler, 
who  appeared  in  Turloch  (New  Dorlach,  now 
Seward,)  and  took  nine  prisoners,  [see  Sew- 
ard,] besides  horses  and  household  goods. 
Crysler's  report  says  : — 

"On  the  25th  of  May,  1780,  I  received 
Colonel  Johnson's  instructions  to  proceed  to  the 
Indian  country,  and  collect  all  the  Indians  that 
laid  in  my  power,  and  to  join  Captain  Mc- 
Donald, with  a  party  of  Rangers,  to  go  to  Scho- 
harie. We  proceeded  as  far  as  Oneida,  where 
we  had  a  consultation  with  the  Oneidas,  and 
brought  of  the  Oneidas  as  far  as  Canas- 
sarago  (Canajoharie,)  where  I  turned  back  with 
seven  Indians,  and  proceeded  to  Turlough, 
where  I  took  nine  prisoners,  and  returned  to 
Niagara." 


INVASION  OF  SCHOHARIE  BY  JOHNSON  AND  BRANT. 


45 


What  caused  the  force  to  divide  and  not  come 
in  full,  we  are  unable  to  tell.  Crysler  had  a 
brother  living  near  the  scene  of  the  "Turloch" 
transaction,  who  was  a  true  "congenial  spirit" 
in  the  unholy  cause,  and  near  him  lived  a 
staunch  patriot,  Sebastian  France,  whose  cap- 
ture was  designed,  but  not  being  at  home,  they 
took  the  Hynds  family  instead.  Had  France 
been  at  home,  undoubtedly  what  few  colonists 
there  were  in  the  neighborhood  would  have 
been  taken  or  killed,  and  their  property  de- 
stroyed. But  they  left  this  time,  without  doing 
so,  to  return  in  the  future. 

In  August,  of  the  same  year,  when  the  peo- 
ple of  Schoharie  Valley  were  busy  upon  their 
lands,  and  but  few  men  were  in  the  forts,  there 
appeared  a  band  of  Indians,  supposed  to  have 
been  led  by  Brant,  in  the  central  part  of  Vro- 
man's  land,  and  fell  upon  the  Vroman  neigh- 
borhood, without  notice,  and  killed  five  men, 
women  and  children,  among  whom  were  Capt. 
Tunis  Vroman  and  wife. 

We  do  not  think  Brant  was  in  this  invasion, 
as  Crysler  would  have  so  mentioned,  had  he 
been.  We  find,  when  a  superior  officer  was  in 
company  with  him,  Crysler  invariably  makes 
mention  of  it.  He  says,  in  his  report  referring 
to  this  massacre  : — 

"June  7,  1780,  Rec'"!-  Colonel  Johnson's  in- 
structions to  proceed  with  a  party  of  Aughqua- 
gas,  &c.,  to  Schoharie,  where  I  had  a  skirmish 
with  the  Rebels,  took  five  scalps,  two  prisoners, 
and  burnt  some  houses  and  barns,  lost  one  man 
and  one  wounded,  from  thence  returned  to  Ni- 
agara." 

Instead  of  only  two  prisoners  being  taken 
Simms  says  the  number  was  about  thirty.  The 
old  report  of  Crysler's  was  in  a  very  bad  state, 
dim  and  much  torn,  and  a  mistake  might  have 
been  made  in  copying.  It  would  be  supposed 
that  Crysler  would  make  out  as  many  as  con- 
sistent that  he  might  receive  the  pat  of  his  su- 
periors and  the  encouraging  words  "  well  done 
thou  good  and  faithful  servant."  For  further 
information  in  regard  to  this  invasion  the  reader 
is  referred  to  Fulton. 

Scarcely  had  the  embers  ceased  to  glow  where 
stood  the  prosperous  Vroman  settlement  and 
the  abundant  harvest  been  safely  secured  from 
inclement  weather  in  bains,  barracks  and  stacks, 


than  the  shadow  of  destruction  was  drawn  over 
the  valley  and  happy  hearthstones  destroyed. 
Colonel  John  Johnson  and  Brant,  the  much 
vaunted  Mohawk  chief,  entered  the  valley  in 
the  early  part  of  October  following  the  invasion 
referred  to,  at  the  head  of  nearly  one  thousand 
British  Regulars,  Tories  and  Indians,  bent  on 
the  despoliation  of  the  valley. 

It  was  very  fortunate  for  the  patriots'  cause  in 
the  Schoharie  valley  that  this  invasion  was  not 
made  at  the  beginning  of  the  struggle,  when  so 
many  were  undecided  which  cause  ta  advocate. 
Nearly  all  really  were  in  favor  of  free  government, 
yet  they  truly  believed   it  was  an  impossibility 
to  establish  one  owing  to  the  superior  strength 
of  the  mother  government,  and  in  rebelling  they 
would  forfeit  their  property  and  citizenship.    The 
victory  over  Burgoyne,  St.  Leger  and  McDon- 
ald was  the  most  fortunate  affair  of  the  whole 
war.     It  encouraged  the  firm,  strengthened  the 
weak  and  determined  the  majority  of  the  unde- 
cided.    It  is  a  fact  not  to  be  denied  that  then, 
as  ever   before  and   since,  and  for  all  time  to 
come,  the  majority  of  the  people  have,  and  will 
have,  an   especial  eye  to  the  security  of  their 
personal  effects,  above  their  political  privileges, 
unless  they  are  bound  down  to  excessive  bond- 
age.    There  are  exceptions  it  is   true  and  es- 
pecially during  the  Revolution.     That  of  Han- 
cock of  Boston  who  urged  the  burning  of  the 
city  and  his  entire  property,  if  it  would  advan- 
tage the  cause  of  Independence.     Also  of  Mrs. 
Rebecca  Motte  of  South  Carolina,  of  Adams, 
Frankhn,  Washington,  and  others  of  less  note. 
But  we  are  speaking  of  the  majority  elsewhere 
as   well   as   here   in   the   valley,    where    dwelt 
a  few  whose  patriotism   could  not  be  excelled. 
The  enemy  encamped  above  the  upper  fort  and 
appeared  opposite  of  it  after  daylight  on  the  17th 
of  October.     The  garrison  was  commanded  by 
Captain  Jacob  Hager,  whose  bravery  upon  all  oc- 
casions was  truly  meritorious.  The  fort  contained 
only  about  one  hundred  citizen  soldiers,  mihtia 
and  regulars.     Had  Johnson  known  that  it  was 
so  feebly  defended  he  would  undoubtedly  have 
besieged  it,  but  supposing  it  to  be  well  strength- 
ened and  knowing  its  stubborn  commander,  be- 
sides it  being  the  most  impregnable  against  an 
armed  force  of  either  fort  in  the    valley,  they 
passed  on  to  the  middle  fort,  as  they  supposed, 


46 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


without  being  noticed.     Their  rear  was  discov- 
ered and  an  alarm  given  from  the  fort  by  firing 
the  cannon,  which  was  heard  at  the  middle  fort 
and  its  occupants  began  to  make  ready  to  re- 
ceive  them.     The    middle    fort's  construction 
was  the  weakest  of  the  three  and  Johnson  there- 
fore made  an  attack  upon  it,  thinking  that  if 
either  could  be  taken  his  chances  were  better  on 
that,  besides  Colonel  Vroman,  the  superior  offi- 
cer  was  within  it,  and  if  he  surrendered  the 
other  two  would  be  easily  compelled  to.     It  is 
Tery  doubtful  whether  either  Captain  Hager  or 
Major  Becker  would  have  done  so  if  such  had 
been  the  case,  as  they  were  men  of  pluck  and 
energy,  with  the  same  characters  to  assist  them. 
The  supply  of  powder  at  the  middle  fort  was 
very  Hmited,  and  perhaps  the  enemy  was  ap- 
prised  of    the   fact  through   some    pretended 
friends  of  the  patriots.     The  garrison  to  which 
Johnson  bent  his  steps  consisted  of  two  hun- 
dred Continental  troops  and  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miUtia.     The  fortress  was  commanded 
by  a  Continental  Major  by  the  name  of  Wool- 
sey,  but  he  was  either  a  coward  or  traitor,  as  he 
insisted  upon  giving  admittance  to  the  flag  of 
truce,  upon  which  Col.  Vroman  took  command 
and  made  a  bold  and  determined  defense. 

As  soon  as  the  signal  was  heard  from  the 
gun  at  the  upper  fort,  that  of  the  middle  re- 
sponded, and  soon  the  echo  of  the  ever-ready 
"grass-hopper,"  as  Johnson  called  it,  came  from 
the  lower  fort  as  if  to  answer  "aye !"  to  the  roll- 
call.     Those  sounds,  too,  were  the  signals  for 
destruction  to  the  yeoman's   well-filled  barns 
stacks   and   hearth- stones.      As  soon    as   they 
knew  they  were   discovered  they   applied   the 
torch,  and  the  flames  soon  began  to  lap  the 
precious  fruits  of  faithful  labor,  as  if  jubilant  to 
assist  in  the  devastation.     A   scout   was   sent 
from  the  middle  fort  to  learn  the  cause  of  alarm 
andmet  the  foe  near  the  present  village  of  Mid- 
dleburgh.     A  few  shots  were  exchanged  by  the 
daring  party  and  they  returned  to  the  fort  with 
quick  step  to  receive  their  visitor  "outside  the 
gate."    The  force  passed  the   fort  to  the  east 
and  made  a  stand   upon   an   eminence   to   the 
northeast.     The  Indians   carried  on  the  work 
of  burning  and  plundering  along  the  flats  while 
Johnson's  regulars  made  preparation  for  a  bom- 
bardment.    In  relation   to   the  siege,  we   will 


copy  from  "Simms'  Border  Wars/'  as  that  au- 
thor was  fortunate  in  being  personally  acquaint- 
ed with  several  of  the  actors  in  the  conflict : — 

"  Col,  Johnson  had  with  him  a  small  mortar 
and  a  field  piece — the  latter  a  brass  six-pounder. 
The  carriage  for  the  cannon  was  carried  in  parts 
and   required   screwing   together.     They   were 
made  ready  to  fire  at  the  stand  he  had  chosen 
at   Becker's   Orchard,  and   a  cannonading  and 
bombardment    commenced,    while   a   constant 
firing  was  kept  up  with  small  arms,  but  gener- 
ally at  too   great  a  distance  for   the   latter  to 
take  effect.     Three   shells   were   well  thrown 
from  this  position  by  the  enemy  at  the  fort,  and 
many  cannon-shot  were  fired  but  with  less  pre- 
cision, the  most  ofthem  passing  entirely  over  the 
destined  object.     The  first  shell  fired,  sung  in  the 
air  like  a  pigeon,  and  exploded  directly  over  the 
house,  and  as  its  fragments  fell  upon  the  roof, 
Mrs.  Richtmyer,  an  old  lady,  then  in  an  upper 
room,  who  had  been  an  invalid  and  unable  to 
rise  alone  from  her  bed  for  a  long  time,  was  so 
frightened  that  she  sprang  from  it  and  went  be- 
low, surviving  the  eff'ect  but  a  short  time.     The 
second  shell  fell   within    the    pickets   near  the 
well,  and  while  the  fuse  was  burning  off  and  the 
ball  dancing  in  a  mud  hole,   every  person  ex- 
posed to  its  explosion  had  ample  time  to  gain  a 
respectful  distance,  and   it   scattered   its   frag- 
ments without  injuring  anyone.     The  third  shell 
fell  through  the  roof  of  the  main  building,  and 
lodging  on  a  pile  of  feather  beds  in  the  cham- 
ber, which  were  deposited  upon  several  chests 
of  bedding.     It   exploded  tearing  the   beds  in 
pieces,  doing  little  other  mischief,  except  that 
of  frightening  Christian  Rickard,  an  old  bach- 
elor, who  chanced  to  be  in  the  room,  almost  to 
death.      The   explosion   completely  filled    the 
room  with  feathers,  and  groping  his  way  down 
stairs,    Rickard   made    his  appearance   below, 
where  many  of  the  women  and  children  were, 
covered  with  feathers,  and  spitting  down  from 
his  mouth,  which  sudden  fear  had  caused  him  to 
open  too  widely  for  such  an  atmosphere.  When 
asked  what  had  happened,  he  replied  in  Low 
Dutch :  '  I  think  the  Devil  is  in  the  chamber,  for 
the  feathers  fly  around  so  I   cannot  see.'     The 
beds  were  set  on  fire  but  were  easily  extinguish- 
ed, as  water  had  been   provided   for  such   an 
emergency. 


BATTLE  AT  THE  "  MIDDLE  FORT." 


47 


"  After  the  firing  had  been  continued  for 
some  time  by  the  enemy  and  several  shells 
thrown,  it  suddenly  ceased,  and  a  white  flag  was 
seen  to  leave  the  British  ranks  and  advance  to- 
ward the  fort.  The  flag-bearer  was  accom- 
panied on  his  right  by  an  officer  in  green  uni- 
form, and  on  his  left  by  a  fifer  playing  Yankee 
Doodle.  When  the  flag  was  discovered  ap- 
proaching, Major  Woolsey  gave  orders  to  have 
it  admitted,  but  not  another  officer  in  the  fort, 
to  their  credit  be  it  said,  was  in  favor  of  its 
admission ;  and  Murphy  and  Elerson,  who 
conjectured  what  their  fate  might  be  should  the 
enemy  learn  the  actual  strength  of  the  garrison 
and  succeed  in  its  capture,  determined,  so  the 
latter  informed  the  author,  that  before  the  ffag 
should  enter  the  fort  one  or  the  other  of  them, 
would  shoot  Woolsey  himself.     *     *     *     * 

"When  Murphy  fired  on  the  flag  Major 
Woolsey  was  not  present,  having  visited  his 
quarters  to  prepare  himself  to  enforce  submission 
to  his  commands,  for  soon  after  he  returned 
pistol  in  hand  and  demanded  who  had  dared  to 
disobey  his  orders  ?  '  I  fired  on  the  flag,'  said 
Murphy.  Major  Woolsey  then  threatened  the 
brave  soldier  with  instant  death  if  he  repeated 
the  act ;  and  the  latter,  who  believed  the  will- 
ingness of  the  commandant  to  admit  the  flag 
proceeded  from  cowardice  alone,  retorted  with 
warrnth :  '  Sooner  than  see  that  flag  enter  the 
fort  will  I  send  a  bullet  through  your  heart.' 
Seeing  an  evident  disposition  in  all  the  officers 
present  to  sustain  Murphy,  for  they  rallied 
round  him  to  a  man,  the  Major  walked  towards 
the  house.  In  this  time  the  flag  attended  as 
before,  had  again  advanced,  and  Major  Woolsey 
had  not  proceeded  two  rods  when  Murphy  again 
fired,  and  its  bearer  faced  about  and  retired. 

"  During  this  parley  the  firing  on  both  sides 
had  ceased  with  the  exception  stated,  and  was 
not  resumed  until  after  Colonel  Johnson  from 
his  great  desire  to  get  a  flag  into  the  fort,  dis- 
patched it  by  the  same  party  a  third  time.  It 
is  possible  that  from  his  position  he  had,  with  a 
spy-glass,  observed  the  movement  of  Major 
Woolsey.  They  had  proceeded  as  far  as  at  first 
however,  when  a  third  bullet  from  Murphy's  rifle 
passed  ovei"  their  heads,  saying  in  eftect,  'thus 
far,  but  no  farther,'  and  they  returned  to  the 
ranks.     The  firing  was  then  renewed." 


While  death  stared  the  little  band  of  patriots 
in  the  face  and  would  have  been  a  certainty  to 
every  one  of  them  if  the  British  force  had  been 
commanded  by  a  brave  and  ingenious  officer, 
that  heroism  was  displayed  by  men  and  women 
that  has  been  the  admiration  of  the  world  for 
ages.  Our  own  national  orators  and  poets 
fondly,  too  fondly  look  back  beyond  our  borders 
and  far  beyond  our  time  to  find  commendable 
patriots.  The  history  of  Sparta  and  Athens  is 
scoured  to  find  examples  to  please  the  fastidious 
and  radical  minds,  while  among  the  common 
yeomanry  of  our  country  may  be  found  ex- 
amples that  have  not  been  excelled  by  any 
countryman,  and  which  would  have  long  since 
been  enshrined  upon  public  memorials  if  supe- 
rior positions  had  been  their  lot.  During  the 
siege  at  the  middle  fort  was  displayed  unflinch- 
ing patriotism  and  bravery  by  the  weaker  sex 
that  deserved  mention  and  which  add  lustre  to 
that  memorable  day.  Angelica  and  Susannah 
Vroman's  names  may  well  be  classed  among- 
the  pure  heroines  of  our  country,  whose  chastity 
linked  with  their  fidelity  and  activity  in  the 
cause  of  freedom,  were  as  diamonds  placed 
with  sapphires  in  the  crown  of  their  characters- 

During  the  siege  they  moulded  the  bullets 
that  kept  at  bay  the  blood-thirsty  enemy,  and 
bravely  stood  by  the  side  of  their  patriotic 
brothers,  to  repel  an  attack,  and  by  voice  and 
example  encouraged  them  in  their  firmness. 
Another  one,  on  that  day,  at  the  upper  fort, 
when  preparations  were  being  made  to  repel  the 
invaders  if  they  returned  from  the  middle  fort, 
stood  boldly  before  the  captain  who  command- 
ed the  women  to  seek  safety  in  the  cellar,  and 
declared,  "/  shall  not  go  into  that  cellar! 
Should  the  enemy  come,  I  will  take  a  spear, 
which  lean  use  as  well  as  any  man,  and  help  de- 
fend the  fort !"  Mary  Hagadorn  took  a  spear 
and  stood  at  the  pickets  until  it  was  known  that 
the  enemy  had  marched  on  to  the  lower  fort, 
and  danger  had  passed. 

When  Woolsey  was  so  boldly  overruled  by  the 
riflemen,  he  sought  freedom  from  the  jeers  of  the 
women,  as  the  same  author  says  elsewhere  : — 

"  The  cellar  under  the  kitchen  part  of  the 
dwelling,  was  occupied  as  a  magazine,  and 
Colonel  Vroman,  to  conceal  the  deficiency  of 
powder,  brought  it  himself,  when  wanted.     As 


48 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


powder  was  needed,  the  Colonel  laid  down  his 
gun  and  sword,  and  went  to  get  it.  Near  the 
,  cellar  door  he  encountered  Major  Woolsey,  who 
had  just  left  the  presence  of  the  women,  as  may 
be  supposed,  in  not  very  good  humor.  '  Major 
Woolsey,  is  this  your  place,  who  are  placed 
here  to  defend  the  fort  ?  '  interrogated  the  brave 
Colonel.  He  replied,  half  dead  through  fear  : 
'  Colonel  Vronian,  the  men  will  not  obey  me, 
and  I  give  up  the  command  to  you.'  " 

The  bombardment  continued  only  for  a  short 
time,  and  the  little  garrison  answered  only  at 
intervals,  as  their  stock  of  powder  was  very 
limited. 

About  three  o'clock  the  enemy  resumed  their 
march  down  the  valley  to  attack  the  lower  fort, 
burning  everything  along  the  route, excepting  two 
houses  and  the  church  and  parsonage  at  Foun- 
taintown,  of  which  a  more  definite  account 
may  be  seen  in  the  chapter  upon  "  Schoharie." 

During  the  presence  of  the  enemy  in  the 
orchard,  several  scouts  went  out  from  the  fort, 
to  defend  buildings  and  other  property,  but 
were  only  successful  in  returning.  The  patriots 
were  very  fortunate  through  the  day,  as  but  two 
were  mortally,  and  one  slightly  wounded. 

Those  that  were  known  to  be  at  the  middle 
fort,  were  Major  Woolsey,Colonel  Peter  Vroman, 
Mattice  Ball,  Peter  Becker,  Timothy  Murphy, 
David  Elerson,  Christian  Rickard,  Samuel 
Reynolds,  of  New  Jersey,  (mortally  wounded^) 
Jeremiah  Loucks,  (slightly  wounded,)  Doctor 
John  King,  (surgeon,)  Nicholas  Loughter,  Lieu- 
tenant Martinus  Zeihe,  John  Wilbur,  Jacob  Win- 
ne,  (commissary),  Samuel  VanVechten,  Douw 
Fonda,  Captain  Miller,  of  a  company  of  Clave- 
rack  militia.  Major  Ecker,  Sergeant  Lloyd, 
Richard  Hanson,  Peter  VanSlyck,  Martin  Zei- 
lie,  Joachim  Folluck,  Adam  Shell,  Philip 
Hoever,  Tufts  and  Leek.  A  short  time  previous 
to  the  appearance  of  the  enemy  before  the  mid- 
dle fort,  Major  Becker's  messenger  from  the  lower 
fort  arrived  with  a  bag  of  powder,  which  was 
opportune,  and  perhaps  enabled  the  besieged  to 
impress  the  abiHty  to  cope  with  upon  the  in- 
vaders. With  the  force  that  Colonel  Johnson 
had  under  his  command,  he  could  have  sur- 
rounded the  garrison  and  forced  a  capitulation, 
or  an  entrance  within  the  pickets,  and  why  he 
did  not  is  another  one  of  the  unexplained  mili- 


tary acts  of  that  feather  example  of  royal  pom- 
posity. 

The  main  force  kept  near  the  river  through 
Fountaintown,  while  small  parties  of  Indians 
and  Tories  applied  the  torch  to  the  dwellings, 
until  they  reached  the  present  Schoharie  Rail- 
road station,  when  they  divided  'to  pass  to  the 
east  and  west  of  the  stone  fort,  undoubtedly  to 
burn  the  few  dwellings  that  stood  near.  Upon 
their  arrival  opposite  that  fortress,  they  were  re- 
ceived with  that  warmth  which  such  braves  as 
Major  Becker  are  capable  of  exhibiting  when 
required.  Having  only  two  small  cannon,  they 
were  brought  into  service,  especially  the  one 
upon  the  northwest  block  house.  Trusty  rifle- 
men were  placed  in  the  belfry,  and  work  began 
in  earnest.  The  day  before,  this  garrison  re- 
ceived a  supply  of  powder  from  Albany,  from 
which  a  bag-full  was  sent  to  the  middle  fort. 
A  few  shots  with  small  arms  were  exchanged, 
when  Johnson's  Regulars  drew  in  view  an  object 
which  the  yeomen  thought  was  a  "  peeled  log," 
as  a  feint,  but  which,  when  arranged,  proved  to  be 
a  brass  cannon.  Shot  after  shot  was  made,  but 
with  what  effect  upon  the  enemy  is  not  known, 
but  upon  the  patriots  the  most  pleasing.  "  The 
peeled  log  "  lodged  one  ball  partly  in  the  plate, 
and  partly  in  a  rafter  that  rested  upon  the  plate 
of  the  building.  The  hole  may  yet  be  seen, 
and  is  the  only  mark  left  commemorative  of  the 
invasion. 

Major  Joseph  Becker,  Captain  Peter  Snyder, 
Captain  Christian  Strubach,  Ensign  Jacob  Law- 
yer, Jacob  VanDyck,  John  Ingold,  Senior  and 
Junior,  Jacob  H.  Shafer,  Hendricus  Schaefifer, 
Wilhelmus  Entis,  Anthony  Broutner,  Barney 
Cadugney,  George  Snyder,  John  Hutt,  Jacob 
Becker,  John  Van  Wart,  Jacob  Enders,  John 
Kneiskern,  John  Rickard,  George  Merenes, 
Christopher  France,  John  Merckley  and  Wm. 
Kniskern,  were  in  the  lower  fort  upon  that  day, 
besides  a  company  of  Normanskill  militia  and 
Valley  Associate  Exempts,  making  a  force  of 
about  one  hundred  and  seventy  men. 

There  were  several  women  from  the  neighbor- 
hood, who  sought  safety  in  the  fort,  and  whose 
courage  was  undaunted, — here  as  at  the  other, 
two, — among  whom  was  the  wife  of  Captain 
Snyder,  whose  assistance  and  encouragement 
were  worthy  to  receive  homage    from  the  de- 


MASSACRE  OF  MICHAEL  MERCKLEY. 


49 


scendants  of  that  noble  band  that  none  can  re- 
flect upon  but  with  patriotic  admiration. 

Although  the  invasion  we  have  noticed  was 
terrible  in  the  extreme  in  destruction  of  prop- 
erty, laying  the  labors  of  years  in  ashes,  yet  the 
loss  of  life  was  small.  Owing  to  the  numbers 
engaged,  a  more  modern  military  observer  would 
think  but  little  of  the  transaction,  but  when  we 
consider  the  position  in  which  the  patriots,  were 
placed  and  the  circumstances  attending  their 
position,  their  discouraging  supplies,  weakness 
in  force,  future  prospects,  etc.,  we  cannot  but 
think  that,  on  their  part,  a  stabiHty  of  purpose, 
undaunted  endurance,  and  determined  patriot- 
ism, was  exhibited  that  made  the  day  memor- 
able, their  names  immortal,  and  the  occasion 
important. 

The  enemy  encamped  near  Sloansville  for  the 
night,  having  laid  over  three  hundred  buildings 
in  ashes,  besides  an  innumerable  number  of 
stacks  of  both  hay  and  grain.  The  Indians 
were  guided  by  the  famous  Brant,  and  regard- 
less of  the  eloquent  defense  of  his  character  by 
his  historian,  the  people  of  Schoharie,  for  this 
and  other  heartless  crimes,  hold  his  name  in 
contempt.  The  very  people  that  had  extended 
to  him  brotherly  hospitality,  he  robbed  of  their 
homes,  and  silently  consented  to  deprive 
of  their  scalps.  Blood,  torture,  devastation  and 
ruin  marked  his  course,  if  not  at  Wyoming, 
truly  in  the  vale  of  the  Mohawk,  Schoharie  and 
Cobleskill.  At  the  latter  place,  especially, 
knowing  that  the  aroused  passions  of  his  fol- 
lowers could  be  calmed  by  his  orders,  as  a  ven- 
erated chief,  when  such  cruelties  as  those 
practiced  upon  the  body  of  the  gallant  patriot, 
whose  bowels  were  opened,  and  entrails  wound 
around  a  tree,  had  he  possessed  a  heart  less 
hardened  than  a  demon,  he  would  have  ignored 
such  an  act  and  forbidden  it. 

The  following  day  Colonel  Vroman  collected 
all  the  troops  that  dared  to  be  spared  from  the 
forts,  and  followed  the  enemy  to  the  Mohawk. 
Upon  arriving  there  they  were  united  with  the 
force  of  Robert  VanRensselaer,  whose  dis- 
loyalty or  cowardice  restrained  his  army  from 
gaining  complete  victory  over  the  invaders  near 
Stone  Arabia,  where  the  brave  Colonel  Brown 
fell.  VanRensselaer's  conduct  upon  that  mission 
was,  and  should  have  been  a  subject  of  censure, 


as  by  his  dilatory  maneuvers,  the  murderous 
clan  was  privileged  to  pass  off  to  their  rendez- 
vous to  gloat  over  their  deeds  and  enjoy  their 
spoils,  and  be  encouraged  to  again  invade  the 
happy  and  prosperous  homes  of  struggling 
patriots. 

On  the  day  following  the  invasion  of  the 
Schoharie  valley — while  the  soldiers  were  skir- 
mishing with  the  rear  of  Johnson's  force,  a  party 
of  Indians  and  Tories  led  by  Seth's  Henry,  a 
Schoharie  Indian,  and  Philip  Crysler,  a  brother 
of  Adam,  appeared  along  the  West-kill,  in  the 
present  town  of  Seward,  and  after  bathing  their 
hands  in  the  blood  of  Michael  Merckley,  his 
niece  Catharine,  besides  two  boys,  they  burned 
several  buildings  and  led  in  captivity  several 
inoffensive  persons  and  passed  off  to  follow 
the  Charlotte  trail  to  Niagara.  A  more 
minute  account  of  this  act  may  be  seen  in  the 
events  chronicled  in  the  chapter  upon  the 
town  of  Seward,  and  which  was  but  another 
lesson  of  the  perfidy  of  the  unprincipled  de- 
mons that  continually  lurked  around  the  pa- 
triots' homes  through  the  days  that  truly  "  tried 
men's  souls." 

While  we  have  poorly  delineated  the  cause  of 
the  distress  and  anguish  experienced,  we  cannot 
but  feel  our  blood  boil  for  revenge,  and  willingly 
excuse  the  hatred  felt  by  the  old  veterans  to- 
wards their  tormentors.  These  trials  whisper 
to  our  better  judgments  to  prize  more  highly 
our  political  privileges,  as  well  as  our  domestic 
safety  and  happiness. 

The  personal  anguish  cannot  be  told.  The 
hearts  that  were  pierced  by  those  tragical  acts 
only  could  tell  in  their  painful  beatings.  Yet 
they  are  transcribed  upon  the  "book  of  life" 
by  the  finger  of  the  true  God,  which  the  pen  of 
man  cannot  erase  or  excuse,  and  for  which, 
trembling  souls  of  tyrants  must  answer  before 
the  bar  of  the  knowing  Judge. 

Not  content,  another  demon  in  human  form 
emerged  from  the  Mohawk  valley,  like  a  vul- 
ture, with  a  horde  of  nearly  five  hundred  In- 
dians and  Tories  and  pounced  upon  the  settle- 
ment of  Currytown,  in  Montgomery  County  on 
the  I  oth  of  July,  1 7  8 1 ,  under  Captain  John  Dock- 
stader.  After  their  usual  depredations  of  murder- 
ing, burning  and  plundering,  they  resumed  their 
march  and  encamped  for  the  night  near  Sharon 


so 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Centre.  The  gallant  Willet  of  Oriskany  fame 
becoming  apprised  by  scouts  of  the  enemy's 
presence  at  once  set  out  with  a  much  smaller 
force  and  gained  a  position  at  their  front,  with- 
out their  knowledge. 

Arousing  the  Indian  camp.early  in  the  morn- 
ing of  the  I  ith,  by  sending  a  scout  to  intimidate 
them,  they  were  led  into  an  ingenious  trap  and 
from  all  sides  received  a  volley  that  told  upon 
their  numbers.  The  superior  military  skill  of 
Willet  over  Dockstader,  and  the  unequalled 
bravery  of  his  men,  after  a  fight  of  two  hours, 
put  the  enemy  to  flight. 

Willet  and  his  men,  thoroughly  aroused,  fol- 
lowed them  a  distance  of  three  miles  with  con- 
tinued firing  and  caused  many  of  them  to  make 
sudden  departures  to  the  spirit  land.  His  own 
loss  was  but  five  killed,  that  of  the  enemy  over 
sixty.  Unfortunate  would  it  have  been  for 
Johnson  and  Brant  the  year  before,  if  Willet  had 
VanRensselaer's  command. 

Beside  the  invasions  already  alluded  to,  small 
bands  of  Indians  usually  led  by  Tories,  from 
time  to  time  appeared  here  and  there,  and  took 
many  prisoners.  George  Warner  Jun.,  son  of 
the  "  committee  man,"  of  Cobleskill,  was  taken 
in  July,  1782,  by  Crysler,  and  his  father  and 
brother  Nicholas,  in  December  following  by 
Seth's  Henry  and  several  Indians.  Also  the  day 
before  the  capture  of  George  Warner,  Jun.,  the 
same  band  appeared  upon  Fox's  creek,  in  the 
present  town  of  Wright,  and  burned  the  resi- 
dence and  other  buildings  of  Jacob  Zimmer, 
killed  his  son  Jacob,  and  one  Hoever,  beside 
taking  John  Snyder,  and  Henry  Becker  pris- 
oners. 

Early  in  the  year  1 7  8  r ,  the  inhabitants  of  Scho- 
harie and  Cobleskill  that  were  living  some  dis- 
tance from  either  of  the  three  forts— for  their  bet- 
ter protection  erected  three  block-houses,  where 
they  might  resort  each  night  for  safety,  with- 
out traveling  several  miles  and  being  exposed  to 
murder  or  capture.  The  first  was  built  a  short 
distance  east  of  Cobleskill,  the  second  at  Kneis- 
kern's  dorf;  and  the  third  at  Hartman's,  equal 
distances  from  the  middle  and  lower  forts.  Each 
was  enclosed  by  pickets,  within  which  huts 
were  built  by  private  families,  as  at  the  main 
forts.  The  one  at  Cobleskill  was  built  under 
the  instruction  of  Colonel  Deboise,  a  regular. 


in  command  at  the  lower  fort,  and  was  named 
after  him. 

In  November,  1781,  a  party  came  to  the 
valley  of  Schoharie  by  the  Southern  route,  and 
was  supposed  to  be  led  by  Brant,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  assisting  the  family  of  Adam  Crysler  to 
remove  to  Canada.  But  we  are  satisfied  that 
it  was  not  the  intention  of  the  invaders  and 
that  they  were  not  commanded  by  Brant.  Crys- 
ler made  his  report  in  December,  1781,  and 
this  invasion  is  the  last  one  of  which  he  speaks. 
It  says : — 

"  Sep.  28  received  Col.  Johnson's  instructions 
to  proceed  with  a  party  of  Aughquagas  &c  con- 
sisting of  28  men  to  Schohaire  on  the  loth  of 
November  when  we  came  to  Schohary  we  killed 
one  man  near  the  fort  and  drove  off  50  head 
horned  cattle  a  number  of  horses  and  burnt  two 
houses.  On  our  retreat  the  Rebels  turned  out 
with  a  party  consisting  of  30  men  in  pursuit  of 
us.  They  overtook  us  about  four  miles  from 
the  fort  and  began  to  fire  on  us,  upon  which 
we  returned  the  fire  and  killed  one  of  their  men 
on  which  they  retreated  and  I  went  on  with  the 
cattle.  The  next  morning  the  Rebels  turned 
out  the  second  time  with  150  men  and  overtook 
us  about  twenty-three  miles  from  the  fort,  upon 
which  we  had  another  skirmish  and  killed  four 
of  their  men  and  some  wounded,  they  retreated 
at  the  same  time.  We  lost  all  the  cattle,  up- 
on which  I  had  a  consultation  with  the  In- 
dians and  they  concluded  not  to  pursue  the 
Rebels  since  we  were  all  safe  and  they  too 
strong  for  us  but  make  the  best  of  our  way  to 
Niagara  where  we  arrived  on  the  nth  Decem- 
ber and  have  since  that  time  done  the  duties 
ordered  me  with  satisfaction  and  spirit." 

The  object  of  the  invasion,  by  the  foregoing 
would  seem  to  be  for  supplies  to  subsist  the 
army  upon.  At  all  other  invasions,  the  cattle 
were  not  driven  away,  but  a  few  killed  and  a 
portion  of  their  meat  taken.  The  report  agrees 
with  the  author  Simms'  account  of  the  invasion 
as  far  as  regards  the  skirmishes.  The  man  that 
was  killed  near  the  fort  was  Isaac  Vroman, 
father  of  Peter. 

Seth's  Henry  was  also  in  this  party,  and  as 
Simms  says,  "dispatched  his  victim  with  a 
war-club,  cut  his  throat,  and  with  the  bloody 
knife  added  another  notch  on  the  club,  to  the 


INVASION  OF  1781. 


51 


record  of  the  many  scalps  he  had  taken  in  the 
war,  after  which  he  laid  it  on  the  body  of  the 
murdered  man  and  left  him.''  "  This  Schoharie 
chief"  continues  the  same  author,  "left  a  war 
club  in  the  same  neighborhood  some  time  be- 
fore, which  recorded  a  most  startling  account 
of  his  prowess  and  cruelty.'' 

The  first  skirmish  was  upon  Bouck's  Island 
and  Richard  Haggidorn  was  mortally  wounded, 
and  one  of  the  Tories  also  was  found  near  a 
few  days  after,  supposed  to  have  been  killed  at 
that  time.  The  pursuing  party  returned  to  the 
fort  and  "  Col.  Vroman  dispatched  Cap.  Ha- 
ger  "  says  Simms,  "  with  fifteen  or  twenty  Scho- 
harie rangers,  and  a  company  of  eastern  troops, 
numbering  about  Sixty  men  under  Capt.  Hale. 
The  command  of  the  Americans  was  given  to 
Capt.  Hager,  who,  taking  two  or  three  days 
provisions  moved  up  the  river.  The  enemy  as 
was  afterwards  ascertained,  numbered  between 
Sixty  and  Seventy,  Indians  and  tories,  under 
the  command  of  Brant  and  Crysler." 

The  enemy  was  pursued  to  and  found  at  or 
near  the  lake  in  the  town  of  Jefferson,  and  as 
the  same  author  says  "  on  arriving  at  the  lake, 
the  road  which  was  little  more  than  an  Indian 
footpath,  ran  along  its  margin.  A  ridge  of  land 
extended  nearly  to  the  lake  where  the  Ameri- 
cans were  approaching,  and  as  they  were  rising 
the  eminence,  the  enemy  who  were  concealed 
near  its  summit,  discharged  upon  them  a  volley 
of  balls.  The  instant  they  fired,  Capt.  Hager 
commanded  Hale  who  was  marching  in  the  rear 
to  '  Flank  to  the  right  and  march  on.'  Hager 
intended  to  bring  the  enemy  between  his  com- 
mand and  the  lake,  but  Hale  instead  of  obey- 
ing the  order,  faced  to  the  right  about,  and  fol- 
lowed by  his  men  with  but  one  noble  exception 
retreated  in  double  quick  time. 

"  Brant  and  his  destructives  seeing  the  cow- 
ardly retreat  of  Hale  and  his  men  advanced  to 
meet  Hager,  who  was  left  with  less  than  twenty 
men  to  resist  a  force  more  than  triple  his  own. 
The  little  band  had  taken  to  trees  and  were  be- 
ginning to  return  the  enemy's  fire  at  the  time 
Hale  retreated,  but  seeing  that  they  must  soon 
be  entirely  surrounded  if  they  attempted  to 
maintain  their  position,  their  brave  leader  or- 
dered a  retreat.  On  leaving  the  ground  they 
were  necessarily  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  ene- 


my and  Sacket,  a  Bostonian  (the  exception  to 
Hale's  men)  sealed  his  bravery  with  his  blood, 
as  did  Joachim  VanValkenburgh,  one  of  Capt. 
Imager's  followers.  Joseph,  a  brother  of  Cap. 
Hager  was  also  wounded  severely  in  the  right 
shoulder,  but  the  ball  was  extracted  and  he 
subsequently  recovered. 

"  Capt.  Hager  with  Murphy  still  at  his  side 
then  ran  to  overtake  the  cowardly  Hale,  and 
after  a  chase  of  about  five  hundred  yards  over- 
took him ;  as  both  of  them  gained  his  front  they 
placed  the  muzzles  of  their  rifles  at  his  breast 
and  the  Captain  in  a  voice  of  thunder  exclaimed 
''Attempt  to  run  another  step  and  you  are  a  dead 
man,'         ***** 

"  Having  restored  order  and  infused  a  share 
of  his  own  fearless  spirit  in  his  ranks  Capt.  Hager 
was  about  to  renew  the  pursuit  as  Col.  Vro- 
man arrived  upon  the  ground  with  forty  men 
drawn  from  the  lower  fort.  After  a  short  con- 
sultation the  chase  was  continued,  but  still  in 
ignorance  as  to  the  enemy's  numbers.  After 
proceeding  about  two  miles  and  losing  all  trace 
of  their  footsteps,  they  having  left  the  usual 
jjath  for  some  unknown  route,  the  pursuit  was 
abandoned  and  the  troops  returned  to  Schoha- 
rie.'' 

Various  scouts  were  sent  out  from  time  to 
time  and  other  small  invasions  made,  but  to 
speak  of  them  here  would  but  draw  the  interest 
from  individual  town  history.  The  main  incur- 
sions affecting  the  greatest  numbers,  casting  a 
gloom  over  the  greatest  extent  of  territory  we 
have  drawn  from  Crysler's  report  and  our  local 
historian — ^Simms'  "  Border  Wars."  It  was  that 
author's  fortune  to  communicate  with  many  of 
the  actors  of  the  Revolution,  themselves  and 
the  country's  fortune  that  he  embraced  those 
opportunities  of  learning  facts  relating  to  that 
struggle  that  would  have  been  lost  forever. 

One  regret  we  harbor  however,  that  the  au- 
thor was  not  equally  a  master  of  the  pencil  as  well 
as  of  the  pen,  to  sketch  the  portraits  of  those 
sturdy  ones  ere  they  passed  away  and  crumbled 
to  dust. 

They  would  have  been  precious  mementoes  to 
hand  down  to  future  generations,  as  well  as  to 
embellish  their  history's  pages.  But  we  will  not 
complain.  Their  patriotism  we  have  recorded,  for 
which  all  futurity  is  indebted  to  that   author's 


52 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


foresight.  With  a  few  individual  encounters 
within  the  County,  hostiUties  closed  and  peace 
was  proclaimed  in  1783. 

Many  of  the  Tories  and  Indians  returned  to 
their  former  homes,  but  the  patriots'  ire  was 
aroused  at  the  sight  of  them,  and  many  mys- 
teriously disappeared,  especially  Indians.  Seth's 
Henry,  the  most  venomous  of  the  race,  whose 
tomahawk  and  knife  had  done  greater  service 
in  their  unholy  work,  than  any  other,  it  was 
thought,  felt  the  stinging  power  of  an  unerrmg 
bullet,  while  others  were  quietly  wafted  away 
by  more  unexplained  accidental  causes.  Many 
of  the  Tories,  whose  bloody  trail  could  be  dis- 
cerned, were  victims  of  abuses  in  the  form  of 
whippings  and  other  feeling  rebuffs. 

The  property  of  that  class  was  confiscated, 
which  comprised  whole  neighborhoods  in  a  few 
instances.  Many  sought  Canada  again,  while  a 
few  remained  to  receive  the  jeerings  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  lived  to  be  shunned  by  all. 

We  were  fortunate  to  find  in  the  possession 
of  Henry  Cady,  (a  descendant  of  Colonel  Peter 
Vroman,)  the  well  preserved  muster-roll,  bearing 
the  date  of  1782,  which  we  here  copy. 

Many  of  those  whose  names  are  upon  it,  were 
active  loyalists  through  the  war,  and  why  they 
were  retained  upon  the  list,  we  are  unable  to  tell. 
It  includes  all  that  were  liable  to  military  duty  in 
the  whole  Schoharie  settlement,  and  will  give  an 
idea  of  the  sparse  population  of  the  territory. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  name  of  Becker 
is  spelled  differently  in  the  roll,  as  Becker  and 
Backer.  The  former  were  of  High,  and  the  lat- 
ter of  Low  Dutch  ancestry,  although  we  believe 
a  mistake  was  made  in  giving  more  Backers 
than  there  were  in  the  valley.  Quite  probably 
the  writer  was  Low  Dutch,  and  spelled  the  name 
as  he  pronounced  it.  In  regard  to  the  Low 
Dutch  branch,  the  reader  is  referred  more  par- 
ticularly to  the  chapter  upon  events  of  "  Middle- 
burgh,"  as  they  located  in  that  town,  while  the 
High  Dutch  settled  in  the  present  town  of  Wright. 

No.  I.— Mathice  Schults,  Lieutenant,  Jacob 
Schultes,  William  Schultes,  Mathice  Schultes, 
Jun.,  Stophel  Warner,  Stophel  Warner,  Jun., 
Mathice  Warner,  Jun.,  Jost  SchefFer,  Rudolph 
Cassman,  Richard  Schelmedien,  Christian  Buck- 
en,  Jury  Pestshals,  Peter  Engel,  Jacob  Engel, 
Jacob  Post,  Phillip  Steinbergh. 


JSfo.  2. — William  Zimmer,  Peter  Witeman, 
WilHam  Witeman,  Jacob  Witeman,  Jun.,  Adem 
Witeman,  Isaac  Larrawey,  Jacob  Larrawey, 
Hendrick  Dalle,  Peter  Zimmer,  William  Ball, 
William  Snyder,  Hendrick  Ball,  Jury  Schribner, 
Christian  Sant,  Johannis  Delrig,  John  Low. 

No.  3. — Jacobus  Deitz,  Adem  Deitz,  Adem 
Deitz,  Jun.,  Hendryck  Deitz,  Jury  Ball,  Hen- 
drick Crosspile,  Counrate  Swarts,  William  Be- 
craft,  Jun.,  Francis  Becraft,  Johannis  Eker, 
Nicolas  Eker,  Johannis  Cher,  Jun.,  Peter  Sny- 
der, John  Tomson,  Charles  Heflig,  Jacob  Heflig. 

No.  4. — Jacob  Heger,  Captain,  Hendrick  He- 
ger,  Jun.,  Johannis  Heger,  Peter  Heger,  Dre- 
drick  Becker,  William  Bouck,  Christian  W. 
Bouck,  William  W.  Bouck,  Hendrick  Bouck, 
Michel  Brown,  Pieter  J.  Vroman,  Adem  J.  Vro- 
man, Harmanus  Barnhart,  Phillip  Barnhart, 
Johannis  I.  Bouck. 

No.  5. — Cornelius  Feak,  Lieutenant,  Jacob 
Feak,  Nicolas  Feak,  Johannes  Feak,  Peter 
Feek,  Timothe  Murphy,  Hendrick  Hagedorn, 
Barthelmeus  Hagedorn,  Johannis  Hagedorn, 
Samuel  Hagedorn,  Adem  Hagedorn,  Abrahem  J. 
Becker,  Adem  Brown,  Jacob  I.  Becraft,  Coun- 
rate Mathice,  Hendrick  Mathice. 

No.  6. — Peter  Swart,  Ensign,  Martines  Van 
Slyck,  Lawrance  Swart,  John  Whiliber,  William 
Bouck,  Jr.,  Nicelas  Bouck,  La\vrance  Bouck, 
Frederick  Mathice,  Nicelas  I.  Mattice,  George 
Mathice,  Johannis  Lawyer,  Johannis  Mathice, 
Adem  Mathice,  Peter  A.  Vroman,  Johannis 
Tingmier. 

No.  7. — Christian  Stubrach,  Captain,  John 
Grenadier,  Johannis  Richter,  Jacob  Merkel, 
Nickelos  Merkel,  Jost  Falk,  Jost  Sidney,  Hen- 
drick Sidney,  Peter  Sidney,  Harmanus  Sidney, 
Hendrick  Stubrach,  Barent  Stubrach,  Jacob  Hil- 
singer,  Jacob  Granedier. 

No.  8. — ^Johannis  Dietz,  Lieutenant,  William 
Dietz,  John  Jost  Dietz,  Nicelas  Sternbergh, 
Lambert  Sternbergh,  Jun.,  Davit  Sternbergh, 
Abrahem  Sternbergh,  Jacob  Sternbergh,  Lode- 
wick  Breemer,  George  Phillip  Snyder,  William 
Ecker,  Thomas  J.  Eckerson,  John"  Kniskern, 
Jacob  Kniskern,  John  Russway. 

No.  9. — Peter  Ball,  Quarter-master,  Johannis 
Ball,  Mathice  Ball,  Harek  Braymen,  Hendriek 
Houck,  Jun.,  Hendrick  Houck,  George  Bien- 
hart,  Hendrick  Merkel,  Johannis  Merkel,  Jacob 


SCHOHARIE  COUNTY  MUSTER-ROLL. 


S3 


Enders,  Peter  Enders,  Johannis  Enders,  Hen- 
drick  Werth,  Jacob  Van  Uyck,  John  Hess. 

No.  10. — John  Enders,  Ensign,  Jacob  Enders, 
William  Enders,  Jun.,  Major  Jost  Becker,  Jo- 
hannis Hott,  George  Schelman,  Johannis 
Becker,  Jacob  Becker,  William  Becker,  Jacob 
Zimmer, ,  Jacob  Schoolcraft,  George  Becker, 
Adem  Zimmer,  Hendrick  Hitsman,  Johannis 
Hitsman. 

No.  II. — Peter  Snyder,  Jun.,  Lieutenant, 
Lambert  Sternbergh,  Jury  Snyder,  Michel  Hil- 
singer,  Johannis  Hilsinger,  Michel  Hilsinger, 
Jun.,  WiOiam  Enders,  Peter  Enders,  Johannis 
Finck,  Peter  Finck,  William  Finck,  Peter  Hil- 
singer, Peter  Mann,  William  Mann,  John  Dom- 
inick. 

No.  12. — Jacob  Snyder,  Lieutenant,  Phillip 
Bergli,  Abrahem  Bergh,  Phillip  Bergh,  Jun., 
Adem  Vroman,  Peter  Vroman,  Jun.,  Johannis 
Eckessen,  Cornelius  J.  Eckerson,  Joseph  Van- 
Ingen,  Jury  Ecker,  Jost  Kniskern,  Phillip 
Schkyler,  John  Schyler,  Simeon  Schuyler,  Col- 
onel Peter  Vroman. 

No.  13. — Laurance  Schoolcraft,  A.  D.,  Peter 
Schoolcraft,  Teunis  Swart,  Jacob  Money,  Phil- 
lip Van  Alen,  John  Jacob  Werth,  Johannes 
Worth,  Peter  Snyder,  Johannis  Snyder,  Hen- 
drick Scheneman,  George  Hills,  Stophel  Hills, 
Johannis  Rickerd,  Marcus  Rickerd. 

7V^.  i^. — ^Johannis  J.  Lawyer,  Lieutenant, 
Johannis  Lawyer,  Jacob  Lawyer,  Jun.,  Abra- 
hem Lawyer,  Peter  Lawyer,  Lambert  Lawyer, 
Casper  Storet,  Johannes  Lawyer,  Jun.,  Jacob 
F.  Lawyer,  Jacob  Lawyer,  Nicholas  Lawyer, 
Davit  Lawyer,  Hendrick  Hanes,  Jacob  Hanes, 
Hendrick  Hanes,  Jr. 

No.  15 — George  Richtmier,  Captain,  Coun- 
rate  Brown,  Stophel  Redich,  Davit  Lee,  Sto- 
phel Warner,  Johannis  Enpolt,  Teunis  Schefifer, 
Johannes  T.  Schefifer,  Marcus  Schefifer,  Philip 
Borst,  Nicholas  Rickerd,  Jury  Rickerd,  Thomas 
Booth,  Jost.Schell,  Christian  Schell,  Henry 
Counrate,  Jun.,  Hendricus  Schefifer. 

No.  16.— Johannis  L.  Belleger,  Ensign,  Jost 
Lee,  Antony  Brentner,  Jacob  Jacobse,  Johan- 
nis Borst,  Martines  Borst,  Wilham  Loucks, 
Jurimy  Loucks,  Andries  Loucks,  Johannes 
Bouck,  Thomas  Bouck,  Davit  Bouck,  Nicelas 
Bouck,  Cornelius  Bouck,  Jost  Ecker,  Counrate 
Counrate. 


No.  17. — Martines  N.  Zielle,  Lieutenant, 
Thomas  Eckessen,  Cornelius  Eckessen,  Major 
Thomas  Eckesson,  Jr.,  Teunis  Eckessen,  Jr., 
John  Eckessen,  Jun.,  Teunis  Eckessen,  John  T. 
Eckensen,  Joseph  Barner,  William  Lake,  Col. 
Peter  N.  Zielle,  Peter  VanSlyke,  Barrent  Vro- 
man, Johannis  Janekson,  Hendrich  Janekson. 

No.  iS.^Albertus  Becker,  Jun.,  Johannis  S. 
Becker,  Harmanuus  Becker,  Abrahem  Becker, 
Johannis  A.  Becker,  Storm  Becker,  Jun.,  Cor- 
nehus  Van  Dyck,  John  Van  Dyck,  Johannis 
Borst,  jun.,  Martines  Pick,  Peter  U.  Zielle, 
Jun.,  Peter  U.  P.  Zielle,  Peter  Becker,  Johan- 
nis D.  Becker,  Hendrick  Courate. 

No.  19.  —  Martines  Vroman,  Lieutenant,  Al- 
burtus  Becker,  Johannes  Alb  Becker,  Johan- 
nis Becker,  Johannis  J.  Becker,  Davit  Becker, 
Jr.,  Jacob  Borst,  Jun.,  Marcus  Belleger,  Johan- 
nis M.  Belinger,  Lawrance  Lawyer,  Abrahem 
Lawyer,  Conrate  Ingmier,  Hendrick  Borst,  Jo- 
hannis Bellinger,  Marcus  BeUinger,  Jun. 

No.  20. — Nicelas  Warner,  Ensign,  Christian 
Brown,  Captain,  Peter  Schefifer,  Lendert  Chur- 
sigh,  Jacob  Schefifer,  William  Brown,  Johannis 
Bouck,  Jr.,  Jacob  Bouck,  Peter  Bouck,  Jost 
Schefifer,  Davatt  Schefifer,  Adem  Schefifer,  Hen- 
drick Schefifer,  Jun.,  Michel  Huningh,  Stophel 
Huningh,  Johannis  Huningh. 

JSfo.  21. — Hendrick  Borst,  Lieutenant,  Baltus 
Borst,  Jost  Borst,  Johannis  Borst,  Hendrick 
Schefifer,  Lawrance  Lawyer,  Jr.,  Peter  Schefifer, 
Jr.,  Lambert  Schefifer,  Johannis  Schefifer,  Michel 
Borst,  Jacob  Foster,  Adem  Schefifer,  William 
Snyder,  Michel  Frymier,  Davet  Frymier,  Phillip 
Lergher. 

No.  22. — John  Myers,  Lieutenant,  Daniel 
McColme,  John  Couch,  EUexander  McColme, 
Michel  B^ichter,  Nicelas  Richter,  Hendryck 
Richter,  Lodenick  Snyder,  PhilHp  Snyder,  Hen- 
dryck Snyder,  Davit  Carsson,  John  Humphry, 
Benjamen  Humphrey,  Peter  Kniskern,  Parent 
Kniskern,  Alexander  McDayle,  Relph  Wertley. 
No.  23. — John  Casade,  Sergeant,  George  Hat- 
sel,  Johannis  Backer,  Abraham  Brewer,  Peter 
Brewer,  James  Morran,  James  Humphrey,  Peter 
Young,  Andrew  Young,  Phillip  Sneyder,  Jr., 
William  McCatrick,  Michel  Hittser,  Charles 
Werhley,  Daniel  Vanathwerp,  John  Vanantwep, 
Andrew  Young,  Jr.,  Peter  Vanantwerp,  William 
Ricket. 


54 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


As  we  have  made  mention,  large  quantities 
of  grain,  chiefly  wheat,  were  sent  from  the  Scho- 
harie settlements  to  the  army  for  its  subsistence. 
The  Committee  of  Safety  superintended  its 
transportation,  which  was  accomplished  with 
wagons  and  sleighs. 

Several  teams  would  be  sent  to  Albany  at  a 
time  and  if  other  means  were  not  at  hand  to 
send  the  produce  on  to  different  points  where 
needed,  the  same  teams  were  employed  to  carry 
it  on,  and  it  was  not  uncommon  for  them  to 
draw  produce  to  Fort  George,  Fort  Edward, 
Fishkill  and  Newburgh.  Washington  once 
wrote  after  Johnson's  invasion,  "The  settle- 
ments of  Schoharie  which  alone  was  able  to  fur- 
nish Eighty  thousand  bushels  of  grain  for  pubhc 
use,"  which  seems  incredible  considering  the 
small  part  of  the  territory  that  was  under  culti- 
vation. 

The  fact  became  well  known  throughout  the 
army  and  the  Eastern  States,  of  the  adaptability 
of  the  soil  to  wheat  growing  and  led  many  of 
the  veterans  and  others  to  settle  within  the  ter- 
ritory immediately  after  peace  was  proclaimed. 
The  greatest  influx  was  from  1781  to  1800, 
principally  from  Connecticut,  Massachusetts  and 
New  Jersey,  who  turned  their  labors  and  inge- 
nuity to  estabhsh  homes  for  themselves. 

When  the  dark,  pall-like  cloud  that  had  hung 
over  the  country  so  long  was  removed,  the  exul- 
tation of  the  people  in  these  frontier  settlements 
must  have  been  great.  No  longer  were  they 
compelled  to  guard  each  step  with  the  expecta- 
tion that  the  coming  hour  or  moment  would 
find  them  mangled  corpses  or  tortured  prisoners, 
or  fearful  of  witnessing  their  homes  fall  by  the 
torch  of  the  maddened  enemy.  Peace  must 
have  been  a  sweet  angel  to  them  as  she  spread 
her  pinjons  over  the  land.  Prosperity  followed 
in  her  train,  making  the  very  hills  and  valleys 
resound  with  her  exultant  shouts.  Forests  once 
more  began  to  fall  before  the  sturdy  and  deter- 
mined strokes  of  the  pioneers.  Order  and  con- 
tentment reigned  where  confusion  and  fear  had 
damped  the  progress  of  every  thing. 

The  present  territory  of  Schoharie  County 
from  1772  to  1791  was  included  in  Albany  and 
Tryon  or  Montgomery  counties,  but  upon 
the  formation  of  Otsego  in  the  latter  year  that 
portion  which  belonged   to    Montgomery  was 


added  to  it.  Those  counties  being  large  it  be- 
came necessary  to  subdivide  them  and  the 
Eighteenth  Legislature  while  setting  in  the  city 
of  New  York  formed  the  present  Schoharie 
County. 

Many  blood-curdhng  tales  have  been  told 
and  written  of  incidents  that  occurred  during 
the  Revolution,  that  we  are  led  to  beheve  were 
fabrications.  That  acts  were  committed  by 
the  blood-thirsty  Tories  too  heinous  to  be 
charged  to  human  beings  we  have  ample  proof, 
but  many  such  were  highly  overdrawn  by  differ- 
ent chroniclers,  and  even  by  the  Tories  them- 
selves, after  the  war  closed.  The  majority  of 
that  class  were  intemperate,  and  in  their  drunk- 
en sprees  often  boasted  of  infernal  acts,  but 
not  without  public  castigations  from  the  vic- 
torious patriots  whose  anger  and  hatred  were 
instantly  aroused  at  their  recital.  One  story 
was  often  repeated  by  various  ones,  intimating 
that  they  themselves  were  the  actors  in  the 
fiendish  drama. 

A  party  of  Indians  and  one  Tory  entered  a 
house  and  murdered  the  husband  and  father, 
and  an  Indian  approached  the  cradle  in  which 
lay  an  infant,  for  the  purpose  of  kilHng  it,  but 
the  babe  saw  the  glistening  tomahawk  and  smiled, 
which  so  softened  the  Indian's  heart  that  he 
relented  and  left  it  unhurt.  The  Tory  saw  the 
Indian's  timidity  and  stepped  up  to  the  cradle, 
and  with  his  bayonet  picked  it  up  as  if  the 
little  body  were  an  inanimate  mass.  With  an 
exulting  laugh  he  held  the  Httle  form — strug- 
gling in  its  death  throes — before  its  mother's 
eyes,  and  exclaimed  to  his  companions,  as  she 
cried  out  in  anguish,  "  See  the  old  cow  bellow 
for  its  calf!"  This  story  was  often  repeated  by 
WiUiam  Monk  and  by  the  Caselman  family  of 
the  Mohawk  valle)',  and  various  other  ones, 
each  claiming  the  honor(?)  of  being  the  fiend. 
We  have  traced  each  family's  story  and  find 
they  are  fabrications.  The  story  is  an  old  one, 
repeated  during  and  after  the  old  French  war. 
Several  years  ago  we  found  an  old  print,  nearly 
ruined,  in  which  was  a  picture  representing  the 
cruel  deed  of  the  Tory,  with  a  long,  harrowing 
article  following,  which  began  by  stating  it  oc- 
curred "  during  the  French  war."  Various 
other  tales  of  like  character  have  been  sent 
afloat  as  Revolutionary  reminiscences  without 


LOCAL  INCIDENTS. 


55 


any  more  foundation  than  the  one  noticed,  and 
we  can  but  love  to  think  they  are  untrue,  and 
would  that  none  such  stained  our  history  with 
innocent  blood  drawn  by  incarnate  fiends,  much 
less  that  such  acts  stand  against  our  race. 

When  the  upper  fort  was  being  built  and 
made  secure  to  hold  prisoners,  Martines  Vro- 
man  and  Lawrence  Mattice,  both  boys,  asked 
the  privilege  of  Captain  Hager,  to  bring  one 
of  the  Cryslers  as  the  first  prisoner  to  the  fort. 
Hager  was  fearful  they  would  prove  too  weak 
to  be  successful  and  proffered  aid,  but  they  de- 
clined and  reached  the  Crysler  house  about  an 
hour  before  day.  Creeping  slyly  within  a.  few 
rods  of  the  door  they  waited  patiently  for  some 
member  of  the  family  to  make  their  appearance. 
Soon  Mrs.  Crysler  walked  out  and  looked  around 
as  if  to  prophesy  the  weather,  and  was  about 
to  close  the  kitchen  door,  when  the  scouts 
rushed  in  with  muskets  cocked  and  demanded 
Baltus  Crysler  to  surrender  or  they  would  shoot 
him.  Seeing  they  were  determined,  he  com- 
plied and  was  taken  to  the  upper  fort  as  the 
first  prisoner  incarcerated  there.  He  was  after- 
wards taken  to  Albany  with  several  of  his  neigh- 
bors who  gave  "  aid  and  comfort  to  the  ene- 
my."—[^.  L.  M.} 

When  Bartholomew  Vroman  and  brother  Jo- 
sias  were  taken  prisoners  from  Vromansland, 
the  former  was  but  twelve  years  of  age  and  the 
latter  six.  When  they  arrived  upon  the  Dela- 
ware, the  prisoners  and  Tories  who  left  the  val- 
ley, numbered  about  sixty  and  until  there  had 
marched  together,  without  order,  but  mixed  up 
promiscuously.  They  were  then  separated,  by 
requiring  the  Tories  to  sit  upon  a  fallen  tree 
together,  and  the  patriots  to  stand  opposite. 
Bartholomew  whispered  to  his  brother  and  told 
him  they  had  better  go  and  sit  upon  the  log  as 
Tories,  and  perhaps  they  would  be  passed  over, 
as  such,  and  escape  ill  treatment.  They  did  so 
and  undoubtedly  began  to  feel  secure,  when  one 
of  their  neighbors  in  whom  the  patriots  had  re- 
posed confidence  as  a  brother  in  the  cause, 
came  behind  them  and  pushed  them  off  exclaim- 
ing, "  What  are  you  doing  here  you  damned 
Rebels  ?"  They  were  rudely  handled  and  sent 
into  the  patriots'  ro^.—\_Ephriam  B.   Vrornan.] 

The  secret  doings  of  the  committee  of  safety 
and  protection  alluded  to  in  the  fore  part  of 


this  chapter  were  occasionally  whispered  to  the 
enemy,  a  strict  watch  was  kept  by  the  true 
patriots  to  find  the  source  from  which  it  came, 
but  they  failed  in  so  doing.  Each  member  was 
then  sworn  (1777)  and  required  to  enforce  every 
resident  of  their  district  to  swear  allegiance  to 
the  Continental  Congress  or  quit  the  territory. 
In  case  either  order  was  not  obeyed,  they  were 
arrested  as  "enemies  to  their  country"  and  in- 
carcerated as  prisoners  of  war.  What  eatables 
they  had  were  also  taken  for  their  and  the 
patriots  support*  In  the  Schoharie  valley  the 
order  was  enforced  immediately  after  McDon- 
ald's retreat.  The  iron  heel  was  placed  upon 
the  faltering  ones  and  they  were  forced  to  sub- 
mit to  Colonial  orders  through  the  stern  address 
of  Captain  Hager.  One  of  his  near  neighbors, 
with  whom  he  had  lived  many  years  in  friend- 
ship, showed  the  "white  feather"  in  some 
trivial  affair,  and  the  fact  being  made  known  to 
the  Captain,  he  sent  an  order  for  him  to  appear 
at  the  fort.  Instead  of  so  doing  he  secreted 
himself  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek. 
Hager  kept  a  close  watch  upon  the  family 
movements  and  found  that  the  Tory  returned 
to  his  residence  early  in  the  morning,  and  upon 
a  given  signal  he  was  admitted  by  the  family. 
Hager  was  passing  from  his  house  to  the  fort 
one  morning  before  day,  and  concluded  to  give 
his  neighbor  an  opportunity  to  redeem  his 
character.  He  approached  the  door  yard  cau- 
tiously and  gave  a  whistle  with  the  thumb  and 
forefinger,  imitating  the  Tory.  The  wife  im- 
mediately came  out  and  Hager  asked  where  her 
husband  was.  She  rephed  he  was  not  at  home 
and  would  not  be  for  a  long  time.  The  Cap- 
tain then  said  he  knew  of  his  whereabouts  and 
would  give  him  six  hours  to  appear  at  the  fort. 
"  If  he  did  do  so,  a  hair  of  his  head  should  not 
be  harmed,  but  if  he  did  not,  they  wCiuld  pro- 
claim him  a  Tory,  hunt  him  down  and  hang 
him  to  the  first  tree."  The  Tory  appeared  and 
was  kept  under  watch  at  the  fort  and  made  to 
perform  the  duty  of  a  patriot. — [Z*.  W.  Hager.] 
After  the  flight  of  McDonald  and  his  force. 
Captain  Hager  with  a  few  of  the  mihtia  that 
chanced  to  be  at  home,  immediately  joined 
Gates'  army  and  was  in  the  battle  of  Bemis 
Heights.     John  Merckley  was  a  private  under 

*  Committee's  Proceedings. 


56 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  Captain,  and  when  Arnold  was  ordered  to 
relieve  Gansevoort,  he  was  drawn  to  serve 
under  him.  When  passing  over  the  Oriskany 
battle-ground  the  dead  in  their  mangled  con- 
dition presented  a  sickening  sight,  and  so  ap- 
palled the  soldiers  that  not  a  word  was  spoken 
by  them,  but  they  marched  carefully  over  them, 
each  deep  in  solemn  thought. — [jF.  M.^ 


CHAPTER  TV. 

Formation  of  County — The  Name  of  Scho- 
harie —  Population  —  Boundaries  —  Sur- 
face— The  Schoharie  and  Tributaries — 
Inundations  —  Lakes  —  Formation  of 
Towns  —  First  County  Officers  —  First 
Court  House  —  Poorhouse — Paupers — 
County's  Progress — War  of  1812 — Dele- 
gates to  State  Convention — Political — 
Schoharie  Democratic — Gov.  Bouck's 
Message  —  Sourkrout  Message  —  Anti- 
Rent  War  —  Railroads — Plank  Roads — 
Seminary  Mania  —  Susquehanna  Rail- 
road —  Schoharie  Valley — Sharon  and 
Cherry  Valley  —  Howe's  Cave  Enter- 
prises —  Mineral  Springs  —  Education — 
Religion — Temperance — Sabbath  School 
Societies — Bible  Society— Masonic  Lodges 
— Agricultural  and  Medical  Societies — 
Telephone  Lines — Newspapers — Criminal 
List — Summary  of  Facts — Population  by 
Census  of  1880. 

SCHOHARIE  County  was  formed  on  the 
6th  of  April  1795  ^''oi^  Albany  and  Otsego 
counties,  and  named  Schoharie  after  the  princi- 
pal stream  that  runs  through  the  territory  of 
which  it  is  comprised.  Schoharie  is  an  Indian 
name,  and  signifies,  F/ocd  Wood,  according  to 
the  late  Judge  John  M.  Brown,  who  was  the 
author  of  "A  brief  sketch  of  the  first  Settlement 
of  Schoharie  County,"  and  to  whom  we  are  in- 
debted for  transmitting  to  us  much  that  would 
otherwise  have  been  lost. 


We  find  the  word  Schoharie,  written  in  vari- 
ous waySjViz :  Skochalie,  Schorie,  Shore,  (proba- 
bly pronounced  Sho-ree,)  Schohare,  Schoharry, 
Scorie  and  Schohary,  and  called  by  the  Dutch, 
Shuck-ha-ry. 

The  Act  of  the  Legislature  in  forming  the 
County,  gave  to  it  the  present  orthoepy — Scho- 
har-ie,  which  we  must  adopt  as  the  name  of  the 
County,  a  town  and  village — whose  associa- 
tions are  historical  from  the  first  tread  of  fhe 
white  man  upon  the  virgin  soil,  down  to  the 
present  time,  and  with  which  are  mingled  the 
most  glorious  examples  of  patriotic  devotion 
and  endurance  that  adorn  the  annals  of  any 
history. 

By  an  act  passed  April  3,  1801,  to  divide  the 
State  into  counties,  the  boundaries  of  Schoharie 
were  thus  defined  : — 

"The  county  of  Schoharie  to  contain  all 
that  part  of  the  State  bounded  easterly  by 
the  county  of  Albany,  northerly  by  part  of 
the  south  bounds  of  the  county  of  Montgomery, 
as  hereafter  described,  westerly  by  a  line 
beginning  at  the  southwest  corner  of  a  tract  of 
land  formerly  granted  to  John  Lyne,  and  run- 
ning thence  the  following  courses  and  distances 
as  marked  by  order  of  the  Surveyor  General, 
south  twenty-one  degrees  and  forty-eight  minutes 
west,  two  hundred  and  nineteen  chains  to  the 
place  where  Joshua  Tucker  formerly  resided, 
thence  south  seven  degrees  and  forty-eight 
minutes  west  one  hundred  and  ninety-three 
chains  to  the  eastermost  line  of  a  tract  of  land 
known  by  the  name  of  Belvidere  Patent,  thence 
south  nine  degrees  east,  six  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  chains  to  a  certain  hill,  known  by  the  name 
of  Grover's  hill,  therice  with  a  direct  line  from 
the  rnost  northwesterly  corner  of  Stroughburgh 
Patent,  thence  with  a  direct  hne  to  the  most 
northerly  corner  of  Harpersfield,  on  the  Char- 
lotte or  Adegatangie  branch  of  the  Susquehan- 
nah  river,  thence  southeastly  along  the  north 
bounds  of  Harpersfield  to  the  said  lake  Utsa- 
yantho  and  southerly  by  a  line  formerly  run 
from  the  head  of  Kaater's  creek,  where  the  same 
issues  out  of  the  southerly  side  or  end  of  a  cer- 
tain lake  or  pond  lying  in  the  Blue  Mountains 
to  the  said  lake  Utsayantho,  and  by  part  of  the 
north  bounds  of  the  county  of  Greene." 

In  1836  a  portion  of  Greene  county  was  an- 


GEOLOGICAL  FORMATIONS. 


57 


nexed  and  at  the  present  time  the  County  con- 
sists of  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand, 
three  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  of  land,  and 
containing,  according  to  the  census  of  1880, 
thirty-two  thousand,  nine  hundred  and  thirty- 
nine  inhabitants.  The  surface  is  an  upland, 
broken  by  a  northerly  branch  of  the  Catskills 
in  the  southern,  and  by  hills  of  lime  fock  for- 
mation chiefly,  in  the  central  and  northern  parts. 
The  rocks  are  those  which  belong  to  the  Hud- 
son River,  Clinton,  Hamilton,  Chemung,  Onon- 
daga and  Catskill  groujls  and  the  Helleberg  se- 
ries. Among  them  are  found  many  caverns  in 
which  mineralogists  find  interesting  specimens, 
such  as  sulphate  and  carbonate  of  strontia,  car- 
bonates of  iron  and  arragonite,  calcite,  satin 
spar,  stalactites — translucent  and  solid,  sulphate 
of  barytes,  black  oxide  of  manganese,  calstron- 
baryte,  agarie,  mineral  and  bog  ore,  besides  an 
endless  variety  of  fossils  pecuHar  to  the  forma- 
tioiis. 

The  Schoharie  river  flows  a  little  to  the  east 
of  the  center  of  the  County  and  empties  in  the 
Mohawk  at  Fort  Hunter.  Its  tributaries  are 
Fox's  creek.  Stony  brook.  Little  Schoharie, 
Keyser's  creek,  Platner's  and  Manor  Kill  from 
the  east,  and  Cripplebush,  Cobleskill,  Lime, 
Panther,  West  and  Mine  Kill  from  the  west. 
The  Cobleskill  is  the  largest  and  rises  in  the 
town  of  Worcester,  Otsego  county.  The  pond 
from  which  it  flows  is  on  the  height  of  land  be- 
tween the  Hudson  and  Susquehanna  rivers, 
which  is  fourteen  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet 
above  tide.  The  Schenevus,  a  tributary  of  the 
Susquehanna,  also  flows  from  the  same  source 
to  the  west,  thereby  joining  the  valleys  of  the 
,  two  great  rivers  by  a  grade,  of  which  the  genius 
of  enterprise  has  taken  advantage  and  laid  the 
"iron  rails"  along  the  waters'  paths  and  opened 
a  line  of  transportation,  long  desired  by  the  ag- 
riculturists of  western  Schoharie,  southern  Otse- 
go, Delaware  and  Chenango  counties,  besides 
giving  the  products  of  the  coal  fields  of  Penn- 
sylvania another  and  more  direct  outlet  to  the 
Eastern  States,  northern  New  York  and  the 
lower  provinces  of  Canada. 

The  Schoharie  river  makes  a  somewhat  cir- 
cuitous course.  It  flows  from  a  small  pond  in 
the  town  of  Hunter,  Greene  county,  about 
twelve  miles  west  of  the  Hudson,  and  taking  a 


western  course  enters  the  northeastern  corner  of 
Delaware  county  and  turns  to  the  northwest, 
where  it  finds  an  opening  between  the  hills  of 
Gilboa,  and  runs  nearly  north  through  Blen- 
heim, Fulton  and  Middleburgh.  Passing  on 
through  Schoharie  in  an  east-northeast  direc- 
tion, it  takes  a  sudden  turn  to  the  north  and 
enters  the  town  of  Esperance  where  it  again 
turns  to  the  east-northeast  and  breaks  through 
the  southern  watershed  of  the  Mohawk  and 
bears  to  the  north  to  unite  with  the  waters  of 
that  stream  about  nine  miles  from  the  county 
hne,  making  a  circuit  of  over  one  hundred  miles, 
to  swell  the  waters  of  the  Hudson.  From  many 
elevations  along  its  course  the  stream  presents 
a  picturesque  appearance.  Coming  down  from 
the  lofty  Catskills  with  rapid  pace,  winding  aroun  d 
the  base  of  giant  mountains,  gorging  deep 
ravines  in  the  sides  of  rocky  hills  and  plunging 
over  shelving  rocks  to  deeper  paths  it  appears 
at  last  in  the  broad  openings  of  Schoharie 
County.  Then  again  its  serpentine  trail  may 
be  traced  among  the  evergreen  hills  that  many 
times  seem  to  be  placed  as  barriers  to  its  on- 
ward course,  but  finding  a  winding  path  it  pushes 
on  to  emerge  again  in  broad  intervals,  whose 
beauty  and  productiveness  are  rarely  equaled. 

The  river  and  tributaries  have  many  times 
overflowed  the  flats  along  their  courses  and  done 
a  vast  amount  of  damage  in  the  destruction  of 
crops,  land  and  buildings.  The  first  of  which 
we  have  any  definite  knowledge  was  in  the 
spring  of  1784,  the  year  following  the  Revolu- 
tion. The  damage  was  so  great  the  people  pe- 
titioned to  the  Legislature  to  be  exempt  from 
taxation.     The  petition  says : — 

"  The  heavy  rains  caused  the  river  to  be  stop- 
ped up  with  cakes  of  ice  to  the  top  of  the  banks 
which  caused  the  river  to  flow  over  the  flats  and 
spoiled  whole  farms  thereon." 

Farther  on  it  continues : — 

"  If  you  Don't  believe  us  that  we  have  suffered 
we  pray  your  Honorable  houses  to  send  men 
who  you  may  perhaps  place  confidence  in,  than 
in  us,  to  take  a  View  of  our  situation." 

To  make  the  petition  more  effective  they  re- 
fer to  their  losses  in  the  war  as  follows : — 

"Your  petitioners   have   long   endured   the 

burden  of  a  distressed  war  and  are  of  the  great- 

I    est  sufferers  in  the  State  of  New  York.      By 


s8 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


reason  of  living  in  the  very  frontier  of  the  State, 
open  to  the  Dayly  incursions  of  a  cruel  enemy, 
&  are  destroyed  to  the  utmost  degree.  The 
most  of  us  not  left  with  a  building  to  go  in  to 
keep  them  and  families  dry  from  weather,  and 
no  money  to  erect  buildings  again.  The  In- 
habitants of  Tryon  county  are  exempted  from 
paying  taxes.  We  think  it  Right.  But  at  the 
same  time  We  claim  an  Equal  right  with  them 
and  Rather  more." 

The  next  great  overflow  was  in  the  spring  of 
1858,  when  houses  and  hay  stacks  were  carried 
away,  and  broad  flats  cut  up  by  the  strong  cur- 
rent. In  the  fall  of  1869  another  overflow  did 
a  great  amount  of  damage,  but  was  followed  in 
the  spring  of  1870  by  one  of  greater  proportions, 
that  did  an  immense  damage  in  the  destruction 
of  farms,  especially  in  the  towns  of  Fulton  and 
Blenheim.  Other  lesser  floods  have  occurred 
which  in  individual  cases  proved  disastrous,  but 
those  through  which  the  valleys  suffered  the 
worst,  as  a  whole,  were  in  the  years  given. 

Perched  upon  the  hills  of  Summit,  is  a  placid 
sheet  of  water,  covering  nearly  one  hundred 
acres,  at  an  altitude  of  two  thousand  feet  above 
tide.  A  similar  pond  that  can  hardly  bear  the 
name  of  lake,  lies  upon  the  southern  bounds  of 
the  County,  bearing  the  Aboriginal  appellation 
of  "  Utsayantha." 

Near  the  former,  the  Charlotte  creek,  a  tri- 
butary of  the  Susquehanna  rises,  while  from 
the  latter,  the  west  or  main  branch  of  the  Dela- 
ware river  takes  its  rise. 

Throughout  the  lime  rock  districts,'  subter- 
raneous streams  are  numerous,  which  appear  at 
the  surface,  and  after  running  a  short  distance 
disappear  to   emerge    again   at   some   distant 
point. 

Upon  the  formation  of  the  County  it  was 
divided  into  six  towns,  namely :  Schoharie,  Mid- 
dletown,  Bristol,  Blenheim,  Cobleskill  and 
Sharon.  In  1801  Middletown  was  changed  to 
Middleburgh,  and  in  i8o8,  Bristolto  Broome,  in 
honor  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Broome.  There 
are  at  present,  sixteen  towns  in  the  County, 
the  names  of  which,  with  the  date  of  their 
formation,  together  with  the  towns  from  which 
each  was  taken  are  as  follows  :— 

Schoharie,   formed    March    17,    1797,  from 
Schoharie,  Albany  county. 


Broome  as   Bristol,  formed  MarCh  17,  1797, 
from  Schoharie. 

Middleburgh,  formed  March  17,  1797,  from 
Schoharie. 

Blenheim,    formed    March    17,    1767,  from 
Schoharie. 

Cobleskill,    formed     March    17,    1797,  from 
Schoharie. 

Sharon,  formed  March  17,  1797,  from  Dor- 
loch,  Otsego  county. 

Jefferson,  formed  February  12,    1803,  from 
Blenheim. 

Carlisle,  formed  March  31,  1807,  from  Sharon 
and  Cobleskill. 

Summit,  formed  April  13,  1819,  from  Jeffer- 
son and  Cobleskill. 

Fulton,   formed   April  15,  1828,  from   Mid- 
dleburgh. 

Conesville,    formed     March   3,    1836,   from 
Broome  and  Durham,  Greene  county. 

Seward,   formed    February    11,    1840,    from 
Sharon. 

Wright,    formed   April  4,  1846,   from  Scho- 
harie. 

Esperance,  formed  April  4,  1846,  from  Scho- 
harie. 

Richmondville,  formed  April  n,  1849,  from 
Cobleskill  and  Seward. 

The  council  of  appointment,  by  whom  nearly 
all  oflicers  were  appointed,  convened  upon  the 
sixth  day  of  June,  1795,  and  appointed  the  fol- 
lowing as  county  officers  : — 
Joachim  G.  Staats,  Clerk. 
Jacob  Lawyer,  Jun.,  Sheriff. 
Stephen  A.  Becker,  Surrogate. 
William  Beekman,  First  Judge. 
Adam  B.  Vroman,    ] 
John  M.  Brown,        I    Assistant  Judges. 
David  Sternburgh,    [ 
Jonathan  Danforth,  J 

Being  established  as  a  separate  county,  and 
not  having  any  public  buildings,  according  to 
the  records,  the  first  Court  of  General  Sessions 
"  was  held  at  the  house  of  Johannes  Ingold,  inn 
keeper"  upon  the  31st  day  of  May,  1796.  Upon 
the  opening  of  the  same,  thirty-two  rules  were 
adopted  and  afterwards  printed,  which  may  be 
found  in  the  County  Library.  The  following 
presided  upon  their  adoption : — 

His  Honor  Wra.  Beekman,  First  Judge. 


FIRST  COURT  OF  OYER  AND  TERMINER. 


59 


Adam  B.  Vroman,  "I 

Jonathan  Danforth,  !     Assistant  Judges. 

Peter  Swart,  | 

Marcus  Bellinger,  J 

John  Bauch,      1 

John  Ries,         }■       Assistant  Justices. 

Peter  Snyder,    J 

Upon  the  opening  of  the  court  the  following 
Assistant  Justices  were  added  and  an  adjourn- 
ment made  : — 

Joseph    Borst,    Jun.,  George  Richtmyer,  Ja- 
cob Mann,  Josias  Swart  and  Storm  A.  Becker. 
The   first   Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  was 
held  at  the  same  place,  the  proceedings  of  which 
we  will  copy  verbatim  from  the  records : — 

"  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  held  in  the 
house  of  Johannes  Ingold  Inn   holder  on  the 
26th  day  of  June   1796     Present  His  Honor 
Mr.  Justice  Lansing. 
"Adam  B.  Vroman  ] 

Jonathan  Danforth  | 

Peter  Swart  j-  Judges 

John  M.  Brown         ,        | 
Marcus  Bellinger  J 

"John  Rie  1 

Peter  Snyder        V  Ass't  Justices 
Martines  Zielie  J 

"10  ock  A.  M.  Proclamation  made  and 
court  opened.  Proclamation  made  for  the 
Sheriff  to  return,  &c.  Returns  Precept  to  sum- 
mons Jurors.  Gran  Jurors  summoned  and 
sworn,  viz : 

"Josias  Swart  Foreman,  George  Warner, 
Peter  Shafer,  Lambert  Lawyer,  Henry  Weaver, 
Jr.,  Wardwell  Green,  Abraham  Becker,  Ichabod 
Griffin,  Henry  S.  Haper,  Peter  Bouck,  Silas 
Grey,  Geo.  Richtmyer,  Walter  Briggs,  Nicholas 
Lawyer,  David  Bauch,  Wm.  Simmons,  Abra- 
ham Lawyer,  Jr.  Grand  Jury  charged  by  his 
honor  Judge  Lansing. 

"Proclamation  made  and  constables  called — 
Constables,  Justices  and  defaulters  excused  by 
court  from  any  fines  at  this  time  for  their  non- 
attendance. 

"Proclamation  made  and  Coroner  called, 
appeared  John  Ingold,  Jun.,  one  of  the  Cor- 
oners. Returns  an  Inquisition  dated  27th  June 
1796  by  which  it  is  found  that  Henry  Parsons 
was  found  dead  and  came  to  his  death  by  mis- 
chance  by  the  act  of  God. 

"  The  grand  Jury  returned  into  court  and 


Indicted  for 
Grand  Larceny 


presented  the  following  bill  of  Indictment  to 
wit  : — 

"The  People 

vs 

James  a  negro  man  slave 

"  Prisoner  arraigned.  Pleads  to  the  Indict- 
ment not  guilty.  On  motion  of  Mr.  Joseph  C. 
Yates,  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Van  Veghten  assistant 
attorney  general,  Ordered  that  the  Sheriff  re- 
turn the  precept.  The  Sheriff  returned  the 
precept  with  a  pannel  annexed  and  the  follow- 
ing Pettit  jurors  appeared  and  were  sworn  to 
wit: — 

"John  I.  Lawyer  Foreman,  Jacob  Becker, 
John  Schafer,  George  Hiltz,  Jacob  Lawyer,  Wm. 
Mann,  Jeremiah  Brown,  George  Snyder,  Peter 
P.  N.  Zeilie,  Hendrick  Schaeffer,  Abraham 
Bergh,  and  Henry  Bellinger. 

"  Witnesses  for  the  people 
Jacob  Lawyer  Jun. 
Josias  Clark. 

"  The  prosecutors  fail  in  proof  of  the  fact. 
Jury  charged  to  find  the  prisoner  Not  Guilty. 
They  withdraw,  and  return  and  say,  '  That  the 
prisoner  at  the  bar  is  not  guilty  of  the  felony, 
whereof  he  stands-indicted.' " 

In  December  of  1796,  the  Judges  and  Super- 
visors held  a  meeting  to  consider  the  building 
and  location  of  a  court-house  and  jail,  but  no 
legalized  steps  were  taken  until  the  Legislature 
by  an  act  passed  the  4th  of  April,  1798, 
authorized  the  Supervisors  of  the  several  towns 
■'  to  raise  by  tax  on  the  Freeholders  and  In- 
habitants of  the  said  county  the  sum  of  two 
thousand  dollars  for  the  purpose  of  building  a 
court  house  and  Gaol  in  said  county  with  the 
additional  sum  of  four  cents  in  the  dollar  for 
collecting  the  same." 

It  was  also  further  enacted — 

"That  Jacob  Lawyer  Jun.  Jost  Borst  Jun. 
Peter  Snyder,  John  H.  Shafer  and  Wm.  Thrall 
shall  be  commissioned  to  superintend  the  build- 
ing the  court  house  and  gaol." 

Something  of  a  controversy  arose  as  to  the 
location  of  the  buildings,  many  chose  the  present 
site,  while  others  were  anxious  to  have  them 
placed  nearly  two  miles  up  the  valley.  The 
Legislature  appointed  Abraham  A.  Post  of  On- 
tario, Alex.  H.  Buell  of  Herkimer,  and  William 
Duer  of  Oswego,  as  committee  to  locate  and 


6o 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


who  were  influenced  to  decide  upon  the  present 

site. 

The  appropriation  not  being  sufficient  to 
carry  out  the  designs  of  the  commissioners  and 
Supervisors,  an  act  of  April  4,  1800,  author- 
ized the  latter  to  raise  the  sum  of  one  thousand, 
five  hundred  dollars  to  complete  the  work.  The 
same  act  required  that — 

"  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Sheriff  of  the 
County  of  Albany  to  deliver  over  to  the  Sheriff 
ol  the  said  County  of  Schoharie,  all  prisoners 
in  his  custody  belonging  to  said  County  of  Scho- 
harie, whenever  it  shall  be  certified  by  the  ma- 
jor part  of  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  of  the  County  of  Schoharie,  that  the  gaol 
is  in  a  fit  condition  for  their  confinement." 

The  fall  of  1800  found  the  building  occupied, 
but  not  completed,  and  an  act  was  passed  on 
the  2ist  of  March,  1801,  authorizing  the  further 
sum  of  one  thousand,  five  hundred  dollars  to  be 
raised  for  ''  completing  the  court  house  and 
gaol,"  making  the  total  cost  of  the  structure 
five  thousand  dollars. 

In  1845  the  building  was  burned  by  George 
Burton,  a  prisoner,  and  was  replaced  by  a  more 
commodious  structure  the  year  following,  which 
was  also  burned  in  the  month  of  January,  1870. 
The  present  building  was  erected  the  same 
year,  and  is  calculated  to  be  fire-proof  It  is 
constructed  of  blue  Hmestone,  having  galvanized 
cornices  and  pinacles,  and  a  more  neat  and  sub- 
stantial court-house,  but  few  interior  counties 
can  pride  themselves  upon  possessing.  The  jail 
is  in  the  rear  and  was  built  in  the  fall  of  1846, 
and  escaped  the  conflagration  of  1870. 

In  addition  to  the  public  buildings  already 
mentioned,  is  the  Poor  House,  a  brick  and  stone 
structure,  located  nearly  six  miles  to  the  south, 
upon  the  west  side  of  the  Schoharie  river.  In 
1830  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  was  purchased, 
and  the  building  then  standing  upon  it,  though 
inferior,  was  used  as  the  "  Poor  House."  The 
present  edifice  was  built  in  1838,  under  the  su- 
perintendence of  the  building  committee,  Cyrus 
Smith  and  Peter  I.  Borst. 

Soon  after  the  purchase  of  this  farm,  a  por- 
tion of  it  was  sold,  and  the  proceeds  of  the  sale 
invested  in  a  wood  lot,  which  leaves  but  a  trifle 
over  sixty  acres  of  tillable  land,  which  greatly 
assists  in  the  subsistence  of  the  inmates. 


The  first  keeper  was  Joseph  Beck,  under  the 
dictation  of  three  superintendents,  appointed 
yearly  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  At  the 
present  time  it  is  under  the  management  of  but 
one  Superintendent,  elected  by  the  people  trien- 
nially. 

The  average  number  of  paupers,  for  the  last 
five  years,  has  been  sixty-two,  many  of  whom 
were  once  energetic  business  men  with  ample 
means,  and  well  bred  and  affable  women  by 
whom  fate  has  dealt  harshly.  While  the  ma- 
jority of  the  remainder  are  those  who  belong  to 
a  class,  to  use  the  parlance  of  the  people,  known 
as  "  Sloughters,"  whose  morality  was  lost  long 
years  ago,  and  not  inheriting  any  principle,  they 
have  failed  to  find  it,  and  instead,  are  content 
to  eke  out  a  miserable  existence  in  hcentious 
habits,  until  the  winter  returns,  or  their  physical 
condition  is  such  as  to  make  them  objects  of 
care. 

The  country  having  dearly  felt  the  bitter  of 
contention  truly  enjoyed  the  sweets  of  peace 
and  made  an  onward  progression  which  far  ex- 
ceeded the  expectation  of  the  people  of  our  own 
as  well  as  those  of  foreign  lands.     Large  acces- 
sions were  made  from  Eastern  States  and  Euro- 
pean countries  and  each  gladly  united  to  ad- 
vance and  uphold  the  pleasing   political   and 
religious  privileges  they  could  here  enjoy.     The 
tide  of  immigration   caused  the  borders  to  re- 
cede and  far  back  in   the  wilderness  and  upon 
the  broad  prairies  of  the  West  the  curling  smoke 
of  the  enterprising  pioneers'  firesides  shot  up- 
ward as  signals  to  lead  others  on  to  homes  of 
peace,  plenty  and  happiness.     Within  the  hmits 
of  Schoharie  County  the  same  progression  char- 
acterized every  neighborhood  in  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century.     Jealous  of  their  free- 
dom, every  male  inhabitant  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  forty-five  was  considered  a  soldier 
of  the  country  and  was  required  to  meet  his  re- 
spective military  officers  at  such  times  and  places 
as   designated   by  them  to  drill  in  the  use  of 
arms  and  military  tactics,  that  in   case  of  war 
the  country  would  be  in  readiness. 

Perhaps  a  people  could  not  be  found  that 
bore  a  greater,  or  as  great  a  hatred  to  England, 
as  the  people  of  the  Schoharie  settlements,  as  a 
mass.  The  price  set  upon  their  scalps  by  the 
officers  of  that   government   forever   alienated 


SCHOHARIE  PATRIOTS  IN  THE  WAR  OF  1812. 


61 


them  from  recognizing  a  single  redeeming  qual- 
ity in  the  nation,  and  when  she  dared  to  over- 
haul our  vessels  upon  free  waters  in  1811  and 
'12  and  beneath  the  stars  and  stripes  that  had 
been  bathed  in  the  sweat  and  blood  of  their 
fathers  for  an  existence,  and  take  our  citizens 
and  force  them  to  vindicate  the  British  banner 
upon  foreign  shores,  it  but  rekindled  their  hatred 
and  each  act  against  the  supremacy  of  the  Gov- 
ernment was  taken  as  an  insult  upon  them  as 
individuals. 

When  the  call  was  made  to  resist  the  English 
forces  upon  our  Northern  borders.  Colonel  Ef- 
ner's  regiment  was  summoned  to  report  at 
Schoharie  and  upon  reading  the  proclamation 
of  the  President  quite  a  controversy  arose  as  to 
who  would  go,  and  when  the  roll  was  called  and 
draft  made  from  it,  many  that  were  not  included 
stepped  forward  to  take  the  places  of  those  that 
were  drafted.  The  record  or  muster-roll  is  very 
inaccurate,  as  it  does  not  give  the  additions  that 
were  afterwards  made  to  the  regiment  by  enlist- 
ing as  hostihties  progressed. 

Lieutenant  William  Elmandorf,  as  will  be 
more  deiinitely  mentioned  in  Cobleskill,  en- 
Usted  a  company  of  artillery  from  Sharon, 
Cobleskill  and  Carlisle  under  Captain  Josias 
Kellogg,  and  united  with  companies  from  Mont- 
gomery county,  under  Colonel  Forsyth.  They 
were  at  Oswego,  Sackett's  Harbor  and  Ogdens- 
burgh,  and  remained  in  service  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  returning  with  nearly  all  their  num- 
ber, but  bearing  m.any  wounds.  They  assisted 
in  the  destruction  of  British  stores  at  Ganano- 
que  in  Canada,  and  repulsed  the  British  forces 
at  Ogdensburgh  on  the  2d  of  October,  181 2, 
being  in  numbers  only  four  hundred  against  a 
force  of  one  thousand  disciplined  troops.  Be- 
sides this  engagement.  Lieutenant  Elmandorf's 
biographer  mentions  others  in  number  ten  as 
above  referred. 

The  company's  enrollment  is  lost,  but  as  far 
as  we  have  been  able  to  glean,  the  following 
were  the  volunteers: — Josias  Kellogg,  Captain, 
Wm.  Elmandorf,  Lieutenant,  Jacob  L.  Lawyer, 
Corporal,  David  Lawyer,  Marcus  Warner,  John 
Mickel,  William  Young,  John  Hyney,  Joshua 
Ward,  David  Fraats,  John  Fox,  Daniel  Brown, 
EUas  and  Aaron  Malick,  Charles  Gordon,  Ma- 
thias  Young. 


In  the  season  of  1813  Deidrick  VanVeghten, 
editor  of  the  Schoharie  Herald,  being  clothed 
with  a  captain's  commission,  recruited  a  com- 
pany at  Schoharie  village,  and  during  the  winter 
of  that  year  was  stationed  at  Schenectady  to 
guard  army  supplies  that  were  there  stored.  In 
the  following  spring,  he  joined  Gen.  VanRens- 
selaer's  regiment  and  was  promoted  to  Major. 
In  an  engagement  upon  the  border  he  was  sent 
forward  with  his  company,  by  the  General,  to 
make  an  attack  upon  the  enemy  with  the  assur- 
ance of  relief.  But  after  a  bloody  fight  the 
Major  and  force  were  taken  prisoners  without 
any  eifort  upon  the  part  of  VanRensselaer  to 
send  relief.  He  and  his  men  were  incarcerated 
at  Chambly  in  a  stone  building,  whose  windows 
were  too  high  to  be  reached  by  the  men,  and 
after  lying  there  a  few  months  an  escape  was 
effected.  VanVeghten  being  a  tall  man,  or- 
dered each  of  his  men  to  climb  upon  his  shoul- 
ders and  escape  through  the  window.  They 
did  so  leaving  only  himself  in  prison. 

Many  of  the  soldiers  from  Schoharie  died  Ijy 
the  epidemic  that  prevailed  in  18 13  and  1814, 
especially  while  in  camp  at  Plattsburgh  and 
Sackett's  Harbor.  At  one  time  the  ranks  of 
Efner's  regiment  were  nearly  broken  by  sickness 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  vigor  of  the  men, 
the  disease  would  have  made  a  most  lamentable 
havoc  in  their  numbers.  But  few  were  killed,  al- 
though they  participated  in  several  engagements. 

When  peace  was  proclaimed,  quiet  was 
restored  and  the  people  settled  down  to  labor 
and  enterprise,  knowing  that  their  strength 
made  them  invincible  from  any  source  their 
enemies  might  direct  against  them.  Experi- 
ence soon  taught  them  of  many  defects,  which 
their  good,  honest  judgments  led  them  to  aright. 
The  Constitution  of  the  State  made  and  adopt- 
ed in  1777,  proved  to  be  defective,  and  on  the 
28th  of  August,  182 1,  the  "  Second  Constitu- 
tional Convention  "  met  in  Albany  and  framed 
a  new  instrument,  known  as  the  "  Second 
Constitution."  Judge  Olney  Briggs  of  Esper- 
ance,  Jacob  Sutherland  of  Blenheim,  and  Asa 
Starkweather  of  Broome,  were  chosen  by  the 
people  of  the  County  as  delegates.  They  were 
three  men  of  marked  abilities,  as  their  debates 
before  the  convention  show,  and  who  performed 
their  duties  with  honesty  and  faithfulness. 


62 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


A  free  government,  giving  each  an  equal 
opportunity  to  aspire  to  prominent  positions 
and  allowing  free  thought  and  expression  upon 
all  subjects  and  occasions,  naturally  leads  the 
ambition  of  many  to  mingle  in  the  political 
arena,  from  which  are  brought  official  honors 
that  are  extremely  tempting  to  the  majority  of 
the  people.  Contrary  opinions  are  entertained 
by  different  individuals  as  to  the  manner  certain 
results  may  be  brought  about.  Each  opinion 
becomes  a  "  Platform  "  so  called,  with  numer- 
ous advocates  according  to  its  practicability  or 
the  shrewdness  and  ingenuity  of  the  leaders  and 
thus  forming  "parties.''  While  the  American 
heart  is  upon  the  perpetuity  of  our  political 
institutions,  there  are  opposite  ideas  in  regard 
to  the  means  of  so  doing. 

When  the  question  of  the  disfranchisement 
of  the  Tory  element  which  was  so  firmly  and 
persistently  advocated  by  George  Clinton,  who 
had  safely  engineered  the  province  of  New 
York  through  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  be- 
came the  leading  topic  in  political  circles  and 
passed  the  Assembly  in  1784,  the  people  (or 
a  majority  of  them)  of  Schoharie  were  Chnton's 
staunch  adherents,  and  they  in  their  excitement 
and  hatred  of  the  Tories,  accused  those  who 
advocated  their  cause,  of  being  such.  Even 
Hamilton,  whose  magnanimity  in  Freedom's 
cause  was  inferior  to  none,  had  the  epithet  cast 
upon  him  beside  others,  whose  course  through 
the  war  condemned  such  charges.  The  dis- 
franchisement act  was  repealed  in  1787  through 
the  indefatigable  labors  of  Hamilton  and  Schuy- 
ler, and  we  believe  after  a  more  careful  reflec- 
tion upon  the  privileges  our  government  in- 
tended to  accord  to  her  citizens,  Clinton  with- 
drew his  objection  to  it. 

But  still,  the  people  of  Schoharie  branded 
many  of  the  advocates  of  franchisement  that 
had  been  unswerving  patriots  as  Tories,  and 
the  odium  is  occasionally  breathed  afresh  and 
kept  in  circulation,  without  the  slightest  degree 
of  truth  to  substantiate  it.  Such  is  one  of  the 
evils  our  existing  political  periods  fan  into  life 
to  bring  disgrace  and  defeat  to  political  op- 
ponents, without  weighing,  by  calm  reflection, 
their  untruthfulness,  or  considering  the  im- 
practical theory  the  sentiment  is  likely  to  trans- 
mit to  posterity,  and  in  fostering  a  hatred  that 


is  detrimental  to  our  political  happiness  as  a 
people. 

Being  supporters  of  Clinton  when  the  County 
was  formed,  her  people  adhered  to  the  party, 
and  Schoharie  became  a  Democratic  *  County 
giving  only  an  occasional  opposite  majority  in 
individual  cases. 

When  Andrew  Jackson  stepped  upon  the  po- 
litical stage,  and  with  his  unflinching   ambition 
caused  the  political  firmament  to   rumble  with 
his  thunderings,  Wm.    C.   Bouck   and   Colonel 
Wm.  Dietz,  were  the  leaders  of  the  Democrats 
in  the  County.     They  were  two  men  that  pos- 
sessed the  unbounded  confidence  of  the  people, 
as  in  all  positions  in  which  they  had  been  placed, 
(and  they  were  many,)  they  proved  themselves 
honest  and  true.     Politics  ran  to  fever  heat  dur- 
ing the  years  of  the  twenties  and  thirties  in  the 
the  County,  and  culminated   in   the  election  of 
Wm.    C.    Bouck,  as    Governor,    in   the   fall  of 
1842.     Two  years   before  he   was   nominated 
against  Wm.  H.  Seward,  but  was  defeated.    At 
the  time  of  Bouck's  election,  there  were  three 
candidates  in  the  field,  Seward  and  Alvan  Stew- 
art, over  whom  was  obtained  a  majority  of  14,- 
718.     In  justice  to  our  only  Gubernatorial  offi- 
cial, and  also  to  recall  an  article  that  created 
considerable  political  gossip  and  curiosity, we  here 
insert  the  chief  points  of  the  Governor's  first 
message,  hoping  it  may  be  pleasing  to  his  old 
friends  and  admirers,  as  well  as  exhibit  the  acme 
of  progression  that  the   "  Empire   State "  had 
reached  thirty-eight  years  ago : — 
"To  the  Legislature  of  ihe  State  of  NewYork.— 
"Fellow  Citizens:  The  Constitution  makes 
it  the  duty  of  the  Governor  to  communicate  by 
message  to  the  legislature,  at  every  session,  the 
condition  of  the  State,  and  recommend  such 
matter  as  he  shall  judge  expedient,  and  take 
care  that  the  laws  are  faithfully  executed. 

"I  have  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  the 
responsible  duties  of  the  Executive  department 
of  the  government,  with  a  proper  regard,  as  I 
trust,  for  the  important  obligations  imposed  up- 
on me. 

"  For  the  first  time  since  the  organization  of 

♦After  peace,  in  1783,  the  political  parties  were 
Republicans  and  Federalists,  later  Democrats  and 
Whigs  ;  at  present  Democrats  and  Republicans— the 
Democrats  of  to-day  being  the  Republicans  of  1800. 


GOVERNOR  BOUCK'S  MESSAGE. 


63 


the  government,  the  chief  magistrate  has  been 
selected  from  the  agricultural  portion  of  the 
community. 

"  Whatever  distrust  I  may  feel  in  taking  up- 
on myself  an  untried  station  of  so  much  im- 
portance and  difficulty,  I  repose  with  confidence 
on  the  guidance  of  the  Almighty  !  on  the  co- 
operation of  every  department  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  on  the  indulgence  of  a  generous  peo- 
ple, who  are  always  ready  to  overlook  uninten- 
tional errors. 

"  To  you  as  the  immediate  representatives  of 
the  people,  belongs  the  duty  of  making  ample 
provision  to  enforce  a  strict  compliance  with  the 
constitution  and  laws ;  to  simphfy,  expedite, 
and  cheapen  all  the  proceedings  of  the  courts 
of  law  and  equity ;  to  place  every  department 
of  the  Government  under  a  rigid  accountability 
upon  principles  of  economy ;  to  see  that  the 
public  faith  is  sacredly  maintained,  and  the 
credit  of  the  State  kept  unimpaired ;  to  lessen 
as  far  as  practicable  the  burdens  of  taxation  in 
all  its  ramifications ;  to  give  the  greatest  possi- 
ble efficiency  to  our  system  of  internal  improve- 
ments, having  reference  to  principles  of  public 
utility,  and  a  careful  regard  for  the  interest  of 
every  portion  of  the  State ;  to  faciUtate  the  use 
of  the  roads  and  canals  already  constructed  ;  to 
see  that  our  penitentiary  system  answers  the 
great  ends  of  preventing  critnes  and  punishing 
and  reclaiming  offenders,  against  the  laws,  upon 
principles  of  humanity;  to  see  that  all  our 
charitable  and  benevolent  institutions  of  a  public 
character,  are  made  to  accomplish  the  object 
for  which  they  were  designed;  to  see  that  the 
banking  institutions  are  placed  upon  a  basis 
that  will  enable  them  with  an  honest  adminis- 
tration of  their  affairs  to  command  public  con- 
fidence and  subserve  the  legitimate  objects  of 
their  creation  ;  to  give  the  utmost  efficiency  to 
the  several  departments  of  education;  to  pro- 
tect and  promote  the  interest  of  the  agricultural, 
mechanical  and  laboring  portion  of  the  com- 
munity ;  to  restrain  corporate  bodies  from  all 
abuses  of  power ;  to  take  care  of  the  public 
health,  and   to  maintain  the  elective   franchise 

in  its  purity. 

***** 
"Were  it  not  for  the  great  excesses  previous 
to  1837  when  agriculture  was  neglected,  when 


extravagance  and  an  inordinate  desire  for  wealth 
prevailed,  and  the  whole  nation  was  deluded  by 
a  fictitious  prosperity,  the  people  would  now  be 
comparatively  happy  in  the  full  enjoyment  of 
ease  and  plenty. 

"Although  the  country  is  in  possession  of  an 
uncommon  surplus  of  the  products  of  labor,  yet 
business  is  depressed  and  the  people  are  em- 
barrassed in  all  their  monied  transactions. 

"This  should  doubtless  be  charged  to  the 
fact  that  fictitious  prices  and  an  inordinate  de- 
sire for  wealth  have  led  to  the  contracting  of 
debts  which  the  products  of  the  country  at  the 
present  low  prices  do  not  furnish  the  means  of 
paying. 

"  But  I  am  confident  that  this  state  of  things 
is  gradually  undergoing  a  salutary  change.  The 
people  doubtless  see  the  necessity  of  more 
economy  in  all  their  affairs  and  the  evil  con- 
sequences of  a  systerri  of  credit  altogether  too 
much  extended,  I  am  also  confident  that 
they  will  not  again  be  so  easily  misled  by  the 
fallacy  of  artificial  means  to  make  them 
prosperous,  and  that  they  have  become  con- 
vinced that  substantial  wealth  can  only  be 
derived  from  productive  labor. 

"  There  is  no  nation  so  highly  favored  as  the 
people  of  the  United  States ;  and  if  they  pro- 
perly improve  the  advantages  they  possess,  time 
will  show  that  in  point  of  greatness  they  are,  as 
yet,  in  their  infancy. 

"There  have  been  repeated  instances  in  the 
history  of  the  administration  of  the  Federal 
government  when  powers  of  legislation  have 
been  assumed  derogatory  to  State  rights. 

"  While  the  States  should  yield  a  ready  obe- 
dience to  the  rightful  authority  of  the  Federal 
government,  they  cannot  be  too  watchful  of 
their  sovereignty,  and  no  encroachment  should 
be  permitted  to  pass  unnoticed. 

"Within  the  last  two  years,  there  have,  in 
my  judgment,  been  several  unwarrantable  as- 
sumptions of  power  on  the  part  of  the  Federal 
government.  The  right  to  collect  money  from 
the  people  in  any  form,  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
tributing the  same  among  the  States,  has  not 
been  delegated  to  the  General  Government. 

"  So  long  as  the  whole  revenue  of  the  United 
States  is  required  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on 
the  operations  of  the  Government,  it  matters 


64 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


not  what  particular  monies  are  taken  from  the 
Treasury  for  the  purpose  of  distribution. 

"  Whether  it  be  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of 
the  public  lands,  or  the  same  amount  of  money 
collected  from  imports  or  by  direct  taxation,  it 
is  nothing  less  than  collecting  money  from  the 
people  for  the  purpose  of  returning  a  portion  of 
it  to  them  in  another  form.  And  as  it  must 
come  back  diminished  in  amount  by  the  ex- 
penses and  losses  incident  to  the  collection  and 
redistribution,  the  project  is  highly  objectiona- 
ble when  viewed  as  a  mere  question  of  finance. 

•'But  as  an  assumption  of  power  which  the 
States  have  not  delegated  to  the  General  Gov- 
ernment, it  is  of  dangerous  tendency,  and  hke 
all  other  encroachments  of  power  ought  to  be 
promptly  met  and  firmly  resisted. 

"  The  Union  can  only  be  maintained  and  our 
free  institutions  transmitted  unimpaired  to  pos- 
terity, by  upholding  the  sovereignty  of  the 
States  in  all  the  Rights  which  they  have  not 
yielded  to  the  Federal  Government. 

"  Under  a  power  to  '  make  or  alter '  regula- 
tions in  relation  to  the  times,  places  and  manner 
of  holding  elections  for  representatives  in  Con- 
gress, the  present  Congress  has  passed  a  law 
which  in  effect  requires  the  several  states  to 
legislate  in  a  particular  manner  in  relation  to 
the  choice  of  representatives. 

"  However  unlimited  may  be  the  power  of  the 
National  Legislature  to  '  alter '  the  existing  reg- 
ulations of  the  States,  or  to  '  make '  those  which 
are  entirely  new,  it  is  impossible  upon  any  fair 
construction  to  maintain  that  the  power  to 
'make  or  alter'  includes  the  power  to  act  upon 
the  State  Legislatures  and  compel  them  to  make 
any  particular  law  on  the  subject. 

"  As  a  question  of  mere  expediency  this  ques- 
tion was  not  called  for.  No  State  has  ever 
omitted  to  make  the  necessary  regulations  for 
the  choice  of  representatives  in  Congress.  But 
as  an  unauthorized  exercise  of  power  it  was 
like  aU  other  encroachments  by  the  General 
Government  highly  dangerous  to  the  stability  of 
the  Union. 

***** 
"  It  cannot  be  denied  that  there  has  always 
been  a  class  of  men  in  the  United  States  who 
have  been  disposed  to  give  to  the  Government 
a  strong  tendency  towards  consolidation. 


"  While  I  would  not  impugn  their  motives,  I 
cannot  withhold  the  expression  of  my  deliberate 
opinion  that  they  labor  under  a  great  and  dan- 
gerous error. 

"  Nothing  can  be  gained  to  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment by  exercising  powers  which  have  not 
been  plainly  delegated  to  it.  On  the  contrary, 
I  am  firmly  persuaded  that  nothing  short  of  the 
complete  sovereignty  of  the  States  in  all  matters 
where  they  have  not  clearly  surrendered  their 
rights  to  the  General  Government  can  give 
strength  and  stability  to  the  Union  and  secure 
in  perpetuity  the  blessings  which  we  so  richly 
enjoy,  and  as  I  love  the  Union,  I  would  firmly 
resist  every  usurpation  of  power  on  the  part  of 
the  National  Government. 

"  While  we  are  thus  careful  to  watch  and  de- 
fend our  own  rights,  we  are  bound  honestly  and 
faithfully  to  discharge  our  obligations  to  the 
General  Government  and  to  the  several  States 
with  whom  we  are  associated.  By  the  compact 
under  which  the  Union  exists,  the  States  have 
made  themselves  a  name  among  the  nations  of 
the  earth !  they  have  reared  a  bulwark  for  the 
defense  of  free  institutions  and  secured  to  the 
people  advantages  of  the  highest  value,  which 
could  not  have  been  maintained  by  separate, 
and  perhaps  rival  States. 

"  As  we  cherish  the  Union,  we  ought  care- 
fully to  abstain  from  all  encroachments  upon 
the  legitimate  powers  of  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment, and  scrupulously  fulfill  our  obligations  to 
the  other  States.  So  long  as  we  remain  in  and 
reap  the  advantages  of  the  Union,  we  are  bound 
by  every  consideration  of  honor  and  good  faith 
to  yield  to  others  what  we  demand  for  our- 
selves, an  honest  fulfillment  of  the  compact  by 
which  for  many  purposes  we  are  made  one 
people. 

*  »         *         *         »        «         * 

"I  will  not  discuss  the  question,  of  Slavery. 
The  abstract  right  to  hold  any  rnan  in  bondage 
is  a  question  upon  which,  in  this  State,  there  is 
no  diversity  of  opinion. 

"We  have  happily  reUeved  ourselves  from 
the  evil  of  Slavery.  But  we  have  no  right  to 
interfere  with  that  institution  as  it  exists  in 
other  Stales.  We  have  virtually  agreed  that  it 
shall  not  be  done,  and  until  we  are  prepared  to 
break  up  the  national  compact,  and  take  the 


GOVERNOR  BOUCK'S  MESSAGE. 


6S 


hazard  of  a  civil  war,  our  obligations  to  the 
other  States  should  be  faithfully  discharged. 
*         *         «  *  *         «         * 

"  A  public  debt  is  under  all  circumstances 
objectionable  and  should  never  be  incurred 
except  upon  the  most  weighty  considerations. 
And  in  every  instance  where  a  debt  is  author- 
ized, adequate  means  and  resources  should  be 
provided  to  pay  the  interest,  and  the  power  to 
liquidate  the  debt  should  be  placed  beyond  the 
reach  of  contingency.  As  long  as  the  rule  is 
observed,  the  credit  of  the  State  will  be  pre- 
served, and  the  public  faith  maintained.  Ex- 
penditures for  roads  and  canals  should  not  be 
based  on  revenue  to  be  derived  from  indis- 
criminate taxation.  Such  a  system  I  regard  as 
liable  to  very  serious  objections. 

"  Few  if  any  public  works  can  now  be  under- 
taken and  constructed,  that  are  not  local  in 
their  advantages.  A  tax  imposed  directly  upon 
the  people  for  such  an  object,  would  operate 
unequally  and  be  contrary  to  the  genius  of  our 
government,  which  recognizes  no  such  principle. 
In  all  our  legislation  we  cannot  too  frequently 
recur  to  those  first  principles  which  lie  at  the 
foundation  of  our  institutions,  the  adherence  to 
which  constitutes  our  surest  hope  for  their 
stability.  The  State  has  constructed  and  put 
in  operation  about  seven  hundred  miles  of  canal, 
and  have  in  progress  the  enlargement  of  the 
Erie  ;  the  construction  of  the  Black  river  and 
Genesee  Valley  canal ;  the  improvement  of  the 
Oneida  river,  and  has  purchased  the  Oneida 
Lake  canal. 

"  In  addition  to  this,  the  State  has  loaned  its 
credit  to  the  following  incorporated  companies  : 

Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal  Co $    800,000 

New  York  &  Erie  Railroad  Co 3,000,000 

Ithaca  &  Oswego  Railroad  Co.  .  .  315,700 
Catskill  &  Canajoharie  Railroad  Co.  200,000 
Auburn  &  Syracuse  Railroad  Co.  . .  200,000 
Auburn  &  Rochester  Railroad  Co...  200,000 
Hudson  &  Berkshire  Railroad  Co...       150,000 

Tonawanda  Railroad  Co 100,000 

Long  Island  Railroad  Co 100,000 

Schenectady  Railroad  Co 100,000 

Tioga  Coal  &  Iron  Mining  and  Manu- 
facturing Co 70,000 

Total $5,235,700    I 


"  The  New  York  &  Erie,  the  Ithaca  &  Os- 
wego, and  the  Catskill  &  Canajoharie  Railroad 
Companies  have  failed  to  pay  the  interest  on 
their  loans  from  the  State,  and  the  two  latter 
roads  have  been  sold  at  auction,  and  the  sale 
of  the  former  is  postponed  until  the  first  Tues- 
day in  May  next. 

"  The  New  York  &  Erie  Railroad  Company 
has  completed  forty-five  miles  of  its  road  from 
the  Hudson  river  to  Goshen  in  Orange  county. 
Between  this  point  and  Binghamton  there  has 
comparatively  but  little  work  been  done.. 

"  From  the  latter  place  to  Lake  Erie,  almost 
the  entire  hue  of  the  road  is  under  contract,  and 
it  is  understood  that  upon  portions  of  it  a  large 
amount  of  labor  has  been  expended. 

*  *  *  »         *         «         # 

"  It  is,  I  think,  very  much  to  be  regretted 
that  the  company  did  not  confine  its  expendi- 
tures to  sections  of  the  road  and  between  points 
promising  the  largest  accommodations  by  its  use. 

*  *         *         *  *  *         * 

"  It  is  hoped  that  the  friends  of  this  improve- 
ment will  see  in  the  exhibit  of  our  financial  con- 
dition, that  there  are  no  means  that  would 
justify  new  engagements  on  the  part  of  the 
State. 

"  I  recommend  a  further  sale  of  this  road  and 
the  enactment  of  a  law  yielding  the  prior  lien 
of  the  State  mortgage  to  such  encumbrance  as 
may  hereafter  be  created  by  the  company  for 
the  purpose  of  completing  the  roads  or  sections 
of  it.  The  lien  of  the  State  mortgage  should 
not  be  discharged  until  the  Canal  Board  shall 
certify  that  the  entire  road,  or  such  parts  of  it  as 
may  be  designated  in  the  act  be  completed.  To 
enable  the  canal  board  to  act  understandingly, 
they  should  be  authorized  to  appoint  an  agent  at 
the  expense  of  the  company  to  examine  the 
work  as  it  progresses.         «         *         *         * 

"The  Catskill  &  Canajoharie  Railroad  Com- 
pany have  in  operation  twenty-six  miles  and  a 
half  of  road.  If  about  eleven  miles  were  added 
to  this  distance,  which  it  is  estimated  can  be 
constructed  for  about  the  sum  of  $110,000,  the 
road  would  be  extended  to  the  Vly  Summit,  a 
few  miles  from  the  rich  valley  of  the  Schoharie 
creek.  I  cannot  but  hope  that  this  entire  road, 
from  Catskill  to  Canajoharie,  will  eventually  be 
completed. 


66 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


"  In  granting  acts  of  Incorporation  for  the 
construction  of  roads  or  other  purposes,  the  Leg- 
islature should  reserve  such  control  over  the 
operation  of  the  company,  as  will  ensure  to  the 

pubUc  the  benefit  proposed  to  be  realized. 

«         *         «        «        «        *         * 

"  The  work  under  contract  for  the  enlarge- 
ment and  improvement  of  the  Erie  canal,  in- 
cluding that  which  has  been  completed  as  esti- 
mated at  contract  price  amounts  to 

$13,026,919.92 
The  work  under  contract  for 
the  construction  of  the  Gene- 
see Valley  canal  including 
that  which  has  been  complet- 
ed as  estimated  at  contract 
price  is  4,223,305.68 

Work  completed  and  under 
contract  etc.,  upon  the  Black 
River  canal  amounts  to  1,760,046.12 

On  Oneida  River  70,122.56 

*  #         »  *         *         «         » 

"  The  policy  of  arresting  large  expenditures 
and  providing  for  the  prompt  payment  of  the 
interest,  and  a  gradual  diminution  of  the  State 
debt,  has  exerted  a  salutary  influence  in  reviv- 
ing our  credit.         »         *         «         *         » 

"  On  the  first  day  of  July  last  there  were  in 
this  State  10,785  school  districts;  and  the  num- 
ber of  children  taught  the  past  year  was  598,901. 
The  number  of  volumes  in  the  district  libraries 
on  the  first  of  January,  1842,  was  811,461, 
and  at  this  time  probably  exceeds  1,000,000. 

"The  amount  of  disbursements  for  common 
schools  during  the  last  year  is  as  follows  : — 
To   teachers   from   the  public 

money  $588,466.54 

To  teachers  from  contributions 

on  rate  bills  468,727.27 

Payment  for  libraries  98,226.09 

Total  $1,155,419.90 

"  The  subject  of  education  in  all  its  depart- 
ments merits  your  most  attentive  consideration. 
It  is  in  my  opinion  quite  proper  that  in  relation 
to  a  subject  of  so  much  importance,  the  Legis- 
lature should  annually  satisfy  themselves  that 
the  common  school  and  hterature  funds  are 
safely  invested,  and  rendered  as  productive  as 
practicable. 


"The  embarrassed  state  of  the  treasury  and 
the  severity  of  the  times,  demand  that  every 
department  of  the  public  service  should  be 
placed  on  the  most  rigid  principle  of  economy. 
No  expenditure  should  now  be  incurred  that  is 
not  called  for  by  the  public  necessity  and  good 
economy  in   reference  to  existing  engagements. 

"  Every  species  of  labor  is  depressed,  the 
prices  of  all  the  agricultural  productions  are  un- 
commonly low,  and  the  necessaries  of  life  cheap. 
Under  such  circumstances  it  is  proper  that  there 
should  be  a  corresponding  reduction  in  the  ex- 
penses of  the  Government.  An  effort  should 
be  made  to  encourage  a  return  to  the  indus- 
trious and- frugal  habits  of  our  forefathers.  It 
would  be  quite  appropriate  that  the  Legislature 
should,  by  a  prompt  application  to  business,  and 
a  short  session,  set  an  example  of  public 
economy. 

***** 

"There  have  been  1,417  convictions  for  crimi- 
nal offences  by  the  courts  of  record,  since  the 
first  of  January  last,  returned  to  the  office  of 
Secretary  of  State  by  the  clerks  of  such  courts  ; 
of  which  544  were  convictions  for  felonies,  in- 
cluding five  cases  of  murder,  to- wit :  two  in  New 
York,  one  in  Niagara,  one  in  Sullivan  and  one 
in  Tompkins.  It  is  estimated  that  if  the  num- 
ber of  convictions  by  courts  of  records,  from 
which  returns  have  not  been  received,  are  the 
same  as  last  year,  it  would  swell  the  aggregate 
to  1,585  ;  of  this  number  602  were  for  felonies. 
The  number  of  convictions  by  courts  of  Special 
Sessions  is  3,278  which  added  to  the  number  al- 
ready stated  will  make  3,695,  as  the  whole  num- 
ber of  convictions  returned  to  the  Secretary's 
I  office.  Our  fellow  citizens  who  are  engaged  in 
various  mechanical  pursuits,  have  on  several 
occasions  presented  to  the  consideration  of  the 
Legislature,  alleged  grievances  in  consequence 
of  State  prison  competition.  The  act  of  1842 
will,  probably,  in  -its  operation,  lessen  to  some 
extent,  the  cause  of  complaint.  It  is  proper  to 
encourage  the  industry  and  enterprise  of  the 
citizen  mechanic,  so  as  to  direct  the  labor  of  con- 
victs as  not  to  come  in  competition  with  them. 
But  humanity  requires  that  these  unfortunate 
beings  should  be  engaged  in  some  exercise  con- 
ducive to  health,  and  it  is  also  essential  that  the 
labor  should  be  rendered  productive.       *        * 


THE    "SOUR  KROUT"    MESSAGE. 


67 


"The  banking  institutions  should  at  all  times 
be  subject  to  the  control  of  the  Legislature,  who 
cannot  well  be  too  watchful  in  checking  their 
natural  tendency  to  partiality  and  inflated  issues. 
Every  institution  that  diverts  its  means  from 
the  legitimate  purposes  of  banking  should  be 
promptly  deprived  of  its  charter.  Every  institu- 
tion that  faithfully  fulfills  its  duties  to  the  public, 
should  be  sustained  and  protected. 

^tf  ■5ft  Ifr  i|£-  J(£  ■Sf  ^It 

"The  repudiation  of  a  public  debt  is  a  heresy 
that  I  trust  is  no  where  seriously  entertained. 
I  am  confident  that  the  people  of  every  State  in 
the  Union  would  reject  the  idea  of  such  dis- 
honor and  that  they  possess  a  partisan  and  pub- 
lic spirit  that  would  induce  them  to  submit  to 
any  burden  rather  than  incur  the  approbation 
of  such  foul  disgrace.         «         *         «         « 

"  I  indulge  the  cheerful  hope  that  the  time  is 
not  far  distant  when  most  if  not  all  the  States 
will  find  means  to  resuscitate  their  credit  and 
finish  their  public  works.  The  State  of  New 
York  should  cherish  the  hope  that  such  expec- 
tations will  be  realized. 

"  Her  natural  position  in  reference  to  inland 
commerce,  enables  her  to  furnish  the  channels 
of  communication  for  a  trade  that,  in  no  very 
distant  period  of  time,  will  be  unsurpassed  in 
magnitude. 

^lt  *  *  *  *  *  * 

"  A  concurrent  resolution  was  adopted  at  the 
last  session  of  the  Legislature,  requesting  our 
Senators  and  Representatives  in  Congress  to 
make  use  of  their  best  efforts  to  procure  the 
passage  of  a  law  refunding  from  the  public 
Treasury  the  fine  inflicted  upon,  and  paid  by 
General  Jackson. 

"  Since  that  time  the  President  of  the  United 
States  has  in  a  just  and  magnanimous  spirit, 
commended  the  subject  to  the  attention  of 
Congress.    . 

"Although  the  sentiment  of  the  people  of 
the  State  was  expressed  through  your  predeces- 
sors, yet  it  will  be  highly  proper  that  it  should 
again  be  heard  through  you,  until  mingHng  with 
the  voices  of  the  people  of  the  whole  Union, 
the  National  Legislature  shall  feel  constrained 
to  consummate  this  act  of  Justice. 

Wm.  C.  Bouck." 

Jan.  3d,  1843. 


Great  excitement  prevailed  during  the  two 
elections  of  1840  and  '42,  and  many  humorous 
songs  were  composed  and  sung  and  many  epi- 
thets cast  upon  each  side.  Those  against  Gov- 
ernor Bouck  were  the  "  Dutch  Governor," 
" Krout  Eater,"  "Cabbage  head,"  etc.  A  hu- 
morous article  appeared  in  the  Albany  Micro- 
scope, a  paper  in  the  interest  of  the  Whig  party, 
called  the  Sour  Krout  Message,  which  created 
no  Httle  merriment  and  was  the  best  adapted  to 
the  occasion  of  any  article  that  had  appeared. 
We  notice  the  author  in  Chapter  XX,  and  will 
here  insert  a  portion  of  his  second  effort,  the 
first  one  being  lost.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  it  is  written  in  low  Dutch  brogue,  and  the 
English  "  e "  whether  long  or  short,  should  be 
pronounced  as  English  "  a." 

"  Alpany  Chanuary  du  Segond  18  tousant, 
100,  4  &  44 
"Veller  Shitizens 

De  yahr  has  coom  rount  acain,  and  you  haf 
meet  in  gounsel  in  dis  capital  of  de  lant  of  de 
coot  olt  Derrick  Knickerbacker,  for  to  settle  de 
pisiness  of  de  unifarce.  Op  dish  auspicious  og- 
gasion  I  dake  mit  bleasure  du  jance  for  shpeak 
in  your  eairs  mine  gint  wishes  for  your  gesoudeit 
and  your  fokes,  and  to  wish  you  all  habby  new 
years  and  blenty  of  oley  cookies. 

"  I  shall  pye  and  pye  shake  hants  mit  you  all 
ofera  thousant  ells  of  leverworcht,  anda  botash 
Kettle  full  of  hot  schnapps,  py  the  site  of  zwei 
hay  stags  of  prown  pretzels.  We  have  vrighten 
all  man  kint  into  beace  mit  us,  du  zeason  hasd 
pe  very  vruitful,  die  hucleperries  hash  brotuce 
by  tousants,  and  die  Krout  wash  nefer  more 
apuntant.  Gommerse  hash  vlourish  poundival- 
ly,  maar  it  ish  mit  pidder  crief  dat  I  lament  dat 
your  honoraple  poty  tit  not  bass  de  dariff  pill, 
vor  de  prodegtion  of  the  many  Dutche  mens 
engaged  in  dee  manufacture  of  worsht,  roelstjes 
and  Sour  Krout,  ash  I  recgommentet  in  mine 
lasht  animal  messitch  op  your  honoraple  poty 
lasht  winder.  Maar  it  ish  no  wonter,  if,  ash  I 
have,  mine  Sour  Krout  messicht  was  only  red  in 
der  firsd  house.  I  regomment  thot  a  special 
choint  gommittee  be  ajJpointed  py  bote  pranges 
of  die  shtate  lechislature,  to  inguire  into  des 
tirdy  pisness,  mit  bower  to  side  bersons  and  ba- 
bers,  ant  teal  out  blixen  to  der  gilty.  Your 
axacutif  pardly  in   liees   lumper   waccon,   ant 


68 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


pardly  up  his  pedder  half,  du  olt  gray  horse,  has 
fisid  mouch  of  der  state  der  bast  zeason,  ant 
many  goundies  haf  pe  well  recoort  vor  de  tim- 
mygradic  dicket  *  *       -  *  *         * 

"  I  woot  fudder  regomment  dat  in  orter  to 
brefent  anoder  sech  scrabe,  dere  pe  none  but 
Deutschen  officers  appint  py  der  shtate  brisons, 
ant  none  freed  Deutschers  electit  brisoners,  so 
dat  dey  can  one  anoder  vershty  when  dey  talks 
Deutsch,  oder  Yankee.  Your  axacutif  has 
pecure  for  to  mofe  in  dis  madder,  py  abbinting 
one  vrint  to  an  office  of  Sing  Sing,  wat  put  hees 
name  on  a  ferry  coot  deutsch  electioneering 
ledder  a  yahr  aco  lasht  vail.  »         *         » 

"  We  pe  in  beace  mit  all  mangint.  We  receife 
bromishes  of  coot  will  and  brotection  vrom  all 
de  ground  hets  in  de  worlt.  We  haf  hope  of  a 
fisit  from  fader  Mattewanddat  vine  old  chendle- 
man  der  bope  of  Room.         »         *         *         * 

"  Veller  shitizens,  I  vas  elactit .  pegaus  I  vas 
ein  Deutschman.  Ise  pe  shtill  ein  Deutschman. 
Dish  ish  ein  strong  glaim  of  die  tear  peebles, 
Ein  Deutscher  moost,  py  coorse,  make  a  coot 
cooferner. 

"Maar  ash  dat,  I  wash  elactet  pegauSe  I  was 
auch  ien  varnier.  An  I  pe  shoost  zo  mooch  ein 
varmer  now  ash  I  usht  to  was.  I  haf  blow,  und 
trag  und  sow,  and  mow  choost  so  mooch  since 
I  haf  pin  coofener  ash  pefore,  and  choost  so 
mooch  winder  ash  zummer,  (pedween  you  ant 
me  ant  die  old  woman  on  top  of  Shtate  house,) 
Dish  ish  anoder  shtrong  glaime  of  dee  beeples. 
Oh,  dee  beeples !  dee  tear  beeples !  der  coot, 
wise  und  safferin  beeples. 

"More  ash  all  dish,  I  was  elactit  pegause  I 
tit  nefer  shteal  any  of  der  beeble's  money.*  It 
ish  drue,  die  sazzy  wicks  tid  tenie  all  dis.  Maar, 
we  zoon  vount  out  a  way  to  zilence  de  minority, 
dey  goud  nelting  brofe,  ant  any  mon  ish  always 
innozend  dill  broof  Gildy.  I  pe  so  clat  tat  I  pe 
noch  innozend,  vor  1  dere   py  shtant   a  nople 

*  The  author  says,  "  This  claim  was  never  seriously 
disputed.  It  was  only  a  decided  claim  for  a  negative 
virtue.  And  it  is  no  insignificant  commentary  on  the 
subsequent  progress  of  political  morality,  to  ask  which 
of  the  actors  on  the  public  stage  since,  can  claim  as 
much?  Let  the  authentic  history  of  the  past  few  years 
answer  the  question.  It  is  but  too  often  true,  that  the 
outs  are  impatiently  laboring  to  oust  the  ins,  that  they 
may  retrench  and  reform  after  the  pattern  of  Reho- 
boam.     See  II  Chron.  a,  io." 


jance  for  a  re-election  ter  next  vail.  Dish  glaime 
pe  choost  so  coot  est  efer,  and  of  dis  crount 
any  one  of  you  dat  out  lifs  me  and  mine  poys, 
gansrun  for  cofernor,  if  he  nefer  shtole  any  of 
der  beeples  money. 

»***♦«« 
"I  haf  long  aco,  mein  Schoharie  vrients,bromish 
dat  iv  elactet,  I  would  to  sometings  vor  die  rail 
roat,  so  vor  at  leasht  as  de  Vly  Zummit,  ant  py 
way  of  vulvilling  dat  bromish,  I  woult  here  zay 
dat  next  to  vurnishing  blendy  of  offishes  vor 
mein  vamily,  nothing  lie  so  near  mein  pelly  to, 
ash  der  Vly  Zummit." 

Amid  the  political  excitement  of  1840  to 
1845,  the  sheriff  of  the  County  was  frequently 
resisted  in  collecting  executions  that  were  ob- 
tained by  due  process  of  law,  for  rents  upon 
lands  owned  in  the  southern  part  of  the  County 
by  the  Livingstons. 

Large  tracts  were  owned  by  those  heirs, 
which  were  divided  into  small  farms  and  leased 
for  a  stated  term  of  years  or  an  uncertain 
period,  during  the  life  of  one  or  more  of  the 
family  of  the  lessee  at  a  yearly  rental.  Those 
yearly  rentals  the  tenants  refused  to  pay  for 
their  supposed  illegality,  and  wherever  leased 
land  existed,  more  particularly  in  Greene  and 
Delaware  counties,  a  resistance  was  .  made  to 
the  officials  in  their  attempts  to  collect,  and 
every  neighborhood  was  thrown  into  the  great- 
est excitement  over  the  prospect  of  an  anti- 
rent  war. 

Greene,  Delaware,  Rensselaer,  Albany,  Mont- 
gomery and  Schoharie  counties  were  the  seats 
of  expected  hostilities,  but  such  extremes  were 
not  resorted  to,  only  in  Delaware,  Albany  and 
Schoharie.  Osmer  N.  Steele,  a  deputy  sheriff  of 
Delaware,  while  acting  in  his  official  capacity, 
was  killed,  and  the  brightest  prospects  of  blood- 
shed existed  in  Schoharie.  John  S.  Brown  was 
sheriff,  and  being  so  stubbornly  resisted  in  the 
enforcement  of  the  law  and  duty ;  threatened 
with  death,  tar  and  feathers,  and  every  con- 
ceivable and  inconceivable  torture,  he  called 
upon  the  State  for  arms  and  ammunition  and 
enlisted  one  hundred  men  to  enforce  order  and 
obedience  to  law.  The  force  was  raised  in  the 
month  of  March,  1845,  and  was  marched 
through    Middleburgh,    Fulton,    Blenheim  and 


THE  ANTI-RENT  TROUBLES. 


69 


Broome  to  Gilboa,  making,  no  doubt,  the  very 
hills  tremble  by  their  martial  tread,  and  the 
Anti's  quail  before  the  glittering  bayonets.  Judg- 
ments in  the  hands  of  the  sheriff  were  collected, 
and  peace  began  to  loom  up  over  the  ragged 
precipice  of  despair,  while  the  tax-payers'  grum- 
bling disturbed  the  political  waters  and  threat- 
ened to  upset  the  seemingly  safe  causes  in  which 
many  were  sailing  up  the  stream  of  distinction 
and  healthy  emoluments.  While  the  force  lay  • 
at  Gilboa  with' "  victory  "  depicted  upon  each 
countenance,  the  sheriff  and  his  deputy,  Tobias 
Bouck,  started  from  Schoharie  to  join  them. 
While  stopping  at  "  Fink's  Tavern "  in  North 
Blenheim,  they  were  surprised  to  find  them- 
selves surrounded  by  nearly  three  hundred  anti- 
renters,  many  of  them  in  full  costumes  of  Indian 
warriors,  and  one  of  modern  experience  may 
imagine  army  contractors,  sutlers  and  carpet- 
baggers. The  belligerents  were  armed,  and 
like  Knickerbocker's  company  of  Dutch,  were 
"brimful  of  wrath  and  cabbage."  An  escape 
was  impossible,  and  after  much  parleying  and 
threatening  the  officials  were  taken  to  "Bald- 
win Heights  "  for  the  purpose  of  being  present- 
ed with  a  respectable  coat  of  tar  and  feathers. 

The  fact  of  their  capturing  the  officials  spread 
throughout  the  neighborhood,  and  a  few  living 
at  some  distance  mounted  horses  and  hastened 
to  witness  the  "  presentation.''  There  was  a 
heavy  crust  upon  the  snow,  and  as  the  horses 
made  considerable  noise,  especially  in  galloping 
over  a  bridge  not  far  distant,  the  Anti's  not 
being  able  to  discern  the  cause  of  it  by  "occu- 
lar  demonstration,''  listened  to  the  whisperings 
of  cautious  imagination  and  fled  precipitately, 
with  the  belief  that  the  sheriff's  posse  of  one 
hundred  men  was  upon  their  heels. 

Brown  and  Bouck  stood  "  alone  in  their 
glory,''  "  sole  monarchs  of  all  they  surveyed," 
without  receiving  the  belligerents'  testimonials 
of  their  contempt.  Soon  the  dark  clouds  of 
war  passed  away,  quiet  was  restored  and  the  posse 
disbanded,  with  the  happy  thought  "  nobody 
hurt." 

Over  three  thousand  dollars  were  expended 
to  collect  in  the  neighborhood  of  three  hundred. 
Brown  was  censured  by  many,  for  taking  the 
steps  he  did  but  he  was  an  official,  and  was  resist- 
ed in  the  execution  of  his  duties.    If  force  is  used 


to  resist,  force  must  be  used  to  obey.  The  law 
must  be  obeyed  regardless  of  the  expenditure 
to  enforce  it;  that  should  be  secondary  if  con- 
sidered at  all.  It  was  believed  by  those  who 
were  acquainted  with  the  state  of  affairs  at  that 
time,  that  if  the  sheriff  had  not  taken  the  steps 
he  did  in  the  beginning  of  the  troubles,  the 
affair  would  have  proved  serious.  Those  that 
were  implicated  in  the  matter,  now  hving,  look 
back  upon  the  "  Anti-Rent  war  "  with  a  smile, 
as  upon  amusing  incidents  of  younger  days, 
with  "mahce  towards  none"  as  true  patriots 
will  do  after  an  exciting  campaign. 

During  the  political  and  rental  excitements 
that  agitated  the  people,  which  we  have 
noticed,  progressive  minds  were  active  in  bring- 
ing the  County  up  to  the  height  of  improve- 
ments that  characterized  a  few  of  the  adjoining 
counties.  The  Catskill  &  Canajoharie  Railroad 
Company  was  chartered  on  the  19th  of  April, 
1830,  the  capital  stock  was  subscribed,  and  the 
road,  as  will  be  seen  by  Governor  Bouck's 
message,  built  within  a  few  miles  of  the  Scho- 
harie creek.  The  business  men  of  Albany  city 
saw  the  project  would  be  detrimental  to  their 
interest,  purchased  the  stock  and  let  the  enter, 
prise  fail. 

Another  railroad  was  contemplated,  and  an 
act  passed  on  the  9th  of  May,  1836,  to  incor- 
porate the  same  as  the  Unadilla  &  Schoharie 
Railroad  Company.  The  road  was  to  be  con- 
structed from  a  "  point  in  the  county  of  Otsego, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Unadilla  river,  and 
thence  extending  up  the  valleys  of  the  Susque- 
hanna river  and  the  Schenevus  creek  and  down 
the  Cobleskill  valley  to  a  point  near  the  Scho- 
harie creek,  with  leave  also  to  extend  the  said 
railroad  from  the  southern  termination  above 
mentioned  to  the  New  York  &  Erie  Railroad." 
John  P.  Bellinger,  Isaac  Hayes,  Thaddeus  R. 
Austin,  Wm.  Angle,  Peter  Colher,  Jesse  Rose, 
Schuyler  Crippen,  Arvine  Clark  and  Peter  W. 
Snyder  were  commissioned  to  "open  books  to 
receive  subscriptions  to  the  capital  stock." 

The  project  was  abandoned  and  the  parties 
that  were  interested  living  in  the  County  be- 
came attached  to  the  Catskill  road,  and  bent 
their  energies  to  a  speedy  completion  of  it.  An 
act  also  was  passed  on  the  2Sth  of  April,  r832, 
to  incorporate  the  Schoharie  &  Otsego   Rail- 


70 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


road  Company.  Peter  Collier,  Eliakim  R.  Ford, 
Jesse  Rose,  Leonard  Caryl,  Thomas  B.  Van 
Alstyne,  John  Westover,  Peter  W.  Snyder, 
Abraham  L.  Lawyer,  Peter  Shafer,  Jr.,  and 
Philip  Mann,  were  the  "body  corporate  and 
politic."  The  capital  stock  was  $300,000, 
divided  into  shares  of  $50  each.  The  sub- 
scription committee  were  Eben  E.  Morehouse, 
Peter  CoUier,  Jared  Goodyear,  Jr.,  Harvey  W. 
Babcock,  Schuyler  Crippen,  Jesse  Rose,  Thomas 
Lawyer,  John  P.  Bellinger,  Henry  Hamilton, 
Wm.  Mann  and  Freeman  Stanton.  This  enter- 
prise also  was  dropped. 

Sharon  made  several  attempts  to  connect  the 
Spa  with  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  but 
all  proved  failures.  The  first  was  in  1838  when 
the  Canajoharie  &  Catskill  R.  R.  was  being 
built.  An  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  on 
the  i8th  of  April  of  that  year  "  To  provide  for  the 
construction  of  the  Sharon  &  Root  Railroad." 

It  was  to  connect  with  the  Catskill  Road  at 
some  point  in  the  town  of  Root,  Montgomery 
county.  The  capital  stock  was  fifty  thousand 
dollars  with  the  privilege  of  increasing  the  same 
to  a  sum  not  to  exceed  seventy  thousand,  which 
should  be  divided  into  shares  of  fifty  dollars 
each.  John  Hyney,  John  Beakly,  Adam  Empie, 
George  F.  Fox,  Aaron  Malick,  John  Crounse, 
Jun.,  A.  Smith  Knight  and  Joseph  H.  Ramsey 
were  the  subscription  committee. 

The  next  object  that  absorbed  the  public 
mind  throughout  the  County,  as  in  other  sec- 
tions of  the  State,  was  the  building  of  plank 
roads.  It  was  not  supposed  possible  to 
connect  Schoharie  with  the  outside  world  by 
"  iron  ties ''  after  so  many  efforts  had  proved 
failures,  and  the  next  best  improvement  was 
plank  roads,  in  which  large  amounts  of  hard 
earned  dollars  were  invested,  to  be  trampled 
upon  and  slivered  up  without  returning  very 
flattering  dividends. 

One  was  built  from  Middleburgh,  through 
Schoharie  and  Gallupville,  to  intersect  the 
Western  Turnpike  nine  miles  from  Albany,  and 
one  also  from  Schoharie  to  Richmondville, 
through  Mineral  Springs  and  Warnerville,  also 
from  Richmondville  to  Summit  and  Charlotte- 
sville. The  road  leading  from  Central  Bridge  to 
Schoharie  was  planked  to  intersect  the  Albany 
road  at  Fox's  Creek.     These  roads  were  of  the 


best  when  newly  laid,  but  upon  becoming  worn 
were  rough  and  uneven,  making  it  wearisome 
for  teams. 

Not  being  very  durable,  replacing  the  plank 
and  other  natural  expenditures  made  a  continual 
expense,  which  the  low  tolls  were  insufficient  to 
meet  and  which  caused  their  abandonment  in  a 
few  years.  Covering  the  worn  planks  with 
pounded  stone  and  gravel  made  excellent  roads 
until  the  frost  raised  the  planks  to  the  surface, 
but  the  expense  of  keeping  them  in  order  satis- 
fied capitalists  of  their  inability  to  obtain  paying 
dividends. 

About  the  same  time  (1850  and  after)  that 
plank  roads  excited  capitalists,  another  financial 
enterprise  loomed  up,  in  which  many  engaged 
to  the  detriment  of  their  monetary  prosperity, 
and  which  we  can  only  style  as  the  Seminary 
Mania. 

The  first  was  built  at  Charlotte vi He,  costing 
about  thirty  thousand  dollars.  By  careful  finan- 
ciering on  imaginary  results  the  enterprise  fig- 
ured a  large  dividend,  which  was  so  exhorbitant 
that  the  envy  of  capitalists  was  excited  and 
other  institutions  of  the  kind  were  organized  at 
different  places  with  increased  facilities  and  ex- 
pense. The  citizens  of  the  pleasant  Cobleskill 
valley  formed  a  stock  company  and  built  the 
Richmondville  Collegiate  Seminary  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1852,  at  an  expense  of  thirty-two  thous- 
and dollars,  having  accommodations  for  three 
hundred  pupils.  The  school  opened  with  very 
flattering  success,  which  was  keenly  watched  by 
the  ambition  of  people  of  other  sections,  and 
before  its  existence  proved  either  a  success  or 
failure,  a  company  consisting  principally  of  far- 
mers, organized  and  built  the  Carlisle  Seminary 
at  Carlisle  village.  The  fall  of  1853  found  the 
building,  at  a  cost  of  thirty-three  thousand  dol- 
lars, ready  to  accommodate  three  hundred 
scholars. 

Scarcely  was  the  school  commenced  before 
the  deluded  farmers  of  Warnerville  were  at- 
tacked with  the  mania  to  such  an  extent  that 
twenty-five  thousand  of  their  hard  earned  dollars 
were  exhausted  in  a  similar  structure  called  the 
Warnerville  Collegiate  Institute.  It  is  the  only 
building  left  standing  and  has  been  unoccupied 
for  many  years.  Incendiary  fires  and  the  im- 
practicable method  adopted  in  their  management 


SEMINARIES  —  RAILROADS. 


71 


made  serious  failures,  as  they  proved  ruinous  to 
those  of  moderate  means,  who  were  induced  to 
invest,  and  many  happy  homes  were  sacrificed 
by  the  losses  which  were  incurred.  These  schools 
were  for  the  education  of  both  male  and  female, 
with  all  the  necessary  conveniences  for  board- 
ing within  the  buildings,  together  with  the  teach- 
ers and  required  help.  They  gave  a  thorough 
course  in  all  branches. 

The  rates  of  tuition  were  low,  also  board, 
which  made  it  an  object  for  those  seeking  an 
education,  with  Umited  means.  Good  board, 
including  furnished  rooms,  washing  and  iron- 
ing, three  meals  each  day,  with  all  the  privileges 
accorded  to  a  member  of  a  well  regulated  fam- 
ily, were  obtained  for  the  low  price  of  three 
dollars  per  week,  which  any  one  of  practical  ob- 
servance will  plainly  see,  was  far  less  than  could 
be  afforded. 

For  several  years  an  idea  was  entertained  by 
enterprising  business  men  of  Albany  City, 
Cobleskill,  Schenevus  and  Susquehanna  valleys, 
of  building  a  railroad  to  connect  the  Hudson  at 
Albany,  with  the  Erie  road  at  Binghamton,  but 
did  not  receive  any  direct  action  until  the  year 

1854.  A  company  was  formed,  and  Civil  "En- 
gineer Chas.  W.  Wentz  was  employed  to  sur- 
vey the  route,  which  was  found  practicable,  and 
renewed  efforts  were  made  by  issuing  stock  cer- 
tificates and  obtaining  the  right  of  way  along 
the  line,  besides  inviting  towns  through  which  it 
passed,  to  issue  bonds  to  aid  in  its  construction. 
Passing  through  the  County  from  east  to  west, 
and  opening  a  rapid  transit  to  the  best  markets 
in  the  world,  to  those  who  were  from  thirty  to 
sixty  miles  distant,  the  people  took  a  lively  in- 
terest in  the  enterprise,  regardless  of  their  losses 
in  former  projects.  Joseph  H.  Ramsey,  of  Law- 
yersville,  turned  his  energies  in  behalf  of  the 
road,  and  was  sent  to  the  Assembly  in  the  year 

1855,  for  the  purpose  of  advocating  "  State  aid." 
In  all  of  the  improvements  made   in   other 

sections  of  the  State,  in  which  State  aid  was 
granted,  Schoharie  County  had  borne  her  share 
of  the  burden  of  taxation,  and  had  not  received 
any  aid  for  herself,  and  had  been  but  little,  if 
any,  benefitted  by  such  projects.  In  fact,  nearly 
the  whole  territory  through  which  the  road 
passed,  had  been  exempt  from  receiving  any  as- 
sistance in  internal  improvements. 


Mr.  Ramsey  was  sent  to  the  Senate  the  two 
following  years,  but  was  unsuccessful. 

A  bill  was  passed  in  1858,  giving  aid  to  the 
road,  in  the  sum  of  one  million  dollars,  after  the 
road  was  completed  to  Schoharie  creek.  Ed- 
win D.  Morgan  was  then  governor,  and  upon 
some  technicality  he  withheld  his  signature. 
Again,  the  bill  obtained  by  Mr.  Ramsey,  in  the 
Senate,  of  i860,  was  placed  before  that  official 
after  his  second  election,  but  it  received  his 
second  veto.  The  year  1862  placed  Horatio 
Seymour  in  the  Gubernatorial  chair,  and  found 
Mr.  Ramsey  in  the  Senate,  and  Wm.  C.  La- 
ment in  the  Assembly.  Strenuous  efforts  were 
made  by  those  gentlemen  for  the  passage  of  the 
third  bill.  It  began  to  roll  through,  breaking 
down  every  barrier,  and  at  last  culminated  in  its 
passage  and  received  the  signature  of  the  gov- 
ernor. Renewed  efforts  were  made  in  the  build- 
ing of  the  road  and  in  the  year  1863  it  was 
completed  to  the  Schoharie  creek,  and  in  1865, 
the  cars  passed  through  the  County.  On  the 
24th  of  February,  1870,  the  road  was  leased  for 
the  term  of  ninety-nine  years,  to  the  Delaware 
and  Hudson  Canal  Company.  Like  all  other 
successful  enterprises,  this  one  gave  birth  and 
vigor  to  others. 

The  Schoharie  Valley  Railroad  was  built  in 
1867,  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars, to  connect  with  the  Susquehanna,  east  of 
Central  Bridge  station.  Middleburgh  also,  desir- 
ing to  be  connected  with  the  rest  of  the  world  by 
"iron  ties,"  built  a  road  from  the  ancient 
"  dorf,"  to  intersect  the  Schoharie  Valley  Road, 
at  the  village  of  Schoharie,  in  the  year  1868,  at 
a  cost  of  one  hundred  and  five  thousand  dollars. 
The  two  roads  make  a  continuous  hne  of  10.13 
miles  and  are  managed  by  two  separate  boards  of 
directors.     [See  Schoharie  and  Middleburgh.J 

For  years  the  business  portion  of  Cherry 
Valley,  and  especially  Sharon  Spa, '  felt  the 
need  of  a  railroad,  as  they  were  respectively 
twelve  and  ten  miles  from  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral. Sharon,  being  a  summer  resort,  was 
forced  to  struggle  against  other  watering  places, 
under  the  disadvantage  of  being  distant  from 
public  thoroughfares,  since  the  greatest  number 
resort  to  such  places  for  pleasure  instead  of  the 
effects  of  the  medicinal  properties  found  in  the' 
water. 


72 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


When  the  Susquehanna  road  was  completed 
a  project  was  started  to  connect  the  two  places 
with  it  at  Cobleskill.  Mr.  Bates,  of  Cherry 
Valley,  was  at  the  head  of  the  enterprise  and 
induced  the  towns  along  the  line  to  issue  bonds 
for  its  construction.  The  road  was  opened  on 
the  i6th  of  June,  1870,  at  a  total  cost  of  six 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  being  20.91  miles  in 
length.  The  "  Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal 
Company,"  in  the  year  1871,  leased  the  Sus- 
quehanna road  and  this  branch  for  the  term  of 
ninety-nine  years.- 

The  transaction  was  a  wise  one,  as  the  lessor 
company  is  a  heavy  coal  mining  association, 
possessing  inexhaustible  mines  and  will  make 
these  roads  the  arteries  through  which  their 
products  will  flow  with  a  certainty  for  the  term 
of  their  lease,  at  least. 

Upon  the  building  of  the  railroad  through  Cob- 
leskill another  enterprise  received  its  birth,  at 
Howe's  Cave,  which  each  returning  season  proves 
to  be  of  more  marked  proportions.  The  road  runs 
nearly  one  hundred  feet  from  the  Ijed  of  the 
creek  at  this  point,  upon  the  side  of  the  lime 
rock  hill,  in  which  Nature  has  placed  treasures 
which  the  genius  of  man  requires  to  aid  in  the 
construction  of  his  enterprises,  as  well  as  to  in- 
struct that  ambitious  spirit  of  the  wisdom  and 
power  of  the  divine  Godhead.  From  the  sur- 
face of  this  hill  is  obtained  limestone  which 
produces  lime  of  a  superior  quality,  to  the  depth 
of  forty  feet,  beneath  which  lies  a  strata  of 
cement  to  the  depth  of  ten  feet,  which  proves 
equal  to  any,  as  is  testified  by  railroad,  canal 
and  pubhc  building  officials.  The  cement 
strata  hes  upon. a  limestone  of  a  harder  forma- 
tion which  is  used  for  building  and  is  capable 
of  receiving  a  very  fine  polish  equal  to  any 
black  marble.  The  "  marble  "  stratum  is  about 
twenty  feet  in  thickness  and  is  underlaid  by  one 
of  gypsum  to  the  depth  of  ten  feet,  The  whole 
lies  upon  a  very  hard  blue  limestone  similar  to 
the  stratum  between  the  cement  and  gypsum. 
Two  companies  were  formed  upon  the  comple- 
tion of  the  railroad  at  this  place  for  the  purpose 
of  manufacturing  lime,  cement  and  plaster, 
which  are  now  in  progress,  and  considering  the 
dullness  of  the  times  for  the  last  few  years 
have  increased  their  facilities  and  business  be- 
yond expectations. 


Howe's  Cave  Association  is  a  stock  company, 
and  under  the  management  of  the  treasurer 
Joseph  H.  Ramsey.  During  the  stagnant  busi- 
ness year  of  1878  the  sales  of  cement  were  over 
13,000  barrels,  and  that  of  lime  19,000  bushels, 
besides  a  large  quantity  of  plaster,  building, 
rough  and  dressed  stone,  the  amount  of 
which  we  are  unable  to  give.  This  company 
has  one  draw  kiln  for  lime,  and  three  pits  for 
the  burning  of  cement,  with  a  mill,  driven  by 
steam  for  the  grinding  of  the  same. 

Another  firm  company,  of  which  Hon.  John 
Westover,  of  Richmondville,  is  president,  under 
the  name  of  Howe's  Cave  Lime  &•  Cement  Co., 
with  a  capital  of  $100,000,  possesses  nearly  the 
same  facilities  for  the  production  of  stone  pro- 
ducts. The  business  of  the  company  is  con- 
ducted by  Eli  Rose,  its  treasurer,  and  the  sales 
for  the  same  year  (1878)  were  10,000  barrels 
of  cement,  20,000  bushels  of  prime  lime  and 
several  thousand  of  a  second  class  article, 
beside  a  large  quantity  of  rough  and  dressed 
stone.  It  is  a  few  feet  above  the  cement 
stratum,  in  that  of  the  lime  rock  proper,  that 
the  world-famed  Howe's  Cave  is  found,  of  which 
particular  mention  is  made  in  Chapter  X  of  this 
work. 

The  quarries  of  the  County  are  the  finest  of 
the  State  for  building  purposes,  monuments, 
bases,  curbs  and  every  other  purpose  for  which 
solid  and  easily  wrought  stone  is  used. 

A  gray  sandstone  is  found  near  Warnerville, 
that  bids  fair  to  be  of  great  value  in  the  build- 
ing of  monuments  and  fronting  residences, 
owing  to  its  beauty  of  color  and  solidity.  The 
stone  works  of  Middleburgh  are  producing  su- 
perior flagging,  which  is  being  shipped  to  all 
parts  of  the  country.  It  is  a  fact  that  the  quar- 
ries of  the  County  are  inexhaustible,  and  in 
them  lies  untold  wealth,  waiting  for  the  strong 
arm  of  capital  and  labor  to  develop  them. 

Throughout  the  lime  rock  sections  mineral 
springs  issue  from  the  fissures  of  the  rock, 
which  are  justly  celebrated  for  their  curative 
properties  in  rheumatic  and  cutaneous  diseases, 
of  which  Sharon  Springs  is  the  chief,  and  where 
many  thousand  resort  for  relief  and  pleasure.  A 
sulphur  spring  issues  from  a  rocky  bank,  of  such 
strength  as  to  impregnate  the  atmosphere  at 
some   distance  with  sulphuretted  hydrogen  and 


MINERAL  SPRINGS. 


73 


incrustate  the  bed  of  the  brook  in  which  it  flows. 
A  short  distance  from  the  sulphur  is  the  attrac- 
tive water,  and  called  the  Magnesia  Spring  as  it 
contains  a  greater  amount  of  magnesium  and 
lime  and  but  little  sulphur,  which  makes  it  more 
palatable  than  the  former.  The  analysis  of  this 
water  may  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  Sharon, 
together  with  a  history  of  the  village.  A 
chalybeate  vein  appears  a  short  distance  above 
but  during  dry  seasons  it  fails  to  perform  its 
office  to  supply,  and  but  little  dependence  can 
be  placed  upon  it. 

Nearly  five  miles  east  of  Sharon,  at  Moak's 
Hollow,  other  sulphurous  waters  flow  from  the 
side  of  a  hill,  which  many,  that  have  expe- 
rience in  their  effects,  think  excels  Sharon,  but 
which  are  little  known,  as  efforts  have  never 
been  taken  to  bring  them  te  the  notice  of  the 
pubUc. 

Upon  the  south  side  of  the  Cobleskill  creek 
at  a  small  hamlet  known  for  many  years  as 
France's  Corners  and  Cobleskill  Centre,  a  sul- 
phurous spring  rises  from  the  rocks  that  is 
nearly  of  the  composition  of  the  Moak's  Hollow 
spring.  Efforts  were  made  from  time  to  time 
to  bring  the  attention  of  the  pubHc  to  their 
curative  properties,  but  were  met  with  but  little 
encouragement.  Several  other  mineral  springs, 
chiefly  sulphur,  appear  in  different  sections  of 
the  County,  of  less  virtue,  to  which  it  is  un- 
necessary to  refer. 

A  few  mild  salt  springs  also  appear,  from  which 
the  Indians  of  long  ago  and  the  early  settlers 
manufactured  salt,  and  around  which  many  relics 
of  their  day  and  use  have  been  found.  The  early 
settlers,  especially  the  late  Judge  Brown,  were 
induced  to  think  that  coal  abounded  in  many 
of  the  hills  from  the  fact  that  a  substance 
resembling  anthracite  was  frequently  found  near 
their  base.  Not  being  instructed  in  the  geologi- 
cal formation  of  the  earth,  they  believed  that  at 
a  considerable  depth  it  would  be  found  inferior 
to  none  and  in  great  abundance,  and  a  spas- 
modic coal  fever  would  occasionally  attack  some 
strong  believers  and  lead  them  to  expend  a  few 
dollars  in  opening  the  treasure  boxes. 

While  industry  has  wrought  a  great  change  in 
the  surface  of  Schoharie  and  swelled  the  volume 
of  production,  the  people  have  not  been  un- 
mindful of  the  importance  of  educational  in- 


terests. As  each  neighborhood  was  settled, 
schools  were  established,  and  as  each  genera- 
tion "returneth,"  a  more  advanced  improve- 
ment has  been  noticed  in  the  interest  taken  by 
the  construction  of  school  buildings  and  their 
apparatus,  course  of  studies  and  required  ability 
of  teachers.  In  the  annual  report  of  John  H. 
Salsbury,  County  Superintendent  of  Common 
Schools,  made  on  the  first  of  January,  1845,  he 
says : — 

"  The  number  of  teachers  hcensed  by  me 
during  the  past  year  is  twenty-four,  ten  of  whom 
received  special  certificates  for  one  year." 

There  are  at  present  two  hundred  and  six- 
teen school  districts,  employing  three  hundred 
and  ninety-two  teachers.  The  average  ex- 
pense for  all  school  purposes  for  the  last 
three  years  was  nearly  sixty -four  thousand 
dollars.  Several  of  the  village  districts  have 
adopted  the  academic  system,  employing  a 
corps  of  teachers,  and  possess  all  the  facilities 
for  giving  the  student  a  thorough  course  of  in- 
struction. The  County  is  divided  into  two  dis- 
tricts, over  each  of  which  is  elected  a  school 
commissioner,  that  unite  annually  and  hold  a 
convention  of  teachers,  under  the  name  of 
"County  Institute,"  for  the  purpose  of  the  exam- 
ination of  teachers,  introduction  of  systems  of 
instruction,  and  a  general  conference  of  teachers 
to  awaken  a  livelier  interest  in  the  cause.  For- 
merly each  town  elected  a  Superintendent  of 
Schools,  who  granted  licenses,  visited  the 
schools  and  m^ade  a  report  to  the  Secretary  of 
State  through  the  county  clerk,  but  the  system 
not  being  considered  thorough,  a  law  was  passed 
April  17,  1843,  for  the  appointment  by  the 
Boards  of  Supervisors  of  County  Superintend- 
ents. For  unknown  reasons  the  office  was 
abolished  in  1847,  and  town  superintendents 
were  again  elected  to  the  year  1856,  when  a 
law  was  passed  creating  the  present  office 
of  Commissioner.  Under  the  administration 
of  superintendents  a  County  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion   was   formed   and   held   annual  meetings. 

Among  the  members  were  the  veterans 

Jenkins,  John  C.  Selleck,  A.  Smith  Knight,, D. 
CUnton  Dow,   David  H.  Morris,  Bartholomew 

Becker,  Spenser,  Ezra  Smith,  John  H. 

Salsbury,  S.  Ann  Guffin,  Walter  Cross  and 
William  Snyder. 


74 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Hand  in  hand  with  education  has  been  the 
march  of  rehgion.  The  first  church  in  the 
County  was  organized  in,  or  a  short  time  pre- 
vious to  1728,  and  at  the  commencement  of 
the  Revolution  but  four  buildings  had  been 
erected  for  divine  worship.  There  are  at 
present  seventy-five  organizations  with  an  equal 
number  of  churches,  a  general  history  of  which 
may  be  found  in  the  towns'  history  to  which 
they  belong.  The  Methodist  persuasion  pre- 
dominates in  numbers,  they  being  thirty-one  ; 
of  the  Lutheran  there  are  fourteen  ;  of  the  Re- 
formed thirteen ;  of  the  Baptist  nine ;  and  the 
remainder  are  Presbyterian,  Christian,  Episco- 
pal, Roman  CathoHc  and  UniversaHst.  Many 
of  the  churches  are  expensive  structures  and 
costly  furnished,  but  in  general,  they  are  plainly 
but  substantially  built  at  an  average  cost  of 
thirty-five  hundred  dollars.  Nearly  all  the  or- 
ganizations sustain  Sabbath  schools  and  a  Bible 
class,  and  furnish  service  in  school-houses  dis- 
tant from  churches. 

The  temperance  question  has  engaged  the 
attention  of  the  people  for  many  years  and  cre- 
ated a  distinctive  change  in  the  customs  and 
habits  of  the  people,  in  influencing  the  mass  to 
refrain  from  using  intoxicating  liquors,  to  which 
they  became  habitually  accustomed  in  the  early 
part  of  the  century.  While  several  convulsive 
excitements  were  experienced  in  behalf  of  the 
cause  in  previous  years,  the  first  effective  stroke 
in  the  County  was  made  in  the  year  1844  by 
the  societies  organized  under  the  name  of 
"  Washingtonians.''  Various  other  organizations 
have  done  much  in  suppressing  the  evil,  under 
different  names  and  plans  of  influence  from 
time  to  time,  and  have  done  well  in  their 
efforts. 

The  chief  orders  of  the  present  time  are 
"  Murphyites,"  "  Good  Templars,"  "Juvenile 
Templars,"  and  "Band  of  Hope,"  a  notice  of 
which  may  be  found  in  the  chapters  upon  each 
town  in  which  the  organizations  exist. 

The  County  Sabbath  School  Society  was 
formed  in  1854  by  Albert  Brown  of  Schoharie, 
who  was  appointed  the  first  secretary  by  the 
State  Sabbath  School  Association,  to  organize 
branch  societies.  It  was  upon  the  wane  at  one 
time,  but  again  revived  and  holds  yearly  con- 
ventions in  different  parts  of  the  County,  for 


the  purpose  of  discussing  and  adopting  uniform 
methods  for  the  best  interest  of  the  cause. 

To  awaken  a  livelier  interest,  town  organiza- 
tions have  been  effected  as  branches,  which 
prove  successful  in  bringing  the  whole  work 
down  to  a  business  system. 

Long  years  ago  the  veteran  "servants  of  the 
Master"  of  this  County  and  Delaware  called  a 
convention  in  the  Schoharie  courthouse  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  a  Bible  Society.  They 
met  on  the  7th  of  September,  1813,  and  formed 
the  Schoharie  and  Delaware  Bible  Society 
which  in  truth  preceded  the  American  Bible 
Society.  From  a  historical  discourse  delivered 
before  the  Society  at  its  Semi-Centennial  meet- 
ing in  the  Lutheran  church,-  of  Schoharie,  on 
the  6th  of  October,  1863,  by  the  Rev.  George 
A.  Lintner,  D.  D.,  President  of  the  Society,  we 
extract : — 

"  Rev.  Dr.  Augustus  Wackenhagen,  who  was 
then  Pastor  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church 
of  Schoharie  presided  at  the  convention  and 
was  chosen  first  President  of  the  Society. 

"  Dr.  Wackenhagen  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  Henry  Moeller,  of  Sharon,  in  181 4.  On 
the  31st  of  January,  1816,  the  connection  be- 
tween the  counties  of  Schoharie  and  Delaware, 
in  this  society  was  dissolved,  and  to  awaken  a 
livelier  interest  in  the  cause  and  render  their 
labors  more  efiicient,  each  county  formed  a  sep- 
arate association.  This  society  then  assumed 
the  title  of  The  Schoharie  County  Bible  Society, 
and  soon  after  became  an  auxiliary  to  the 
American  Bible  Society,  which  was  formed  in 
the  same  year. 

"Rev.  John  Molther,  who  had  succeeded  Dr. 
Wackenhagen  in  the  pastoral  charge  of  the 
Lutheran  church  at  Schoharie,  was  chosen  Pres- 
ident of  the  Society  in  1817.  In  1818,  Jacob 
Gebhard  was  elected  by  the  society  to  fill  the 
office  of  president,  the  duties  of  which  he  dis- 
charged for  two  years  with  his  characteristic 
zeal  and  fidelity  to  every  trust  that  was  com- 
mitted to  his  hands.  In  1822,  Henry  Becker 
became  president,  who  performed  the  duties  of 
the  office  in  the  true  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  with 
which  he  was  thoroughly  imbued.  The  next 
president  was  Rev.  John  F.  Schermerhorn,  who 
was  the  pastor  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church 
of  Middleburgh.     He  preached  his  first  sermon 


SOCIETIES. 


75 


before  the  society,  which  was  printed  and  circu- 
lated as  an  appeal  from  the  society  to  the  friends 
of  the  Bible,  for  their  support  and  co-operation 
in  the  new  enterprise  in  which  they  had  en- 
gaged. 

"In  1828  the  Rev.  Mr.  Salsbury  was  succeed- 
ed by  the  present  incumbent.  Dr.  Lintner, 
who  was  elected  in  1835,  which  office  he  has 
now  held  for  twenty-eight  years,  during  which 
time  he  has  had  frequent  occasions  to  feel 
thankful  for  the  satisfaction  and  pleasure  he  has 
derived  from  his  official  intercourse  with  the 
officers  and  members  of  the  society  who  have 
labored  with  him  in  the  cause.'' 

Dr.  Lintner's  "  satisfaction  and  pleasure " 
was  longer  extended,  as  he  held  the  position  un- 
til his  death,  which  occurred  December  22, 
1 87 1,  giving  to  him  the  long  term  of  thirty-six 
years  as  President  of  the  society.  Since  the 
death  of  Dr.  Lintner,  with  the  exception  of  a 
short  term,  Peter  S.  Danforth,  son-in-law  of  Dr. 
Lintner,  has  filled  the  position. 

We  are  indebted  to  author  Simrns  for  infor- 
mation in  regard  to  one  of  the  first  Masonic 
lodges  in  the  County.  Captain  Thomas  Machin 
settled  about  the  year  1797,  in  the  present  town 
of  Charleston,  near  the  county  line,  and  being 
a  Mason,  was  appointed  Master  to  install  offi- 
cers of  a  lodge  at  Schoharie,  called  Afnes 
Mark  Lodge.  Silas  Grey  was  appointed  S.  W., 
and  Johannes  Dietz,  J.  W.,  of  the  same.  We 
have  no  further  information  in  regard  to  it,  but 
find  in  the  Masonic  Registry,  of  1805,  mention 
of  two  lodges,  which  we  will  here  notice: — 

The  Schoharie  Union  Lodge,  at  Schoharie, 
had  a  membership  of  eighty-five,  and  the  officers 
were  Ralph  R.  Phelps,  M. ;  Storm  A.  Becker, 
S.  W.;  David  Swart,  J.  W.  ;  Peter  Vroman,  Jr., 
Tr. ;  Richard  Fishback,  Sec. ;  Wm.  Estelstine, 
S.  D.;  Nicholas  Delavergne,  J.  D. ;  Isaac  Sim 
monds  and  Lawrence  Chambers,  Stewards ; 
Joseph  Efnor,  Tiler.  The  date  of  this  organi- 
zation is  not  given. 

Sharon  Felicity  Lodge  numbered  thirty-five 
members,  and  the  officers  were:  Dr.  Zenas 
Pinneo,  M. ;  Enock  Kelsey,  S.  W.  ;  Joseph  Al- 
exander, J.  W. ;  John  Beakley,  Tr. ;  Reubin 
Parkinson,  Sec. ;  Joel  Rodgers,  S.  D. ;  David 
Cowden,  J.  D. ;  John  Johnson,  Jr.,  and  Peter 
Ripson,  Tiler. 


A  lodge  was  formed  at  Middleburgh  village, 
about  the  years  1825  or  '30,  but  we  cannot  give 
any  facts  relating  to  the  order,  excepting  the 
anti-masonic  excitements  of  the  thirties,  causing 
its  abandoment.  There  are  six  organizations 
of  the  ancient  order,  in  the  County,  a  notice  of 
which  may  be  found  in  following  chapters  of 
this  work. 

By  an  Act  of  Legislature  passed  April  1 2, 
i860,  Chas.  Goodyear,  John  G.  Gebhard,  Jr., 
Jacob  Vroman,  Peter  S.  Swart,  Jonas  Kilmer, 
Hobart  Krum,  David  Dietz,  Eli  P.  Garder, 
Wm.  H.  Davis,  William  Winter,  Tobias  Bouck, 
Treat  Durand,  and  Augustus  B.  F.  Pond,  of  the 
town  of  Schoharie;  Lyman  Sanford  and  George 
Manning,  of  Middleburgh  ;  Charles  Courter, 
and  Marcus  Borst,  of  Cobleskill;  Joseph  I. 
Brown,  and  Chas.  G.  Kenyon,  of  Carlisle ;  Asa- 
hel  Billings,  and  Mark  W.  Stevens,  of  Esperance, 
and  Weidman  Dominick,  Austin  Becker  and 
Ira  Zeh,  of  Wright,  were  constituted  a  body 
corporate  by  the  name  of  the  Schoharie  Valley 
Stock  Groovers'  Association. 

The  society  leased  fifteen  acres  at  Schoharie 
village,  for  exhibition  grounds,  erected  sub- 
stantial buildings,  and  graded  a  one-half  mile 
track  for  the  exhibition  of  speed.  At  the 
present  time  the  association  owns  the  grounds, 
being  in  debt  but  one  thousand  dollars. 

Premiums  upon  farm  products  and  stock  are 
given  yearly,  ranging  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
hundred  dollars. 

The  officers  of  1881  were  : — 

Trustees— Walter  Ferris,  Robert  N.  Stafford, 
Marshall  N.  DeNoyelles,  Darius  B.  Scott, 
Thomas  B.  Borst,  Isaac  C.  VanTuyl,  Hiram 
Schoolcraft,  F.  Wood,  Wm.  B.  Murphy,  Z.  J. 
Brown,  Schoharie ;  Wm.  H.  Mitchell,  G.  L. 
Haines,  Wm.  H.  Freemyer,  Fulton;  Nathaniel 
Manning,  David  Zeh,  Middleburgh  ;  A.  B.  Lar- 
kin,  Richmondville  ;  W.  Dominick,  Gallupville  ; 
Jacob  Angle,  Cobleskill. 

President— Nath.  Manning. 

ist  Vice-President— Jacob  Angle. 

2d  Vice-President— Z.  J.  Brown. 

3d  Vice-President— I.  C.  VanTuyl. 

Treasurer — M.  N.  DeNoyelles. 

Secretary — Robert  N.  Stafford. 

Executive  Committee— Walter  Ferris,  D.  B. 
Scott,  I.  C.  VanTuyl. 


76 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Finance  Committee— Hiram  Schoolcraft,  Z. 
J.  Brown,  Weidman  Dominick. 

Cobleskill  Agricultural  Society  was  organ- 
ized in  the  spring  of  1876.  The  yearly  pre- 
miums range  from  $1,000  to  $1,200,  and  the 
exhibitions  have  been  well  attended,  chiefly  by 
the  inhabitants  of  Carlisle,  Sharon,  Seward, 
Richmondville,  Summit,  Fulton  and  Cobleskill. 
The  first  officers  were  W.  C.  Lamont,  President, 
George  Bellinger,  Secretary,  and  Morris  Cohn, 
Treasurer.  Unparalleled  exertions  are  being 
made  for  the  fifth  annual  exhibition  under  the 
management  of  the  following  energetic  officers  : 

President — -Hon.  W.  C.  Lamont. 

Vice  Presidents — Stanton  P.  Osterhout,  P. 
A.  Angle,  W.  L.  Hawes,  Theodore  Owen,  W. 
S.  Clark,  Isaac  Hawes,  Minard  Proper,  Abram 
Osterhout,  John  Patrie,  W.  W.  Proper,  Peter 
Conro,  Ralph  Hyde,  Abram  Freeman,  R.  Shel- 
mandine,  Hiram  Schoolcraft,  Frank  Wood,  D. 
S.  Mann,  J.  A.  Warner,  Wellington  Shafer, 
Phihp  Zeh,  Dr.  Leonard,  Orlando  Mace,  Orson 
Spickerman,  H.  F.  Han  nay,  George  Shaler, 
John  Snyder,  Geo.  VanDyck,  Douglas  Thorpe. 

Treasurer — Martin  D.  Borst. 

Secretary — George  W.  BeUinger. 

General  Superintendent — William  H.  Mcin- 
tosh. 

Dep't  Superintendents — Horse  Dep't — Mar- 
cus Angle,  Thompson  Perrine;  Cattle,  Sheep 
and  Swine  Dep't — Jared  VanWaganen,  D.  H. 
Osterhout,  Madison  L.  Shafer;  Fruit  and  Veg- 
etable Dep't — H.  VanDreeser,  Daniel  Malick  ; 
Farm  Implement  Dep't — David  Lawyer,  P.  P. 
Karker;  Poultry  Dep't— Peter  E.  Borst;  Ladies' 
Dep't— J.  Henry  Hoffman. 

Directors— Marcus  Angle,  Thompson  Perrine, 
S.  D.  Karker,  Peter  Tingue,  John  O.  Ried,  G. 
W.  Dana,  Clinton  Nethaway,  David  Lawyer, 
Wm.  Farquher,  J.  J.  Dickinson. 

The  First  Annual  Exhibition  of  the  Schoharie 
County  Poultry  and  Pet  Stock  Association  was 
held  at  Cobleskill  village  in  February  from  the 
ist  to  the  4th,  1881.  The  enterprise  proved  a 
success  and  renewed  efforts  are  to  be  made  for  its 
future  prosperity,  and  certainty  of  its  existence. 
The  following  are  the  officers  : — 

President— C.  L.  Griggs,  Cobleskill,  N.  Y. 

Vice  Presidents— George  Boughton,  Hynds- 
ville;  Seneca   Sands,    Central   Bridge;  W.    L. 


Morrison,  Schoharie;  Geo.  Boom,  Jefferson; 
Hubbard  Elhs,  Livingston ville ;  Perry  E.  Mc- 
Master,  Sloansville ;  H.  W.  Champlain,  North 
Blenheim. 

Secretary — D.  A.  Hitchman,  Schoharie,  N.Y. 

Treasurer— L.  T.  Fox,  Cobleskill,  N.  Y. 

Executive  Committee — Rev.  J.  G.  Gooding, 
Schoharie;  James  Gale,  Barnerville ;  A.  H. 
Sexton,  Hyndsville;  C.  S.  Swart,  Howe's  Cave ; 
P.  E.  Borst,  Cobleskill. 

General  Superintendent  —  Peter  E.  Borst, 
Cobleskill,  N.  Y. 

Assistant  Superintendent — Charles  Limmer, 
Cobleskill,  N.  Y. 

Judge — I.  K.  Felch,  Natick,  Mass. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  a 
medical  society  was  formed,  but  at  what  date  is 
not  definitely  known,  but  supposed  to  have  been 
in  1808.  For  some  reason  the  order  was  aban- 
doned for  a  while.  Not  having  any  records  of 
the  same,  we  are  unable  to  give  a  correct  list  of 
its  members.  There  were  but  few  regular  pro- 
fessionals in  the  County,  and  they  had  a  hard 
service  to   perform,  and  but  small   pay.     The 

chief  physicians  were,  Jesse  Shepherd,  and  ■ 

Gannon,  of  Cobleskill ;  Zenas  Pinneo,  of  Sharon ; 
his  student  George  Fox,  followed  in  i82r,  and  J. 
B.  Roscoe,  of  Carhsle ;  Prentiss  Leonard,  of  Es- 
perance;  Origin  Brigham,  Cornelius  VanDyck, 
Jas.  VanGaasbeck,  of  Middleburgh  ;  P.  S.  Swart, 
of  Schoharie ;  Dr.  Shepherd  was  a  delegate 
to  the  State  Association  in  i8og  and  '10. 
The  organizations  now  in  order  are  com- 
posed of  those  adhering  to  the  allopathic  and 
eclectic  schools,  and  the  following  are  the  offi- 
cers and  members  of  the  former  which  was  re- 
organized in  1857  under  the  following  officers, 
S.  B.  Wells,  President;  P.  S.  Swart,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; C.  C.  VanDyck.  Secretary;  John  Pin- 
dar, Treasurer :  P.  S.  Swart,  Volney  Danforth, 

Isaac     Flint,     Philip    Werner,    ■ •    Ruland, 

Censors. 

The  annual  meeting  is  held  on  the  first  Tues- 
day in  June,  and  the  semi-annual,  the  second 
Tuesday  in  October. 

The  officers  of  1880  and  '81  were 
David  Norwood,  President. 
E.  O.  Bruce,  Vice-President. 
H.  F.  Kingsley,  Secretary. 
David  Frasier,    Treasurer. 


PHYSICIANS. 


77 


The  members  are  : — 

Beard  E.  P.,  Summit. 

Brown  J.  R.,  Seward. 

Bruce  E.  O.,  Hyndsville. 

Burnett  C.  S.,  Blenheim. 

Cross  Lemuel,  Cobleskill. 

Dickerson  C,  Seward. 

Dockstader  J.  A.,  Sharon  Spa. 

Frasier  D.,  Cobleskill. 

Frasier  C.  K.,  Cobleskill. 

Green  J.,  Sharon  Spa. 

Havens  C.  H.,  Summit. 

Hotaling  John,  Gallupville. 

Jackson  Geo.,  Huntersland. 

Kingsley  H.  F.,  Schoharie. 

Lawyer  Ezra,  Cobleskill. 

Lawyer  Jas.,  Middleburgh. 

Layman  W.  S.,  Schoharie. 

Leonard  D.  M.,  Broome  Centre. 

Lowell  J.  S.,  Argusville. 

Marsh  Edward,  Sloansville. 

McCullock  Charles,  Central  Bridge. 

Norwood  D.,  Esperance. 

Roscoe  R.  J.,  Carlisle. 

Terwilliger  R.  W.,  Carlisle. 

Scott  I.  S.,  Grosvenor's  Corners. 

Spurbeck  H.,  Charlotteville. 

VanAlstine  S.  M.,  Richmondville. 

Wells  Henry  D.,  Middleburgh. 
The  Eclectic  School  of  Physicians,  organized 
by  Senatorial  districts,  making  a  larger  organi- 
zation   than  if   divided  by  counties.     This  fra- 
ternity numbers  fifty-one  members   in  this  the 
twenty-third  district  of  which  fifteen    are   resi- 
dents of  this  County.     The  society  meets  annu- 
ally on  the  2d  Wednesday  and  Thursday  of  June, 
at  such  places  as  the  adjourning  meeting  desig- 
nates.    The  County  members  are  as  follows  : — 
Allen  P.  A.,  Lawyersville. 
Chase  Jared,  Warnerville. 
Snyder  J.  D.,  Sharon  Spa. 
VanValkenburgh  Jacob,  Sharon  Hill. 
Myres  Henry  A.,  Seward. 
Ackley  John  S.,  West  Fulton. 
Beard  Frank  P.,  Summit. 
Chapman  P.  L.,  Richmondville. 
Nellis  J. ,  Schoharie. 
Kilmer  Thomas  K.,  Schoharie. 
Rossman  John,  Middleburgh. 
Hubbell  R.,  Jefferson,  President. 


Benson  J.  H.,  South  Valley,  Vice-President. 
Best  C.  S.,  Middleburgh,  Secretary. 
Chase  Jared,  Treasurer. 

Physicians. — The  following  is  a  complete  list 
of  all  the  physicians  and  surgeons  in  the  County 
of  Schoharie  who  have  registered  to  October  13, 
1880,  and  contains  the  name  of  the  physician 
and  surgeon,  his  postoffice  address,  his  authority, 
whether  by  diploma  or  license,  the  date  of  the 
same,  and  the  name  of  the  medical  college  or 
medical  society  by  whom  it  was  granted  or 
given,  as  required  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  (Chapter  513,  Laws 
1880,)  entitled  "An  Act  to  regulate  the  Li- 
censing of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,''  passed 
May  29,  1880: — 

H.  F.  Kingsley,  Schoharie  C.  H.;  N.  Y.; 
diploma;  February  17,  1874;  University  City 
of  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Christopher  S.  Best,  Jr.,  Middleburgh,  N.  Y.; 
diploma;  February  6,  1876,  (coUegenot  given.) 

Edward  Marsh,  Sloansville,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
October  i,  1874;  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical 
College,  N.  Y. 

Isaac  J.  Scott,  Grovenor's  Corners,  N.  Y. ; 
diploma;  November  27,  1848;  Castleton  Medi- 
cal College,  Vt. 

Jacob  VanValkenburgh,  Sharon,  N.  Y.;  diplo- 
ma; January  22,  1862  ;  Eclectic  Medical  College 
of  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  also  diploma,  March  1,1877; 
Eclectic  Medical  College  of  the  City  of  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

W.  S.  Layman,  Schoharie  C.  H.,  N.  Y.;  di- 
ploma; December  22,  1857;  Albany  Medical 
College,  N.  Y. 

Peter  L.  Chapman,  Richmondville,  N.  Y.; 
license;  August  11,  1874;  Eclectic  Medical 
Society  of  the  23d  Senatorial  District,  N.  Y. 

James  Lawyer,  Middleburgh,  N.  Y.;  diploma  ; 
March  4,  1862  ;  University  City  of  New  York, 
N.  Y. 

S.  M.  Van  Alstine,  Richmondville,  N.  Y.;  di- 
ploma; June  13,  1854;  Albany  Medical  Col- 
lege, N.  Y. 

WiUiam  Hagadorn,  Gilboa,  N.  Y. ;  diploma; 
February,  1873 ;  University  City  of  New  York, 
N.  Y. 

Charles  K.  Frazier,  Cobleskill,  N.  Y. ;  di- 
ploma; January  20,  1874;  Medical  Depart- 
ment Union  University,  N.  Y. 


78 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Charles  McCulIock,  Central  Bridge,  N.  Y. ; 
diploma;  February,  1877;  Albany  Medical 
College,  N.  Y. 

John  Rossman,  Middleburgh,  N.  Y. ;  diplo- 
ma; February,  1868;  University  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery  of  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Jacob  E.  Norwood,  Blenheim,  N.  Y. ;  diplo- 
ma ;  November,  1864 ;  Berkshire  Medical  Col- 
lege, Pittsfield,  Mass. 

Jacob  A.  Dockstader,  Sharon  Springs,  N.  Y.; 
diploma;  January,  1845;  Albany  Medical 
College,  N.  Y. 

Rufus  Coons,  Broome  Centre,  N.  Y.;  diplo- 
ma; January  22,  1862;  College  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

George  A.  Williams,  Sharon  Springs,  N.  Y.; 
diploma;  March  12,  1879;  University  City 
of  New  York,  N.  Y. 

J.  S.  Akeley,  West  Fulton,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
March,  1870;  Pennsylvania  University,  Pa.; 
also  license;  August  10,  1874;  Eclectic  Medi- 
cal Society  of  the  23d  Senatorial  District,  N.  Y. 
Olin  A.  Snyder,  Gallupville,  N.  Y.;  diploma ; 
March  7,  1879;  Eclectic  College  City  of  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Henry  D.  Wells,  Middleburgh,  N.  Y.;  diplo- 
ma;  December  22,  1857;  Albany  Medical 
College,  N.  Y. 

R.  Grant  Havens,  Jefferson,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
December  22,  1874;  Albany  Medical  College 
N.  Y. 

F.  P.  Beard,  Summit,  N.  Y.;  diploma ;  De- 
cember 23,  1875  ;  Albany  Medical  College,  N.  Y. 
H.  L.   Gale,   West  Fulton,  N.  Y.;  diploma ; 
Dec.  27,  1873  ;  University  of  Philadelphia,  Pa. ' 
John  Hotaling,  Gallupville,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
May  28,  1863  ;  Albany  Medical  College,  N.  Y. 
J.  R.  Anderson,  Esperance,  N.  Y.;  license  ■ 
January  13,  1880;  Montgomery  County  Home- 
opathic Medical  Society,  N.  Y. 

John  Green,  Sharon  Springs,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
June  17,  1846;  Castleton  Medical  College.  Vt! 
James  I.  Hard,  Sharon  Springs,  N.  Y.;  diplo- 
ma; February  27,  1877;  Albany  Medical  Col- 
lege, N.  Y. 

David  Frazier,  CobleskiU,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
January  27, 1847  ;  Albany  Medical  College,  N.  y! 

Peter  A.  Allen,  Lawyersvijle,  N.  Y.;  diploma- 
January  22,  1862  ;  Eclectic  Medical  College  of 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 


I.  S.  Lowell,  Argusville,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
December  26,  187 1;  Albany  Medical  College' 

N.  Y.      ■ 

Hamilton  A.  White,  Argusville,  N.  Y.-  di- 
ploma; March  3,  1880;  Albany  Medical  Col- 
lege, N.  Y. 

Clark  D.  Welch,  CobleskiU,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
March  8,  1877  ;  New  York  Homeopathic  Medi- 
cal College,  N.  Y. 

George  Haner,  Conesville,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
February  20,  1877;  University  City  of  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Philip  J.  Zeh,  Fulton,  N.  Y.;  diploma;  De- 
cember 24,  1869 ;  Albany  Medical  College,  N.  Y. 
George  Jackson,  Huntersland,  N.  Y.;  diplo- 
ma; March  9,   1871;   University  City  of  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Richtmyer  Hubbell,  Jefferson,  N.  Y.;  diplo- 
ma; February  21,  1866;  Philadelphia  Univer- 
sity of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  Pa. 

Charles  S.  Burnett,  North  Blenheim,  N.Y.;  di- 
ploma ;  February  i,  1879  ;  Albany  Medical 
College,  N.  Y. 

Valentine  M.  Lawyer,  Fultonham,  N.  Y;  (no 
authority,  date,  or  college  given.) 

David  Decker,  Broome  Centre,  N.  Y;  June 
30,  1870;  American  University  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery,  Pa.;  diploma. 
I  Lemuel  Cross,  CobleskiU,  N.  Y.;  diploma  ■ 
February  23,  1856;  Albany  Medical  College' 
N.  Y.  ^  ' 

James  D.  Snyder,  Sharon  Springs,  N.  Y- 
license ;  August  10,  1874;  Eclectic  Medical 
Society  of  23d  Senatorial  District,  N.  Y. 

Jared  Chase,  Warnerville,  N.  Y.;  license;  Au- 
gust 10,  1874;  Eclectic  Medical  Society  of  23d 
Senatorial  District,  N.  Y. 

L.  S.  Wells,  Middleburgh,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
November,  20,  1833;  Castleton  Medical  Col- 
lege, Vt. 

S.  F.  Fonda,  Sharon  Springs,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
February  24,   1841 ;  Albany   Medical   CoUeee 

N.  Y. 

Ezra  Lawyer,  CobleskiU,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
November  22,  1854;  Castleton  Medical  Col- 
lege, Vermont. 

Isaac  W.  Ferris,  Middleburgh,  N.  Y.;  di- 
ploma; March  7,  1867;  University  City  of  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

E.    O.    Bruce,    HyndsviUe,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 


PHYSICIANS  —  NEWSPAPERS. 


79 


November,  22,  1858;  Castleton    Medical  Col- 
lege, Vt. 

Thomas  K.  Kilmer,  Schoharie  C.  H.,  N.  Y.; 
diploma;  January  28,  1875;  Eclectic  Medical 
College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  N.  Y. 

D.  Norwood,  Esperance,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
December,  24,  1857  ;  Albany  Medical  College, 
N.  Y. 

Menzo  Barkman,  Gallupville,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
January,  1879;  Albany  Medical  College, 
N.  Y. 

D.  M.  Leonard,   Broome  Centre,    N.  Y.;  di- 
ploma ;  November,    1867;  Castleton    Medical' 
College,  Vt. 

H.  Sperbeck,  Charlotteville,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
December,  22,  1857  ;  Albany  Medical  College, 
N.  Y. 

Nancy  J.  Langley,  Mineral  Springs,  N.  Y.; 
license;  (no  date  given)  Eclectic  Medical  So- 
ciety, 23d  Senatorial  District,  N.  Y. 

Joseph  R.  Brown,  Seward,  N.  Y.;  diploma ; 
December  25,  1868;  Albany  Medical  College, 
N.  Y. 

Charles  W.  Havens,  Summit,  N.  Y.;  license  ; 
August  21,  1838;  Schoharie  County  Censors 
of  the  Eclectic  Medical  Society. 

Philip  P.  Werner,  Barnerville,  N.  Y.;  diplo- 
ma; June,  1845;  Castleton,  Vermont,  Medi- 
cal College. 

Henry  A.  Myer,  Gardnersville,  N.  Y.;  diplo- 
ma; February  16,  1833;  Syracuse  Medical 
College,  N.  Y.;  also  license,  August  11,  T874; 
Eclectic  Medical  Society  of  the  23d  Senatorial 
District,  N.  Y. 

Doctor  Brayman,  Livingstonville,  N.  Y.;  di- 
ploma; February  i,  1880;  University  of  City 
of  New  York,  Medical  Department. 

R.  J.  Roscoe,  Carlisle,  N.  Y.;  diploma; 
March,  1852,  College  of  Physicians  State -of 
Vermont,  at  Castleton. 

Charles  Dickerson,  Seward,  N.  Y.;  diploma ; 
i860;  Albany  Medical  College,  N.  Y. 

R.  W.  Terwilliger,  CarHsle,  N.  Y.;  diploma ; 
March,  1881  ;  Albany  Medical  College,  N.  Y. 

The  first  Telephone  Line  in  the  County  was 
between  Schoharie  and  Middleburgh,  and  was 
opened  for  communication  in  August,  1880. 
There  were  upon  the  first  day  of  July,  1881,  at 
least  one  hundred  miles  in  successful  operation, 
and  other  lines  will  soon  be  established  until 


the  County  is  made  a  net-work  of  the  simple, 
yet  wonderful  invention. 

Mr.  Charles  Kromer  became  interested  in  the 
enterprise  and  through  his  energy  and  manage- 
ment the  hnes  were  established.  They  have  thus 
far  been  built  by  issuing  certificates  of  shares  of 
stock,  each  share  being  five  dollars,  privileging 
each  stockholder  to  have  the  free  use  of  the  line 
with  which  he  is  connected. 

While  the  principle  upon  which  the  telephone 
is  worked  was  long  known,  yet  to  Edison  are  we 
indebted  for  an  apparatus  that  brings  the  prin- 
ciple to  practice,  and  with  such  simplicity  as  to 
abash  the  inventive  genius  of  the  past.  Yet  we 
are  not  unmindful  of  the  claims  of  Science  upon 
improvement  and  must  expect  that  a  few  years 
hence  greater  improvements  and  inventions,  or 
other  principles  will  become  animated  and  made 
to  out-strip  the  inventions  of  our  day. 

Newspapers. — The  first  newspaper  published 
in  the  County  was  the  American  Herald, 
pubHshed  by  Derick  VanVeghten.  It  was  a 
small  sheet  and  appeared  in  June,  1809, 
and  some  time  in  the  year  1812,  it  was 
changed  to  the  Schoharie  Herald,  but  upon 
VanVeghten's  enlisting  in  the  volunteer  ser- 
vice, the  paper  was  discontinued.  It  would 
hardly  be  just  to  pass  by  without  giving  the  hero 
notice,  as  a  more  patriotic  and  brave  man  could 
not  be  found.  He  came  to  Schoharie  after  serv- 
ing an  apprenticeship  at  Schenectady,  and  met 
with  unexpected  success  in  his  enterprise,  but 
when  his  country  called  her  sons  to  oppose  her 
enemy's  encroachments,  he  answered  by  enroll- 
ing himself,  and  raising  a  company  of  which  he 
was  commissioned  captain. 

During  the  winter  and  early  summer  of  1813 
and  '14,  he  was  stationed  at  Schenectady  to 
guard  army  stores,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  latter 
year,  returned  to  Schoharie  and  opened  a  re- 
cruiting station.  Having  raised  another  com- 
pany, he  joined  General  VanRensselaer's  regi- 
ment as  Major,  upon  the  frontier,  and  through 
a  rash  move,  in  making  a  sortie  upon  the 
enemy's  flank — expecting  to  receive  aid  from  his 
general — he,  with  his  entire  force,  were  taken 
prisoners,  as  before  stated.  At  the  close  of  the 
war,  he  returned  to  Schoharie,  and  in  1817  com- 
menced the  publication  of  the  Schoharie  Budget, 
and   continued    the    same    until    1819,   when 


8o 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


he  changed  it  to  the  Schoharie  Republua7i.  He 
soon  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  paper,  and 
followed  various  branches  of  business,  and  in  a 
financial  point  of  view,  succeeded  in  none.  He 
was  a  tall  muscular  man,  of  sKm  build,  active, 
yet  rash  in  his  movements  and  unconcerned  as 
to  results.  He  died  at  the  house  of  Colonel 
Wilkins,  at  Spraker's  Basin,  on  the  21st  of 
March,  r844,  of  dropsy,  and  was  buried  near. 
Major  VanVeghten  was  a  bold  writer,  given  to 
paroxysms  of  cutting  sarcasm  against  those  who 
dared  to  brave  his  views.  Yet  through  his 
literary  efforts,  a  large  heart,  good  intentions, 
and  progressive  spirit  could  be  detected,  which 
gained  for  him  the  honor  due  an  honest  man. 

In  December,  1809,  Thomas  M.  Tillman 
commenced  the  True  American,  but  like 
VanVeghten,  discontinued  the  sheet  in  181 3. 
He  also  joined  the  array,  but  of  his  subsequent 
life,  we  are  not  informed. 

Returning  to  the  Schoharie  Republican,  we 
find  a  long  list  of  editors,  whose  terms  of  service 
have  been  successful,  and  we  find  the  sheet  still 
continued  and  progressive  after  braving  the 
changing  currents  of  sixty-two  years.  Major 
Van  Veghten  was  successfully  succeeded  by 
Peter  Keyser,  Lemuel  Cuthbert,  A.  A.  Keyser, 
and  Wm.  H.  Underwood,  who,  each  in  turn, 
kept  up  the  dignity  and  spirit  of  the  sheet,  but 
events  were  not  excitable  enough  to  make  the 
pubhc  consider  a  paper  a  necessity,  neither  had 
the  people  been  educated  to  that  thought,  in  a 
literary  point  of  view,  and  consequently,  double 
duties  were  imposed  upon  the  struggling  pub- 
lishers, for  which  their  financial  gains  were  dis- 
couraging. 

When  Wm.  H.  Gallup  succeeded  Mr.  Un- 
derwood, the  political  firmament  began  to 
rumble  in  earnest.  Politics  ran  to  fever  heat, 
and  that  gentleman  standing  upon  the  firm,  and 
growing  firmer.  Democratic  platform,  with  his 
pubhcation,  success  was  assured,  and  when  Mr. 
Gallup  retired,  the  Schoharie  Republican  was 
looked  upon  as  the  Democratic  organ  of  the 
County,  which  character  it  still  assumes.  Mr. 
Gallup  was  a  careful,  conscientious  writer 
modest  to  assume  and  direct,  but  when  aroused 
bold  and  forcible. 

He  was  succeeded  by  P.  D.  Lawyer,  who 
kept  the  sheet  in  the  even  "  tenor  of  its  way" 


during  the  following  political  campaign.  Mr. 
Lawyer  was  an  independent  writer,  brief  and 
forcible. 

Ex-Judge  Nathan  T.  Rossiter  followed,  whose 
smooth  pen  tended  to  cool  political  flames,  and 
court  pleasing,  hterary  effusions.  However, 
the  political  status  of  the  sheet  was  maintained 
under  the  Judge's  term  of  editorship,  and  its 
first  introduction  made  into  many  households  as 
a  "  family  paper." 

Next  came  J.  B.  Hall,  a  live,  educated  "paper 
man,"  whose  glib  and  cutting  pen  shook  lip  the 
dry  bones  of  contention  and  made  them  laugh 
at  themselves.  His  exclamation  points  and 
quotation  dots  gave  evidence  of  firmness  and 
faithful  reading.  Not  to  speak  disparagingly  of 
his  predecessors'  efforts  and  abiUiy  to  enlarge 
the  business  of  the  enterprise,  yet  Mr.  Hall  in- 
creased the  circulation  of  the  paper  nearly 
double  to  what  it  had  been  and  infused  a  spirit 
within  it,  more  in  accordance  with  the  day  and 
age,  than  any  before  him.  He  was  a  worker, 
physically  and  mentally,  and  when  the  concern 
passed  from  his  hands  in  i860,  it  stood  inferior 
to  no  country  paper  in  the  State.  Mr.  Hall 
removed  to  Catskill  and  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Catskill  Recorder,  where  he  again 
labored  hard,  beyond  the  strength  of  his  frail 
constitution,  which  soon  brought  him  to  an 
early  grave. 

J.  C.  Campbell,  with  declining  heakh,  fol- 
lowed Mr.  Hall  in  the  office  of  the  Republican, 
but  ere  one  year  passed,  death  claimed  its  vic- 
tim and  he  passed  away,  lamented  by  a  host  of 
friends. 

A.  B.  F.  Pond  redressed  the  sheet  as  he  fol- 
lowed Campbell,  and  the  excitement  of  a 
threatened  civil  war,  coupled  with  the  known 
ability  of  Mr.  Pond  as  a  writer  and  manager, 
the  paper  enjoyed  one  of  the  most  successful 
seasons  it  ever  experienced.  Mr.  Pond  was  a 
terse,  forcible  writer,  and  dealt  all  subjects  with 
his  pen  with  a  prompt  business  spirit.  He  was 
the  son  of  Benjamin  Pond  and  born  in  the 
village  of  Schoharie,  where  he  received  an 
academic  education.  He  disposed  of  his  in- 
terest in  the  paper  to  Sleight  &  Hunt,  in  1865, 
and  removed  to  New  Jersey  where  he  now 
resides.  The  latter  firm  continued  as  one  until 
January  i,    1869,    when  the  interest  of  Sleight 


NEWSPAPERS. 


8i 


was  purchased  by  A.  A.  Hunt,  under  whose  pro- 
prietorship it  still  continues.  Mr.  Hunt  is  a 
native  of  Sag  Harbor,  L.  I.,  and  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  press  from  a  youth.  As  a  writer, 
he  is  quick  and  perceptive,  original  in  thought, 
with  easy  and  smooth  expression,  which  has 
won  for  him  a  reputation  as  a  writer  that  few 
obtain. 

In  1818,  a  periodical  was  started  at  Schoharie 
C.  H.,  called  the  Observer,  but  by  whom  we  can- 
not learn.  In  1820  it  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Solomon  Baker  &  Fish,  and  in  1822  Baker 
purchased  the  interest  of  Fish,  but  soon  dis- 
continued the  sheet.  Not  being  fortunate  in 
obtaining  a  copy  and  having  no  knowledge  of 
proprietors,  we  cannot  speak  farther  of  the  en- 
terprise. Rev.  George  A.  Lintner  being  one 
of  the  foremost  workers  in  the  cause  of  religion, 
a  true,  conscientious  laborer,  united  his  able 
efforts  with  those  of  Lemuel  Cuthbert,  and 
on  January,  1824,  issued  the  first  number  of 
the  Evangelical  Luminary,  devoted  to  the  in- 
terest of  churches  and  religious  societies.  Of 
Mr.  Lintner,  we  need  not  here  make  mention, 
as  in  connection  with  other  causes  we  give  such 
notice  of  him  as  our  feebleness  admits.  Ixmuel 
Cuthbert  was  a  young  man  of  promise,  deeply 
interested  in  all  reUgious  causes  and  imbued 
with  a  true  spirit  of  fidelity  to  duty.  He 
took  a  lively  interest  in  politics,  but  at  an  early 
age  he  passed  to  the  grave,  and  as  Dr.  Lintner 
once  wrote,  "  he  sleeps  in  his  silent  bed  where 
convulsions  and  troubles  of  poUtical  life  can  no 
more  reach  him." 

The  Lutheran  Magazine  of  which  Dr.  Lint- 
ner was  editor  for  many  years,  was  commenced 
by  the  "  Western  Conference  of  Lutheran  min- 
isters in  1827,  and  printed  by  Cuthbert. 

The  Schoharie  Free  Press,  by  Duncan  Mc- 
Donald was  originally  published  in  Johnstown, 
Fulton  county,  as  the  Montgomery  Monitor  and 
removed  to  Fonda,  Montgomery  county,  in  1828, 
thence  to  Canajoharie,  and  in  1830  to  Schoharie. 
Being  of  a  roving  disposition,  it  was  removed  to 
Esperance  and  published  as  the  Esperance  Sen- 
tinel and  Schoharie  and  Montgomery  Recorder. 
It  was  discontinued  in  1836  after  a  fierce  war 
against  the  Albany  Regency.  It  was  ably 
edited.  A  notice  of  its  connections  may  be  seen 
in  the  chapter  on  Esperance. 


The  Gem  a  small  sheet  written  by  students 
of  the  Academy,  appeared  in  1837  but  it  sparkled 
for  a  day  and  lost  its  luster. 

The  first  number  of  the  Schoharie  Patriot  was 
issued  February  13,  1838,  by  Peter  Mix,  and 
it  became  under  the  control  of  Mr.  Mix  and  his 
son  S.  H.  Mix,  in  after  years,  a  substantial  sheet 
in  the  interest  of  the  Whig  party.  Mr.  Mix  was 
from  Johnstown,  Fulton  county,  and  was  con- 
nected with  the  Montgomery  Republican  from 
1825  to  1834,  when  the  office  and  type  were 
burned.  He  revived  the  paper,  but  in  1836  he 
was  again  burned  out,  when  he  removed  to  Scho- 
harie. He  labored  hard  for  years  to  turn  the 
pohtical  sentiment  of  the  County  but  what  was 
"  born  in  the  bone"  proved  to  be  "bred  in  the 
flesh  "  in  that  respect  at  least,  yet  Mr.  Mix  drew 
around  him  a  host  of  friends  and  proved  himself 
to  be  a  firm  unflinching  advocate  of  that,  which 
he  considered  right.  He  ably  conducted  his 
journal,  and  handed  it  over  to  S.  H.  Mix  with 
an  honorable  record.  Growing  in  years,  he 
retired  from  business,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two.  [For  notice  of  S.  H.  Mix,  see 
Chapter  on  Schoharie.] 

Upon  Mr.  S.  H.  Mix  entering  the  army  his 
interest  in  the  Patriot  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Henry  E.  Abel  and  changed  to  the  Schoharie 
Union.  Mr.  Abel  was  an  energetic  worker,  and 
plain,  ready  writer,  with  a  tendency  to  sarcasm, 
yet  the  spirit  and  success  of  his  paper  kept  its 
status,  as  a  party  organ.  In  1867  Charles  C. 
Kromer  purchased  the  property  and  continues 
to  be  the  proprietor. 

Mr.  Kromer  passed  through  the  civil  war 
in  the  "  3rd  Cavalry"  as  Captain  and  returned 
home  unharmed,  but  upon  the  accidental  dis- 
charge of  a  pistol  his  right  hand  was  shattered 
which  compelled  an  amputation  at  the  wrist. 
Mr.  Kromer  merits  honor  as  a  self-made  man 
and  patriot,  and  deserves  sympathy  in  his  mis- 
fortune. The  Union  adheres  to  the  principles  of 
Republicanism  in  politics,  though  not  radically. 

Mr.  Kromer  is  a  careful  yet  bold  writer,  with 
original  thought  and  expression  that  leave  a 
tendency  to  mirth.  His  articles  are  always  short 
and  embody  much  meaning  without  exaggera- 
tion. 

Two  small  sheets  The  Star  and  The  Sun 
were  commenced  in  1838,  the  former  by  S.  H. 


82 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Mix  and  the  latter  by  D.  L.  Underwood,  two 
school  boys,  and  after  a  years'  existence  were 
discontinued.  The  excitable  times  of  1840 
called  out  a  campaign  sheet  The  Huge  Paw,  by 
William  H.  Gallup,  that  was  published  from 
August  to  November  of  that  year,  and  in  1841  as 
the  Anti-Rent  troubles  began  to  shake  the  earth, 
especially  that  portion  of  its  formation  known 
as  the  "Helleberg  Series,"  Mr.  Gallup  again 
put  forth  a  sheet  entitled  The  Helderbergh  Ad- 
vocate, which  name  seemed  to  be  too  local,  and 
in  1843  was  changed  to  The  Guardian  of  the 
Soil.  Assuming  too  much  in  those  "  war-Mke  " 
days  it  ceased  its  great  labors  after  a  years'  ex- 
perience. A  semi-monthly  enterprise  was  pub- 
lished by  the  students  of  the  academy  in  1855 
called  The  Oasis,  and  was  a  spicy  little  sheet, 
the  composition  of  which  was  highly  commend- 
able, in  thought  and  expression. 

All  of  the  foregoing  have  been  published  at 
Schoharie  Court  House.  In  1847,  Mr.  J.  D. 
Lawyer  commenced  a  paper  at  Leesville  assum- 
ing the  name  of  The  Americati  Christian,  but 
was  soon  discontinued.  Mr.  Lawyer  was  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel,  and  the  sheet  was  in  the  in- 
terest of  religious  matters. 

The  Schoharie  County  Sentinel  was  com- 
menced at  Cobleskill  January  22,  1852,  by  Hi- 
ram C.  Paige,  now  of  the  Brooklyn  Era.  Mr. 
Paige  was  succeeded  by  Charles  Cleveland,  and 
he  by  Wadhams  &  Kniskern,  who  sold  the  es- 
tablishment to  J.  B.  Hall,  of  the  Schoharie  Re- 
publican, into  whicli  it  was  merged.  It  was  a 
wide-awake  sheet,  full  of  spirit  and  commanded 
the  respect  and  patronage  of  a  large  circle  of 
friends. 

Furman  &  Brown,  of  Charlotteville,  com- 
menced the  pubhcation  of  a  small  sheet  at  that 
village  in  1854,  called  the  Charlotteville  Journal. 
In  the  year  following  Furman  sold  his  interest 
to  John  Brown,  who  removed  the  press  to  Co- 
bleskill village  and  changed  the  name  of  the 
paper  to  The  Cobleskill  Journal,  and  published 
it  as  such  but  a  short  time  when  it  was  discon- 
tinued. 

The  Cobleskill  Jeffersonian  was  commenced 
at  Cobleskill  in  1859,  by  Matthew  Freeman,  in 
the  interest  of  the  RepuWican  party,  to  revolu- 
tionize the  political  sentiment  of  the  County. 
Mr.  Freeman    was  a  very  plain   and   forcible 


writer  and  speaker,  and  exerted  his  faculties  to 
"  make  a  mark,"  but  became  mixed  up  in  sar- 
castic imbroglios  with  other  periodicals,  which 
proved  disastrous,  as  usual,  to  his  paper's  influ- 
ence, and  consequently  its  existence  was  short, 
being  stopped  some  time  in    1862.     Mr.  Free- 
man's paper  was  followed  at  Cobleskill  village 
in  the  year  1865,  by  the  Cobleskill  Itidex,  under 
the  proprietorship  of  William  H.  Weeks.     Mr. 
Weeks  made  it  an  independent  sheet,  devoted 
chiefly  to  local  matters,   and  it  gained  a  firm 
footing  in  the  western  towns  of  the  County  as  a 
family  paper.     In   1874,  Mr.    George   W.  Bel- 
linger purchased  the  establishment  by  whom  it 
is  at  present  managed.     During  the  Centennial 
year  it  was  made  a  poHtical  organ,  in  the  advo- 
cacy of  Democratic  principles,  to  which  it  has 
firmly  adhered  and  become  one  of  the  staunch 
organs  of  those  principles,  and  is  now  wielding 
a  flattering  influence. 

On  November  5,  1870,  was  started  at  Rich- 
mondville,  the  Schoharie  County  Democrjt,  by 
J.  J.  and  J.  L.  Multer  of  the  Schenevus  Monitor. 
After  a  flattering  patronage  the  "Multer 
Brothers  "  sold  the  establishment  to  J.  B.  01m- 
stead,  who  changed  the  title  to  Richmondville 
Democrat  It  is  a  small  sheet  but  outspoken 
and  substantial,  and  does  credit  to  its  youthful 
editor. 

The  Middleburgh  Gazette-  was  commenced 
in  October,  187 1,  at  Middleburgh,  by  O.  B. 
Ireland,  and  was  soon  purchased  by  J.  E.  Young, 
the  present  proprietor  and  editor.  This  sheet 
has  been  a  firm  advocate  of  administrative 
honesty  and  bold  to  expose  pohtical  scheniing 
and  selfish  power.  Mr.  Young  has  been  suc- 
cessful in  making  his  sheet  reliable  and  attrac- 
tive as  a  local  paper,  and  gained  many  warm 
friends  of  the  press  and  in  the  ancient  dorf  in 
which  he  is  located. 

^'^^  Jeffersonian  is  published  at  Jefferson, 
being  started  as  the  Jeffersonian  by  A.  W.  Clark 
as  editor  and  publisher,  on  March  i,  r872, 
and  December,  1880,  was  purchased  by  Jones  & 
Holmes,  who  changed  the  name  to  Jefferson 
Courier.  It  is  a  wide-awake,  spicy,  independ- 
ent and  rehable  sheet,  and  receives  a  flattering 
patronage  from  the  surrounding  towns.  The 
first  sheet  was  18  by  24  and  enlarged  to  21 
by  28. 


NEWSPAPERS  — CRIMINAL  RECORD. 


83 


Charlotte  Valley  News,  of  Charlotteville,  was 
started  by  Morris  &  Shafer,  and  enlarged  to  a 
double  sheet,  but  after  a  short  term  was  re- 
moved to  Davenport,  Delaware  county.  After 
its  enlargement  it  published  serial  stories,  and 
was,  we  believe,  the  first  and  only  one  of  the  kind 
ever  printed  in  the  County.  It  is  now  published 
as  above  by  E.  O.  Conner. 

Sharon  Springs  Gazette  was  established  by 
John  Sawyer  of  the  Cherry  Valley  Gazette,  in 
1874,  and  was  well  managed  and  ably  edited  by 
the  veteran  publisher,  but  the  enterprise  proved 
non-paying  and  was  discontinued  in  February, 
1 88 1,  and  removed  to  Cooperstown  and  pub- 
lished as  the  Livitig  Issue,  the  temperance  organ 
of  the  State.  Mr.  Sawyer  is  an  able  writer,  of 
clear,  honest  views,  and  gained  as  he  justly 
deserved,  a  high  regard  among  the  County 
fraternity. 

The  Charlotteville  Pluenix  was  begun  in 
November,  1879,  by  S.  G.  Shafer,  as  an  advo- 
cate of  reform  and  independent  in  politics.  The 
"hot  grape"  and  "shells"  that  are  found  in  its 
columns  have  been  thrown  promiscuously  to 
the  right  and  left,  but  the  inevitable  results  are 
to  be  seen.  The  attacks  upon  officials  and 
their  organs  have  been  bold  and  exacting,  but 
attempting  to  create  a  counter  current  in  swift 
running  streams,  requires  a  triple  force,  which 
only  disturbs  without  satisfactory  results.  The 
sheet  is  well  arranged  and  full  of  local  and  cur- 
rent news. 

The  Cobleskill  Herald  was  commenced  in 
1877,  by  Johnson  &  Roberts,  of  Oneonta,  in 
the  interest  of  the  Republican  party.  In  1880 
Mr.  Graham  purchased  the  sheet  and  still 
edits  the  same.  It  is  a  firm  and  honest  ex- 
ponent of  Republican  principles,  and  receives  a 
very  flattering  patronage.  Mr.  Graham  is  a 
careful,  earnest  worker  and  forcible  writer. 

The  Gilboa  Monitor  is  a  small  sheet  pub- 
lished at  Gilboa,  by  Myron  Dings.  It  was 
commenced  in  1878,  and  holds  its  own  in  pat- 
ronage as  well  as  in  the  discussions  of  events  of 
the  day.  Mr.  Dings  is  an  industrious  worker 
and  careful,  honest  writer,  and  makes  his  sheet 
spicy  and  attractive. 

Criminal.— T)Mx\-a%  the  County's  growth-  re- 
gardless of  the  efforts  of  the  philanthropic  to 
better  the  morality  of  the  people,  crimes  have 


been  committed  of  various  degrees  that  have 
startled  communities,  to  which  we  are  loth  to 
refer,  as  around  them  there  is  a  halo  of  ignorance 
and  brutality  that  is  far  beneath  the  intellect  of 
man,  and  which  casts  a  shadow  over  the  bright 
picture  our  County  presents.  Tradition  tells  us, 
through  author  Simms  and  the  Vroman  family, 
of  a  capital  offense  being  committed  in  the 
early  days  of  the  settlement  of  Vroman's  land 
by  a  negro  and  white  accomplice  by  the  name 
of  Moore,  in  the  murder  of  one  Truax. 

Circumstances  led  to  the  behef  in  the  guilt 
of  the  negro  and  his  wife,  who  were  servants  in 
the  family  of  Peter  Vroman  as  was  also  the 
murdered  man. 

They  were  taken  to  Albany,  tried  and  con- 
victed, and  placed  upon  a  pile  of  fagots  and 
burned.  In  after  years  through  the  bed  con- 
fession of  Moore,  the  fact  was  revealed  that 
the  negress  was  innocent  of  the  crime  and  had 
no  knowledge  of  it,  as  she  protested  during  the 
trial  and  upon  the  pile  of  fagots. 

Farther  than  that  awful  crime,  except  minor 
offences  such  as  incendiaries,  theft  and  trespass- 
ing nothing  occurred  that  was  brought  to  the 
pubHc  notice  until  after  the  war  of  18 12.  Im- 
mediately after  its  close  a  vast  quantity  of  spu- 
rious Spanish  coins  flooded  the  country  that 
were  raanufactufed  in  Canada  and  brought  here 
to  palm  off  upon  the  farming  community.  The 
coins  were  principally  of  the  denomination  of 
"two  shilhng,"  and  led,  in  a  few  years  to  a 
greater  speculation  in  counterfeiting  paper 
money.  The  bills  were  upon  various  banks, 
and  the  men  whose  reputation  for  honesty  was 
the  best  were  lured  away  by  the  prospect  of 
making  riches,  and  procured  dies  and  manufac- 
tured large  quantities  in  secret.  Stringent  laws 
were  passed  but  few  of  the  guilty  suffered.  Va- 
rious were  the  strategies  of  the  guilty  to  punish 
the  innocent,  since  the  law  demanded  subjects 
to  punish.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that  the  founda- 
tion of  some  families'  fortunes  was  laid  by  being 
expert  in  the  making  and  "  shoving  off"  of  the 
spurious. 

As  the  excitement  of  the  spurious  money  be- 
gan the  people  were  shocked  by  the  premedi- 
tated poisoning  of  a  lady  by  her  inhuman  hus- 
band, while  stopping  at  an  "inn  "  in  the  town 
of  Middleburgh.     An  act  of  that  kind  was  un- 


84 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


usual  in  those  days  and  created  a  great  excite- 
ment not  only  in  the  immediate  neighborhood 
in  which  the  crime  was  committed,  but  far  and 
wide. 

Abraham  Casler,  a  resident  of  the  Mohawk, 
married  a  Miss  Spraker  with  whom  he  lived  upon 
very  unpleasant  terms,  owing  to  his  immorality 
and  love  for  another  woman.  He  left  home 
upon  the  pretext  of  going  West  to  reside,  and 
after  being  away  some  time  returned,  pretended 
penitent,  and  stated  he  had  purchased  a  place 
and  was  desirous  of  his  wife  accompanying  him 
to  hve  upon  it  in  peace  and  harmony.  They 
started  in  a  wagon  and  traveled  through  Sharon 
and  Cobleskill  and  stopped  at  an  inn  kept  by 
one  Best,  on  the  road  leading  from  Punchkill 
to  Middleburgh. 

Mrs.  Casler  complained  of  not  feeling  well, 
and  her  husband  was  very  attentive,  procuring 
medicine  in  which  he  added  opium  and  arsenic 
alternately,  till  death  reUeved  her  of  her 
troubled  life.  The  remains  were  buried  without 
the  relatives  being  made  acquainted  of  her 
decease,  and  upon  Casler's  sudden  exit  from 
the  locality,  suspicion  was  aroused  and  the  re- 
mains exhumed. 

Upon  examination,  opium  and  arsenic  were 
found,  Casler  arrested  and  upon  the  testimony 
of  Mrs.  Best  was  convicted  before  Judge  Yates, 
and  hung  in  May,  1818,  upon  the  hill  east  of 
the  court-house.  The  gallows  were  left  stand- 
ing as  a  solemn  admonition  of  the  penalty  such 
crimes  demand,  and  before  another  year  rolled 
round,  one,  who  witnessed  the  execution  of  Cas- 
ler, and  who  boasted  upon  leaving  the  scene, 
"  they  will  never  hang  me,"  stood  beneath  the 
beam  and  forfeited  his  life  in  consequence  of  an 
ungovernable  passion. 

John  VanAlstine,  a  farmer  living  in  Sharon, 
becoming  implicated  in  legal  affairs,  murdered 
a  deputy  sheriff,  William  Huddleston,  while  in 
the  performance  of  his  official  duties,  upon  the 
former's  farm  on  the  19th  of  October,  181 8. 
Upon  the  impulse  of  the  moment  he  struck  the 
officer  with  a  club  with  such  force  as  to  kill  him. 
VanAlstine  buried  the  body  of  the  murdered 
man  in  a  plowed  field  near  the  barn,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  day  or  two  he  mounted  the  officer's 
horse  and  fled  to  Canada.  Upon  suspicion  of 
his  being  guilty  of  the  crime  a  reward  for  his 


apprehension  was  declared  by  the  sheriff,  and 
also  the  Governor  of  the  State.  He  embarked 
upon  a  vessel  at  Black  Rock,  for  Detroit,  but 
a  strong  gale  arising,  the  vessel  was  driven  back 
to  its  moorings  and  a  fellow  passenger  having 
suspicion  of  his  being  the  advertised  murderer, 
caused  his  arrest.  He  was  tried  before  Chief 
Justice  Spenser  at  a  special  court  of  Oyer  and 
Terminer  in  February,  1819,  and  found  guilty. 
On  the  19th  of  March  he  was  publicly  executed 
as  before  stated,  beneath  the  beam  under  which 
Casler  suffered  less  than  a  year  before. 

The  next  and  last  crime  of  that  character 
that  occurred  to  the  knowledge  of  the  public 
was  in  the  month  of  March,  1845. 

John  Burnett  murdered  George  Sornberger 
in  the  present  town  of  Broome,  by  nearly  sever- 
ing the  head  from  the  body  and  stabbing  hinK 
in  the  abdomen  and  chest,  on  the  24th  of 
March,  1 845.  They  were  residents  of  Broome, 
and  it  was  supposed  Sornberger  was  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  as  a 
payment  was  to  have  been  made  to  him  upon 
that  day.  It  proved  otherwise,  as  the  total  sum 
thus  fiendishly  procured  was  but  three  shillings 
and  nine  pence.  The  crime  was  committed 
while  the  Court  house  lay  in  ashes,  and  the 
prisoner  was  taken  to  Schoharie  village  to  be 
tried  and  to  Schenectady  to  be  hung.  The  exe- 
cution took  place  in  that  city  on  the  nth  day' 
of  July,  1846.  The  three  that  have  paid  the 
penalty  upon  the  gallows  made  full  confessions 
of  their  crimes  and  the  justness  of  their  sen- 
tences, which  relieves  us  of  fears  that  the  inno- 
cent have  suffered  in  their  cases,  as  many  times 
they  do  when  circumstantial  evidence  only  is 
taken. 

Three  cases  of  manslaughter  have  been  tried 
in  the  County  for  which  the  criminals  were 
sent  to  State's  prison  for  a  long  term  of  years. 
We  do  not  wish  to  give  the  particulars  or  the 
parties  committed,  but  let  their  names  be 
dropped. 

A  few  cases  have  been  brought  to  the  Coun- 
ty to  be  tried  from  adjoining  counties,  where 
juries  could  not  agree,  but  the  criminal  record 
for  capital  offences  of  our  county  closes  with 
the  dying  agonies  of  Burnett,  and  let  us  willing- 
ly draw  a  veil  over  this  part  of  our  County's 
history,  hoping  that  long,  long  years  may  pass 


STATISTICS. 


85 


ere,   if  ever,   another    occasion    requires    the 
death  penalty. 

Statistics. — By  the  census  of  1810,  the  total 
population  of  the  County  was  18,945,  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Cobleskill,  2,494 

Carlisle,  1,231 

Schoharie,  3,232 

Middleburgh,  3,236 

Sharon,  3,751 

Jefferson,  1,74° 

Blenheim,  1,319 

Broome,  1,942 

The  following  is  taken  from  the  Census  Re- 
port of  1880: — 
Blenheim  town,  including  village  of 

Blenheim,  1,191 

*Blenheim  village,  221 

Broome  town,  including  the  following 

villages,  1,636 

*Franklinton  village,  77 

*Livingstonville  village,  97 

Carlisle  town,  including  the  following 

villages,  1,722 

'Carlisle  village,  128 

Grosvenor's  Corners  village,        60 
Cobleskill  town,  including  village  of 

Cobleskill,  3,37 1 

Cobleskill  village,  1,222 

Conesville  town,  1,127 

Esperance  town,  including  the  follow- 
ing villages,  i,373 
*Esperance  village,                     341 
*Sloansville  village,                     200 
Fulton  town,                                                      2,709 
Gilboa  town,  including  the  following 

villages,  2,040 

*Gilboa  village,  203 

•South  Gilboa  village,  50 

Jefferson  town,  1,636 

Middleburgh  town,  including  the  fol- 
lowing villages,  3,376 
•Hunter's  Land  village,               172 
•Middleburgh  village,               1,123 
Richmondville   town,    including    the 

following  villages,  2,082 

•Richmondville  village,  653 

•Warnerville  village,  263 

Schoharie  town,  including  the  follow- 
ing villages,  3>35° 


♦Central  Bridge  village,  195 

Schoharie  village,  1,188 

Seward  town,  including  the  following 

villages,  1,734 

•Hyndsville  village,  129 

•Seward  Valley,  village,  141 

Sharon   town,    including    village    of 

Sharon  Springs,  2,591 

Sharon  Springs  village,  627 

Summit  town,  including  the   follow- 
ing villages,  1,405 
*  Charlotte  ville  village,                126 
•Summit  village,                          121 
Wright  town  including  village  of  Gal- 

lupville,  1,591 

•Gallupville  village,  258 

The  villages  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*)  are 

unincorporated,  and  their  population   is  given 

only  approximately,  as  their  limits  cannot  be 

sharply  defined. 

The   following    miscellaneous   statistics   are 
from  the  census  of  1880  : — 
Number  of  inhabitants,  32,939 

"  Males,  16,438 

"  Females  16,501 

"  Natives,  32,199 

"  Foreign,  740 

"  White,  32,458 

Colored,  481 

"  Indians,  20 

Number  of  houses,  6,686 

"  Frame,  6,488 

Brick,  57 

"  Stone,  16 

Log,  125 

Milch  cows  kept,  20,185 

Sheep,  29,293 

Horses  of  two  years  and  over,  8,559 

Working  oxen  and  steers,  (pairs,)  1,762 

Acres  plowed  in  1875,  72,5^2 

Acres  pastured  in  1875,     .  92,800 

Acres  mowed,  in  1875,  97,524 

Butter  made  in  families  in  1875',  lbs.  2,507,970 
Number  of  pounds  cheese  made  by 

families  and  factories,  in  1875,  r77,774 

Number  of  gallons  milk  sold  in  market,  43,036 
Value  of  hops  raised  in  1875,  $1,495,329 

Value  of  poultry  sold         "  $17,608 

Value  of  eggs         "  "  $42,761 

Value  of  poultry  owned,    "  $48,940 


■86 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Civil  War— The  Year  i86i— Threatenings 
OF  War — Vengeance — Captain  Snyder— 
Volunteers  first  Recruiting — Colonel 
Mix  and  Comrades — The  76TH  Regiment — 
Members  —  1 34TH  —  Members  of  Compa- 
nies— The  44TH — Members — Members  of 
OTHER  Regiments — Colored  Volunteers — 
Hero  Martyrs. 

DURING  the  unparalleled  prosperity  of  the 
Nation  the  fearful  hydra-headed  demon 
of  civil  war  chilled  the  country's  heart-blood 
and  made  the  year  1861  ever  memorable 
upon  the  pages  of  history.  Over  the  Southern 
fields  that  once  reared  such  noble,  patriotic  sons 
as  Washington,  Marion,  the  Pinkneys  and  Ran- 
dolphs, the  torch  of  hatred  was  lit,  and,  em- 
blazoned upon  the  ramparts  of  the  Nation's 
outposts,  were  the  infernal  pencilings  of  dis- 
union. Though  from  the  rostrum  of  the  politi- 
cal schemer  and  even  the  pulpit  of  reverend 
divines  both  North  and  South  came  the  threat- 
enings of  war,  devastation  and  death,  yet  the 
people — the  power  of  the  Government — were 
negligent  of  duty  and  awoke  not  to  a  sense  of  it 
until  the  tide  of  fanaticism  had  swept  nearly 
over  and  undermined  the  temple  of  American 
liberty. 

The  Southern  heart  burst  with  vengeance 
against  the  walls  of  Sumter,  in  which  was  one 
of  Schoharie's  gallant  sons,  Captain  George 
Snyder.  The  booming  of  cannon  was  answered 
from  the  plow,  workshop  and  counting-room,  of 
the  East,  North  and  West,  under  the  folds  of  the 
"stars  and  stripes."  Father  met  son,  and  son 
met  brother,  in  deadly  strife,  and  from  every 
part,  the  moaning  of  mothers,  widows  and  or- 
phans rent  the  air,  while  the  roaringof  musketry 
and  the  shrieks  and  groans  of  the  dying  arose  from 
many  hard  fought  battlefields.  Avarice,  ever 
awake  to  selfish  ends,  took  advantage  of  the 
tumult,  and  plied  her  energies  to  unholy  specula- 
tion, while  justice  seemed  to  be  paralyzed  and 
her  mandates  of  reason  unheeded.  From  fanat- 
ical recesses  came  the  bowlings  of  Pharisaical 
braggadocios  against  the  loyalty  of  Schoharie 


County.  Epithets  and  anathemas  were  sent 
afloat  to  swell  the  volume  of  fraternal  rage,  while 
her  sons,  true  to  the  spirits  of  their  fathers  at 
Plattsburgh,  Oswego  and  Niagara,  and  their 
grandsires  at  Saratoga,  Monmouth,  and  the 
wilds  of  Tryon  and  Albany  counties,  were  gal- 
lantly struggling,  not  to  avenge,  but  subdue  the 
maddening  spirit  upon  Southern  soil,. and  guard 
Freedom's  standard  upon  the  citadel  of  the 
Nation,  that  it  might  bear  the  glorious  banner  of 
our  country,  for  after  generations  to  bless  and 
protect. 

We  are  unable  to  give  a  correct  list  of  all  that 
volunteered  from  the  County,  as  many  early  did 
so,  in  distant  regiments,  and  were  credited  to 
those  counties  and  States  in  which  they  en- 
listed. 

As  near  as  we  are  enabled  to  ascertain, 
Hiram  A.  Blodgett,  of  Cherry  Valley,  after- 
wards Captain  in  the  76th  regiment  of  N.  Y.  S. 
Volunteers,  was  the  first  that  enlisted  recruits 
in  the  County.  The  ball  being  put  in  motion, 
meetings  were  called  throughout  the  County, 
and  several,  with  enlisting  papers,  procured 
many,  of  whom  we  cannot  obtain  a  perfect  list. 

Peter  E.  Borst,  of  Cobleskill,  was  the  first  to 
enlist  in  the  County,  and  afterwards  joined  the 
3d  Cavalry,  as  will  be  seen. 

S.  Hoosick  Mix,  of  Schoharie,  organized  the 
3d  New  York  Cavalry,  in  which  the  following 
enUsted  from  the  County: — 

Lieutenant-Colonel,  Hoosick  Mix,  promoted 
to  Colonel,  killed;  Captain  C.  C.  Kromer,  Cap- 
tain Briar  L.  Wilber ;  Lieutenant  Peter  E. 
Borst,  wounded ;  Lieutenant  Alphonso  Bab- 
cock,  Lieutenant  Charles  Pansier ;  Corporal 
C.  E.  Foot,  wounded,  Nathaniel  Rickard,  killed, 
Henry  Spilter,  Ira  Zeh,  Henry  Roberts,  John 
M.  Freeman,  Rensselaer  Kinney,  Daniel  Her- 
ron,  Warren  Giles.  The  regiment  was  mus- 
tered into  service,  August  12,  1861. 

The  76th  N.  Y.  S.  V.  was  organized  at 
Cherry  Valley  and  was  mustered  into  service. 

The  following  were  from  Schoharie  County 
and  the  list  may  be  imperfect  by  not  being  able 
to  procure  the  names  of  those  who  joined  after, 
the  regiment  was  mustered  into  service: — 


Company  I. 


Cook  John  E., 


Captain. 


ROSTER  OF  THE  76™  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.  S.  V. 


87 


Blodgett  H.  A.,  First  Lieutenant,  promot- 

ed Captain. 

Clark  Peter  S.,  Second 

Sergeant,   promot- 

ed  Captain. 

Liddle  Wm.  J., 

Third  Sergeant. 

Warner  Lyman, 

Fourth  Sergeant. 

Rifenburgh  Lewis, 

Fifth  Sergeant. 

Pitts  Weller, 

Corporal. 

Propper  D.  M., 

do 

Slater  John  M., 

do 

Smith  Hezekiah, 

do 

Smith  Silas, 

do 

Clark  Coons, 

Wagoner. 

Smith  Nelson  B., 

Musician. 

Billings  Charles  H., 

Piivate. 

Brown  Wm.  H., 

do 

Murphey  Chas., 

do 

Rorick  John, 

do 

Schermehorn  Francis, 

do 

Ottman  Abram, 

do 

Alger  Chas., 

do 

Barton  Darius  B., 

do 

Becker  E.  H., 

do 

Bice  Henry, 

do 

Bice  John  J., 

do 

Boom  W.  H.  H., 

do 

Borst  J.  L., 

do 

Borst  Martin, 

do 

Bouck  Chris, 

do 

Brazee  Abram, 

do 

Cater  John  D., 

do 

Champnoy  H., 

do 

Clark  E.  A., 

do 

Coons  James  E., 

do 

Coons  J.  W., 

do 

Dimond  John, 

do 

Duel  David  H., 

do 

Dutcher  T., 

do 

Eckerson  John, 

do 

Edwards  M., 

do 

Efner  E.  J., 

do 

EUer  R., 

do 

Geurnsey  C.  H., 

do 

Hammond  J.  H., 

do 

Hayward  Aaron, 

do 

Herron  Daniel, 

do 

HiUsley  J.  J., 

do 

Ives  Hiram  R., 

do 

Lawyer  Nelson, 

do 

Lawyer  Wm.  H., 

do 

Lockwood  Jeremiah, 
Lynes  David, 
Mann  George  D., 
Mann  Thomas  J., 
Manning  Adam, 
Manschaeffer  Jacob, 
Mattice  Joseph  H., 
Moon  Lewis, 
Nelson  Holmes  K., 
Olover  Gideon, 
Parslow  Jacob, 
Parslow  Wm.  H., 
Pierce  Ralph, 
Redmond  Thomas, 
Ruland  Amos, 
Shufelt  Orison, 
Stever  Abram, 
Sullivan  John, 
Teater  Henry, 
Thompkins  Moses, 
Traver  Calvin, 
Tygert  G.  W., 
VanPatten  George, 
Vosburgh  A., 
Waggoner  H., 
Warner  Ira, 
Warner  John, 
Weidman  Paul, 
Wright  Charles  H., 
Wright  Fletcher, 
Yanson  Joseph, 
Ives  Hiram  R., 
Brazee  Samuel, 


Private, 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 


134TH  Regt.  N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Jhe  regiment  was  raised  from  Schoharie  and 
Schenectady  counties,  and  rendezvoused  upon 
the  fair-grounds  at  Schoharie  C.  H.,  in  the 
months  of  September  and  October,  1862.  In 
the  fore  part  of  November,  it  was  taken  to 
Washington,  where  Col.  Geo.  Dan  forth  as  a  State 
officer  was  relieved  of  command  by  U.  S.  Col- 
onel, D.  S.  A.  Grede,  who  led  them  to  Fairfax, 
where  they  were  brigaded  November  sad,  in  the 
Second  Brigade  (Second  Division)  nth  Army 
Corps,  under  the  command  of  General  Van- 
Steinweir. 

Charles  R.  Costar  was  appointed  Colonel 
of  the   regiment  while  at  Fairfax,  which  com- 


88 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


mand  he  held  during  service,  and  which  closed 
with  the  war. 

The  regiment  participated  in  the  actions  at 
Chancellorsville,Gettysburgh,  Missionary  Ridge, 
Knoxville,  Alanta,  Resaca,  Dallas,  Pine  Knob, 
Lost  Mountain,  Peachtree  Creek,  Savannah  and 
Goldsborough.  They  were  unfortunate  in  a  few 
of  the  engagements,  especially  at  Petersburgh, 
where  many  of  the  brave  lads  fell  in  the  thickest 
of  the  fight.  Typhoid  fevercarriedmany  of  them 
away,  a  list  of  which  may  be  cousulted  in  the 
latter  part  of  this  number.  The  following  are 
the  names  of  the  members  credited  to  Schoharie 
County  as  they  appear  in  the  "  Muster-in-roU  " 
with  promotions  as  far  as  we  are  able  to  learn, 
also  officers,  from  both  counties  : — 

James  M.  Walkins,    Captain,  Company  A. 
First  Lieutenant. 


Henry  Y.  Bradt, 
Henry  I.  Palmer, 
Benjamin  B.  Bice, 
Garrett  Horsefall, 
Joseph  Shaw, 
E.  VanDanDyck, 
Andrew  A.  Kelly, 
Joseph  McGraw, 
James  Scott, 
William  H.  Cain, 
Peter  S.  Palmer, 
John  Brothers, 
Frank  Robinson, 
James  A.  TuUock, 
William  H.  Dean, 
Henry  King, 
H.  C.  McDonald, 
Alsdorf  Morgan, 
Armstrong  James, 
Auer  Frederick, 
Arnold  P.  J., 
Brewer  Richard, 
Barber  James  W., 
Bond  Walter  D., 
Becker  John  B. 
Babcock  William, 
Bebee  Calvin  H., 
Bradt  John, 
Baringer  Jacob, 
Cain  Isaac, 
Chapman  Lionel, 
Chapman  George, 
Chapman  George  H., 


Second  Lieutenant. 
First  Sergeant. 
Second  Sergeant. 
Third  Sergeant. 
Fourth  Sergeant. 
Fifth  Sergeant. 
First  Corporal. 
Second  Corporal 
Third  Corporal. 
Fourth  Corporal. 
Fifth  Corporal. 
Sixth  Corporal. 
Seventh  Corporal. 
Eighth  Corporal. 
Bugler. 
Musician. 
Private, 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 


Clute  Nicholas, 
Clute  C.  H., 
Dunbar  F.  H., 
Diefenahl  Garard, 
Dillon  Horatio  P., 
Ernest  L.  P., 
Erhart  Fred.  L., 
Gage  Wesson, 
Gage  Alonzo, 
Gage  Hiram  C, 
Green  Aaron, 
Hedding  Oliver, 
Hubner  William, 
Hays  Dennis, 
Hindly  Thomas, 
Hienaman  C   H., 
Kittle  James  E., 
Kittle  Solomon, 
Kimball  Carlton, 
Landers  John  V., 
McGraw  Isaac, 
McMurrin  W.  J., 
Marcelus  Nicholas, 
Marcelus  Thomas, 
Moore  William  H., 
Montanney  J.  W., 
McCann  James, 
Markel  Hurbert  A., 
Nicholas  George, 
Neverman  Henry, 
Nichols  Nelson, 
Ostrander  George, 
Osborn  George  C, 
Osing  Andrew, 
Polch  Henry, 
Peasly  George  A., 
Palmer  George  W., 
Rickerman  Antoine, 
Rummius  Charles, 
Rosekrans  Charles, 
Spangler  Joseph, 
Swits  John  C, 
Stevens  George  E., 
Smith  Fred., 
Simpson  Thomas, 
Schauber  H.  V., 
Scheck  Andrew, 
Tallock  John  K., 
Tiffany  George, 
Tolls  John  A., 


Private, 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 


ROSTER  OF  THE  134TH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.  S.  V. 


89 


Tolls  Cicero, 

Private. 

Towndly  Caleb  W., 

do 

VanPatten  Silas, 

do 

Veir  George  H., 

do 

VanAernam  Park, 

do 

VanBencotten  Jerome, 

do 

VanVoast  Andrew, 

do 

Ward  James, 

do 

Wessel  Harman, 

do 

Wilbur  Silas  G., 

do 

West  John, 

do 

Wohnlich  Christian, 

do 

Tubler  Rudolph, 

do 

Young  Daniel  D., 

do 

Company 

B. 

David  H.  Hamhn, 

Captain 

Solomon  G.  Hamlin, 

First  Lieutenant 

Solomon  C.  Wilson,       Second  Lieutenant 

Company 

C. 

John  Materhaghan,  Captain. 

Jas.  Glenn,  First  Lieutenant. 

Perry  E.  McMaster,  First  Lieutenant,  pro- 
moted Captain  Company  K.,  Brev.  Col. 
N.  M.  VanAntwert,  Sergeant. 

Peter  Haley,  do 

James  Burke,  do 

Alonzo  McKee,  do 

Wm.  H.  Wilson,  do 

Otis  Guffin,  Corporal,  promoted  to  Cap- 
tain, Brev.  Col. 


Geo.  H.  Warner, 
Walter  Stocker, 
Orin  Warner, 
Jno.  D.  Gardner, 
Peter  W.  Keyser, 
Levi  Moore, 
S.  D.  Lyons, 
John  Taggart, 
George  Kniskern, 
Allen  Chas.  B., 
Borst  Cornelius, 
Borst  Hiram, 
Borst  David  S., 
Brown  Stephen  M.. 
Brown  Harvey, 
Becker  David  S., 
Borst  William, 


Corporal, 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 

Drummer. 
Fifer. 
Private, 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 


Bradt  Joseph, 
Bailey  Stillman. 
Bradt  Clark, 
Cook  Daniel  S., 
Cassidy  Martin, 
Cady  Alonzo, 
Cornell  Schuyler, 
Cornell  Wm.  H., 
Clark  Peter  D., 
Clark  Abram  D., 
Cartwright  G.  W., 
Clute  John, 
Clute  Henry, 
Clute  Charles, 
Coonradt  Abram  D., 
Coonradt  Peter, 
Dykman  Jas.  M., 
Dings  Truman, 
Devoe  Wm.  A., 
Duell  George, 
Dey  Benjamin, 
Esmy  Jedediah, 
Gunther  Charles, 
Gardner  Riley  S„ 


Private, 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 


Gorden  Henry  W., promotedCorporal. 

Groot  Adam, 

Guffin  Cyrus, 

Gage  Hiram  M., 

Gardnier  Wm.  I., 

Holmes  John  H., 

Haley  Martin, 

Hayner  Austin, 

Hyney  Daniel, 

Hyney  John  L., 

Hyney  Charles, 

Keyser  Jacob  H., 

Kuhn  Conrad, 

McMillenWm.  H., 

Mickel  Weston  G.,  regt.  Color  Bearer. 

Mutter  Joseph,  do 

Morris  George  H.,  do 

Marsh  John  Y.,  do 

Manchester  John  A.,  do 

Nelson  Sylvanus  H.,  do 

Nelson  Wm.  H.,  do 

Polmyteer  Jacob,  do 

Pindar  Jacob,  do 

Rose  Wm.,  do 

Ryfenbark  Ebenezer,  do 

Rowly  Elias  S.,  do 


do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 


90 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Rasue  Leonard, 
Rowe  Jas.  B., 
Snyder  J.  M., 
Spawn  Wm., 
Stillwell  W.  T., 
Stillwell  S.  J., 
Stillwell  D.  H., 
Smeaton  Albert, 
Sagendorf  John, 
Swarthout  Jas.  H., 
Taggart  James, 
Tyrrell  Sam'l., 
Talmage  Oliver, 
Towero  Wm., 
Underbill  Washington  L, 
Van  Guilder  Geo.  W., 
Van  Dyck  C.  R., 
Van  Slyke  CorneUus  R., 
Van  Dyck  Edward, 
Van  DeGrift  John  S., 
Wit  beck  Pelet, 
Woodsworth  Lansing, 
Warner  Isaac, 
Warner  David  A., 
Weaver  Charles  H., 
Weaver  Benj.  F., 
Wood  Abram  R., 
Wood  Lewis  M., 
White  David  C, 
Wolford  Minor, 
Welton  Wm.  H., 
Shafer  Edward, 
Bellinger  Conrad, 

Company  D. 


Private, 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 


A.  H.  Southwell, 
S.  L.  Mitchell, 
C.  W.  Hinman, 
Alonzo  Parslow, 
Geo.  W.  Bishop, 
A.  J.  Dickinson, 
C.  B.  Barnhart, 
Abrm.  C.  Conklin, 
Peter  H.  Zeh, 
Stephen  Hillsinger, 
Harvey  J.  Tiffany, 
W.  H.  Brane, 
Levi  O.  Fox, 
James  Best, 
Addison  Corn  well, 


Captain. 

First  Lieutenant. 

Second  Lieutenant. 

First  Sergeant. 

Second  Sergeant. 

Third  Sergeant. 

Fourth  Sergeant 

First  Corporal. 

Second  Corporal. 

Third  Corporal. 

Fourth  Corporal. 

Fifth  Corporal. 

Sixth  Corporal. 

Seventh  Corporal. 

Eighth  Corporal. 


Isaac  Van  Kleek, 

Musician. 

Hamilton  B.  Bouck, 

Musician. 

Orin  M.  Duncan, 

Teamster. 

Alvernon  Wm.  B., 

Private. 

Allen  Charles, 

do 

Allen  David  C, 

do 

Armlin  Wm., 

do 

Borst  Merrit  J., 

do 

Brown  John, 

do 

Bergen  Michael, 

do 

Bachus  William, 

do 

Blodgett  J.  H., 

do 

Bevens  William, 

do 

Brownell  Jonathan, 

do 

Babcock  John, 

do 

Burnett  Wesley  A., 

do 

Burnett  Isaac, 

do 

Brooks  John  H., 

do 

Coons  M.  W., 

do 

Cosgrove  Chas., 

do 

Chichester  Albert, 

do 

Cleveland  John  C, 

do 

Cartwright  Wm., 

do 

Curtis  Abram, 

do 

Clark  Mortimer, 

do 

Coons  Jacob, 

do 

Cartwright  Alonzo, 

do 

Cain  Reuben, 

do 

Dibble  Jesse, 

do 

Doney  Benjamin, 

do 

Doney  David, 

do 

Deman  Henry, 

do 

Decker  Chas.  L., 

do 

Donovan  Clinton  I., 

do 

Gifford  Johnson, 

do 

Hallenbeck  H., 

do 

Ham  Robert, 

do 

Hagerdorn  Christopher, 

do 

Haskin  Henry, 

do 

Hittsley  John, 

do 

Keyser  Ephriam  H., 

do 

Kelsey  William  P., 

do 

Kelsey  Albert  M., 

do 

Keyser  Jonas, 

do 

Meeker  Henry  W., 

do 

Mattice  Henry  M., 

do 

Perry  Solomon, 

do 

Plough  Ephraim, 

do 

Parslow  Adam, 

do 

Parslow  Anthony, 

do 

ROSTER  OF  THE  134TH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.  S.  V. 


91 


Palmer  William  H., 

Private. 

T.  S.  Vroman, 

Eighth  Corporal. 

Reynolds  Edgar, 

do 

0.  B.  Curtis, 

Drummer. 

Reinhart  Jacob, 

do 

Armstrong  Alfred, 

Private. 

Smith  Chas.  C, 

do 

Brown  Albert, 

do 

Scram  John, 

do 

Becker  William  A., 

do 

Sitzor  Seth, 

do 

Birchard  Joseph, 

do 

Shafer  Deverue, 

do 

Burnett  Oswald, 

do 

Stafford  Reuben  H., 

do 

Barry  Jeremiah, 

do 

Sweet  Sylvanus, 

do 

Berchard  L.  D., 

do 

Scram  George  H., 

do 

Baker  J.  W., 

do 

Shafelt  Peter, 

do 

Cammer  John  H., 

do 

Styner  Jacob, 

do 

Crapser  Jesse  A., 

do 

Schell  Jacob,  Jun., 

do 

Craighton  Henry, 

do 

Teater  Daniel, 

do 

Craighton  D.  W., 

do 

Teater  Heleam, 

do 

Champlin  Stanton, 

do 

Thurston  Thomas, 

do 

Craw  George, 

do 

Traver  Charles, 

do 

Champlin  George  W., 

do 

Traver  Erastus, 

do 

Driggs  C.  A., 

do 

Treman  Oscar  I., 

do 

Dingman  Reuben, 

do 

Whitnig  John  H., 

do 

Dudley  Addison, 

do 

Wereley  Reuben, 

do 

Dany  Philip, 

do 

Winewright  George  H 

•J 

do 

EUeason  Charles, 

do 

Weidman  Septemas, 

do 

Eggenor  W.  W., 

do 

Watson  John  I., 

do 

EUet  Peleg, 

do 

Wheeler  George, 

do 

Eglerston  J.  D., 

do 

Warner  Wm.  H., 

do 

Eglerston  Miles, 

do 

Wood  Chas.  N., 

do 

Farrington  A.  L., 

do 

Whilsing  George, 

do 

Finch  William  H., 

do 

Weidman  George  D., 

do 

Gavett  Leander, 

do 

Livingston  Sylvester, 

do 

Hughs  J.  S.,        . 

do 

Weidman   James,    Private,  promoted 

Hay  James  D., 

do 

Corporal. 

Happy  J.  W., 
Hubbard  Michael, 

do 
do 

Company  E. 

Hallock  N., 

do 

John  B.  Vroman, 

Captain. 

Harm  A., 

do 

S.  H.  Newcomb, 

First  Lieutenant. 

Inghram  E., 

do 

Peter  Deoy, 

Second  Lieutenant. 

Jackson  D., 

do 

Joel  Warner, 

First 

Sergeant. 

Jackson  Jeremiah, 

do 

Wm.  W.  Jackson, 

Second 

Sergeant. 

Judd  George. 

do 

C.  G.  Tyler, 

Third 

Sergeant. 

Jump  William, 

do 

G.  R.  Payne,  Fourth 

Sergeant, 

promoted 

Lockwood  Alexander, 

do 

Lieutenant. 

Layman  Charles  A., 

do 

Jerome  Simpson, 

Fifth 

Sergeant. 

Monroe  A., 

do 

Jas.  M.  Dart, 

First 

Corporal. 

Mclntyre  A., 

do 

Jas.  Driscol, 

Second 

Corporal. 

Martin  Charles, 

do 

Oscar  Spickerman, 

Third 

Corporal. 

Mattice  H.  C, 

do 

L  F.  Mabee, 

Fourth 

Corporal. 

Murphy  James, 

do 

J.  C.  Starkins, 

Fifth  Corporal. 

Nichols  Isaac  P., 

do 

Stephen  E.  Beller, 

Sixth 

Corporal. 

Porter  R.  S., 

do 

Robert  Veley, 

Seventh 

Corporal. 

Reed  William  L., 

do 

92 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Reed  Ellis, 

Private. 

John  Secombe, 

Second 

Sergeant. 

Reed  David, 

do 

James  H.  Foland, 

Third 

Sergeant. 

Reed  William, 

do 

George  W.  Guernsey, 

Fourth 

Sergeant. 

Robinson  F., 

do 

Martin  Jones, 

Fifth 

Sergeant. 

Roe  J.  P., 

do 

Thompson  Underbill, 

First 

Corporal. 

Rull  Leiman, 

do 

William  W.  Herron, 

Second 

Corporal. 

Smith  William  R., 

do 

G.  L.  Brewster, 

Third 

Corporal 

Sloat  S., 

do 

Charles  Mayer, 

Fourth 

Corporal. 

Stoker  C.  M., 

do 

Jarvis  Swift, 

Fifth 

Corporal. 

Sprague  Alonzo, 

do 

James  Brownler, 

Sixth 

Corporal. 

Sommers  S.  B., 

do 

G.  W.  Douglas, 

Seventh 

Corporal. 

Shelmandine  L., 

do 

Robert  Vaughn, 

Eighth  Corporal. 

Sagendorf  A., 

do 

Brown  Sovereign, 

Private. 

Sager  Jacob, 

do 

Bice  Asher  D., 

do 

Sharff  Henry, 

do 

Beaver  George  R., 

do 

Shilmandine  John, 

do 

Brandenstine  Jacob, 

do 

Shelmandine  E.  B., 

do 

Batchelor  L., 

do 

Simpson  John, 

do 

Boughton  Lendon  E., 

do 

Thomas  Elias, 

do 

Boughton  J.  B., 

do 

Thome  William, 

do 

Bullis  Charles, 

do 

Thomas  John, 

do 

Beh  John, 

do 

Vanlan  Dewit, 

do 

Clute  J.  P., 

do 

Vanloan  0.  D., 

do 

Campbell  Peter, 

do 

Vroman  J.  W., 

do 

Campbell  Duncan, 

do 

Vroman  A.  L., 

do 

Campbell  James, 

do 

WilberP.  C, 

do 

Cleveland  H.  M., 

do 

Wilber  Hiram, 

do 

Cleveland  Alexander, 

do 

Widman  J.  D., 

do 

Drum  P.  H., 

do 

Weed  J.  M., 

do 

Donovan  John, 

do 

Winters  Frank, 

do 

Driggs  Alonzo, 

do 

Witbeck  G.  H., 

do 

Dingman  J.  A., 

do 

Wederman  John, 

do 

Earls  William  W., 

do 

Winne  Lafayette, 

do 

Fuller  Rodman  S., 

do 

Warner  Alvah, 

do 

Guffin  James, 

do 

Yanson  Peter, 

do 

Gillbourne  D., 

do 

Yoemans  H.  A., 

do 

Hummel  R.  S., 
Haner  David, 

do 
do 

Company  F. 

Jerrolman  Jacob, 

do 

G.  D.  Kennedy, 

Captain. 

King  Stephen, 

do 

G.  A.  TurnbuU, 

First  Lieutenant. 

King  Peter, 

do 

CUnton  C.  Brown, 

Second  Lieutenant. 

Kater  A.  D., 

do 

Wilham  H.  Rowe, 

First 

Sergeant. 

King  J.  H., 

do 

J.  W.  Kennedy, 

Seconc 

1  Sergeant. 

King  Lawrence, 
Loucks  Ira, 

do 
do 

Company   G. 

Lake  M.  S., 

do 

Henry  C.  Cook, 

Captain, 

(resigned). 

Lehman  D.  W., 

do 

Henry  Parsons, 

First  Lieutenant. 

Maddock  E., 

do 

Wilber  F.  Ramsey, 

Second  Lieutenant. 

Moak  N.  D., 

do 

C.  W.   Taylor,  First 

Sergeant, 

promoted 

Mann  George  D., 

do 

Captain,  Brevet  Major. 

Morris  G.  H., 

do 

ROSTER  OF  THE  13+TH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.  S.  V. 


93 


Near  S.  D., 

Private. 

O'Gorraan  William, 

do 

Ouderkirk  H., 

do 

Perry  N.  S., 

do 

Pitcher  Conrad, 

do 

Parmlee  John, 

do 

Palraatier  Daniel, 

do 

Palmatier  Willis, 

do 

Palmatier  David, 

do 

Paris  Charles, 

do 

Parson  Alx., 

do 

Pitcher  A.  A., 

do 

Paris  Levi, 

do 

Roney  Barney, 

do 

Richtmyer,  H., 

do 

Slater  William, 

do 

Schermerhom  Alx., 

do 

Sperbeck  Orlando, 

do 

Scripture  N.  R., 

do 

Straight  Alonzo, 

do 

Smith  Andrew, 

do 

Stanton  Lorin  T., 

do 

Van  Kleeck  Hugo, 

do 

Wightman  C.  B., 

do 

Walters  A.  L., 

do 

Winne  James, 

do 

Wilday  Albert, 

do 

Watson  D.  A., 

do 

Young  Nelson  S., 

do 

Zeh  Martin  G., 

do 

Zeh  David, 

do 

Brown  S., 

do 

Michael  Geo., 

do 

Brown  John, 

do 

Rhin chart  Jacob, 

do 

Sager  Jacob, 

do 

Sagendorf  Andrew, 

do 

King  Wm.  H., 

do 

Company  H. 

Austin  A.  Yates, 

Captain. 

Gerardus  Carley, 

First  Lieutenant. 

Marcus  A.  Herrick, 

Second  Lieutenant. 

A.  W.  Barry, 

First  Sergeant. 

W.  H.  Mickel, 

Second  Sergeant. 

Wm.  E.  Rockwell, 

Third  Sergeant. 

A.  W.  Degolyer, 

Fourth  Sergeant. 

R.  S.  Smith, 

Fifth  Sergeant. 

Wm.  Johnson, 

First  Corporal. 

E.  W.  Bo  wen. 

Second  Corporal. 

T.  G.  Liddle, 
Robt.  Seaman, 
H.  G.  Teller, 
E.  J.  Mockrie, 
C.  W.Austin, 
Jas.  Waddell, 
Ackley  E.  S., 
Acker  Adam, 
Abdls  J.  W., 
Brown  E.  P., 
Brown  I.  R., 
Barrows  Daniel, 
Barrows  C.  D., 
Burbank  H.  H., 
Bradt  George, 
Bradt  Olvon, 
Bradt  A.  D., 
Bradt  Aaron, 
Bennet  Geo., 
Barkhuff  Jas.  H., 
Brigner  Andrew, 
Beckler  John, 
Brumagin  Peter, 
Burke  James  H., 
Corl  Robert, 
Countermine  Chas., 
Countermine  Wm., 
Campbell  Lewis, 
Chamberlin  J.  P., 
Chilson  Lorin, 
Cotton  Wm., 
Cotton  Daniel, 
Connell  John, 
Davis  C.  O., 
Douglas  J.  E., 
Dougall  R.  C, 
Earles  W.  W., 
Fields  S.  S., 
Fredericks  D., 
Fredericks  E., 
Filkins  Benj.  C, 
Hughs  David, 
Jones  John  C, 
Kenneday  Jas., 
Kohn  Lewis, 
Kughts  Michall, 
Kagner  T., 
Lester  Alanson, 
Lester  John, 
Lester  M., 


Third  Corporal. 
Fourth  Corporal. 

Fifth  Sergeant. 

Sixth  Sergeant. 
Seventh  Sergeant. 
Eighth  Sergeant. 
Private, 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 


94 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Levey  W.  T., 

Private 

Murphy  Jerry, 

do 

Miller  James, 

do 

Mesech  H.  G., 

do 

Mackey  Wm., 

do 

Myers  Henry, 

do 

Oudekirk  P., 

do 

Preston  Henry, 

do 

Padley  Wm.  N., 

do 

Palmer  H., 

do 

Rockwell  Henry, 

do 

Rockwell  Jay, 

do 

Reagles  Geo.  M., 

do 

Russell  Jerry, 

do 

Stebbins  John, 

do 

Sherman  Borton, 

do 

Sharpe  Abram, 

do 

Squires  Geo., 

do 

Starks  Peter, 

do 

Smith  Wm., 

do 

Somes  H.  M., 

do 

Tymeson  Peter, 

do 

Truax  Peter, 

do 

Trip  Henry, 

do 

Vanhuysen  John, 

do 

Valkman  John, 

do 

VanWormer  J.  H., 

do 

VanAntwert  Peter, 

do 

Walters  Chas., 

do 

Wood  Chas., 

do 

Wasson  A.  J., 

do 

Wilsey  A.  J., 

do 

Company  I. 

Frank  Fletcher,  Captain  and  Chaplain. 
Albert  G.  Washburne,  First  Lieutenant. 
Wm.  F.  Baldwin,  Second  Lieutenant. 


Charles  Ahreets, 
Wm.  E.  Teller, 
C.  T.  Hunter, 
Wesley  Little, 
W.  O.  Beach, 
Jarvis  Moore, 
Wm.  Countermine, 
John  Cornell, 
N.  Nichols, 
C.  VanAernam, 
Thomas  Mann, 
E.  Dennison, 
E.  Patterson, 


First  Sergeant. 

Second  Sergeant. 

Third  Sergeant. 

Fourth  Sergeant. 

Fifth  Sergeant. 

First  Corporal. 

Second  Corporal. 

Third  Corporal. 

Fourth  Corporal. 

Fifth  Corporal. 

Sixth  Corporal. 

Seventh  Corporal. 

Eighth  Corporal. 


Bevins  M.  M., 
Bellenger  H., 
Burnett  G.  G., 
Brand  A.  L., 
Burger  Peter, 
Brotherton  J., 
Barry  James, 
Bakeman  Charles, 
Barrows  Daniel, 
Coons  Jacob, 
Cator  Janus, 
Curtis  Lorenzo, 
Clow  Wm., 
Cator  J.  H.  D., 
Contyne  Joseph, 
Connelly  Patrick, 
Driggs  Emery, 
Duel  J.  F., 
Duncan  Ora, 
Earl  Wilbur  N., 
Follensbee  George, 
Friend  Peter, 
Fitzpatrick  Ed., 
Goodfellow  H., 
Goodspeed  Wm., 
Hough  tailing  E., 
Houghtaihng  S., 
Houghtaihng  A., 
Houghtaihng  P., 
Hassong  Leopold, 
Ham  John  J., 
Husner  John, 
Hitsley  Jacob, 
Jones  LeGrande, 
Joslin  John, 
Jenner  Charles, 
Jennings  James, 
Kniskern  George, 
Livingston  H., 
Layman  Wallace, 
Larribee  Thomas, 
Myer  Henry, 
Mace  Jefferson, 
Merenees  Wm., 
Mereness  Jacob, 
Plue  Peter, 
Pratt  George, 
Quinn  Thomas, 
Rider  Reuben, 
Rooker  Ira, 


Private. 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 


ROSTER  OF  THE  134TH  REGIMENT,  N.  Y.  S.  V. 


95 


Slater  Ira, 

Private. 

Klutz  Charles, 

Private. 

Spoor  Marcellus, 

do 

Kunst  Frederick, 

do 

Scrum  Jacob, 

do 

Keller  John, 

do 

Salsbury  Amasa, 

do 

Lasumea  T., 

do 

Spoor  John  E., 

do 

Link  Peter, 

do 

Stock  Christian, 

do 

Marion  John, 

do 

Smith  George  W., 

do 

Murphy  John, 

do 

Tallerday  Wm.  H., 

do 

Rode  John, 

do 

Turner  John  G., 

do 

Rheinisch  John, 

do 

TenEyck  Hiram, 

do 

Schellkopf  John, 

do 

Taggart  J.  A, 

do 

Schuster  Anton, 

do 

Vrooman  Wm., 

do 

Schmidt  Joseph, 

do 

Wayman  David, 

do 

Schmidt  Thomas, 

do 

Weightman  Wm., 

do 

Uglitz  Charles, 

do 

Young  Grosvenor, 

do 

Wagner  John, 

do 

Wiltsey  Wm., 

do 

Wilbeck  Abram, 

do 

Shafer  Levi, 

do 

Watchtell  Philip, 

do 

Germond  George, 

do 

Wurster  Philip, 

do 

West  Zadok, 

do 

Van  Able  John, 

do 

Palmateer  Jacob, 

do 

Myer  Henry, 

do 

Still  well  S.  G., 

do 

Fitzgerald  Wm., 

do 

StiUwell  D.  H., 

do 

Ball  C.  L.  S., 

do 

Tyrell  Samuel, 

do 

Tyall  Anthony, 

do 

Borst  Wm., 

do 

Feathers  Samuel, 

do 

Company  K. 

Bunge  Chas., 

Van  DeBogart  Geo., 

do 
do 

Perry  E.  McMaster, 

Captain,  promoted  to 

Truan  Theodore, 

do 

Lieutenant-Colonel. 

White  John  C, 

do 

Henry  Frederick, 

First  Lieutenant. 

Schneider  Fred, 

do 

J.  Wm.  Burkhart, 

Second  Lieutenant. 

Hedden  Olover, 

do 

Chas.  Gartland, 

First  Sergeant. 

O'Ring  Andrew, 

do 

Frederick  Neuber, 

Second  Sergeant. 

Backer  Wm., 

do 

Beck  Wm., 

Private. 

Travis  Stephen, 

do 

Bellenger  Jacob. 

do 

Williams  Geo.  H., 

do 

Blum  Christ., 

do 

Weaver  Samuel, 

do 

Blesser  Frank, 

do 

Cater  Wm., . 

do 

Breithaupt  Jacob, 

do 

Undyk  John, 

do 

Burk  Simon, 

do 

Palmateer  G.  H., 

do 

Burk  James, 

do 

Tidger  George, 

do 

Bermbeck  Conrad, 

do 

Schwarzman  Adam, 

do 

Benz  Christian, 

do 

Cornelius  Davis, 

do 

Clement  John, 

do 

Boiler  John  G., 

do 

Eisenmenger  Fred, 

do 

Stooker  Charles, 

do 

Devoe  Hiram, 

do 

Stopper  John, 

do 

■  Geiser  Jacob, 

do 

Groope  David, 

do 

Gernsmer  Ferdinand, 

do 

Scharff  Henry, 

do 

Haflinger  JohTi, 

do 

Winters  Frank, 

do 

Horn  Valentine, 

do 

Barry  Jeremiah, 

do 

Herrman  Phil., 

do 

Johnson  Peter, 

do 

Holmes  Edwin, 

do 

Happy  J.  W., 

do 

96 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Beaver  Peter, 

Private 

Judd  George, 

do 

Van  DeBogart  I., 

do 

Martin  Wm., 

do. 

Ashton  George, 

do 

Zessut  Jacob,  or  Joseph, 

do 

Bellinger  Conrad, 

do 

Welton  Wm.  H., 

do 

Wolford  Minor, 

do 

Zunest  William, 

do 

Smith  Wm.  R., 

do 

Balders  Chas., 

do 

44TH  Reg't.  N.  Y.  S.  Vols. 

We  regret  exceedingly  our  inability  to  obtain 
a  correct  list  of  the  brave  boys  that  enlisted  in 
the  44th,  from  the  County.  The  regiment  rendez- 
voused at  Cooperstown  and  was  mustered  in  the 
U.  S.  service  at  Washington  in  1862. 

Robt.  W.  Gardner,  Corporal. 

Norman  Ottman,  Private. 

Martin  Stewart,  do 

John  F.  Chase,  do 

David  Claus,  do' 

Wm.  Eckerson,  Jun.,  do 

Emery  A.  Shaver,  do 

Rufus  Esmay,  do 

Theodore  Garnsey,  do 

Aaron  H.  Esmay,  do 

Scattering. 

The  following  names  and  regiments  to  which 
they  belonged  we  have  been  fortunate  in  find- 
ing, and  being  scattered  throughout  the  State 
we  will  place  them  as  follows:  — 

Archer  John  H.,  Private,  6ist  Regiment,  In- 
fantry, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Bice  Henry,  Private,  91st  Heavy  Artillery, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Brown  Charles,  Private,  91st  Heavy  Artillery, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Becker  Vinton,  Corporal,  3d  Heavy  Artillery, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Budg  Daniel,  Private,  7  th  Heavy  Artillery 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Bowie  James,  Private,  io2d  Regiment  Infant- 
ry, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Bevins  John,  Private,  7th  Regiment  Heavy 
Artillery,  N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Bevins  Dennis,  Private,  7th  Regiment  Heavy 
Artillery,  N.  Y.  S.  V. 


Duel  George  H.,  Private,  93d  Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Duel  Levi,   Private,  7th  Heavy  Artillery,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

Ensign  Frederick,  Private,  4th    Heavy  Artil- 
lery, U.  S.  Regulars. 

Fox   Samuel   W.,  Sergeant,   175th   Infantry, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Funk  Simeon,  Private,  34th  Art'y,  N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Grovenor  Perry,  Private,  unknown. 

Gorden  William  H.,  Private,  25th,  promoted 
to  Captain,  6istN.  Y.  S.  V. 

Hanson  Nicholas,  Lieutenant,  3d  Heavy  Ar- 
tillery, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Hyney  John  H.,  Corporal,  90th  Infantry,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

Huested  William,  Private,  i42d  Infantry,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

Hillsinger   John  H.,    Private,    5th  Infantry, 
Iowa. 

Hurst  Robert,  Private,  6ist   Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Hemstreet    Charles,  Corporal,  Heavy  Artil- 
lery, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

King  Peter,  Private,  7th  Heavy  Artillery,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

Lane  Stanton,  Private,    io2d  Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Little  Loren  L.,  Private,  6ist  Infantry  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Mead  Ephraim,  Private,  90th  Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Mattice  Spenser,  Private,  81st  Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Moyer  Sylvanus,  Private,   iisih  Infantry,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

Marble  George,  Private,  7th  Heavy  Artillery, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Marshall  Thomas,  Private,  7  th  Heavy  Artil- 
lery, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Ostrander  John,  Private,  87th  Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Pitcher  Jerry  D.,  Private,  ist  Artillery,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Pichet  Peter,  Private,  7th  Heavy  Artillery,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

Relyea  John,  Private,  91st  Heavy  Artillery,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

Salsbury  George,  Private,  91st  Heavy  Artil- 
lery, N.  Y.  S.  V. 


MISCELLANEOUS  ENLISTMENTS— COLORED  VOLUNTEERS 


97 


Shaver  George  A.,    Private,  gist  Heavy  Ar- 
tillery, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Stanton   John  H.,    Private,  43d  Infantry,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

Shaver  WilHam,  Corporal,  177th  Infantry,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

VanWormer  Isaac,  Private,  7  th  Heavy  Artil- 
lery, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

VanWormer  J.  H.,  Private,  7th  Heavy  Artil- 
lery, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Van  Wagoner  James,  Private,  7th  Heavy  Ar- 
tillery, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Witbeck   Martin,  Lieutenant,    51st  Infantry, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

White  Stephen   P.,  Private,    S7th   Infantry, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Tillapaugh  Washington,  Private,  in    a  West-, 
em  Regiment. 

Herrick  John,  Private,  91st  Infantry,  N.Y.S.V. 

Benjamin  W.  Gilbourne,  Private,  —  Heavy 
Artillery,  N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Perry  Grovenor,  Private,  —  Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Barney  Higgins,  Private,  U.  S.  Infantry. 

R.  G.  Havens,  Surgeon,  139th  Regiment.  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

J.  M.  Esmy,  Private,  loist  Regiment,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

P.  E.  Moore,  Private,   4th    Heavy  Artillery, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Charles  Bothwick,  Private,  53d  Heavy  Artil- 
lery,, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

H.    H.  Woolford,  Private,    17  th   Battery,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

William  Hogan,  Private,  93d  Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Peter  Towers,   Private,  8th  Heavy  Artillery, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

John    R.  Meek,  Private,  91st  Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

George  W.  Clement,  Private,  78th    Infantry, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

George  W.  Boorne,  Private,  121st  Infantry, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Walter  A.  Dingman,  Private,  23d  Battery,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

Oswal   Burnet,  Private,  12th  Battery,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Cyrus   W.    Ryder,    Private,    133d    Infantry, 
N.  Y.  S  V, 


M.   Rockerfeller,    Private,  91st   Infantry,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

Frank   Phaniff,  Private,  50th  Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

William  Kennedy,  Private,  91st  Infantry,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

P.  S.  Taber,    Private,    91st  Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Harrison  Propper,   Private,  120th   Infantry, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Benjamin  Rennolds,  Private,  144th  Infantry, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

John  P.  Lambert,  Private,  80th  Infantry,  N. 
Y.  S.  V. 

Edwin   Bruce,  Private,  80th  Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

George  W.  Evens,  Private,  ist  M.    F.  Eng., 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Joseph  S.  Perry,  Private,  2d  Heavy  Artillery, 
N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Wesley  Spore,  Private,   91st   Infantry,  N.  Y. 
S.  V. 

Stephen  S.  King,  Private,  7th    Heavy  Artil- 
lery, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Judson   Sprong,   Private,   15  2d   N.  Y.  Artil- 
lery, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

John  Thrall,  Private,  Ellsworth  Revengers. 

Philip  H.  Michaels,  Priyate,  3d  Heavy  Artil- 
lery, N.  Y.  S.  V. 

Colored  Volunteers. 


Berg  Henry, 

Private 

,  20th 

Regt. 

U.  S.  C.  T. 

Becker  John, 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Burhans  George, 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Cain  David, 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Charlton  Jacob, 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Dewit  Henry  T. 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Enders  Samuel, 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Hoyt  Richard, 

do 

26th 

do 

do 

Hoyt  Samuel, 

do 

20th 

do 

do 

Jackson  Arch., 

do 

nth 

do  R.  I.  C.  T. 

Kilmer  James  H., 

do 

nth 

do  H.A.N. Y.V 

Keyser  Abraham, 

do 

26th 

doU.S.Col'dT. 

Keyser  Zachariah 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Larkin  Thomas, 

do 

20th 

do 

do 

Larkin  Adam, 

do 

nth 

do 

R.  I.  H.  A. 

Lewis  John, 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Lawyer  Peter, 

do 

20th 

doU.S.Col'dT. 

Lauts  Jerry, 

do 

do 

do 

do 

98 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


2oth 

do         do 

do 

do        do 

nth 

do  R.  I.  H.  A 

31st 

do  U.  S.  C.  V 

do 

do        do 

26th 

do        do 

do 

do        do 

do 

do        do 

20th 

do        do 

nth 

do  R.I.H.Art 

do 

do        do 

26th 

do  U.S.C.Vol 

•do 

do        do 

do 

do        do 

31st 

do        do 

nth 

do  R.  I.  H.  A 

26th 

do  U.  S.  C.  V 

enlisted 

in   white  regi- 

ment 

in  1 86 1,  killed 

Mitchell  William,  Private,  3istRegt.  U.  S.  C.  T. 

Murphy  Charles,      do 

Murphy  Samuel,      do 

Ray  John,  do 

Smoke  WiUiam,        do 

Schermerhorn  John, do 

Sternberg  Henry,     do 

Smoke  Josiah,  do 

Sternbergh  Lorenzo,do 

Teaboat  George,      do 

Teaboat  William,     do 

Teaboat  Jacob,        do 

Tompson  William,   do 

Tompson  Lysander,do 

Teabout  Harry,        do 

Teabout  Richard  H.,  do 

Vroman  Harrison,   do 

Vroman  Daniel,       do 

Sees  Thomas,  do 


Schoharie's  Honored  Dead. 

Since  we  have  chronicled  the  names  of  those 
who  went  forth  to  battle  for  their  country  as  far 
as  we  have  been  able  to  glean  from  promiscu- 
ous lists,  let  us  turn  to  those  who  laid  their  lives 
upon  our  country's  altar  as  a  sacrifice  to  her 
greatness,  independence  and  liberty,  and  a  seal 
to  their  loyalty. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  H.  H.  Johnson, 
a  literary  gentleman  of  Hyndsville,  we  are  able 
to  furnish  a  list  of  the  soldiers  from  Schoharie 
County,  who  died  in  service  during  the  Rebell- 
ion, with  their  birthplace,  date  of  enlistment 
and  death,  being  extracts  from  articles  written 
by  Mr.  Johnson,  and  published  in  the  Cobkskill 
Herald,  entitled  "  Hero  Martyrs  of  Schoharie 
County." 

George  W.  Snyder.  [See  Cobleskill.] 
Simon  Hoosick  Mix.  [See  Schoharie.] 
David  Haner,  private.  Company  G,  134th 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  born  in  the  town  of 
Sharon,  March  1 6, 1 843;  enlisted  in  August,  1862. 
Participated  in  the  battles  of  Chancellorsville 
and  Gettysburgh.  Not  found  after  the  latter 
battle  and  supposed  to  have  been  taken  prisoner 
and  died  in  a  rebel  prison. 

John  F.  Duel,  private,  Company  1, 134th  Regi- 
ment, N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  bom  in  the  town  of  Scho- 


harie about  the  year  1811;  enlisted  September 
4,  1862.  Died  at  Fairfax  Court  House,  Va., 
December  3,  1862. 

WiUiam  H.  Cornell,  private.  Company  — , 
134th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in 
Lisle,  Broome  county,  March  5,  1840;  enlisted 
August  14,  1862.  Fought  in  the  battles  of 
Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburgh,  and  was 
killed  by  a  railroad  collision  July  15,  1864. 

Jesse  Albert  Crasper,  private  of  Company  E, 
134th  Regiment  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  bom  in 
the  town  of  Summit,  in  1843 ;  enlisted  in 
1862  ;  was  taken  prisoner  at  Gettysburgh,  and 
confined  in  "  Libby  Prison,"  at  Richmond,  Va., 
where  he  died. 

Wm.  T.  Stillwell,  private.  Company  C,  134th 
Regiment  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  at  Pratts- 
ville,  Greene  county,  from  whence  he  removed, 
at  an  early  age,  to  Summit,  Schoharie  County ; 
enhsted,  September  23,  1862;  died  with 
spotted  fever,  December  23,  1862,  at  Fredericks- 
burgh,  Va. 

David  H.  Stilwell,  private.  Company  C,  134th 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Summit,  March  14,  1844  ;  enlisted  Sep- 
tember 23,  1862  ;  fought  at  Gettysburgh  and 
other  battles,  and  died  at  Murfreesborough, 
Tenn.,  April  4,  186.;. 

Jacob  Mereness,  private.  Company  I,  134th 
Regiment  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Sharon,  January  24,  1834;  enlisted  in  August, 
1862,  and  died  near  Fredericksburgh,  Va.,  of 
chronic  diarrhea,  December  22,  1862. 

Cornelius  R.  VanSlyke,  private.  Company  C, 
134th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.  Born  in  the 
town  of  Seward,  June  4,  1 84c  ;  enlisted  in  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Gettysburgh. 

Corporal  Henry  W.  Gordon,  Company  C, 
134th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.Vols.;  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Carlisle,  June  22,  1837  ;  enlisted  August 
II,  1862;  died  of  inflamation  of.  the  lungs,  in 
the  summer  of  1863. 

Wm.  H.  Clute,  private.  Company  C,  134th 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.Vols.;  was  born  at  Spraker's 
Basin,  Montgomery  county,  August  28,  1837, 
from  whence  he  removed  to  Schoharie  County  ; 
enlisted  August  11,  1862,  and  died  June 
14,  1863,  from  the  effects  of  a  kick  received 
from  a  mule,  at  Germantown. 


SCHOHARIE'S  HONORED  DEAD. 


99 


Lieutenant  George  R.  Payne,  of  Company 
E,  134th  Regiment;  was  born  in  the  town  of  Ful- 
ton, in  the  year  1840  ;  enlisted  in  August, 
1862.  He  fought  at  the  battles  of  Chancellors- 
viUe  and  Gettysburgh.  AVas  captured  in  the 
latter,  by  the  Rebels,  but  was  re-taken  by  the 
federal  troops,  and  was  killed  by  a  bullet  at  the 
battle  of  Rocky  Face. 

Corporal  James  Weidman,  of  Company  D, 
134th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.Vols.;  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Jefferson  ;  enlisted  in  the  summer 
of  1862;  fought  at  Chancellorsville,  Missionary 
Ridge,  Rocky  Face,  Resaca,  Lost  Mountain, 
Peach  Tree  Creek,  and  Atlanta.  At  the  last 
mentioned  place,  he  was  mortally  wounded,  and 
died  the  next  day. 

James  Guffin,  private.  Company  G,  134th 
Regiment;  was  born  in  the  town  of  Carlisle,  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1832  ;  enlisted  in  September,  1862  ; 
fought  at  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburgh,  and  was 
killed  by  a  cannon  ball  at  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
June  27,  1864. 

Levi  Duel,  private,  Company  K,  7th  N.  Y. 
Heavy  Artillery ;  born  in  the  town  of  Schoharie, 
in  1841  ;  enlisted  August  4,  1862;  was  captured 
during  the  battle  in  front  of  Petersburgh,  and 
died  in  Andersonville  prison,  August  15,  1864. 

Corporal  George  H.  Duel,  93d  Regiment,  N. 
Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the  town  of  Wright, 
March  3,  1841,  enlisted  in  the  autumn  of  1861  ; 
fought  in  several  battles,  and  died  from  con- 
sumption, in  October,  1864,  broiight  on  by  ex- 
haustion in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness. 

Spencer  Mattice,  was  a  private  in  Com- 
pany D,  8ist  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Wright,  July  3,  1848 ;  en- 
listed March  31,  1864,  and  died  of  typhoid 
fever  at  Hampton  Hospital,  August  2,  1864. 

John  Jost  Hillsby,  private,  Company  I,  76th 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Cobleskill,  in  the  year  1821 ;  enhsted  in  the 
autumn  of  1 861,  and  died  of  fever  near  Fred- 
ericksburgh,  August  9,  1862. 

John  Ostrander,  private,  87th  Regiment,  N. 
Y.  S.  Vols.;  born  in  the  town  of  Jefferson, 
December  18,  1842;  enlisted  October  17, 186 1 ; 
fought  in  the  following  battles  :  Williamsburgh, 
James  River,  Hanover  Court  House,  Fair  Oaks, 
and  the  seven  days  battle  before  Richmond, 
when   he   was   wounded   and   his   regiment  all 


killed  or  taken  prisoners,  except  four,  of  which 
number  John  was  one.  After  recovering  from 
his  wounds,  he  fought  at  Ihe  battles  of  Cedar 
Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericksburgh,' Gettys- 
burgh, and  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  where 
he  was  killed  by  a  bullet. 

John  H.  Stanton,  private,  43d  Regiment,  N.  Y. 
S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the  town  of  Fulton  ;  en- 
hsted in  February,  1862.  Fought  at  the  battle 
of  Williamsburgh  and  died  of  fever,  June  25, 
1862. 

Norman  Ottman,  private,  44th  Regiment,  N. 
Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sharon, 
April  I,  1825  ;  enlisted  September  18,  1862. 
He  fought  at  the  battles  of  Fredericksburgh 
and  Chancellorsville.  In  the  latter  conflict  he 
was  killed  by  a  piece  of  shell. 

Martin  Stewart,  a  private  in  the  44th  Regi- 
ment, N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Fulton,  March  12,  1839;  enlisted  August 
22,  1861.  He  died  at  the  hospital  of  Fort 
Wood,  in  New  York  Harbor,  of  fever,  June  8, 
1862. 

John  F.  Chase,  private,  Company  D,  44th 
Regiment ;  born  in  Bennington,  Vt.,  whence  at 
an  early  age  he  removed  to  the  town  of  Fulton, 
Schoharie  County;  enhsted  in  the  month  of 
September,  1861.  Fought  at  Yorktown  ;  died 
of  typhoid  fever,  in  a  hospital  in  New  York 
City,  May  15,  1862. 

Corporal  Charles  W.  Hemstreet,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Carlisle,  July  8,  1840;  enlisted 
December  6,  1861.  Was  taken  prisoner  at 
Manassas  Junction,  but  was  afterwards  ex- 
changed and  died  in  1863  from  typhoid  fever, 
contracted  during  his  imprisonment. 

David  Claus,  private,  44th  Regiment,  N.  Y. 
S.  Vols.;  born  in  the  town  of  Scriba,  Oswego 
county,  N.  Y.,  in  the  year  1840.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  year  1862  he  removed  to  the  town 
of  Seward,  Schoharie  County ;  enhsted  Septem- 
ber 10,  1862.  He  fought  in  all  the  battles  in 
which  the  44th  was  engaged  until  his  death ; 
he  was  mortally  wounded  at  the  battle  of  the 
Wilderness,  May  8,  1864,  and  died  at  Fred- 
ericksburgh two"  days  after. 

William  Eckerson,  Jr.,  private,  Company  I, 
44th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Canajoharie,  Montgomery  county,  N. 
Y.,  June  28,    1S34;  enlisted  October  9,  1861, 


loo 


tllSTORY  OF  SCHOttARlE  COUNTY. 


and  passed  through  all  the  battles  in  which 
that  regiment  was  engaged.  Was  wounded  in 
the  leg  at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run  and 
taken  prisoner,  but  released  again.  Re-enlisted 
.as  a  veteran  December  28,  1863,  and  was 
killed  while  on  picket  at  Cold  Harbor,  June  3, 
1864. 

Stanton  Lane,  private  in  the  i02d  Regiment, 
Van  Buren's  Light  Infantry;  born  in  the  town 
of  Canajoharie,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y., 
from  whence  he  removed  to  Sharon,  and  en- 
listed in  October,  1861.  Fought  in  the  battles 
of  Cedar  Mountain,  Chatall's,  White  Sulphur 
Springs  and  Antietam ;  was  killed  by  a  shell  at 
the  latter  place. 

Sylvanus  Moyer,  private,  Company  D,  115th 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Sharon,  August  27,  1815;  enlisted  August 
4,  1 86 1.  He  fought  in  the  battles  at  Olista 
Station  and  Chesterfield  Court  House,  and  was 
struck  by  a  minnie  ball  in  the  head  and  killed 
at  the  latter  place. 

Corporal  John  H.  Hyney,  of  the  90th  Regi- 
ment, N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Carlisle,  in  October,  1838;  enlisted  November 
10,  1861.  He  fought  in  the  battles  of  Savage 
Station  and  Fair  Oaks,  where  he  was  wounded 
in  the  thigh  by  the  bursting  of  a  shell.  He  was 
afterwards  engaged  in  the  battles  at  Swift  Creek, 
Drury's  Bluff,  Cold  Harbor  and  Petersburgh; 
was  mortally  wounded  at  the  last  named  battle, 
and  died  August  15,  1864. 

Robert  N.  Hurst,  private,  Company  F,  6ist 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  born  in  the  town  of 
New  Scotland,  Albany  county,  September  12, 
1842,  and  removed  to  Carlisle,  Schoharie  Coun- 
ty; enlisted  September  12,  1861.  He  fought 
in  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks  and  before  Rich- 
mond, and  was  run  over  at  the  latter  place  by  a 
piece  of  artillery  and  killed. 

Erastus  Picket,  private.  Company  E,  175th 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  born  in  Schoharie 
about  the  year  1820;  enlisted  in  the  summer 
of  1864.  Fought  at  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek, 
and  died  of  fever  at  Winchester,  Va.,  November 
20,  1864. 

Sergeant  Samuel  W.  Fox,of  Company  E,i75th 
Regiment,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Richmond- 
ville.  May  21,  1831,  and  enlisted  August  21, 
1864.     He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Cedar 


Creek,  and  died  at  Winchester,  Va.,  of  typhoid 
fever,  November  22,  1854. 

Henry  Bice,  a  private  of  the  91st  Regiment, 
N.  Y.  Heavy  Artillery,  was  born  at  Rensselaer- 
ville,  Albany  county,  from  whence  he  removed 
to  Schoharie  County,  and  enlisted  in  September, 
1864.  He  fought  at  the  battle  of  Hatch's  Run, 
where  he  was  wounded  and  afterwards  died  in 
the  hospital  at  Washington,  May  i,  1865. 

Lieutenant  Martin  Wetbeck,  of  Company  I, 
51st  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  De- 
cember 4,  1841,  and  enhsted  from  Schoharie 
October  7,  1861 ;  about  the  ist  of  January, 
1864,  was  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant. 
Fought  at  Newbern,  Roanoke,  Second  Bull 
Run,  Chantilly,  South  Mountain,  Fredericks- 
burgh  and  Petersburgh;  was  taken  prisoner 
and  died  at  Danville  prison,  January  30,  1865. 

Anthony  Marshall,  private,  was  born  in 
1810,  and  enlisted  January  i,  1862  ;  he  died  by 
disease  at  Armory  Square  Hospital,  September 
6,  1862. 

Loren  L.  Little,  private,  of  Company  F, 
6ist  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  was  born  in 
Charleston,  Montgomery  county,  January  31, 
1840,  and  removed  to  Sloansville,  Schoharie 
County,  and  enlisted  September,  25,  1861  ;  was 
offered  a  commission  but  declined  and  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks. 

John  A.  Archer,  was  a  private  in  the  6ist 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  Vols,,  and  born  in  Albany 
county,  November  30,  1836  ;  he  removed  to 
Sloansville,  Schoharie  County,  and  enlisted. 
Fought  at  the  battles  of  Fair  Oaks,  Savage  Sta- 
tion, Edsell's  Hill,  Antietam,  Charlestown, 
Chancellorsville,  Fredericksburgh,  Gettysburgh, 
Hanover  Court  House,  Bull  Run,  Cedar  Moun- 
tain and  Pine  Plains,  and  many  more,  making 
thirty-one  battles  in  all ;  was  taken  prisoner  at 
Pine  Plains,  and  died  in  a  Rebel  prison,  August 
25,  1864, 

George  A.  Shafer,  private.  Company  G,  91st 
Regiment,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Wright,  May 
6,  1836,  and  enlisted  November  11,  1861;  he 
died  by  disease  in  Virginia,  May  i,  1862. 

John  Relyea,  a  private  of  Company  D,  91st 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in^arlisle, 
March  28,  1841,  and  enlisted  in  October,  186 1 ; 
he  died  of  typhoid  fever  at  Key  West^  May  16, 


SCHOHARIE'S  HONORED  DEAD. 


Corporal  Robert  W.  Gardener,  of  Company 
E,  44th  Regiment,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sew- 
ard, June  ist,  183T  ;  he  enhsted  September  18, 
1862,  and  fought  at  Fredericksburgh,  ist  and  2d 
battles,  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburgh,  Rappa- 
hannock Station,  and  the  battle  of  the  Wilder- 
ness. On  the  third  day  of  the  last  named  bat- 
tle he  was  taken  prisoner  and  died  in  Libby 
prison,  in  July,  1864. 

Emery  A.  Shafer,  was  a  private  in  the  44th, 
and  born  in  the  town  of  Seward,  April  11,  1832; 
enlisted  September  15,  1861  and  died  of  jaun- 
dice at  Philadelphia,  in  March,  1862. 

Ephraim  Mead,  a  private  in  the  90th  Regi- 
ment, N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Jefferson,  October  5,  1842,  and  enlisted  Sep- 
tember, 1864;  he  fought  and  was  wounded  at 
Cedar  Creek  and  died  in  a  Philadelphia  hos- 
pital. May  5,  1865. 

Simeon  Funk,  of  the  34th  Regiment,  N.  Y. 
Artillery,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Wright, 
March  26,  1822  ;  was  drafted  in  the  summer  of 
1869;  fought  in  the  battles  before  Petersburgh, 
and  died  of  dropsy  at  Harewood  hospital,  Wash- 
ington, January  7,  1865. 

Stephen  P.  White,  private  of  Company  B, 
S7th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Carlisle,  August  16,  7840,  and  enlisted 
October  3,  1861.  He  died  of  disease  at  Camp 
Cahfornia,  Va.,  January  14,  1862. 

Rufus  Esmay,  of  the  44th  Regiment,  was  a 
private  of  Company  K,  and  was  born  in  Seward, 
February  12,  1841.  He  fought  through  Mc- 
Clellan's  peninsular  campaign  up  to  the  siege  of 
Yorktown.  Here  he  was  taken  sick  with  typhoid 
fever  and  died  May  i,  1862. 

Corporal  Theodore  Guernsey,  of  Company 
G,  44th  Regiment ;  was  born  in  Cobleskill,  Oc- 
tober 12,  1833,  and  enlisted  in  September,  i86r. 
Was  killed  by  a  bullet  in  the  head  at  the  battle 
of  Hanover  Court  House,  May  27,  1862. 

Jeremiah  D.  Pitcher,  a  private  of  Battery  C, 
N.  Y.  Artillery;  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sharon 
in  the  year  1820,  and  enlisted  September  16, 
1864.  He  died  of  typhoid  fever  at  Point  Look- 
out, Md.,  February  22,  1865. 

William  Huested  was  a  private  in  the  i42d 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  and  born  in  the  town 
of  Carlisle,  March  4,  1 846.  He  enlisted  August 
20,  1864,  and  was  wounded  October  27,   1864, 


at  the  fight  on  the  Darbytown  road,  and  died 
from  the  effects  of  the  wound,  November  15, 
1864. 

John  M.  Hillsinger  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Carlisle,"  and  enlisted  as  a  private  of  Compan) 
B,  of  the  5th  Regiment,  Iowa  Infantry,  and  died 
of  disease  in  hospital,  at  St.  Louis,  October  18, 
1862. 

James  Bowie,  private  of  io2d  Regiment,  N. 
Y.  S.  Vols.;  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1842.  In 
1858  he  came  to  Sharon  to  reside,  and  enlisted 
in  the  autumn  of  1861.  Fought  in  several  bat- 
tles and  was  killed  by  a  shot  from  a  rebel  sharp- 
shooter, just  after  the  battle  of  Antietani. 

Jacob  Van  Wagonen,  was  born  in  Columbia 
county,  from  whence  he  removed  to  Barnerville, 
N.  Y.,  and  enlisted  January  4,  1864,  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  7th  N.  Y.  H.  Artillery.  Fought  at 
the  battles  of  the  Wilderness  and  Cold  Harbor. 
Was  wounded  at  the  latter  place,  and  died  from 
the  effects  of  the  wound,  July  7,  1874. 

George  Salsbury,  private.  Company  D,  91st 
Regiment,  N.  Y.  Vols.;  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Wright  in  the  year  1820  and  enlisted  in  the 
autumn  of  1861.  He  fought  in  several  battles, 
and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  enlistment 
re-enlisted  as  a  veteran,  and  died  of  disease  at 
Albany  hospital,  August  15,  1864. 

Charles  Brown  was  a  private  in  the  91st  Reg- 
iment, N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Jefferson  and  enlisted  in  the  fall  of  1861. 
He  died  of  disease  at  Key  West,   Florida,  in 

1864. 

Harvey  Brown,  a  brother,  was  a  private  of 
Company  C,  134th  Regiment,  and  born  in  the 
town  of  Jefferson;  enlisted  in  September,  1862, 
and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburgh. 

Sovereign  Brown,  brotlier  of  the  two  preced- 
ing, was  a  private  in  Company  G,  of  the  134th 
Regiment,  and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Jeffer- 
son. He  enlisted  in  September,  1862,  and 
died  at  Alexandria  from  the  effects  of  a  gun- 
shot wound,  in  the  summer  of  1863. 

Corporal  William  Shaver,  of  Company  C, 
177th  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  Vols.,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Fulton,  February  4,  1841,  and 
enlisted  October  14,  1862.  He  died  in 
Louisana  of  yellow  fever,  April  7,  1863. 

Corporal  Uriah  Hallenbeck,  of  the  177th 
Regiment,  was  born  in  Albany  County  in  1835, 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


and  removed  to  Fulton,  Schoharie  County, 
where  he  enlisted  in  November,  1862,  and  died 
in  Cairo  of  cholera  morbus. 

Corporal  Vinton  Becker  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Sharon,  February  9,  1844,  and  enlisted  in 
the  69th  Regiment,  at  Cherry  Valley,  in  Octo- 
ber, 186  f,  but  was  transferred  to  the  3d  N.  Y. 
Heavy  Artillery,  Battery  M,  and  died  of  fever, 
April  29,  1862. 

John  H.  VanWormer,  private,  7th  N.  Y.  Heavy 
Artillery,  was  born  at  Carlisle  in  1841,  and  was 
wounded  at  Petersburgh  on  the  27th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1864,  and  died  from  the  effects  in  the  hos- 
pital. 

Thomas  Sees  was  a  (colored)  private  in  a 
white  regiment  organized  in  1861'.  He  was 
killed  at  the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  Md. 

Corporal  G.  Washington  Tillapaugh  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Cariisle  on  the  3d  of  June,  1841, 
and  enlisted  in  the'  151st  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S. 
Vols.,  at  Lockport  in  August,  1862.  He  was 
wounded  in  battle,  and  after  the  amputation 
of  a  limb,  gangrene  set  in  and  he  died  the  21st 
of  June,  1864. 

Wm.  H.  McMillen  was  born  in  the  town  of 
New  Scotland,  Albany  county,  and  removed  to 
Carlisle,  from  whence  he  enlisted  in  Company 
C,  134th  Regiment,  September  8,  1862,  and 
died  near  Fairfax  with  the  fever.  He  went  out 
with  the  regiment  and  participated  in  all  en- 
gagements up  to  his  death. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Schoharie  County  County  Civil  List. 

Judges  of  Common  Pleas- Assistant  Judges 
—Session  Justices-Surrogates— District 
Attorneys  —  County  Clerks— Sheriffs- 
Treasurers— Superintendents  of  Poor- 
School  Commissioners— Loan  Commission- 
ers —  Excise  —Inspectors  —  Governor— 
Treasurers— Adjutant  General— Canal 
Commissioners— Canal  Appraisers— Cura- 


tor OF  State  Library — ^^Legislature-- 
Senators — Congress — Presidential  Elec- 
tors— Consuls. 

THE  Court  of  Common  Pleas  was  continued 
from  the  Colonial  period,  and  under  the 
first  Constitution  of  the  State  the  number  of 
Judges  and  Assistant  Justices  in  the  various 
counties  differed  widely,  in  some  there  being  as 
many  as  twelve  of  each.  By  an  act  passed 
March  29,  18 18,  the  office  of  Assistant  Justices 
was  abolished  and  the  number  of  Judges  was 
limited  to  five,  including  the  First  Judge. 

First  Judges. 

WilHara  Beekman,  appointed   June    10,   1795. 
John  C.  Wright,  do  April  18,    1833. 

Charles  Goodyear,         do  Febr'y  9,  1843. 

Demosthenes  Lawyer,  elected  November,  1847. 
Lyman  Sanford,  do       November,  1855. 

William  C.  Lamont,        do       November,  1863. 
Charles  Holmes,*  do       November,  187 1. 

Assistant  Judges. 

The  Assistant  Judges  received  their  appoint- 
ment from  the  council  of  appointment,  and  we 
do  not  think  they  numbered  at  any  time  less 
than  four  or  more  than  five.  The  council 
having  such  powers  conferred  upon  them, 
selfish  motives  and  partisanship  led  them  to  use 
it  without  stint.  The  volumes  of  appoint- 
ments are  almost  numberless,  and  at  one 
time  being  limited,  we  cannot  give  the  date  of 
the  appointment  but  only  the  year  in  which 
they  presided  as  given  by  court  record  : — 

Adam  B.  Vroman,  of  Schoharie,  John  M. 
Brown,  of  CarKsle,  David  Sternbergh,  of 
Broome,  and  Jonathan  Danforth,  of  Middle- 
burgh,  were  of  the  first  bench,  and  received 
their  appointment  June  10,  1795. 

Peter  Swart,  of  Schoharie,  1795. 

John  Bauch,  (Bouck),  of  Middleburgh,  1796. 

Marcus  BeUinger,  of  Middleburgh,  1796. 

John  Ries,  of  Schoharie,  1797;  Peter  Sny- 
der, 1797. 

Lawrence  Lawyer,  Jr.,  1798;  Henry  Schaef- 
fer,  1798. 


*  Re-elected  November,  1877. 


SCHOHARIE  COUNTY  CIVIL  LIST. 


103 


Peter  Vroman,  Jun.,  1799;  Harmonus 
Bouck,  1799. 

Joseph  Borst,  1800. 

Jesse  Shepherd,  1804. 

Olney  Briggs,  1816;  Henry  Hager,  1816. 

Isaac  Hall  Tiffany,  1820. 

John  Brewster,  1819;  John  Reynolds,  1819; 
Henry  Becker,  181 9. 

Elias  Holliday,  1820;  N.  P.  Tyler,  1820. 

Marvin  Judd,  1823  ;  Thomas  P.  Danforth, 
1823. 

WiUiarn  Mann,  1830. 

Robert  Eldridge,  1837. 

Harvey  Watson,  1838;  John  Westover,  1838. 

Jonas  Krum,    1840. 

Martines  Mattice,  1843. 

Nathan  T.  Rosseter,  1845. 

Session  Justices. 

The  Constitution  of  1846  provided  for  the 
election  of  nearly  all  offices  by  the  people.  In 
the  place  of  Assistant  Judges,  two  Justices  of 
the  Peace  were  associated  with  the  Judge  to 
hold  Courts  of  Sessions,  with  such  criminal 
jurisdiction  as  the  Legislature  shall  prescribe 
and  perform  such  other  duties  as  may  be  re- 
quired by  law.  The  associates  are  termed 
Session  Justices. 

Sejmour  Sornberger  and  Daniel  McGarry, 
1847. 

Charles  Watson  and  John  E.  Moore,  1850. 

Hiram  Sexton  and  John  F.  Shaver,  1851, 
and  to  fill  vacancy,  Henry  P.  Mattice. 

Henry  I.  Moak,  Hiram  Sexton,  Ralph 
Brewster,*  1852. 

William  H.  Crowe,  John  S.  Van  Sternbergh, 

1853- 
Ehsh  Case  and  Nathan  Gallup,  1854. 
Seymour  Sornberger,  Robert  Crespen,  1856. 
Henry  Loucks,  WilHam  E.  Sprong,  1857. 

F.  P.  Martin,  Elisha  Case,  1858. 

G.  G.  Hynds,  Tiffany  Lawyer,  1859. 
Lyman  Baker,  Tiffany  Lawyer,  r86o. 
James  R.  Baldwin,  John  W.  Gibbs,  1861. 
Tiffany  Lawyer,  John  W.  Gibbs,   1862. 
Jacob  U.  Zimmer,  W.  E.  Sprong,  1863. 

S.  B.  Richmond,  Abraham  Spickerman,  1 864. 
Freegift  P.  Martin,  Alfred  Isham,  1865. 


♦Appointed. 


James  Swarthout,  Alfred  H.  Isham,  1866. 
Stephen  J.  Tyler,  Seymour  Sornberger,  1867. 
Alfred  H.  Isham,  S.  J.  Tyler,  i868. 
Elish  Case,  John  H.  Mattice,  1869-70. 
James  Swarthout,  1871. 
S.  Diefendorf,  G.  H.  Furguson,  1872. 
Asa  Tinklepaugh,  S.  Diefendorf,  1873. 
Phihp  Humphrey,  O.  D.  Young,  1874. 
WilHam  H.  Brayman,    C.  A.  Hinman,  1875. 
E.  Willard  Bois,  Aaron  Stevens,  1876. 
Gideon  Kling,  SpenserBurnett,  1877. 
J.  C.  Smith,  Spenser  Burnett,  1878. 
M.  C.  Teller,  Edgar  Akeley,  1879. 
Spenser  Burnett,  J.  C.  Smith,  1880. 
J.  L.  Beard,  Edward  L.  Snyder,  1881. 

Surrogates. 

*Under  the  first  constitution,  surrogates  were 
appointed  by  the  council  for  an  unlimited  period. 
By  the  second,  they  were  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Senate  for  four  years,  and  by  the 
third  the  office  was  abolished  in  counties,  not  to 
exceed  foity  thousand  population,  and  devolved 
its  duties  upon  the  County  Judge. 

Storm  A.  Becker,  appointed  June  10,  1795. 

John    Gebhard,  do         Feb.  26,  181 1. 

Storm  A.  Becker,  do         March  9,  1813. 

John  Gebhard,  do         Feb.  28,  1815. 

WiUiam  Mann,  do  Feb.  4,  1822. 

Henry  Hamilton,  do        March  2,  1832. 

Thomas  Smith,  do      March  26,  1840. 

Demosthenes  Lawyer,    do     March  26,  1844. 

District  Attorneys. 

By  an  act  passed  April  21,  i8i8,  each  county 
was  erected  into  a  separate  district  for  the  pur- 
pose of  this  office,  and  during  the  existence  of 
the  second  constitution,  it  was  filled  by  appoint- 
ment of  the  Court  of  General  Sessions  in  each 
county.  By  the  law  of  1846,  the  attorney  is 
elected  by  the  people.  At  present  the  salary  is 
established  by  the  board  of  supervisors,  and  is 
$700.00. 

Henry  Hamilton,  of  Schoharie,  appointed 
June  II,  1818. 

David  F.  Sacia,  of  JVIiddleburgh,  appointed 
February  13,  1821. 

*  Civil  list. 


104 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Thomas  Lawyer,  of  Cobleskill,  appointed 
February  4,  1822. 

Jacob  Houck,  Jun.,  of  Schoharie,  appointed 
October  n,  1831. 

Robert  McClellan,  of  Middleburgh,  appointed 
June  7,   1836. 

Benonai  Spafford,  of  Middleburgh,  appointed 
June  8,  1837. 

William  A.  Sternbergh,  of  Middleburgh,  ap- 
pointed October  12,  1844. 

Peter  S.  Danforth,  of  Middleburgh,  appointed 
June  5,  1845. 

William  H.  Engle,  of  Middleburgh,  elected 
June,  1847. 

Joseph  Mackey,  of  Gilboa,  elected  Novem- 
ber, 1850. 

John  B.  Strain,  of  Richmondville,  elected 
November,  1853. 

Nathan  P.  Hinman,  of  Schoharie,  elected 
November,  1856. 

Stephen  L.  Mayham,  of  Blenheim,  elected 
November,  1859. 

William  H.  Young,  of  Cobleskill,  elected  No- 
vember, 1862. 

Henry  C.  Cook,  of  Richmondville,  elected 
November,  1868. 

Albert  Baker,  of  Cobleskill,  elected  Novem- 
ber, 1869. 

William  H.  Baldwin,  of  Gilboa,  elected  No- 
vember, 1874. 

WilUam  E.  Thome,  of  Middleburgh,  elected 
November  1877. 

Alonzo  B.  Coons,  of  Sharon,  elected  Novem- 
ber, 1880. 

County  Clerks. 

Besides  keeping  the  County  records,  the 
clerk's  duty  is  to  act  as  clerk  of  the  courts.  Like 
nearly  all  other  offices,  under  the  first  constitu- 
tion this  was  filled  by  appointment  and  under 
the  second  by  election.  The  official  term  is 
three  years. 

Joachim  G.   Staats,   appointed   June  lo,  1795. 


Isaac  Marcellus, 

do 

Dec.  31, 

1801. 

Wm.  W.  Enders, 

do 

July  6, 

1815. 

John  Swart, 

do 

Mar.   27, 

1819. 

John  D.  Lawyer, 

do 

Feb.    13, 

1821. 

John  D.  Lawyer, 

elected 

Nov. 

1822. 

Alex.  H.  Marcellus, 

do 

Nov., 

1825. 

John  Gebhard,  Jun., 

elected 

Nov., 

1828. 

Abraham  A.  Keyser, 

do 

Nov., 

1834. 

Wm.  A.  Hoton, 

do 

Nov., 

1837- 

Thomas  McArthur, 

do 

Nov., 

1840. 

Stephen  Mayhan, 

do 

Nov., 

1846. 

Loring  Andrews, 

do 

Nov., 

1849. 

Almerin  Gallup, 

do 

Nov., 

1852. 

John  F.  Shafer, 

do 

Nov., 

1855. 

Henry  Kingsley, 

do 

Nov., 

i86r. 

John  H.  Coons, 

do 

Nov., 

1867. 

John  Morrison, 

do 

Nov., 

1870. 

Thomas  Zeh,  Jun., 

do 

Nov., 

1873- 

Wm.  B.  Murphy, 

do 

Nov., 

1876. 

Wm.  B.  Murphy, 

do 

Nov., 

1879. 

Sheriffs. 

Under  the  first  constitution,  sheriffs  were  ap- 
pointed annually  by  the  "Council,"  and  no  person 
could  hold  I  he  office  for  more  than  four  successive 
years.  He  could  hold  no  other  office,  and  must 
be  a  free-holder  in  the  county  in  which  he  was 
appointed.  By  the  second  the  office  became 
elective  for  the  term  of  three  years,  ineligible  to 
election  for  the  next  succeeding  term. 


Jacob  Lawyer,  Jun.,  appointed  June  10, 

Jackson  Lawrence,  do  Feb.  23, 

Jacob  Mann,  do  Mar.  4, 

Peter  Vrooman,  Jun.,         do  Aug.  8, 

Barent  Vrooman,  do  Oct.  29, 

Stephen  Lawrence,  do  Feb.  5, 

Gideon  Wilber,  do  Feb.  24, 

Peter  Swart,  Jun.,  do  Feb.  16, 

Stephen  Lawrence,  do  Feb.  21, 

Wm.  C.  Bouck,  do  Mar.  lo, 

Peter  Swart,  Jun.,  do  Mar.  9, 

Adam  P.  Becker,  do  April  18, 

Abraham  Keyser,  Jun.,      do  Feb.  28, 

Giles  H.  Hubbard,  do  Feb.  9, 

Constant  Brown,  do  Feb.  12, 

Constant  Brown,  elected  Nov., 

E.  Van  Home,  do  Nov., 

Jacob  L.  Lawyer,  do  Nov., 

Peter  Osterhout,  do  Nov., 

Adam  Mattice,  do  Nov., 

Daniel  Larkin,  do  Nov., 

Cyrus  Smith,  (removed,)  do  Nov., 

Henry  Mann,  Jr.,  appointed     July  i, 

John  L.  Brown,  elected  Nov., 

Tobias  Bouck,  do  Nov., 


179s 
1796. 
1797. 
1801. 
180T. 
1805. 
1808. 
1810. 
1811. 
1812. 
1813. 
1814. 
1815. 
1819. 
1821. 
1822. 
1825. 
1828. 
1 83 1. 
1834. 

1837- 
1840. 
1842. 
1842. 
1845. 


SCHOHARIE  COUNTY  CIVIL  LIST. 


105 


Treat  Durand,  elected  Nov.,  1848. 

John  V.  Stryker,  do  Nov.,  1851. 

David  D.  L.  McCulloch,  do  Nov.,  1854. 

Frederick  Rowley,  do  Nov.,  1857. 

John  R.  Moran,  do  Nov.,  i860. 

Peter  W.  Ferris,  do  Nov.,  1863. 

Thos.  H.  Knickerbocker,  do  Nov.,  i866. 

Jacob  Angle,  do  Nov.,  1869. 

John  F.  Sawyer,  do  Nov.,  1872. 

Jehiel  Brazee,  do  Nov.,  1875. 

Orson  Root,  do  Nov.,  1878. 

EzraMitchell,  do  Nov.,  1881. 

County  Treasurers. 

Previous  to  1846  the  Treasurer  was  appointed 
by  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  Since  the  expira- 
tion of  the  term  of  the  officer  then  holding,  it 
has  been  an  elective  one,  the  term  being  three 
years. 

elected 
do 
do 
do 
appointed 
elected 
do 


Ralph  Brewster, 

David  Becker, 

Peter  S.  Swart, 

John  Binder, 

James  O.  Williams, ' 

James  O.  WiUiams, 

John  J.  Dickinson, 

James  O.  Williams,  t   appointed 

James  O.  Williams,         elected 


Nov.,  1848 
Nov.,  1854, 
Nov.,  1857 
Nov.,  1863 
Oct.,  1869 
Nov.,  1869. 
Nov.,  187s 
Dec,  1879 
Nov.,  1880. 


Superintendents  of  the  Poor. 

By  legislative  act  of  1827,  the  office  of  Super- 
intendent was  created  and  consisted  of  three  in 
number,  appointed  yearly  by  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors. 

Previous  to  1830,  each  town  took  charge  of 
its  own  poor,  and  usually  sold  by  auction,  their 
support  to  the  lowest  bidder.  In  1846  the 
office  became  elective.     Term,  three  years. 


Harmonus  Bouck, 

appointed 

Oct., 

1830. 

Ralph  Manning, 

do 

Nov., 

1830. 

Jacob  Crounse, 

do 

Oct., 

1830. 

Ralph  Manning, 

do 

Oct., 

1831. 

Thomas  Butler, 

do 

Oct., 

1831. 

Peter  Osterhout, 

do 

Oct., 

1831. 

Thomas  Butler, 

do 

Oct.  3, 

1832. 

Chester  Laselle, 

do 

Oct.  3, 

1832. 

♦Vice  Pinder. 

f  Vice  Dickinson. 

Ralph  Manning,  appointed 

John  Van  Gaasbeck,  do 

Jacob  Crounse,  do 

Harvey  Watson,  do 

Harmon  Becker,  do 

William  Dietz,  do 

Harvey  Watson,  do 

Philip  Mann,  do 

Harvey  Watson,  do 

Hezekiah  Manning,  do 

Harmonus  Vroman,  do 

Hezekiah  Manning,  do 

Wm.  I.  Borst,  do 

Hezekiah  Manning,*  do 

Wm.  I.  Borst,*  do 

Harmonus  Vroman,*  do 

Wm.  I.  Borst,  do 

Harmonus  Vroman,  do 

Marcy  Sternbergh,  do 

Charles  Watson,  elected, 

Orson  Root,  do 
Martin  A.  Watson,    appointed, 

M.  A.  Watson,  elected, 

Chas.  Watson,  do 

Wm.  I.  Borst,  do 

Richard  F.  Noxen,  do 

David  P.  StevenSj  do 

Martin  L.  Borst,*  do 

D.  C.  Hager,  do 

David  Zeh,  do 

John  M.  DeGrafT,  do 

J.  M.  DeGrafT,  do 


Oct.  3, 

Oct.  4. 

Oct.  4, 

Oct.  14 

Oct.  14, 

Oct.  14 

Oct.  6, 

Oct.  6 

Oct.  5, 

Oct.  5 

Oct.  2 

Oct.  4, 

Oct.  4, 

Oct.  I 

Oct.  I 

Oct.  I 

Oct.  18 

Oct.  18 

Oct.  12 

Nov.  17 

Nov. 

Jan. 

Nov.  : 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Nov. 

Nov. 


17 
3 

7: 

3 


1832 
1833 
1833 
1834 
1834. 

1834. 
183s 
1835 
183s 
1836, 
1838 
1838 
1838 
1839 

1839 
1839, 

184s 

1845 

1846 

1848, 

1848, 

1849 

1849, 

1850, 

1852 

1858 

1861 

1864 

1870, 

1873 
1876 
1879 


County  Superintendents  of  Schools. 

By  an  Act  passed  April  17,  1843,  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  of  the  several  counties  were  di- 
rected to  appoint  County  Superintendents  of 
Common  Schools.  In  1812  the  office  of  State 
Superintendent  was  created  and  continued  un- 
til 1821,  when  it  was  abolished,  and  the  duties 
devolved  upon  the  Secretary  of  State,  who  ap- 
pointed a  deputy  to  take  charge  of  the  depart- 
ment. The  towns  elected  a  Superintendent  dur- 
ing the  time,  who  reported  the  condition  and 
progress  of  the  schools  to  the  County  Clerk,  who 
[n  turn,  reported  to  the  State  Department.  In 
1841,  Samuel  S.  Randall,  the  Deputy  State  Su- 
perintendent, whose  interest  in  educational  mat- 

*Appointed  and  re-elected  each  subsequent  terra. 


io6 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


ters  knows  no  bounds,  in  advance  of  the  law  of 
1843,  appointed  County  Superintendents.  The 
law  was  made  in  accordance  with  his  theory,  ex- 
cepting the  Board  of  Supervisors  made  the  ap- 
pointments. 

Ezra  Smith,  appointed,  184T. 

John  H.  Salisbury,        do  1843. 

Luther  F.  Hart  well,      do  1845. 

Bartholomew  Becker,    do  1847. 

Those  officers  reported  direct  to  the  State 
Department,  after  receiving  those  of  the  town 
commissioners.  During  Mr.  Becker's  term  of 
office,  March  13,  1847,  the  office  was  abolished, 
but  the  town  commissioners  remained,  or  con- 
tinued, as  by  Act  of  1843.  In  1856  the  system 
was  changed,  and  County  School  Commissioners 
were  created,  and  the  first  election,  under  the 
law,  was  held  in  November,  1857  ;  the  year 
previous  the  Board  of  Supervisors  appointed. 
The  County  was  divided  into  two  districts — 
eastern  and  western. 

Nelson  Rust,  appointed  Nov.,  1856. 

Reuben  Shelmandine,    do  Nov.,  1856. 

Bartholomew  Becker,  elected    Nov.,  1857. 

Augustus  C.  Smith,  do  Nov.,  1857. 

Bartholomew  Becker,  do  Nov.,  i860. 

Augustus  C.  Smith,  do  Nov.,  i860. 

Bartholomew  Becker,  do  Nov.,  1863. 

Augustus  C.  Smith,  do  Nov.,  1863. 

John  Van  Voris,  do  Nov.,  1866. 

Ambrose  R.  Hunting,  do  Nov.,  r866. 

J.  Van  Voris,  do  Nov.,  1869. 

A.  R.  Hunting,  do  Nov.,  1869. 

John  VanSchaick,  do  Nov.,  1872. 

John  S.  Mayhan,  do  Nov.,  1872. 

John  VanSchaick,  do  Nov.,  1875. 

John  S.  Mayhan,  do  Nov.,  1875. 

Wm.  H.  Albro,  do  Nov.,  1878. 

Geo.  D.  Ostrom,  do  Nov.,  1878. 

Jacob  H.  Mann,  do  Nov.,  188 1. 

Legrand  VanTuyl,  do  Nov.,  1881. 

Loan  Commissioners. 

The  office  was  created  by  an  act  passed  the 
14th  of  March,  1792,  for  the  purpose  of  loaning 
United  States'  surplus  moneys.  The  list  is  as 
perfect  as  can  be  obtained,  and  gives  only  the 
year  the  oath  of  office  was  taken  : 


J.  O'Brien,          oath  taken. 

1831 

H.  Manning, 

do 

1831 

H.  Manning, 

do 

1833- 

Jacob  Becker, 

do 

1833- 

H.  Manning, 

do 

1835- 

Jacob  Becker, 

do 

1835- 

H.  Manning, 

do 

1838. 

J.  Becker, 

do 

1838. 

H.  Manning, 

do 

1843. 

J.  Becker, 

do 

1843. 

Robert  F.  Queal, 

do 

1855- 

John  S.  Frost, 

do 

1855- 

Jas.  Parsons, 

do 

1857. 

G.  B.  Badgley, 

do 

1857- 

Jas.  Parsons, 

do 

1859- 

G.  B.  Badgley 

do 

1859- 

W.  Dominic 

do 

i86r. 

R.  Merchant, 

do 

1861. 

Sylvanus  Sweet, 

do 

1863. 

John  H.  Walker, 

do 

1865. 

Sylvanus  Sweet, 

do 

1865. 

M.  Van  B.  Hager, 

do 

1870. 

Jas.  A.  Bouck, 

do 

1870. 

Albines  Hess, 

do 

1873- 

Philip  Deyo, 

do 

•873- 

Commissioners  of  Excise. 

Commissioners  of  Excise  were  appointed  by 
the  County  Judge  and  two  associate  Justices, 
and  were  to  meet  annually  to  grant  licenses 
for  selling  liquors  and  keeping  inns.  The  office 
was  created  April  16,  1857. 

Seymour  Boughton,        appointed       1857. 


Peter  Hynds, 

do 

1857 

Rassellas  EUis, 

do 

1857 

Wm.  S.  Clark, 

do 

1862 

Wm.  Snyder, 

do 

1862 

Ira  Twitchell, 

do 

1862 

Wm.  Snyder, 

do 

1866 

Merenes  Frasier, 

do 

i868 

Inspectors  of  Turnpike  Roads. 

The  duty  of  the  Inspectors  was  to  attend  to 
complaints  made  against  the  condition  of  the 
turnpikes,  with  power  to  condemn  either  road 
or  bridges  and  close  toll-gates  if  the  roads 
were  not  kept  in  order.  In  short,  to  compel 
the  companies  to  act  according  to  their  char- 
ters.    They  were : — 


SCHOHARIE  COUNTY  CIVIL  LIST. 


107 


Henry  Shafer, 
P.  M.  Snyder, 
David  Lawton, 
Joseph   Bouck, 
Ira  Dewey, 
Henry  Shafer, 
John  D.  Butler, 
Ira  Dewey, 
John  StoU, 
William  B.  Wood, 
James  D.  Butler, 
Ira  Dewey, 
S.  Bortle, 
E.  VanHorne, 
W.  B.  Wood, 
Olney  Briggs, 
Martin  Haman, 
Olney  Briggs, 
W.  B.  Wood, 
S.  Bortle, 
D.  S.  Howard, 
Jacob  Feek, 
Jacob  Feek, 
Ira  Dewey, 
John  B.  Morehouse, 
Joseph  Scofield, 
William  Simpson, 
Peter  Swart,  Jr., 
Nicholas  Russel, 
Stephen  Badgley, 
Peter  Z.  Swart, 
Nicholas  Russel, 
Ira  HuUan, 
John  F.  Hiller, 
John  Shaver, 
David  Bergh, 
James  Shaver, 
Munson  Morehouse, 
Peter  Swart,  Jr., 
M.  R.  Boughton, 
O.  Root, 
Jerome  Dwelly, 
M.  R.  Boughton, 
John  Badgley, 
John  C.  Moeller, 
Peter  Z.  Swart, 
Peter  VanPatten, 
John  V.  Stryker, 
Fred  B.  Shaver, 
Stephen  Merenes, 


1827. 

1827. 

1828. 

1828. 

1829. 

1829. 

1830. 

1830. 

1831. 

1831. 

1832. 

1832. 

1833- 

1833- 

1833- 

1833. 

1834. 

1834. 

1835- 

1835- 

1836. 

1836. 

1837- 

1837- 

1839. 

1839. 

1840. 

1840. 

1841. 

i84r. 

1842. 

1842. 

1843. 

1844. 

1845- 
1845. 
1846. 
1847. 
1847. 
1847. 
1848. 
1848. 
1848. 
1848. 
1849. 
1849. 
1850. 
1850. 
1850. 
1851. 


Peter  Z.  Swart,  i85r. 

James  M.  Hazzard,  1851. 

Plank  Road  Inspectors. 
Their  duties  were  similar  to  those  of  Turn- 


ike  Inspectors. 

Elijah  H.  Crawford, 

1850 

Peter  W.  Enders, 

1850 

James  Plank, 

1851 

Peter  W.  Enders, 

1851 

Auctioneers. 

Licensed  by  the  County  as  by  Act  of  April, 
1826: 


George  Lawrence, 

July  I  St 

1826 

do 

do 

1829 

do 

do 

1830 

do 

do 

1831. 

do 

do 

1832. 

do 

do 

1833 

Daniel  Adams, 

1831 

James  W. 

Mellan, 

1831 

Peter  W.  Enders, 

1837 

State  Officers. 

The  following  residents  of  Schoharie  County 
have  held  positions  in  the  State  government : 

Governor.— ^va.  C.  Bouck,  elected  Novem- 
ber, 1842. 

Treasurer. —  Abraham  Keyser,  appointed, 
1826  to  1838. 

Adjutant-  General.— Lyma.n  Sanford,  appoint- 
ed, 1843. 

Canal  Commissioner.— Wm.  C.  Bouck,  ap- 
pointed, 182 1  to  1841. 

Canal  Aj>J>raiser.—Wi\\\sim  Mann,  appoint- 
ed, 1836. 

Jiegents  of  University.— ]o\m  Keyes  Paige, 
appointed,  1829;  Wm.  C.  Bouck,  appointed, 
1845. 

Delegates  to  Constitutional  Conventions. — 2d, 
182  r,  Olney  Briggs,  Asa  Starkweather,  Jacob 
Sutherland;  3d,  1846,  Wm.  C.  Bouck,  John 
Gebhard,  Jr.;   4th,  1868,  Hobert  Krum. 

Curator  of  the  State  Cabinet.— ]ohr\  Gebhard, 
Jr.,  appointed  June  5th,  1849  to  1856,  re-ap- 
pointed November,  1880. 


io8 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Commissioner  of  Boundary  Lines  between 
New  York  and  Connecticut,  Jacob  Vroman, 
iippointed,  August  21,  1859. 

Legislature.— Tt^t  County  was  represented 
by  one  member  from  its  formation  to  the  year 
1802,  when  it  was  allowed  two  representatives 
to  the  year  1816.  From  the  latter  year  to 
1822,  three.  In  1823  the  number  was  changed 
to  two,  and  in  1858  it  reverted  again  to  one. 

From  the  first  to  the  eighteenth  session 
(1777  to  1795)  one  member  from  Schoharie 
represented  Albany  as  follows  : — 

Peter  Vroman,  1777 

do  1778, 

do  1779. 

do  1786 

do  1787 

Isaac  Vrooman,  17 79 

do  1780. 

do  1781 

do  1782 

Cornelius  VanDyck,  1788, 

do  1789 

The  members  from  Schoharie  County  alone 
were  as  follows  : — 

John  Rice,  1796. 

do  I797- 

do  1798. 

Peter  Swart,  1798. 

do  1799- 

Storm  A.  Becker,  1800. 

Joseph  Borst,  Jr.,  1800. 

do  1801. 

Lawrence  Lawyer,  Jr.,  1802. 

do  1803. 

Henry  Becker,  1803. 

do  1804. 

do  1805. 

do  1811. 

Freegift  Patchin,  1804. 

do  1805. 

do  1820. 

do  1821. 

do  1822, 


Henry  Bellinger, 
Henry  Shafer, 

do 

do 
Peter  Swart,  Jun., 


1806. 
1806. 
1807. 
1808. 
1807. 


Peter  Swart,  Jun.,  1808. 

do  1 81 9. 

do  1820. 

John  Ingold,  Jun.,  1809. 

do  1810. 

Henry  Hager,  181 1. 

do  1812. 

John  Redington,  18 12. 

Heman  Hickok,  181 2. 

do  1813. 

do  1820. 

Peter  A.  Hilton,  181 7. 

do  1813. 

do  1816. 

do  1817. 

William  C.  Bouck,  1814. 

do  1815. 

do  1816. 

do  1818. 

William  Dietz,  1813. 

do  1814. 

do  1815. 

do  1823. 

Thomas  Lawyer,  181 6. 

Isaac  Barber,  1816. 

do  1817. 

Aaron  Hubbard,  18 16. 

do  1817. 

do  1819. 

George  H.  Mann,  1818. 

Jedediah  Miller,  1819. 

do  1820. 

do  1832. 

do  1838. 

Barnabas  Eldredge,  1820. 

do  1821. 

Abraham  Keyser,  Jun.,  1820. 

do  1821. 

do  1822. 

Harvey  Watson,  1822. 

Marvin  Judd,  1824. 

John  Stryker,  1824. 

Joseph  I.  Borst,  1825. 

Freeman  Stanton,  1825. 

Robert  Eldredge,  1826. 

do  1831. 

Martinus  Mattice,  1826. 

do  1833. 

Samuel  Baldwin,  1827. 

William  Mann,  1827. 


SCHOHARIE  COUNTY  CIVIL  LIST. 


109 


Henry  Devereaux, 

1828. 

James  S.  Wood, 

1854. 

James  Sweetman, 

1828. 

Joseph  H.  Ramsey, 

1855- 

Valentine  Efner, 

1829. 

Wilkeson  Willsey, 

1855- 

Peter  Hynds, 

1829. 

John  Lovett, 

1856. 

Abraham  L.  Lawyer, 

1830. 

Charles  Holmes, 

1856. 

do 

1831. 

Tobias  Bouck, 

1857. 

Charles  Watson, 

1830. 

William  H.  Crowe, 

1857- 

Daniel  Hager,  Jun., 

1831. 

John  H.  Salisbury, 

1858. 

Alexander  Crookshanks, 

1832. 

William  C.  Lamont, 

1859. 

Jacob  L.  Lawyer, 

1833- 

do 

1862. 

Watson  Orr, 

1834. 

John  W.  Couchman, 

i860. 

John  G.  Young, 

1834. 

Joseph  Buckbee, 

1861. 

John  F.  Hiller, 

1835- 

Stephen  L.  Mayham, 

1863. 

Jonas  Krum, 

1835- 

Peter  P.  Schoolcraft, 

1864. 

Hiram  Walden, 

1836. 

Edward  Eldredge, 

1865. 

Alvin  Wilkins, 

1836. 

Benjamin  E.  Smith, 

1866. 

Philip  Mann, 

1837- 

David  Shaver,* 

1867. 

Reuben  Merchant, 

1837- 

William  S.  Clark,t 

1867. 

Mitchell  Sanford, 

1838. 

do 

1868. 

Harvey  Bliss, 

1839. 

Peter  R.  Dyckman, 

1869. 

George  F.  Fox, 

1839. 

Silas  Sweet, 

1870. 

Seymour  Boughton, 

1840. 

do 

1871. 

Charles  Goodyear, 

1840. 

Peter  Couchman, 

1872. 

Nicholas  Beekman, 

1841. 

do 

1873- 

Jacob  C.  Skillman, 

1841. 

John  B.  Hoag, 

1874. 

George  Wright, 

1842. 

John  M.  Roscoe, 

1875- 

WilUam  Fink, 

1842. 

do 

1876. 

Abraham  Richtmyer, 

1843. 

James  H.  Brown, 

1877. 

John  Osterhout, 

1843. 

Charles  Bouck, 

T878. 

John  Spickerman, 

1844. 

Duryea  Beekman, 

1879. 

Seth  Eldredge, 

1844. 

R.  Grant  Havens, 

1880. 

Henry  Tibbits, 

1845. 

John  J.  Dominic, 

1881. 

Seymour  Boughton, 

1845. 

Edwin  Hager, 

1882. 

Thomas  Lawyer, 
Thomas  Smith, 

1846. 
1846. 

Senators. 

do 

1847. 

William  Beekman, 

1798. 

Elisha  Hammond, 

1847. 

do 

1800. 

Adam  M  attice. 

1848. 

do 

180I. 

James  Parsons, 

1848. 

do 

1802. 

David  B.  Danforth, 

1849. 

George  Tiffany, 

1803. 

Austin  Sexton, 

1849. 

do 

1804. 

D.  D.  Dodge, 

1850. 

do 

1805. 

John  Avery, 

1850. 

do 

1806. 

Lewis  Rockwell, 

1851. 

Jacob  Gebhard, 

1807. 

Abraham  L.  Lawyer, 

1851. 

do 

1808. 

James  Osterhout, 

1852. 

do 

1809. 

Seymour  Sornberger, 
Luman  Reed, 

1852. 
1853- 

do 

1810. 

John  Westover, 

1853- 

*Died  before  taking  seat. 

Jacob  J.  Barton, 

1854. 

\  Fill  vacancy  of  '67. 

no 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Henry  Hager, 

1813. 

do 

1814. 

do 

1815. 

do 

1816. 

Peter  Swart, 

1817. 

do 

r8i8. 

do 

1819. 

do 

1820. 

William  C.  Bouck, 

i82r. 

do 

1822. 

Jacob  Sutherland, 

1823. 

William  Dietz, 

1830. 

do 

1831. 

do 

1832. 

do 

1833- 

Abraham  L.  Lawyer, 

1835- 

do 

1836. 

do 

1837- 

do 

1838. 

John  C.  Wright, 

1843. 

do 

1844. 

do 

1845. 

do 

1846. 

Sidney  Tuttle, 

1850. 

do 

18.S1. 

Peter  S.  Danforth, 

1854. 

do 

1855- 

Joseph  H.  Ramsey, 

1856. 

do 

1857- 

do 

■  i860. 

do 

1862. 

do 

1863. 

William  C.  Lamont, 

1875- 

do 

1876. 

do 

1877. 

do 

1878. 

Justice  Supreme  Court. 

Peter  S.  Danforth,  appointed  September  24, 
1872. 

Members  of  Congress. 

Peter  Swart,  elected  1807-09. 

Alexander  Boyd,  do  1813-15. 

Thomas  Lawyer,  do  1817-19. 

John  Gebhard,  do  1821-23. 

William  Dietz,  do  1825-27. 

Peter  I.  Borst,  do  1829-31. 

Valentine  Efner,  do  1835-37. 


Robert  McClellan,    elected  1837-39 

Jacob  Houck,  Jun.,      do  1841-43 

Charles  Goodyear,        do  1845-47 

do  do  i865-'67 

Hiram  Walden,  do  1849-51 

Stephen  L.  Mayham,  do  1869-71 

Presidential  Electors. 

Adam  B.  Vroman,  appointed  November  7, 
1808,  Madison's  election. 

Henry  Becker,  appointed  November  8,  1816, 
Monroe's  election. 

Thomas  Lawyer,  appointed  November,  1824, 
Adams'  election. 

William  Dietz,  elected  November,  1832,  Jack- 
son's election. 

Harvey  Watson,  elected  November,  1840, 
Harrison's  election. 

Daniel  Larkin,  elected  November,  1848,  Tay- 
lor's election. 

Minard  Harder,  elected  November,  1872, 
Grant's  election. 


Consular. 

John  F.  Hazleton,  Consul  to  Italy, 
1881. 

County  Bar. 


1877  to 


William  H.  Albro  was  born  in  Huntersland, 
in  the  town  of  Middleburgh,  September  8,  1840. 
After  attending  the  district  school  he  finished 
his  education  at  Fort  Edward  Institute  and 
Union  College.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
WiUiam  H.  Engle,  and  upon  being  admitted  to 
the  bar  he  settled  in  Middleburgh  village.  In 
1878  he  received  the  nomination  upon  the  Re- 
publican ticket  for  School  Commissioner  in  the 
eastern  district,  and  was  elected  by  a  flattering 
majority  although  the  district  was  Democratic. 
Mr.  Albro  proved  to  be  a  faithful  and  judicious 
official  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  and  ele- 
vated the  status  of  the  schools  under  his  charge. 

As  a  lawyer  he  seems  better  adapted  to  the 
duties  of  a  counselor  and  jurist  than  a  pleader 
at  the  bar,  as  he  lacks  that  confidence  in  self 
that  is  necessary  to  make  a  forcible  and  winning 
advocate.  Mr.  Albro  is  a  well-read,  sound  and 
practical  attorney,  an  unassuming  and  generous 
gentleman,  and  fully  merits  the  confidence 
placed  in  him  by  a  large  circle  of  patrons. 


THE  COUNTY  BAR. 


Ill 


Warren  W.  Allen  has  but  just  entered  his' 
professional  course,  having  been  admitted  in 
May,  1 88 1.  Mr.  Allen  was  born  in  the 
town  ef  Summit  on  the  4th  day  of  November, 
1850,  and  received  his  education  at  the  "New 
York  Conference  Seminary,"  and  entered  the 
office  of  John  S.  Finder,  in  1877.  Mr.  Allen's 
close  application  to  his  studies  and  quick  per- 
ception, assures  us  of  his  earnestness  and  suc- 
cess in  gaining  the  confidence  of  the  people. 

Nathan  L.  F.  Bachman  was  born  at  Butler's 
plantation,  the  family  residence,  near  Kingsport, 
Tenn.,  April  3,  1848,  of  German  parentage. 
During  the  late  war  he  participated  in  the  "lost 
cause"  and  came  to  New  York  in  1867.  He  was 
graduated  as  A.  M.,  from  Hamilton  College  in 
1872,  and  the  following  year  located  at  Scho- 
harie as  principal  of  the  academy.  In  1876  he 
was  graduated  from  the  Columbia  College  Law 
School  as  LL.D.,  and  again  located  at  Scho- 
harie. Mr.  Bachman  was  elected  as  Justice  of 
the  Peace  in  1876,  and  gives  evidence  of  pos- 
sessing judicial  abihties  to  a  marked  degree.  He 
is  a  fluent  speaker,  and  has  taken  a  hvely  in- 
terest in  political  affairs  during  each  campaign  as 
a  Democratic  speaker,  drawing  large  audiences 
and  awakening  a  deep  interest.  But  few  are 
better  qualified  for  official  positions  than  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Ralph  Brewster  has  practiced  law  since  1839, 
and  is  the  oldest  member  of  the  County  bar. 
He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Elder  William 
Brewster,  who  landed  at  Plymouth  from  the 
Mayflower  in  1620,  and  was  born  in  Berne, 
Albany  county,  N.  Y.,  May  31,  1814.  After 
receiving  an  academic  education  at  Jefferson 
Academy,  Clinton  Institute,  and  Fairfield  Acad- 
emy, he  entered  Hamilton  &  Goodyear's  law 
office,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  as  before 
stated  in  1839.  He  located  in  Schoharie  vil- 
lage in  1841,  and  was  appointed  County 
Treasurer  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  the 
fall  of  that  year  and  each  subsequent  term  until 
the  Constitution  of  1846  took  effect,  making 
the  office  an  elective  one.  He  was  then  elected 
(1848)  as  the  first  Treasurer  chosen  by  the 
people  direct,  and  held  the  office  two  terms, 
making  a  period  of  thirteen  years  in  which  he 
held  the   position   and  the  confidence  of  the 


people  in  his  ability  and  integrity.  He  also 
held  the  office  of  Inspector  of  Common  Schools 
four  years,  Inspector  of  Election  four. years, 
Justice  of  the  Peace  twenty  years,  and  Super- 
visor four  terms,  bestowed  upon  him,  the  duties 
of  which  he  performed  with  such  precision  and 
profit  to  the  people  as  to  rank  among  the  best 
officials  of  the  country.  As  a  lawyer,  Mr. 
Brewster  is  very  careful,  and  has  drawn  around 
him  a  large  circle  of  clients  engaged  in  the 
conveyance  and  settlement  of  estates,  for  which 
his  ability  seems  peculiarly  adapted.  Not  pos- 
sessing oratorical  powers  or  the  gift  of  easy 
pubhc  speaking,  it  is  seldom  he  is  found  in 
argum.ent  before  the  courts,  but  in  council  is 
considered  one  of  the  best  in  the  County,  and 
no  one  is  sought  more  by  the  troubled  than 
Mr.  Brewster. 

Cornelius  L.  Bailey  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Jefferson,  in  1837,  and  attended  the  Jef- 
ferson Academy.  He  read  law  with  Jacob 
Houck,  Jun.,  and  Nathan  P.  Hinman,  of  the 
firm  of  Houck  &  Hinman,  at  Schoharie  C.  H., 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1858.  His 
practice  has  been  in  Schoharie  and  Albany  coun- 
ties and  has  been  lucrative  up  to  the  year  1880, 
when  he  was  appointed  Deputy  County  Clerk, 
under  Wm'.  B.  Murphy. 

Mr.  Bailey  is  a  careful  business  man,  well-read, 
and  has  a  clear  conception  of  the  principles  of 
law,  and  has  been  successful  in  his  pleadings. 

Albert  Baker,  at  present  a  resident  of  Cobles- 
kill  village,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Berne,  Al- 
bany county,  in  October,  1845.  He  attended  the 
district  school  of  the  neighborhood  and  taught  a 
few  years,  when  he  entered  the  office  of  Folman 
&  Bigham,  of  Albany  City.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  r866,  and  settled  at  Cobleskill. 
There  being  an  opening  at  Sharon  Springs  he 
removed  there  in  1868,  but  soon  after  again  re- 
moved to  Cobleskill.  Mr.  Baker  has  held  the 
office  of  Police  Justice  of  the  corporation,  and 
also  District,  Attorney  of  the  County  from  187 1 
to  r874,  and  is  at  present  Secretary  of  the  Board 
of  Education  of  Cobleskill.  In  1876  he  formed 
a  co-partnership  with  his  brother  under  the 
name  of  "Baker  Bros.,"  and  the  firm  enjoys  a 
lucrative  business  that  promises  a  successful 
future. 


112 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Merritt  A.  Baker  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Berne,  Albany  county,  on  the  28th  of  February, 
1855,  and  after  attending  the  district  school  of 
the  place  entered  Nassau  Academy  and  Starkey 
Seminary,  and  in  1872  read  law  in  the  office  of 
his  brother,  Albert.  He  was  admitted  in  Jan- 
uary, 1876,  and  immediately  formed  a  co-part- 
nership with  his  brother.  In  the  fall  of  the  lat- 
ter year  he  was  elected  by  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors as  clerk,  and  has  held  the  position  since, 
much  to  the  satisfaction  of  that  body  and  to  the 
credit  of  their  records. 

Wm.  H.  Baldwin,  of  Gilboa,  was  born  in 
Greenville,  Greene  county,  in  1835.  His  parents 
soon  after  settled  in  the  town  of  Conesville. 
After  attending  the  district  school  of  the  neigh- 
borhood he  entered  tlie  Union  Academy,  of 
Harpersfield,  Delaware  county,  where  he  finished 
a  course  of  practical  studies  and  entered  the 
office  of  Mattice  &  Winans,  of  Durham,  to 
study  law,  which  course  he  completed  in  "  Ad- 
ams'office,"  Gloversville,  in  the  summer  of  1855. 
In  the  latter  part  of  that  year  he  was  admitted, 
and  located  in  Gilboa  village.  Mr.  Baldwin  is 
a  careful  and  practical  worker,  and  has  won  the 
confidence  of  the  public  through  his  honorable 
advocacy  of  law.  That  confidence  was  fully 
demonstrated  in  1874,  when  the  people-  elected 
him  to  the  office  of  District  Attorney,  which 
position  he  filled  with  marked  abihty  and 
promptness  as  a  faithful  guardian  of  law  and 
order. 

Laivrence  IV.  Baxter  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Sharon  on  the  12th  of  January,  1852.  His 
educational  advantages  were  dihgently  im- 
proved to  prepare  himself  for  the  bar.  At  an 
early  age  he  attended  the  Clinton  Liberal  Insti- 
tute, and  graduated  at  the  head  of  his  class, 
with  the  first  prize  in  oratory  as  a  trophy  of  the 
event.  He  then  entered  Hamilton  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  with  distinguished 
honors  in  1879,  and  again  in  1880,  from  the 
Law  School  of  that  institution.  Mr.  Baxter 
located  at  Cobleskill  where  he  is  now  practicing, 
and  meets  with  a  very  flattering  success.  He 
IS  earnest  in  the' profession  he  has  chosen,  care- 
ful in  the  execution  of  its  requirements  and 
honorable, in  his  practice.  He  is  a  fluent 
speaker  and  ingenious  reasoner,  which,  coupled 


with  his  known  integrity  in  principle,  places 
him  in  the  front  rank  of  the  young  members  of 
the  bar  and  gives  us  an  assurance  of  his  future 
success. 

William  S.  Clark  was  the  son  of  William 
Clark,  a  farmer  of  Carlisle,  and  was  born  in 
that  town  the  19th  of  August,  1826.  He  at- 
tended the  district  school  until  his  fifteenth 
year,  when  he  entered  the  Esperance  Acad- 
emy, from  whence  he  went  to  Schoharie, 
and  finally  to  Hamilton  Academy,  Madison 
county.  Mr.  Clark  entered  the  Law  School  at 
Poughkeepsie,  and  afterwards  the  Law  depart- 
ment at  Union  College,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated as  LL.D.,  and  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  the  State  courts  in  February,  1858,  and  to 
the  U.  S.  Court  in  1864. 

Upon  the  decease  of  Hon.  David  Shafer,  in 
1866,  Mr.  Clark  was  appointed  to  fill  his  place 
in  the  Assembly  and  was  elected  to  that  body 
the  year  following.  He  has  held  but  few  pub- 
lic positions,  and  to  them  he  has  brought  honor 
and  dignity  as  a  scholar,  gentleman,  and  honest 
man. 

Upon  the  election  of  Wm.  B.  Murphy  as 
County  Clerk,  Mr.  Clark  was  honored  as  Clerk 
of  the  Courts,  and  has  acted  in  that  capacity  at 
each  subsequent  session. 

Added  to  his  superior  educational  quali- 
ties, but  few  men  possess  that  genuine 
spirit  of  kindness  towards  others  that  is  daily 
shown  by  him,  and  which  has  gained  for  him 
the  friendship  of  all. 

Alonzo  B.  Coons  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Canajoharie,  Montgomery  county,  on  the  3d  of 
September,  1841.  After  mastering  the  com- 
mon English  branches  in  the  school  of  the 
neighborhood  he  entered  Ames  Academy  and 
afterward  the  New  York  Conference  Seminary, 
of  Charlotteville. 

In  the  spring  of  1861,  he  commenced  read- 
ing law  in  the  oflSce  of  J.  H.  Salisbury,  at  Sharon 
Springs,  finished  his  studies  in  the  office  of 
L.  H.  Jackson,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
May,  1863.  He  did  not  open  an  office  until 
May  of  1 868,  as  he  engaged  in  teaching  school 
in  which  he  was  successful.  During  the  latter 
year  he  located  at  Sharon  Springs  and  was 
elected  District  Attorney  in  November,  1880, 


THE  COUNTY  BAR. 


113 


which  official  trust  he  fills  with  dignity  and  proves 
a  faithful  guardian  of  law  and  order. 

Peter  S.  Danforth  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Middleburgh  in  1816,  and  studied  law  in  the 
office  of  George  Danforth,  his  father,  and  that 
of  Marcus  T.  Reynolds,  of  Albany.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  May,  1840.  Mr.  Dan- 
forth has  always  possessed  the  confidence  of 
his  townsmen  and  held  many  official  positions 
within  their  gift,  chief  among  which  was  school 
commissioner  — the  first  political  position  of  his 
life.  He  was  appointed  Master  and  Examiner 
in  Chancery  in  1844,  and  elected  District  At- 
torney  in    1845,  and   to   the  State    Senate   in 

1854. 

Upon  the  death  of  Henry  Hogeboom,  Judge  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  Mr.  Danforth  was  appoint- 
ed by  Governor  Hoffman  to  fill  the  vacancy. 
Beside  the  political  and  legal  cares  that  Judge 
Danforth  has  had  pressed  upon  him,  he  has 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  religious  affairs,  and  at 
present  is  the  president  of  the  County  Bible 
Society,  filling  the  position  satisfactorily  to  the 
society,  that  his  father-in-law,  Rev.  George  A. 
Lintner,  so  long  occupied.  He  has  also  been 
identified  with  the  County  Sabbath  School  As- 
sociation since  its  organization.  Mr.  Danforth 
is  a  careful  lawyer,  fluent  speaker  and  politic 
reason  er. 

George  S.  Danforth  is  a  son  of  Hon.  Peter 
S.  Danforth,  and  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Middleburgh  on  the  19th  of  July,  1844.  He 
attended  the  village  school  and  Schoharie 
Academy  to  master  the  elementary  branches, 
and  to  prepare  for  college  studied  two  years 
under  John  M.  Scribner,  Jr.  He  entered  Rut- 
ger  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1 863, 
and  immediately  commenced  the  study  of  law 
in  earnest  in  his  fathers  office.  However,  he 
had  been  a  student  with  that  aim  from  his 
youth.  He  was  admitted  in  1865  and  located 
in  his  father's  office. 

Mr.  Danforth  is  yet  young  in  the  profession, 
and  brought  to  it  a  finished  education  and  pride 
that  carries  him  above  low  bickerings  and  the 
abuse  of  the  true  principles  of  law  in  employing 
them  for  such  purposes.  His  success  thus  far 
has  been  very  flattering  as  an  attorney  and 
counselor,  and  by  the  brotherhood  he  is  held  in 


high  esteem  for  his  gentlemanly  bearing  and  as 
a  genial,  earnest  co-worker. 

William  H.  Engle  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Berne,  Albany  county,  on  the  23d  of  January, 
1817.  His  educational  advantages  were  mostly 
of  the  common  schools,  having  attended  the 
Knox  Academy  but  a  short  time.  He  entered 
the  office  of  Benoni  Spafford,  of  Middleburgh, 
in  1840,  and  finished  his  studies  in  the  office  of 
J.  J.  Warner,  of  Berne,  in  1844,  when  he  was 
admitted.  He  settled  at  Middleburgh  (where 
he  still  resides)  upon  the  death  of  Lawyer  Spaf- 
ford in  1845. 

In  November,  1847,  he  was  elected  District 
Attorney,  it  being  the  only  county  office  he  has 
filled,  from  the  fact  that  Mr.  Engle's  political 
sentiments  are  contrary  to  those  of  the  majority 
of  county  electors.  However,  his  fellow  par- 
tisans have  repeatedly  honored  him  with  nomi- 
nations for  various  positions,  and  been  success- 
ful in  making  a  "lively  run."  He  received  the 
appointment  of  deputy  collector  in  the  second 
division  of  the  14th  U.  S.  Revenue  district  in 
April,  1 868,  and  held  the  same  to  the  year  187 1. 
Upon  the  removal  of  Mr.  Hazleton  (who  suc- 
ceeded him)  to  Europe  as  Consul  in  1878,  Mr. 
Engle  was  again  appointed  to  the  position  and 
still  holds  the  same,  making  a  thorough,  careful 
and  prompt  official. 

He  enjoys  the  confidence  of  a  large  com- 
munity in  the  settling  of  estates,  and  intricate 
cases  arising  from  land  grants  and  divisions  for 
which  his  talents  seem  adapted.  Having  a 
partner  in  the  office  the  firm  is  Engle  &  Stevens. 

Henry  C.  Getter  was  born  in  Middleburgh 
on  the  i6th  of  June,  1855,  and  received  a  com- 
mon school  education.  He  entered  the  law 
office  of  Sanford  &  Thome,  in  1878,  to  qualify 
himself  for  the  bar  to  which  he  was  admitted 
in  the  spring  of  1881.  Having  just  started  in 
the  legal  course,  it  is  hard  to  determine  his 
future  success.  Possessing  an  active  mind  and 
being  well  tutored  in  the  mazes  of  the  law,  it 
but  requires  a  close  appHcation  to  business  and 
study  to  warrant  a  brilliant  future. 

George  H.  Hiller,  of  Cobleskill,  is  a  son  of 
the  late  ex-Assemblyman  John  F.  Hiller,  of 
Sharon,  and  was  born  in  that  town  on  the  13th 
of  October,    1844.     He   attended  the  district 


114 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


school  only  and  entered  the  office  of  the  late 
William  H.  Young  in  1872,  and  afterwards  that 
of  his  brother-in-law,  John  S.  Pindar. 

Mr.  Hiller  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Janu- 
ary, 1876,  and  established  at  once  a  reputation 
as  an  earnest  student  and  reliable  advocate, 
with  a  just  aspiration  to  become  proficient  in 
his  calling. 

He  is  reserved  and  unassuming,  a  careful 
worker  and  logical  reasoner,  and  we  can  but 
predict  for  him  a  successful  career,  as  his  in- 
creasing practice  ensures  the  fact.  Mr.  Hiller 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace 
in  1876  and  again  in  1880. 

Chauncey  W.  Hinman,  of  Schoharie  village, 
son  of  the  late  John  Hmman,  was  born  in  Mid- 
dleburgh,  June  4,  1834.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation at  the  district  school  and  upon  the  for- 
mation of  the  134th  Regiment  of  N.  Y.  S.  V., 
he  enlisted  as  Second  Lieutenant  and  was  soon 
promoted  to  First.  He  was  in  all  the  engage- 
ments in  which  the  regiment  participated  up  to 
the  retreat  of  Hood,  when  he  was  taken  prisoner 
and  thrust  in  Andersonville  prison.  There  he 
subsisted  upon  the  scanty  fare  of  one-fourth  of 
a  pint  of  corn  meal  and  the  same  measure  of 
beans,  daily,  with  the  exception  of  an  occasional 
"  mite "  obtained  from  the  guards  or  fellow- 
prisoners  by  bartering  with  small  buckets  which 
his  ingenuity  allowed  him  to  manufacture  with 
an  old  case-knife.  After  six  months  confine- 
ment, the  war  closed  and  Mr.  Hinman  was  the 
last  of  several  thousand,  discharged  from  the 
prison  field.  Weak  and  emaciated  he  returned 
to  his  home  unfit  for  laborious  duties  and  en- 
tered his  brother's  law  office  in  1866,  from  which 
he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1868.  He  formed 
a  co-partnership  with  his  brother  which  was 
broken  upon  Nathan  P.  removing  to  Albany 
City  in  1872.  Mr.  Hinman  is  a  well  read  and 
practical  lawyer  with  a  sagacious  perception  of 
technical  points,  with  which  he  ingeniously  out- 
fla:nks  his  adversaries,  and  makes  his  practice  a 
success.  His  "briefs"  are  drawn  with  care  and 
precision  denoting  deep  searching,  earnestness 
and  practical  principles  of  law. 

Hon.  Charles  Holmes,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Fulton,  on  the  26th  day  of  March,  1826.  He 
^arly  attended  the  district  school,  and  completed 


his  studies  at  the  time-honored  Jefierson  Acad- 
emy. As  many  other  young  men  of  the  country, 
struggling  to  gain  an  education,  without  the 
means  to  obtain  it,  he  taught  school  and  en- 
gaged in  other  employment  to  bear  the  neces- 
sary expenses,  and  became  self-sustaining.  In 
1850  he  entered  the  law  office  of  the  late  Judge 
Lawyer,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  fall 
of  1853,  and  located  in  the  village  of  Cobleskill. 
The  Democracy  of  the  County  elected  him 
to  the  Assembly  in  the  fall  of  1855,  where  he 
bent  his  energies  in  behalf  of  the  Susquehanna 
Railroad,  and  gave  such  promise  of  a  legislator, 
that  he  was  chosen  as  the  party  nominee  for 
State  Senator  in  1858,  against  Joseph  H.Ramsey, 
but  the  district  being  anti-democratic,  his  oppo- 
nent was  elected,  but  by  a  largely  reduced  ma- 
jority. After  his  defeat,  Mr.  Holmes  applied  him- 
self strictly  to  his  profession,  and  gained  as  high 
status  before  the  legal  tribunals  as  any  lawyer  in 
Central  New  York.  Upon  the  retirement  of 
his  townsman,  Wm.  C.  Lament,  from  the  County 
Judgeship,  in  1871,  Mr.  Holmes  was  elected  to 
that  position  by  an  overwhelming  majority,  and 
re-elected  in  the  fall  of '78,  The  precision  and 
ability  with  which  he  performed  the  duties  of 
the  office,  have  placed  him  among  the  ablest 
jurists,  and  gained  for  him  the  reputation  of 
being  a  practical,  just  and  substantial  defender 
of  the  law. 

In  the  performance  of  his  duties  as  Surrogate, 
no  better  satisfaction  has  been  given  than  by 
Judge  Holmes,  in  the  settlement  of  estates, 
protection  of  orphans,  and  watchful  care  over 
others,  whose  affairs  have  been  brought  before 
him  for  adjustment. 

Being  an  active  and  influential  Democrat  of 
the  Jeffersonian  school,  he  was  placed  upon  the 
Democratic  State  Committee,  by  the  Convention 
of  1881,  and  proves  a  sagacious  pohtician. 

Lewis  C.  Holmes,  second  son  of  Hon.  Charles 
Holmes,  was  born  in  Cobleskill,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1848,  and  was  educated  at  the  village  school 
and  studied  law  with  his  father.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  September,  1879.  Upon 
the  election  of  the  father  as  Surrogate,  Lewis 
was  appointed  Surrogate's  Clerk,  which  position 
he  still  holds  creditably  to  himself  and  faithful 
to   the    office.    Mr.   Holmes  possesses    a  well 


THE  COUNTY  BAR. 


"5 


balanced  mind  and  promises  to  make  an  un- 
assuming, methodical  and  substantial  lawyer, 
that  will  win  the  confidence  of  all  classes  and 
add  dignity  to  the  profession. 

Charles  H.  Holmes  is  the  third  son  of  Hon. 
Charles  Holmes,  and  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Cobleskill,  December  25,  1852,  and  received 
his  education  at  the  "  Cobleskill  Union  School.'' 
He  studied  law  in  his  father's  office  and  was 
admitted  in  May,  1879,  and  located  at  Cobles- 
kill. But  just  starting  m  his  legal  course,  being 
chiefly  engaged  in  office  work,  it  is  hardly  possi- 
ble to  predict  the  mark  Mr.  Holmes  will  make 
in  the  legal  race.  If  quick  perception  and  gift 
of  language  will  warrant  success  before  the  bar, 
it  will  be  soon  gained,  as  few  are  his  equal  even 
among  those  of  more  mature  age  and  greater 
experience.  By  a  strict  application  of  his  nat- 
ural genius  to  argument  and  studious  confidence 
of  language,  Mr.  Holmes  may  stand  as  the 
"  Harry  Clay  "  of  the  young  legal  gentlemen  of 
Schoharie. 

Lyman  Sanford  Holmes  is  a  son  of  Hon. 
Charles  Holmes,  and  was  born  in  Cobleskill  in 
January,  1856.  He  attended  the  village  school 
and  prepared  himself  for  Union  College,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1878.  After  studying 
law  in  his  father's  office  for  a  while  he  completed 
his  studies  in  that  of  Bemis  &  Benton,  of  Hor- 
nellsville,  N.  Y.,in  November,  i88o.  He  located 
in  Chicago  and  soon  after  in  New  York  City, 
but  an  opening  being  made  in  the  office  of  San- 
ford &  Thorne,  of  Middleburgh,  by  the  decease 
of  the  former,  Mr.  Holmes  formed  a  connection 
with  Mr.  Thorne  in  the  spring  of  1882.  But 
few  young  men  become  more  attached  to  their 
profession  than  Mr.  Holmes,  and  possessing  a 
quick  perception  of  the  principles  of  jurispru- 
dence and  a  steady  judgment  which,  coupled 
with  his  nobler  attributes  of  manhood  that  win 
friends  among  all  classes,  we  cannot  but  predict 
a  successful  future  for  him. 

John  I.  Jackson,  of  Gilboa,  was  born  at 
Cairo,  Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  August  30,  1815, 
and  settled  with  his  parents  in  Gilboa,  Schoharie 
County,  in  1823.  '  He  received  a  common 
school  education  and  was  early  elected  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  which   office   he   held  fourteen 


years.  During  this  official  period  he  studied 
law  in  his  own  office  and  practiced  in  the  Jus- 
tice court  until  the  4th  of  September,  1855, 
when  he  was  admitted  to  the  Supreme  bar. 
Mr.  Jackson  represented  the  town  upon  the 
board  of  Supervisors  in  1866,  and  enjoys  the 
confidence  of  a  large  community  as  a  counselor 
and  man  of  honor. 

L.  H.  Jackson,  of  Sharon  Springs,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Summit,  on  the  4th  of 
April,  1836,  and  attended  the  New  York  Con- 
ference Seminary  of  that  town.  After  a  classi- 
cal course,  he  attended  Prof.  Fowler's  law  school 
at  Poughkeepsie,  two  years,  and  then  entered 
the  law  office  of  John  H.  Salisbury,  in  the  fall  of 
1 86 1,  and  was  admitted  in  May  of  the  following 
year.  He  located  at  the  Spa,  and  continued  in 
practice  to  the  year  1879,  when  he  removed  to 
Binghamton,  where  he  resided  until  April,  1881. 
Since  that  date,  Mr.  Jackson  has  again  located 
at  the  Springs,  where  he  meets  with  the  old-time 
confidence  that  his  earnest  and  dihgent  labors 
gained  in  the  first  years  of  his  profession.  He 
was  appointed  postmaster,  in  1861,  and  held  the 
position  until  his  removal  to  Binghamton,  when 
he  resigned. 

Krum  &=  Grant,. — Hobart  Krum,  son  of 
the  late  Judge  Jonas  Krum,  and  John  B. 
Grant,  a  native  of  Blenheim,  comprise  the  firm 
of  Krum  &  Grant. 

Hobart  Krum  stands  at  the  head  of  the 
County  bar.  If  nature  ever  makes  a  choice  for 
a  particular  avocation,  Mr.  Krum  was  indeed 
chosen  for  the  bar,  as  he  is  especially  gifted  with 
such  abilities  and  pride  as  are  necessary  to  make 
the  profession  a  success.  He  has  been  from 
his  first  entrance  into  the  law  office  the  most 
studious  in  the  principles  of  law,  looking 
critically  into  the  reason  of  every  principle  and 
their  application  to  causes.  While  he  makes 
no  pretension  to  oratory,  yet  as  a  pleader  he  is 
successful  and  highly  interesting.  He  places 
himself  squarely  upon  equity,  through  ingenious 
reasoning,  and  arranges  the  facts  of  the  case  in 
the  order  of  their  legal  value,  and  then  arouses 
such  earnestness  as  to  be  pleasing  and  forcibly 
effective,  and  if  not  to  win  the  contest,  leave  a 
dubious  impression  as  to  the  justness  of  the  ver- 
dict.    Mr.  Krum  was  chosen  as  a  delegate  to 


ii6 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  State  Constitutional  Convention  of  1867, 
and  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  body  of  able 
men.  He  proved  himself  to  be  also  a  student 
of  political  economy  in  all  its  branches,  as  his 
able  arguments  show,  which  gave  him  pre- 
eminence as  a  legislator,  and  to  the  citizens  of 
the  County  a  pride  in  their  representative.  Mr. 
Grant,  although  comparatively  a  young  man, 
with  a  tireless  industry,  shrewd  perception  and 
a  mind  well  versed  in  jurisprudence,  adds  much 
to  the  firm's  popularity,  which  has  spread  over 
many  counties,  and  ensures  a  lucrative  success 
that  but  few  country  firms  attain. 

Wm.  C.  Lament. — It  is  seldom  we  find  in 
the  rushing,  jostling  throng  of  legal  aspirants,  so 
unassuming  a  man  that  has  made  a  more  prom- 
inent and  pleasing  mark,  than  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Mr.  Lamont  was  born  in  Char- 
lotteville,  on  the  25th  of  November,  1827 
and  obtained  a  practical  education  at  the  time- 
honored  academies  at  Schoharie  and  Jefferson, 
from  whence  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Abra- 
ham Becker,  of  South  Worcester,  Otsego  Co. 

Being  admitted  to  practice  in  due  course  of 
time,  he  settled  at  his  native  village,  and  by 
assiduous  industry,  he  estabHshed  a  reputation 
as  a  careful  and  successful  lawyer. 

In  1859,  he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  and 
served  upon  the  judiciary  committee,  and  made, 
as  usual,  a  very  creditable  record.  His  energies 
were  bent  in  behalf  of  the  bill  then  pending  for 
State  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  Albany  &  ' 
Susquehanna  Railroad,  and  his  arguments  in 
that  issue  were  marked  with  plain,  forcible 
reasoning,  and  awoke  a  brighter  hope  for  the 
passage  of  the  bill,  and  final  consummation  of 
the  enterprise.  His  practice  becoming  more  ex- 
tended, he  removed  to  Richmond ville,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1863,  was  elected  County  Judge,  which 
office  he  held  to  January,  1872.  Removing  to 
Cobleskill  village,  his  legal  business  increased, 
and  he  became  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Coun- 
ty bar.  In  1875  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Sen- 
ate, and  served  upon  the  following  committees : — 
Roads  and  Bridges,  Erection  and  Division  of 
Towns  and  Counties,  also  Manufacture.  What- 
ever position  Mr.  Lamont  has  filled,  his  labors 
have  been  earnest  to  perform  his  duties  faithfully 
and  profitably  to  his  constituents. 


Watson  Lamont,  is  a  brother  of  ex-Judge  La- 
mont, and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Middleburgh, 
on  the  13th  of  July,  1852.  He  received  his  edu- 
cational advantages  at  the  "New York  Con- 
ference" and  "  Starkey"  seminaries  and  settled 
at  Cobleskill  village  in  1869.  In  November, 
i87i,he  entered  the  office  of  his  brother  and 
received  his  certificate  to  practice  in  the  State 
Courts  in  January,  1876.  He  has  held  the  of- 
fice of  police  justice  two  years  and  is  now 
acting  upon  the  second  term  of  town  justice  of 
the  peace.  Mr.  Lament's  close  application  to 
study  and  quick  perception  of  legal  points  and 
technicalities  have  earned  for  him  a  business  that 
bids  fair  to  increase  with  his  years  and  place 
him  in  the  front  rank  of  his  profession. 

John  H.  Mattice  was  the  son  of  Zachariah  Mat- 
tice,  of  Middleburgh,  and  was  born  April  i, 
1 839.  He  attended  the  district  school  and  fitted 
himself  for  teaching,  which  he  followed  for  seven 
years  when  he  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade, 
and  studied  law  at  his  boarding  place  nights 
and  while  working  on  the  bench.  Through  a 
long,  but  earnest  period  of  study,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  on  the  9th  of  December,  1869, 
and  settled  at  Livingstonville,  where  he  enjoys 
a  lucrative  practice. 

Mr.  Mattice  is  a  self-made  man,  having  been 
forced  to  work  his  way  through  life,  unaided, 
except  by  an  untiring  will.  He  represented  the 
town  upon  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  1877, 
creditably  to  himself  and  profitably  to  the  people. 
But  few  men  possess  the  love  of  study  as  does 
Mr.  Mattice,  and  where  labor  is  not  spared  in 
the  apphcation  of  knowledge  obtained,  pleasing 
results  will  inevitably  follow.  The  industry, 
earnestness  and  ambition  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  can  but  lead  us  to  predict  for  him  a 
bright  and  prosperous  future. 

Stephen  L  Mayham  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Blenheim,  on  the  8th  of  October,  1825,  and  after 
attending  the  district  school  of  the  neighborhood 
he  studiously  prepared  himself  for  teaching,  the 
avails  of  which  were  judiciously  applied  for  an 
academic  education.  Following  the  natural 
bent  of  his  mind,  he  entered  the  office  of  Love 
&  Frear,  of  Ithaca,  there  studied  law,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1848.  He  located  at 
North  Blenheim  village,  and  after  a  few  years 


THE  COUNTY  BAR. 


117 


formed  a  connection  with  lawyer  George  Dier, 
under  the  name  of  Mayham  &  Dier.  While 
here  Mr.  Mayham  gained  a  fine  practice,  and 
solidified  the  confidence  of  his  boyhood  neigh- 
bors and  friends  in  his  honesty  as  a  man  and 
ability  as  a  lawyer,  which  placed  him  high  in 
their  estimation,  where  he  still  stands.  Four 
times  he  was  representative  in  the  Board  of 
Supervisors,  and  was  honored  by  the  people  of 
the  County  with  the  election  of  District  Attor- 
ney in  1859,  and  that  of  Assemblyman  in  1863. 
Removing  to  Schoharie  C.  H.  in  1865,  his 
practice  became  extended  and  he  soon  formed 
a  co-partnership  with  Hobart  Krum,  under  the 
name  of  Krum  &  Mayham,  which  connection 
made  the  most  impregnable  firm  in  Central  New 
York,  and  was  so  considered  by  the  courts.  Upon 
Mr.  Mayham's  son  being  admitted,  the  firm  of 
Krum  &  Mayham  was  dissolved,  and  one  was 
formed  by  the  father  and  son  as  S.  L.  &  F.  M. 
Mayham,  as  now  existing.  Mr.  Mayham's  popu- 
larity and  ability  drew  the  choice  of  the  Congres- 
sional Convention  of  1869  to  the  nomination  of 
him  to  the  Forty-first  Congress,  which  was 
ratified  by  the  people  in  a  large  majority  for 
the  district,  which  comprised  Albany  and  Scho- 
harie counties.  He  served  upon  the  Com- 
mittee of  Expenditures  of  the  State  Depart- 
ment, that  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  and 
that  of  sub-committee  of  the  whole,  in  the 
Forty-fifth  Congress,  to  which  he  was  elected  by 
a  flattering  majority  of  the  electors  of  Schoharie, 
Greene  and  Ulster  counties  in  the  fall  of  1874, 
to  which  position  a  re-election  was  proffered  by 
the  latter  counties,  but  Mr.  Mayham's  declina- 
tion for  the  opportunities  of  others,  retired  him 
from  Congressional  duties  in  1879.  He  identi- 
fied him.self  with  the  educational  interests  of 
Schoharie  upon  his  removal  there,  and  is  one  of 
the  leading  props  of  the  time-honored  Schoharie 
Academy,  as  well  as  all  other  local  and  public 
enterprises.  Mr.  Mayham  is  a  bold,  yet  not 
forward  or  hazardous  advocate  and  a  practical 
thinker,  and  one  whose  appearance  upon  the 
rostrum  at  once  demands  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  his  auditors,  while  his  fluency,  and 
plain,  unpretending  language  impress  without 
weariness. 

F.  L.  Mayham  is  a  son  of  Stephen  L.  May- 


ham, and  was  born  in  North  Blenheim  on  the 
2ist  of  August,  1850.  Acquiring  the  first  rudi- 
ments of  a  practical  education  at  that  village 
school,  he  entered  the  Roxbury  Academy  and 
finished  an  academic  course  at  Schoharie.  He 
commenced  reading  law  in  the  office  of  May- 
ham &  Krum  in  1868,  and  was  admitted  Sep- 
tember 5,  1871,  and  shortly  after  the  dissolution 
of  the  firm  of  Mayham  &  Krum  occurred  when 
that  of  S.  L.  &  F.  M.  Mayham  was  formed,  and 
is  a  leading  one  of  the  County.  Mr.  Mayham 
is  a  well-read  young  lawyer,  having  taken  hold 
of  the  task  with  a  natural  taste,  and  in  counsel 
proves  that  the  deep  principles  of  jurisprudence 
have  been  his  study,  which  are  ingeniously 
brought  to  practice  in  his  briefs  and  pleadings 
without  being  marred  with  irrelevancy  and 
sarcasm. 

John  S.  Pindar,  now  of  Cobleskill,  was  born 
in  the  town  of  Sharon  in  1835.  After  attend- 
ing the  district  school  he  entered  the  "Rich- 
mondville  Literary  Institute"  in  1853,  and 
upon  the  closing  of  the  school  returned  to  the 
farm.  In  1862  he  entered  the  law  office  of 
Ramsey  &  Young,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
State  courts  in  1865,  and  that  of  the  United 
States  in  1872.  Mr.  Pindar  has  practiced  con- 
tinually since  1867,  and  was  the  first  Police 
Justice  in  the  corporation  of  Cobleskill.  He 
was  chosen  chairman  of  the  Democratic  County 
Committee  in  1877,  and  still  holds  that  posi- 
tion creditably  to  himself  and  satisfactorily  to 
the  party.  Mr.  Pindar  is  known  as  one  of  the 
hardest  legal  workers  in  the  County  which  has 
gained  for  him  a  successful  business. 

O.  C.  Stevens,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is 
a  native  of  Greenville,  Greene  county,  and 
was  born  on  the  30th  of  August,  1850.  He 
early  attended  the  Greenville  Academy  and 
closed  his  educational  advantages  at  Hamilton 
College,  but  not  as  a  graduate.  In  1869  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  Sanford  &  Thome, 
and  was  admitted  in  the  spring  of  1872.  He 
formed  a  connection  with  WiUiam  E.  Leet, 
then  District  Attorney  of  Greene  county,  which 
continued  about  two  years,  when  he  withdrew 
and  became  a  partner  of  his  father-in-law,  Wm. 
H.  Engle,  with  whom  he  is  at  the  present  time. 
Mr.    Stevens   is   a   well-read  professional    and 


ii8 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


genial  gentleman,  and  possesses  the  confidence 
of  those  with  whom  he  mingles  as  a  most 
honorable  and  earnest  worker. 

E.  L.  Snyder,  of  Richmondville,  is  a  graduate 
of  Union  College  of  the  class  of  1861,  and  was 
born  in  Columbia  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  19th  of 
June,  1839.  Mr.  Snyder  studied  law  with  M. 
H.  Dorr,  of  Hillsdale,  Columbia  county,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Albany,  May  5, 
1864.  He  located  at  Richmondville,  and  as  a 
mark  of  the  confidence  the  people  have  in  his 
ability  and  integrity  they  elected  him  to  the 
office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  spring  of 
1881.  His  superior  education,  gentlemanly 
bearing  and  studious  application  to  business, 
have  drawn  around  him  a  host  of  friends,  and 
given  to  him  a  very  flattering  practice. 

Frank  Snyder  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Middleburgh  on  the  13th  of  January,  1855. 
His  educational  advantages  were  of  the  village 
school  and  at  the  Wainwright  Institute.  He 
studied  law  in  the  office  of  Peter  S.  Danforth, 
and  was  admitted  as  counselor  in  1878,  and  as 
attorney  and  counselor  in  the  year  following. 
By  the  request  of  his  legal  tutor  he  located  in 
his  office,  and  the  success  with  which  he  meets 
in  legal  business  is  highly  creditable  to  himself 
as  a  lawyer  and  the  office  from  which  he  was 
admitted. 

Wilfred  P.  Thomas  was  born  in  Albany,  N. 
Y.,  March  24,  1856,  and  fitted  himself  for  col- 
lege at  the  Schoharie  Academy.  He  graduated 
from  Union  College  in  1872,  and  that  year 
entered  the  law  office  of  Mayham  &  Krum  from 
which  he  entered  that  of  James  F.  Crawford,  of 
Cohoes,  N.  Y.,  and  finished  his  studies.  He 
was  admitted  in  April,  1876,  and  located  at 
Schoharie  village,  where  he  is  now  in  practice 
in  company  with  Chauncey  W.  Hinman.  Mr. 
Thomas  has  worked  up  a  flattering  practice,  and 
coming  to  the  profession  with  a  fine  education 
and  a  desire  to  succeed,  he  can  but  be  success- 
ful. 

Wm.  E.  Thome  was  born  at  Athens,  Greene 
county,  on  the  2rst  of  July,  1840.  He  attend- 
ed the  district  school  and  Knox  Academy,  and 
afterwards  studied  mathematics  and  the  lan- 
guages with  Dr.  Charles  Abrams,  of  Hyndsville. 


After  teaching  school  a  few  years,  he  entered 
the  law  office  of  S.  L.  Mayham,  then  of  Blen- 
heim, (1863)  and  removed  with  that  gentleman 
to  Schoharie  in  the  spring  of  1865,  and  was  ad- 
mitted in  December  of  that  year. 

On  the  ist  day  of  January,  1866,  he  formed 
a  co-partnership  with  Lyman  Sanford,  of  Mid- 
dleburgh, which  continued  until  the  decease  of 
that  gentleman.  In  1877,  he  was  elected  Dis- 
trict Attorney  and  proved  an  able  official. 
The  firm's  business  was  extensive,  especially  as 
relates  to  the  settlement  of  estates,  for  which 
no  firm  enjoyed  a  better,  and  but  few  an  equal, 
reputation. 

John  Van  Schaick  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Sharon,  on  the  29th  day  of  July,  1840.  After 
an  elementary  course  in  the  district  school  he 
attended  Williams  College.  Like  most  farmer's 
sons  that  are  ambitious  to  obtain  an  education, 
he  did  so  by  teaching  school  a  portion  of  the 
year.  He  studied  in  the  office  of  John  H.  Sahs- 
bury  while  located  at  Sharon  Springs,  and  after- 
wards in  that  of  Wm.  H.  Youngs,  and  after 
passing  a  course  at  the  Albany  law  school  he 
was  admitted  in  1864.  Counselor  Van  Schaick 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  School  Commis- 
sioner in  the  second  district  in  187 1^  and  re- 
elected in  1874.  He  established  an  office  at 
Cobleskill  after  his  admittance,  where  he  still 
continues  and  receives  his  share  of  the  public 
patronage  in  legal  affairs. 

Le  Grand  Van  7«y/ is  a  young  man  who  has 
but  just  stepped  upon  the  legal  path  and  his 
future  honor  or  disgrace  depend  upon  the  bent  of 
his  moral  qualities  and  not  his  intellectual,  as  of 
the  latter,  nature  has  blessed  him  exceedingly, 
which  he  has  wisely  chosen  to  direct  and  sup- 
port him  through  his  legal  adventure.  May  he 
prove  one  with  firm  stability  of  purpose.  He  is 
the  son  of  Isaac  Van  Tuyl,  of  Schoharie,  and 
was  born  in  that  town  on  the  9th  of  April,  1857. 
He  received  a  thorough  Academic  education  at 
the  Schoharie  academy  and  entered  the  law 
office  of  Krum  &  Grant,  from  which  he  was  ad- 
mitted in  January,  1881.  He  was  elected 
School  Commissioner  of  the  second  district  in 
the  fall  of  1 88 1  without  opposition,  and  located 
in  the  village  of  North  Blenheim. 


TOWN  OF  GILBOA. 


119 


Moses  S.  Wilcox,  of  Jefferson  village,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Harpersfield,  Delaware  county,  and  was 
born  in  that  town  in  March,  1836,  and  received 
an  academic  education  at  the  Harpersfield  Acade- 
my, from  which  he  emerged  as  a  school  teacher. 
For  two  years  while  thus  employed  he  read  law 
and  entered  the  office  of  Abraham  Becker,  of 
South  Worcester  in  1858,  and  was  admitted  in 
May,  1 860.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  formed 
a  co-partnership  with  Robert  Parker,  and  located 
at  Delhi,  and  remained  so  connected  until  1865 
when  he  returned  to  his  father's  farm,  and  spent 
two  years  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

At  the  expiration  of  that  time,  he  located  at 
Jefferson,  where  he  still  resides  and  enjoys  a 
flattering  practice  through  his  earnest  and  prac- 
tical labors,  and  the  confidence  of  the  people  in 
his  ability  and  integrity. 

Regardless  of  his  legal  taste,  we  find  Mr.  Wil- 
cox interests  himself  in  agriculture  and  the  breed- 
ing of  superior  stock  for  which  he  has  become 
noted  among  the  practical  farmers  of  the  country. 
Mr.  Wilcox  is  well  read,  and  keeps  up  with  the 
times,  and  does  not,  as  is  too  often  the  case,  af- 
ter a  few  years  practice,  settle  down  to  fogyism 
without  an  effort  to  advance.  He  is  an  easy 
and  plain  speaker,  sound  and  apt  reasoner, 
which,  coupled  with  his  honest  fervency,  holds 
attention  in  his  arguments,  and  gives  a  pleasing 
satisfaction  to  his  listeners. 

Isaac  W.  Winne. — Mr.  Winne  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Sharon,  March  29,  1834,  and  is  the 
son  of  Francis  Winne,  whose  father  moved  from 
Albany  county  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Cherrv 
Valley,  in  the  fore  part  of  the  century.  After 
attending  the  district  school,  he  entered  the 
"Ames  Academy"  from  which  he  returned  to 
the  homestead  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits, until  the  spring  of  187 1,  when  he  com- 
menced studying  law  in  the  office  of  Albert 
Baker,  then  located  at  Sharon  Springs.  Mr. 
Winne  was  admitted  to  practice  in  June,  1875, 
and  at  once  located  at  Rockville,  where  he  still 
remains,  enjoying  a  flattering  practice. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

History  of  The  Town  of  Gilboa. 

Town  Formed— First  Town  Officers— Board 
of  Inspectors — Division  Into  Districts — 
Town  Meeting  of  1849 — Anti-Rent  Diffi- 
culties— Sheriff's  Posse  of  Soldiers — 
First  Settlers  and  Mills — John  Dise — 
Archibald  Croswell — Tannery — Tuttle 
&  Osborne  Tannery — Grist  Mill  Pur- 
chased BY  Platt,  Potter  &  Co — Cotton 
Factory — Luman  Reed — John  Reed — 
First  Tavern — Gilboa  Bridge — Furnace 
— Churches — Merchants — Broome  Cen- 
tre— Henry  Tibbetts — McKeys  Corners 
—  David  Ellerson — His  Narrative — Offi- 
cial List — Supervisors — District  Attor- 
ney  County  Clerk — Assembly — State 

Senator — -Boundaries. 


BLENHEIM  and  Broome  were  two  very  large 
towns,  making  it  inconvenient,  in  various 
ways,  and  to  remedy  the  evils,  the  people  pe- 
titioned to  the  Seventy-first  Legislature  to  divide 
the  territory,  and  form  a  new  town.  Adam 
Mattice,  of  Livingstonville,  and  James  Parson, 
of  Sharon,  were  in  the  Assembly,  to  whom  the 
petition  was  entrusted,  and  through  whose  la- 
bors a  bill  to  that  effect  was  passed,  on  the  i6th 
of  March,  1848.  Broome,  previous  to  that  date, 
bordered  on  the  west,  on  the  Schoharie  creek, 
while  Blenheim  took  in  all  the  territory  of  Gil- 
boa, that  lies  upon  the  west  of  that  stream. 
Gilboa  village  had  for  a  long  time  been  an  ex- 
tensive manufacturing  seat  and  business  center, 
and  being  the  main  and  only  village  upon  the 
territory,  the  town  was  named  after  it. 

First  Town  Meeting : — On  the  20th  day  of 
April  following  the  organization  of  the  town, 
the  first  town  meeting  was  held,  and  elected  the 
following  officers : — 

For  Supervisor,  Colby  Reed;  Town  Clerk, 
Paige  Croswell ;  Justices,  Samuel  More,  David 
E.    Chichester,  Hiram  Fridenburgh  and  John 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Chichester;  Assessors,  Elisha  Griffin,  for  one 
year,  Philo  Johnson,  two  years,  and  John 
Hoagland,  three  years;  Commissioners  of 
Highways,  Archibald  Croswell,  one  year,  David 
S.  Howard,  two  years,  and  Ransom  Allerson, 
three  years  ;  Overseers  of  Poor^  Benj.  E.  Smith, 
and  Nicholas  L.  Mattice ;  Collector,  Elam  Rich- 
mond ;  Constables,  Lewis  T.  Davis,  Solomon 
D.  Mackey,  Jacob  Mclntyre,  and  Reynolds  Al- 
len ;  Town  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Joseph 
Schofield,  for  full  term,  and  vacancy  ;  Sealer  of 
Weights  and  Measures,  Abram  Mudge.  Town 
house  at  Lawrence  &  Kibbes. 

The  first  Board  of  Inspectors  appointed  for 
the  town  meeting,  was  Luman  Reed,  James  G. 
Hackey  and  Hiram  Fridenburgh.  It  was  voted 
at  that  meeting  to  raise  three  hundred  dollars 
for  the  support  of  the  poor.  On  the  13th  of 
May  following,  the  road  commissioner  and  clerk 
appointed  sixty-nine  overseers  for  that  number 
of  road  districts  then  created. 

In  September  the  assessors  divided  the  town 
into  three  election  districts,  pursuant  to  the 
statute,  as  follows  : — 

"  District  number  one  consists  of  all  that  part 
of  the  town  of  Gilboa  lying  west  of  a  line  com- 
mencing at  the  south  line  of  the  town  and  run- 
ning thence  north  along  the  west  line  of  Lot 
No.  5,  occupied  by  John  V.  Hoagland,  thence 
north  to  the  east  line  of  the  lot  owned  by  Peter 
Mattice,  lately  occupied  by  William  Stevens, 
thence  north  along  the  east  hne  of  said  lot,  and 
north  to  the  north  line  of  the  town." 

"  District  number  two  consists  of  the  central 
part  of  the  town,  bounded  on  the  west  by  the 
eastern  bounds  of  District  number  one,  on  the 
south  by  the  south  line  of  the  town,  thence 
northeast  along  the  line  between  the  towns  of 
Gilboa  and  Conesville  to  the  line  between  School 
Districts  No.  z  and  3,  thence  west  along  the 
Hne  between  said  school  districts  to  the  end  of 
said  line,  thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  corner 
of  the  east  and  south  lines  of  Clark's  patent 
thence  along  the  south  line  of  Clark's  patent  to 
Ihe  Schoharie  creek,  thence  along  the  north 
line  of  the  town  of  Gilboa  to  the  place  of  be- 
ginning." 

"  District  number  three  consists  of  all  that  part 


of  the  town  of  Gilboa  lying  north  of  District 
number  three  as  described  above." 

At  the  town  meeting  held  the  20th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1849,  no  choice  of  Supervisor  was  made, 
owing  to  the  two  candidates,  Luman  Reed  and 
Henry  Tibbetts  running  a  tie.  Elisha  Griffin 
was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  The  political 
sentiments  of  the  people  of  this  town  are  so 
nearly  equally  divided  that  it  requires  strategy 
upon  the  part  of  the  candidates  to  gain  an 
election. 

The  Anti-Rent  troubles  of  the  '40's  were  ex- 
perienced in  this  section  to  an  alarming  extent, 
but  no  real  serious  coHision  between  the  op- 
ponents took  place,  with  the  exception  of  the 
"Injuns"  overtaking  a  deputy  while  on  his 
way  to  serve  the  papers  upon  a  belligerent 
tenant.  He  was  a  citizen  of  the  village  and 
respected,  but  without  ceremony  was  taken 
upon  the  hill  west  of  the  bridge,  and  threatened 
with  a  tar  and  feather  garment  if  he  would  not 
promise  not  to  serve  the  papers.  He  did  so 
and  was  hberated.  In  conversation  with  a 
gentleman  of  the  place  who  freelj  admitted  he 
was  a  "big  Injun"  through  those  times,  we 
learn  that  nearly  all  the  people  of  this  locality 
were  Anti's,  and  were  not  organized  with  any 
real  intention  of  defying  the  law  and  creating  a 
rebellion,  but  more  to  make  pretentions  and 
frighten  the  landlords.  "  If,"  said  our  inform- 
ant, "we  had  any  such  intentions,  we  had 
plenty  of  opportunities  even  to  kill  as  well  as 
tar  and  feather,  and  not  be  caught.  Many  of 
us  joined  for  fun,  being  young  and  venture- 
some, and  we  had  plenty  of  it  too." 

Political  aspirants  took  advantage  of  the 
troubles  and  did  much  towards  the  "  blowing  of 
the  flames  "  which  made  unusual  lively  pohtical 
canvasses.  Sheriff  Brown's  posse  of  soldiers 
lay  at  this  village  for  some  time  and  was  here, 
while  that  officer  and  deputy  were  upon  Bald- 
win's Heights  in  the  hands  of  the  Anti's.  They 
were  one  hundred  in  number,  "  armed  to  the 
teeth,"  and  looked,  our  informant  tells  us, 
"  ferocious  enough  to  eat  a  biled  Injun  for  each 
breakfast;"  but  said  he,  "when  the  boys  gave 
war-whoops  in  the  night  through  the  streets  and 
upon  the  hills,  the  soldiers  hugged  their  guns 
and  looked  tame." 


TOWN  OF  GILBOA. 


First  Settlers  and  Mills. — Who  were  the  first 
settlers  of  this  town  is  unknown  for  a  certainty 
but  supposed  to  be  the  Dise  family  about  the 
year  1760.  After  their  losses  as  stated  in  the 
Conesville  chapter  of  this  work,  they  settled  upon 
the  Plattenkill,  and  John  Dise,  a  son  of  one  of  the 
partners,  located  near  the  present  iron  bridge. 
He  built  a  grist-mill  some  time  between  the 
years  1790  arid  1800,  near  where  Luman  Reed's 
present  grist-mill  now  stands.  As  the  country 
became  quiet  and  prosperous  in  the  beginning 
of  the  century  the  well  watered  hills  and  fine 
mill  privileges  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
Yankees  of  New  England  and  drew  to  this  place 
men  of  energy  and  ingenuity  that  soon  laid  the 
foundation  for  a  manufacturing  town. 

Among  the  number  was  Archibald  Croswell, 
a  very  active  man,  such  as  every  town  requires, 
to  create  and  push  enterprises  that  give  em- 
ployment and  add  to  the  production  of  the 
country.  He  came  from  Connecticut  and  set- 
tled where  Luman  Reed's  residence  now  stands, 
about  the  year  1800.  He  purchased  the  Dise 
mill  property  and  soon  rebuilt  a  stone  structure 
for  the  same  purpose,  which  stood  for  several 
years  when  the  walls  cracked  and  fell,  obhging 
him  to  again  rebuild.  The  second  time  he 
placed  the  mill  above  the  present  bridge.  In 
1 82 1  Mr.  Croswell  built  a  fuUingmill  upon  the 
west  side  of  the  river  which  was  changed  to  a 
store  and  a  new  mill  of  larger  capacity  built  be- 
low. In  1 8 10  Jonas  Soper  commenced  a  tan- 
nery which  did  a  fair  business.  The  quantity 
of  hemlock  bark  that  was  accessible  at  a  trifling 
cost  led  Mr.  Croswell  to  build  a  factory  to  ex- 
tract from  the  bark  the  tanning  qualities  found 
therein,  which  he  shipped  in  large  quantities  to 
Europe.  Requiring  a  vast  number  of  barrels 
he  immediately  started  a  cooperage  which  not 
only  furnished  himself  with  necessary  shipping 
barrels,  but  the  surrounding  country  with  every 
thing  it  required  in  that  line.  In  the  year  1831 
the  extract  factory  was  burned,  and  having  a 
large  quantity  of  bark  on  hand  Mr.  Croswell 
built  a  tannery.  About  the  same  time  another 
was  erected  by  Tuttle  &  Osboriie,  which  soon 
was  owned  and  managed  by  Sidney  Tuttle  & 
Sons.  Besides  the  grist-mill,  fulling-mill,  coop- 
erage, store  and  extract  establishment,  all  in 
operation  at  one  time,  that  gentleman  built  a 


pottery,  manufactured  potash,  managed  a  saw- 
mill, giving  employment  to  numberless  workmen, 
but  he  became  financially  entangled  and  made 
an  assignment  to  his  brother,  Dr.  Croswell,  of 

Catskill,  and  Brace,  who   continued  the 

different  branches  of  business  for  a  while  and 
then  closed.  If  it  were  possible  to  make  the 
people  beheve  it  would  be  to  the  interest  of  the 
country  for  them  to  hold  such  business  men  up 
when  they  get  in  close  financial  quarters,  in- 
stead of  pouncing  upon  them  as  vultures,  it 
would  be  to  their  best  interests.  With  such  a 
business  man  as  Mr.  Croswell,  Gilboa  with  her 
unsurpassed  water  privileges  might  soon  be 
made  the  largest  manufacturing  center  in  Cen- 
tral New  York  and  number  thousands  of  inhab- 
itants. 

Mr.  Croswell  after  an  active  life  passed  away, 
leaving  five  children,  Paige,  John  Keyes,  Able 
Brace,  Mrs.  Wm.  Wicks  and  Kellogg,  the  latter 
the  only  one  remaining  in  the  place.  Piatt, 
Potter  &  Co.,  of  Schenectady  purchased  the 
grist-mill  above  the  bridge  of  Croswell  &  Brace, 
and  became  owners  of  other  valuable  property 
at  this  place. 

Cotton  Factory. — ^ About  the  year  1840,  a 
company  was  formed  with  a  capital  of  $50,000, 
called  the  "  Gilboa  Cotton  Mill  Co."  for  the 
purpose  of  building  a  cotton  mill.  Sidney  Tut- 
tle was  at  the  head  of  the  concern  as  President, 
and  it  became  a  prosperous  establishment,  with 
one  hundred  looms,  employing  about  eighty 
hands. 

B.  G.  Morss  and  Luman  Reed  became  the 
owners,  and  while  in  their  possession,  the  flood 
of  October,  1869,  destroyed  the  whole,  entaihng 
a  heavy  loss.  Thus  we  find  to-day  the  most 
active  business  interests  that  have  adorned  this 
romantic  spot,  have  ceased  to  exist,  have  passed 
away  as  many  of  those  whose  brains  were  the 
grand  motive  power. 

Luman  Reed,  one  of  the  busy  men  of  "  years 
gone  by  "  still  remains,  and  is  still  identified 
with  the  enterprises  of  the  place.  In  1879  he 
built  the  present  grist-mill  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  site  of  the  first  one,  which  he  con- 
tinues to  manage,  together  with  a  general  assort- 
ment of  merchandise,  the  latter  in  connection 
with  A.  H.  Bartley.     Mr.    Reed  is   a  son   of 


122 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Colby  Reed,  who  removed  from  Vermont  in 
1806,  and  commenced  a  small  "  store"  at  Stry- 
kersville,  and  removed  to  "  Blenheim  Hill,"  or 
South  Gilboa  where  he  continued  the  business 
about  thirty  years,  when  he  retired  from  busi- 
ness and  was  followed  by  his  son  Philetus  Reed. 
He  died  in  i860  at  the  age  of  eighty,  highly 
respected  as  a  citizen  and  business  man.  Lu- 
man  Reed  has  been  elected  as  Supervisor  of  the 
town  eleven  terms  and  from  the  eastern  assem- 
bly district  in  the  Legislature  in  1853  as  a  col- 
league of  Hon.  John  Westover,  of  Richmond- 
ville.  From  the  fact  Mr.  Reed's  political  prin- 
ciples being  adverse  to  the  majority  of  the  voters 
of  the  County,  his  election  to  that  position  is 
evidence  of  his  popularity  as  a  social  and  busi- 
ness man. 

John  Reed,  a  brother  was  for  many  years  an 
active  businessman  of  the  town  and  held  several 
local  offices,  and  was  supervisor  five  terms.  He 
is  at  present  a  resident  of  Syracuse  engaged  in 
the  insurance  business. 

First  Tavern.— The  first  "  tavern"  or  hotel 
built  in  the  place  was  to  the  west  of  the  present 
"  Gilboa  House."  It  was  built  against  the  bank, 
the  stone  basement  of  which  still  stands.  It 
was  built  about  the  year  1797,  and  was  a  small 
afifair  conducted  by  Wm.  Edwards.  When  the 
Catskill  &  Ithaca  turnpike  was  built  bringing 
travel,  additions  were  put  on  from  time  to  time, 
until  it  was  at  least  seventy-five  feet  long.  Here 
the  first  pioneers  assembled  to  talk  matters  over 
and  indulge  in  toddy  and  flip,  and  built  air  castles 
upon  "the  thousand  hills"  from  which  they 
might  look  down  upon  the  land-holders  with 
contempt. 

Gilboa  Bridge.— Upon  the  advent  of  Archi- 
bald Croswell  a  trestle  bridge  was  built  across 
the  creek  which  was  carried  away  by  high  water 
and  replaced  by  a  lattice  one  when  the  turnpike 
was  built,  that  was  also  carried  away  in  Octo- 
ber, 1869,  and  the  present  iron  structure,  the 
finest  one  in  the  County,  took  its  place  at  a  cost 
of  nearly  thirteen  thousand  dollars. 

Furnace.— A.  H.  Jackson  built  the  first  fur- 
nace in  1832,  which  was  in  operation  a  few 
years  and  closed,  and  succeeded  by  the  present 
one  in  1876,  built  by  M.  Gilberts  &  Co. 


Churches — Reformed  Church  of  Gilboa. — 
Upon  the  fly-leaf  of  the  records  of  this  church 
we  find  written  in  a  bold  hand : — 

"  Record  of  the  Baptisms,  marriages  and 
members  of  the  church  of  Schoharie  Kill  under 
the  ministerial  labors  of  the  Rev.  Cornelius  D., 
Schermerhorn,  which  labors  he  discontinued  in 
the  year  1813.  May  the  Great  King  of  his 
church  supply  this  flock  with  the  regular  admin- 
istration of  his  word  and  ordinances." 

Below  the  above  we  find  recorded : — 

"This  is  to  certify  that  the  Rev.  Winslow 
Paige,  A.  M.,  V.  D.  M.,  became  the  pastor  of 
the  united  congregation  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  in  the  towns  of  Broome,  Windham  and 
Blenheim,  on  the  ist  day  of  April,  1820." 

As  near  as  can  be  ascertained  the  organiza- 
tion was  eff'ected  about  1802,  at  which  time 
Rev.  Schermerhorn  commenced  his  pastoral 
care.  The  society  built  an  edifice  nearly  three 
miles  to  the  east,  in  the  present  town  of  Cones- 
ville,  about  the  year  1805  or  1806,  and  becom- 
ing old  and  needing  repairs,  and  this  village 
being  then  in  its  growing  glory,  the  society 
resolved  to  remove  it  to  Gilboa  village,  which 
was  done  in  the  year  1836.  The  church  for 
many  years  was  known  as  the  "Church  of 
Disc's  Manor,"  and  "Manor  Church,"  for 
reasons  stated  in  the  Conesville  chapter. 

This  organization  has  always  been  a  popular 
one,  comprising  the  best  citizens  and  attend, 
ance,  and  has  maintained  a  very  prominent  list 
of  pastors.  Rev.  Winslow  Paige  has  been  fol- 
lowed by  Cornehus  Bogardus,  1838  to  1843 ; 
L.  H.  Van  Dyck,  1843  to  1852  j  Samuel  Lock- 
wood,  1852  to  1854;  R.  B.  Welsh,  1854  to 
1856;  William  G.  E.  See,  1857  to  1861;  W. 
W.  Letson,  1865  to  1868;  William  S.  Moore, 
1869  to  1873  ;  J.  A.  Ball,  1874  to  1876;  Edward 
Cornet,  1876  to  1880;  B.  C.  Miller,  present 
supply. 

Rev.  Winslow  Paige  was  in  charge  seventeen 
years  and  retired  from  the  ministry.  His  chil- 
dren, J.  Keyes,  Alonzo,  and  Mrs.  Judge  Potter, 
became  eminent  personages. 

The  former  was  appointed  as  a  Regent  of  the 
University  the  3 1  st  of  March,  1 8 2 9,  and  held  the 
office  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1858. 


TOWN  OF  GILBOA. 


123 


He  removed  from  this  County  to  Albany  where 
he  was  elected  Mayor  of  the  city  in  1845. 
Alonzo  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
in  the  Fourth  District,  in  1847  and  1 855,  and  was 
honored  as  one  of  the  purest  minded  and  most 
competent  Judges  upon  the  bench.  Mrs.  Potter's 
free  heart  and  other  christian  graces  endeared 
her  to  a  large  circle  of  friends,  especially  the 
unfortunate,  who  have  been  the  recipients  of 
her  charity. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Gilboa. — The 
records  of  this  class  were  not  to  be  found  upon 
our  several  visits  for  them.  Mr.  J.  M.  Hazzard, 
however,  informed  us  that  a  class  was  here  as 
early  as  1842,  and  thinks  it  was  formed  about 
that  year,  and  that  the  edifice  was  commenced 
in  1844  and  completed  in  1845.  The  pulpit 
has  been  supplied  by  circuit  preachers  under 
the  orders  of  the  New  York  Conference.  The 
society  is  prosperous  and  energetic  in  the  re- 
ligious cause,  not  sparing  time  or  labor  in  its 
furtherance. 

Flat  Creek  Baptist  Church. — Rev.  John 
Ormsbee  with  thirteen  members  organized  this 
society  on  the  2d  of  January,  1831.  They  held 
their  meetings  in  private  houses  for  several 
years  and  built  a  house  of  worship  in  1843. 
The  present  commodious  structure  was  erected 
in  1865  at  a  cost  of  $3,300. 

Merchants  of  Gilboa  Village. — Through  Mr. 
Hazzard  and  Luman  Reed  we  find  that  Samuel 
Bortles  and  Archibald  Croswell  commenced  the 
mercantile  business  together  about  the  year 
1823  and  were  followed  by  Ozias  Stevens  in 
1828,  and  Allen  H.  Jackson  in  1832.  The 
year  after,  S.  Tuttle  &  Sons  established  and  did 
a  fine  business  up  to  the  year  1850,  and  were 
contemporary  with  Piatt,  Potter  &  Co.  in  the 
first  years  of  business,  and  with  Luman  Reed 
from  1840.  The  present  merchants  are  Reed 
&  Baldwin,  F.  A.  Haggidorn,  Freidenburgh  & 
Thomas  and  James  M.  Hazzard. 

Broome  Centre. 

This  place  was  first  settled  by  Job  Tibbetts 
whose  son,  Henry  Tibbetts,  possessed  an  am- 
bition similar  to  Archibald    Croswell   to   drive 
,  business.     Upon  the  building  of  the  road  from 


Potter's  Hollow  to  Gilboa  (1850)  Henry  Tib- 
betts built  the  present  hotel  and  storehouse  and 
for  several  years  did  a  large  business.  Being  the 
builder  of  the  hamlet,  it  was  called  for  a  long  time 
as  "  Tibbetts,"  and,  in  fact,  is  known  only  as  such 
by  residents  within  a  few  miles.  Being  belated  in 
reaching  the  place  upon  our  first  visit,  to  a  late 
hour  in  the  night,  we  became  fearful  of  not  being 
upon  the  right  road,  and  awoke  three  farmers  to 
learn  the  truth  of  our  situation.  Upon  asking  for 
Broome  Centre  and  its  distance  we  were  told 
that  the  road  "ran  to  Tibbetts,"  but  did  not 
remember  how  far  it  was  to  Broome  Centre. 
The  third  call  brought  a  live  lass  of  eleven  sum- 
mers to  our  aid,  who  gave  the  desired  informa- 
tion with  intelligence  and  grace.  Henry  Tib- 
betts was  an  active  man.  He  was  elected  to 
the  Legislature  in  1845,  and  to  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  in  i860,  in  which  positions  he  served 
with  commendable  credit  to  himself  and  the 
County.  He  died  in  March,  1877.  The  early 
settlers  of  this  locality  were  EHsha  Griffin,  Calvin 
Case  and  the  Chichester  family. 

But  a  short  distance  from  Mackey's  Cornersi 
upon  the  farm  of  David  Elerson,  lies,  in  a  neg- 
lected grave,  one  of  Schoharie's  adopted  sons, 
who  braved  the  hardships  peculiar  to  the  strug- 
gle along  the  border  for  freedom. 

David  Elerson  was  a  comrade  of  Timothy 
Murphy,  Richard  Tufts,  John  Wilber  and  Lieu- 
tenant Boyd,  who  came  to  Schoharie  after  the 
battle  of  Monmouth,  under  Colonel  Butler,  as 
before  stated.  When  he  settled  here  the  terri- 
tory was  in  the  town  of  Broome,  but  by  the 
division  of  1848  it  belongs  to  Gilboa.  Some 
time  toward  the  close  of  the  patriot's  life,  some 
writer,  unknown  to  us,  published  a  pamphlet  in 
which  is  recorded  a  few  of  the  hero's  exploits, 
said  to  be  dictated  by  himself.  It  was  entitled, 
"The  Extraordinary  Feats  and  Escapes  of 
David  Elerson  in  the  Revolutionary  war."  In 
justice  to  the  patriot  we  herewith  copy  the  arti- 
cle, hoping  that  its  perusal  may  excite  the 
reader  to  a  deeper  sense  of  the  purchase  price 
of  American  Uberty,  and  present  another  exam- 
ple of  true  fidelity  to  country  worthy  to  imitate 
and  noble  to  honor. 

"This  veteran  of  the  Revolution  now  lives  in 
Broome,  Schoharie  County,  on  the  Plattenkill, 


124 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


and  is  a  respectful  and  valuable  citizen,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church,  on  which  account  we 
rely  on  his  statements  as  being  true.  These  the 
publisher  received  from  his  own  lips,  and  are 
now  for  the  first  time  offered  to  the  pubHc. 

"Elerson  is  a  Virginian  by  birth,  whose  exterior 
appearance  although  far  advanced  in  years, 
denotes  that  in  the  prime  of  his  youth  strength 
nerved  his  arm  ;  and  the  kindling  of  his  eye  at 
the  recital  of  the  sanguinary  tale  evinced  the 
deep  hold  the  Revolution  has  still  of  his  affec- 
tions; as  well  as  that  he  possessed  the  decision 
of  character  necessary  for  the  prompt  achieve- 
ment of  fearful  deeds. 

"He  states  that  he  entered  in  service  in  1776, 
under  Colonel  Morgan,  the  well-known  '  old 
Wagoner'  as  the  British  called  him;  and  that 
in  1778,  he  was  in  the  Monmouth  battle,  in  the 
State  of  New  Jersey,  but  escaped  unhurt.  He 
was  also  with  Lord  Dunmore  in  his  war  with 
the  Indians  in  Virginia,  where  he  received  a 
dangerous  wound  from  a  shot  of  the  enemy,  the 
bullet  entering  at  the  top  of  his  right  shoulder, 
came  out  at  his  left  breast,  the  scar  of  which  is 
dismal  to  look  at.  It  happened  as  follows : — A 
body  of  Indians  had  hidden  themselves  behind 
a  fallen  tree  which  had  been  blown  down  by 
the  winds,  over  which  they  were  shooting  with 
horrible  effect  among  the  soldiers  of  Dunmore. 
Elerson  being  of  a  daring  spirit  determined  at 
the  risk  of  his  life,  to  oust  them  if  possible,  from 
this  skulking  place.  In  order  to  do  this  he 
dropped  down  upon  the  ground,  with  his  rifle 
in  his  hand,  and  crept  on  his  belly  towards  the 
roots  of  a  tree,  which  was  loaded  with  earth 
cleaving  to  its  roots,  behind  which  he  intended 
to  secrete  himself,  in  order  to  get  a  shot  or  two 
through  the  opening  of  the  roots  at  the  savages 
shrouded  by  its  trunk.  This  he  effected,  not- 
withstanding before  he  reached  the  spot,  a  ball, 
which  was  probably  a  random  shot,  struck  him 
on  the  shoulder  as  already  stated.  A  few  days 
after  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  Colonel  Morgan 
with  a  detachment  of  two  or  three  companies 
of  his  riflemen,  followed  the  retreating  army  of 
General  CHnton  as  far  as  Middleton,  where  the 
British  had  halted  a  short  time.  At  this  place 
Elerson  requested  of  Morgan  for  himself  and 
three  others,  by  name  Murphy,  (the  same  who 
was  afterwards  so  fatal  to  the  Indians  in  old  Scho- 


harie,) Wilber  and  Tufts,  liberty  to  follow  on 
after  them  towards  Sandy  Hook,  where  the 
army  of  Clinton  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  act 
of  crossing  over  to  Staten  Island.  The  request 
was  granted,  but  not  without  an  earnest  charge 
by  Morgan  to  take  care  of  themselves.  They 
had  gone  but  a  little  way  on  the  route  when 
they  came  to  a  deserted  house  and  stopped  to 
look  about  and  reconnoiter  the  premises.  Eler- 
son said  to  his  companions  that  if  they  would 
remain  at  the  house  and  keep  a  good  look  out, 
he  would  would  go  a  little  distance  where  there 
were  some  horses  belonging  to  the  British  and 
examine  them.  He  did  so ;  but  on  his  return 
his  companions  were  all  missing.  On  passing  a 
little  farther  he  found  the  road  parted  two  ways; 
he  took  one  and  pursued  it,  hoping  to  overtake 
them,  as  he  supposed  they  were  gone  in  one  of 
these  roads,  but  he  had  taken  the  wrong  one 
and  missed  them.  In  a  few  minutes,  however, 
he  came  within  sight  of  the  operations  of  Clin- 
ton's army,  and  found  they  had  effected  a  safe 
landing  on  Staten  Island  by  making  a  bridge  of 
boats,  and  that  the  British  fleet  lay  before  him. 
There  was  nothing  remaining  which  they  had 
not  carried  over  except  forty  or  fifty  horses  and 
a  number  of  wagons ;  but  among  the  mass  of 
baggage  and  lumber  of  war,  he  discovered  a 
coach  or  phaeton,  which  he  supposed -belonged 
to  General  Clinton. 

"  Now  it  flashed  across  his  mind  that  he  would 
make  a  prize  of  this  phaeton,  and  a  pair  of 
horses  to  draw  it  with,  although  he  perceived  it 
was  under  the  protection  of  two  sentinels.  He 
now  darted  out  of  the  road,  under  the  cover  of 
the  thick  foUage  which  grew  along  the  shore,  in 
this  way  secreting  himself  from  the  view  of  the 
sentinels,  till  within  about  twenty  yards  of 
them,  when  he  shouted  to  them  to  surrender  in 
a  moment,  or  they  were  dead  men,  at  the  same 
time  bringing  his  rifle  to  his  face,  readyto  guide 
a  bullet  through  the  heart  of  one  at  least.  At 
sight  of  his  dreadful  instrument,  one  of  the  sen- 
tinels let  fall  his  gun  into  the  water,  from  mere 
fright,  as  he  stood  exactly  on  the  edge  of  the 
beach.  On  seeing  this  he  felt  assured  that  his 
gun  was  incapacitated  to  do  him  harm,  as  its 
charge  was  now  wet.  The  other  man,  on  see- 
ing what  had  happened,  plunged  into  the  water 
with  his  horse,  but  the  current  of  the  tides  proved 


TOWN  OF  GILBOA. 


125 


too  strong  and  soon  forced  him  to  return.  By 
this  time  he  had  taken  the  other  sentinel  into 
custody,  and  ordered  him  forthwith  to  harness 
a  good  pair  of  horses  as  was  among  them,  to  the 
phaeton,  or  he  would  shoot  him,  on  which  account 
the  command  went  speedily  into  execution. 
Now  the  other  sentinel  made  rapidly  towards 
him,  till  within  a  short  distance,  then  wheeled 
abruptly  off,  riding  quite  around  the  wagons, 
coach  and  all,  which  maneuver  was  supposed  a 
mere  preamble,  till  a  convenient  moment  might 
be  seized  upon  to  shoot  Elerson,  as  the  trooper 
appeared  to  make  several  sly  attempts  to  draw 
a  pistol  from  a  side  pocket,  situated  in  his  bosom. 
All  this  time  he  had  been  warned  to  go  quite 
away,  or  give  himself  up,  unless  he  wished  to 
be  shot ;  but  he  either  did  not  understand,  or 
did  not  fear  the  threats  of  Elerson,  notwith- 
standing his  rifle  was  leveled  constantly  at  him, 
he  continued  to  evince  a  determination  to  try 
his  pistol.  Our  hero  did  not  like  to  fire  upon 
him,  on  his  own  account,  as  the  report  would 
certainly  arouse  the  attention  of  the  whole  British 
army  and  fleet,  which  were  in  full  view,  and  their 
cannon  was  what  he  dreaded.  However  the 
sentinel  persisted,  and  when  in  the  very  act  of 
drawing  the  pistol  from  his  pocket,  received  the 
blazing  bullet  of  Elerson  through  his  presump- 
tuous heart ;  he  tumbled  headlong  to  the  earth, 
and  struggled  out  his  hfe  on  the  sand.  The 
sharp,  shrill  report  of  the  rifle  echoed  up  and 
down  the  shores  of  the  channel  and  struck  the 
ear  of  some  artilleryman,  who,  ere  he  was  aware 
of  it,  planted  a  cannon  shot  near  his  feet,  but 
fortunately  did  not  injure  him.  In  a  moment 
or  two  a  flash  admonished  him  he  had  better 
dodge,  as  another  pelter  mnst  be  on  its  way ; 
this  passed  over  him,  and  struck  between  two 
wagons,  and  settled  in  the  ground,  as  it  was  a 
sandy  soil. 

"By  this  time  the  vehicle  was  ready,  when  he 
sprang  into  it,  and  rode  away,  coach,  prisoner 
and  all,  amid  the  roar  of  old  England's  blazes, 
which  had  no  power  to  touch  the  intrepid  Vir- 
ginian, whose  day's  work  amounted  to  several 
hundred  dollars.  Two  companies  of  Morgan's 
riflemen  were  now  sent  to  the  westward,  as  far  as 
Albany,  in  which  Elerson  and  his  three  com- 
panipns,  above  named,  were  included  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Long.     From  Albany  they 


were  sent  to  Schoharie,  where  the  Indians  and 
Tories  were  devastating,  murdering  and  carry- 
ing off,  in  concert,  captives  to  Canada.  Here 
they  joined  Colonel  Butler  of  the  Pennsylvania 
line,  as  rangers.  The  first  service  on  which  they 
were  sent,  was  to  take,  dead  or  alive,. a  person 
strongly  suspected  of  Toryism,  living  on  the 
Charlotte  river,  by  the  name  of  Service,  who  was 
not  only  Torified  in  principle,  but  was  an  active 
agent  of  the  British  in  aiding,  victualing,  and 
secreting  the  enemies  of  the  Revolution.  While 
prosecuting  their  way  through  the  woods,  when 
not  far  from  the  place  now  called  Gilboa,  a  dole- 
ful region  of  gulfs  and  precipices,  lying  along  on 
either  side  of  the  Schoharie  creek,  towards  its 
head,  they  surprised,  and  took  prisoner,  a  man 
who,  on  examination,  was  found  in  possession  of 
a  letter  from  a  Captain  Smith,  who  was  a  Tory, 
to  the  very  man  on  the  Charlotte,  whom  they 
had  started  in  pursuit  of,  namely  Service.  This 
Smith  had  raised  his  company  about  Catskill 
and  along  the  North  River,  and  was  then  on  his 
way  to  Niagara,  and  had  sent  this  man  forward 
to  apprise  the  Tory  that  he  must  be  in  readiness 
to  furnish  his  men  with  such  refreshments  as  he 
could,  and  to  aid  them  with  provisions  for  the 
journey.  They  now  altered  their  course,  being 
determined,  if  possible  to  fall  in  with,  and  cut 
to  pieces,  this  Smith  and  his  company,  enquir- 
ing of  the  prisoner  what  way  they  would  proba- 
bly come,  who  from  fear  dare  not  deceive  him. 

"They  now  hastened  up  the  stream  as  secretly 
as  possible,  and  had  come  to  the  flats  where  the 
bridge  now  crosses  the  Schoharie,  on  the  Patan- 
via  road.  Elerson  and  his  fellow-riflemen  were 
on  the  east  side  of  the  creek,  where  from  a  cer- 
tain spot,  they  discovered  the  party  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  flat.  Elerson  and  his  cap- 
tain happened  to  be  close  together,  when  they 
dropped  on  their  knees  behind  a  tree,  the  rest 
of  the  company  might  probably  have  made  some 
noise  by  treading  on  dry  brush,  which  it  is  like- 
ly Smith  might  have  heard,  as  he  came  out  in 
an  open  space,  looking  here  and  there,  wholly 
exposing  his  person,  when  Captain  Long  and 
Elerson  both  aimed  their  rifles  at  his  breast.  A 
flash,  a  groan,  and  he  weltered  in  his  blood,  a 
victim  of  that  justice  which  watched  over  the 
fortunes  of  the  Revolution. 

"  Several  of  the  party  were  now  wounded,  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


rest  fled  in  consternation  to  their  houses.  Thus 
were  the  machinations  of  a  deluded  set  of  men 
dissipated  by  the  untiring  vigilance  of  a  small  band 
of  our  patriotic  forefathers.  This  work  finished, 
Captain  Long  and  his  men  changed  their  course 
for  the  Charlotte,  in  pursuance  of  their  first  in- 
tention, where  they  arrived  and  silently  sur- 
rounded the  house  of  the  person  sought  for, 
gathering  closer  and  closer,  till  at  length  two  or 
three  entered  the  room  where  he  was,  before 
they  were  discovered.  He  instantly  stepped  out 
of  the  door  with  them,  when  he  was  informed 
that  they  had  orders  to  take  him  to  the  forts  at 
Schoharie.  He  appeared  somewhat  alarmed, 
while  he  strenuously  objected  to  the  proposal, 
pleading  innocence,  etc.,  but  in  the  meanwhile 
was  evidently  working  his  way  along  from  the 
door  to  a  heap  of  chips  lying  between  Elerson 
and  Murphy.  The  reason  now  appeared  why 
he  had  so  cautiously  approached  the  chips,  for 
on  coming-to  the  spot,  he  seized  in  a  moment  a 
broad-ax,  which  lay  there,  and  made  a  desper- 
ate stroke  at  Murphy,  which,  however,  he  eluded, 
as  the  keen  eye  of  that  veteran  was  not  asleep, 
but  the  fruitless  attempt  rolled  back  in  ven- 
geance on  its  author,  as  a  bullet  from  the  rifle 
of  Murphy  stretched  him  a  lifeless  corpse,  with 
the  ax  in  his  hand. 

"  The  next  year,  in  the  month  of  July,  Long's 
riflemen  had  orders  to  move  under  Colonel  But- 
ler,in  connection  with  other  troops,  in  all  amount- 
ing to  seven  hundred,  to  Springfield,  at  the  head  of 
Otsego  lake,  where  they  were  to  await  the  arrival 
of  General  Geo.  CHnton  and  the  troops  expected 
with  him,  all  of  which,  when  there  concentrated, 
were  to  pass  down  the  Susquehanna,  to  form  a 
junction  with  General  Sullivan  at  Tioga  point. 
The  object  of  this  arrangement  was  a  destruc- 
tion of  the  Indian  tribes  on  the  Chemung  and 
Genesee  rivers ;  who  had  so  often  been  em- 
ployed in  small  parties  by  the  policy  of  the  Brit- 
ish, to  distress,  in  a  predatory  manner,  the  in- 
habitants of  the  frontiers ;  the  leader  of  whom 
was  generally  Tayadanaga  or,  the  Brant.  Now, 
whilst  the  troops  were  stationed  at  Springfield 
Elerson  on  a  certain  day,  thought  he  would  go 
to  a  place  where  he  had  observed  a  quantity  of 
mustard  growing  around  a  deserted  old  house, 
a  small  clearing  having  been  made  at  this  spot 
a  year  or.  two  before,  his  object  being  to  gather  a 


dinner  of  herbs  forhimself  andmen.  Theplace 
was  distant  from  the  camp  about  a  mile,  where 
he  had  been  busily  employed  till  his  haversack 
was  nearly  half  full.  Round  about  this  house 
the  weeds  and  sprouts  had  grown  thick  and 
high.  As  he  was  stooping  to  gather  the  mus- 
tard, he  thought  he  heard  a  rustling  in  the  weeds 
behind  him,  when,  looking  around,  he  saw  ten 
or  a  dozen  Indians  just  ready  to  spring  upon 
him,  and  take  him  prisoner.  That  they  chose 
to  take  him  prisoner,  rather  than  shoot  him,  he 
inferred  from  their  not  having  done  it,  as  the 
most  ample  opportunity  had  been  afforded.  The 
nearness  of  the  fort  might  have  detered  them,  or 
they  may  have  wanted  him  alive  as  a  victim  of 
torture.  As  he  sprang  to  seize  his  rifle,  which 
stood  against  the  house,  their  hatchets  were 
hurled  sufficiently  swift  and  numerous  to  have 
cut  him  to  pieces,  if  they  had  all  hit  him ;  how- 
ever, he  sustained  no  injury,  except  the  middle 
finger  of  one  hand,  which  was  nearly  cut  off. 

"  He  secured  his  rifle  and  sprang  off  in  the 
opposite  direction  with  the  speed  of  an  arrow, 
leaving  his  haversack  and  greens  behind.  There 
lay  between  him  and  the  woods  an  open  space 
of  ground  which  was  thickly  covered  with 
sprouts  and  weeds,  having  once  been  cleared ; 
through  this  he  had  to  run  before  he  could 
reach  the  woods.  On  coming  to  the  edge  of 
this  open  space,  he  found  his  way  obstructed 
by  a  hedge  fence  made  of  fallen  trees,  into 
which  he  plunged,  strugghng  and  leaping  to  get 
through;  at  this  awful  moment  he  heard  behind 
him  a  full  volley  of  their  rifles  discharged  at  the 
same  instant;  bullets  whizzed  and  pattered 
about  him,  among  the  old  timber  and  trees,  yet 
he  escaped  unhurt.  It  was  about  eleven  o'clock 
of  the  forenoon ;  he  now  had  the  start  of  the 
Indians,  as  they  had  yet  to  load  their  rifles  and 
to  scale  the  hedge  fence ;  having  cleared  all 
obstacles,  he  plunged  into  the  woods  straight 
forward,  not  knowing  whither  he  was  running. 
From  eleven  to  three  he  had  not  slackened  his 
pace  more  than  compelled  to  do  by  the  situa- 
tion of  the  ground  over  which  he  had  run, 
when  he  perceived  himself  headed  by  an  Indian. 
He  stopped  and  drew  up  his  rifle  to  shoot  him, 
but  he  had  disappeared,  when,  before  his  rifle 
was  taken  from  his  eye,  a  bullet  from  another 
direction  had  pierced  his  side,  which  proved 


TOWN  OF  GILBOA. 


127 


however  only  a  flesh  wound,  as  it  passed  just 
above  the  hip  joint,  between  the  cuticle  and 
peritoneum,  coming  out  near  the  spine.  He 
was  now  convinced  that  he  was  surrounded, 
though  by  an  invisible  enemy.  Again  he  re- 
newed his  flight,  till  coming  directly  to  the 
brow  of  a  mountain,  he  descended  it  like  a 
chased  deer,  but  on  reaching  its  foot  found 
there  a  small  brook,  which  in  crossing,  he 
scooped  with  his  hand  a  little  water  to'  his 
mouth,  as  his  tongue  was  bloated  and  hung  out 
from  excessive  heat  and  thirst.  As  he  tasted 
the  water  he  cast  his  eyes  behind  him,  when  he 
perceived  an  Indian  alone,  just  breaking  over 
the  brow  of  the  hill,  in  full  spring  after  him ;  he 
now  darted  out  of  the  brook  and  up  a  shallow 
bank,  hiding  himself  behind  the  dark  shade  of 
a  monstrous  hemlock. 

"  Now,  as  a  fair  opportunity  offered  to  shoot 
this  Indian,  he  raised  his  rifle,  but  found  it  im- 
possible to  take  aim,  as  he  shook  very  much 
from  fatigue,  perturbation  of  mind,  and  the 
anguish  and  bleeding   of  his  wounds. 

"  But  dropping  flat  down  he  rested  his  piece 
on  the  root  of  the  tree,  having  now  no  doubt 
but  the  moment  he  touched  the  trigger  of  his 
unerring  rifle,  the  enemy  would  finish  his  course. 
So  it  turned  out.  He  fired  ;  the  Indian  reeled 
and  fell,  tumbling  headlong  on  the  side  of  the 
declivity.  He  now  reloaded ;  returned  the 
ramrod  to  its  slide,  and  primed  the  faithful  rifle, 
when  at  that  instant  the  whole  company  of  his 
pursuers  burst  over  the  hill,  true  to  the  scent ; 
but  on  coming  where  their  expiring  fellow  wel- 
tered in  his  blood,  a  yell,  horrible  as  shrill,  tore 
the  air,  reverberating  among  the  dense  forest, 
in  sign,  as  their  custom  is,  of  the  presence  of 
death.  It  was  the  death  yell.  He  now  gave 
up  all  as  lost,  as  his  pursuers  were  so  near,  but 
had  calculated  to  fetch  to  the  ground  one  or 
two  more  before  they  should  seize  him,  but  as 
he  perceived  they  still  lingered  about  their  dying 
comrade,  a  thought  crossed  his  mind  that  one 
struggle  more  and  he  might  possibly  escape. 
Again  he  sprang  off";  but  soon  encountered  the 
brook,  whose  dark,  winding  course  overhung 
with  a  dense  grove  of  low  hemlock,  offered  a 
sure  retreat,  as  also  his  tracks  were  lost  in  the 
oblivious  waters.  Having  followed  this  stream 
some  small  distance  he  sprang  into  the  thicket 


of  hemlocks,  where,  finding  a  hollow  tree  which 
was  fallen  down,  he  crept  into  it,  where  he  lay 
secure,  as  the  Indians  pursued  him  no  further ; 
being  it  is  likely,  terrified  at  the  death  of  their 
chief  runner  and  warrior.  Sleep  soon  over- 
powered him  in  his  dreary  bed,  from  which  he 
awoke  not  till  the  next  morning.  When  he 
backed  out  of  the  log  he  found  it  rained,  and 
added  to  this,  which  greatly  augmented  the  hor- 
ror of  his  situation,  he  was  lost.  Here  he  re- 
mained two  days  and  nights  in  the  tree,  without 
food  or  dressing  for  his  wounds,  as  the  weather 
did  not  clear  up;  and  besides  he  feared  the 
Indians  might  still  be  lurking  about.  But  on 
the  third  day  from  that  on  which  the  Indians 
surprised  him,  the  sun  rose  clear,  when  he  was 
able  to  shape  his  course,  and  came  out  at 
Brown's  Mills,  in  Cobleskill,  a  distance  from 
where  he  had  lodged  in  the  hollow  tree,  of  only 
about  three  miles,  having  run  from  where  he 
was  gathering  herbs  at  least  twenty-five  miles, 
from  eleven  in  the  morning  till  he  entered  the 
log  pursued  by  a  band  of  savages,  who  thirsted  for 
his  blood  and  to  make  his  body  a  subject  of 
torture. 

Official. 

Supervisors. 

1848— Colby  Reed. 
1849 — Elisha  Griffin. 
1850 — Hiram  Freidenburgh. 
1 85 1 — Paige  Croswell. 
1852 — David  E.  Chichester. 
1853 — Solomon  Mackey. 
1854— R.  W.  Ruliffson. 
185  s — -John  Reed. 

1856—  do 

1857—  do 

1858—  do 

1859—  do 

i860 — Henry  Tibbetts. 
1 86 1 — David  E.  Chichester. 
1862 —  do 

1863 — Luman  Reed. 
1864 — Washington  Mackey. 
1865 — John  I.  Jackson. 
1866 — Washington  Mackey. 
1867 — Luman  Reed. 
1868—-  do 


128 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


1869— 

Luman  Reed. 

1870— 

do 

1871— 

do 

1872— 

do 

1873- 

do 

1874- 

do 

1875- 

do 

1876— 

do 

1877 — A.  Hagadorn. 
1878 — Addison  H.  Bartley. 
1879 —  do 

1880 — Andrew  G.  Baldwin. 
1881—  do 

1882 — A.  Hagadorn. 

District  Attorney. 

1874— Wm.  H.  Baldwin. 

County  Clerk. 

1846 — Stephen  Mayhan. 

Assembly. 

1853 — Luman  Reed. 
1866 — Benjamin  E.  Smith. 

State  Senate. 

1850— Sidney  Tuttle. 
1851 —         do 

By  an  Act  passed  March  16, 1841,  entitled  "An 
Act  to  erect  the  town  of  Gilboa  from  Broome  and 
Blenheim,''  the  following  bounds  are  given  in 
Laws  of  New  York,  Seventy-first  Session,  Chap- 
ter XCII  :— 

"  Sec.  I.  All  that  part  of  the  towns  of  Broome 
and  Blenheim  in  the  County  of  Schoharie,  that 
is  included  within  the  following  described 
boundaries,  shall  be  a  town  and  shall  be  called 
Gilboa,  beginning  at  the  center  of  the  Scho- 
harie creek,  where  the  Manorkill  empties  in  the 
same,  thence  along  the  north-westerly  bounds 
of  the  town  of  Conesville  to  the  extremity 
thereof,  being  the  north-west  corner  of  said 
town,  thence  easterly  on  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween the  towns  of  Broome  and  Conesville  to 
the  east  hne  of  a  lot  of  land  owned  and  occu- 
pied by  James  Barlow  as  a  farm,  thence  north- 
erly on  the  said  east  line  of  a  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  Alva  HoUenbeck  in  a  straight  line  to 


the  east  of  Keyser's  kill,  commonly  called 
Black  brook,  thence  northerly  along  said  Black 
brook  and  said  Keyser's  kill  to  the  north  Hne 
of  the  present  town  of  Broome,  thence  easterly 
along  and  upon  said  north  line  to  the  division 
line  between  Broome  and  Blenheim,  thence 
southerly  along  and  upon  such  division  hne  till 
it  comes  to  the  center  of  the  Schoharie  creek,  at 
the  eastern  extremity  of  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween lots  U  and  V  in  the  Blenheim  Patent, 
thence  along  said  boundary  line  westerly  to  the 
west  extremity  thereof,  thence  in  a  north-west- 
erly direction  on  and  along  the  boundary  line 
between  lots  H  and  G  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
one  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-two,  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-five  and  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
six,  one  hundred  and  nineteen  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty,  one  hundred  and  three  and  one 
hundred  and  four,  eighty-seven  and  eighty-eight, 
seventy-one  and  seventy-two,  fifty-five  and  fifty- 
six,  in  said  Blenheim  Patent  to  the  east  line  of 
the  town  of  Jefferson,  thence  in  a  south-westerly 
direction  along  said  east  line  to  the  south 
bounds  of  Schoharie  county,  thence  in  a  south- 
west direction  along  said  south  boundary  to  the 
boundary  line  between  the  towns  of  Blenheim 
and  Conesville,  thence  in  a  northerly  direction 
along  said  boundary  hne  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning. 

"  Sec.  2.  The  first  town  meeting  in  said  town 
shall  be  held  on  the  twentieth  day  of  April  next, 
at  the  public  house  now  kept  and  occupied  by 
Stephen  Briggs,  and  in  each  year  thereafter  the 
annual  town  meeting  in  the  said  town  of  Gilboa 
shall  be  held  on  the  third  Tuesday  of  February 
until  the  time  be  changed  in  the  manner  pre- 
scribed by  law. 

"  Sec.  3.  Hiram  Freidenburgh,  James  G.Mackey 
and  Luman  Reed  shall  preside  at  such  first 
town  meeting,  and  shall  possess  all  powers  rela- 
tive to  the  same  that  justices  of  the  peace  pos- 
sess at  town  meetings,  and  in  case  they  or 
either  of  them  shall  refuse  or  neglect  to  serve, 
the  said  town  meeting  shall  have  power  to  sub- 
stitute some  elector  of  said  town  for  each  one 
so  refusing  or  neglecting  to  serve." 


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THOMAS    COLBY. 


A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 


In  the  early  part  of  this  century,  there  came 
from  the  State  of  New  Hampshire,  Nicholas 
Colby,  who  settled  in  the  then  town  of 
Blenheim,  [now  Gilboa]  Schoharie  County,  with 
his  wife  Sally  or  Sarah  Howe.  Here  he  reared 
a  family  of  twelve  children;  The  eldest,  Eli  H. 
Colby,  married  Elizabeth  Mackey,  and  settled 
in  the  town  of  Roxbury,  Delaware  county.  Eli's 
family  consisted  of  eight  children,  the  oldest  of 
whom  is  Thomas  Colby  the  subject  of  our  pres- 
ent sketch.  Thomas  Colby  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Roxbury,  Delaware  county,  on  the  23d 
of  March,  1833,  and  although  he  attended  none 
but  a  common  school,  yet  by  perseverance  he 
obtained  a  good  education. 

At  twenty-one  he  was  without  worldly  means, 
save  the  energy  and  push  which  he  so  assidu- 
ously cultivated,  fired  with  the  zeal,  enterprise 
and  thrift  so  prominently  developed  later  in  life, 
and  together  with  the  woiking  capital  of  a  strong 
arm  and  determined  heart,  he  decided  as  he 
expressed  it,  to  strike  out  for  himself.  He 
bought  the  farm  of  150  acres  where  he  now 
lives,  and  soon  after  added  another  ico  acres, 
all  of  which  was  in  a  very  low  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, at  the  time  of  his  purchase,  and  would  not 
keep  over  ten  head  of  cattle.  Mr.  Colby  has  so 
improved  it  that  it  now  keeps  over  sixty  head, 
and  is  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  town  of 
Gilboa.  It  is  situated  on  the  line  of  the  Ulster 
&  Delaware  Railroad,  which  runs  in  the  valley 


below,  but  a  few  hundred  yards  off.  His  residence 
is  located  in  plain  view  of  the  Catskill  mountains 
which  give  it  a  pleasant  and  picturesque  appear- 
ance. He  also  owns  another  farm  of  about  too 
acres  situated  one  mile  north  of  his  residence, 
which  he  works  in  connection  with  the  home 
farm.  His  farms  are  devoted  strictly  to  dairy- 
ing, sending  milk  to  the  New  York  market  in 
the  winter  season  and  the  making  of  butter  and 
raising  of  stock  during  the  summer.  Mr.  Colby's 
stock  is  the  Jersey,  which  he  thinks  is  superior 
to  any  other  for  dairy  purposes.  He  is  pre- 
eminently a  working  man  himself,  and  is  always 
with  his  hired  help,  some  of  whom  have  been 
with  him  for  years. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  been 
honored  with  several  town  offices.  He  meets 
his  obligations  promptly,  is  a  man  of  few  words, 
considers  it  beneath  his  dignity  to  hold  argu- 
ment with  any  one,  and  belongs  to  no  church. 
Mr.  Colby  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
was  Julia  S.  Decker,by  whom  he  was  blessed  with 
three  children,  all  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  By 
his  second  wife  he  has  had  two  children,  Thomas, 
Jr.,  and  Emma. 

Mr.  Colby  is  a  very  conscientious  man  ;  his 
opinions  are  always  fearless  and  honest,  never 
hesitating  to  denounce  what  he  believes  to  be 
wrong,  because  others  favor  it,  and  never  court- 
ing popularity  at  the  expense  of  his  honor. 


TOWN  OF  CONESVILLE. 


129 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

History  of  the  Town  of  Conesville. 

Scenery — Manorkill  Falls — Stryker  Bro- 
thers' Tannery — Steven's  Mill— Tolling 
A  Grist — Colby  Reed — First  Store — Con- 
trast OF  Scenery — Hunting  Grounds — 
Indian  Relics — Dise  Purchase  of  Land — 
Ury  Richtmyer  —  The  Dise  Sons — Liti- 
gation— Peter  Richtmyer — His  Capture 
BY  Indians — Escape— Rebuilt  his  House — 
Opens  an  Inn — Humphrey's — Additional 
Settlers— Dairying — Prominent  Settlers 
— Town  Formed — Boundaries — Jonathan 
Cone — Town  Records. 

TO  the  visitor  approaching  the  town  from 
the  east,  a  mountainous  surface  presents 
itself,  whose  wildness  impresses  unfavorably 
either  in  a  fertile  or  romantic  point  of  view,  but 
entering  upon  the  western  border  with  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Manorkill  leaping  over  the  precip- 
itous ledge  that  Nature  has  so  regularly  laid  as  a 
barrier  to  the  inundations  of  the  Schoharie,  a 
different  impression  is  made.  As  the  tumbling 
foam  dashes  from  rock  to  rock  with  the  deep 
thundering  of  greater  falls,  and  sends  its  spray 
over  the  path  it  once  followed,  ages  upon  ages 
ago,  our  genius  is  at  once  lured  to  admire  and 
find  beauty,  grandeur  and  even  romance  in 
each  object  that  surrounds  us.  Upon  the  very 
point  of  the  rocks,  above  a  crumbling  wall,  stands 
the  remnant  of  a  once  busy  tanning  enterprise, 
built  by  Barent  and  Peter  M.  Stryker,  in  1830. 
It  seems  to  have  been  a  very  singular  location 
for  such  a  business  when  so  many  more  favora- 
ble ones  were  presented  along  the  banks  of 
the  stream  above.  The  progenitors  of  the 
Stryker  family  who  are  and  have  been  so  num- 
erous in  this  section  of  the  County,  were  two 
brothers,  Barent  and  Peter,  who  came  from 
New  Jersey  about  the  year  1800.  Thpy  pur- 
chased the  lands  lying  around  the  falls  and  east 
to  the  hamlet  of  Strykerville.  Barent  settled 
upon  the  farm  occupied  by  Rev.  Loren  Cole, 
while  Peter  settled  upon  that  of  his  grandson, 


George  H.  Stryker.  One  of  Barent's  daughters 
married  Colby  Reed,  a  native  of  Vermont,  who 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Stryker- 
ville in  connection  with  John  Stryker,  about  the 
year  1815.  They  were  the  first  merchants. 
The  co-partnership  was  dissolved  a  few  years 
after,  and  Reed  located  at  Blenheim  Hill, 
while  Stryker  continued  and  was  followed  by 
Peter  M.,  son  of  Peter,  who  built  the  tannery 
in  connection  with  his  cousin  Barent.  They 
also  built  a  mill  near.  Gershom  Stevens  also 
built  a  mill  where  the  Thomas  mill  stands, 
about  the  year  1835.  Stevens  was  the  object 
of  a  joke,  such  as  millers  are  subject  to  hear, 
regardless  of  their  degree  of  integrity.  A  farm- 
er brought  a  large  grist  to  be  ground,  when 
three  of  his  sons  were  working  in  the  mill.  The 
father  coming  in  while  the  grist  was  in  the  hop- 
per, he  asked  one  of  the  boys  if  he  had  "  tolled 
the  grist,"  to  which  he  replied  "  he  had."  An- 
other son  soon  came  round  and  was  also  asked 
if  "he  had  tolled  that  grist?"  Upon  being  an- 
swered in  the  affirmative  the  old  gentleman 
passed  out  but  soon  returned  'and  accosted  the 
third  son  with  the  question,  "Have  you  tolled 
that  grist?"  "Yes,  sir,"  he  replied,  "I  have." 
"  Are  you  surejou  did  ?"  asked  the  father,  "Yes, 
sir,  I  am  pretty  sure  I  did."  "Well,  boys  are  so 
careless,"  said  Stevens,  "I  will  toll  it  myself  and 
make  sure  of  it ;  boys  are  not  always  relia- 
ble." 

Considerable  business  was  done  in  the  ham- 
let of  Strykerville  for  several  years,  but  the  en- 
terprise of  Gilboa  village  proved  a  death  stroke 
to  the  place.  In  following  up  the  stream  the 
fertile  and  well  kept  intervale  is  in  deep  con- 
trast to  the  mountain  sides  that  are  still  cov- 
ered with  the  forest  and  present  a  striking  idea 
of  the  country  previous  to  its  settlement  by  the 
whites.  Here,  we  can  imagine,  were  the  hunt- 
ing grounds  of  the  Delawares,  Mohawks  and 
the  tribes  along  the  Hudson,  ere  the  stroke  of 
enterprise  resounded  to  annihilate  the  race  and 
Nature's  wildness.  At  various  places  along  the 
creek,  relics  of  the  race,  such  as  stone  arrows, 
rough-hewn  knives  and  hatchets  were  found  by 
the  early  settlers,  each  bearing  a  different  in- 
genuity, perhaps  peculiar  to  the  tribe  to  which 
they  belonged. 

The  lands  of   this  town   were   chiefly  pur- 


130 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


chased  by  the  Disc  family  and  one  Ury  Richt- 
myer.  Letters  patent  of  the  year  1754  were 
granted  to  the  latter  for  two  tracts,  one  lying  in 
the  western  and  the  other  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  town.  He  settled  east  of  the  stone  bridge 
and  died  in  1769,  and  his  was  supposed  to  be 
the  first  death  in  the  town.  He  was  a  German 
and  became  connected  with  several  others  in  the 
purchase  of  land,  chief  among  whom  was  John 
Dise,  whose  family  became  notorious  as  friends 
of  the  Crown  in  the  Revolution.  The  father 
left  a  large  property,  and  in  his  day  was  one  of 
the  leading  business  men  of  Rondout.  The 
sons  lived  upon  the  land,  and  in  their  frequent 
visits  to  the  Hudson  surprised  the  frugal  in- 
habitants by  exhibiting  their  science  in  drinking 
rum  and  throwing  silver  coins  in  the  river. 
They  thereby  became  reduced  financially,  and 
whether  honorably  or  dishonorably,  to  replenish 
their  purses,  they  instituted  suits  against  those 
who  had  purchased  and  leased  lands  of  them, 
and  also  against  Richtmyer.  They  were  in 
Utigation  many  years  in  the  Kings  Court  but 
were  unsuccessful  in  the  end,  and  were  left  with 
but  little  means.  Ury  Richtmyer  was  followed 
by  a  son  John,  whose  family  we  believe  to  be 
extinct  in  the  County.  Mrs.  Ury  Richtmyer 
was  taken  to  the  middle  fort  upon  commence- 
ment of  hostilities  in  Schoharie,  and  died 
through  fright,  as  stated  in  Chapter  III  of  this 
work.  Peter  Richtmyer,  one  of  three  brothers 
who  settled  at  Hartman's  dorf  wandered  off  to 
the  Manorkill  when  but  a  young  man,  and 
settled  with  Ury.  He  built  a  log-house  near 
where  George  Van  Dyke's  mansion  stands  and 
cleared  quite  a  farm  by  the  time  the  war  began. 
While  working  upon  the  flat  below  the  house 
one  afternoon,  he  was  surprised  by  a  squad  of 
Indians  and  a  Tory  and  taken  prisoner.  The 
captors  had  been  upon  a  raid  near  the  Hudson 
and  had  a  few  prisoners  that  were  bound  with 
cords  and  compelled  to  carry  the  plunder  they 
had  obtained.  Peter  was  driven  along  but  his 
family  escaped.  The  party  followed  the  creek 
to  the  Schoharie  and  down  that  stream  to  the 
Patchin  place,  where  they  turned  up  the  West- 
kill  and  encamped  for  the  night  near  the  saw- 
mill. Peter  was  not  bound  but  watched  closely, 
and  when  called  upon  to  turn  in  for  the  night' 
he  jumped  to  escape  and  was  confronted  by  a 


Tory  neighbor,  with  a  musket  pointed  at  his 
breast.  Seeing  the  gun  was  his  own,  with  a 
worthless  flint,  he  pressed  on  past  the  Tory  and 
was  urged  by  the  fruitless  click !  click !  of  the 
old  gun.  He  returned  to  his  house  and  after 
finding  his  family,  pushed  on  that  night  for  the 
Hudson  where  he  left  his  wife,  while  he  returned 
to  the  Upper  fort  and  did  duty  under  Hager  to 
the  close  of  the  war.  After  that  event  he  re- 
built, and  in  1789  opened  an  inn,  the  first  one 
in  that  part  of  the  County,  and  began  to  accu- 
mulate a  fine  property.  He  was  followed  by 
his  sons  Abram,  George  and  Daniel,  who  built 
the  present  Van  Dyke  mansion,  and  did  a  pay- 
ing business.  Below  "  Richtmyer's "  was  an- 
other hotel  long  known  as  "  Humphreys,"  and 
around  those  two  houses  the  chief  business  at- 
tractions of  the  town  clustered  for  many  long 
years. 

After  the  war  closed,  quite  a  number  of 
families  from  the  eastern  States  and  the  older 
settled  portions  of  the  County  located  in  the  town, 
the  Yankee  climbing  upon  the  hills  while  the 
Dutch  and  Germans  settled  in  the  valleys.  The 
former  true  to  his  nature,  adopted  stock  raising, 
which  has  culminated  in  dairying  by  all  classes, 
and  been  the  means  of  raising  the  standard  of 
the  town  among  other  towns  of  the  County  in 
productiveness  nearly  fifty  per  cent  within  the 
period  of  twenty-five  years.  The  prominent 
famihes  that  moved  in  the  town  in  the  fore  part 
of  the  century,  beside  those  already  mentioned 
were :— Patrie,  Shew,  Scoville,  Krinple,  Hub- 
bard, Luring,  Crane,  Mattice  and  Allerton. 
Owing  to  the  large  territory  of  the  town  of 
Broome  and  the  distance  the  people  of  a  goodly 
portion  of  the  town  were  compelled  to  go  to 
transact  town  business,  a  petition  was  forwarded 
to  the  Legislature  for  the  formation  of  a  new 
town.  On  the  3d  of  March,  1836,  an  act  was 
passed  to  divide  the  town  of  Broome  and  the 
town  of  Durham  : — 

"  Beginning  at  the  centre  of  Schoharie  Creek, 
m  the  County  of  Schoharie,  where  the  Manor 
creek  empties  in  the  same ;  thence  north  forty- 
six  degrees  east  one  hundred  and  seventy-six 
chams,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  a  lot  in  Scott's 
patent  known  as  the  "Leming  lot,"  thence  east 
along  the  lines  of  lots  in  the  said  patent  three 
hundred  and  twenty  chains  to  the  east  line  of 


TOWN  OF  CONESVlLLE. 


131 


said  patent,  thence  south  along  the  east  line  of  the 
said  patent  twenty-one  chains  to  the  north  line 
of  Stringer's  patent ;  ihence  east  along  the  north 
line  of  the  said  mentioned  patent,  one  hundred 
and  seventy-six  chains,  to  the  east  line  of  the 
County  of  Schoharie ;  thence  southerly  along 
the  said  east  line  of  the  said  County,  to  the 
north  line  of  the  County  of  Greene  ;  thence  east- 
wardly  along  the  north  line  of  the  said  County 
of  Greene,  thirty-four  chains  :  thence  south  two 
degrees  east,  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  chains 
to  the  dividing  hne  between  the  towns  of  Dur- 
ham and  Windham ;  thence  westwardly  and 
northwardly  along  the  said  dividing  line  and  the 
dividing  line  between  Durham  and  Prattsville, 
until  it  intersects  the  north  line  of  the  County  of 
Greene,  thence  westwardly  along  the  said  Coun- 
ty hne,  to  the  centre  of  the  said  Schoharie  creek, 
and  thence  northwardly  down  the  centre  of  the 
said  creek  to  the  place  of  beginning. 

"(Sec.  4).  The  first  annual  town  meeting  in  the 
said  new  town  of  Conesville,  shall  be  held  on  the 
third  Tuesday  of  April  next,  (1837,)  at  the  inn 
of  Abraham  Richtrayer  therein,  commencing  at 
ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  of  that  day. 

"Peter  Stryker,  Joshua  Nowlen  and  Chancel- 
lor Spenser,  or  any  two  of  them,  may  preside  at, 
conduct  and  record  the  proceedings  of  the  first 
annual  town  meeting,  and  shall  have  the  like 
power  for  such  purpose  as  are  vested  in  the  jus- 
tices of  the  peace  and  town  clerk,  by  article 
second,  title  second  of  chapter  eleven  of  the 
first  part  of  the  Revised  Statutes ;  and  they  or 
two  of  them,  shall  cause  notices  in  writing  of 
the  time  and  place  of  holding  such  first  annual 
town  meeting  to  be  posted  at  four  or  more  of 
the  most  public  places  in  the  said  new  town  at 
least  eight  days  before  the  time  of  such  meet- 
ing." 

The  town  was  named  after  Rev.  Jonathan 
Cone,  a  man  whose  Christian  qualities  endeared 
him  to  all  classes  throughout  this  part  of  the 
country. 

The  earhest  records  of  the  town  were  lost, 
and  we  are  therefore  debarred  from  giving  them, 
and  favoring  the  reader  with  matter  that  usu- 
ally proves  interesting.  Town  records,  in  gen- 
eral, are  poorly   kept   and  preserved,  although 


more  care  is  taken  at  the  present  time  than 
formerly.  Too  much  attention  has  been  given 
to  nominate  officers  that  would  make  an  elec- 
tion sure,  instead  of  looking  for  necessary  quali- 
fications, but  at  present  all  classes  receiving 
some  educational  advantages,  it  is  hard  to  find 
one  who  is  so  deficient  as  to  be  incompetent, 
and  hence  a  more  methodical  record  is  kept. 

The  following  have  been  elected  supervisors 
with  the  years  of  service  : 

1836 — Abram  Richtmyer. 
1837 — Joshua  Nowlen. 
1838—  do 

T839 — Parent  Stryker. 
1840 — Peter  Stryker. 
i84r — Chancellor  Spenser. 
1842 — Ira  Nowlen. 
1 843 — Joshua  Nowlen. 
1844 — Chancellor  Spenser. 
1845 — Elisha  Hammond. 
1846 —         do 
1847 — Lewis  P.  Mattice. 
1848 — Wilhara  Lamont. 

1849 —  do 

1850 —  do 

1 85 1 — Wilham  Lee. 
1852 — Orluff  M.  Humphrey. 
1853 — Loren  P.  Cole. 
1854— James  Hay. 
1855 — Erastus  Case. 
1856 — Lewis  P.  Mattice. 
1857 — J.  D.  Newell, 
r  85  8— Newel  Day. 
1859 — Loren  P.  Cole. 
i860 — Lewis  P.  Mattice. 
1861 — Ira  D.  Humphrey. 
T862 — Peter  H.  Richtmyer. 
1863 — Lewis  P.  Mattice. 
1864 — Loren  P.  Cole. 
1865 — Peter  Couchman. 

1866—  do 

1867—  do 

1868—  do 
i86g —  do 
r87o —    do 

1871 —  do 

1872 —  do 

1873 — Stephen  J.  Hitchcock. 
1874— D.  H.  Miller. 


132 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


1875— D.  B.  Thorpe. 
1876—        do 
1877 — George  VanDyke. 
1878—  do 

1879 — Loren  P.  Cole. 
1880 — Peter  Couchman. 
1881 — Alexander  W.  Patrie. 
1882— G.  Gaylord. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 


HON.  PETER  COUCHMAN. 

Peter  Couchman  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Broome,  July  28,  1833,  and  traces  his  an- 
cestry back  to  Germany.  His  great-grandfather 
came  to  this  country  about  the  year  1780,  and 
settled  in  Duchess  county.  Philip  Couchman, 
his  father,  lived  in  Canada  a  number  of 
years,  and  was  living  there  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  between  England  and  the  United  States 
in  1812.  He  was  a  Whig  in  pohtics,  and  would 
have  probably  remained  so  had  he  not  become 
disgusted  with  the  actions  of  the  Whigs  who 
Hved  as  neighbors  to  him  while  in  Canada;  and 
expressed  their  sympathies  for  Great  Britain 
while  the  Democrats  were  espousing  the  cause 
of  their  country.  He  left  the  party  then  and 
there. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  the  son  of  Philip 
Couchman  and  Zilpha  Winans,  of  Albany 
county ;  he  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  ten 
children,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living.  Mr. 
Couchman  lived  at  home  until  his  father's  death 
in  1857.  He  attended  the  district  schools  of 
his  native  town;  and  in  1862  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mary  Bloodgood,  of  Conesville. 
He  first  entered  the  political  field  as  a  candidate 
for  Supervisor  of  the  town  of  Conesville,  in 
1865,  when  he  was  elected  by  a  handsome 
majority.  As  a  proof  of  his  popularity  we  need 
only  say  that  he  was  re-elected  for  eight  con- 
secutive terms;  and  again  he  came  before  the 
people  in  1871  as  a  candidate  for  Member  of 
Assembly,  when  he  was   elected,   running  far 


ahead  of  his  ticket ;  he  was  re-elected  the  fol- 
lowing year.     Being  a  Democrat,  in  a  Legis- 
lature largely  Repubhcan,  the  heavy  committee 
work  naturally  fell  to  the  party  in  power.     Dur- 
ing his  first  term  he  served  on  the  Committee 
of  Internal  Affairs  of  Towns  and  Counties,  and 
on  Committee  on  Expenditures  of  the  House. 
During  his  second  term  he  served  on  the  Com- 
mittee on  Agriculture  and  the  Committee  on 
Charitable   and    Religious    institutions.       Mr. 
Couchman     rendered     good    service     to    the 
people    of  his    County   in  securing  for    them 
a  deed   to   the    lower    Stone    Fort  in    Scho- 
harie,   a   relic   of  the    dark  and   bloody   days 
that   are   connected   with   the   history  of  the 
County.     It  had  been  purchased  by  the  State 
years  ago  for   an    arsenal.      Adjutant-General 
Rathbone   recommended    the  sale    of  all  the 
State  arsenals,  this  one  among  the  number,  but 
through  Ihe    exertion    and   influence   of   Mr. 
Couchman  it  was  deeded  to  Schoharie,  free  of 
cost.     The    building   was   used   as  a  fort  and 
church,    and   is   in  a  remarkable  state  of  pre- 
servation.    The   old  building   is   an  object  of 
great  interest,  and  is  held  more  than  dear  by 
the  descendants  of  the  glorious  old  patriots  that 
took  shelter  within  its  walls. 

In  1880  Mr.  Couchman  was  repeatedly  urged 
by  many  of  the  reUable  Democrats  to  accept 
of  the  nomination  for  Congress  from  his  dis- 
trict, which  comprised  Ulster,  Greene  and 
Schoharie  counties.  'I'he  nomination  would 
have  been  equivalent  to  an  election,  as  the 
district  was  strongly  Democratic,  yet  Mr. 
Couchman  refused  the  proposed  honor,  much 
against  the  wishes  of  his  friends,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  he  perceived  a  growing  feeling  in  the 
district  against  electing  a  Schoharie  man  to  the 
office.  The  wisdom  of  his  course  became  ap- 
parent, when,  as  the  result  of  the  election,  the 
one  who  was  nominated  from  Schoharie  county 
was  badly  beaten,  and  owed  his  defeat  to  this 
one  reason. 

Of  Mr.  Couchman's  brothers,  John  W.  served 
in  the  Legislature  of  i860;  three  brothers  are 
ministers,  Milo  and  John  are  Methodists,  and 
Philip  is  a  minister  of  the  Christian  Church. 
In  connection  with  Mr.  Couchman's  public 
career  we  must  mention  the  fact  that  the  hand- 
some   and  commodious   court-house  at  Scho- 


HOM.    PETER    COUCHMAH. 


TOWN  OF  BROOME. 


133 


harie  was  built  while  he  was  in  the  Board  of 
Supervisors,  and  we  simply  write  the  truth  when 
we  say  that  but  for  the  position  taken  by  him 
and  one  or  two  of  his  associates,  instead  of  the 
fine  structure  we  now  see,  there  would  have 
been  something  decidedly  inferior. 

Mr.  Couchman  is  a  farmer,  and  makes  his 
business  as  such  a  sort  of  profession.  A  large 
part  of  his  time  at  home  is  devoted  to  his 
library  and  the  news  of  the  day.  His  probity, 
ability,  and  geniality,  have  secured  to  him  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people  of  his  dis- 
trict in  a  marked  degree.  Quickness  of  discern- 
ment, readiness  of  action  and  undoubted  in- 
tegrity are  among  his  most  decided  character- 
istics. He  has  been  a  Democratic  wheel-horse 
in  his  town  for  years,  and  is  well  versed  in 
general  politics. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

History  of  the  Town  of  Broome. 

When  Formed — Name  Changed — Cat^kill 
Creek — Indian  Trail — General  Aspect — 
First  Settlers  —  Tories'  Route  —  Addi- 
tional Settlers — Daniel  Shays — His  Life 
— Rebellion  and  Death— David  Williams— 
His  Life — Incidents  Relating  to  Cap- 
ture OF  Andre—Comments  on  Williams  and 
Andre  —  Their  Principles  Compared  — 
Williams'  Death  —  Burial  —  Son  and 
Grandson — Mount  Williams — Livingston- 
viLLE — Asa  Starkweather — His  Official 
Life  —  His  Argument  in  Convention — 
Death  —  Adam  Mattice  —  Presbyterian 
Church — Methodist  Church — Draft  of 
1813 — Smithton — Hubbard's — The  Vly — 
Supervisors — Bounds. 

THIS  town  was  one  of  the  original  six  that 
were  formed  March  i,  1797,  and  bore  the 
name  of  Bristol.  Upon  the  6th  of  April,  1808, 
for  reasons   unknown  to  the   writer,  the  name 


was  changed  to  Broome,  in  honor  of  the  then 
acting  Lieutenant  Governor,  John  Broome,  who 
was  repeatedly  elected  with  Daniel  D.  Tomp- 
kins, as  Governor.  Undoubtedly,  had  not 
death  closed  his  successful  and  honored  career 
in  1811,  he  would  have  retained  the  position 
to  the  close  of  Governor  Tompkins  admin- 
istration, at  least,  in  18 16,  as  he  was  so  highly 
admired  by  the  people. 

The  Catskill  creek  takes  its  rise  in  this  town, 
and  was  formerly  fed  by  a  large_  swamp,  called 
the  vlaie,  (now  pronounced  vly,')  now  drained, 
which  has  been  a  marked  locahty  since  the 
Aborigines  of  the  country  formed  a  path  lead- 
ing from  the  Hudson  River,  near  Catskill,  to 
the  Schoharie  valley  and  the  wigwams  of  the 
western  tribes  of  the  confederation.  It  was 
along  this  path  following  the  Catskill  creek, 
to  the  Vly,  that  the  first  German  settlers  of  the 
Schoharie  valley  traversed  (as  noted  in  Chapter 
II,)  in  the  wintertime  of  17 13.  Along  this  path 
also  the  Stockbridge  and  their  more  southern 
neighboring  tribes  passed,  to  reach  the  hunting 
grounds  of  Skochalie—ox  her  medicinal  waters, 
long,  long  before  the  "  remnant  of  tribes" 
formed  one,  along  the  course  of  her  beautiful 
river.  Perhaps  along  this  path  the  Mohawk 
braves  traveled  to  meet  the  vaHant  Mohegans 
in  deadly  strife,  for  the  supremacy  of  power,  and 
again  to  pounce  upon  the  weaker  tribes  of  Man- 
hatten  and  Hackensack,  to  extort  tribute  and 
obedience  to  their  King  and  councils.  Of  that 
primitive  and  well  beaten  path  nothing  is  left 
but  the  rippling  waters  that  so  often  slaked  the 
thirst,  and  guided  the  steps  of  the  bold  athletic 
warriors  through  the  mighty  forest  of  giant  tim- 
ber. Civihzation  has  marked  a  change.  The 
forest  has  disappeared;  along  the  romantic 
stream  and  upon  the  sides  of  the  lofty  hills — 
spacious  fields  now  are  seen  whose  luxuriant 
verdure  are  as  smiles  of  Providence  upon  the 
labors  of  intelHgence  and  civilization.  Instead 
of  the  war  whoop  or  death  yell  of  the  savage, 
and  the  howling  of  wild  beasts,  that  once  awak- 
ened the  echoes  of  the  forest,  peace  is  found  in 
the  grazing  herds,  and  in  the  shouts  of  happy 
and  prosperous  yeomen,  which  are  heard  amid 
the  clatter  of  farming  implements,  gathering  the 
abundant  harvest,  which  was  made  possible 
through  the  labors,  anxieties,  hopes,  fears  and 


134 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


sacrifices  of  a  noble  race  that  drew  inspiration 
of  liberty  from  the  teachings  of  holy  writ. 

During  the  Revolution,  but  few  settlers  were 
found  within  the  limits  of  the  town.  But  one 
of  whom  we  have  any  knowledge  remained  at 
home  and  braved  the  dangers  that  surrounded 
the  border  settlers.  Derick  Van  Dyck  passed 
through  the  troublesome  times,  with  but  an  oc- 
casional stay  at  the  Upper  Fort,  when  an  in- 
vasion was  expected,  and  seemed  to  escape  the 
trouble  and  suffering  that  those  along  the  Scho- 
harie creek  experienced.  His  residence  was 
near  the  present  village  of  Livingstonville,  and 
was  burned  by  Tories  in  the  year  1781.  He 
then  removed  to  Albany  and  remained  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  The  Tories  of  the  Hud- 
son river  that  lived  near  Catskill,  and  the 
Indians  of  the  Susquehanna,  kept  up  a  con- 
tinual communication  with  each  other  through 
this  territory,  and  it  was  here  that  the  scouts  of 
the  Middle  and  Upper  Forts  often  came  to  in- 
tercept the  loyahsts  as  they  passed  through, 
and  caught  many  from  time  to  time  and  con- 
veyed the  royal  adherents  to  Albany  for  investi- 
gation and  imprisonment. 

Nothing  of  importance  occurred  within  the 
town  of  a  warlike  nature  during  the  war,  as  the 
settlement  was  too  sparse  to  draw  the  enemy 
for  murder  and  plunder.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  emigration  commenced  to  flow  in  from  the 
river  counties  and  Schoharie  valley,  beside  sev- 
eral from  the  Eastern  States. 

Those  from  the  latter  were:  — 

Asa  Bushnell, 
Joshua  Bushnell, 
Hezekiah  Weston, 
George  Watson, 
John  Gillet, 
Ebenezer  Wickham, 
George  Burtwick, 
Ezra  Chapman, 
Timothy  Kelsey. 
Elisha  Humphry, 
Lyman  Burchard, 
James  Ellis, 
Henry  Rifenburgh. 

All  of  whose  families  are  still  to   be  found 
within  the  town. 


Daniel  Shays. — Among  the  pioneers  of  this 
section    was    the    notable    Daniel    Shays,    the 
leader  of  "  Shay's  Rebellion"  in  1786  and  '87. 
He  fled  to  this  then  isolated  country  and  set- 
tled where  the  village  of  Preston  Hollow  now 
stands,  having  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land, 
a  considerable    of  which  lay  in    the  town  of 
Broome.     The  General  was  a  fine  looking  man 
and  commanded  the  respect  of  all  whom  he 
met.     His  son  Hiram  studied  law  and  removed 
to  the  western  part  of  the  State.     The  General 
died  in    Preston    Hollow   in  1821,   where   his 
remains  lie  beneath  a  plain   head-stone,   while 
his  name  is  more  endurably  inscribed  upon  the 
pages  of  history  as  a  staunch  yet  mistaken  ad- 
vocate of  liberty.     He  was  a  subaltern   officer 
during  the  Revolution  and  made  a  mark  as  a 
brave  and  efficient  soldier,  which  no  doubt  was 
the  reason  his  brother  veterans  chose  him  to  lead 
them  in  defiance  of  law  or  order  to  compel  the 
general  court  of  Massachusetts  to  redress  the 
people's  grievances   which  they  claimed  were 
brought  on  by  heavy  taxation  through  official  in- 
competency to  manage  the  Government. 

The  facts  of  the  case  we  here  will  state,  they 
beingso  closely  connected  with  our  former  citizen 
it  can  but  prove  of  interest  to  the  reader.  For 
a  few  years  after  peace  was  proclaimed  the  . 
Government  was  simply  a  Revolutionary  confed  • 
eration.  Each  State  was  a  sovereignty  in  fact, 
by  itself,  and  collected  its  own  revenue,  Con- 
gress not  having  power  to  levy  duties  nor  means 
to  carry  on  the  public  service  only  as  their  an- 
nual requisitions  for  money  to  the  several  States 
were  honored.  It  was  without  power  to  issue 
bills  of  credit,  make  treaties  or  regulate  com- 
merce on  a  permanent  basis  with  foreign  powers, 
or  make  loans.  In  fact  it  was  a  Congress 
only  in  name,  as  was  the  Government.  The 
consequence  was  every  thing  was  in  confusion. 
Foreign  commerce  was  annihilated  and  trade 
was  embarrassed.  Business  of  every  descrip- 
tion became  paralyzed,  property  depreciated 
and  ruin  stared  the  whole  country  in  the  face. 
Money  was  so  scarce  that  when  taxes  were  to 
be  paid  "  any  useful  articles,"  says  Goodrich, 
"were  received  in  lieu  of  money." 

The  people  had  passed  through  the  fiery  fur- 
nace of  war  and  stood  without  a  knowledge  of 
the  administration  of  National  affairs,  expecting 


TOWN  OF  BROOME. 


I3S 


that  prosperity  would  follow  without  a  system 
or  head.  The  people  of  Rhode  Island,  New 
Hampshire,  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts 
became  openly  discontented,  especially  in  the 
latter  State.  They  met  in  county  conventions 
in  1786  and  drew  up  addresses  to  the  General 
Court  of  the  Slate,  made  volumes  of  resolves  in 
which  they  censured  the  Government  officials 
and  threatened  open  revolt.  The  veterans  of 
the  Revolution  were  still  hot  blooded  and 
formed  large  armed  companies  and  drew  to- 
gether at  Springfield  in  the  winter  of  1786, num- 
bering several  thousands.  They  chose  Daniel 
Shays  as  their  leader  and  prepared  to  march  to 
Boston  and  compel  the  court  to  redress  the 
people's  grievances,  but  concluded  to  encamp 
and  petition  to  that  body. 

During  the  insurrectionary  movements  of  the 
discontented,  the  Governor  ordered  a  force  un- 
der General  Lincoln  to  march  against  them, 
and  while  collecting  his  men  and  marching  to 
the  rebels'  encampment  a  force  with  Shays  at 
their  head  made  an  attack  upon  the  arsenal  at 
Springfield,  in  January,  1787.  Upon  General 
Shepard,  the  State  officer  in  charge,  firing  upon 
them  with  a  cannon  they  retreated  in  confusion 
and  the  whole  force  withdrew  to  Pelham.  When 
Lincoln  came  up  with  his  force  several  engage- 
ments occurred  between  small  parties,  each  of 
which  sickened  the  insurgents  and  made  the 
leaders'  spirits  droop.  Lincoln  marched  to 
Pelham  to  engage  with  Shays,  while  Shays 
marched  backwards  earnestly  begging,  through 
messengers,  to  negotiate  for  a  pardon.  But 
Lincoln  was  not  to  be  trifled  witli  and  de- 
manded a  surrender.  Shays  retreated  from  one 
point  to  another  until  some  time  in  February, 
when  Lincoln  suddenly  pounced  upon  him  at 
Petersham  and  put  the  whole  force  to  rout. 
Shays  made  tracks  for  New  York  State  as  he 
was  unable  to  make  a  stand  against  the  State 
troops.  The  army  of  insurgents  soon  laid 
down  their  arms  and  peace  once  more  dawned 
over  the  scene.  General  Shays  received  a  par- 
don in  1788  and  sought  the  quiet  of  this  town 
to  hide  himself  from  the  world.  He  possessed 
considerable  of  this  world's  goods  and  lived  the 
hfe  of  a  gentleman,  undoubtedly  well  pleased 
with  the  leniency  shown  him  by  the  austere 
government  of  old  Massachusetts. 


Following  Shays  came  one  of  America's  no- 
blest patriots,   David  Williams. 

David  Williams  y^^js,  one  of  the  captors  of 
Major  Andre,  and  one  whose  name  will  resound  to 
all  futurity  as  a  true  and  unswerving  patriot. 
David  Williams,  Isaac  Van  Wart,  John  Pauld- 
ing !  At  the  mention  of  their  names,  what  as- 
surances of  fidelity  to  country,  principle,  and 
manly  work,  hft  the  student  above  the  corrupt 
bickerings  that  fill  the  pages  of  our  National 
histories,  and  arouse  a  pride  in  the  integrity  of 
the  uncouth  yeomen  that  battled  against  royalty 
and  bequeathed  to  us  our  liberties. 

Coming  to  us  from  such  sources  and  through 
such  constancy  and  devotion,  their  value  is  en- 
hanced and  honor  unstained.  Of  him  who 
honored  our  County  by  choosing  Broome's  ro- 
mantic hill-sides  as  his  home,  we  extract  from 
the  Albany  Daily  Advertiser  the  biography, 
dictated  by  himself  but  a  few  months  previous 
to  his  death,  in  which  the  circumstances  of 
Andre's  capture  are  related. 

"  I  was  born  in  Tarrytown,  then  called  Phifips 
Manor,  Westchester  county,  N.  Y.,  October 
21,  r754.  I  entered  the  army  in  1775,  at  the 
age  of  2r,  and  was  under  General  Montgomery 
at  the  siege  of  Fort  St.  John,  and  afterwards  on 
board  the  flat-bottomed  boats  to  carry  provision. 
Served  out  my  time  which  was  six  months,  and 
enlisted  again  in  the  spring  of  1776,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  service  by  different  enhstments, 
as  a  New  York  militiaman  until  1779,  ^tc. 

In  1778,  when  in  Captain  Acker's  company 
of  New  York  militia,  at  Tarrytown,  I  asked 
his  permission  to  take  a  walk  in  company 
with  WiUiam  Van  Wart,  a  boy  sixteen  or  seven- 
teen years  old  and  proceeded  with  him,  to  the 
cross-roads  on  Tompkins'  ridge.  We  stood 
looking  a  few  moments  and  saw  five  men  com- 
ing, who  had  firearms  ;  we  jumped  over  a  stone 
fence  and  concealed  ourselves  in  a  corner  of  it, 
and  observed  that  they  were  armed  with  two  mus- 
kets and  three  pistols.  They  came  so  near  that 
we  recognized  two  of  them,  viz  :  Wm.  Underbill 
and  Wm.  Mosher,  who  were  Tories,  and  known 
to  be  of  DeLancey's  corps.  When  they  came 
within  proper  distance,  I  said  to  my  companion, 
'Billy,  neck  or  no  joint !'  I  then  said  aloud,  as  if 
speaking  to  a  number,  with  a  view  of  intimidat- 


136 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


ing  them,  '  Men  make  ready  ?'  They  stopped 
immediately.  I  then  told  them  to  ground  theii- 
arras,  which  they  did.  I  then  said,  '  March 
away,'  and  they  did  so.  I  then  jumped  over 
the  fence,  secured  their  arms,  and  made  them 
march  before  us  to  our  quarters.  I  con- 
tinued in  the  service  until  a  week  or  ten  days 
before  the  year  1780.  In  December,  1779, 
Captain  Daniel  Williams,  who  was  commander 
of  our  company,  mounted  us  on  horses,  and  he 
went  to  Morrisania,  Westchester  county.  We 
swept  all  Morrisania  clear,  took  probably  $5,000 
worth  of  property,  and  returned  to  Tarrytown 
and  quartered  at  Young's  house.  My  feet  being 
frozen,  my  uncle  Martinus  Van  Wart,  took  me 
to  his  house.  I  told  Captain  Williams  that  the 
enemy  would  soon  be  at  Young's,  and  that  if  he 
remained  there  he  would  be  on  his  way  to  Mor- 
risania before  morning,  but  he  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  my  remarks — he  did  not  believe  me. 
In  the  course  of  the  night  a  woman  came  to  my 
uncle's  trying,  'Uncle  Martinus!  Uncle  Mar- 
tinus !'  The  truth  was,  the  British  had  sur- 
rounded Young's  house,  made  prisoners  of  all 
the  company  except  two,  and  burnt  the  barn. 

Having  got  well  of  my  frozen  feet,  on  the  3d 
of  June,  1780,  we  were  all  driven  from  Tarry- 
town  to  the  upper  part  of  Westchester  county, 
in  the  town  of  Salem.  We  belonged  to  no  or- 
ganized company  at  all,  were  under  no  com- 
mand, and  worked  for  our  board  ox  johniiy-cake. 
-Isaac  Van  Wart,  who  was  a  cousin  of  mine  [the 
father  of  WilHams  and  mother  of  VanWart  were 
brother  and  sister,]  Nicholas  Storms  and  my- 
self went  to  Tarrytown  on  a  visit.  We  carried 
our  muskets  with  us,  and  on  our  way  took  a 
Quaker,  who  said  he  was  going  to  New  York 
after  salt  and  other  things.  The  Quaker  was 
taken  before  the  American  authority  and  ac- 
quitted. In  July  or  August  a  number  of  per- 
sons, of  whom  I  was  one,  went  on  a  visit  to  our 
friends  in  Tarrytown,  and  while  on  the  way 
took  ten  head  of  cattle,  which  some  refugees 
were  driving  to  New  York,  and,  on  examina- 
tion before  the  authority,  the  cattle  were  restored 
to  their  right  owners,  as  they  pleaded  innocence, 
saying  they  were  stolen  from  them.  I  then 
returned  to  Salem,  and  worked  with  a  Mr.  Bene- 
dict for  my  board,  until  the  22d  of  September. 
It  was  about  one  o'clock  p  m.,  as  I  was  standing 


in  the  door  with  Mr.  Benedict's  daughter  (who 
was  afterward  my  wife,)  when  I  saw  six  men 
coming.  She  remarked,  '  They  have  got  guns.' 
I  jumped  over  a  board  fence  and  met  them. 
'  Boys,'  said  I,  '  where  are  you  going  ? '  They 
answered  '  we  are  going  to  Tarrytown.'  I  then 
said  '  if  you  will  wait  until  I  get  my  gun  I  will 
go  with  you.'  The  names  of  the  six  persons 
were,  Isaac  VanWart,  John  Paulding,  William 
Williams,  John  Yerks  and  James  Romer,  the 
name  of  the  sixth  I  have  forgotten.  We  pro- 
ceeded about  fifteen  miles  that  night,  and  slept 
in  a  hay  barrack.  In  the  morning  we  crossed 
Buttermilk  hill,  when  John  Paulding  proposed 
to  go  to  Isaac  Reed's  and  get  a  pack  of  cards 
to  divert  ourselves  with.  After  procuring  them 
we  went  out  to  Davis'  hill,  where  we  separated, 
leaving  four  on  the  hill  and  three,  viz:  Van- 
Wart, Paulding  and  myself,  proceeded  on  the 
Tarrytown  road  about  one  mile  and  concealed 
ourselves  in  the  bushes  on  the  west  side  of  the 
road,  and  commenced  playing  cards  three 
handed,  that  is,  each  one  for  himself.  We  had 
not  been  playing  more  than  an  hour,  when  we 
heard  a  horse  galloping  across  a  bridge  but  a 
few  yards  from  us.  Which  of  us  spoke  I  do 
not  remember,  but  one  of  us  said,  'there  comes 
a  trader  going  to  New  York.'  We  stepped  out 
from  our  concealment  and  stopped  him.  '  My 
lads,'  said  he,  '  I  hope  you  belong  to  our  party.' 
We  asked  him  '  what  party  ?'  he  replied,  '  the 
lower  party.'  We  told  him  we  did.  He  then  said, 
'  I  am  a  British  officer,  have  been  up  the  coun- 
try on  particular  business,  and  would  not  wish 
to  be  detained  a  minute/  and  as  a  token  to  con- 
vince us  he  was  a  gentleman,  he  pulled  out  and 
showed  us  his  gold  watch  ;  we  then  told  him  we 
were  Americans.  '  God  bless  my  soul,'  said  he, 
'  a  man  must  do  any  thing  these  times  to  get 
along,'  and  then  showed  us  Arnold's  pass.  We 
told  him  it  would  not  satisfy  us  without  search- 
ing him.  '  My  lads,'  said  he,  '  you  will  bring 
yourselves  into  trouble.'  We  answered,  'we  did 
not  fear  it,'  and  conducted  him  about  seventy 
rods  into  the  woods.  My  comrades  appointed 
me  to  search  him ;  commencing  with  his  hat,  I 
searched  his  person  effectually,  but  found 
nothing  until  I  pulled  off  his  boot,  when  we  dis- 
covered that  something  was  concealed  in  his 
stocking.     Paulding  caught  hold  of  his  foot  and 


TOWN  OF  BROOME. 


137 


exclaimed,  '  by  G — d,  here  it  is  !'     I  pulled   off 

his  stocking,  and  inside  of  it,  next  to  the  sole  of 

his  foot,  found  three  half  sheets  of  paper  inclosed 

in  another  half  sheet  which  was  indorsed  '  West 

Point ' ;  and  on  pulling  off  the  other  boot  and 

stocking,   I  found   three   like   papers,  inclosed 

and  indorsed  as  the  others.     On  reading  thera, 

one  of  my  companions  said,  '  by  G — d,  he  is  a 

spy  /'     We  then  asked  him  where  he  got  those 

papers  ?  he  told  us,  of  a  man  at  Pine's  bridge,' 

but  he  said  he  '  did  not,  know  his  name.'     He 

offered   us   his  gold  watch,  his  horse,    saddle, 

bridle  and  100  guineas,  if  we  would  let  him  go; 

we  told  him    '  no,  unless  he  would  inform  us 

where  he  got  the  papers.'     He  answered  us  as 

before,  but  increased  his  offer  to  1,000  guineas, 

his  horse,  etc.;  we  told  him  again  we  would  not 

let   him   go ;  he  then  said,    '  gentlemen,  I  will 

give  you  10,000  guineas'  [nearly  $50,000]  '  and 

as  many  dry  goods  as  you  will  ask ;  conceal  me 

in  any  place  of  safety   while  you   can   send  to 

New  York  with  an  order  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton 

from  me,  and  the   goods   and   money  will  be 

procured  so  that  you  can  get  them  unmolested.' 

[Paulding  then  told   him,  as   he'  stated  on  the 

trial  of  Joshua  H.  Smith,  a  few  days  after  the 

arrest]  :  '  No,    by   G — d,  if  you  would  give  us 

10,000  guineas  you  should  not  stir  a  step ;  we  are 

Americans,  and  above  corruption,  and  go  with  us 

you  must.'  We  then  took  him,  about  twelve  miles, 

to  Col.  Jamieson's  quarters  at  North  Castle." 

The  account  of  the  capture  is  an  old  story  in 
history  but  should  be  ever  new  to  Americans 
and  all  lovers  of  manly  principle.  Mr.  Williams 
and  his  honored  comrades  were  chided  by  the 
emissaries  of  royalty  as  "roving  renegades," 
and  their  motives*  were  questioned,  while  those 
of  them  captives  were  applauded  by  pen  and 
tongue.  We  of  to-day  may  look  upon  the  com- 
rades as  sturdy  yeoman,  clad  in  homely  attire, 
burned  by  the  exposure  of  sun  and  storms  and 
with  minds  and  forms  untutored  by  scholastic 
advantages  or  courtly  graces,  while  with  Andre, 
his  mind,  body  and  aspirations  were  the  off- 
spring of  royal  culture  from  the  lap  of  luxury 
and  pretended  virtue.  The  three  were  on  duty 
without  pay  to  intercept  "  unlawful  intercourse 
with  the  enemy,"  and  boldly  wandered  here  and 


*See  Appendix. 


there  without  disguise  or  wantonness.  Andre 
was  on  a  mission  degrading  in  the  estimation 
of  Christian  soldiery,  sneaking  in  disguise  to  the 
citadel  of  an  honorable  adversary  and  subtly 
winning  a  weak  and  unsteady  heart,  fired  by  a 
jeaUiUS  and  maddened  brain,  to  betray  all  prin- 
ciples of  honor  and  every  characteristic  of  pa- 
triotism, for  gold.  And  when  the  royal  siren, 
through  the  admired  affability  of  his  address 
had  accomplished  his  object,  with  assumed 
name  and  garments  he  bent  his  course  to  de- 
liver up  to  his  commander  that  which  he  had  so 
dishonorably  obtained,  and  bask  once  more  in 
luxury  and  the  petted  tamperings  of  the  giddy 
society  of  New  York.  But  "  halt ! "  is  the  com- 
mand, and  when  the  three  stepped  forth  and 
their  demands  and  nationaUty  were  made  known, 
then  again  the  subtlety  of  the  man  so  much  ad- 
mired and  honored  was  brought  in  requisition. 
But  he  had  not  met  an  Arnold  this  time,  or 
men  whose  appearance  or  principles  were  as- 
sumed. "  We  are  Americans ! "  was  their  in- 
troduction, "what  are  you  ?  "  Andre  had  already 
told,  but  not  possessing  that  steadfast  patriotism 
that  filled  the  hearts  of  Williams,  Van  Wart 
and  Paulding,  he  disowned  his  country  and 
claimed  allegiance  to  that,  which  the  papers  he 
hid  in  his  boots,  were  to  enslave. 

Again  money,  goods  and  undoubtedly  British 
glory  were  offered  for  the  corruption  of  their 
hearts,  but  again  we  say  he  had  not  met  an  Ar- 
nold !  The  pall  fell  over  the  hopes  of  Clinton, 
treason  of  Arnold  and  the  strategy  and  corpse 
of  Andre,  while  veneration  and  the  blessings  of 
a  grateful  people  and  an  immortal  renown  fell 
upon  the  three  brave  and  steadfast  patriotic 
yeomen  !  Williams  died  on  the  2nd  of  August, 
1 83 1,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven,  and  was  buried 
at  Livingstonville  with  military  honors,  where 
his  ashes  lay  until  the  4th  of  March,  1876,  when 
they  were  removed  to  Rensselaerville,  and  on 
the  19th  of  July  following  they  were  again  dis- 
turbed and  now  he  beneath  an  appropriate 
monument  near  the  stone  fort  at  Schoharie, 
particularly  described  in  another  portion  of  this 
work.  Mr.  Williams  left  an  only  son,  David  W. 
Williams,  who  retained  the  farm  and  who,  with 
the  father  has  passed  away  leaving  two  soris, 
WilUam  C.  and  Daniel,  to  perpetuate  the  family 
name.     The  homestead  is  upon  the  mountain 


138 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


north  of  Livingstonville  and  should  give  to  the 
elevation  the  name  of  Mount  Williams. 

Livingstonville. 

This  small  yet  picturesque  village  is  upon  the 
Catskill  creek  and  surrounded  by  giant  hills, 
whose  rough  appearance  denotes  unproductive- 
ness. Yet,  while  the  labor  is  greater  in  culti- 
vating, we  find  their  productiveness  copes  very 
favorably  with  more  level  sections.  The  origi- 
nal settlers  were  chiefly  Yankees,  whose  fascina- 
tion can  only  be  satisfied  by  lofty  hills,  bubbling 
springs  and  rushing  streams,  with  herds  of  cattle 
and  sheep  surrounding  him  and  growing  in  value 
while  he  without  fear  of  the  return  of  another 
day  enjoys  the  noon-day  nap  and  the  thoughts 
of  others  from  his  welcome  newspaper  or  favorite 
book. 

This  village  contained  but  one  house  in  1812 
and  was  not  a  center  of  business  until  about 
the  year  1820.  Previous  to  that  date  the  "Fris- 
bee  tavern"  farther  down  the  valley  was  the 
center  where  the  people  of  the  neighborhood 
met  to  hear  and  tell  the  news,  obtain  their  mail 
and  cogitate  upon  the  unjust  oppressions  of  their 
landlords,  the  Livingstons.  That  family,  own- 
ing a  large  tract  of  land  within  the  town  and 
Albany  county  adjoining,  stationed  a  relative, 
Asa  Starkweather,  here  in  18 10  to  look  after 
their  interests  in  the  sale  and  leasing  of  land 
and  collection  of  rents. 

Asa  Starkiveather  was  a  native  of  New  Lon- 
don, Conn.,  and  a  mechanic.  He  began  busi- 
ness in  New  York  City  but  was  unsuccessful 
and  settled  here  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven. 
In  1820  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  dele- 
gates to  the  State  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion, in  which  he  took  an  active  part  in  de- 
bate, especially  upon  the  appointing  powers. 
In  his  speech  the  5th  of  October,  1820,  he 
said: — 

"The  principle  cause  of  complaint  by  the 
great  body  of  yeomanry  against  the  present 
council  of  appointment  has  not  specifically  been 
mentioned  by  any  gentleman  of  the  committee. 
It  is  not  because  the  person  appointed  happened 
to  be  of  different  political  principles ;  nor  be- 
cause members  of  the  legislature  interfere  with 
the  council  and  mingle  their  official  duties  with 


political  considerations;  but  because  bad  men 
are  sometimes  appointed,  who  are  in  fact  a  ter- 
ror to  those  who  do  well. 

"  The  charity  and  good  feeling  of  the  farmers 
induce  them  to  beheve  that  the  respectable 
council  did  not  know  their  private  characters : 
consequently,  the  electors  say,  'bring  the  ap- 
pointments to  the  people.'  Sir,  by  this  they  do 
not  mean  to  bring  the  appointments  directly  to 
the  ballot  boxes ;  they  do  not  wish  additional 
confusion  and  turmoil  there.  But  they  want  a 
Selection  made,  where  the  characters  of  the  can- 
didates are  known ;  and  if  the  selection  is  made 
by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and  Judges  of  the 
county  court,  they  must  know  the  character  of 
every  man  they  recommend,  and  they  dare  not 
recommend  a  bad  man,  the  ghost  of  pubUc 
clamour  would  haunt  them  in  their  dreams ;  and 
by  this  mode  of  selection  the  people  would  be 
safe ;  it  is  the  best  plan  that  has  been  suggested 
and  I  shall  vote  for  it.  But  let  us  for  one  mo- 
ment consider  the  plan  of  election.  It  is  a  fact 
that  immoral  men  can  bring  more  votes  to  the 
polls  than  any  moral,  good  man ;  and  if  they 
are  not  directly  the  candidates,  they  will  have 
their  friend  for  a  candidate,  and  by  using  their 
influence  and  rallying  their  satellites,  will  lay 
him  under  obligations  to  favor  them  in  his  offi- 
cial capacity ;  consequently  a  remedy  for  the 
evil  would  not  be  found  here.  The  Gentleman 
from  New  York  is  opposed  to  the  amendment, 
because  it  gives  to  the  executive  the  appointing 
power,  who  is  not  responsible  for  the  appoint- 
ments. 

"  Sir,  I  am  willing  to  give  this  power  to  the 
executive,  because  we  ask  no  responsibility 
from  him.  He  cannot  do  wrong  unless  he 
travels  out  of  the  two  Hsts  of  candidates,  and 
this  he  cannot  do  by  the  amendment  proposed. 
Sir,  it  has  been  urged  that  no  possible  good 
could  arise  from  having  the  Governor  appoint 
and  commission  the  Justices  of  the  peace.  In 
answer  to  this,  as  the  executive  is  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  militia,  and  whose  official  duty 
is  to  see  that  the  laws  are  faithfully  executed,  it 
is  highly  proper  that  every  commissioned  officer 
should  receive  his  authority  from  the  chief  mag- 
istrate, and  to  whom  he  should  be  accountable 
for  the  faithful  performance  of  his  duty." 


TOWN  OF  BROOME. 


139 


Mr.  Starkweather  was  not  placed  upon  any 
committee  and  his  views  upon  the  various  sub- 
jects brought  before  the  convention,  did  not 
receive  the  approval  of  the  majority.  He  ap- 
peared to  be  strongly  in  favor  of  centralization, 
and  giving  the  right  of  suffrage  only  to  property 
owners,  and  men  of  lucrative  positions.  He 
died  on  the  loth  of  August,  1846,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-three  years  and  eight  months,  and  was 
buried  in  the  old  cemetery.  His  wife  was  Mary 
Robinson,  who  died  in  April,  1862,  in  the  sev- 
enty-ninth year  of  her  age.  Beside  them  lie 
Mrs.  Starkweather's  father  and  mother,  James 
and  Sarah  Robinson,  who  passed  several  years 
with  their  daughter,  in  her  secluded  home. 

Adam  Mattice. — In  our  rambles  to  the  new 
cemetery,  upon  the  hill-side,  south  of  the  vil- 
lage, we  were  led  to  the  grave  of  one  of  Broome's 
representative  men,  Adam  Mattice. 

Mr.  Mattice  was  a  careful  business  man  and 
held  various  local  offices  in  the  town  and  gave 
universal  satisfaction  to  his  people  who  elected 
him  to  the  office  of  supervisor  in  1832  and  '34, 
when  he  made  himself  prominent  as  an  official, 
which  gained  for  him  the  nomination  and  elec- 
tion of  sheriff  in  1834.  During  his  term  of 
office,  considerable  discontent  was  made  mani- 
fest by  the  Livingston  tenants  in  this  portion  of 
the  County,  but  Mr.  Mattice  faithfully  performed 
his  duties  without  incurring  the  displeasure  of  his 
Anti-Rent  neighbors.  In  1848  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Legislature  from  the  Eastern  dis- 
trict with  James  Parsons,  of  Leesville,  and  in 
1 86 1  was  once  more  sent  to  the  board  of  super- 
visors. 

Becoming  an  old  man  he  retired  from  busi- 
ness and  official  cares,  and  died  at  his  home  on 
the  loth  of  January,  1868,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five.  His  wife,  Nancy  Win  an  s  lived  till  De- 
cember, 18,  1874,  when  she  followed  her  hus- 
band at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Livingstonville 
is  the  oldest  religious  organization  in  town,  and 
upon  its  organization  in  1817  as  a  Congre- 
gational church,  was  the  only  one  of  that  denom- 
ination in  the  County.  Their  meetings  were 
held  in  private  residences  and  the  school  house 


until  the  year  1831,  when  the  present  edifice  was 
erected. 

The  year  previous  it  was  changed  to  a  Pres- 
byterian organization.  The  first  members  were 
seven  in  number,  as  follows : — 

George  Stimson  and  wife, 
Asa  Bushnell  and  wife, 
Rhoda  Clark, 
Sally  Stimson, 
Asa  Starkweather. 

The  first  elders  were : — 

Asa  Starkweather, 
Joshua  Bushnell, 
Timothy  Kelsey, 
Asa  Bushnell. 

The  present  ones  are : — 

Robert  Bortwick, 
Arthur  Bortwick, 
E.W.  Dutton. 

Mr.  Dutton  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  in- 
formation in  regard  to  this  church,  and  present 
clerk,  states  that  S.  R.  Gray  was  the  first  pas- 
tor, and  B.  D.  Wyckoff  the  present,  but  is  un- 
able to  give  a  list  of  those  in  the  intervening 
time. 

Julius  Dutton. — Among  the  early  settlers  of 
this  section  was  Julius  Dutton  who  died  July 
27,  1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine.  Of  him 
the  Schoharie  Republican  of  that  date  says : 
"  Mr  Dutton  was  eleven  years  of  age  when  he 
settled  in  Broome,  from  Litchfield  county, 
Connecticut.  During  a  long  and  eventful  fife 
he  filled  many  responsible  positions,  always 
discharging  the  trusts  reposed  in  him  with  sig- 
nal ability  and  fidelity.  He  was  during  a  period 
of  thirty-nine  years  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  thirty-eight  years  a  deacon  of 
the  same.  He  was  twice  married  and  was  the 
father  of  thirteen  sons,  eleven  of  whom,  with  his 
widow  survive  him. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  this  place 
was  organized  about  the  year  1824,  by  the  Rev. 
John  Bangs,  long  a  circuit  preacher  and  pre- 
siding elder  in  the  New  York  conference.  The 
records  not  being  accessible,  we  are  indebted  to 


140 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  memory  of  Mr.  R.  Ellis,  long  a  member  of 
the  society  and  the  present  class-leader.    James 
Ellis,  the  father  of  our  informant  was  one  of  the 
leading  ones  in  the  organization. 
The  first  trustees  were : — 

EUsha  Humphrey, 

Lyman  Burchard 

Henry  Rifenburgh. 

The  first  church  building  was  erected  down 
the  valley  about  one  half  a  mile,  in  a  pine 
grove,  and  removed  to  the  present  site  in  1845. 
The  membership  is  forty  and  supports  in  con- 
nection a  progressive  Sabbath  school. 

Draft  of  1813. 

The  first  quota  drawn  in  181 2  for  the  defence 
of  the  Northern  borders  against  British  invasion, 
had  become  depleted  by  an  epidemic  that  raged 
fearfully  in  the  camps,  and  the  enemy  making 
extensive  preparations  for  the  campaign  of 
1813,  the  government  was  forced  to  call  for 
more  men,  and  ordered  a  draft  from  the  ranks 
of  the  militia,  requiring  every  fourth  man.  To 
Mr.  Ellis  we  are  indebted  for  the  Ust  drawn 
from  this  town.  The  militia  company  met  at 
the  "  Frisbee  house,"  and  the  following  were 
drawn: — 

Joseph  A.  Rawley, 
Carly  Robinson, 
Amos  Series, 
Daniel  Series, 
Heman  Roe, 
Walter  Winans, 
Jeremiah  Reed, 
Bates  Reed, 
Peter  Bunker, 
William  See, 
Blaisdel  Dickinson. 

Peter  Bunker  was  a  deputy  sheriff  in  18 19, 
and  while  in  office  died  at  Schoharie. 

Smithtown. 

Aaron  and  Giles  H.  Hubbard  settled  at  this 
place  in  the  beginning  of  the  century,  and  were 
two  well  educated  and  enterprising  men.  The 
latter  was  a  graduate  of  Union  College  and 
fitted  himself  for  the  law,  but  was  called  upon 
to  succeed  Abrahain  Keyser  as  Sheriff  of  the 


County.  He  received  the  appointment  on  the 
9th  of  February,  18 19,  and  served  until  Febru- 
ary 12,  182 1. 

Aaron  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  in  1816 
and  '17,  with  Isaac  Barber  and  Peter  A.  Hilton, 
and  again  in  1819  with  Jedediah  Miller  and 
Peter  Swart,  Jr.  Both  of  these  gentlemen  held 
local  offices,  but  at  what  time  we  are  unable  to 
say  as  the  early  records  of  the  town  are  not  ac- 
cessible. Aaron  exchanged  his  farm  with 
Comfort  Smith  for  four  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  "  New  Connecticut "  or  Ohio,  upon  which 
he  removed,  where  the  city  of  Cleveland  now 
stands.  The  exchange  made  the  family  im- 
mensely wealthy,  as  they  continue  to  hold  the 
title  to  a  goodly  share  of  the  original  farm  which 
was  divided  into  city  lots. 

Smithtown  was  the  name  given  to  the  hamlet 
after  Mr.  Smith  became  a  resident. 

The  Christian  Church  of  this  place  was  or- 
ganized, and  a  house  of  worship  built  in  1859, 
under  the  patronage  of  Rev.  Mr.  Roberts.  The 
society  are  energetic  and  sincere  in  their  liberal 
views  of  beUef,  and  call  to  their  pulpit  able 
men. 

Franklinton,  or  "  The  Vly." 

The  Rev.  Charles  S.  Duncan,  an  energetic 
and  thorough  Methodist  preacher,  organized 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  this  place  in 
1828.  At  one  time  during  Rev.  Mr.  Duncan's 
pastorate,  the  congregation  assembled  to  listen 
to  his  sermon,  when  he  became  suddenly  in- 
disposed and  sent  his  two  sons  (at  present 
Hving,  Joel  and  William,)  then  mere  lads,  to 
give  the  people  notice  that  there  would  not  be 
any  preaching.  The  boys  considered  them- 
selves capable  of  leading  in  the  services  and 
entered  the  house  with  the  dignity  of  riper 
years,  and  requested  the  people  to  be  seated. 
William  led  in  a  long  prayer,  and  was  followed 
by  Joel  with  an  exhortation,  after  which  a 
hymn  was  sung  and  the  congregation  dismissed. 

The  society  built  the  present  edifice  in  1845, 
and  it  proved  a  nucleus  around  which  the  vil- 
lage has  grown  and  become  a  center  for  the 
farming  community  to  find  mechanics  and 
tradesmen  for  repairs  and  domestic  supplies. 


TOWN  OF  BROOME. 


'41 


The  "  Vly"  was  drained  by  the  farmers  owning 
portions  of  it  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  which  gave 
to  them  valuable  land  in  too  great  contrast  to 
the  hill-sides  that  surround  it.  Here  might  be 
obtained  the  best  water  power  in  the  County  by 
building  aqueducts  at  each  outlet  to  hold  the 
water,  so  abundantly  supplied  by  springs.  The 
enterprise  and  capital  of  the  Eastern  States 
would  here  create  a  business  that  would  soon 
overbalance  the  whole  town  in  value  of  produc- 
tion by  establishing  factories  of  different  char- 
acters. 

Supervisors. 

The  records  of  this  town  have  not  been  kept 
with  that  care  they  should  have  received,  and 
from  time  to  time  have  been  borrowed  by  piece- 
meal and  not  returned.  Being  one  of  the  first 
towns  formed,  the  early  records  could  but  be 
interesting  and  valuable.  We  copy  the  super- 
visors elected,  from  the  earliest  dates  that 
could  be  found  : — 

1830— S.  Bortle. 
1831 — Barent  Stryker. 
1832— S.  Bortle. 
1833 — Adam  Mattice. 
1834 —  do 

1835 — ^Joseph  Scofield. 
1836 — W.  J.  Mackey. 
1837 — Joseph  Scofield. 
1838—  do 

1839 — Daniel  Jackson. 
1840 — Henry  Tibbetts. 
1841— William  W.  Stewart. 
1842— Hiram  Mace. 
1843 — A.  Stanton. 
1844 — Nelson  Fanning. 
1845 — Martin  B.  Thomas. 
1846 — Philip  Couchman. 
1847 — Anson  Clark. 
1848 — Wilkeson  Wilsey. 
1849 — George  Cheritree. 
1850 — Wilkeson  Wilsey. 
1 85 1 — George  Cheritree. 
1852 — E.  Benjamin. 
1853— Lyman  Hulburt. 
1854 — Ogden  Benjamin. 
1855— James  F.  Connor. 
1856 — Robert  C.  Leonard. 


1857 — Ogden  Benjamin. 
1858 — Robert  C.  Leonard. 
1859 — E.  Benjamin. 
i860— E.  A.  Wightman. 
1861 — Adam  Mattice. 
1862 — E.  A.  Wightman. 
1863 — James  F.  Connor. 
1864 — Andrew  Graham. 
1865 — Hiram  Sornberger. 
1866— George  W.  Ellis. 
1867—  do 

1868 — R.  Benjamin. 
1869 —  do 

1870 — Nelson  Rust. 
1871 —  do 

1872 — Wilkeson  Wilsey. 
1873 —  do 

1874 — Ira  Benjamin. 
1875 — Nelson  Rust. 
1876 — George  A.  Dutton. 
1877 — John  H.  Mattice. 
1878 — Wesley  Rifenburgh. 
1879 —  do 

1880 — Erastus  Almy. 
1 88 1  — Myron  Losee. 
1882—  do 

Members  of  Assembly. 

1 816 — Aaron  Hubbard. 
1817 —  do 

1819 —  do 

1828 — Henry  Devereaux. 
1845 — Adam  Mattice. 
1852 — Seymour  Sornberger. 
185  s — Wilkeson  Wilsey. 
i860 — John  W.  Couchman. 

Sheriffs. 

Giles  H.  Hubbard,  appointed   February  9, 
1819. 
Adam  Mattice,  elected  November,  1834. 

County  School  Commissioner. 
Nelson  Rust,  elected  1837. 

Boundaries. 

By  the  act  of  18 13  the  town  of  Broome  was, 
after  the  towns  of  Blenheim,  Middleburgh, 
Schoharie,  Cobleskill,  Carlisle  and  Sharon,  thus 
defined : — 


142 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


"  And  all  that  part  of  the  said  County  of 
Schoharie  bounded  on  the  north  by  Middle- 
burgh,  on  the  east  and  south  by  the  bounds  of 
the  County,  and  on  the  west  by  Blenheim,  shall 
be  and  continue  a  town  by  the  name  of 
Broome." 


CHAPTER  X. 


History  of  the  Town  of  Jefferson. 

When  Settled — By  Whom — Interest  in  Edu- 
cation— First  Town  Meeting — Effort  to 
Change  the  Name  of  Town — Heman  Hic- 
KOK — Jefferson  Academy  —  Donators— 
Stephen  Judd's  Donation  of  Farm  — 
Teachers  in  Academy — Present  School — 
Tanneries — Presbyterian  Church — Mer- 
chants —  Physici  ans  —  JuDD  Family — So- 
cieties—Masonic—Grand Army  Republic- 
Methodist  Church — West  Kill  Method- 
ist Church  —  Galt's  History  of  the 
Methodist  Society  of  the  Town — Revo- 
lutionary Incidents — Smith  Street— Tory 
Clawson — Taken  Prisoner — Smith  Family 
— Battle  at  Lake — Official — Supervisors 
— General  Appearance  of  Town — The 
Lake — Tryon  County  Line — Rebellion — 
Amount  of  Town  Bonds  Issued — Boun- 
daries. 

THE  town  of  Jefferson  was  first  settled  by 
New  England  people  in  1793  and  1794, 
whose  energy  made  her  lofty  hills  and  winding 
valleys  prototypes  of  the  old  Berkshires  of  Mas- 
sachusetts and  the  Lebanon  hills  of  Connecticut. 
When  Stephen  Marvin,  Erastus  Judd,  James 
McKenzie,  Henry  Shelmandine,  Marvin  and 
Stephen  Judd,  Ezra  Beard,  James  Hubbard, 
and  others  of  equal  vim  settled  here,  a  spirit  of 
progression  unlike  that  attending  the  settlers  of 
other  towns,  excepting  the  eastern  part  of 
Wright,  made  itself  manifest  in  two  features. 


that  are  to-day,  and  ever  will  be,  the  attractive 
ones  of  the  town.  The  first  is  the  lively  interest 
in  education,  and  the  second  the  application  of 
those  advantages  derived,  to  the  systematic  pro- 
gression of  agriculture  as  shown  in  the  general 
appearance  of  the  town  and  total  production. 

But  a 'few  years  elapsed  before  others  from 
New  England  and  the  Hudson  river  counties 
followed  the  Yankee  pioneers  and  with  them 
took  measures  in  establishing  a  separate  town, 
wherein  their  puritanic  ideas  of  government 
might  be  adopted  without  an  amalgamation  of 
sentiment  as  when  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
Blenheim,  which  was  controlled  by  the  "  Scho- 
harie Dutch,"  (so  called). 

A  petition  was  forwarded  to  the  Legislature 
in  January,  1803,  for  the  formation  of  a  new 
town  and  upon  the  12th  of  the  following  month 
an  act  was  passed  to  that  effect  and  giving  to 
the  territory  thus  set  off,  the  name  of  Jefferson. 

The  First  Town  Meeting  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Stephen  Judd,  then  an  inn,  on  the  1st 
day  of  March  and  the  following  officers  elected 
by  ballot : — 

Supervisor — Ezra  Beard. 
Clerk— William  P.  Hilton. 
Assessors — James  Hubbard,   Stephen  Judd, 
Marcus  Andrews. 

Collector — John  P.  North. 

Overseers  of  Poor — Stephen  Judd,  Andrew 
Beard. 

Commissioners  of  Highways — Joseph  P.  Nor- 
thrup,  John  H.  Pratt,  Stephen  Judd. 

Constables — ^John  Fletcher,  Joseph  P.  Nor- 
thrup,  Jacob  Jones,  Morris  Kiff. 

Fence  Viewers — Lewis  M.  Loud,  Heman 
Hickok,  Stephen  Judd,  Elam  Gibbs,  Conrad 
Snook. 

Pound  Masters — William  P.  Hilton,  William 
Carpenter. 

Path  Masters — Joseph  P.  Northrup  No.  i, 
Stephen  Judd,  Isaac  Hickok,  James  Hubbard, 
Joseph  McKinsea,  Stephen  West,  Asa  Morse, 
Zadock  Barrett,  Benjamin  Bruce,  John  Beach, 
Heman  Hickok,  Morris  Kiff,  Martemus  B.  Van- 
Buren,  James  Clark,  Charles  Near,  William  P. 
Hilton. 


TOWN  OF  JEFFERSON. 


143 


Several  years  after,  an  effort  was  made  by 
the  citizens  of  a  village  bearing  the  name  of  Jef- 
ferson, in  the  western  part  of  the  State,  we 
think,  now  Watkihs,  Chemung  county,  to 
change  the  name  of  this  village  and  postoffice, 
as  mail  matter  was  forwarded  to  the  one  office, 
that  was  intended  for  the  other,  and  caused  no 
little  trouble.  Petitions  were  sent  to  the 'Legisla- 
ture and  Post  Office  Department  from  the  west- 
ern village,  and  counter  ones  were  sent  from 
this  place,  among  which,  was  one  drawn  with 
a  map  attached,  representing  the  village  to  be  a 
respectable  sized  city,  with  a  large  park,  and 
various  public  buildings,  proving  the  western 
name-sake  to  be  but  a  little  hamlet  by  the  side 
of  it.  A  long  list  of  petitioners,  including  male 
children,  accompanied  the  whole.  The  case 
was  decided  at  the  Department  in  Washington, 
in  favor  of  this  place. 

Among  the  early  settlers  was  HemanHickok, 
whom  it  will  be  seen  was  a  prominent  man 
upon  the  first  ticket  elected.  He  was  the  first 
school  teacher  and  a  very  fine  scholar,  and  took 
a  deep  interest  in  educational  affairs.  Through 
his  influence  the  people  were  aroused  at  an  early 
date  to  establish  a  first  class  school,  which  cul- 
minated in  the  Jefferson  Academy. 

The  Jefferson  Academy  :—T\ve.  following  sub- 
scription was  drawn  by  Hickok,  and  presented 
to  the  leading  families  of  the  County  to  raise 
an  amount  of  money,  sufficient  to  build  and 
establish  a  school,  the  year  preceding  the 
building,  which  was  commenced  m  1812. 

"We,  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed 
for  the  encouragement  of  literature,  the  pros- 
perity of  the  rising  generation,  and  the  good  of 
mankind,  do  enter  into  an  agreement  for  the 
purpose  of  building  an  academy,  which  is  to 
stand  near,  or  on  the  ground  known  as  the  Mili- 
tary Square,  in  the  town  of  Jefferson,  and  we 
do  hereby  form  ourselves  into  a  company,  and 
our  subscription  is  to  be  signed  in  shares  of 
twenty-five  dollars  each,  and  each  share  entitled 
to  a  vote,  and  we  do  bind  ourselves,  our  heirs, 
executors  and  administrators,  to  pay  to  a  board 
of  directors,  or  their  agent,  the  several  suras 
annexed  to  our  names,  according  to  the  order 
or  direction  of  the  said  board  of  directors,  which 
directors  shall  be  chosen  by  the   stockholders 


when  there  are  thirty  shares  subscribed,  and 
there  shall  not  be  less  than  five  or  more  than 
nine  directors,  and  to  hold  their  offices  during 
the  pleasure  of  the  majority  of  the  company; 
and  the  directors  shall  elect  out  of  their  num- 
ber a  President ;  and  the  president  shall  have 
full  power  to  call  a  meeting  of  the  company,  by 
giving  public  notice  ten  days  preceding  the  day 
of  meeting,  by  an  advertisement  to  be  put  on 
the  door  of  the  building,  and  it  shall  be  the  duty 
of  the  President  to  call  a  meeting  of  the  com- 
pany by  a  written  request  of  ten  of  the  stock- 
holders. 


February  25,  181 2. 

Rev.  William  Salsbury, 
Stephen  Judd, 
Erastus  Judd, 
Asa  Atwood, 
Philip  A.  Koon, 
Joseph  L.  Barnet, 
Peter  Decker, 
Ezra  Beard, 
Jacob  Jones, 
Marvin  Judd, 
Edward  E.  Davis, 
Grove  Eggleston, 
Wm.  Hanfield, 
John  Daley, 
Joseph  P.  Northrup, 
Augustus  Judd, 
Aaron  Atchinson, 
Samuel  Baker, 
Eph  Potter, 
Eph  Warner, 
Benjamin  Mony, 
Charles  Mason, 
Demas  Judd, 
Freegift  Patchin, 
David  Wiltne, 
Isaac  Martin, 
Isaac  M.  Martin, 
Abner  Bissell, 
Jas.  and  Wm.  Stewart, 
Stephen  W.  Judd, 

The  building  frame  was  erected  in  the  latter 
part  of  1812,  and  not  having  a  sum  sufficient 
to  finish  the  structure,  a  subscription  was  taken 
to  Schoharie  and  received  the  following  signa- 


I  share 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 


$  25.00 
300.00 
100.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
150.00 
50.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
50.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 
25.00 


144 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


tures  and  the  sums   set   opposite  their 

names 

were  subscribed  and  paid. 

Harmonus  Bouck,         IS-7S  P^-     $ 

20.00 

Wm.  C.  Bouck, 

X 

15.00 

Peter  Swart,  Esq.,           lo.oo  pd 

12.00 

Isaac  Marelen,  Esq., 

X 

5.00 

Joseph  Borst,  Jun., 

X 

8.00 

John  Gebhard,  Esq., 

X 

5.00 

Henry  Burke  &  Co.,  Esq., 

X 

10.00 

Henry  Hager,  Esq., 

X 

12.00 

Peter  H.  Hilton,  Esq., 

X 

5.00 

Heman  Hickok,  Esq., 

X 

12.00 

Peter  Vrooman,  Esq., 

$2.00  pd. 

4.00 

Michael  Borst,  Esq., 

X 

5.00 

Henry  Handle, 

5.00 

Jacob  Feek, 

2.00 

Benjamin  Miles, 

X 

10.00 

Abram  Keyser,  Jun., 

X 

2.00 

Peter  Swart,  Esq., 

X 

5.00 

Jabez  W.  Throop, 

X 

5.00 

William  Dietz,  Esq., 

pd 

2.00 

George  Sherwood, 

X 

2.00 

Joseph  Bouck, 

3.00 

John  Hager,  500  feet  pine  boards. 

5.00 

Daniel  Hager, 

X 

2.00 

Peter  N.  Javill, 

X 

1. 00 

Peter  P.  Snyder, 

X 

2.00 

Jacob  Gebhard, 

X 

5.00 

John  Ingold, 

X 

10.00 

Benjamin  Waldren, 

X 

2.00 

Samuel  Southworth, 

X 

1. 00 

John  Woolcott, 

X 

2.00 

Henry  Shafer, 

X 

1. 00 

Jonah  Hager, 

X 

1. 00 

John  Bouck, 

X 

1. 00 

General  Adam  Vrooman, 

3.00 

Thomas  Lawyer,  Esq., 

X 

10.00 

Stephen  Lawrence, 

X 

3.00 

Barthomen  Swart, 

32cpd 

2.00 

Isaac  Best,  Esq., 

1. 00 

P.  J.  House,  Esq., 

X 

10.00 

Asa  Starkweather, 

X 

2.00 

Nicholas  Feeck, 

X 

•50 

George  Danforth,  Esq., 

X 

1. 00 

M.  Olover,  Esq., 

X 

1. 00 

Mr.  Dow, 

X 

1. 00 

By  degrees  the  building  was  erected,  and  first 
occupied  by  a  school  in  1817,  although  in  the 
interim  the  Rev.  Wra.  Salsbury  taught  a  select 


school  at  his  residence.     He  was  also  the  first 
Principal  of  the  Academy. 

In  181 7  Stephen  Judd  gave  a  deed  of  one  hun- 
dred and  eight  rods  of  land,  (the  present  vil- 
lage green)  to  his  brother,  WiUiara  Judd,  for 
the  use  of  the  Academy,  which,  as  the  writing 
says,  "  was  intended  for  the  instruction  and 
education  of  youth  in  the  arts  and  sciences.'' 

The  year  previous  Stephen  Judd  also  made  a 
will  in  which  he  gave  to  his  wife  the  aforesaid 
mentioned  one  hundred  and  eight  rods  of  land, 
with  others,  for  her  natural  life,  and  after  her 
death  to  become  the  property  of  the  directors 
of  the  Academy  for  its  support.  Upon  the  8th 
of  June,  1821,  the  testator  died  and  the  wife 
became  owner  of  the  land  and  remained  so 
until  October,  1835,  when  she  conveyed  such 
land  I0  the  "trustees  or  directors  and  their 
successors  in  office."  In  November,  1824, 
Stephen  W.  Judd,  nephew  of  the  testator, 
petitioned  to  the  Legislature  for  an  act  of  cor- 
poration, "to  the  end  and  for  the  purpose,  among 
other  things,  that  it  may  take,  hold,  occupy  and 
possess,  the  lands  aforesaid  according  to  the 
true  intent  and  meaning  of  the  last  will  and 
testament  of  the  testator."  The  act  was  passed 
November  20,  1824,  and  said  that  "  Marvin 
Judd,  Ezra  Beard,  Jesse  Brockway,  Abner  Bis- 
sell,  Aaron  Tyler,  Jacob  Jones,  John  Daley, 
Russel  G.  Beard,  and  also  such  other  persons 
as  now  are,  or  shall  hereafter  become  members 
of  the  society,  shall  be  and  are  hereby  ordained, 
constituted  and  declared  to  be  a  body  corporate 
and  politic,  in  fact  and  in  name,  by  the  name 
of  the  Jefferson  Academy." 

The  building  when  fully  completed,  which 
was  about  1822,  was  forty-five  feet  square  and 
three  stories  in  height.  It  cost  about  four 
thousand  dollars,  and  stood  in  front  of  the 
present  Union  school-house.  Although  the  in- 
stitution was  begun  under  very  favorable  cir- 
cumstances, yet  it  did  not  seem  to  prosper.  At 
least,  long  intermissions  would  intervene  with- 
out school,  and  the  building  did  not  receive 
needed  repairs.  While  the  school  was  in  pro- 
gress it  was  one  of  the  best,  and  for  those 
early  days  well  sustained  in  numbers  of  scholars. 
The  following'  list  of  teachers  whom  many  will 
remember  with  the  most  pleasing  associations, 


TOWN  OF  JEFFERSON. 


145 


conducted  the  school  from  time  to  time,  but  in 
what  years  we  are  unable  to  tell : — 

Rev.  William  Salsbury,  a  highly  educated 
gentleman. 

Ethan  Pratt. 

Hamilton  Van  Dyke,  1826. 

Thomas  McArthur. 

R.  R.  Wells,  and  Miss  —  Norton,  assistant. 

Horatio  Waldo  and  wife. 

William  Frazier  and  Miss  —  Norton  assistant. 

John  Wolcott. 

Bennett  Boughton. 

Adam  Craig. 

A.  Reily. 

Samuel  Kinney. 

Mr.  Whittlesey. 

Nathaniel  Pine  and  daughter. 

Rev.  Charles  Chapman. 

Hale  Joseph,  or  Joseph  Hale. 

Cornelius  Ward. 

Charles  Smith. 

Alfred  Higby,  and  Miss  Hotchkiss,  assistant. 

Miss  —  Smith. 

Mr.  Harper. 

C.  Ward. 

Miss  Christopher. 

Mary  Rodgers,  .the  last  teacher,  whose  school 
closed  in  May,  1851. 

In  the  will  of  Stephen  Judd  it  was  mentioned 
that  the  property  should  revert  to  the  heirs  of 
his  brother,  Freeman  Judd,  when  the  Academy 
was  not  used  for  school  purposes.  Joshua  H. 
Judd,  a  grandson  of  Freeman,  and  son  of 
Stephen  W.  Judd,  commenced  proceedings 
against  the  Jefferson  Academy  in  November, 
1851,  for  the  recovery  of  the  property  devised 
for  the  benefit  of  the  school,  on  the  grounds 
that  the  trust  imposed  upon  the  trustees  had 
been  broken.  A  heavy  suit  was  the  conse- 
quence, in  which  the  heir  was  the  victor.  An 
appeal  from  the  decision  was  made  before  Hon. 
A.  J.  Parker,  at  the  May  Circuit  Court  of  1852, 
but  the  decision  was  affirmed  and  the  old  Jeffer- 
son Academy  became  a  thing  only  in  name. 

In  its  stead  we  find  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
school  buildings  in  the  County,  and  within,  a 
"Union  School,"  formed  in  the  spring  of  1878, 
that  is  of  the  same  degree,  consisting  of  two 
departments  under  the  supervision  of  first-class 


teachers.  In  front  is  the  one  hundred  and 
eight  rods  of  land  that  Stephen  Judd  early  set 
off  for  training  grounds  and  lastly  for  the 
Academy  site.  It  is  still  the  property  of  the 
Judd  heirs,  but  as  long  as  the  villagers  use  the 
grounds  as  a  park  and  they  are  not  put  to  private 
use,  a  promise  is  given  that  .it  will  remain  as  it 
is..  It  is  the  "  Yankee  feature  "  of  the  place, 
as  in  most  of  the  villages  of  the  New  England 
States  a  pleasant  green,  filled  with  trees,  many 
prodigious  in  size,  with  "branches  broad,  and 
shade  most  cooling  "  is  to  be  seen,  which  to  the 
passing  stranger  denotes  liberality. 

Among  the  settlers  that  came  to  this  town 
during  the  years  from  1800  to  1812,  (and  there 
were  many,)  was  Mrs.  Sarah  Minor,  whose 
courage  under  adverse  circumstances,  led  her  to 
perform  a  task  that  is  worthy  of  being  noticed. 
Her  husband  was  a  truant  one,  and  deserted 
his  family,  which  numbered  many  children, 
leaving  no  means  of  support  but  one  cow. 
They  lived  in  Duchess  county,  and  finding  it 
useless  to  undertake  to  support  her  family  in 
that  old  settled  section  and  open  a  way  for  their 
future  prosperity,  she  conceived  the  idea  of 
taking  "her  all"  and  locating  in  some  of  the 
border  settlements  where  land  could  be  bought 
cheap,  and  paid  for  in  small  installments.  She 
packed  her  small  supply  of  clothing  and  started, 
leading  the  cow  with  a  rope,  and,  as  the  song 
says,  "children  came  tumbling  after."  She 
concluded  to  settle  in  the  north  part  of  the  town, 
in  a  log-house  that  stood  upon  the  place,  and 
being  something  of  a  genius  as  well  as  perfect 
with  the  needle,  she  gave  notice  that  "  Tailoring 
done  to  order,"  would  be  her  avocation.  She 
"  cut  and  fitted  "  as  well  as  made  all  the  gar- 
ments for  the  pioneers  of  the  town  for  many 
years,  and  obtained  a  sumptuous  living.  The 
oldest  children  were  girls,  who  embraced  every 
opportunity  of  studying,  and  made  themselves 
competent  to  teach  school,  which  at  once 
lightened  the  mother's  labors  in  supporting  the 
younger  children.  Each  one  of  the  children 
was  early  taught  economy,  and  as  they  ad- 
vanced in  growth  and  strength,  they  were  care- 
fully put  to  work,  and  each  grew  to  man  and 
womanhood  and  became  worthy  of  their 
mother's  labor  and  care. 


146 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Tanneries.— Khont  the  year  181 6  a  tannery 
was  constructed  (but  by  whom  we  are  unable 
to  say)  in  the  hollow,  south  of  the  main  street, 
which,  we  are  told  by  Mr.  B.  H.  Avery,  was 
purchased  by  Zodack  Pratt,  in  1820.  The 
father  of  our  informant,  John  Avery,  then  a  work- 
man in  the  proprietor's  shop  at  Prattsville,  was 
sent  there  to  manage  the  works,  which  he  pur- 
chased in  a  few  years  and  continued  the  business 
until  the  year  1845. 

Another  establishment  of  the  kind  was  in 
operation,  during  the  same  years,  farther  down 
the  stream  and  conducted  by  Eli  Jones,  who 
was  succeeded  by  his  brother  Chauncy,  until 
about  1846,  when  that  enterprise  also  faded 
from  existence. 

First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Jefferson. — -It 
must  not  be  thought  that  the  strict  Yankees  of 
this  town  failed  in  establishing,  upon  their  ad- 
vent here,  churches,  stores  and  other  marks  of 
civilization  and  conveniences,  that  have  ever 
been  indispensable  to  a  true  Yankee  life. 

Preaching  was  performed  by  ministers  sent 
by  the  Presbytery  for  several  years,  and  after 
the  usual  prehminaries  in  the  formation  of  a 
society,  the  people  congregated  and  caused  the 
following  to  be  entered  upon  their  records. 

"At  a  meeting  regularly  warned  in  the  town 
of  Jefferson,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
•  people's  minds  and  views  as  to  the  formation  of 
a  church  among  them,  and  the  meeting  being 
opened  by  a  solemn  address  to  the  Throne  of 
Grace,  the  following  persons  whose  names  are 
underwritten,  presented  themselves  for  exami- 
nation, viz: — 

Thomas  Merchant, 
Reuben  Foot, 
Nathaniel  Merrill, 
Joseph  P.  Northrup, 
William  Judd, 
John  Turner, 
Mary  Merrill, 
Sarah  Judd, 
Rachel  Atwood, 
Sabra  Agard, 
Bethiah  Baker, 
Mary  Wilson, 
Hannah  Baker, 


Nancy  Baker, 
Phebe  Hurlburt, 
Siene  Foot, 
Sally  Atwood, 
Sylvia  Foot, 
Judith  Turner. 

The  above  were  organized  and  pronounced  a 
regular  church  of  Christ,  by  Rev.  Stephen  Fenn 
and  Rev.  William  Bull,  on  the  25th  of  June, 
1809. 

The  following  have  officiated  as  regular  pas- 
tors, and  present  a  list  of  accomplished  scholars 
that  have  from  time  to  time  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  the  public  by  their  masterly  sermons. 

William  Salsbury,  settled  as  the  resident  pas- 
tor in  1 8 10,  and  closed  his  services  March  7, 
1830. 

He  was  followed  by  Rev.  Stephen  Fenn,  in 
the  latter  year,  who  died  suddenly  on  the  26th 
of  September,  1833,  leaving  the  society  without 
a  pastor,  until  1835. 

William  Frasier,  A.  M.,  then  was  called  and 
continued  five  years.  Itwasdurmghis  term  that 
the  church  edifice  was  burned  which  was  built 
about  the  year  181 1.  The  building  stood  upon 
the  green  in  front  of  the  present  site.  Through 
Rev.  Frasier's  business  tact  the  present  sub- 
stantial structure  was  built  in  the  years  1836 
and  1837.  During  the  interim,  services  were 
held  in  the  Academy. 

Nearly  one  year  elapsed  after  the  close  of 
Frasier's  pastoral  duties,  before  another  was  set- 
tled, for  the  reason  that  the  society  were  waiting 
for  Rev.  Salsbury,  who  had  endeared  himself  to 
the  people,  to  again  become  their  leader.  He 
officiated  from  1841  to  1849. 

He  was  succeeeded  by  Wm.  J.  McCord,  in 
185 1,  who  remained  four  years. 

Rev.  Phineas  Robinson  came  in  1857  and 
closed  in  1859,  which  left  the  church  without  a 
settled  minister  until  1862. 

A.  S.  Beard  then  was  called  and  remained  two 
years.  During  the  space  of  time  from  the  going 
and  coming  of  the  pastors,  the  pulpit  was  sup- 
plied nearly  every  Sabbath  by  students  and  re- 
tired ministers,  under  orders  of  the  Presbytery. 

Four  years  passed  after  Rev.  Beard  left,  before 
a  resident  preacher  was  settled,  in  whom  was 


TOWN  OF  JEFFERSON. 


M? 


found  Rev.  A.  Montgomery,  who  remained  to 
the  year  1872. 

He  was  immediately  followed  by  Rev  P.  I. 
Abbott. 

Upon  the  close  of  the  latter  gentleman's  ser- 
vices in  1875,  Josiah  Markle  followed  in  the 
same  year  and  closed  in  1878. 

Two  years  passed,  in  which  time,  several  occu- 
pied the  pulpit,  among  whom  was  Irving  White, 
a  student,  when  the  present  pastor,  David  Her- 
ron,  located. 

Merchants. — The  first  store  was  kept  in  a  log 
house,  but  by  whom  is  not  known.  Abner  Bis- 
sell  commenced  the  business  about  the  year 
1812,  and  was  soon  followed  by  one  Schoelar, 
who  was  succeeded  by  Hezekiah  Watson  in 
1825,  who  kept  a  general  assortment  of  goods 
up  to  the  year  1855,  and  identified  himself  with 
the  best  interests  of  the  place.  During  the 
time  Watson  was  in  business,  one  Lyon  was  in 
trade,  and  Joseph  Crane  and  E.  B.  Fenn  formed 
a  co-partnership  which  changed  to  "  Crane  & 
Pratt."  Adam  P.  Mattice  established  a  trade 
and  associated  Henry  P.  Mattice  with  him,  and 
conducted  a  successful  business  for  several  years. 
G.  W.  Childs  also  embarked  and  soon  connected 
himself  with  B.  H.  Avery,  under  the  firm  of 
Childs  &  Avery.  After  two  years  of  such  con- 
nection passed,  Avery  withdrew  and  soon  formed 
the  firm  of  B.  H.  &  H.  Avery,  while  Childs  con- 
tinued the  business  alone,  for  a  while  and 
failed. 

At  that  time  Charles  Twitchel  and  W.  S. 
Jones  became  associated  and  were  soon  followed 
by  "  Rugg  &  Merchant,"  who  changed  the  firm 
to  J.  H.  &  B.  B.  Merchant. 

Twitchel  &  Jones  dissolved,  and  Jones  con- 
tinued the  business  alone  for  some  time.  The 
Avery  firm  also  broke  connection  and  B.  H. 
Avery  and  Jones  became  partners,  which  was 
changed  at  the  expiration  of  three  years  by 
Jones  withdrawing  and  Avery  stemming  the 
tide  alone,  which  he  did  successfully  for  many 
years,  when  his  son  William  B.  relieved  the  father 
and  connected  himself  with  T.  O.  Burnett. 
Young  Avery  died  shortly  after,  and  his  place 
was  taken  by  a  brother,  Benjamin  H.  Avery 
who  purchased  Burnett's  interest,  and  conducted 
the  business  alone  as  at  the  present  time.     Af- 


ter the  dissolution  of  Avery  &  Jones,  the  latter  set 
up  in  trade  alone,  which  he  continues  at  the 
present  time,  with  a  general  assortment  of  goods 
such  as  are  usually  found  in  a  country  store. 
The  firm  of  J.  H.  &  B.  B.  Merchant  discon- 
tinued business  and  one  was  formed  under  the 
name  of  "  Stevens  &  Shafer,''  and  drifted  to  a 
"Union  store" — about  the  year  1855  or  '56 — un- 
der the  management  of  G.  W.  Childs.  Not  prov- 
ing, as  others  of  the  kind,  a  successful  enterprise, 
Childs  purchased  the  stock  in  trade  and  formed 
the  firm  of  "  Childs  &  Olmstead,"  which  was 
succeeded  by  the  present  substantial  business 
manager,  Ezra  Mitchell.  There  may  have  been, 
from  time  to  time,  transient  tradesmen  whom 
we  have  not  noticed,  but  the  foregoing  have 
been  the  leading  merchants  of  the  town,  among 
whom,  by  consulting  the  civil  list,  will  be  found 
representative  men,  whose  qualifications  proved 
them  to  be  inferior  to  none,  as  public  officials, 
and  worthy  recipients  of  the  confidence  placed  in 
them  by  the  people,  as  well  as  of  the  educa- 
tional advantages  founded  by  the  early  settlers. 

Physicians. — We  do  not  know  for  a  certainty 
who  the  first  physician  of  the  town  was,  but  as 
far  back  as  1816  we  are  creditably  informed, 
Dr.  Davis  and  Dr.  Burton  were  in  practice, 
and  were  followed  shortly  after  that  date  by 
Dr.  Teunis  Cooper.  Eli  Boice  settled  in  1820, 
and  remained  until  1854,  when  he  removed  to 
Warnerville,  where  he  died  in  1857.  Drs. 
Alexander  White  and  William  A.  Laurens  came 
in  1850  or  a  short  time  before,  and  were  suc- 
ceeded by  Drs.  Flint  and  Watson,  the  latter  of 
Fultonhara.  A.  A.  Wood  purchased  the  prac- 
tice of  Laurens  in  1864,  who  in  that  year  was 
made  a  contemporary  of  J.  D.  Havens,  who 
located  here.  The  present  practicing  physician, 
Dr.  R.  Grant  Havens,  came  the  year  after, 
and  was  followed  by.  J.  R.  Mathew  in  1872, 
who  remained  to  the  year  1874,  when  Dr. 
Bartlett  followed.  The  latter  soon  removed  to 
give  place  to  Dr.  R.  Hubbell,  who  came  in  1878 
and  still  remains.  Of  the  preceding  list.  Dr. 
Cooper  was  in  practice  the  greatest  number  of 
years,  having  kept  in  the  field  until  1872,  when 
he  died  at  an  advanced  age.  The  Doctor  when  at 
the  age  of  seventy-five  met  with  an  accident  that 
deprived  him  of  an  arm,  which  it  was  feared 


148 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


would  prove  fatal,  having  arrived  at  an  age 
when  the  bones  become  brittle  and  obstinate  in 
healing.  Upon  the  4th  of  July,  1865,  a  cele- 
bration was  held  in  the  village  and  a  cannon 
was  used  upon  the  occasion,  in  front  of  which 
the  Doctor  passed  as  it  was  discharged.  Having 
his  arm  thrown  out,  the  gun's  charge  took  it  off 
below  the  elbow.  Dr.  J.  D.  Havens  performed 
the  amputation  and  it  proved  successful,  as  the 
stump  became  as  sound  as  upon  younger  per- 
sons. We  cannot  pass  on  without  referring  to 
Dr.  J.  D.  Havens,  whose  struggles  in  the  pro- 
fession were  dampened  by  ill  health  and  its 
chilling  adversities.  He  was  born  in  this  town 
in  1834  and  studied  medicine  and  surgery  in 
the  office  of  Dr.  Alden  March,  of  Albany,  and 
graduated  at  the  Albany  Medical  School  in 
1861.  He  located  at  Albany  and  removed  to 
Jefferson  in  1865,  from  whence  he  again  settled 
in  Blenheim,  where  he  was  taken  sick  and 
closed  his  life  on  the  14th  of  February,  1875, 
in  the  forty-first  year  of  his  age.  But  few 
young  practitioners  possessed  the  medical  skill 
of  Dr.  Havens,  and  had  he  lived  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  health,  few  would  have  been  his  super- 
iors in  the  profession. 

The  Judd  Family, — There  were  five  brothers 
bearing  that  name  who  settled  in  this  town, 
namely,  Stephen,  Freeman,  Thomas,  Erastus, 
and  Eben,  beside  a  cousin,  Marvin  Judd,  who 
became  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  Coun- 
ty. The  family  previously  came  from  New 
England,  and  a  few  of  them  settled  in  the 
present  town  of  Harpersfield,  years  before  they 
located  here.  Stephen,  familiarly  known  as  Cal 
Judd,  for  many  years  kept  an  "inn"  at  that 
place  and  became  a  large  landholder,  when  he 
removed  to  this  place  and  became  the  "lord"  of 
the  settlement.  His  brother.  Freeman,  as  the 
story  is  told,  was  a  peculiar  personage,  and  un- 
doubtedly half-crazed,  and  spent  a  goodly  por- 
tion of  his  time  in  wandering  around  making 
pretentions  of- skill  in  various  trades,  especially 
in  carpentry,  also  as  a  preacher,  taking  the 
book  of  Revelations  as  the  foundation  of  his 
remarks,  referring  particularly  to  the  "horses 
and  their  riders."  We  are  told  that  he  claimed 
to  be  the  first  white  traveler  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  village,  unless  it  be  those  that  ac- 


companied the  Indians  from  and  to  the  valleys 
of  the  Schoharie  and  Susquehanna  during  the 
war.  He  claimed  he  passed  the  first  night 
beneath  a  hemlock  tree  that  stood  upon  the 
farm,  later  purchased  by  his  brother  Stephen. 
"Uncle  Free,"  as  everybody  called  him,  says 
the  manuscript  of  Peter  R.  Dyckman,  a  gentle- 
man who  has  made  himself  familiar  with  the 
early  history  of  the  town,  used  te  measure  timber 
for  building  by  pacing,  and  using  a  hatchet  to 
mark  when  he  wished  a  mortise  made,  saying 
"  make  a  mortise  somewhere  hereabouts."  In 
some  of  his  wanderings  in  a  western  county  he 
built  what  was  called  a  saw-mill.  Some  time 
after  visiting  that  section,  a  farmer  overtook 
"  Free ''  and  invited  him  to  ride.  Being 
strangers  to  each  other  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  mill  Uncle  Free  asked  "  how  does  the  mill 
go  ?"  The  man  rephed  not  knowing  with 
whom  he  was  talking,  "  It  goes,  curse  my  Maker, 
curse  my  Maker — c-u-r-s-e  m-y  m-a-k-e-r." 
"Aye,"  replied  Free,  "then  it  remembers  its 
maker  yet  ?"  Taking  the  original  Judd  settlers 
together,  very  few  families  possess  the  ability 
and  energy  that  they  displayed,  and  still  less 
that  make  as  proper  use  of  them. 

There  is  a  tradition  in  the  family  that  Daniel 
Judd,  an  elder  brother  of  Colonel  Stephen's, 
was  murdered  by  the  Indians  during  the  Revo- 
lution, and  they  carried  his  head  to  Canada 
upon  a  pole. 

The  Jefferson  Working  Lodge  No.  554,  was 
instituted  in  June,  1864,  and  chartered  the 
same  month,  1865  with  ten  members,  and  is 
one  of  the  active  lodges  of  the  County,  number- 
ing at  the  present  time  sixty  members.  Soon 
after  its  organization,  a  large  building  was 
erected  for  lodge  purposes,  but  the  expenditure 
being  too  great  for  the  society  to  overcome,  the 
property  was  sold,  and  has  since  been  rented  by 
the  order  in  connection  with  that  of  the  G.  A.  R. 

The  charter  members  were  : — ■ 

O.  D.  Young, 
L.  H.  Brewster, 
S.  L.  Curtis, 
S.  L.  Mayham, 
Aaron  Stevens, 
David  Stevens, 


TOWN  OF  JEFFERSON. 


149 


Chas.  Beard, 
E.  G.  Brockway, 
Joseph  Merchant, 
John  Stevens. 

G.  A.  R. — This  organization  was  formed 
December  10,  1879,  and  named  Tyler  Post  No. 
131,  in  honor  of  a  townsman  that  laid  his  hfe 
upon  the  "  altar  of  his  country."  The  charter 
members  were  : — 

Rev.  C.  H.  Travis, 
William  Kennedy, 
P.  S.  Tabor, 
Robert  Veley, 
Benjamin  Reynold, 
John  Lambert, 
Edward  Bruce, 
George  W.  Evans, 
Joseph  S.  Perry, 
Isaac  P.  Nichols, 
Wesley  Spoor. 

Churches.  —  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  West  Jefferson  is  the  oldest  organization  in 
the  town,  being  formed  in  the  fall  of  1800,  by 
"circuit  riders"  as  traveling  preachers  were  called. 
Services  were  held  in  private  houses  and  the 
forest,  until  18 16,  when  a  special  house  for  wor- 
ship was  erected,  but  for  many  years  was  not 
lathed  or  plastered.  The  means  of  warming 
dwellings  at  that  time  was  by  fire-places,  and 
not  deeming  it  safe,  the  settlers'  ingenuity  was 
taxed  to  provide  other  means.  An  old  potash 
kettle  was  obtained  and  set  in  masonry,  inverted 
and  a  hole  pierced  through  the  bottom  from 
which  a  stove  pipe  of  their  own  invention  and 
make,  protruded,  and  formed  a  convenience 
similar  to  the  modern  box-stove.  In  1850,  the 
old  house  was  deserted  and  the  present  one  oc- 
cupied, being  built  in  that  year. 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Society. — 
Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Frank  A.  Gait 
and  Mr.  A.  W.  Clark,  we  present  the  following 
in  regard  to  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
Society  and  others  of  this  section  : — 

The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Society  was 
organized  in  1800  at  West  Jefferson,  with  about 
twelve  names.  The  first  pastors  were  Zenas 
Covel  and  Daniel  Ireland.  The  house  of  wor- 
ship was  erected  in  18 17. 


The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Jefferson  Village  was  organized  in  18 19,  with 
thirteen  members.  Two  years  later  the  Jeffer- 
son Circuit  was  formed,  this  being  set  off  from 
the  Sharon  Circuit.  The  following  named 
places  were  included  in  the  circuit,  but  have 
since  been  made  into  separate  charges,  viz: — 

Hunter, 

Lexington, 

East  Jewett, 

Windham, 

Ashland, 

Prattsville, 

Gilboa, 

Livingstonville, 

North  Blenheim, 

Jefferson, 

Stamford, 

Summit, 

Eminence,  etc. 

The  present  appointments  are  Jefferson,  West 
Jefferson,  and  North  Harpersfield,  the  oldest 
being  West  JeffersoUj  the  i)ioneer  church  of 
this  section. 

The  first  church  which  was  built  in  1844,  was 
removed  to  the  present  location  in  1859,  and 
reconstructed  in  1869,  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  The 
church  property  is  valued  at  $6,000.  The  pres- 
ent membership  is  one  hundred  and  forty-eight. 

Pastors  since  separate  organization  : — 

1821 — John  Bangs  and  Henry  Ames. 
1822 — John  Bangs  and  Roswell  Kelley. 
1823 — Jesse  Pomeroy,  Quartus  Stewart  and 

C.  Pomeroy. 
1824 — Daniel  J.  Wright  and  Quartus  Stewart. 
1825 — Daniel  J.  Wright  and  John  Wait. 
1826 — Friend  W.   Smith,  D.  Poor  and  John 

Finnegan. 
1827 — Cyrus  Silleman,  Alexander  Calderand 

John  Finnegan. 
1828 — Alexander  Calder,   Philo  Ferris   and 

John  Finnegan. 
1829 — Philo  Ferris  and  John  Bangs. 
1830 — Eli  Dennison  and  Paul  R.  Bronson. 
183 1 — Eli  Dennison  and  Paul  R.  Bronson. 
1832 — Harvey  Brown. 
1833 — Harvey  Brown. 
1834 — Desivignia  Starks  and  John  Bangs. 


'5° 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


183s — Elbert  Osborne,  John  Bangs  and  R. 

H.  Bloomer. 
1836 — Philip  L.   Hoyt  and  J.  D.  Bouton. 
1837 — John  Carver  and  Olif  G.  Hedstrom. 
1838 — John  Carver,  Olif  G.  Hedstrom. 
1839 — Aaron  Rogers,  Arad  Lakin. 
1840 — Aaron  Rogers,  Arad  Lakin. 
1 841 — Reuben  H.  Bloomer,   Daniel  Bullock. 
1842 — Daniel  Bullock. 
1843— Eben  S.   Hibbard,  W.  F.  Gould. 
1844 — Eben  S.  Hibbard,  Amos  N.  Mulnix. 
1845 — Addi  Lee  and  John  Bangs. 
1846 — Jason  Wells. 

•  1847 — Jason  Wells,  Orrin  P.  Matthews. 
1848 — -William  Lull  and  Ezra  S.  Cook. 
1849 — WiUiam  B.  Mitchell,  Milo  Couchman 
1850— William  B.  Mitchell. 
1851 — Edward  S.  Stout,  James  W.  Smith. 
1852 — Russell  S.  Scott,  James  W.  Smith. 
1853 — Zepaniah  D.  Scoby. 
1854 — Orrin  P.  Matthews. 
1855 — Orrin  P.  Matthews. 
1856 — Asahel  M.  Hough. 
1857 — Asahel  M.  Hough. 
1858— Noble  Lovett. 
1859 — John   F.    Richmond,  Noble    Lovett, 

superannuated. 
i860 — John    F.    Richmond,    Noble    Lovett, 

superannuated. 
1 86 1 — Charles  Palmer. 
1862— W.  V.  O.  Brainard. 
1863— W.  V.  O.  Brainard. 
1864— Orrin  P.  Dales. 
1865— Orrin  P.  Dales. 
1866 — Edwin  P.  Pierce. 
1867 — Edwin  P.  Pierce. 
1868— J.  P.  Burger. 
1869— J.  P.  Burger. 
1870 — J.  P.  Burger. 
187 1— William  D.  Fiero. 
1872 — William  D.  Fiero. 
1873 — George  Woodruff. 
1874 — George  Woodruff. 
1875 — Lorenzo  G.  Niles. 
1876 — Lorenzo  G.  Niles. 
1877 — Lorenzo  G.  Niles. 
1878— C.  H.  Travis. 
1879 — C.  H.  Travis. 
1880— C.  H.  Travis. 
1 88 1— William  Blake. 


The  Presiding  Elders  since  the  organization  of 
the  Prattsville  District  are  : — 

1853 — Seymour  Van  Dusen. 
1854 — Seymour  Van  Dusen. 
1855 — Jarvis  Y.  Nichols. 
1856— John  R.  Beach. 
1857 — John  R.  Beach. 
1858— John  R.  Beach. 
1859 — John  R.  Beach. 
i860 — Paul  R.  Brown. 
1861 — Paul  R.  Brown. 
1862— Paul  R.  Brown. 
1863— Paul  R.  Brown. 
1864 — William  Goss. 
1865 — William  Goss. 
1866— William  Goss. 
1867 — William  Goss. 
i868— Thomas  W.  Chadwick. 
T869 — Thomas  W.  Chadwick. 
1870 — Thomas  W.  Chadwick. 
1 87 1 — Thomas  W.  Chadwick. 
1872 — Aaron  R.  Sanford. 
1873 — Aaron  K.  Sanford. 
1874 — Aaron  K.  Sanford. 
1875 — Aaron  K.  Sanford. 
1876 — John  E.  Gorse. 
1877— John  E.  Gorse. 
1878— John  E.  Gorse. 
1879 — John  E.  Gorse. 
1880 — Lucius  H.  King. 
1 88 1 — Lucius  H.  King. 

The  West  Kill  Methodist  Church. — A  class 
was  formed  in  1816,  as  a  branch  of  the  above 
church,  and  called  The  West  Kill  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  under  the  preaching  of  Rev. 
Arnold  ScoSeld,  and  held  their  meetings  in  pri- 
vate houses  and  the  school  house  until  1854, 
when  the  present  edifice  was  erected.  The 
same  clergyman,  who  was  assisted  in  his 
pastoral  labors  by  Rev.  N.  Bice,  formed  the 
Methodist  church  of  Jefferson  village,  as  before 
stated,  in  1819. 

At  a  later  date,  as  the  country  became  more 
settled  and  for  the  convenience  of  residents 
that  usually  attended  church  service  on  foot  for 
miles,  each  Sabbath,  the  neighborhood  of  Morse- 
ville  in  the  northern  part  of  the  town  organized 
a  class  as  the  "  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of 
Morseville,"  under   the  labors  of  Rev.  Harvey 


TOWN  OF  JEFFERSON. 


151 


Brown.  The  organization  was  effected  some 
time  in  1832,  and  during  the  following  year  a 
house  of  worship  was  begun  and  made  ready  for 
occupancy  in  1834,  at  a  cost  of  nearly  $1,200. 

Revolutionary  Incidents. — During  the  Revo- 
lution, there  was  not  a  single  civilized  white 
residence  within  the  present  territory  of  the 
town.  But  a  short  distance  from  the  county 
Hne,  in  what  is  now  called  "Smith  street,''  was 
located  a  family  by  the  name  of  Clawson,  upon 
lands  now  owned  in  pait  by  Henry  Van  Buren, 
Edward  Dayton  and  Charles  Lamb.  ClawEon 
made  himself  obnoxious  as  an  inveterate  Tory. 
It  was  at  his  house,  that  Patchin  and  his  brother 
captives  were  taken,  as  intimated  in  his  narra- 
tive, elsewhere  in  this  work.  The  prison- 
ers were  jeered  at  by  two  buxom  daughters 
of  Clawson's  who  fancied  they  would  be  pleased 
to  relieve  them  of  their  checkered  lives,  and  in- 
sisted upon  Brant's  permission  to  allow  them  the 
honor.  One  of  the  prisoners  named  Chris  John 
Richtmyer,  escaped  the  following  night  and  re- 
turned to  the  Schoharie  valley  and  reported  the 
events  of  that  day,  when  a  squad  of  scouts  made 
the  "  affable"  family  a  visit  and  "cleaned  the 
house.''  At  the  close  of  the  war  the  property  was 
sold  under  the  confiscation  act  and  we  believe 
was  purchased  by  the  Smith  family.  If  not,  it 
soon  came  in  that  family's  possession  and  gave 
the  name  of  "Smith  Street"  to  the  settlement. 

The  sugar  bush  in  which  the  captives  were 
at  work  when  taken,  was  but  a  short  distance 
to  the  southeast. 

Skirmish  with  Tories  and  Indians. — It  was 
upon  the  banks  of  the  small  lake  on  the  south 
border  of  the  town  that  Captain  Hager  with  his 
militia  force,  and  Captain  Hale  with  a  few 
eastern  troops,  overtook  the  Tory  Crysler  and 
his  party  that  murdered  Isaac  Vroman  near  the 
upper  fort.  This  skirmish  was  the  only  one 
which  occurred  during  the  war  that  was  disgrace- 
ful on  the  part  of  the  patriots  within  the  borders 
of  our  County.  And  much  to  our  regret,  it 
occurred  under  the  command  of  the  best  officer 
here  in  service.  The  enemy  was  overtaken 
early  in  the  morning,  a  short  distance  from  their 
encampment,  but  not  without  being  apprised  of 
the  patriots'  approach.  They  had  stationed 
themselves   upon    the    brow   of  a-  knoll   and 


formed  a  half  circle,  in  the  center  of  which 
Captain  Hager  and  force  were  expected  to 
march;  but  bearing  to  the  left,  he  came  in 
front  of  their  right  line,  when  they  sent  a  volley 
of  bullets  that  would  have  done  fatal  work  bad 
they  not  been  fired  too  high.  Captain  Hager 
instantly  saw  the  enemy's  position  and  ordered 
Captain  Hale  to  flank  to  the  right  and  charge, 
which  would  have  turned  the  enemy's  left,  as  they 
had  not  time  to  re-load  and  perhaps  did  not  in- 
tend to,  but  retreat.  Instead  of  obeying  orders, 
being  in  the  rear  of  Hager's  company,  Hale 
turned  to  the  left  (which  brought  him  out  of 
the  range  of  the  Indians'  position)  and  made  a 
retreat.  The  Indians  saw  the  opportunity  and 
quickly  reloaded,  but  the  keen  eye  of  Hager 
saw  his  dangerous  position,  and  he  ordered  his 
men  to  drop  as  the  Indians  fired  the  second  time, 
but  two  of  the  brave  patriots  fell,  not  divining  the 
order  quick  enough.  Hager  c  rdered  a  retreat 
as  the  circle  began  to  draw  around  them,  and 
overtook  Hale  some  distance  below,  and  then 
made  a  great  mistake  in  not  ridding  earth  and 
the  cause  of  freedom,  of  an  inveterate  coward. 
Getting  in  front  of  them  he  was  ordered  to  halt, 
(and  undoubtedly  German  invectives  were 
pretty  freely  used  in  reprimanding  the  villain,) 
and  to  renew^  the  charge.  Without  waiting  to 
form  in  order,  Hale  carelessly  turned  about  and 
would  have  marched  into  the  jaws  of  death  with 
his  force,  had  not  Hager  seen  the  sprig's  incom- 
petency and  ordered  him  back.  It  was  thought 
that  Hale  was  incapacitated  to  act  through 
fear.  The  patriots'  force  was  formed  in  line  at 
the  camping  grounds,  (as  they  expected  the  In- 
dians saw  their  approach,  retired  to  gain  a 
position  for  defense,)  and  marched  cautiously 
along  the  trail,  but  were  fired  upon  unexpected- 
ly; which  frightened  the  young  captain  out  of  his 
wits  if  he  ever  had  any.  The  patriots  came  to- 
gether as  ordered  by  Hager,  and  were  consult- 
ing as  to  the  next  movement,  when  the  crackling 
of  dry  sticks  and  rustling  of  disturbed  leaves 
drew  the  attention  of  the  party  to  the  back 
trail,  when  the  presence  of  Colonel  Vroman 
with  a  force  of  nearly  fifty  men  infused  cheer  in 
their  hearts. 

A  pursuit  was  decided  upon,  but  the  enemy 
could  not  be  found.  They  had  taken  to  the 
forest  and  eluded  the  search  of  the  patriots. 


152 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


After  spending  nearly  the  day  in  the  vicinity, 
the  force  numbering  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty  men  according  to  historian  Simms,  re- 
turned to  the  upper  fort  with  solemn  tread,  as 
two  of  their  brave  companions,  Joachim  Van 
Valkenburgh  and  James  Sackett,  were  lifeless 
and  bleeding  corpses,  the  former  of  whom  was 
known  as  one  of  Schoharie's  bravest  scouts. 
The  facts  relating  to  that  engagement  were 
taken  from  one  Richtmyer  and  Pollock,  who  par- 
ticipated, and  were  kept  in  manuscript,  which  we 
are  assured  is  a  genuine  statement  of  the  affair. 

Official. 

Jtistices. — The  first  justice  of  the  peace  elected 
by  the  people  at  their  annual  town  meeting  was 
John  Avery,  in  the  spring  of  1833.  At  that 
time  there  were  eighty-six  persons  in  the  town 
"liable''  as  the  records  say,  to  serve  as  petit 
jurors. 

From  the  well  kept  records  we  have  drawn  the 
names  of  the  supervisors  that  have  served,  with 
the  date  of  service,  which  are  as  follows  : — 

1803 — Ezra  Beard. 
1804 — Stephen  Judd. 
1805 — Heman  Hickok. 


1806— 
1807 — 
1808— 
1809 — 
1810— 
1811— 
1812— 


do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 


1813 — Marcus  Andrews. 
1814 — Marvin  Judd. 
1815 —  do 

1816 — Abner  Bissell. 
1817 — Ezra  Beard. 

1818—  do 

1819 —  do 
1820 — Marvin  Judd. 
1 82 1 — Abner  Bissell. 
1822 — Marvin  Judd. 
1823 —             do 
1824 — John  Daley. 
1825 —            do 

1826 — Isaac  Buckingham. 
1827 —  do 

1828— John  Daley. 


1829 — En  OS  Minor. 

1830 —  do 

183 1 — Benjamin  Bruce. 

1832 —  do 

1833 — -Hiram  Judd. 

1834 — Ezekiel  Gallup. 

1835 — -Benjamin  Hickok. 

1836—  do 

1837 — Samuel  E.  Turner. 

1838—  do 

1839 — Ezekiel  Gallup. 

1840 — Hezekiah  Watson. 

1841 — Levi  Gallup,  Jr. 

1842 —  do 

1843 — Asahel  Cowley. 

1844 — David  P.  Stevens. 

1845 —  do 

1846 — Levi  Gallup,  Jr. 

1847 —  do 

1848— Clark  Franklin. 

1849— Alfred  S.  White. 

1850 — David  Young. 

1 85 1 — Samuel  R.  Griggs. 

1852 — Jesse  Brockway. 

1853 — Benjamin  Smith. 

1854 — John  Ruland. 

1855— David  W.  Gallup. 

1856 — David  Young. 

1857— Alfred  S.  White. 

1858—  do 

1859 — Elijah  Danforth. 

i860 — Beriah  H.  Avery. 

1 86 1 — William  A.  Loughran. 

1862— James  T.  Treadwell. 

1863 — William  A.  Loughran. 

1864— John  W.  Gibbs. 

1865— William  S.  Jones. 

1866 — George  Mattice, 

1867—  do 

1868 — Charles  Mayham. 

1869 — George  Mattice. 

1870 — Charles  Mayham. 

1 87 1— Stephen  J.  Tyler. 

1872 —  do 

1873 — Charles  Mayham. 

1874 — Beriah  H.  Avery. 

1875— Ezra  Twitchell. 

1876—  do 

1877 — William  S.  Jones. 

1878—  do 


TOWN  OF  SUMMIT. 


153 


1879 — William  S.  Jones. 
1880 — Ezra  Twitchell. 
1881—  do 

1882— Moses  W.  Wilcox. 

Ezra  Twitchell  resigned  in  1881.  The  town 
was  not  represented  at  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  board.  Moses  W.  Wilcox  was  appointed  to 
fill  vacancy  and  elected  in  the  spring  of  1882. 

The  surface  of  the  town  is  uneven,  broken 
principally  by  the  West-kill,  the  outlet  of  Sum- 
mit lake  and  a  tributary  of  the  Schoharie. 
Along  this  stream  the  Aborigines  early  formed 
a  trail  to  reach  the  lake  and  Charlotte.  Dur- 
ing the  Revolution  it  was  frequently  traversed 
by  them  with  captives,  while  at  other  times  the 
Harpersfield  course  was  taken  to  reach  the 
Susquehanna.  The  sheet  of  water  lying  upon 
the  south  line  still  bears  the  Indian  name  Ut- 
syantha,  and  we  trust  a  name  will  never  be 
thought  of  that  will  be  considered  more  appro- 
priate. At  some  point  upon  the  northwest 
bank  an  angle  was  made  in  the  Colonial  line 
between  old  Tryon  and  Albany  counties.  The 
line  ran  from  the  northeast  corner  of  Old  Dor- 
lach  patent  in  Carlisle  to  this  point,  giving  the 
western  part  of  the  town  to  Tryon  and  the 
eastern  to  Albany. 

During  the  Southern  Rebellion  this  town 
sent  a  large  number  of  volunteers,  and 
was  prompt  in  filling  its  quota  by  bounty  at 
each  call  for  men  by  the  President,  and  in  con- 
tributing necessary  articles  for  the  comfort  of 
the  "  Boys  in  Blue." 

The  amount  of  bonds  issued  for  bounty  pur- 
poses during  the  war,  as  near  as  can  be  ascer- 
tained, was  $29,811.39. 

The  limits  of  this  town  have  only  been  de- 
fined by  the  act  of  18 13,  and  are  as  follows: — 

"And  all  that  part  of  the  said  County  of  Scho- 
harie,beginning  at  a  point  in  the  northern  bounds 
of  Blenheim  patent  in  the  east  line  of  the 
third  range  of  lots  in  said  patent,  and  running 
thence  along  the  northerly  bounds  of  said  pa- 
tent to  the  northwest  corner  thereof,  thence  con- 
tinuing the  same  line  to  the  bounds  of  the 
County,  thence  along  the   same   southerly  and 


easterly,  until  it  intersects  a  Kne  running  south- 
erly from  the  place  of  beginning,  between  the 
third  and  fourth  ranges  of  said  lots,  thence 
northerly  along  the  said  line  so  intersected  to 
the  place  of  beginning,  shall  be  and  continue 
a  town  by  the  name  of  Jefferson." 


CHAPTER  XI. 
History  of  the  Town  of  Summit. 

Beauty  of  Scenery— Signal  Station— Weath- 
er Signal — Hon.  Seymour  Boughton — 
Tradition  of  the  Lake  —  Johnson  and 
Brant's  Halt— Early  Settlers-Brown  and 
Other  Business  Men^ — Charlotte  Valley 
—Service  Tragedy — Murphy's  Own  State- 
ment— Murphy's  Purchase — Act  of  1777 
— Controversy  in  Regard  to  the  Service 
Farm  —  Abraham  Becker — Suit  Gained — 
Service's  Affair  Contemplated — Settle- 
ment of  the  Western  Part  of  the  Town — 
Seminary — Its  History — Faculty  Etc. — 
Dairy  Interest  —  Elisha  Brown  —  As- 
semblymen —  Sheriffs  — John  Lawyer — 
S.  J.  Lake — Isaac  W.  Beard — John  H. 
Coons — Churches — First  Baptist  Church 
—  Second  Baptist  Church — Eeformed 
Church  of  Eminence — Methodist — Free 
Methodist— Lutheran  of  Lutheranville- 
Lutheran  of  Beard's  Hollow  —  Town 
Volunteers — Medical  Fraternity — First 
Town  Meeting — Resolutions — Report  of 
1 880 — Officials — Eminence. 


I 


N  reaching  a  point  on  the  road  from  Rich- 
mondville  to  Summit  village,  the  traveler 
may  form  an  idea  of  the  origin  of  the  name 
given  to  the  town  by  looking  down  upon  the 
surrounding  country  that  stretches  a  panorama 
of  beauty  and  grandeur — before  the  eye,  scarcely 
equalled.  And  when  he  ascends  Mount  Whar- 
ton, a  little  to  the  west,  and  gains  the  height 


154 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


of  twenty-two  hundred  feet  above  sea  level,  the 
hills  in  the  distance,  that  seemed  of  prodigious 
heights  and  precipitous  sides,  as  traversed,  ap- 
pear to  be  miniature  ones,  of  easy  ascent,  placed 
where  they  stand  as  obstacles,  to  vary  the  scene. 
Even  the  peak  of  Karker  Mountain  of  Carlisle, 
from  which,  it  was  thought  by  the  early  settlers, 
nearly  half  of  the  hemisphere  could  be  seen, 
vainly  rears  itself,  like  a  small  cone  far  below. 
The  state  surveying  party  under  Horatio  Sey- 
mour Jun.,  in  the  summer  of  1880,  placed  a 
Stan  Helio  signal  upon  this  mountain,  and  gave 
it  the  name  of  Mount  Wharton,  after  the  owner 
of  the  land— J.  B.Wharton. 

Here,  the  clouds  which  to-day,  seem  to  be  at 
as  great  height  above  us,  as  when  we  stand  in 
the  valley  below,  often  rest  upon  this  mountain 
as  a  hazy  veil,  shutting  from  view  its  venerable 
peak,  to  those  in  the  valleys  below,  who  often 
catch  a  glimpse  of  it,  to  prophesy  the  future 
weather  in  the  absence — perhaps  of  a  barometer 
or  Webster's  Almanac,  as  tradition  has  told 
them,  the  appearance  of  the  peak  will  tell  with  as 
much  accuracy  as  that  renowned  pamphlet. 
Upon  the  very  cheek  of  this  mountain,  in  a  little 
furrow,  is  found  one  of  those  sheets  of  water, 
whose  beauty  makes  it  a  libel  to  call  a  pond, 
and  which  is  too  small  in  acreage,  to  claim  that 
of  lake. 

Pleasure  and  health  seekers  have  found  rare 
sport  here  in  fishing  and  rowing  seasons,  as  the 
water  is  kept  lively  by  the  finny  tribe,  and  pleas- 
ure boats  have  been  placed  upon  the.  silvery 
sheet,  which  add  much  to  the  attraction  of  the 
place;  as  to  "  dip  the  oar "  has  a  peculiar  fas- 
cination by  which  but  very  few  refuse  to  be 
allured. 

Our  earliest  recollection  of  this  resort,  is, 
when  but  ayouth,  we  sat  beside  the  late  "  Squire" 
Boughton,  and  vainly  tried  to  force  the  obsti- 
nate "bullheads"  to  bite  after  our  patience  was 
exhausted  in  coaxing,  while  he,  with  ease  and 
grace  swung  out  and  lured  the  largest  to  his 
well-filled  basket. 

The  Squire's  inward  chuckle  occasionally  found 
vent,  and  upon  one  of  those  (to  us)  mortifying 
times,  his  boast  rang  out  long  and  loud,  that  his 
basket  would  hold  no  more.  But  not  content, 
he   swung  out   again   and  his  successful  hook, 


fearful,  perhaps,  it  could  do  no  better,  caught 
the  handle  of  the  basket,  and  to  the  joy  of  our 
crushed  feelings,  basket  and  fish  were  thrown 
rods  from  the  shore  and  disappeared  to  the  bot- 
tom, while  the  Squire,  without  a  word,  sought 
his  home. 

Seymour  Boughton  was  a  venerable  man.  He 
removed  to  this  place  from  Charlotteville,  and 
represented  the  town  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
in  i833-'34-'36  and '53,  and  the  western  dis- 
trict in  the  Assembly  in  the  years  1840  and '45. 
Serving  many  years  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  and 
desirous  of  being  competent  to  perform  the 
duties  of  the  office  intelligently,  he  studied  law 
earnestly,  and  became  quite  proficient  in  trying 
civil  cases,  after  his  term  of  office  expired. 
Many  cases  were  hotly  contested  by  the  Squire 
and  his  neighbor,  Thomas  W.  Furguson,  Whose 
legal  ability  was  nearly  the  same,  which  pro- 
duced a  vast  amount  of  fun,  and  attracted  large 
crowds  to  witness. 

Mr.  Boughton  was  a  thorough  business  man, 
to  whom  one  quickly  became  attached  by  his 
whole-souled  hospitality  and  gentlemanly  bear- 
ing. He  was  the  youngest  of  nineteen  children 
and  removed  with  his  father,  Shubel  Boughton, 
from  Danbury,  Connecticut,  in  the  early  part  of 
the  century,  and  settled  at  Charlotteville.  The 
Squire  built  the  present  Van  Buren  house  of 
that  village  as  a  "  tavern''  and  was  engaged  in 
the  business  many  years.  All  the  houses  of  that 
day  in  this  section,  were  built  of  logs  and  upon 
putting  up  a  frame  building  the  Squire  was  cen- 
sured as  being  extravagant,  and  when  he  painted 
the  same,  his  economical  neighbors  imagined  he 
was  bent  on  wasting  his  property.  He  ground 
the  paint  in  a  potash  kettle  with  a  large  iron 
ball,  and  applied  it  to  the  building  himself.  It  was 
the  first  framed  house  in  the  present  territory  of 
the  town.  Mr.  Boughton  died  on  the  nth  day 
of  June,  1872,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one,  leaving 
but  two  sons  Harvey  and  Seymour  Jun.,  to  per- 
petuate his  family  name. 

In  referring  to  Mr.  Furguson,  in  connection 
with  Mr.  Boughton's  legal  career,  we  are  led  to 
here  state  that  the  former,  although  not  enjoying 
the  advantages  of  the  latter  in  an  official  point 
of  view,  was  an  apt  adept  in  pettyfogging,  and 
gave  the  legal  fraternity  many  warm  receptions. 


TOWN  OF  SUMMIT. 


iSS 


The  family  removed  to  this  place  from  Cortland 
county,  N.  Y.,  at  an  early  day,  and  were  in- 
telligent and  progessive  citizens. 

Tradition  of  the  Lake. — In  turning  our 
thoughts  to  the  lake,  which  seems  characteristic 
of  all  visitors  at  this  place,  an  old  legend  is  re- 
called that  refers  to  the  name  of  the  body  of 
v/ater.  It  is  indeed,  not  only  a  "  thrice  told 
tale"  but  a  thousand,  and  in  giving  its  sub- 
stance we  exceedingly  regret  that  we  do  not 
possess  that  romance,  which  gives  color  and 
effect  to  the  tale  to  make  it  interesting  and  im- 
pressive. It  is  said  that  Utsayantho  was  the 
name  given  to  the  miniature  sheet,  after  an  un- 
fortunate Indian  maiden,  "whose  untutored 
mind"  was  suddenly  surprised  at  the  disappear- 
ance of  her  "  family  cares."  At  a  time  anterior 
to  the  advent  of  the  whites,  that  maiden  with 
stalwart  frame  and  uncombed  hair,  through  in- 
discretion, became  a  mother,  upon  the  bank  of 
the  lake.  A  consultation  of  the  several  chiefs 
was  held  and  the  little  innocent  was  thrown  into 
the  lake,  which  received  the  mother's  name  by 
order  of  the  godly  chiefs. 

Suchis  the  simple  narrative.  The  lake  upon 
the  southern  border  of  the  County,  and  head  of 
the  west  branch  of  the  Delaware  river,  is  spoken 
of  in  old  maps  and  documents  as  Utsayantha, 
while  this  one  is  not  referred  to ;  at  least,  not  by 
the  name  of  Utsayantho.  Whether,  in  the  In- 
dian tongue  the  two  words  are  the  same,  we  are 
unable  to  say.  For  a  long  time  it  was  called 
"  Jack's  lake"  but  owing  to  its  elevation  and  the 
town  to  which  it  belongs  it  is  well  for  the  plain 
to  give  it  the  appropriate  name  of  "  Summit 
Lake ; "  while  our  modern  "  esthetes "  now 
call  it  "  Utsayantho"  for  the  benefit  of  romance, 
and  imagine  Utsayantho,  or  the  Jefferson  lake, 
was  named  after  the  maiden's  treacherous  lover. 
Its  outlet  flows  to  the  south  and  empties  into 
the  "  West  Kill,"  in  the  town  of  Jefferson.  An 
Indian  path  from  the  Charlotte,  led  to  the  lake 
and  followed  its  outlet  to  the  Schoharie  creek, 
along  which  the  Indian  traversed  for  time  un- 
known. Upon  the  banks  of  the  Summit  lake, 
tradition  tells  us,  Johnson  and  Brant  halted,  in 
their  march  in  1780,  to  devastate  the  Schoharie 
valley.  As  they  appeared  at  Breakabeen  early  in 
the  morning  of  October  17th,  undoubtedly  they 


were  here  upon  the  i6th,  and  enjoyed  a  repast 
of  fresh  fish,  to  strengthen  them  for  the  occasion. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  Revolution  closed 
that  this  town  was  settled,  and  the  eastern  part 
a  few  years  later  than  the  western.  Those  set- 
tlers were  mostly  from  the  Hudson  river  coun- 
ties and  the  eastern  States,  verifying  the  truth, 
that  while  the  Germans  and  Dutch  choose  the 
low  lands,  the  Yankee  climbs  upon  the  hills,  and 
"  pitches  his  tent."  One  of  the  early  settlers  of 
this  locality,  was  a  Mr.  Brown,  from  Connecti- 
cut ;  who,  while  in  his  native  town  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  buttons.  He  was  a  shrewd  busi- 
ness Yankee  and  turned  his  mind  and  hand  to 
everything  that  had  a  tendency  to  gain  money, 
and  was  called  "  Button  Weaver  Brown."  In 
all  local  legal  troubles  he  officiated  as  a  petti- 
fogger and  business  man,  which  gave  to  him  a 
precedence  in  note,  over  other  settlers.  He 
died  at  an  early  day  and  left  in  his  stead,  a  son 
Harvey,  who  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
and  was  for  many  years  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
beside  being  a  Captain  in  the  Militia  service. 
Dexter  Brown,  of  another  family,  built  a  log 
house  and  kept  the  first  "  tavern,"  in  which  all 
law  suits  were  held  for  many  years,  beside  giv- 
ing "  entertainment  for  man  and  beast  "  that 
strolled  up  the  hills  to  replenish  their  stock  of 
liquors.  It  must  not  be  thought  that  those  early 
settlers  were  content  to  delve  daily  among  giant 
tree-stumps  and  stones  without  any  other  means 
of  support,  as  they  were  too  "  Yankeefied."  On 
the  contrary,  they  engaged  in  other  pursuits, 
such  as  making  potash  and  whiskey.  Who  the 
first  distiller  was  we  are  unable  to  learn,  but 
Levi  Ives  did  a  large  business  in  that  branch  as 
early  as  1805.  His  customers  were  scattered 
over  the  country  and  drove  the  establishment 
to  its  utmost  capacity,  to  meet  their  wants.  An 
order  from  "  Yankee  Pete  "  Snyder  was  taken 
to  Ives  by  his  son,  in  18 12  for  a  "  load  of  his 
best  whiskey"  at  two  shillings  per  gallon. 

After  Ives,  followed  Henry  Rifenbark  in  the 
business,  who  came  from  Columbia  county  in 
t8o2.  His  son  Hiram  is  still  living,  having  passed 
three  score  years  and  ten,  bearing  the  marks  of 
a  scald  from  hot  mash,  while  manufacturing 
"fire  water."     Benjamin  Rider  soon  followed 


iS6 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Brown  in  the  inn  business,  upon  the  grounds 
now  occupied  by  "  Rider's  Hotel."  The  first 
building  was  partly  of  logs  and  partly  frame,  the 
latter  giving  the  establishment  a  superiority  over 
Brown's. 

As  the  country  became  more  thickly  settled 
and  business  more  brisk,  the  times  demanded 
better  accommodations,  and  from  time  to  time 
the  old  log  houses  have  disappeared  and  others 
at  greater  cost  and  convenience  have  taken  their 
places.  About  the  year  1840  a  tavern  was  built 
upon  the  hill,  in  the  west  part  of  the  village  by 

Warner,  and  afterwards  purchased  by  Wm. 

T.  Moak,  of  Sharon,  who  continued  until  the 
year  1854,  when  the  property  changed  hands, 
and  was  soon  transformed  into  a  private  resi- 
dence, and  at  a  later  date  divided  and  partly 
removed. 

The  Charlotte  Valley. — A  short  distance  to 
the  west  of  the  village  of  Summit  is  a  spring 
from  which  the  Charlotte  river  proper  takes  its 
rise.  Along  its  course  several  rivulets  unite  and 
form  one  of  the  main  tributaries  of  the  noble 
Susquehanna.  The  ancient  Indian  path  to  the 
Susquehanna  from  the  Hudson  and  Schoharie 
rivers  followed  this  stream  and  during  the  Revo- 
lution many  hundred  hearts,  ladened  with  the 
deepest  sorrow,  were  forced  to  follow  it  as  cap- 
tives, on  their  journey  to  Niagara  and  Canada, 
not  knowing  but  each  moment  they  would  fall 
victims  to  the  savages'  cupidity  or  Tories'  ven- 
geance and  knowing  that  each  step  was  drawing 
them  nearer  and  nearer  the  dreaded  gauntlet 
and  confinement. 

Nearly  four  miles  down  the  valley  from  the 
County  line,  upon  the  farm,  in  part  owned  by 
Philip  Mitchel,  lived  the  man  Service,  against 
whom  the  patriots  made  the  charge  of  being  an 
agent  of  the  Crown,  and  a  dangerous  enemy  to 
the  colonists.  Service,  with  other  families, 
settled  there  several  years  previous  to  the  war, 
and  were  prosperous  farmers. 

He  owned  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  when 
hostilities  commenced  he  refused  to  take  sides 
in  the  contest,  fearful  of  losing  his  lands.  The 
outspoken  Whigs  accused  hiin  of  disloyalty  to 
their  cause,  and  a  complaint  to  that  effect  was 
made  by  them  to  the  Committee  of  Safety,  sitting 
at  Kingston,  also  to  that  of  the  Schoharie  set- 


tlements. The  British  agents  knew  his  inten- 
tion of  neutrality  and  undoubtedly  imposed  cer- 
tain offices  upon  him  to  give  a  shade  of  loyalty 
to  the  crown.  Being  situated  upon  the  trail, 
almost  daily  used,  and  at  a  point,  where  sup- 
plies for  the  subsistence  of  squads  would  prove 
convenient,  he  was  called  upon  quite  often  to 
furnish  them,  by  both  the  British  and  Patriots. 

But  each  faction  was,  as  political  parties  are 
to-day,  "delicate  to  a  fault"  and  he,  who  by  a 
single  act  or  word,  however  trivial,  displayed  the 
least  favor  to  their  enemies,  was  at  once  con- 
demned, and  scarcely  any  after  act  could  at- 
tone  for  so  doing. 

An  order  was  given  for  his  arrest  and  Captain 
Long,  Murphy,  Elerson  and  Tufts  were  entrusted 
to  carry  it  into  execution.  Various  stories  have 
been  related  of  the  affair  and  published  from 
time  to  time,  but  none  of  them  were  dictated 
by  Murphy  or  his  companions,  and  were  simply 
reiterations  of  gossip  subject  to  the  usual  ad- 
ditions that  the  imagination  of  the  speaker  and 
writer  is  disposed  to  make  for  the  pleasure  of 
his  auditors.  As  we  before  intimated,  Sigsby's 
pamphlet  purporting  to  be  the  hfe  of  Murphy, 
was  made  up  of  erroneous  statements,  without 
doubt,  supposed  to  be  facts  by  the  writer.  Our 
informants,  the  children  of  Murphy,  with  minds 
as  vigorous,  at  their  advanced  ages,  as  if  but 
forty,  assured  the  author  that  their  father  felt 
aggrieved  at  the  erroneous  tales  that  were  re- 
lated of  him,  and  many  hundred  times  repeated 
the 'facts  of  the  Charlotte  tragedy  to  them,  as 
we  are  about  to  relate  them. 

To  verify  their  statement,  we  have  abundant 
proof,  gleaned  from  other  families  that  were 
daily  conversant  with  both  Murphy  and  Eler- 
son, of  their  truthfulness.  Upon  the  arrival  of 
the  party  at  the  house  of  Service,  they  at  once 
made  the  object  of  their  visit  known,  as  he  was 
standing  beside  his  door.  Service  replied  that 
the  accusation  was  ill-founded  and  refused  to 
•accompany  them  to  Schoharie.  They  pro- 
duced a  letter  written  to  him  that  had  been  in- 
tercepted (it  being  an  order  for  Service  to  pro- 
vide a  party  of  Tories  with  bread  upon  a  certain 
day,)  to  prove  his  disloyalty  to  the  Con- 
tinental cause,  and  then  assured  him  if 
he  would    give     himself  up   and    accompany 


TOWN  OF  SUMMIT. 


1S7 


them  to  Schoharie  without  any  trouble,  they 
would  pledge  themselves  he  would  not  be  hurt. 
But  their  orders  were  to  take  him  dead  or  alive, 
and  they  were  going  to  do  it.  A  parley  of 
words  followed,  when  Mrs.  Service  and  two 
daughters  rushed  out  and  took  an  active  part. 
Service  caught  up  a  broad-axe  lying  near  and 
hurled  it  at  the  party  who  assured  him  they 
would  shoot  if  he  repeated  the  act.  The 
women  undoubtedly  became  fearful  of  such 
consequence,  and  caught  hold  of  the  men  and 
exclaimed,  "  Run,  father  !  Run  father ! "  upon 
which  he  ran  around  the  corner  of  the  house 
towards  the  brook.  Tufts  and  Murphy  soon 
followed,  and  when  in  clear  view  of  him  assured 
him  they  would  shoot  if  he  did  not  return.  Not 
heeding  their  warning,  as  he  crossed  the  brook 
and  was  ascending  the  bank,  Murphy  and  Tufts 
fired  together,  upon  which  he  fell  and  soon  ex- 
pired. They  did  not  examine  the  body  to  see 
if  both  balls  took  effect,  and  consequently 
could  not  tell  whether  one  or  both  caused  his 
death.  The  case  as  thus  recited,  is  very  differ- 
ent from  that  of  Sigsby's  and  others,  as  will  be 
at  once  seen  by  those  readers  that  are  familiar 
with  his  pamphlet.  As  told  by  him,  the  shoot- 
ing of  Service  was  but  a  cool  murder,  which  in 
this  day  and  age  is  condemned,  and  not  con- 
sidered as  adding  heroism  to  our  acts.  Mr. 
Sigsby  was  a  young  man  of  promise,  with  in- 
tentions the  most  commendable,  and  chronicled 
the  case  as  related  by  hundreds,  but  was  im- 
posed upon,  by  many-tongued  tradition  in  his 
efforts  to  perpetuate  the  valor  of  a  worthy 
patriot. 

In  theyeanySy,  the  lands  of  Service  were  con- 
fiscated and  the  property  passed  into  other  hands. 
It  has  been  said  and  the  impression  seems  to 
be  firmly  made,  that  Murphy  received  a  portion 
of  those  lands  for  the  shooting  of  Service,  but  it 
was  a  mistake.  Murphy  purchased  a  farm  in 
after  years  in  the  Schenevus  valley  but  it  was 
not  a  part  of  the  Service  land.  It  will  be 
noticed  in  the  Fulton  Chapter  of  this  work  that 
Murphy  married  a  Feek,  an  only  child,  and  that 
the  family  were  in  fair  circumstances,  financially, 
for  those  days,  and  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Feek, 
the  sum  of  seven  hundred  dollars  was  left  by 
him  for  his  widow,  as  pocket  money,  to  purchase 


small  comforts  that  the  care  of  the  daughter  and 
son-in-law  might  not  apprehend.  Mrs.  Feek 
being  one  of  the  true  daughters  of  economy 
and  gain,  as  all  were  at  that  time,  and  solicitous 
for  the  future  of  her  grandchildren,  insisted 
upon  Murphy  taking  the  money  and  investing 
it  in  land  for  the  children's  benefit.  The  lands 
along  the  Schenevus  being  low  in  price  and  at- 
tractive to  him,  he  made  a  purchase,  and  in  af- 
ter years,  settled  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Sands,  upon 
the  farm,  with  whom  he  lived  at  times. 

In  the  year  1777  the  Continental  Congress 
passed  an  act  to  the  effect,  that  if  an  owner  and 
occupant  of  land  should  prove  disloyal  to  the 
colonial  cause,  by  giving  aid  to  the  enemy  and 
bear  arms  against  the  patriots  and  vacate  such 
lands  during  the  struggle,  they  should  become 
the  property  of  the  government,  but  if  posses- 
sion was  retained,  the  owner  should  not  be  mo- 
lested in  his  title.  Hence,  we  find  many  invet- 
erate Tories  still  held  their  lands  after  the  war 
closed,  while  less  active  ones  were  stripped  of 
their  homes.  Service  was  buried  upon  his  land 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  boundary  line,  and  in  af- 
ter years,  when  the  fact  became  known  to  the 
late  Abraham  Becker,  of  South  Worcester,  he 
instituted  a  suit  for  the  recovery  of  the  property, 
under  the  act  of  1777,  claiming,  that  possession 
was  held  by  the  burial  of  Service.  After  a  long 
litigation  the  lands  were  recovered,  and  sold  by 
the  heirs  of  Service,  who  are  of  the  best  families 
of  that  section.  As  would  naturally  be  sup- 
posed, the  family  smarted  long  under  the  oppro- 
brium of  Tory  given  to  Service,  and  looked  upon 
the  transaction  as  warrtferwithout.a  cause.  He 
was  accused  of  being  with  Brant  in  the  Coble- 
skill  valley  in  1778,  and  participating  in  other 
invasions,  which  the  family  from  first  to  last  de- 
nied and  to  many  proved  conclusively,  to  be  false. 
But  that  he  gave  or  sold  supphes  to  invading 
forces  and  parties  with  prisoners  going  to  Ni- 
agara cannot  be  denied,  as  the  captives  upon  their 
return,  verified  the  truth.  Patriot  .scouts,  also, 
many  times  replenished  their  rude  haversacks  at 
his  house  in  the  fore  part  of  the  war,  but  were 
refused,  as  the  troubles  increased.  There  was 
perhaps  a  just  reason  for  the  latter  act,  as  the 
scouts  were  destitute  of  money  and  seldom,  if 
ever,  paid  for  what  they  obtained.     Service  was 


is8 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


fearful  of  losing  his  lands  like  thousands  of  oth- 
ers, if  he  chose  the  colonial  cause,  and  situated 
as  he  was,  upon  the  trail  daily  traversed,  he 
could,  or  dare  not  refuse  the  King's  subjects, 
and  without  doubt  was  well  paid  for  every 
morsel  of  eatables,  as  the  British  government 
was  lavish  with  its  gold  where  it  would  cast  a 
shade  of  loyalty. 

He  might  have  been  honest  in  his  intention 
of  neutrahty  in  the  beginning  but,  as  we  of  to-day, 
he  saw  perhaps  an  opportunity  of  making  riches, 
and  step  by  step  was  led  along  in  feedmg  In- 
dians and  Tories  until  orders  were  sent  ahead 
for  him  to  supply  while  the  patriots  watched 
him  more  and  more,  and  at  last  reported 
him  to  the  Committee  of  Safety.  The  times 
and  situation  of  the  border  made  stern  meas- 
ures a  necessity,  and  as  the  war  progressed 
the  border  actors  of  both  sides  became  less 
civilized — unused  to  the  promptings  of  charita- 
ble, social  etiquette,  they  often  strangled  mercy, 
under  the  plea  of  necessity,  while  their  vul- 
gar passions  were  let  loose  to  do  brutal  woik. 
Many  times,  no  doubt,  the  patriots  gave  their 
enemies  as  much  reason  to  look  upon  them  with 
abhorrence,  as  did  the  Tories,  as  we  find  equally 
as  harrowing  tales  told  by  their  descendants, 
against  the  patriots.  The  western  part  of  the 
town  was  settled  by  the  Van  Buren,  Van  Hosen 
and  Boughton  famiUes,  about  the  year  1797, 
and  previous  to  the  formation  of  the  town  by 
act  passed  April  13,  1819,  was  a  part  of  Jef- 
ferson. 

Nothing  of  importance  occurred  in  this  part 
until  the  year  1850,  when  the  New  York 
Methodist  Conference  erected  by  subscription 
and  donations  a  large  building  for  school  pur- 
poses, to  accommodate  nearly  three  hundred 
boarding  students,  under  Rev.  Alonzo  Flack, 
as  Principal,  and  Miss  Helen  Flack,  Preceptress, 
with  eleven  assistants. 

After  two  years  of  unparalleled  success,  an 
examining  committee  reported  to  the  Confer- 
ence that  "the  institution  has  had  a  career  of  un- 
exampled prosperity."  "  Though  it  was  opened 
only  two  years  since,  it  had  during  the  past 
term  more  than  three  hundred  and  fifty  students 
in  actual  attendance."  "The  number  would 
have  been  still  greater  if  accommodations  could 


have  been  furnished."  "  As  a  new  building  has 
just  been  erected,  more  than  five  hundred  can 
be  provided  for  next  term."  The  building  was 
placed  upon  the  north  side  of  the  street,  nearly 
in  the  center  of  the  village,  and  was  an  oblong 
of  three  stories  in  height.  Additions  were  built 
upon  each  end  in  1852,  running  back,  and  were 
no  sooner  furnished  than  occupied  by  five  hun- 
dred students. 

Being  over-crowded  and  extremely  prosper- 
ous, in  the  season  1855,  a  building  four  hundred 
and  eighty  feet  in  length,  four  stories  in  height, 
with  basement,  was  erected  upon  the  south  side 
of  the  creek,  upon  the  hill-side.  The  new 
structure  was  intended  for  a  college,  and  at 
one  time  eight  hundred  students  were  in  attend- 
ance in  both  buildings. 

The  faculty  in  1852  was  increased  to  seven- 
teen teachers  beside  the  principal  and  pre- 
ceptress. An  incendiary  laid  the  north  build- 
ing in  ashes  in  1856,  and  in  the  year  1867,  the 
south  structure  also  was  reduced  to  ashes.  Not 
being  daunted  by  misfortune,  a  large  hotel  was 
purchased  and  fitted  conveniently  for  a  school, 
under  the  management  of  Professor  Solomon 
Sias  and  six  associates.  The  school  closed 
some  time  in  1875  and  was  not  revived.  Dr. 
William  Lament  during  the  last  years  of  school 
was  the  principal. 

The  question  will  naturally  be  asked  years 
hence,  as  is  frequently  done  now,  "  Why  were 
structures  for  such  purposes,  built  in  back 
places,  away  from  pubUc  thoroughfares  ? " 
The  idea  was  prevalent  that  vice,  such  as  lures 
away  the  youth,  only  existed  along  the  thorough- 
fares ;  and  their  catalogues  and  other  advertise- 
ments made  a  special  point  to  that  effect,  as- 
suring parents  that  their  "  children  would  be 
free  from  the  evils  that  clustered  along  them." 

The  first  board  of  trustees  was  divided  into 
three  classes. 

Of  the  first  were  : — 

Jacob  Hoffman, 
James  S.  Wood, 
Amos  Smith, 
Hiram  Van  Buren, 
Abram  Becker. 


TOWN  OF  SUMMIT. 


IS9 


Of  the  second  were  : — 

James  Howie, 
Peter  H.  Mitchell, 
Hiram  Warner, 
Aaron  Rifenburgh, 
Stephen  Stillwell. 

Of  the  third  were  : — 

Thomas  W.  Lamont,  M.  D., 
Luther  F.  Hartwell, 
William  H.  Adams, 
John  D.  Multer, 
Araasa  Dingman. 

The  officers  of  the  board  were  : — 

Thomas  W.  Lamont,  President. 
Luther  F.  Hartwell,  Secretary. 
Jacob  Hoffman,  Treasurer. 
James  S.  Wood,  Steward. 

For  many  years  the  farmers  of  this  town  have 
been  engaged  extensively  in  dairying,  and  have 
supplied  the  markets  with  butter  that  will  cope 
with  any  other.  Upon  the  lofty  hills,  the  most 
succulent  grasses  grow  and  from  their  sides  are 
springs  of  the  purest  water,  that  add  materially 
to  the  quality  of  the  dairy  products,  while  the 
dairymen  spare  neither  pains  nor  expense  to 
produce  a  choice  article.  For  many  years 
Elisha  Brown  of  this  town  was  a  large  dealer 
in  such  products,  and  gained  the  reputation  in 
the  New  York  market,  of  furnishing  the  best 
quality  of  butter,  the  year  through,  of  any  buyer 
in  the  State.  Its  keeping  qualities  were  highly 
spoken  of  and  it  is  said  to  improve,  through  the 
use  of  modern  conveniences  upon  scientific 
principles.  Mr.  Brown  was  long  known  as 
"  Butter  Brown  "  and  was  considered  one  of  the 
most  expert  judges  of  the  article  to  be  found. 
He  removed  from  Connecticut  to  the  town  of 
Jefferson,  and  from  thence  to  this  place.  Mr. 
Brown  was  Supervisor  of  the  town  in  1862,  and 
held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  sev- 
eral years.  He  died  highly  respected  as  a 
Christian,  and  business  man.  Mr.  Brown  was 
followed  by  his  son  James  as  a  produce  dealer, 
who  still  holds  the  butter  trade,  which  ex- 
ceeds that  of  any  other  place  in  the  County. 
Mr.  Brown  represented  the  town  in  the  Board 
of  Supervisors  in  1873,  1874,  1875  and  1876, 


and  was  elected  to  the  assembly  in  1877,  which 
position  he  filled  satisfactorily  to  his  constituents, 
and  creditably  to  himself  as  a  legislator.  Mr. 
Brown  was  preceded  in  that  body  by  Samuel 
Baldwin  in  1828,  and  Watson  Orr,  in  1834, 
Seymour  Boughton,  in  1840,  and  1845,  James 
S.  Wood,  in  1854,  and  William  C.  Lamont,  in 
1859  and  1862,  from  this  town,  each  of  whom 
were  sagacious,  yet  honorable  representatives, 
through  whose  political  career,  none  spoke  of 
guile. 

Beside  furnishing  such  worthy  representatives, 
the  town  has  not  been  backward  in  adding  to 
the  list  of  officials  such  men  as  Treat  Durand, 
John  Moran,  John  Sawyer  as  sheriffs  of  the 
County,  whom  we  remember  as  far  back  as 
1850,  as  being  the  business  and  progressive  men 
of  Summit  village.  The  former  was  a  dealer  in 
horses  and  real  estate,  while  Mr.  Moran  was 
connected  in  the  manufacture  of  wagons,  with 
an  old  resident  as  "Jackson  &  Moran,"  and 
near  by.  Sheriff  Sawyer  made  the  anvil  ring  by 
his  vigorous  strokes.  While  we  recall  those 
days  of  honest  labor,  that  made  the  village 
prosperous  and  pleasant,  and  wove  a  net  of 
union  and  happiness  around  the  hearthstones, 
the  thought  of  the  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Sawyer 
casts  a  gloom  over  the  mind  and  chills  the 
pleasant  musings  of  "the  times  that  were." 
While  returning  to  his  home  in  Richmondville, 
from  a  visit  to  the  village  with  a  sister,  in  May, 
1879,  in  descending  the  hill  a  short  distance 
below,  the  horse  became  unmanageable  through 
a  defect  in  the  harness  and  ran  off  a  steep  bank, 
throwing  Mr.  Sawyer  upon  the  ground  with 
great  violence,  dislocating  the  spine  and  other- 
wise injuring  him  internally.  He  lived  but  a 
short  time  and  was  buried  at  Richmondville  by 
the  Masonic  Brotherhood  and  a  host  of  friends, 
with  imposing  marks  of  honor  and  respect. 

With  Sawyer,  have  also  gone  two  others  that 
were  prominent  business  men  of  the  village  at 
that  time,  S.  J.  Lake  and  Isaac  W.  Beard  who  were 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  the  former 
at  the  corner  and  the  latter,  in  the  building  oc- 
cupied as  a  wagon  shop  upon  the  hillside.  Mr. 
Lake  was  in  business  for  many  years,  and  none 
enjoyed  a  better  reputation  as  a  strict,  honest 
business   man  than  he.     He  identified  himself 


i6o 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


with  the  best  interests  of  the  place,  and  when 
he  retired  it  was  with  the  regret  of  the  com- 
munity. Isaac  W.  Beard  also  kept  a  gen- 
eral assortment  of  merchandise,  and  did  a  large 
business.  He  was  twice  elected  supervisor  of 
the  town  beside  holding  other  local  offices  and 
was  a  faithful  official.  The  County  Clerk's  of- 
fice has  also  been  officially  supplied  by  Loring 
Andrews,  generally  considered  to  have  been 
without  a  superior  in  the  performance  of  the 
duties  of  that  office,  always  courteous  and  sys- 
tematic, and  who  took  especial  pains  in  the 
collection  and  preservation  of  old  documents. 
John  H.  Coons  was  also  elected  to  that  office 
from  this  town  and  proved  a  very  efficient 
officer. 

Churches. — The  oldest  organization  in  the 
town  is  the  First  Baptist  Church  situated  a 
short  distance  from  Charlotteville.  Through 
the  kindness  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Hicks,  whose  father 
was  long  an  officer  of  this  church,  we  were  fur- 
nished with  the  following  sketch,  taken  from  the 
pubhshed  "  minutes  of  the  forty-ninth  anniver- 
sary of  the  Worcester  Baptist  Association,"  held 
on  the  nth  and  12th  of  June,  1879. 

"The  Baptist  Church  of  Jefferson  and  the  First 
Baptist  Church  of  Summit  occupied  the  same 
field  and  used  the  same  church-book  from  1805 
until  1827.  When  it  ceased  to  be  called  Jef- 
ferson and  took  the  name  of  Summit  the  records 
do  not  say. 

"  A  council  was  called  at  the  house,  of  Elam 
Northrup  in  Jefferson,  by  Baptist  brethren  of 
South  Hill  and  Charlotte  River  to  advise  and 
counsel  them  in  matters  of  importance,  Septem- 
ber 26,  1805. 

"The  delegates  were  as  follows  : — 

"From  Kortright : — 

Elder  Warner  Lake, 
Elisha  Sheldon, 
Samuel  Grenell. 

"From  Worcester : — 

Elder  Miah  French, 
Charles  Round, 
Thomas  Hudson, 
Joshua  Woodsworth. 


"From  Bristol : — 

Elder  Levi  Streeter, 
Edmund  Richmond, 
John  Hicks. 

"  Organized  by  electing  Elder  W.  Lake, 
moderator,  and  John  Hicks,  clerk.  After  ma- 
ture deliberation  the  council  unanimously  judged 
it  for  the  honor  and  glory  of  God,  and  the  con- 
venience of  said  brethren,  to  give  them  the 
hand  of  fellowship  as  a  sister  church.  The  arti- 
cles of  faith  were  those  of  the  Worcester  church. 

"  Extract  from  their  Covenant : — We  sol- 
emnly covenant,  each  one  of  us,  m  the  presence 
of  God,  angels,  and  men,  to  give  ourselves  re- 
newedly  to  God  without  reserve.  That  we  will 
do  all  that  in  us  lies  to  oppose  sin  in  ourselves 
and  all  others,  viz.,  all  evil  whispering  or  back- 
biting, or  taking  up  a  reproach  against  any  per- 
son, especially  those  who  profess  Christianity. 
Avoid  all  recreation,  as  spending  your  time  idly 
at  taverns  or  elsewhere." 

"Trustees  elected  Jan.  26,  1806. 

"  The  first  names  on  the  record  are  : — 

Carpenter, 

Brown, 

Lincoln, 

Braman, 

Fuller, 

Cleveland, 

Lavelly, 

Northrup, 

Knowlton. 

The  following  were  the  pastors: — 

J.  French, 

—  Carr. 
J.  Winis, 
E.  Crocker, 
J.  Mead, 

J.  Beaman, 

—  Barrett, 
E.  Spafford, 
J.  Ingalls. 

"How  long  each  one  preached  for  the  church 
is  not  known.  Elder  Mead  was  with  them  some 
time. 


TOWN  OF  SUMMIT. 


i6i 


"First  mention  of  salary  is  in  1815— for  Elder 
Mead,  $50. 

''The  following  served  as  Deacons  : — 
Chase  Hicks, 
Levi  Lincoln. 

"The  following  served  as  Clerks  : — ^ 
J.  Carpenter, 
E.  Northrup, 
H.  Albert, 
S.  Stillwell, 
M.  Beaman, 
R.  Lavelly, 
E.  Osborn,  Jr. 

"For  twenty-seven  years  meetings  were  held  in 
dwelling-houses,  school-houses  and  barns. 

"The  minutes  of  the  Rensselaerville  Associa- 
tion say  that  the  Jefferson  church  was  a  mem- 
ber of  that  body  up  to  18 18. 

"The  Summit  church  belonged  to  that  Asso- 
ciation in  1820. 

"The  town  of  Summit  was  formed  from  Jef- 
ferson and  Cobleskill  in  18 19. 

"Probably,  therefore,  the  old  Jefferson  church 
took  the  name  of  Summit  church  immediately 
after  the  organization  of  the  township." 

In  a  foot-note  they  say  : — 

"  Thirty-nine  members  were  dismissed  from 
the  Summit  church  to  join  the  new  constituted 
church  in  Jefferson."  In  another  foot-note 
they  say: — "The  Jefferson  church  joined  the 
Association  this  session,"  (1828).  So  the  old 
Jefferson  church  was  the  parent  of  the  Summit 
church,  and  the  Summit  church  the  parent  of 
the  present  Jefferson  church,  inasmuch  as 
thirty -nine  of  her  constituent  members  were 
from  the  Summit  church. 

"April  15,  1826,  a  council  was  called  to  ordain 
James  Ingals. 

"The  Summit  church  was  a  member  of  the 
Worcester  Association  in  incipient  organization, 
October  14,  1830. 

"Incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  First 
Baptist  Church  of  Summit.  Recorded  in 
County  Clerk's  book,  at  page  i  of  Religious 
Corporations,  December  14,  1831. 

"In  1832  the  meeting-house  was  erected,  and 
a  general  meeting  was  appointed  for  its  opening 
the  third  Wednesday  in  November. 


"Reckoning  1840  as  the  first  decade  the 
smallest  number  of  members  were  fifty-seven; 
largest,  one  hundred  and  seven ;  average, 
eighty-nine. 

"The  following  were  the  pastors  :  — 

J.  Smith, 
E.  Spafford, 
A.  Butler, 
I.  Powers. 

"The  following  served  as  Deacons : — 

Joseph  Lincoln, 
J.  S.  Martin. 

"The  following  served  as  Clerks : — 

E.  Osborn, 
E.  Northrup. 

"The  first  Licentiate  :— 

Harvey  Cornell,  July,  1837. 

"Second  decade  from  1840  to  1850  : — 

"Our  history  is  incomplete.  The  largest  num- 
ber ascertained  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-one 
in  1843.  In  1844  a  notable  difficulty  occurred 
which  sorely  tried  the  lovers  of  Zion.  Church 
action  began  in  January  and  continued  to 
August,  1845. 

"In  1850  voted  that  we  raise  $100  to  paint 
and  repair  our  house. 

"The  following  were  the  pastors : — 

I.  Powers, 
H.  Maine, 
C.  Preston, 

C.  Purrett. 

"The  following  served  as  Deacons  : — 

H.  Van  Buren, 
J.  S.  Martin. 

"The  following  served  as  Clerks  : — 
E.  Northrup, 

D.  L.  Rider. 

"In  1845,  December  loth.C.  Preston  was  or- 
dained. 

"Third  decade,  from  1850  to  i860  : — 
"Our   information   is  meager.     The  number 
reached  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven ;  aver- 
age, ninety-five. 


l62 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


"The  following  were  pastors  : — 

F.  Jones, 
E.  Spafford, 
W.  Covey, 
R.  H.  Spafford, 
H.  Cornell. 
"The  following  served  as  Deacons : — 

J.  S.  Martin, 
H.  Van  Buren. 

"The  following  served  as  Clerks  :— 

D.  L.  Rider, 
A.  Fancher, 
H.  Lincoln. 
L.  J.  Lincoln  was  Ucensed,  July  25,  1855. 

"Fourth  decade,  from  i860  to  1870: — 

"The  church  gained    in    numbers     and  in- 
fluence.    Average,  one  hundred  and  nine. 

"The  following  were  the  pastors  : — 

H.  Cornell, 
J.  Lyon, 
D.  Corwin, 
W.  M.  Hallock. 

"The  following  served  as  Deacons : — 

L.  H.  Robbins, 

A.  Fancher. 

"The  following  served  as  Clerks  : — 

H.  Lincoln, 
D.  G.  Mann, 

B.  F.  Wilcox. 

"From  1870  to  1879: — 

"The  following  were  the  pastors  : 

W.  M.  Hallock, 
J.  Smith, 
I.  Powers. 

"The  following  served  as  Deacons : — 

L.  H.  Robbins, 
B.  W.  Gage. 

"The  following  served  as  Clerks : — 

B.  F.  Wilcox, 
W.  C.  Hicks. 

"Meeting-house  rebuilt  ini878,  and  dedicated 
November   27th,  same  year.     Present  pastor. 


I.  Powers.  Present  number,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-one;  average,  one  hundred  and  twenty. 
Whole  expense  of  building,  $2,500. 

"Her  dead  outnumber  her  living.  Of  the 
pioneers  on  this  field  (clergy  and  laity)  not  one 
remains.  Of  twenty  original  names  on  present 
record,  one  only  (E.  Osborn)  is  known  to  be  living. 
Of  the  forty-seven  baptized  here  between  1840 
and  1843,  twenty -seven  only  are  living.  Twenty 
gone  to  swell  the  chorus  of  the  skies.  On  this 
field  they  struggled  for  the  right,  fought  for  the 
true,  have  won  and  wear  the  crown. 

"  Not  lost,  but  gone  before; 
The  Bible  was  their  guide; 
They  toiled,  they  watched,  in  faith  they  pray'd — 
They're  safe  for  evermore, 
Safe  on  the  other  side." 

The  Second  Baptist  Church  was  located  at 
Summit  village,  and  was  organized  in  1839  with 
twenty  members,  principally  resident  members 
of  the  Jefferson  or  parent  church.  The  now 
deserted  edifice  was  built  in  1840,  and  regu- 
lar meetings  were  there  held  for  several  years, 
but  the  society  becoming  small,  in  1878  they 
were  discontinued.  But  very  few  of  the  original 
members  are  now  living.  The  first  pastor  was 
Rev.  Ingraham  Powers,  who  was  thereafter  con- 
nected in  pastorate  with  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Charlotteville. 

•  The  Reformed  Church  of  Eminence. — This 
society  was  organized  by  the  classis  of  Scho- 
harie in  1831,  and  re-organized  January  30, 
1855,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  W.  G.  E. 
See.  The  church  edifice  was  commenced  in 
1833  by  the  Reformed  Society,  and  for  its  com- 
pletion and  interest  on  the  debt  incurred  it  was 
sold  to  the  Methodists,  by  whom  it  was  finished, 
and  occupied  by  both  societies  until  1854.  At 
that  time  the  Methodists  built  a  new  one  across 
the  street  in  Blenheim,  and  the  Presbyterians 
repaired  the  old  building  and  have  occupied  it 
since.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  William  Sals- 
bury,  of  Jefferson,  and  was  followed  by  Revs. 
Lee,  Shaver  and  Miller. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Summit. 
is  a  spirited  organization,  but  we  have  been  un- 
able to  procure  a  historical  sketch  of  the  same, 
from  the  fact  that  upon  each  visit  the  records 


TOWN  Ot  SUMMIT. 


163 


were  not  accessible,  owing  to  absence  of  the 
official  in  whose  keeping  they  were  placed,  and 
the  forgetfulness  of  those  who  were  entrusted 
with  the  task  of  giving  the  points  of  history. 

TAe  Free  Methodist  Church  of  Charlotteville. 
— ^This  society  has  the  honor  of  being  the  first 
organization  of  the  kind  in  the  County.  The 
first  meeting  for  the  election  of  trustees  was 
held  March  16,  1878,  and  the  following  were 
chosen : — 

D.  L.  Rider, 
George  Earner, 
William  N.  Eckerson, 
Sylvester  Truax. 

William  A.  Hawks  was  the  first  pastor,  and 
was  succeeded  by  the  present  incumbent,  Rev. 
R.  M.  Snyder. 

The  edifice  was  built  the  same  year  of  the 
organization,  and  is  a  neat  structure  that  adds 
much  to  the  appearance  of  the  place.  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that  the  societies  of  this  order  will  exert 
such  an  influence  over  other  denominations  as 
to  cause  their  church  seats  to  become  free, 
that  all  the  poor  a's  well  as  the  rich,  may  enter 
the  house  of  God  and  sit  to  worship  without 
paying  "  tribute  to  Caesar,"  inasmuch  as  that 
Christian  idea  is  the  ground-work  of  their  or- 
ganization. 

The  Lutheran  Church  of  Summit. — The  edi- 
fice in  which  this  society  worships  is  at  Luther- 
anville  in  the  west  part  of  the  town,  in  the 
midst  of  an  industrious  and  prosperous  com- 
munity. The  organization  was  effected  in  1823 
through  the  labors  of  its  first  pastor,  the  worthy 
George  Lintner.  In  1836  the  church  building 
was  erected  and  remodeled  in  1858,  and  v?ill 
seat  three  hundred  and  fifty.  The  first  officers 
were  from  the  Neer,  Lape,  Fredindal  and  Mor- 
rison families,  the  first  settlers  of  the  neighbor- 
hood.    The  pastors  were  as  follows: — 

Rev.  George  Lintner, 

P.  G.  Cole, 

Slimser, 

Nicholas  Van  Alstine, 

Benjamin  Diefendorf,  (eighteen  years), 

Samuel  Bruce, 

J.  S.  Paul, 

S.  W.  Young,  at  present  officiating. 


The  Lutheran  Church  of  Beard's  Hollow^ — 
This  church  is  under  the  Frankean  Synod,  and 
was  organized  May  6,  1865.  The  edifice  was 
built  in  1862,  by  the  Baptists  and  Lutherans  in 
union,  but  was  purchased  by  the  latter  Febru- 
ary 16,  1867.  The  first  deacons  were  David 
Dox  and  George  Lape,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
purchase  of  the  property,  Samuel  Hodson, 
Robert  S.  Fuller  and  David  Dox,  were  trustees. 
The  only  regular  pastors  that  have  performed 
service  here  were  Samuel  Bruce  and  Jacob  S. 
Paul.  Other  pastors  have  occasionally  preached 
as  supply. 

Beard's  Hollow. 

While  here,  we  will  refer  to  this  place,  as 
having  been  the  first  settled  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  town.  Killian  Ritter  we  are  assured  set- 
tled here  as  early  as  1794,  and  was  soon  followed 
by  Jacob  Beard,  who  settled  in  that  portion  of 
the  valley,  now  lying  in  the  town  of  Richmond- 
ville.  We  will  speak  of  the  whole  in  connec- 
tion with  Summit. 

Jacob  Beard  was  a  German  and  settled  upon 
the  farm  now  occupied  by  Hiram  Mann  about 
the  year  1795.  Here  he  reared  a  family  of 
four  sons,  John,  Andrew,  Jacob  and  Philip, 
and  it  was  from  this  family  the  valley  derived 
its  name.  In  1802  Michael,  the  father  of  the 
present  David  Dox  and  progenitor  of  the 
different  families  found  in  the  hollow,  settled, 
being  a  son  of  George  Dox,  Sr.,  who  settled 
at  Richmondville,  as  stated  in  that  chapter 
of  this  work. 

In  1800  an  extensive  business  was  carried  on 
in  the  manufacture  of  grindstones  upon  the 
hills  east  of  the  hollow,  which  were  taken 
to  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  enterprise 
slackened  and  but  little  was  done  for  several 
years,  when  it  was  again  revived  and  as  late  as 
1825,  large  numbers  were  manufactured,  but  the 
business  was  at  last  abandoned  as  the  immedi- 
ate country  was  supplied  and  they  were  too 
heavy  to  cart  to  distant  points  for  profit. 

LutheraNville. 

This  hamlet  was  for  a  long  term  of  years 
called  "Tar  Hollow."  We  are  assured  by 
Jacob  Wilcox  and  others,  although  we  have  no 
official  proof  of  the  fact,  that  a  Deputy  Sheriff 


164 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


by  the  name  of  Whittaker,  during  the  anti-rent 
troubles  of  1844  and  1845  was  here  taken  by 
the  anti-rent  settlers,  while  in  the  performance 
of  official  duties,  in  the  collection  of  a  debt, 
and  treated  to  a  good  coat  of  tar  and  feathers. 
Our  informants  assure  us,  the  tar  and  feathers 
were  placed  upon  a  stone-boat  and  taken  to  a 
convenient  place,  where  the  deputy  was  strip- 
ped of  his  clothing  and  besmeared  with  the  tar, 
from  head  to  foot,  and  then  covered  with  feath- 
ers. We  believe  it  was  the  only  instance  in  the 
County,  where  such  measures  were  taken 
and  carried  out.  Since  those  exciting  times, 
no  place  can  be  found,  where  more  law-abiding 
citizens  reside,  than  throughout  this  neighbor- 
hood. 

Town  Volunteers. 

During  the  late  Rebellion,  eighty-two  enlisted 
in  the  Union  cause,  mostly  in  the  44th  and  46th 
Regiments,  and  braved  the  hardships  of  camp 
and  field,  with  but  eight  desertions,  mostly  to 
re-enlist  and  draw  the  heavy  bounties,  that  were 
given  to  induce  a  speedy  repletion  of  the  volun- 
teer ranks.  Many  fell  in  battle  but  more  by 
the  destructive  typhoid  fever  that  continually 
lurked  around  the  encampments,  and  caused 
four-fold  more  deaths,  than  were  reported  by 
gun  and  sword. 

Medical    Fraternity. 

We  have  groped  somewhat  in  the  dark 
in  obtaining  an  accurate  list  of  the  physi- 
cians that  have  settled  and  practiced  with- 
in the  limits  of  the  town,  and  find  none 
previous  to  Doctor  Birch  who  was  here  in 
1830.  He  was  succeeded  by  Doctors  Eastman, 
Hynds,  Loucks  and  Miner,  who  we  believe 
was  contemporary  with  Dr.  C.  W.  Havens,  who 
settled  in  1840  and  still  continues  to  practice. 
After  Miner,  came  Dr.  Cornell  who  was  follow- 
ed by  Dr.  Spaulding  and  the  present  acting  Dr. 
Beard,  while  Dr.  Tibbetts  is  located  at  Emin- 
ence. While  Summit  village  or  "Four  corners," 
as  it  was  for  a  long  time  known,  stood  thus  in- 
dependent of  sister  towns  and  villages,  in  the 
medical  profession,  yet  at  Charlotteville,  Dr. 
Wm.  Lamont  settled  in  1825  or  1830,  and  in 
connection  with  Dr.  Van  Alstine  of  Richmond- 
ville  often  encroached  upon  the  territory,  right- 


fully belonging  to  the  above,  and  carried  away 
the  palm  in  many  intricate  cases.  Doctors  Near 
and  Smith,  during  Dr.  Lament's  residence,  were 
also  located  at  that  place  and  were  succeeded 
by  the  present  Dr.  George  Berner  and  Dr. 
Sperbeck. 

Eminence. 

The  early  settlers  of  this  locality  were  of 
Dutch  descent,  and  their  Yankee  neighbors 
distinguished  it  as  "  Dutch  Hill,"  by  which  it 
was  known  until  the  postoffice  was  estabhshed 
in  1851,  when  it  was  named  "Eminence.'' 

Peter  Harder  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  and 
was  the  father  of  the  present  Harders  of  the 
County,  whose  enterprise  as  successful  business 
men  places  them  in  the  front  rank.  Reuben 
and  Minard  Harder  commenced  the  mercantile 
business  here  when  they  were  young  men.  The 
latter  was  appointed  the  first  postmaster. 

Harder  brothers  sold  their  stock  in  trade  to 
J.  M.  Cornell,  who  sold  to  Wood  &  Curtis. 
Curtis  purchased  Wood's  interest,  and  in  1866 
sold  to  J.  L.  Burrows,  the  present  occupant  of 
the  "lower"  or  north  store.  It  was  the  only 
store  up  to  the  year  1869  or  1870,  when  T.  O. 
Burnet  commenced  the  upper  one  and  was  in 
trade  for  a  while,  and  closed  out,  leaving  but 
one  again  to  furnish  goods  for  a  large  territory. 
James  A.  Burnett  .purchased  the  property  and 
still  remains,  keeping  a  general  assortment,  as 
does  Mr.  Burrows,  of  goods  usually  found  in  a 
country  store. 

Upon  the  formation  of  Summit,  the  road 
passing  through  the  hamlet  from  north  to  south 
was  taken  as  the  east  line  at  this  point,  and 
thought  to  be  near  the  old  Tryon  and  Albany 
county  line. 

Itrst  Town  Meeting. — The  first  town 
meeting  was  held  at  the  house  of  Martin  Hoff- 
man, in  March,  1820. 

It  was  resolved,  "  That  sheep  shall  not  be 
free  commoners  and  if  rams  are  allowed  to 
ramble  at  large  between  the  first  of  September 
and  the  first  of  December,  they  shall  be  forfeit- 
ed." A  bounty  was  voted  for  the  killing  of 
bears  and  wolves,  ranging  from  five  to  ten  dol- 
lars per  head.  By  the  vote  of  the  people,  we 
find  upon  a  schedule  of  the  town's  indebtedness 


TOWN  OF  SUMMIT. 


165 


bearing  date  1821,  the  sum  of  twenty  dollars 
was  raised  for  the  support  of  the  poor.  Fence 
viewers  and  school  inspectors  received  twenty- 
five  cents  per  day  for  actual  service,  and  we 
suppose  were  then  docked,  for  time  wasted. 

We  will  here  give  the  schedule  of  taxes  for 
the  year  1880,  which  will  undoubtedly  be  as 
amusing  to  the  tax-payers  sixty  years  from  now, 
as  the  foregoing  of  sixty  years  ago  is  to  us.  We 
copy  from  the  Supervisors  report  of  1880. 

Dr. 
To   amount   raised   for  roads  and 

bridges, $  150.00 

To   amount   raised  for  support  of 

poor 250.00 

To    aniount   audited    by 

board  of  town  auditors  $543.99. 
To  amount  audited  by 

board  of  Supervisors...    248.60. 
To  amount  dog  tax 90.50. 

.  Total 883.09. 

Supervisor's  fees   8.84. 

To  amount  payable  to   Su- 
pervisors    89I-93- 

To  amount  state  tax 1,252.88. 

To  amount  school  tax....      10.45. 

To  amount  county  tax. .  ..1,720.48. 

To  amount  due  poor  de- 
partment        43-8o. 

Dr.  To  County  Treasurer..       9.94. 

Total 3.°43-SS- 

Total  amount  payable  to 

County  Treasurer 3-043-S5' 

Grand  total $4,335.48. 

No.  names  on  tax  list,  372. 

Seward  Gallup, 

Collector." 

Supervisors. 

The  early  records  of  the  town  are  not  access- 
ible, having  been  carelessly  "lent  out"  and  not 
returned,  therefore  we  can  only  trace  the  list  as 
follows  : — 

1 83 1 — Jacob  Hoifman. 
1832 — Jacob  Hoffman. 


1833- 
1834- 

1835- 
1836- 

1837- 
1838- 
1839- 
1840— 
1841- 
1842— 
1843- 
1844- 
1845- 
1846- 
1847- 
1848- 
1849- 
1850- 
1851- 
1852- 

1853- 
1854- 

185s- 
1856- 

1857- 
1858- 
1859- 
1860- 
1861- 
1862- 
1863- 
1864- 
1865- 
1866- 
1867- 
1868- 
1869- 
1870- 
1871- 
1872- 

1873- 
1874- 

1875- 
1876- 
1877- 
1878- 

1879- 
1880- 
1881- 
1882- 


-Seymour  Boughton,  Sen. 
-Seymour  Boughton,  Sen. 
■Letolia  Bruce. 
-Seymour  Boughton,  Sen. 
-Daniel  Baldwin. 
-Edmond  Northrup. 
-John  Loucks,  Jun. 
-Thomas  W.  Lamont. 
-Thomas  W.  Lamont. 
-Isaac  W.  Beard. 
-Isaac  W.  Beard. 
-Jacob  Hoffman. 
-Jacob  Hoffman. 
-Hiram  T.  Comstock. 
-Parley  Brown. 
-Parley  Brown, 
-Joseph  S.  Wood. 
-Joseph  S.  Wood. 
-Robert  Crapser. 
-Minard  Harder. 
-Seymour  Boughton,  Sen. 
-David  L.  Rider. 
-John  H.  Coons. 
-James  Barger. 
-James  Barger. 
-Samuel  Near. 
-David  C.  Jackson. 
-Samuel  R.  Griggs. 
-William  Lamont. 
-Elisha  Brown. 
-Charles  W.  Havens. 
-Miles  Hartwell. 
-Parley  Brown. 
-Parley  Brown. 
-James  Terpenning. 
-Howland  Baker. 
-James  Barger. 
-James  Barger. 
-William  Lamont. 
-William  Lamont. 
-James  H.  Brown. 
-James  H.  Brown. 
-James  H.  Brown. 
-James  H.  Brown. 
-Stephen  Stilwell. 
-Seymour  Boughton,  Jun. 
-Seymour  Boughton,  Jun. 
-David  Crowe. 
-David  Crowe. 
-F.  P.  Beard. 


i66 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

History  of  The  Town  of  Fulton. 

First  Purchase  of  Land  by  Adam  Vroman — 
Adam  Vroman  and  Family — Indian  Deeds 
— Captain  Vroman — Indian  Castle — Col- 
onel Peter.Vroman-Swart  Family— Peter 
Swart  —  His  Manuscript — Death — ^Crys- 
LER  Family-Mrs.  John  Bouck  —Henry  Ha- 
ger — In  McDonald's  Camp — Captain  Ha- 
GER  at  Bemis  Heights — Upper  Fort — Ex- 
empt Volunteers — Invasion  by  Crysler — 
Murder  by  Beacraft — Prisoners — Burn- 
ing of  Crysler's  Mill — Sad  Day  of  1780 — 
Release  of  Prisoners— Others  Taken  to 

Niagara  and  Montreal — Return  Home 

Brant's  Course  through  Cherry  Valley 

Consent  to  Write  a  Letter  —  Messen- 
ger Dispatched  with  it— Crysler's  Inva- 
sion— Murder  Near  the  Fort— Engage- 
ment with  Captain  Hager  —  Richard 
Hagadorn   Wounded — Conflict  at    the 

Lake— Johnson's  and  Brant's  Invasion 

Mary  Hagadorn— The  Indians  Visit  the 
Settlement    Again — No   Injury— Tories' 

Loss — Bouck  Family  and  Island Wm.  C. 

Bouck — His  Life — Incident  from  New 
York  Daily  News— The  Governor's  Chil- 
dren —  Tremain's  Tribute  —  Inhabitants 
OF  1788— Timothy  Murphy— His  Life  and 
Historical  Incidents—Children— Death- 
Extract  FROM  Atlantic  Monthly— Town 
Formed — Patriotism  of  1812 Peters- 
burgh  —  Breakabeen— First  Lands  Set- 
tled —  Fultonham  —  Charles  Watson- 
West  Fulton— Churches— Polly  Hollow 

—Reformed  Church— Physicians— Super- 
visors— Boundaries. 

THAT  portion  of  the  town  known  as  Vro- 
mansland  was  the  first  settled,  and  is 
the  best  land  in  the  County.  Adam' Vroman 
as  before  stated,  purchased  it  of  the  Indians  in 


171 1,  for  one  hundred  gallons  of  rum  and  a  few 
blankets,  and  estimated  the  tract  to  contain 
four  hundred  acres.  In  17 15  Vroman  came  to 
the  valley  to  settle  his  son,  Peter,  but  by 
threatenings  to  kill  him  and  the  bold  demolition 
of  his  house  by  the  Germans  of  Weisersdorf, 
he  was  frightened  away,  and  the  settlement 
was  delayed  till  the  season  following.  Adam 
Vroman  descended  from  a  prominent  family  of 
Holland,  and  was  a  son  of  Hendrick  Meese 
Vroman,  who  was  killed  in  the  Schenectady 
massacre  of  1690.  He  was  born  in  Holland 
in  1649.  Rev.  R.  Randall  Hoes,  of  New 
Rochelle,  N.  Y.,  a  descendant,  says: — 

"He  was  naturahzed  in  the  province  of  New 
York  in  17 15." 

His  will  is  dated  September  12,  1729,  and 
was  proved  June  13,  1730.  He  died  on  his 
farm  in  Schoharie,  (Vromansland,)  February 
2S>  173°,  and  was  buried  in  Schenectady,  and  it 
was  thought  upon  at  least  fair  authority,  that 
his  first  wife  was  Engeltie  Bloom,  probably  of 
Long  Island.  His  second  wife  was  Gristje 
Ryckman,  widow  of  Jacques  Cornelise  Van 
Slyck,  in  1691.  His  third  wife  was  Grietje 
Takelse  Heemstreet,  married  January  13,  1697, 
in  Albany.     His  children   numbered   thirteen. 

They  were  as  follows,  from  the  manuscript  of 
of  R.  R.  Hoes  :— 

Barent  baptized  in  1679;  married  daughter 
of  Takelse  Heemstraat,  1699. 

Wouter,  born  in  1680;  married  daughter  of 
Isaac  C.  Hallenbeck,  of  Albany,  1707. 

Pieter,  born  May,  1684;  married  Griesje  Van 
Alstine,  of  Albany,  February,  1706. 

Christina,  baptized  October  18,  1685  ;  mar- 
ried Teunis  Swart,  October,  17 10. 

Hendrick,  born  in  1687  ;  married  first , 

second,  Maria  Wemp;  was  high  constable  in 
Albany  in  1705. 

Johannes,  baptized  May  30,  1697,  in  Al- 
bany. 

Maria,  born  September  i,  1699;  married 
Douw  Foda. 

Bartholomew,  born  blind  ;  married  Catharina 
Slingerland,  widow  of  Hendrick  Van  Slyck. 

Timotheus,  born  November  8,  1702. 

Seth,  married  first,  Geertney  Van  Patten; 
second,  Eva  De  Graff. 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


167 


Jacob    Meese,    married    Sara   Meyndertsen, 

October   30,   1742,  daughter  of  the    Patroon. 

Eta,   married   Joachim  Ketelhuyn,    January 

25.  i73°- 
Janet je,  married  Harmon  Van  Slyck,  and  we 

think  after,  Johannes  Lawyer. 

Rev.  Hoes  also  gives  us  Adam's  third  son's 
children.  As  from  Peter  came  the  different 
families  bearing  the  name  in  the  valley  at  the 
present  time,  we  give  them  as  follows  : — 

Adam,  Barent,  Cornelius,  Engeltie,  (Mrs- 
David  Zielie,)  Abraham,  Jannetie,  Pieter, 
Meese,  Isaac,  Geerting,  (Mrs.  Josias  Swart,) 
Lidia. 

Adam  Vroman  had  a  deal  of  trouble  with 
the  Germans,  who,  he  complained  to  the 
Governor  of  the  province  several  times,  "set 
the  Indians  up  against  him."  The  Germans 
apprised  the  Indians  of  the  fact  that  Vroman 
had  cheated  them  in  the  number  of  acres,  and 
he  again  bought  the  tract  in  1714,  (April  30,) 
and  called  it  eleven  hundred  acres,  and  in  the 
following  August  obtained  a  royal  grant  for  the 
whole. .  There  is  no  doubt  that  Weiser  and  his 
followers  had  an  eye  to  the  land,  and  committed 
all  manner  of  depredations,  and  influenced  the 
Indians  against  him,  at  least  the  Indians  were 
not  yet  satisfied,  and  the  matter  was  not  settled 
until  the  30th  of  March,  1726,  when  he  re- 
purchased the  whole  tract,  and  to  make  a  sure 
transaction  the  conveyance  was  given  "  in  be- 
half of  all  the  Mohaugs  Indians,''  and  after 
giving  the  boundaries,  it  said  "let  there  be  as 
much  as  there  will,  more  or  less,  for  we  are  no 
surveyors.''  All  deeds  given  by  the  Indians  of 
the  valley  were  executed,  by  the  three  tribes  of 
the  Mohawk,  whose  ensigns  were  a  turtle,  wolf, 
and  bear,  the  former  sometimes  holding  a  toma- 
hawk in  its  claws.  The  Germans  learned  by 
experience  that  Vroman  could  not  be  frustrated 
in  his  designs,  and  after  the  exit  of  Weiser  to 
Pennsylvania  they  began  to  cultivate  a  friendly 
feeling  towards  each  other.  How  many  of 
Adam's  children  settled  upon  the  land  we  are 
unable  to  learn,  but  we  know  at  least  of  three, 
Peter,  Wouter  and  Christina.  Wouter  or  Wal- 
ter, seemed  to  be  the  favorite  son,  as  he  re- 
ceived more  than  the  others. 

Where  David  Vroman   now  resides,  Adam 


intended  to  reside,  and  upon  the  west  of  him 
Wouter  was  located,  his  land  running  from  the 
mountain  to  and  across  the  "Dovegatt."*  All 
the  land  east  of  Wouter's  was  called  the 
Bowery,  and  was  conveyed  to  him  on  the  12th 
of  February,  1731. 

Each  of  these  had  sons,  and  perhaps  other 
brothers'  sons  came,  as  in  a  few  years  quite  a 
number  of  the  family  were  here.  Author  Simms 
refers  to  four  sons  of  Peter, — Cornelius,  Samuel, 
Peter  and  Isaac, — that  were  noted  for  their 
strength.  Having  a  saw-mill,  he  states  two  of 
them  could  easily  carry  a  good  sized  log  on  the 
carriage.  Cornelius  being  the  strongest,  upon 
a  wager  of  strength,  drew  twelve  heavy  men  in 
a  sleigh  upon  bare  ground,  one  and  one-half 
feet,  and  drew  by  the  end  of  the  tongue.  It 
will  be  seen  that  Peter  did  not  have  a  son 
named  Samuel,  and  as  Isaac  was  born  in 
November,  1722,  if  such  did  show  their 
strength,  they  were  children  of  another 
Vroman, — perhaps  Adam's  brother.  As  will 
be  seen,  Christina,  a  daughter  of  Adam, 
married  Teunis  Swart,  and  his  son,  Jacob,  the 
father  of  Judge  Swart,  followed  him,  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  farm  given  to  him  by  Adam,  as 
did  the  Judge,  who  afterwards  removed  to 
Schoharie.  The  Swarts  settled  a  few  years 
after  the  Vromans,  and  were  connected  with 
them  in  all  enterprises  for  many  years.  During 
the  French  wars  those  families  took  an  active 
part,  especially  the  Vromans,  and  held  promi- 
nent positions  in  the  mihtia  ranks.  Peter,  the 
son  of  Adam,  was  commissioned  Ensign  in 
r73i,  and  was  promoted  to  Captain  between 
that  date  and  1739.  The  original  commission 
is  now  in  the  possession  of  A.  G.  Richmond,  of 
Canajoharie.  His  grandson,  Peter,  (son  of 
Barent)  was  commissioned  Captain  sometime 
in  1754  or  1755,  and  was  highly  recommended 
by  Sir  William  Johnson  to  Governor  Colden, 
to  be  promoted  to  Major  in  Colonel  Jacob 
Sternburgh's  regiment,  as  before  stated.  The 
latter  officer  to  distinguish  himself  from 
other  Peter  Vromans  of  that  day,  usually  wrote 
his  name  Peter  B.,  conveying  the  idea  of,  son  of 

*The  Dovegatt  is  the  Dutch  name  given  to  a  minia- 
ture bay  that  runs  from  the  main  stream  into  the  inter- 
vale in  the  shape  of  the  Roman  letter  L. 


i68 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Barent.  When  the  Revolution  commenced  he 
was  commissioned  as  "  Colonel  Peter  Vroman." 
The  grandfather,  Peter,  (Ensign  and  Captain) 
having  died  in  1771,  Colonel  Peter  dropped  the 
"  B."  Perhaps  he  did  so  to  shield  himself  from 
being  recognized  by  the  British  Government  as 
the  former  commissioned  Captain.  In  case  of 
his  being  taken  prisoner  under  his  former  full 
name,  he  would  have  been  treated  as  a  deserter. 

A  nephew  of  Adam  made  himself  promi- 
nent as  a  Surveyor,  and  purchaser  of  large 
tracts  of  land.  His  name  was  Isaac,  and  he 
surveyed  the  "  Dorlach  grant "  in  Seward  and 
Sharon  in  1730,  and  drew  a  very  concise  map  of 
the  same  which  is  now  in  the  hands  of  Tiffany 
Lawyer. 

During  the  anticipated  trouble  with  the 
French  a  castle  was  built  in  Vromansland 
by  the  orders  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  and  called 
a  "fort."  It  was  built  in  1753,*  and  stood  upon 
lands  now  occupied  by  David  Vroman,  east  of 
the  stem  of  the  Dovegatt,  and  in  the  convey- 
ance of  lands  from  the  Indians  to  Vroman  and 
from  him  to  his  son  Walter,  the  site  was  reserv- 
ed as  also  was  a  narrow  strip  along  the  back- 
water, opposite  the  fort.  The  latter  was  for 
a  burial  ground. 

There  were  three  castles  or  forts  in  the  val- 
ley, but  this  was  the  largest  and  most  impreg- 
nable, owing,  undoubtedly,  to  the  fact  that  the 
greatest  number  of  Indians  and  whites  were 
located  in  this  vicinity.  At  the  time  these  forts 
were  built,  there  were  also  others  constructed 
for  the  Onondaga,  Oneida  and  Seneca  tribes, 
and  upon  the  back  of  the  statement,  made,  of 
the  fact  of  their  being  built,  by  Sir  William 
Johnson,  to  the  Board  of  Trade,  there  was  a 
memorandum  of  dimensions  which  was,  with- 
out doubt,  that  of  the  forts,  (unquestionably 
they  were  all  built  ahke,)  which  we  will  here 
copy  verbatim : — 

"  100  ft.  square  the  stockad^-  P  [pine]  or  O  K 
[oak]  15  ft.  long  3  of  w*  at  least  to  be  sunk  in 
the  ground  well  pounded  and  rammed  &  ye  2 
touching  sides  square  so  as  to  lay  close.  Loop 
holes  to  be  made  4  ft.  dis'  2  Bl.  H^^s  20  ft.  sq. 
below  &  above  to  project  i^  foot  over  y=  Beams 
well  roofed  &  shingled  &  a  good   Sentry  Box 

*  Doc.  Hist.  Vol.  2,  of  4  Vols,  page  422. 


on  the  top  of  each,  a  good  Gate  of  3  In":  oak 
PI.  &  Iron  hinges  &  a  small  Gate  of  Oak  Plank 
of  same  thick^- 

"Endorsed,  Fort  Johnson,  May  28th,  1756." 

Judge  Brown  in  his  "Brief  sketch,  &c.,  of 
Schoharie,"  of  this  Fort  and  Indians  says  : — 

"Here  they  (the  Indians)  all  settled  together 
the  whole  Karigh  Ondonte  tribe.  Their  chiefs 
that  remained  in  my  time  (1757  he  came  to 
Schoharie)  were  Seth  Hauzerry,  Joseph  Hanelir 
and  Aggy  Aweer,  together  with  their  squaws  of 
the  direct  line  of  Karigh  Ondonte,  namely — 
Lisquet,  Wawly  and  Caroline,  who  always  pre- 
tended to  have  exclusive  title  to  the  soil  and 
King  George,  I  suppose,  caused  a  Piquet  Fort 
and  some  Barracks  to  be  built  thereon, 
which  was  done  by  one  young  Johannes  Becker 
for  the  sum  of  eight  pound.  Here  they  gave 
names  to  three  particular  hills — namely  Onisto 
Graw,  Conegena  and  Mohegan,  by  which  they 
continue  to  be  named  this  day." 

From  this  fort.  Captain  Peter  B.  Vroman  pro- 
ceeded with  a  body  of  militia  to  Os\vego  in 
1759,  and  was  employed  in  building  a  road  to 
the  Three  Rivers.  Vromansland  being  the 
birthplace  of  Colonel  Vroman  and  that  historic 
groun  d  lying  within  this  town,  perhaps  it  would  be 
well  t^here  give  a  few  of  the  many  prominent 
points  of  his  hfe,  beginning  with  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Revolution. 

We  find  he  represented  the  Schoharie  district 
at  the  "Provincial  Convention,"  to  elect  dele- 
gates to  the  Continental  Congress  in  April,  1775, 
although  the  "New  York  Civil  list"  does  not  make 
mention  of  the  fact.  He  was  sent  as  a  delegate 
to  the  Council  of  Safety  many  times,  and  was 
Member  of  Assembly  during  the  four  sessions 
of  1777  and  1779,  also  in  1786  and  1787.  His 
prompt  action  under  the  most  adverse  circum- 
stances during  the  war  as  an  officer,  and  the 
courage  displayed  upon  the  17th  of  October, 
1780,  at  the  middle  fort  were  characteristic  of 
the  man,  and  were  worthy  marks  of  a  true  pa- 
triot and  unflinching  soldier.  The  Colonel  had 
but  one  heir,  Angelica,  who  married  a  Peter 
Vroman,  that  held  a  commission  as  Major  in 
the  beginning  of  the  century.  He  removed  from 
Vromansland  in  the  year   1777  to  the  middle 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


169 


fort,  and  after  the  invasion  of  1780  he  pur- 
chased the  Eckerson  mill  near  the  lower  fort 
and  lived  at  that  place  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  the  29th  of  December,  1793,  at 
the  early  age  of  fifty-seven. 

The  Swart  family  were  descendants  of  a  prom- 
inent family  in  Holland  in  an  official  and  mon- 
etary point  of  view.  The  first  that  came  to  this 
country  were  two  brothers,  Frederick  Cornelius, 
and  Teunis  Cornelius,  some  time  prior  to  the 
year  1660.  They  were  business  men  and  held 
public  positions  in  Albany  and  Schenectady  for 
many  years.  The  Judge  was  the  most  promi- 
nent member  of  the  family  in  this  County,  and 
in  order  to  give  a  correct  idea  of  his  public  life 
we  will  copy  from  a  manuscript  left  by  him, 
now  in  the  possession  of  our  friend  Rev.  R. 
Randall  Hoes  :— 

"  I  was  enrolled  in  the  militia  at  sixteen  years 
of  age,  (this  was  the  lawful  age  for  enrolling  at 
that  period)  served  as  a  private  six  months; 
then  I  was  appointed  a  corporal,  served  in  that 
capacity  about  one  year,  then  I  was  appointed 
sergeant  in  Capt  Hager's  company;  1778  I  was 
appointed  Ensign  in  said  company,  in  the  room 
of  John  1..  Lawyer;  1786  I  was  promoted  to 
first  Major  of  the  regiment,  in  1798  I  was  pro- 
moted to  Lieut. -Colonel  Com't.  In  1784  I  was 
appointed  Justice  of  the  Peace,  without  my 
knowledge.  In  1796  I  was  appointed  one  of 
the  Judges  of  the  county,  which  office  I  have 
resigned  ia  1818  :  In  1798  I  was  elected  mem- 
ber of  Assembly,  the  next  election  I  was  solic- 
ited to  stand  again  as  a  candidate  which  I 
utterly  refused;  1806  I  was  elected  a  member 
of  Congress. 

"  I  was  afterwards  again  requested  to  stand 
as  a  candidate  for  Congress,  which  I  refused, 
when  John  Gebhard,  Judge  Shepherd  and  Boyd 
(Thomas)  were  candidates.  Gebhard  and  Shep- 
herd met  with  their  friends  at  the  court  house 
for  one  of  them  to  give  way;  no  arrangement 
could  be  made:  They  both  signed  a  written 
declaration  to  give  way  in  case  I  would  accept 
a  nomination,  which  I  also  refused.  1816  I  was 
elected  a  Senator.  At  the  expiration  of  my 
time  I  was  again  requested  to  stand  a  can- 
didate for  the  Senate,  which  I  also  refused.  I 
never  craved  or  requested  an  office. 


"  I  was  one  of  the  first  that  signed  the  com- 
pact and  association.  1776  I  turned  out  to 
Stone  Arabia  to  check  the  progress  of  the  en- 
emy and  Tories.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year 
I  turned  out  to  Albany,  from  thence  to  Fort 
Edward,  from  thence  to  Johnstown,  to  check 
the  enemy.  1777,  in  the  spring,  I  turned  out 
to  Harpersfield,  from  thence  to  the  Delaware, 
to  take  up  disaffected,  from  there  home. 
Three  days  home,  I  went  down  the  Helleburgh 
to  take  Tories.  After  we  had  together  about 
twenty-five  of  them,  went  to  Albany  and  de- 
livered them  in  jail.  A  few  days  after,  went  to 
Harpersfield,  from  thence  to  Charlotte  river  to 
take  McDonald,  and  send  him  to  jail.  In  Au- 
gust, 1777,  was  one  of  the  thirty-two  that  made 
a  stand  to  oppose  McDonald  and  his  party.  I 
was  one  of  the  two  that  risked  our  fives  to 
crowd  through  the  Tories'  guns  to  go  to  Al- 
bany for  assistance  ;  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
Indians  and  Tories,  and  the  same  evening  made 
my  escape.  I  was  one  of  the  six  councillors 
that  went  from  the  stone  house  across  Scho- 
harie Creek  into  the  wood  in  a  cave,  to  consult 
what  measures  to  adopt— secrecy  at  that  tirtie 
was  the  best  policy.  Did  not  McDonald  and 
his  party  come  down  as  far  as  my  house,  and 
there  encamp  till  next  day,  and  destroy  every- 
thing ?  I  had  left  home.  The  same  day  Mc- 
Donald and  his  party  were  defeated  and  fled 
into  the  woods,  and  went  off  to  Canada,  and 
about  twenty-six  from  Breakabeen  went  with 
him.  What  would  have  been  the  result  if  our 
small  party  had  made  no  resistance,  and  had 
tamely  submitted?  McDonald  would  have 
marched  through  Schoharie,  and  in  all  proba- 
bility reached  Albany.  What  was  the  conse- 
quence as  far  as  he  came  down  ?  Was  not  the 
farm  of  Adam  Crysler  confiscated  ?  Also  the 
farm  of  Adam  Bouck  and  brothers  ?  Also  the 
farm  of  Frederick  Bouck  ?  Of  Bastian  Becker, 
John  Brown,  Hendrick  Mattice,  Nicholas  Mat- 
tice  and  a  number  of  others  that  were  indicted  ? 
And  a  number  more  that  had  joined  McDon- 
ald and  fired  upon  our  men." 

Judge  Swart  was  born  January  13,  1752. 
He  married  Cornelia  Becker  (Low  Dutch),  by 
whom  he  had  several  sons  and  daughters,  as 
follows: — Jacob,  John,  Peter,  Martin,  Maria, 
Mrs.  Peter  I.  Hoes,  Ann,  Mrs.  Jacob  H.  Hager, 


170 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


afterwards  Mrs.  Nicholas  Russell,  of  Cobleskill, 
and  Nancy,  Mrs.  David  Swart,  of  Orleans 
county,  N.  Y.  He  passed  his  last  days  upon 
the  "Seller  farm,"  near  Schoharie  village,  and 
there  died  on  the  3d  of  November,  1829. 

At  some  period  before  1750,  the  Crysler 
family  settled  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Mrs.  John  S.  Lawyer.  The  name  has  been 
differently  spelled,  as  Kriesler,  Krisler,  Chryslir 
and  Crysler.  We  will  adopt  the  modern  or  lat- 
ter method.  We  are  of  the  opinion  that  the 
head  of  the  family  was  Geronimus,  and  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Revolution,  he  was  dead  and 
left  four  sons  and  at  least  one  daughter,  Mrs. 
John  Bouck,  of  Schoharie  village,  also  Adam 
Baltus,  Philip,  John,  and  William.  Adam  re- 
tained the  old  homestead  and  was  the  owner  of 
a  gristmill  built  several  years  before  the  Revo- 
lution. Geronimus  became  interested  in  a  por- 
tion of  the  "  Dorlach"  grant  and  removed  with 
Philip,  John  and  William  upon  it,  and  the  three 
latter  were  residents  of  it  in  1777. 

The  family  at  one  time  owned  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  this  town,  of  which  the  Boucks  became 
the  owners.  As  the  law  passed  by  the  Conti- 
nental Congress,  was  to  the  effect  that  those 
who  remained  loyal  to  the  Crown,  and  left  the 
property  during  hostilities  to  give  aid  to  the 
colonists'  enemies,  should  forfeit  their  lands,  this 
property  was  seized  and  passed  into  other  hands 
upon  the  close  of  the  war.  While  Adam  and 
brothers  were  demons  in  human  form,  through 
that  struggle,  yet  the  former  was  not  a  down- 
right Tory  more  than  any  other  British  officer, 
who  had  sworn  allegiance  to  the  government 
and  enrolled  himself  in  the  army  as  a  soldier, 
before  the  war  commenced.  Having  thus  done, 
his  government  was  the  crown,  while  a  civilian 
must  consider  himself  to  be  of  that  government 
that  has  absolute  power  over  the  State  or  prov- 
ince of  which  he  is  a  member,  and  in  opposing 
by  force  or  giving  aid  to  the  enemy,  gains  the 
title  or  epithet  of  "  Tory." 

It  was  otherwise  with  Crysler.  He  was  a 
British  officer,  having  received  a  commission  in 
1768.  We  have  already  in  Chapter  HI,  given 
the  movements  of  Captain  Crysler  and  his 
brothers  during  the  war,  and  it  is  therefore 
needless  to  repeat  them  here,  as  they  are  a  stain 


upon  our  history  that  will  overbalance  anything 
that  has  been  brought  forward  against  other  white 
savages  of  that  memorable  epoch.  While  they 
were  participants  and  instigators  of  atrocious  acts, 
the  sister,  Mrs.  John  Bouck,  was  one  of  those 
women  whose  Christian  graces  adorn  society 
and  win  the  love  and  admiration  of  their  fellows. 
She  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  and  died  about  the 
year  1810,  leaving  a  large  circle  of  friends,  whose 
children  still  refer  to  her  Christian  life. 

Beside  the  famihes  already  mentioned  as  being 
the  first  settlers  of  the  town  were  the  Peeks, 
Baxster,  Youngs,  Mattice,  Larroways,  Keysers, 
Beckers,  Browns,  Hagadorns,  Vanloan,  Henry 
Hager,  and  Boucks,  although  the  latter  at  a 
much  later  date  than  the  former.  At  the  time 
the  invasion  was  made  by  McDonald  and  Crys- 
ler, Henry  Hager,  then  an  aged  man,  was  the 
only  patriot  left  in  the  upper  part  of  the  settle- 
ment to  communicate  the  fact  of  their  presence 
to  the  people  below. 

In  starting  out  near  sundown,  to  carry  the 
news  he  walked  within  the  enemy's  lines,  and 
upon  finding  out  his  situation,  pretended  to  the 
sentinel  to  be  in  quest  of  the  blacksmith. 
After  giving  an  order  for  some  piece  of  mechan- 
ism he  was  again  allowed  to  pass  the  pickets  on 
his  pretended  return  home,  but  in  reaching  a 
bend  in  the  road  that  hid  him  from  the  belliger- 
ents, he  made  a  circuitous  route  and  reached 
the  house  of  John  Becker,  where  were  assembled 
his  son  and  Captain  Jacob  Hager  with  a  small 
company  of  militia.  The  Captain  had  marched 
to  the  relief  of  Schuyler,  and  had  been  ordered 
back  for  supplies,  which  seemed  Providential  at 
that  time  as  the  valley  was  defenseless,  with 
none  but  the  aged  and  women,  of  the  patriots' 
side,  to  resist  a  foe.  The  two  messengers  first 
sent  for  assistance,  were  of  this  town,  Peter  Swart 
and  Ephraim  Vroman,  who,  ere  the  war  closed, 
keenly  felt  the  vengeance  of  the  foe.  Hager, 
with  the  very  few  patriots  surrounding  him, 
urged  the  citizens  to  turn  out  for  defense  but 
they  showed  their  true  colors,  and  refused  to 
heed  his  orders,  and  finding  it  was  useless  to 
coax  and  still  less  to  compel,  other  messengers 
were  sent  to  the  committee  at  Albany,  until  their 
call  was  answered  as  before  stated.  After  the 
skirmish  in  Crysler's  neighborhood  with  such  fa- 
vorable success,  the  ire  of  Captain  Hager  was 


TOWN  or  FUI.TON. 


171 


aroused,  and  the  weak-kneed  were  forced  to  a 
realizing  sense  of  what  they  had  to  do,  and  were 
kept  under  strict  surveillance  as  long  as  the  war 
lasted. 

Many  followed  Crysler  to  Canada,  outside 
of  his  force  in  action  that  day,  while  others  re- 
turned after  a  few  days  march,  pretended  peni- 
tence, but  were,  as  others,  forced  to  do  much 
against  their  wishes.  Captain  Hager  was  early 
in  the  field  upon  duty  and  remained  in  active 
service  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Upon  the  retreat  of  McDonald,  Capt.  Hager 
returned  to  Saratoga  with  his  force  and  was  at 
the  battle  of  Bemis  Heights,  and  from  thence, 
marched  with  a  detachment  of  militia  to  the 
Delaware  and  Charlotte  to  arrest  the  disaffect- 
ed, that  had  been  more  bold  upon  the  prospect 
of  the  success  of  British  force,  than  before.  At 
no  time  during  the  struggle  were  there  as  many 
arrested  and  confined  or  forced  to  give  bail  for 
their  "  good  behavior  towards  the  patriots,"  as 
immediately  after  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne 
and  retreat  of  St.  Leger.  The  militia  drove 
matters  to  a  crisis  with  the  timid,  as  well  as  the 
evil  disposed,  and  during  the  Captain's  whole 
military  career  we  fail  to  find  an  instance  where 
his  passions  gained  control  of  his  judgment, 
and  led  him  to  commit  rash  deeds,  that  were  to 
his  discredit  as  a  soldier  and  a  Christian  gentle- 
man. His  bravery  and  military  skill  were  con- 
ceded by  Johnson,  Brant,  McDonald  and  Crysler 
to  be  undaunting,  as  upon  several  occasions  a 
conflict  was  evaded  when  it  became  known  that 
the  Captain  was  in  command.  The  second  com- 
pany which  he  commanded  was  the  most 
active  of  any,  and  consisted  of  fifty-five  all  told, 
with  Martinus  VanSlyck  as  First  Lieutenant, 
Johannes  W.  Bouck,  Second  Lieutenant  and  Pe- 
ter Swart.  Ensign,  and  during  the  war,  arrested, 
tradition  says,  two  hundred  and  fifty  Tories,  and 
delivered  them  to  the  Colonial  authorities. 

Upfer  Fort. — As  hostilities  had  actually  com- 
menced in  the  valley  and  invasions  were  daily 
expected,  the  upper  fort  was  built  in  the  fall 
of  1777,  as  were  the  middle  and  lower,  by  the 
labors  of  citizens  and  soldiers.  The  summer  of 
1778  found  them  finished,  and  this  one  the 
most  impregnable  of  the  three,  stood  near  the 
village  of  Fultonham,  upon  the  present  farm  of 


Mrs.  Lawyer  Bouck,  then  owned  by  John  Feek. 
Of  its  construction,  Simms  says  :  "One  side  of 
the  inclosure  was  picketed  in,  while  on  its  other 
sides  a  breast-work  was  thrown  up  of  timbers 
and  earth,  some  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  and  suf- 
ficiently thick  to  admit  of  drawing  a  wagon 
upon  its  top,  with  short  pickets  set  in  the  out- 
side timbers  of  the  breast-work.  A  ditch  sur- 
rounded the  parts  thus  constructed.  Military 
barracks  and  small  log  huts  were  erected  in  the 
inclosure  to  accommodate  the  'soldiers  and  citi- 
zens. Block-houses  and  sentry  boxes  were 
built  in  the  northwest  and  southeast  corners, 
each  containing  a  small  cannon  to  guard  its 
sides.  From  its  construction,  this  fortress 
probably  better  merited  the  name  of  fort  than 
either  of  the  others,  although  some  have  stated 
that  a  moat-  partially  surrounded  the  middle 
fort."  The  same  author  says,  "  In  June  of  1777 
Congress  resolved  to  establish  a  corps  of  invalids, 
consisting  of  eight  companies,  each  to  have  one 
captain,  two  lieutenants,  two  ensigns,  five 
sergeants,  two  drummers,  two  fifers  and  one 
hundred  men,  to  be  employed  in  garrison  duty." 
A  company  of  this  kind  was  formed  in  Scho- 
harie in  the  fall  of  1777,  or  early  in  1778,  of 
which  Teunis  Vroman,  who  had  served  in  the 
French  war,  was  Captain,  Peter  Snyder  and 
Martinus  Vroman,  Lieutenants,  and  John  L. 
Lawyer  its  Ensign.  This  company,  which  was 
mostly  in  the  vicinity  of  the  upper  fort  was 
called  Associate  Exempts.  The  most  direful 
invasion  of  the  whole  of  the  Schoharie  settlements 
up  to  the  year  1780,  was  made  in  Vromans- 
land  on  the  9th  of  August  of  that  year,  by  a 
party  of  Indians,  supposed  to  be  seventy-three 
and  six  Tories,  led  by  the  infamous  Crysler,  as 
will  be  seen  by  consulting  his  official  report 
found  in  Chapter  III.  Of  that  affair  Simms 
says,  that  Captain  Hager  sent  a  scout  consist- 
ing of  Coonradt  Winne,  Leek  and  Hoever  to 
reconnoiter  in  the  western  part  of  this  town 
with  instructions  not  to  fire  upon  the  enemy  if 
seen,  but  return  immediately  to  the  Fort.  But 
when  in  the  vicinity  of  "  Sap  bush,"  a  white 
man,  painted  as  a  savage,  was  seen  and  being  a 
tempting  mark  for  Leek,  he  leveled  his  rifle  and 
shot  him,  which  brought  the  whole  force  in  view 
and  caused  a  precipitate  flight  of  the  scouts. 
They  became  divided,  and  only  Leek  reached  the 


172 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


fort,  the  others  being  chased  to  the  south.  Not 
arriving  in  time  to  give  the  alarm  to  the  citi- 
zens, the  savages  pounced  upon  the  Vroman 
settlement  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in 
three  divisions.  Captain  Hager  had  gone  to 
his  farm  (which  lay  in  the  present  town  of 
Blenheim  as  has  been  seen)  to  draw  in  some 
hay,  leaving  Captain  Tennis  Vroman  of  the 
'Exempts'  in  command.  The  latter  unfor- 
tunately also  had  returned  to  his  house  to  draw 
in  wheat  accompanied  by  his  family  to  do  their 
housework. 

The  command  then  devolved  upon  Lieuten- 
ant Ephraim  Vroman  who  also,  with  his  wife, 
four  children  and  two  slaves,  went  to  his  farm 
and  left  the  garrison  under  Lieutenant  William 
Harper,  with  less  than  a  dozen  men. 

All  of  these  Vromans  lived  in  the  one  neigh- 
borhood and  were  without  doubt  the  most  in- 
dependent of  any  in  the  whole  valley.  It  was 
when  all  were  busily  engaged  in  their  excellent 
harvest  or  general  house-work  that  the  demons, 
like  vultures,  pounced  upon  them.  Captain  Vro- 
man was  unloading  wheat  at  the  time  they  made 
their  appearance,  and  immediately  descended 
from  the  load  and  was  met  by  an  Indian  who 
cleft  his  skull  with  a  tomahawk  and  "stood 
upon  his  shoulders  while  tearing  off  his  scalp." 
Mrs.  Vroman  was  washing  in  a  narrow  passage 
between  the  house  and  workhouse  when  she 
was  surprised  and  stricken  down,  after  two  blows 
had  been  inflicted.  Her  scalp  was  rudely  torn 
off  and  the  torch  applied  to  the  house,  barns, 
barracks  and  everything  that  fire  could  con- 
sume. The  Captain  and  wife  both  had  pre- 
sentiments that  morning,  that  something  dread- 
ful was  about  to  occur,  and  ere  noonday  they 
lay  mutilated  victims  of  a  civi/ized  government's 
hired  emissaries. 

The  author  was  informed  by  Andrew  Loucks, 
then  in  the  fort,  that  Mrs.  Vroman  remarked 
when  leaving  the  fort  in  the  morning,  "This  is 
the  last  time  I  intend  to  go  to  my  house  to 
work."  Peter,  one  of  the  sons,  fled  upon  the 
first  alarm  and  hid  in  the  bushes,  but  one  of  the 
blacks  betrayed  him  and  he  was  taken  prisoner. 
He  was  taken  a  short  distance,  and  while  crying  to 
return,  the  notorious  Beacraft  caught  him  "and 
placing  his  legs  between  his  own,  bent  him  back 


and  cut  his  throat,  after  which  he  scalped  and 
hung  him  across  the  fence."     This  affair,  the 
reader  will  remember.  Captain  Patchin  refers  to 
in  his   narrative,  of  which  the  Tory   boasted. 
The   division    that    entered   the  settlement   at 
Colonel  Vroman's  residence  was  led  by  Brant 
himself,  "who  hoped  to  surprise  the  reM  Colo- 
nel."    That  officer  had  removed  to  the  middle 
fort  in  the  early  part  of  July  together  with  his 
family  and,  there  being  no  one  upon  the  prem- 
ises, the  invaders  apphed  the  torch  and  passed 
on  to  Lieutenant  Vroman's.     His  family  (says 
the  author)  "consisted  of  himself  and  wife,  his 
sons  Bartholomew,  Josias  E.,  and  daughters  Janet 
— four  years  old,  an  infant — Christina,  two  Ger- 
mans, Cresihiboom  and  Hoffman,  and  several 
slaves.     The  latter,  however,  were  at  work  near 
the  river   and  escaped."     Lieutenant  Vroman 
ran  to  the  house,  caught  up  the  infant  and  ran 
to  the  cornfield  at  the  foot  of  the  Ouistagrawa, 
followed  by  his  wife  leading  the  daughter.     "  He 
seated  himself  against  a  tree  and  his  wife  con- 
cealed herself  a  few  rods  from  him  in  the  thrifty 
corn."     "  His  family  would,  without  doubt,  have 
remained  undiscovered,  had  Mrs.  Vroman  con- 
tinued silent ;  but  not  knowing  where  her  hus- 
band was  and  becoming  alarmed,   she  rose  up 
and   called  to  him   in  Low  Dutch,  'Ephraim, 
Ephraim,    where   are    you,    have   you   got  the 
child?'      True     to    the    love    of    a    mother, 
her  own  safety  was  not  thought   of,    but   the 
deep,  yearning  solicitude  for  the   child's  safety 
triumphed,    and    gave    the    direction    to    the 
unerring    "bullet  from  Seths   Henry's  rifle   to 
l)ierce  her  body."     "  He  then  tomahawked  and 
scalped  her  while  the  Tory.  Beacraft,  crushed  the 
skull  of  the  four  year-old  daughter  with  a  stone 
and   drew  off  her  scalp."     The  historian   says 
that  as  Seths  Henry  approached  Mrs.  Vroman 
to  take   her  scalp,  he   said,   "Now  say — what 
these  Indian's  dogs  do  here?"  repeating  her  own 
words,    spoken    after    her    marriage    nuptials 
were    performed,    as    Henry    and    other    In- 
dians crowded  into  the  kitchen  and  at  which  the 
wily  warrior  took  offence.     "While  Mrs.  Vro- 
man was   being   scalped,    another   Indian   ap- 
proached the  Lieutenant  and  thrust  a  spear  at 
his  body,  which  he  parried,  and  the  infant  in  his 
arms  smiled,  another  thrust  was  made  and  par- 
ried which  again  caused  the  child  to  smile.     At 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


173 


the  third  blow,  which  was  also  warded  off,  the 
little  innocent,  then  only  five  months  old, 
laughed  aloud  at  the  supposed  sport,  which 
awakened  the  s-ympathy  of  the  savage,  and  he 
made  Vroman  a  prisoner." 

The  sons  and  German  laborers  were  also 
captured  and  taken  to  Canada.  John  Vroman 
was  also  captured  with  his  wife  and  children. 
The  house  was  set  on  fire,  but  extinguished. 
Adam  A.  Vroman  fled  to  the  upper  fort,  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  distant,  after  being  twice  fired 
upon  by  the  enemy.  He  had  a  pistol,  and 
when  the  Indians  gained  upon  him,  he  pre- 
sented it,  and  they  fell  back,  but  renewed 
the  chase  when  he  set  forward.  He  was  pur- 
sued until  protected  by  the  fort.  On  his  ar- 
rival he  was  asked  how  he  had  escaped.  His 
answer  was,  "  I  pulled  foot."  From  that  day  to 
his  death,  he  was  called  "Pull  Foot"  Vroman. 
His  wife  was  made  a  prisoner. 

Simon  Vroman  who  resided  above,  was  taken 
prisoner,  as  were  his  wife  and  son  Jacob,  a  boy 
three  years  old.  John  Daly,  aged  over  sixty, 
Thomas  Mereness  and  James  Turner,  (young 
men),  Albey  Ehza  Stowits,  a  girl  of  seventeen, 
the  wife  of  Philip  Hoever,  the  widow  of  Cor- 
nehus  Vroman,  and  several  slaves  not  mentioned, 
were  also  captured  in  Vromansland,  making 
the  number  of  prisoners  in  all,  about  thirty. 
The  five  persons  mentioned  were  all  that  were 
killed  at  the  time.  Abraham  Vroman,  who 
happened  to  be  in  Vromansland  with  his 
wagon,  on  which  was  a  hay-rack,  when  the 
alarm  was  given,  drove  through  the  valley  and 
picked  up  several  of  the  citizens.  On  arriving 
at  the  residence  of  the  Swarts,  who  lived  in  the 
lower  end  of  the  valley,  he  reined  up  and  called 
to  Mrs.  Swart,  who  was  standing  at  an  oven  a  little 
distance  from  the  house  :  "CorneUa,  jump  into 
my  wagon,  the  Indians  are  upon  us  ! "  She  ran 
into  the  house,  snatched  up  her  infant  child  (now 
Mrs.  David  Swart,)  from  the  cradle,  returned, 
and  with  her  husband  bounded  into  the  wagon 
which  started  just  before  the  enemy,  tomahawk 
in  hand,  reached  their  dweUing.  Vroman  had 
a  powerful  team,  and  did  not  stop  to  open  the 
gates  that  then  obstructed  the  highway  at  each 
Une  fence  but  drove  against  them  and  forced 
them  open.  He  drove  to  the  middle  fort  which 
also  was  fully  garrisoned. 


"  The  destructives  burnt  at  this  place  nine 
dwellings  and  the  furniture  they  contained,  with 
the  barns  and  barracks,  which  were  mostly  filled 
with  an  abundant  harvest.  Ninety  good  horses 
were  also  driven  with  their  owners  into  captiv- 
ity. Large  slices  of  meat  were  cut  from  the 
carcasses  of  the  cattle  and  hogs  and  strewn  along 
the  valley,  or  hung  across  the  backs  of  some  of 
the  horses,  to  serve  as  provisions  for  the  party 
on  their  way  to  Canada." 

Before  Seths  Henry  left  the  settlement,  he 
placed  his  war  club,  which  he  believed  was 
known  to  some  of  the  citizens,  in  a  conspicuous 
place,  and  purposely  left  it.  Notched  upon 
it  were  evidences,  as  traced  by  the  Indians 
on  similar  weapons,  ol  thirty -five  scalps  And.  forty 
prisoners.  We  have  thus  been  particular  to 
copy  author  Simm's  narrative  of  the  massacre, 
as  tradition  has  taken  from  the  events  of  the 
day  much  of  deepest  interest,  and  intimated 
that  many  of  the  sufferers  of  that  day  were 
tinctured  with  Toryism.  The  author's  authority 
was  the  best,  it  being  from  many  of  the  captives 
at  the  time,  and  those  whose  patriotism  could 
not  be  doubted,  such  as  Teunis,  son  of  Captain 
Teunis  Vroman,  Josias  E.  and  Bartholomew  E. 
Vroman,  sons  of  Ephraim  Vroman;  Maria, 
daughter  of  John  Vroman,  and  afterwards  wife 
of  Frederick  Mattice;  Henry  Hager,  Mrs. 
Susannah  VanSlyck,  daughter  of  Samuel  Vro- 
man ;  Lawrence  Bouck,  Lawrence  Mattice  and 
Angelica,  daughter  of  Colonel  Peter  Vroman, 
the  wife  of  Major  Peter  Vroman. 

We  will  continue  the  author's  account  of  the 
day's  events :  — 

"  On  the  arrival  of  Leek  at  the  upper  fort, 
after  being  so  hotly  pursued,  John  Hager,  (son 
of  Henry  and  brother  of  Capt.  H — ,)  then  at  work 
on  his  father's  place,  hearing  the  alarm-gun  of  the 
fort,  mounted  a  horse  and  up  and  informed 
Captain  Hager  that  the  buildings  were  on  fire 
in  the  valley  below.  The  hay  on  his  wagon, 
which  was  unloading  in  the  barn,  was  quickly 
thrown  off,  and  a  few  of  the  inhabitants  of  that 
vicinity  that  were  taken  into  it  were  driven  into 
the  woods  and  concealed  near  Keyser's  Kill. 

"  The  enemy  on  leaving  Vromansland,  pro- 
ceeded with  their  booty  and  prisoners  directly 
up   the  river.     A  grist-mill,  owned  by  Adam 


174 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Crysler,  and  standing  on  the  Lower  Breakabeen 
creek,  as  called  in  old  conveyances,  which  runs 
into  the  Schoharie,  was  sacked  of  the  little  flour 
it  chanced  to  contain,  and  then  set  on  fire, 
the  Tories,  with  the  enemy,  declaring  that  the 
Whigs  of  Vromansland  should  not  be  longer 
benefited  by  said  mill.  The  Indians  on  their 
arrival  in  that  part  of  Breakabeen  burned  every- 
thing in  their  path  within  the  present  limits  of 
the  town. 

"  Henry  Mattice  and  Adam  Brown,  both 
Tories,  accompanied  the  enemy  from  Breaka- 
been of  their  own  accord. 

"  The  loth  day  of  August,  1780,  was  one  of 
sadness  and  mourning  for  the  citizens  of  Vro- 
mansland, some  of  whom  had  lost  near  rela- 
tives among  the  slain,  and  al!  among  the  cap- 
tives, either  relatives  or  valued  friends ;  while 
the  destruction  of  property  to  individuals  was 
a  loss,  especially  at  that  season  of  the  year 
when  too  late  to  grow  sustenance  for  their 
families,  to  be  most  keenly  felt  and  deplored. 

"  The  burial  of  the  dead  took  place  the  day 
after  their  massacre,  on  the  farm  of  John  Feek, 
near  the  fort,  where  their  ashes  now  lie  in  neg- 
lected graves.  The  bodies  of  Captain  Vroman, 
wife  and  son,  were  deposited  in  one  grave,  and 
that  of  Mrs.  Ephraim  Vroman  and  her  daughter, 
in  another.  The  remains  of  the  former  body 
presented  a  most  horrid  appearance.  Left  by 
her  murderers  between  the  burning  buildings, 
her  flesh  was  partly  consumed,  exposing  her 
entrails. 

"  When  the  dead  body  of  Mrs.  Ephraim 
Vroman  was  first  discovered  in  the  cornfield,  it 
was  evident  that  she  had  partially  recovered, 
and  had  vainly  endeavored  to  staunch  the  flow 
ing  blood  from  the  wound  in  her  breast,  first 
with  her  cap  or  some  portion  of  her  dress,  and 
afterwards  with  earth,  having  dug  quite  a  hole 
in  the  ground. 

"  The  destroyers  of  Vromansland  proceeded 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  about  fifteen 
miles,  and  encamped  for  the  night.  The  scalps 
of  the  slain  were  stretched  upon  hoops  and  dried 
in  the  presence  of  the  relative  prisoners,  the 
oldest  of  whom  were  bound  nights.  As  the 
party  proceeded  along  the  east  bank  of  the 
Schoharie,  in  the  afternoon  of  the  first   day, 


after  journeying  some  six  miles,  Brant  permitted 
the  wife  of  John  Vroman  with  her  one  infant, 
and  that  taken  with  Ephraim  Vroman,  to  return 
back  to  the  settlement.  On  the  morning  after 
the  massacre  the  line  of  march  was  again  re- 
sumed, and  when  about  half  way  from  the 
Patchin  place  to  Harpersfield,  Brant  yielded  to 
the  repeated  importunities  of  several  of  his  fe- 
male captives,  and  perhaps  to  the  seasonable 
interference  of  several  Tory  friends  living  near, 
and  permitted  all  of  them,  except  Mrs.  Simon 
Vroman  with  several  male  children — nearly  one 
half  of  the  whole  number  of  prisoners,  to  return 
to  Schoharie.  Brant  led  the  liberated  captives 
aside  nearly  half  a  mile  to  a  place  of  conceal- 
ment, where  he  required  them  to  remain  until 
night.  The  female  prisoners,  when  captured, 
were  plundered  of  their  bonnets,  neckerchiefs, 
beads,  earrings,  etc ,  which  articles,  of  course, 
they  did  not  recover.  Word  having  been  sent 
to  Schoharie  that  those  prisoners  had  been  lib- 
erated. Major  Thomas  Eckerson,  Lieutenant 
Harper,  and  Schoharie  John,  a  friendly  Indian, 
who  lived  at  Middleburgh  during  the  war,  met 
them  not  far  from  where  Mrs.  Vroman  had  been 
left  the  precedingafternoon,  with  several  horses, 
and  placing  three  persons  on  a  horse,  they  con- 
veyed them  to  the  upper  fort  where  they  arrived 
just  at  dusk."  *  *  «         » 

The  greater  part  of  the  Schoharie  prisoners 
were  taken  to  Niagara,  where  they  remained 
until  November,  when  they  proceeded  in  a  ves- 
sel down  Lake  Ontario. 

"  The  prisoners  were  conveyed  down  the  St. 
Lawrence  in  bateaux,  and  some  of  them  suf- 
fered much  for  the  want  of  suitable  clothing, 
being  barefooted,  although  the  ground  was  cov- 
ered with  snow  where  they  encamped  on  shore 
over  night.  They  arrived  at  Montreal  about 
the  first  of  December,  from  which  place,  after  a 
few  weeks  stay,  they  were  removed  nine  miles 
farther,  to  an  old  French  post,  called  South 
Rakela,  where  they  were  confined  until  the 
summer  following,  and  then  exchanged  for  other 
prisoners.  While  confined  at  the  latter  place, 
their  provisions  consisted,  for  the  most  part,  of 
salt  beef  and  oatmeal,  the  latter  being  boiled 
into  puddings  and  eaten  with  molasses.  When 
an  exchange  was   effected,  most   of  the  Scho- 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


175 


harie  prisoners,  with  others,  were  sent  on  board 
a  vessel  at  the  head  of  Lake  Champlain,  where 
they  were  landed,  and  from  which  place  they 
returned  home  on  foot  via  Saratoga.  They 
arrived  at  Schoharie  on  the  30th  of  August,  af- 
ter an  absence  of  a  little  more  than  a  year.  Mrs. 
Hager  was  gone  about  eighteen  months." 

While  the  date  of  the  foregoing  massacre  does 
not  agree,  as  given  by  Simms,  with  that  of  Crys- 
ler,  yet  it  must  have  been  the  same.  Both 
agree  upon  the  number  of  scalps  taken  (as  ex- 
pressed by  Crysler,)  but  not  in  number  of  pris- 
oners. We  learn  through  the  family  of  Ephraim 
Vroman,  that  the  party,  instead  of  going  from 
Harpersfield,  direct  to  the  Susquehanna,  pro- 
ceeded from  the  former  place  to  Cherry  Valley, 
and  while  there,  Vroman  asked  the  privilege  of 
the  officer,  by  whom  he  was  held,  to  write  a  let- 
ter to  his  friends  in  Schoharie,  about  some  busi- 
ness of  importance.  The  officer  refused,  and 
Brant  being  at  the  place,  and  hearing  his  desire, 
obtained  permission  for  the  captive  to  do  so,  and 
when  finished,  sent  a  runner  back  to  Vromans- 
land  with  it,  for  which  act  of  kindness.  Lieu- 
tenant Vroman  always  entertained  a  marked 
respect  for  the  chieftain,  much  to  the  displeasure 
of  his  neighbors,  who,  in  their  unreasonable  con- 
clusions, marked  him  as  a  Tory.  While  we  will 
not  deny  but  that  Brant  was  of  the  invading- party, 
yet  since  Crysler  has  claimed  the  honor  of  being 
one  also,  we  will  give  him  the  credit,  and 
also  be  suspicious  of  his  being  the  leader,  and, 
in  Indian  disguise  palming  himself  off  for  the 
warrior.  Brant.  At  one  other  time,  in  the  year 
following,  an  invasion  of  the  same  ground  was 
made  by  Adam  Crysler,  but  supposed  by  the 
inhabitants  to  be  accompanied  by  Brant.  In 
his  report  of  the  affair,  he  says :  "  It  was  on 
the  loth  of  November  lySr,  and  he  at  the  head 
of  twenty-eight  'Aughquagas'  killed  one  man 
near  the  fort  and  drove  off  fifty  head  of  cattle, 
a  number  of  horses  and  burnt  two  houses,  and 
in  their  retreat  the  Rebels  turned  out  to  the  num- 
ber of  thirty  and  overtook  them  about  four  miles 
from  the  fort.  Being  fired  upon  they  returned 
the  comphment  and  killed  one  man,  when  the 
Rebels  retreated  and  pursued  them  the  follow- 
ing morning  with  150  men,  and  overtook  them 
about  twenty-three  miles  from  the  fort,  when  a 


skirmish  occurred  in  which  the    '  Rebels '  lost 
'  four  men  and  seven  wounded.'  " 

Author  Simms  disagrees  with  the  Captain's 
report  in  the  date  and  also  in  the  number  of 
men  brought  in  action,  which  is  not  of  great 
moment.  Exaggerations  were  often  made,  and 
much  that  occurred  upon  each  side  was  not 
told,  as  is  the  case  in  all  warhke  conflicts,  as 
also  in  less  serious  moral,  pohtical  and  religious 
skirmishes.  The  savages  had  been  harbored 
near  for  several  days,  watching  an  opportunity 
to  make  a  successful  strike,  and  to  find  the  fort 
left  in  a  defenseless  condition.  Early  in  the 
morning,  just  at  day,  of  either  the  1st  or  loth 
of  November  1781,  they  suddenly  appeared 
and  killed  Isaac  Vroman  and  after  taking 
plunder  from  his  son  Peter's  house — ^with  whom 
Isaac  was  staying — they  retreated  up  the  valley. 
Peter  escaped  to  the  fort  and  apprised  its  in- 
mates, numbering  only  a  few,  of  the  invasion^ 
and  after  a  few  hours  delay,  a  squad  of  militia 
followed  on  after  the  savages,  and  when  near 
Governor  Bouck'slate  residence,  were  fired  upon 
by  them  as  they  lay  in  ambush,  mortally  wound- 
ing one  man  as  stated  by  Crysler  and  Simms. 
After  returning  the  comphment,  the  militia  re- 
treated, carrying  their  dying  comrade — Richard 
Haggidorn— off  the  field,  and  to  the  upper  fort. 
The  same  day,  Colonel  Vroman  was  made  ac- 
quainted with  the  affair,  and  he  dispatched 
from  the  middle  fort,  under  Captain  Hale,"  a 
company  of  sixty  regulars  that  were  there  sta- 
tioned for  the  winter,  and  ordered  Captain 
Hager  of  the  upper  fort  to  join  Hale,  with  the 
force  under  him  and  proceed  in  pursuit  of  the 
Indians.  Captain  Hager,  who  was  in  command, 
marched  up  the  stream  and  encamped  for  the 
night  in  the  present  town  of  Blenheim,  and  early 
the  following  morning  overtook  the  enemy  near 
the  lake  in  Jefferson,  where  a  skirmish  occur- 
red. 

At  the  time  Johnson  and  Brant  invaded  the 
Schoharie  valley  in  October,  1780,  but  httle  in- 
jury was  done  within  the  limits  of  the  town  for 
two  reasons.  They  had  slyly  gained  the  valley 
opposite  the  "upper  fort"  early  in  the  morn- 
ing and  intended  to  approach  the  "middle" 
one,  unobserved,  and  pass  down  without  molest- 
ing property.     But  their  coming  was  known  by 


176 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  patriots,  and  vigilant  watch  kept  up,  and 
they  no  sooner  passed  the  fort  than  one  of 
the  Feek  family  discovered  their  presence, 
while  after  his  cows  near  the  creek.  They  had 
gained  nearly  a  mile  north  of  the  fortress,  by 
the  time  Feek  reported  his  discovery  to  Cap- 
tain Hager.  No  sooner  did  he  learn  the  fact, 
than  the  small  ten-pounders  blazed  forth  from 
their  sulphurous  mouths  the  approach  of  devas- 
tation, crime  and  death,  to  the  dwellers  of  the 
valley,  who  dared  breathe  a  declaration  of  in- 
alienable right"  to  "Hfe,  liberty  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness." 

The  other  reason  was  that  the  invaders  of 
the  loth  of  August  of  the  preceding  year,  had 
left  but  little  for  them  to  destroy.  The  harvest 
of  1780  had  been  mostly  secreted  in  the  woods 
upon  the  hillsides,  and  much  escaped  the  torch. 
No  sooner  did  the  little  cannons  echo  the  doleful 
news,  than  the  middle  fort  responded,  "We  are 
ready,"  and  the  pent-up  hatred  that  filled  the 
bosoms  of  the  enemy,  burst  forth  with  flaming 
torches,  and  satanic  whoops  over  the  charred 
and  bloody  trail  of  a  neighbor-kinsman  and 
professed  Christian,  Adam  Crysler,  and  finished 
the  work  of  desolation,  directly  along  the  stream, 
with  exultation,  and  poured  down  upon  the 
quiet  hamlet  of  Middleburgh,  where  they  were 
received  by  as  brave  and  determined  a  band  of 
patriots  as  ever  a  nation  boasted.  With  what 
excitement  the  force  in  the  upper  fort  must  have 
listened  to  the  roar  of  musketry,  from  the  con- 
flict below!  But  they  were  undaunted  and 
prepared  to  defend  their  castle,  to  death  or  vic- 
tory !  Here,  where  now  no  mark  is  left  to  guide 
the  visitor  to  the  hallowed  spot  upon  which  the 
fortress  stood,  was,  upon  that  eventful  day,  dis- 
played valor,  not  excelled  in  American  history. 
Although  we  have  referred  to  the  act  in  Chapter 
III  of  this  work,  let  us  not  forget,  through 
displeasure  of  repetition,  the  example  of  Amer- 
ican female  bravery  in  the  bold  stand  of  Mary 
Haggidorn,  at  the  gate  of  the  pickets,  with  spear 
in  hand,  to  repel  an  attack.  The  garrison  at 
that  time  did  not  contain  many  over  one  hun- 
dred, but  they  were  a  brave  and  unflinching, 
band,  and  under  Hager,  would  have  given  the 
enemy  a  warmer  reception  than  they  received  at 
the  middle  fort,  we  think,  as  the  Captain  was  a 


plucky  man  and  had  the  faculty  of  pushing  busi- 
ness that  was  entrusted  to  him.  The  fort  he 
commanded  was  also  better  adapted  to  such 
occasions  than  the  middle  one.  The  enemy,  in 
small  numbers,  stealthily  appeared  in  the  neigh- 
borhood after  the  murder- of  Isaac  Vroman,  but 
little  was  to  be  gained,  as  the  few  remaining  in- 
habitants either  st;iyed  at  the  fort  or  removed  to 
more  populous  sections  until  the  war  closed. 
No  portion  of  Schoharie  suffered  during  the 
war  as  did  Vromansland,  and  no  doubt  the 
Tory  settlers  above  looked  upon  those  fine 
farms  with  a  jealous  eye,  and  expected  their  re- 
ward for  their  treachery  in  becoming  the  pos- 
sessors of  them.  But  fortune's  fickle  goddess 
turned  the  scales  and  the  poor  deluded  villains 
lost  their  own  by  confiscation,  and  were 
obliged  to  seek  homes  in  a  strange  land,  under 
the  protection  of  the  Crown  for  which  they  had 
forsaken  manhood  and  principle. 

The  descendants  of  those  sufferers,  that  lin- 
ger upon  the  grounds  made  historical  by  their 
patriotic  deeds,  can  but  faintly  appreciate  the 
social  and  poHtical  blessings  they  enjoy  and  the 
"Peace  that  smiles  on  all  around." 

bequeathed  to  them  by  such  noble  fathers. 
May  they  consider  each  spot  hallowed,  and  the 
priceless  trusts  confided  to  them,  sacred. 

The  Bouck  Family. — The  Bouck  family  came 
to  this  town  at  a  very  early  date,  William  Bouck 
having  been  the  first  settler  bearing  the  name. 

Christian,  a  Palatine  immigrant  of  17 10,  was 
no  doubt  the  progenitor  of  the  family,  and 
he  may  have  settled  with  the  Palatines  in 
the  valley  in  1713,  but  it  is  doubtful.  We 
believe  one  of  his  sons,  William,  to  have  been 
the  first  one  of  the  family  in  Schoharie,  the 
father  going  from  the  camps  to  Albany,  where 
he  settled.  William  was  the  progenitor  of  the 
family  under  notice.  He,  in  company  with 
Nicholas  York  and  Jacob  Fred  Lawyer,  pur- 
chased 2,945  acres  of  land,  including  the 
Island,  in  1755.  The  lands  were  partitioned 
June  5,  1759,  the  island  becoming  the  property 
of  Bouck,  who  in  course  of  time  settled  his 
three  sons  upon  it.  Christian  received  that  part 
now  occupied  by  Hon.  Charles  Bouck,  John 
north  of  it,  while   William,  Jr.,  settled   upon 


HON.  CHARLES  BOUCK. 


GOY.  WM.  C.  BOUCK. 


Charles  Bouck  son  of  the  late  ex-Governor 
Bouck,  was  born  upon  Bouck's  island  Septem- 
ber 7,  1829.  In  his  youth  he  attended  the 
district  school,  in  which  his  distinguished 
parent  was  so  punctual  in  attendance,  and 
the  Albany  City  academy  where  he  passed 
an  academic  course  of  studies.  Not  aspiring 
to  high  life — but  inheriting  the  natural  charac- 
teristics of  the  family,  he  chose  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Best  and  settled  upon  the  old  homestead  and 
extensively  engaged  in  such  productions  as  are 
peculiar  to  the  soil  and  climate. 

Mr.  Bouck's  choice  of  life  was  well  made,  as 
a  more  productive  soil  and  romantic  spot  than 
the  Bouck  farm  and  its  surroundings,  is  hard 
to  find — particularly  in  the  latter  feature.  Upon 
the  wests  tands  the  bold  Panther  mountain  in  all 
its  primeval  grandeur  and  appearance,  with  the 
Schoharie  river  running  at  its  base — whose  wa- 
ters after  tumbling  and  tossing  over  craggy  cas- 
cades and  disturbing  rapids — idly  flow,  as  if 
reluctant  to  break  the  reverie  in  which  nature 
seems  to  be  enwrapped — and  do  honor  to  the 


associations  that  here  cluster,  so  full  of  modesty 
and  unassuming  dignity.  Around  the  island 
clings  a  halo  of  pleasing  remembrances  of  a 
people's  just  and  active  chief  magistrate--whose 
honesty  and  simpHcity  of  greatness  that  won 
reverence  and  renown  were  here  infused  from 
the  heart  of  a  humble  and  exemplary  father  and 
the  yearning  soul  of  a  christian  mother.  Quiet 
and  unostentation  reign  as  they  did  in  the  active 
life  of  the  Governor,  while  the  genial  hospital- 
ity of  Mr.  Bouck  and  family  is  truly  refreshing 
to  the  many  that  yearly  visit  the  Island  House. 
Being  thus  content  to  pass  his  life,  Mr.  Bouck 
has  but  few  times  felt  constrained  to  accept 
public  positions.  In  1859  and  1865,  he  was 
elected  by  his  townsmen  to  the  board  of  Super- 
visors by  almost  an  unanimous  vote.  In  1878 
he  was  sent  to  the  Legislature  and  served  upon 
several  important  committees.  In  each  public 
position  the  performance  of  the  duties  attend- 
ing them  were  characterized  by  faithful  and 
earnest  regard  for  the  people's  interest,  and  free 
from  scheming  peculations  for  farther  official 
promotions. 


BEHJAMIK  BEST. 


Mr.  Benjamin  Best  was  for  many  years  one  of 
the  leading  business  men  of  the  County.  He  was 
born  in  Columbia  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  i6th 
of  February,  1785,  and  was  a  son  of  Jacob 
Best,  who,  together  with  two  brothers,  emi- 
grated from  Germany.  One  of  the  brothers 
remained  in  Columbia  county;  another  set- 
tled in  western  New  York,  while  Jacob  located 
in  Schoharie. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  early  decided  up- 
on an  education,  and  embraced  every  oppor- 
tunity to  improve  himself,  and  prepare  for  a 
useful  and  active  business  Lfe.  "When  but  a 
young  man  he  formed  an  acquaintance  with 
many  of  the  leading  public  men  of  the  day, 
among  whom  was  Governor  Morgan  Lewis,  who 
appointed  him  his  sole  agent  in  the  superin- 
tendence of  his  landed  property  in  the  County, 
which  position  he  held  forty  years.  He  was  also 
receiving  agent  of  the  Alexander  property,  the 
same  term  of  years,  which  covered  the  exciting 
Anti-Rent  days. 


As  proof  of  his  sagacity  as  a  business  man, 
and  honor  as  a  gentleman,  he  engineered  the 
business  relating  to  the  estates  through  without 
trouble  or  incurring  the  enmity  of  the  landlords 
or  tenants.  He  was  a  person  of  strict  integrity, 
great  precision  of  character,  and  commanded 
universal  respect.  At  the  age  of  forty  he  mar- 
ried Katy,  daughter  of  Timothy  Murphy,  and 
settled  upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Abram 
Spickerman,  where  he  resided  until  the  time  of 
his  decease. 

Mr.  Best  was  a  staunch  Democrat,  and  held 
the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  fifteen  suc- 
cessive years,  and  rejected  other  positions  of 
public  trust  proffered  him.  Among  the  many 
political  friends  and  workers  in  the  interest  of 
Governor  Bouck  and  his  promotion,  none  were 
more  firm  and  enthusiastic  than  Mr.  Best. 

He  died  at  the  homestead,  February  13, 1868, 
leaving  a  wife  and  four  daughters :  Mrs.  Charles 
Bouck,  Mrs.  James  Ferguson,  Mrs.  Abel  S.  Hall, 
and  Mrs.  Edwin  Hoyt. 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


177 


the  south.     The  lands  were  held  by  the  family 
intact  until  1795  or  1796,  when  John  disposed 
of  his  part  and  removed  to  Schoharie  Village, 
and   became  Assistant   Judge  of  the    County. 
William,  Jr.,  famiHarly  called  Wilhelmus,  reared 
a  family   as   follows:     William  W.,  Frederick, 
Tobias,  Mrs.  Simon  Hager,    Maria  and  Mrs. 
Jeremy   Berner.     Christian  remained  upon  his 
portion  of  the  estate  until  1836,  when  he  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three,  having  Hved  an  event- 
ful life  and  reared  a  son  who  was  to  preside  as 
the  Chief  Magistrate  over  his  native  State  and 
perpetuate  the  family  name  by  a  long  pohtical 
career  free    from    ostentation   and   corruption. 
William,  the  progenitor,  was  an  aged  yet  robust 
man  during  the  Revolution  and  was  taken  pris- 
oner by  a  party  of  Indians  under  the  command 
of  Seths    Henry  in  July,   1780.     After  the  fact 
became   known    at   the    upper   fort,    Captain 
Hager  sent  a  squad   in  pursuit  and  overtook 
.  the  party  in  the  present  town  of  Jefferson,  the 
following  day.  The  Indians,  finding  the  patriots 
were   greater  in  numbers  than  their  own,  fled 
precipitately,   leaving   their   prisoners  together 
with  their  booty  in  the  hands  of  their  pursuers. 
Those   taken  with   Mr.   Bouck  were  negro  ser- 
vants who  had  accompanied  him  from  the  fort 
to  the  farm.     The   old  gentleman  was  then  a 
widower,  his  wife  having  died  in  1770.      Upon 
the  hill  near  WiUiam  Mitchell's  residence  stands 
an   ancient    tombstone,    marking   her     resting 
place,    and  from   it  we   learn  she  was  born  in 
Amsterdam,    but  the   date,  being  so  crumbled 
we  were  unable  to  decipher  it. 

Judge  Brown  says,  "  Johannes  Earhart,  Wil- 
helmus Bouck  and  Elizabeth  Lawyer  were  the 
first  white  children  born  in  Schoharie."  It  may 
be  possible,  but  we  would  have  more  faith  in 
the  assertion  if  he  had  said  "  the  first  German 
children  born  at  the  Camps,"  as  we  are  yet  to 
find  proof  of  either  the  Lawyer  or  Bouck 
families  coming  to  Schoharie  before  the  year 
1720  and  1730.  To  harbor  the  idea  that 
the  Germans  lived  here  from  1713  to  either  of 
those  dates,  without  issue,  is  acknowledging 
insanity  or  ignorance  of  their  customs.  From 
the  first,  the  family  has  been  a  very  prominent 
one  of  the  County,  especially  in  a  political  sense. 

William  C.  Bouck  was  born  in  the  old  family 


mansion,  upon  the  Island,  on  the  7th  of  January, 
1 786, and  was  baptized  by  the  good  old  Dominie 
Wackenhager  in  August  of  the  same  year.  He 
early  labored  upon  the  old  homestead,  but  was 
not  negligent  of  his  studies.  The  first  English 
school  in  the  town  was  commenced  in  the 
neighborhood  in  1795,  which  the  coming  Gov- 
ernor, at  the  age  of  nine  years  attended.  We 
here  copy  the  register  of  the  school  bearing 
date  November  23,  1795,  kindly  furnished  by 
our  friend  John  Gebhard,  Jun.  The  teacher 
was  Isaac  Bushnell,  a  New  England  "school 
master,"  whose  wages  were  ";^io  this  quarter:" 

Elizabeth    Bouck 17  days. 

Caty  Bouck 36     do 

Benj.  Best 53^  do 

Isaac  Best 50     do 

WilUam   W.  Bouck 39     do 

Fred    Bouck 37     do 

.William  C.  Bouck 59     do 

Joseph  C.  Bouck      4°     do 

Cornehus   Acker 55     do 

Polly    Barnard   37     do 

Caty  Whitney 48     do 

Betsy   Vroman   55     do 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  future  politician  at- 
tended the  greatest  number  of  days.  His  first 
public  position  was  clerk  of  the  town,  and  next 
as  supervisor  of  Schoharie,  and  after  filling  sev- 
eral such  local  offices  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  sheriff  of  the  County  in  181 2,  holding 
the  same  one  year  only,  as  the  following  season 
he  was  elected  to  the  State  assembly  and  re- 
elected ini8i5  and  1817.  In  1821  and  1822,  he 
was  State  Senator,  where  he  became  connected 
with  the  Chntonians  in  the  interests  of  public 
improvements,  especially  the  Erie  Canal  enter- 
prise and  received  the  appointment  by  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Legislature  as  Canal  Commissioner, 
March  29,  182 1,  which  office  he  held  until  1840, 
when  political  influences  led  the  Whig  legislature 
to  remove  him  and  place  one  of  that  political 
sentiment  in  his  stead.  In  the  latter  year  he 
was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Governor,  but 
was  defeated  by  Wm.  H.  Seward,  but  upon 
being  again  nominated  in  1842,  he  was  elected, 
and  made  one  of  the  most  economical  and 
watchful  Governors  the  people  have  been  fortu- 
nate to    elect.     A  vast  amount  of  humor  was 


178 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


indulged  in  during  both  campaigns,  but  nothing 
to  disturb  the  confidence  all  parties  reposed 
in  his  administration.  Being  brought  up  under 
the  economical  customs  of  the  early  settlers  of 
the  County  he  infused  the  principles  in  every  de- 
partment over  which  he  had  control.  His  man- 
ner was  plain  and  unpretending,  yet  dignified 
and  graceful  and  won  the  confidence  of  every 
one  he  met. 

As  we  have  referred  to  his  economical  habits, 
the  message  which  may  be  found  in  Chapter  IV, 
plainly  shows  that  they  were  carried  in  his  of- 
ficial life  to  the  interest  of  the  State.  One  of 
the  chief  characteristics  of  the  man,  was  fear  of 
setting  a  bad  example,  or  one  that  would  en- 
courage wastefulness,  extravagance,  and  dishon- 
esty. The  New  York  Daily  News  relates  an 
incident  in  the  life  of  Wm.  C.  Bouck,  while  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  Governor  of  the  State, 
^nother  periodical  that  copied  the  article,  re- 
ferring to  it  says — "  A  perusal  thereof  cannot 
fail  to  impart  a  high  degree  of  satisfaction  to 
those  who,  residing  in  the  same  county  prior 
and  subsequent  to  his  administration,  know  how 
genuinely  characteristic  they  are  of  the  '  good 
old  man,  now  gone  to  his  rest.' " 

Would  that  all  men  in  office  would  be  as 
careful  not  to  set  a  bad  example  as  was  Gov- 
ernor William  C.  Bouck. 

The  New  York  News  says  :  The  late  Gover- 
nor Bouck,  than  whom  a  truer,  better  man  never 
lived,  said  to  a  friend  of  ours,  after  he  had  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  the  Chief  Magistracy  of 
the  State  about  one  year:  "When  I  first  en- 
tered upon  the  office,  I  was  so  engaged  in  try- 
ing to  reconcile  conflicting  opinions,  produce 
harmony  in  the  party,  and  please  everybody, 
that  I  paid  no  attention  to  my  household  ex- 
penses. At  the  end  of  the  first  three  months, 
my  quarter's  salary  was  paid  and  my  bills  due 
were  presented.  To  my  utter  dismay,  the  lat- 
ter exceeded  the  former.  During  my  entire  hfe 
I  had  made  it  a  point  never  to  spend  more  in  a 
quarter  than  I  had  received  from  my  earnings. 
I  believed  that  to  be  a  good  rule,  and  that,  as 
Governor  of  the  State,  I  should  not  transgress 
it  and  set  a  bad  example,  which  might  be  the 
means  of  ruining   thousands.     I  began  to  cast 


about,  to  see  where  I  could  cut  down  my  ex- 
penses. The  State  officers  had  hired  the  house 
I  occupied  without  consulting  me,  and  the  State 
paid  the  rent.  I  had  nothing  to  say  or  do  in 
that  particular.  The  State  officers  who,  because 
I  was  a  country  farmer,  took  particular  pains  to 
instruct  me,  told  me  I  must  bring  my  best  span 
of  horses  and  carriage  from  my  farm  in  Scho- 
harie, and  ride  in  it,  or  I  would  degrade  the 
high  office  to  which  the  people  had  elected  me. 
They  also  said  I  must  have  a  colored  waiter  to 
attend  the  door  of  my  residence,  and  a  head- 
cook  and  three  or  four  assistants  in  the  kitchen, 
and  two  or  three  chambermaids,  besides  a  coach- 
man to  drive  my  carriage.  I  remembered  that 
during  the  entire  quarter  I  had  not  found  time 
to  ride  in  the  carriage  with  my  family,  except 
to  church  on  Sundays,  and  then  the  coachman 
could  not  go  to  church,  having  to  take  care  of 
the  team.  This  I  did  not  believe  was  doing  ex- 
actly right,  or  setting  a  good  example.  I  thought 
that  myself  and  family  could  walk  to  church,  as 
the  distance  was  not  great.  We  thereby  would 
appear  not  to  feel  above  others  who  walked, 
and,  as  the  Governor's  family,  would  be  setting 
a  better  example  than  by  riding.  My  wife  also 
proposed  to  dismiss  the  chief  cook  and  all  the 
assistants  but  one,  and  she  would  superintend 
the  cooking  as  she  always  had  done  on  the 
farm ;  and  my  daughters  propof  ed  to  dismiss 
the  chambermaids,  and  they  would  dothecham- 
berwork.  No  sooner  was  this  agreed  on  than 
accomplished.  The  large  bays  and  carriage 
went  back  to  the  farm  in  Schoharie,  and  the  ex- 
tra help  were  all  dismissed.  Everything  worked 
like  a  charm.  The  colored  door-man  whom  I 
retained  assisted  in  waiting  on  the  table.  The 
State  officers  and  my  city  friends  did  not  observe 
but  that  all  was  as  first  arranged  when  they 
called.  We  walked  to  church,  and  greeted 
kindly  all  we  met  there,  and  enjoyed  the  servi- 
ces without  thinking  that  the  coachman  could 
not  attend  them.  We  reduced  our  expenses  to 
within  my  salary.  I  felt  better  immediately.  I 
feel  better  now.  I  can  discharge  my  duties 
better;  and  when  my  term  of  office  expires  and 
I  return  to  private  life,  I  shall  feel  that  when  I 
was  Governor  of  the  State  I  did  not  set  an  ex- 
ample of  extravagance  in  any  respect  which 
might  be  the  means  of  ruining  any  one." 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


179 


In  1846  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the 
Constitutional  Convention,  and  the  same  year 
entered  the  Assistant  Treasurer's  office  of  New 
York  City  and  held  the  position  until  the  year 
1849,  when  he  retired  to  private  life  upon  the 
Island.  He  married  Catharine  Lawyer,  by 
whom  he  had  eight  children — Mrs.  Lyman 
Sandford,  Mrs.  Erskine  Danforth,  and  Mrs. 
George  Danforth,  of  Middleburgh,  Hon.  Ga- 
briel Bouck,  of  Wisconsin,  long  a  member  of 
Congress  from  that  State,  and  Hon.  Charles 
Bouck,  of  this  town,  who  retains  the  paternal 
homestead  with  all  its  pleasant  surroundings, 
James  of  Schenectady,  Joseph  of  New  York,  and 
Christian  of  Brooklyn. 

We  cannot  close  without  copying  the  tribute 
paid  by  the  late  Lyman  Tremain,  to  the  char- 
acter of  Gov.  Bouck,  in  an  oration  delivered  by 
him  at  the  dedication  of  the  monument  erected 
at  Binghamton,  in  honor  of  the  late  Daniel  S. 
Dickinson.     He  said  : — 

"  In  1842  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-Governor 
upon  the  same  ticket  with  Mr.  Bouck,  who  was 
elected  Governor.  William  C.  Bouck — Daniel 
S.  Dickinson  !  How  fragrant  are  the  memories 
of  these  two  men  !  The  misconceptions  arising 
from  political  animosities  have  passed  away- 
Differences  of  opinions  are  now  forgotten,  and 
we  can  do  full  justice  to  their  great  worth  and 
spotless  integrity  !  Who  would  dare  to  think  of 
peculation,  dishonesty  or  corruption  in  connec- 
tion with  these  honored  names  ?  Their  repu- 
tation is  the  property  of  the  State,  and  every 
true  son  of  New  York  is  entitled  to  share  in  the 
honor  and  lustre  which  such  men  reflect  upon 
its  good  name.  In  the  severity  of  their  morals, 
the  justice  of  their  conduct  and  the  unsullied 
purity  of  their  private  and  public  characters, 
they  may  be  justly  regarded  as  the  Cato  and  the 
Aristides  of  the  State." 

The  Governor  died  at  his  residence  in  April, 
1859,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 

Inhabitants  in  1 788. — It  may  be  of  interest  to 
the  reader  to  know  who  were  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town  after  the  war  closed,  and  prosperity 
again  began  to  bloom. 

We  here  present  a  road  warrant  dated  in  1788, 


which  refers  to  the  road  leading  from  the  Mid- 
dleburgh bridge  to  Bouck's  Island,  along  which 
were  settled  nearly  all  of  the  inhabitants  at  that 
day. 

John  Bouck, 

Christopher  Bouck, 

John  Crysler, 

Peter  Feek, 

Michael  Brown, 

Martinus  I.  Vroman, 

Peter  A.  Vroman, 

Jacob  Sucraft, 

Jacob  Feek, 

Johannes  Feek, 

Martinus  Van  Slyke, 

Peter  Swart, 

John  Vroman,  Jr., 

Ephraim  Vroman, 

Bartholomew  Hagadorn, 

Johannes  Rickart, 

Jonas  Vroman, 

Harmanus  VanValkenburgh, 

Ganeson  Becker, 

Nathan  Becker. 
"  Sirs — You  are  hereby  ordered  to  warn  and 
set  to  work  the  persons  rated  on  the  within  list 
on  the  road  or  highway  in  your  ward  or  beat 
whenever  it  wants  Repairing.  Given  under  our 
hand  this  24th  Day  of  May,  1788." 

Peter  Zielie,     ^    Com'rs 
John  Myres,       >-       of 
John  M.  Dietz.  )  High'ys. 

To  Johannes  Bouck, 

Overseer  Highways. 

Timothy  Murphy.— Oi  this  man  much  has 
been  told  and  written  that  has  had  a  tendency  to 
give  a  false  idea  of  his  true  character.  Among 
the  old  families  of  Schoharie,  with  whom  he  was 
familiar,  are  the  most  erroneous  stories  of  his 
exploits  that  can  be  imagined,  which  are  repeated 
with  the  greatest  confidence  of  their  truthful- 
ness. 

While  they  regard  him  with  veneration  as  a 
hero,  yet  the  tales  they  tell  make  him  nothing 
less  than  a  cool,  intrepid  murderer,  who  escaped 
the  censure  of  the  people  under  the  plea  of  ne- 
cessity in  behalf  of  freedom.  We  have  taken  a 
deal  of  pains  to  learn  his  true  character  and 
exploits,  and  find  that  such  was  not  the  case, 


i8o 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


but  that  he  was  a  kind-hearted  man,  and  true 
patriot,  and  instead  of  being  a  "loud-mouthed 
Irishman  "  as  insinuated  by  many,  that  he  was 
reticent  of  his  services,  yet  prompt  in  their  exe- 
cution. From  his  children,  three  of  whom  are 
yet  living  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  mental  facul- 
ties, and  others  who  were  well  acquainted  with 
the  hero,  many  long  since  dead,  we  obtained  the 
facts  of  his  life,  which  we  will  give  without  re- 
peating many  small  incidents  that  have  been  the 
ground-work  of  "thrilling  tales"  as  told  and  pub- 
lished many  times  by  his  admirers  and  which  are 
of  no  consequence  in  a  rational  view  of  his  life. 
The  mother  of  Murphy  was  an  Englishwoman 
and  married  a  Simms.  He  soon  after  died  and 
the  widow,  then  living  in  Ireland,  in  course  of 
time  married  the  father  of  our  hero,  and  emi- 
grated to  America.  They  settled  in  New  Jer- 
sey, where  Timothy  was  born,  and  when  he  was 
four  years  of  age  they  removed  to  Wyoming, 
Pa. 

Murphy  lived  with  a  family  until  he  was  six- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Co- 
lonial cause  for  five  years  and  joined  General 
Morgan's  corps  of  riflemen.  He  was  in 
all  the  engagements  in  which  the  corps 
participated,  including  that  of  Brandywine, 
after  which  he  was  ordered  to  the  north 
to  assist  General  Gates  in  the  repulsion  of 
Burgoyne,  at  Bemis  Heights.  It  was  upon  that 
hotly  contested  ground  that  Murphy  was  called 
upon  by  Gen.  Morgan  to  perform  an  act  that 
the  over  moralists  condemn,  as  a  breach  of  chiv- 
alry, and  uncalledfor  murder.  To  the  mind  of 
Morgan  the  defeat  of  the  British  depended  upon 
the  capture  or  death  of  Gen.  Fraser,  against 
whose  corps  his  own  was  contending.  To  cap- 
ture him.  being  impossible,  he  commanded 
Murphy  and  a  few  other  riflemen  to  slay  him, 
at  the  same  time  expressing  his  admiration 
of  the  man,  and  regret  of  the  necessity  of  such 
an  act.  Murphy  and  another  man  climbed  into 
a  tree  and  took  a  careful  aim.  Fraser  fell  as 
Murphy's  rifle  was  fired  and  no  doubt  his  bullet 
did  the  fatal  work. 

His  command,  seeing  their  gallant  leader  fall, 
soon  broke  in  confusion  and  made  a  hasty  re- 
treat, which  gave  to  the  patriots  a  glorious  vic- 
tory. Morgan,  as  stated,  was  censured  for  the 
act,  but  since  the  death  of  one  man,  although 


he  be  clothed  with  epaulettes,  saved  the  lives  of 
hundreds  and  perhaps  thousands,  besides  break- 
ing one  of  the  strong  Hnks  in  the  chain  of  po- 
litical servitude,  that  was  binding  many  thousand, 
we  cannot  see  the  enormity  of  the  offence,  more 
than  in  the  shooting  of  a  common  private  in  bat- 
tle. After  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  Murphyfol- 
lowed  Morgan  to  the  south  and  was  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Monmouth.  Repeated  appeals  of  the 
patriots  of  Tryon  county  and  Schoharie  valley, 
for  assistance  in  repelling  expected  invasions,  to 
the  general  government  through  the  committee 
of  safety,  caused  a  detachment  of  Morgan's 
riflemen  and  a  small  regiment  of  Pennsylvania 
troops  to  be  sent  to  Albany  under  the  command 
of  Col.  Wm.  Butler,  and  be  assigned  to  different 
points,  as  most  needed.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
(1778)  Butler  was  sent  to  Schoharie,  for  winter 
quarters,  and  with  him  came  Timothy  Murphy, 
who  at  once  found  plenty  of  work  to  do,  and  for 
which  he  was  peculiarly  adapted.  He  at  once 
became  a  scout  and  with  other  brave  patriots 
traversed  the  hills  and  valleys  of  the  border,  to 
arrest  the  disaffected  and  intercept  communica- 
tions and  forage  for  supplies. 

He  was  a  superior  marksman,  fleet  on  foot, 
and  cautious,  yet  courageous.     He  became  in- 
timate with  the  leading  militiamen  of  the  valley, 
who   understood  Indian  strategy  and  warfare, 
and  with  them  proved  a  terror  to  the  dusky  war- 
riors.    The    situation  of  affairs  throughout  the 
border   required  promptness  on  the  part  of  the 
patriots.    But  few  were  unshrinking  and  faithful 
in  the  cause  of  freedom  compared  with  the  many 
that  wavered,  and  necessity  required  the  few  to 
be  strict,  firm  and  active.     The  time  of  coax- 
ing and  arguments  had  passed,  and  stern  force 
had   to   be    employed.     Murphy  was   used   to 
strict  military  discipline   and  saw  the  necessity 
of  it,  or  at  least   its   rigid   enforcement  among 
the  Tory  element,  which  they  construed  as  "bul- 
lying"   brutal,  and   when   brought   in  collision 
with   the   Indians,  he   studied   their  mode   of 
warfare,  and    met  them  with  their  own  cun- 
ning.    Having  a  two-barrelled  rifle,  a  thing  un- 
known to  them,  they  superstitiously  thought  he 
was  a  devil,  capable  of  shooting  as  many  times 
as  he  wished  without  loading. 

He  accompanied  Butler  in  1779  to  join  Sulli- 
van at  Tioga,  to  devastate  the  Indian  country, 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


i8i 


and  without  doubt  performed  the  greatest  feat 
of  his  life  in  escaping  from .  the  grasp  of  the 
maddened  savages.  When  the  main  army  was 
nearing  the  present  village  of  Geneseo,  then  an 
Indian  settlement,  Thomas  Boyd,  a  Lieutenant 
of  the  Pennsylvania  regulars,  sent  to  Schoharie 
the  year  before,  was  sent  with  a  party  of  twenty- 
seven,  in  advance  to  reconnoitre,  and  upon 
their  return  to  camp  were  intercepted  by  a  force 
of  one  thousand  British  and  Indians,  within  a 
few  miles  of  Sullivan's  advanced  guard.  The 
party  was  surrounded,  and  true  to  their  valor, 
made  an  attempt  to  break  through  ihe  enemy's 
lines.  After  repeated  attempts,  which  laid 
many  of  the  savages  lifeless,  and  also  seventeen 
of  their  own  number,  Murphy  broke  through, 
and  with  the  fleetness  of  a  deer  bounded  from 
his  pursuers.  Boyd  and  others  made  an  at- 
tempt to  follow,  but  were  unable  to  run  as  fast 
as  Murphy,  and  were  taken  captives.  The 
greatest  acts  of  cruelty  were  practiced  upon 
them  by  the  infuriated  savages  and  demoniac 
Tories.  But  seven  of  Boyd's  command  returned 
to  the  camp.  Murphy  dodged  his  pursuers  for 
a  considerable  distance,  when  he  became  tired 
and  secreted  himself  in  the  tall  brakes  that  cov- 
ered a  low  piece  of  ground  he  was  to  cross. 
While  there  he  spied  several  Indians  looking  for 
him,  but  without  success,  and  after  becoming 
rested  he  again  started  for  the  camp  but  was 
surprised  by  an  Indian  when  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  American  lines. 

They  both  took  to  trees,  and  after  making 
several  ineffectual  attempts  to  get  a  shot  at  each 
other.  Murphy  placed  his  hat  upon  the  end  of 
his  gun  and  held  it  one  side  of  the  tree,  as  if 
to  get  a  glimpse  of  his  antagonist,  when  the 
Indian  fired  and  ran  up  to  take  Murphy's  scalp, 
but  the  man  was  there  himself  unhurt,  ready 
to  receive  him,  and  soon  had  his  scalp  in  his 
pocket  and  was  making  tracks  for  the  camp. 

Upon  his  return  to  Schoharie,  he  was  again 
employed  as  a  scout,  and  soon  became  ac- 
quainted with  one  of  the  valley  girls,  whose 
charms  conquered  his  stubborn  heart  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  a  romance  that  was  as  inter- 
esting as  his  tragedian  life,  and  changed  the 
garrisons'  and  residents'  fear  of  savages  to 
pleasure  for  a  season.  John  Feek  Hved  upon 
the  farm  now  owned  in  part  by  Mrs.  Lawyer 


Bouck,  and  was  a  well-to-do  farmer,  possessing 
but  one  child — a  daughter — of  whom  the  par- 
ents were  proud,  and  doted  upon  as  their  pro- 
tector and  staff  in  their  declining  years.  But 
Margaret,  meeting  with  the  notable  Timothy, 
whose  fame  as  a  sagacious  warrior  was  upon  every 
one's  lips,  and  whose  general  appearance  was 
attractive,  became  favorably  impressed,  and 
allowed  her  warm  heart  to  accede  to  her  lover's 
appeals,  much  against  the  parents  wishes. 
Murphy  was  denied  the  freedom  of  visiting  her, 
which  was  known  to  the  Middle  garrison  and 
residents,  who  became  interested  in  the  case 
and  did  everything  to  help  their  comrade  and 
protector  along  in  his  new  role  of  adventurer. 
The  couple  met  clandestinely  and  agreed  upon 
an  elopement.  Murphy  was  to  meet  Mar- 
garet upon  a  certain  evening,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  and  "  take  her  captive  "  to 
the  fort,  from  whence  they  were  to  proceed  to 
some  point  to  be  married. 

Margaret  upon  the  evening  appointed,  with 
cheery  heart  milked  the  cows,  leaving  one  un- 
touched, and  after  carrying  the  milk  to  the 
house  returned  again  to  the  yard  to  milk  the 
stray  one.  But  seeing  the  coast  was  clear,  as 
desired,  she  passed  down  the  lane  to  the  river 
and  crossed  over  where  the  "  Murphy  mill "  was 
afterward  built.  Timothy  was  rather  dilatory 
for  the  first  time,  she  thought,  and  was  not 
there,  but  soon  appeared  and  crossing  the  river 
the  couple  crossed  the  mountain  and  gained  the 
"Clauver"  road  and  proceeded  on  foot  to  the 
middle  fort,  where  the  garrison  was  in  waiting 
to  receive  them,  ere  the  parents  were  aware  of 
their  daughter's  absence.  As  the  hearts  of  the 
occupants  of  the  fort  were  jubilant  in  behalf  of 
the  couple's  success,  the  protracted  stay  of  Mar- 
garet excited  the  parents  fears  and  cast  a  gloom 
over  their  hearthstone.  The  father  and  mother 
anxiously  called  for  their  daughter,  but  received 
no  answer.  Upon  finding  the  milk-pail  hanging 
upon  the  fence,  they  surmised  the  truth  and 
hastily  sent  a  messenger  to  the  fort  to  learn  of 
her  safety,  and  if  not  there  to  obtain  assistance 
in  finding  her.  But  naughty  Margaret  was 
there  and  refused  to  quit  her  "  captor"  to  return, 
but  anxiously  awaited  the  marriage  ceremony. 
The  couple,  in  company  with  several  others 
went  to  Schenectady  and  were  married,  and  re- 


l82 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


turned  to  the  fort  where  a  general  jubilation 
was  enjoyed  in  honor  of  the  event.  When  the 
parents  found  their  daughter  was  married  and 
her  husband's  intention  of  removing  to  Penn- 
sylvania, they  concluded  to  forget,  forgive, 
and  receive  Murphy  as  their  son-in-law.  Mur- 
phy had  no  idea  of  leaving  the  valley,  but  he 
knew  it  was  one  way  of  softening  the  parents 
hearts  and  bringing  about  an  amicable  settle- 
ment. After  the  war  closed  they  settled  upon 
the  Feek  farm,  where  Margaret  died  in  1807,  at 
the  early  age  of  forty-four.  She  had  nine  chil- 
dren, three  of  whom  are  now  living,  in  the  full 
enjoyment  of  their  mental  faculties,  at  advanced 
ages.  Catharine  (Mrs.  Benjamin  Best)  is  now 
eighty-two,  and  is  a  type  of  the  early  settlers  oi 
the  valley  in  muscular  vigor,  mental  tenacity 
and  patriotic  sentiment.  She  has  been  a  widow 
several  years  and  finds  a  home  that  makes  her 
declining  years  full  of  pleasure,  with  her  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Charles  Bouck,  at  the  tiomestead  of 
her  father's  early  friend,  the  late  Gov.  Bouck. 
Elizabeth,  an  elder  sister,  widow  of  the  late 
Benjamin  Foster,  resides  with  a  son,  Mr. 
Thomas  Foster,  at  Gloversville,  and  is  now  seven- 
ty-nine years  of  age,  full  of  the  vigor  of  younger 
years.  Mr.  Peter  Murphy,  now  of  this  town,  is 
the  only  remaining  son  of  the  patriot,  and  like 
his  sisters,  exhibits  a  remarkable  tenacity  of  fac- 
ulties. They  retain  a  vivid  recollection  of  the 
father's  explanation  of  events,  and  deeply  regret 
the  erroneous  statements  made  of  the  patriot's 
exploits.  The  remainder  of  the  nine  children 
were:  John,  Polly,  (Mrs.  Wm.  Banks,)  Thomas, 
Cornelius,  Jacob  and  Jenny,  (Mrs.  Eben  Fos- 
ter,) who  have  "laid  their  armor  down"  and 
joined  the  father  and  mother,  afterlives  crowned 
with  usefulness  and  respectability. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  1818,  the  patriot  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven,  and  was  buried 
upon  the  "Murphy  farm."  In  1873  they  were 
removed  to  the  Middleburgh  cemetery,  and  an 
effort  is  now  being  made  to  erect  a  monument 
over  them,  expressive  of  his  worth,  and  the 
veneration  of  a  grateful  people. 

From  a  communication  published  in  the 
Atlantic  Monthly,  we  think,  about  the  time  of 
the  corner-stone  ceremonies  at  Bemis  Heights, 
we  extract  the  following  in  regard  to  the  shoot- 
ing  of   General    Eraser  :—"  Brigadier-General 


Fraser,  who  up'  to  this  time  had  been  stationed 
on  the  right,  noticed  the  critical  situation 
of  the  centre,  and  hurried  to  its  succor  with 
the.  Twenty-fourth  Regiment.  Conspicuously 
mounted  on  an  iron-gray  horse,  he  was  all  ac- 
tivity and  vigilance,  riding  from  one  part  of  the 
division  to  another,  and  animating  the  troops 
by  his  example.  Perceiving  that  the  fate  of  the 
day  rested  upon  that  officer,  Morgan,  who  with 
his  riflemen  was  immediately  opposed  to  Era- 
ser's corps,  took  a  few  of  his  sharp-shooters 
aside,  among  whom  was  the  celebrated  marks- 
man Tim  Murphy — men  on  whose  precision 
of  aim  he  could  rely — and  said  to  them,  '  That 
gallant  officer  there  is  General  Eraser.  I  admire 
and  respect  him,  but  it  is  necessary  for  our 
good  that  he  should  die.  Take  your  station  in 
that  cluster  of  bushes  and  do  your  duty.' 
Within  a  few  moments  a  rifie-ball  cut  the  crup- 
per of  Eraser's  horse,  and  another  passed 
through  his  horse's  mane.  Calling  his  attention 
to  this,  Eraser's  aid  said,  '  It  is  evident  that 
you  are  marked  out  for  particular  aim  ;  would 
it  not  be  prudent  for  you  to  retire  from  this 
place  ? '  Eraser  replied,  '  My  duty  forbids  me 
to  fly  from  danger.'  The  next  moment  he  fell 
mortally  wounded  by  a  ball  from  the  rifle  of 
Murphy,  and  was  carried  off  the  field  by  two 
grenadiers. 

"  Upon  the  fall  of  Eraser,  dismay  seized  the 
British,  while  a  corresponding  elation  took  pos- 
session of  the  Americans,  who,  being  re-enforced 
at  this  juncture  by  General  TenBroeck,  with 
three  thousand  NewYork  militia,  pressed  forward 
with  still  greater  vehemence.  Up  to  this  time 
Burgoyne  had  been  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight, 
and  now,  finding  himself  in  danger  of  being  sur- 
rounded, he  abandoned  his  artillery  and  ordered 
a  retreat  to  the  '  Great  Redoubt.'  This  retreat 
took  place  exactly  fifty-two  minutes  after  the 
first  shot  was  fired,  the  enemy  leaving  all  the 
cannon  on  the  field,  except  the  two  howitzers, 
with  a  loss  of  more  than  four  hundred  men,  and 
among  them  the  flower  of  his  officers,  viz.,  Era- 
ser, Ackland,  Williams,  Sir  Francis  Clarke,  and 
many  others.'' 

The  patriotism  displayed  in  1780,  was  renew- 
ed in  i8r2  by  the  children  of  those  heroes,  and  a 
goodly  number  entered  the  service  upon  the 
Canadian   border.      Among  the   few  of  such 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


183 


now  remaining,  is  Harvey  Efner,  living  at 
Fultonham  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight,  in  the 
full  possession  of  his  physical  and  mental  powers. 
Athough  sixty-nint  years  have  come  and  gone, 
working  the  great  changes  that  our  country 
so  fully  presents,  and  pleasing  to  us  of  to- 
day, yet  the  incidents  and  scenes  of  those 
distant  years  as  recalled  by  the  veteran,  re-kin- 
dle the  sparkle  of  the  eye  and  animate  the 
spirit  to  exclaim.  "  Those  were  the  days  and 
times.''  Mr.  Efner  vividly  recalls  his  comrades 
who  went  forth  with  him,  and  relates  many 
pleasing  incidents  connected  with  their  soldier 
life.  He  was  in  Captain  Philip  Bartholomew's 
company  of  which  Noah  Dibble  was  Orderly 
Sergeant  and  Isaac  Barber  was  Ensign,  The 
fellow  privates  were  Peter  Saquendorf,  David 
Schofer,  Henry  Herron  and  Cornelius  Vroman. 
Valentine  Efner  was  Major.  The  Efner  family 
came  over  about  the  year  1760.  They  con- 
sisted of  the  father  and  four  sons,  three  of 
whom,  William,  Joseph  and  Henry,  settled  in 
Schoharie,  and  John  in  Saratoga  county.  They 
were  worthy  men  and  their  children  like  them 
were  true  patriots  and  have  been  useful  in  so- 
ciety as  intelligent  and  honored  citizens. 

Petersburgh. 

The  lofty  hills  of  Fulton  were  once  covered 
with  giant  timbers  of  all  kinds,  peculiar  to  the 
county,  but  particularly  with  hemlock,  that 
grew  solid  and  straight-grained.  After  the 
giant  pines  had  been  extravagantly  wasted,  and 
become  scarce,  hemlock  took  its  steid  in  the 
manufacture  of  lumber  and  shingles,  and  that 
which  was  found  upon  the  hills,  was  sought  for 
the  latter  purpose  from  far  and  near.  Peters- 
burgh hill,  was  for  a  long  time  the  center  of  the 
shingle  trade,  as  they  were  manufactured  there, 
and  to  such  an  extent  that  but  little  else  was 
done  by  the  settlers.  They  being  the  only 
product  were  called,  ''■  Petersburgh  Currency" 
The  bark  was  sold  to  the  tannery  at  Middle- 
burgh  and  the  hill,  and  those  near  were  soon 
stripped  of  their  surplus  timber  and  gave  room 
for  berry  bushes  to  grow  luxuriantly,  to  which 
for  several  years  the  people  of  adjoining  towns 
resorted,  in  their  season  for  their  winter  store. 
But    industry    made  a   bold    strike    and    the 


grounds  were  soon  cleared,  and  to-day  present 
farms,  that  for  productiveness,  will  cope  with 
any  other.  Among  them,  are  those  of  the 
Kings,  Warren  Cornell,  Miles  and  Lansing 
Nobles,  Caleb  Hess,  Jacob  Scott,  Lansing  Sit- 
terly  and  others  near. 

Breakabeen. 

The  correct  name  of  this  locality  is  Braka- 
been,  given  by  the  Germans,  owing  to  the  broad 
flats  being  covered  with  brakes — a  species  of  fern. 
The  word  has  been  somewhat  changed,  but  not 
materially.  The  name  was  given  in  early  times 
to  a  long  stretch  of  the  valley  from  Vromans- 
land  to  the  south  and  not  confined  to  one  lo- 
cality as  now.  Without  doubt  the  first  settlement 
of  Germans  was  made  to  the  south  of  Vromans- 
land  and  very  soon  after  Adam  Vroman  lemoved 
his  son  Peter  upon  his  land.  The  Germans  were 
jealous  of  his  possession  and  he  of  theirs  and  with- 
out doubt  the  lands  Vroman  complained  to  Gov- 
ernor Hunter,  that  the  Germans  were  buying  of 
the  Indians,  were  those  to  the  south  of  his  tract, 
at  and  near  Crysler's  Hook,  and  the  upper  hamlet 
of  Fultonham.  But  we  will  refer  more  particu- 
larly to  that  settlement  after  we  dispose  of  the 
present  locahty  known  as  Breakabeen.  One  of 
its  early  settlers  was  the  Keyser  family,  the 
oldest  representative  4iow  Hving  being  Barent 
Keyser  of  Blenheim. 

In  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution  but 
three  houses  were  to  be  found  at  this  place, 
and  the  Keyser  residence  was  one  which  stood 
near  that  now  owned  by  Charles  Mann.  There 
were  three  sons  living  at  home,  Abram,  Barent 
and  John,  and  owing  to  the  treachery  of  the 
Indians  living  near,  the  family  removed  to  the 
upper  fort.  Barent  was  taken  prisoner  while  on 
a  scout  and  was  taken  to  Canada  where  he 
died  in  captivity.  John,  then  but  fourteen  years 
of  £ge,  was  sent  from  the  fort  to  get  the  cows 
and  was  taken  captive  by  a  party  of  Indians 
and  hurried  off  to  Canada  from  whence  he  re- 
turned at  the  close  of  the  war.  Abram  was  at 
that  time  still  younger.  He  located  in  after 
years  at  Schoharie  village  and  was  the  father 
of  Abraham  Keyser,  once  sheriff  of  the  County, 
and  State  Treasurer  from  1826  to  1838.  There 
had  been  more  than  the  three  residents  at  this 


184 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


place,  but  when  Sir  William  Johnson  examined 
the  titles  of  the  settlers  in  1759,  and  declared 
those  null  that  were  obtained  from  the  Indians, 
without  a  purchase  from  the  Government,  a  few 
living  here  also  quit  their  lands  and  removed 
elsewhere,  not  wishing  to  pass  through  another 
season  of  "land  trouble." 

The  most  prominent  family  that  settled  at 
this  place  soon  after  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tion was  Benjamin  Waldrons.  He  came  from 
Bethlehem,  Albany  county,  as  a  mill-wright,  and 
was  first  employed  upon  the  building  of  the 
Peter  Borst  gristmill,  now  known  as  the  "  Davis 
Mill "  of  Middleburgh.  He  soon  after  married 
a  sister  of  Peter  Borst,  "  Tauty,"  and  settled 
here  in  1795  or  1796,  and  immediately  built  a 
gristmill  where  the  Bergh  mill  now  stands.  The 
next  settlers  were  Philip  and  Abram  Bergh,  of 
Kneiskern's  dorf,  Joseph  Zeh  and  Michael 
Borst,  of  Middleburgh,  who  were  full  of  enter- 
prise for  those  days,  and  founded  the  village. 
Philip  Bergh  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  mill 
of  Waldron,  and  in  1838  the  whole,  and  rebuilt 
what  is  the  present  structure.  In  1808,  Wal- 
dron opened  his  house  as  a  tavern  which  was 
the  first  in  the  place.  A  few  years  after,  George 
Hilts  engaged  in  the  same  business  where  the 
present  Hilts  family  resides,  farther  up  the 
creek.  David  Mattice  also  commenced  to 
"  entertain  man  and  beast "  about  the  year 
1830,  and  was  succeeded  in  a  few  years  by 
Peter  Burget,  whose  widow  remains  in  the  old 
stand. 

To  close  the  hotels  of  the  village  we  will  refer 
to  the  present  "  Loucks  House"  that  was  first 
opened  by  Henry  Parslow,  about  the  year  r85o. 
It  has  been  occupied  by  several  proprietors 
since  that  date,  the  last  being  George  Loucks, 
who  took  possession  in  the  spring  of  1882. 

After  a  useful  life  as  a  miller  and  mechanic 
Benjamin  Waldron  passed  away  leaving  the  fol- 
lowing children  who  have  also  died  and  in  their 
turn  left  prominent  families  who  are  now  the 
actors  in  the  business  arena  and  remain  to  per- 
petuate the  genius  of  the  pioneer  mechanic; 
Henry,  Mrs.  Abram  Bergh,  John  B.,  and  David. 

Michael  Borst,  long  an  "inn"  keeper  at  Mid- 
dleburgh came  here  about  the  year  1815,  and 
built  a  tannery  near  the   present   bridge  which 


was  removed  by  John  B.  Waldron  in  1850,  who 
built  a  foundry  in  its  stead,  which  is  still  in  op- 
eration and  owned  by  his  son  Charles. 

This  part  of  the  valley  being  as  thickly  popu- 
lated as  now,  and  the  hamlet  being  a  mechani- 
cal center,  it  was  necessary  for  the  convenience 
of  the  people  to  have  a  store,  at  which  the  com- 
mon necessities  of  the  household  could  be  sup- 
plied. The  stores  of  that  period  were  of  small 
proportions  as  well  as  variety  of  goods,  as  the 
people's  wants  were  few  beyond  what  their  labor 
could  supply. 

Among  the  considered  "real"  necessaries 
were  rum  and  whiskey,  which  were  kept  at  all 
stores  up  to  within  the  last  thirty  years,  and 
from  which  as  much  "profit  and  loss"  was 
derived  as  any  other  commercial  commodity. 
The  "  loss  "  was  usually  attributed  to  that  por- 
tion the  proprietor  individually  used,  the  extent 
and  amount  of  which  was  rated  according  to 
the  bodily  proportions  attained  and  flush  of 
countenance.  Undoubtedly  a  consolation  was 
found  in  the  truth  of  the  adage  that  "  there  is 
no  loss  in  which  there  is  no  gain." 

One  Breffle  came  about  the  year  1800,  and 
opened  a  small  store,  and  was  followed  by  Pasco 
Noxin,  and  in  connection  with  his  tavern, 
Michael  Borst  succeeded  the  latter.  Borst  was 
followed  by  John  Myers,  and  later  by  Peter  W. 
Becker,  who  kept  a  larger  stock  and  greater 
variety  of  goods.  They  in  turn  were  succeeded 
by  the  following,  who  may  not  have  been  in 
business  as  here  placed,  but  were  located  as 
merchants : — 

Peter  Snyder  and Brown, 

Becker  &  Mattice, 

Luther  Empie, 

Sidney  Bergh, 

William  Jones, 

Stephen   Nelson   and   John    Mahan,    the 

latter  two   being    in    business    at    the 

present  time. 

We  find  Nicholas  York  was  granted  a  tract  of 
land  in  1723,  lying  to  the  south  of  Vromans- 
land,  taking  in  "  Crysler's  Hook,"  and  running 
down  the  stream  to  the  south  bounds  of  Vro- 
man's  Patent.  There  seem  to  have  been  others 
connected  with  him  in  the  transaction,  but  men- 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


'8S 


tion  was  not  made  of  them  in  the  grant,  we 
have  been  informed  from  good  authority.  Per- 
haps those  living  upon  it  at  the  time,  were  silent 
partners  for  some  reason  known  only  to  them- 
selves, and  were  the  Feeks,  Mattices,  Hagadorns 
Cryslers  and  others. 

The  Crysler  family  possessed  a  fine  property 
at  this  point,  which  was  confiscated  and  passed 
into  the  hands  of  the  Boucks.  The  Revolution- 
ary mill  stood  near  the  present  site  of  the  steam 
saw-mill,  and  was,  without  doubt,  the  first  one 
built  above  Middleburgh,  and  did  the  grinding 
for  Vromansland  and  other  settlements  near. 
Crysler  burned  the  mill  himself,  that  the  rebels 
might  not  enjoy  its  use.  After  the  war  closed, 
another  was  erected  upon  the  bank  opposite 
of  the  "  lockey,"  *  and  was  fed  by  a  race-way 
from  the  small  stream  above,  but  for  some  rea- 
son it  was  used  but  a  short  time,  and  John 
Bouck  built  the  present  structure  in  front  of 
Mrs.  Lawyer's  house,  as  early  at  least,  as  1795. 
By  consulting  Chapter  III,  it  will  be  seen  in  his 
report  to  the  government,  that  Crysler  provided 
eatables  for  the  Indians,  and  perhaps  a  few 
Tories,  while  waiting  for  the  coming  of  Brant 
or  some  other  assistance.  His  house  stood  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountain,  west  of  the  present 
buildings,  and  he  could  have  kept  the  savages 
in  the  woods  back  of  it,  and  not  have  been 
detected  for  a  long  time,  particularly  at  that 
time  when  Crysler  was  not  suspected  and  the 
people  were  busily  employed  between  their 
mihtary  duties  and  individual  avocations. 

FULTONHAM. 

The  locality  referred  to  is  now  known  as  Ful- 
tonham,  and  is  one  of  the  historical  spots  of  the 
valley,  owing  to  the  "  Upper  Fort "  being  located 
here,  and  undoubtedly  was  the  site  of  a  German 
settlement  or  "dorf'made  between  the  year 
1 7 14  and  1718,  by  additional  settlers  or  some 
of  the  families  that  came  with  Weiser.  Their 
purchase  was  from  the  Indians  and  it  was  the 
one  of  which  Vroman  complained  to  the  Gov- 
ernor, as  before  stated.  The  settlement  was 
more  upon  the  intervale  than  now  and  the  oc- 
casional pieces   of  pottery,  kettles  and  other 

*  Lockey  is  a  name  given  by  tlie  Germans  to  a  small 
swamp  or  pond  fed  by  springs. 


equally  as  enduring  articles  of  household  use, 
that  have  been  plowed  up  from  time  to  time  in 
various  places  are  the  relics  of  the  old  dorf. 
The  fact  is  obvious  that  there  were  seven  dorfs 
in  the  valley  in  1718  as  stated  by  John  Freder- 
ick Eager  and  referred  to  in  Chapter  IL  One 
of  those  dorfs  was  here  located  and  iu  giving 
the  number  of  the  inhabitants,  for  the  census  of 
1 7 18,  he  counted  in  the  Low  Dutch  Vroman 
family,  with  this  settlement  and  called  them  all 
Germans. 

Here  were  the  Hagadorn,  Feek,  Jonas, 
Laraway,  Crysler,  (at  that  time  spelled  Kries- 
ler).  Van  Loon,  Hiltsinger,  (Hilsinger,)  and 
Mattice  faraiUes  with  perhaps  others.  The  de- 
scendants of  these  families  with  whom  the  writer 
has  coaversed,  trace  their  ancestors  back  to 
Breakabeen,  at  a  very  early  date.  By  referring 
to  the  Chapter  upon  Middleburgh,  the  reader 
will  find  three  other  dorfs  located,  which,  with  this 
one  in  the  writer's  opinion,  were  the  first  "dorfs" 
in  the  valley,  and  formed  in  the  year  17 13  and 
1 7 14.  At  a  later  date— 1730 — there  was  quite  a 
collection  of  families,  and  it  was  known  as  Breaka- 
been, and  as  early  as  1750  and  1754,  the  settlers 
of  Cobleskill,  Sharon  and  Seward,obtained  apple- 
trees,  at  this  place,  and  transplanted  them  upon 
their  lands.  By  the  language  of  Rev.  Gideon 
Hawley,  we  are  led  to  believe  the  Low  Dutch  of 
Vromansland  held  religious  meetings  at  this 
place,  or  near.  He  says  in  his  narrative  of  1753  : 

"  We  went  and  had  a  meeting  at  the  Mohawk 
village,  where  I  preached,  &c.  In  the  afternoon 
I  went  to  the  Dutch  meeting  in  that  vicinity." 
The  Mohawk  village  was  at  that  time  at  the 
Dovegatt,  and  "  that  vicinity"  was  Vromansland. 

We  would  not  be  surprised  to  learn  it  to  be  a 
fact,  that  they  had  a  rude  meetinghouse,  in  which 
missionaries  of  the  "Low  Dutch  Reformed 
Faith  "  preached,  years  before  the  Schoharie  or 
Middleburgh  churches  were  organized.  Hawley 
says: — "I  have  been  at  their  meetings  when 
the  boys,  through  the  service,  and  even  at  the 
celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  have  been 
playing  bat  and  ball  the  whole  term,  around  the 
house  of  God" 

Fultonham  is  pleasantly  situated  in  the  center 
of  a  very  rich  farming  community,  and  has  been 
quite  a  business  center. 


i86 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COITnTY. 


Charles  Watson  was  a  merchant  at  this  place 
for  many  years,  and  the  leading  business  man  of 
the  town.  He  was  the  first  supervisor  of  the 
town  of  Fulton,  and  held  the  same  position  again 
in  1841.  In  1830  he  was  in  the  State  Assembly 
with  Abraham  L.  Lawyer,  of  Cobleskill,  and  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  soon  after,  which 
position  he  held  many  long  years,  and  was  the 
stepping  stone  to  the  judicial  bench  of  the  Com- 
mon Pleas  Court,  which  he  attained  in  1838, 
and  held  till  the  Constitution  of  1846  took  effect. 
Other  prominent  positions  he  often  held,  but 
one,  the  perfect  confidence  of  his  townsmen, 
outweighed  them  all.  After  his  death,  which 
occurred  January  29,  1872,  the  Canajoharie 
Radii  said :  —  "  Where  is  another  man  in  any 
county,  who  has  measured  calico,  weighed  tea, 
and  counted  eggs  for  more  than  a  half  century, 
that  has  paid  one  hundred  cents  on  a  dollar, 
and  never  lost  a  customer  ?  " 

Charles  Watson  was  a  son  of  Charles  Watson 
who  came  from  Albany  county  in  the  beginning 
of  the  century,  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  a  small  way,  and  kept  an  inn. 
His  residence  here  and  business  gave  to  the  im- 
mediate neighborhood  the  name  of  Watsonville. 
The  father  died  when  Charles  was  but  a  lad 
attending  school,  and  Mrs.  Watson  engaged  her 
brother-in-law,  Harvey  Watson,  to  superintend 
the  business  until  young  Charles  attained  age 
and  education.  Vroman  Watson,  a  son,  is  the 
only  one  of  the  family  living,  and  removed  from 
the  town  and  engaged  in  business  elsewhere. 

Upon  the  death  of  Charles  Watson,  Alonzo 
and  Charles  Best,  as  "  Best  Brothers,"  suc- 
ceeded in  the  business,  and  were  followed  by 
Albert  Rosecrans,  the  present  proprietor. 
Henry  Best,  cousin  of  the  "Best  Brothers,"  was 
engaged  in  the  upper  or  Fultonham  store, 
for  several  years,  and  was  followed  by 
"Chamberland  Brothers,"  Thomas  Foster, 
Hiram  Safiford,  Charles  Best,  and  the  present 
occupant,  Charles  Borst. 

West  Fulton. 

This  settlement  was  for  many  years  called 
Byrneville,  after  a  heavy  purchaser  of  lands 
lying  here,  but  more  familiarly  known  as  Sap- 
bush  Hollow,  and  generally  represented  to  be 


one  of  the  worst  places  within  the  range  of 
many  miles.  Very  fine  maples  originally  were 
standing  along  the  stream,  to  which  many  of 
the  early  residents  of  the  surrounding  country 
resorted  in  the  season,  to  make  sugar,  hence 
the  name  of  Sap-bush  was  given  to  the  hollow, 
which  it  retained  until  the  postoffice  was  estab- 
Ushed,  when  "  West  Fulton"  was  ordered  to  be 
engraved  upon  the  stamp. 

In  looking  over  the  surrounding  country  with 
its  lofty  hills,  deep  ravines  and  rocky  surface 
but  little  could  have  been  seen  in  early  days  to 
have  encouraged  a  settlement.  But  the  supe- 
rior timber  drew  the  poor  but  industrious 
pioneer  to  eke  a  living  by  making  shingles,  lum- 
ber and  staves  as  well  as  burning  coal,  and  be- 
times clearing  small  patches  of  land  for  neces- 
sary grains  and  grasses.  Many  that  thus  com- 
menced became  discouraged,  perhaps,  and  re- 
moved to  more  "  genial  climes."  Others  came 
in  their  stead,  enlarged  the  clearings  and  soon 
owned  large  farms,  principally  through  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  shingles.  To-day, 
after  the  lapse  of  eighty  years  from  the  first  set- 
tlement, the  valley  presents  a  pleasing  change, 
upon  which  the  hillsides,  seem  to  smile  with 
their  fields  of  waving  grains  and  luxuriant 
grasses  in  their  season.  Peter  Smith,  the  man 
always  hungry  for  more  land,  purchased  a  por- 
tion of  the  Michael  Byrne  tract,  and  encour- 
aged settlements.  In  the  course  of  time,  being 
a  "lover  of  the  Lord,"  as  well  as  land,  he  built  a 
church  for  the  people,  in  which  he  displayed 
that  oddity  for  which  he  was  noted.  The  edi- 
fice was  constructed  in  the  hollow  in  1831,  and 
the  steeple  upon  the  hill.  The  road  at  that 
time  ran  between  the  two,  and  from  the  steeple 
projected  a  board  over  the  road  upon  which  he 
caused  to  be  written  in  large  letters.  "  Time 
and  Eternity,  consider."  Desiring  none,  but 
"  orthodox"  to  enjoy  the  privilege  of  worship- 
ing within  his  church,  he  caused  a  board  to  be 
placed  against  the  wall,  in  front  of  the  audience, 
with  the  following,  printed  in  plain  letters  upon 
it.  "  Reputable  ministers  of  the  Gospel  of  all 
denominations  of  Christians  are  invited  to  offic- 
iate in  this  house,  dedicated  to  the  service  of 
Almighty  God,  until  the  exclusive  use  shall  be 
given  over  to  a  Dutch  Reformed  Presbyterian 
or  Congregational  congregation." 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


187 


Mr.  Edgar  Akeley,  at  present  a  merchant  of 
the  place,  gave  to  us  the  above  "  permit "  from 
memory,  and  thinks  it  correct,  at  least  in  sub- 
stance. The  Methodists  formed  a  class  here  a 
few  years  previous  to  the  erection  of  the  church, 
and  for  many  years  held  their  meetings  within 
it,  as  did  other  denominations.  The  church 
needing  repairs  and  the  donor  being  dead,  the 
residents  called  upon  his  son,  the  late  Gerritt 
Smith,  to  donate  for  that  purpose.  He  respond- 
ed, by  ordering  the  bell  to  be  sold,  (it  being 
cracked,)  and  turning  the  proceeds  towards  it. 
The  Baptists  purchased  the  edifice,  moved  it 
to  the  present  site,  repaired  it  to  their  taste, 
and  it  compares  favorably  with  other  village 
churches. 

The  stream  called  by  the  Indians  Ke-ha-na- 
gwa-ra,  upon  which  are  Bouck's  falls,  forms  the 
valley,  and  is  here  met  by  the  "  Hoose  "  a  large 
stream,  which  should  have  been  taken  as  the 
main,  instead  of  a  tributary.  During  high  water 
these  streams,  flowing  over  the  descent  of 
ground,  are  rapid  and  angry,  and  present  one  of 
the  finest  sights  at  the  falls,  as  they  rush  down 
the  gorge,  that  can  be  imagined.  The  height 
of  descent  is  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
and  by  striking  the  shelving  rocks,  the  water 
becomes  a  perfect  milk-white  foam,  as  if  mad- 
dened by  the  obstructions  mother  nature  has 
so  majestically  placed  in  its  way.  The  stream 
is  often  called  by  the  settlers,  "Panther 
Creek/'  after  the  mountain  opposite  of  Bouck's 
Island,  and  below  its  junction  with  the  Scho- 
harie. 

Polly  Hollow. 

This  locality,  which  for  long  years  was  con- 
sidered of  but  little  importance,  excepting  in 
"berry  time,"  became  the  subject  of  much  talk 
during  the  late  Rebellion.  Many  of  the  resi- 
dents early  enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  among 
whom  were  two  that  became  weary  of  a  soldier's 
life,  and  by  obtaining  furloughs,  reached  their 
homes  and  refused  to  return.  They  were  de- 
clared deserters,  and  officers  were  dispatched 
for  their  arrest.  Instead  of  sending  those  that 
were  made  brave  by  actual  field  service,  two 
marshals,    whose    valor,     for    political    effect, 


offended  patriotism  in  guarding  home  under 
special  pay,  like  thousands  of  other  chosen 
ones,  were  equipped  at  "Scott's,"  in  Albany, 
with  guns,  revolvers,  and  other  warlike  imple- 
ments, and  hastened  to  Schoharie  to  obey 
orders.  Upon  their  arrival  at  that  village,  they 
were  joined  by  a  number  of  braves,  and  set  out 
in  a  sleigh  to  the  deserters  cottage.  Arriving 
after  dark,  Polly  Hollow  was  wrapped  in  slum- 
ber, but  awoke  to  the  martial  tread  of  livery 
horses  and  jingling  of  sleigh  bells.  The  house 
of  a  lonely  widow  was  approached  and  admit- 
tance gained,  ere  its  aged  and  only  occupant 
could  rise  from  her  bed.  Boisterously  the 
house  was  searched,  especially  preserve  and 
pickle  jars,  feather  beds,  and  pottery,  without 
finding  the  object  of  their  search.  Xh^ patriots 
having  well  considered  the  necessity  of  stimu- 
lants in  their  hazardous  undertaking,  drank 
freely,  and  left  the  widow,  with  "  her  mite " 
strewn  promiscuously  upon  the  floor — pickles 
and  preserves  not  excepted. 

Another  house  was  ordered  to  be  searched, 
but  ere  the  regulars  and  volunteer  force  could 
be  brought  in  line  to  make  a  charge,  the  Polly 
Hollow  militia  horns  were  blown  to  awaken  the 
mountain  God  of  war,  and  resist  the  United 
States  forces'  invasion.  The  volunteers  faced 
about  and  charged  upon  the  sleigh,  while  the 
regulars,  borne  down  with  pickles  and  Schoharie 
"fluid" — in  a  zigzag  march — gained  the  rear  of 
the  sleigh,  and  tumbled  in,  as  the  volunteers  made 
a  charge  for  home.  They  had  scarcely  passed 
the  widow's  pickets  before  Polly  Hollow  cavalry 
were  upon  them  to  the  number  of  two,  and 
dexterously  gave  the  valiant  regulars  a  charge 
of  pigeon  shot  and  curses,  which  drove  them 
beneath  the  covert  of  their  robes.  On  they 
dashed  towards  headquarters  with  Polly  Hollow 
lancers  and  cavalry  in  their  rear,  amid  the 
thunderings  of  their  muskets  and  lashing  of 
steeds.  The  "  Hollow  "  horses  being  fed  upon 
shingle  shavings,  were  unable  to  endure  the 
labor  imposed  upon  them,  which  forced  the 
militia  to  withdraw  from  action,  and  allow  their 
enemies  to  escape,  which  they  did,  and  reached 
the  "Lower  Fort"  without  a  halt,  even  to 
"hook"  a  tug  that  became  unfastened.  Thus 
the  isolated  locality  became  famous  in  history 
as  "  Polly  Hollow  against  the  world." 


i88 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Churches  of  Breakabeen. 

The  early  settlers  of  the  vicinity  were  di- 
vided in  religious  views,  as  Reformed,  Presby- 
terians and  Lutherans,  and  being  too  poor  to 
build  a  house  of  worship  for  each,  they  joined 
together  and  built  a  Union  Church,  about  the 
year  1815.  It  stood  for  several  years  without 
being  plastered,  and  the  pulpit  was  supplied 
chiefly  by  Rev.  Paige,  of  Gilboa,  after  the 
year  1820. 

Through  that  earnest  worker  the  edifice  was 
completed  and  dedicated  as  the  "  Reformed 
Church  of  Breakabeen."  A  few  years  after  it 
came  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Lintner,  who 
labored  for,  and  successfully  established  a  resi- 
dent pastor.  Rev.  Eggleston  oflliciated  as  such, 
but  how  long,  we  were  unable  to  learn. 

The  records  of  this  church  do  not  extend 
further  back  than  1830,  when  it  was  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Middleburgh  Reformed,  and  re- 
mained so  until  the  organization  of  the  Reformed 
Church  of  North  Blenheim  in  1852,  when  they 
became  connected  in  pastoral  care  with  the 
following  pastors :  — 

1852 — J.  H.  Van  Woert. 
1853  to  1859— W.  G.  E.  See. 
1859  to  1867 — L.  L.  Sharpe. 
1867  to  1870 — A.  Vanderwater. 
1 87 1 — W.  L.  James. 
1872— E.  Miller. 

Following  the  above  organization  was  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran.  Church  of  St.  Matthew. 
— The  first  election  of  officers  was  held  at  the 
lecture  room  of  Mr.  Abraham  Bergh,  under  the 
Hartwick  Synod.  The  following  were  elected 
to  serve  as  trustees  : — 

Philip  Bergh, 
John  B.  Waldron, 
Peter  W.  Becker, 
Samuel  Mitchell. 

The  certificate  of  organization  was  given 
January  30,  1844,  by  Jonas  Krum,  Judge  of 
Schoharie  County. 

On  the  27th  of  December,  1845,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  church  met  pursuant  to  adjourn- 
ment to  take  measures  in  regard  to  the  pur- 
chase of  a  parsonage  at  Middleburgh,  as  both 


societies  were  in  connection.  William  C. 
Bouck  presided  as  chairman.  A  few  days  after, 
the  second  election  of  officers  was  held,  and 
William  C.  Bouck,  Samuel  Mitchell  and  Henry 
C.  Shafer,  were  elected  elders,  and  Nicholas  L. 
Mattice,  John  Keyser,  and  Philip  Shafer,  dea- 
cons.    John  B.  Waldron  was  the  first  secretary. 

The  following  have  officiated  as  pastors : — 

James  Lefler, 
Adam  Crounse, 
Levi  Sternbergh, 
Nathan  H.  Cornell, 
John  D.  English, 
Henry  Keller, 
A.  L.  Bridgman, 
R.  S.  Porter. 

The  latter  closed  his  charge  on  the  ist  of 
April,  1 88 1,  since  which  the  pulpit  has  been 
filled  by  supply.  The  disconnection  between 
this  and  the  Middleburgh  church  was  made 
under  Rev.  Henry  Keller,  in  i860. 

Church  of  Fultonham. 

The  Union  church  edifice  of  Fultonham,  is 
occupied  by  the  Reformed,  Lutheran,  Metho- 
dist and  Baptist.  The  pulpit  is  supplied  by  the 
churches  of  Middleburgh,  and  the  Baptist  of 
West  Fulton,  of  which  each  society  is  a  branch. 

Physicians. 

Moses  Lawyer,  son  of  Jacob  Lawyer,  [Little 
Jacob]  of  Schoharie  village,  was  the  first  resident 
physician  in  the  town,  of  whom  we  have  any 
direct  knowledge.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the 
New  York  College  of  Medicine,  after  receiving 
a  collegiate  education  at  Schenectady.  He 
settled  in  Watsonville  in  1821,  and  the  year  fol- 
lowing married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Cornelius 
Vroman.  Mr.  Lawyer  was  of  the  Allopathic 
school  of  physicians,  and  gained  an  extensive 
practice,  through  his  skill  and  attention  to  bus- 
iness, which  continued  till  his  death,  in  1855. 
His  place  being  vacant,  his  son,  Valentine  Law- 
yer, studied  in  his  office  and  attended  lectures 
at  the  New  York  City  Medical  College,  and 
after  but  a  few  years  vacancy,  the  old  practice 
was  resumed  and  continues  with  that  success 
which  care,  ability  and  fondness  of  profession  are 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


189 


sure  to  gain.  The  Doctors  Lawyer  were  the  only 
practitioners  of  the  northeast  part  of  the  town, 
until  the  spring  of  1882,  when  William  W.  Bur- 
get,  a  student  of  Doctor  Layman,  of  Schoharie, 
settled  at  Fultonham. 

At  Breakabeen  many  have  settled,  but  none 
have  remained  for  a  long  period  of  time.  Chief 
among  them  was  Doctor  Baxster,  who  was  fol- 
lowed by  Dr.  Schaeffer,  who  removed  after  a  short 
term  of  practice,  and  placed  Doctor  Fosburgh 
in  his  stead.  Doctor  Schaeffer  returned,  and  con- 
tinued two  years,  when  his  place  was  taken  by 
Doctor  Mathews,  whose  health  failed  him,  and 
gave  the  position  to  Doctor  Squires,  who  was 
followed  by  the  present  Doctor  Weckell. 

At  West  Fulton,  or  Sapbush,  Doctor  Havens 
settled  in  1838,  but  removed  to  Summit  a  short 
time  after.  Previous  to  that  date  Doctor  James 
settled  upon  Rossman  Hill,  and  after  a  year's 
practice,  removed  to  his  native  neighborhood, 
in  Albany  county.  Upon  the  removal  of  Doctor 
Havens,  Doctor  James  settled  in  his  place  and 
successfully  practiced  for  a  number  of  years. 

Otherscame  for  awhile,  and  removed  during  the 
old  Doctor's  stay.  After  his  exit,  he  was  followed 
by  the  late  Dr.  John  D.Wheeler, whose  students. 
Dr.  Allen,  now  of  Lawyersville,  and  Dr.  Ross- 
man,  followed  in  turns.  Doctors  Akeley  and 
John  Wilber  succeeded  who  were  followed  by 
Dr.  H.  S.  Gale,  a  Philadelphia  student  in  1874, 
and  who  in  the  spring  of  1880,  removed  to 
Warnerville,  leaving  Doctor  J.  S.  Akeley,  of  the 
Eclectic  school,  the  present  successful  practi- 
tioner. 

Supervisors. 

1829 — Charles  Watson. 
1830 — John  F.  Mattice. 
1 83 1 — Jonas  Krum. 
1832 — Eben  G.  Foster. 
1833 — Homer  Whitely. 
1834 — Philip  Bergh,  Jun., 
1835 — Harmon  Vroman. 
1836 — Robert  W.  Lamont. 
1837 — Philip  Bergh,  Jun., 
1838 — Moses  Lawyer. 
1839 — John  Spickerman. 
1840 — ^Joseph  Becker. 
1 841 — Charles  Watson. 


1842 — John  Spickerman. 
1843— Gideon  D.  Hilts. 
1844 — Ephraim  Vroman. 
184s — Alston  F.  Mattice. 
1846 — Philip  Bergh,  Jun., 
1847 — Peter  A.  Borst. 
1848 — David  Gorse. 
1849 — -Washington  Bergh. 
1850 — Peter  Murphy. 
185 1 — John  Spickerman. 
1852 — Joseph  Becker. 
1853— William  Best. 
1854 — John  Spickerman. 
1855 — Jonas  Krum. 
1856 — Roswell  Driggs. 
1857 — David  Gorse. 
1858— Gideon  D.  Hilts. 
1859 — Charles  Bouck. 
i860 — Riley  Adams. 
1 86 1 — Washington  Bergh. 
1862 — David  J.  Vroman. 
1863— John  D.  Wheeler. 
1864 — Wm.  H.  Freemire. 
1865 — Charles  Bouck. 
1866 — John  Spickerman. 
1867 — Wm.  H.  Freemire. 
i868^Abram  Haines,  Jun., 
1 86g — George  Spickerman. 
1870 — Washington  Bergh. 
1871— David  J.  Vroman, 
1872 — Orson  Spickerman. 
1873— Washington  Bergh. 
1874 — Washington  Bergh. 
1875 — Washington  Bergh. 
1876 — John  H.  Mann. 
1877 — John  H.  Mann. 
1878 — Orson  Spickerman. 
1879— Orson  Spickerman. 
1880 — Orson  Spickerman. 
1 881 — Marcus  Zeh. 
1882 — Marcus  Zeh. 

Boundaries. 

The  boundaries  of  the  town  as  surveyed, 
are  not  to  be  found  among  the  town  records,  or 
in  the  Secretary  of  State's  office.  The  forma- 
tion act  was  passed  by  the  first  session  of  the 
legislature  of  1828,  and  not  pubUshed,  there- 
fore we  have  been  unable  to  obtain  the  bounda- 
ries for  publication  but  will  take   measures,  as 


I  go 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


we  have  in  similar  cases  in  the  loss  of  writings, 
to  procure  and  deposit  them  in  the  town  clerk's 


and  other  offices,  as  the  law  directs,  where  they 
may  be  consulted. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


PHILIP  BERGH. 


PhiUp  Bergh  was  a  grandson  of  Philip  Bergh, 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  "  Kneiskerndorf." 
The  old  gentleman  left  but  two  sons,  Abram 
and  Phihp,  to  perpetuate  the  family  name.  The 
latter  dying  childless,  the  Berghs  of  to-day  are 
the  descendants  of  Abram  Bergh. 

Philip,  Jr.,  as  he  was  familiarly  known,  was 
born  upon  the  old  homestead  in  October,  1794. 
His  early  days  were  passed  as  was  the  custom 
of  that  time,  in  laboring  upon  the  farm.     He 


was  possessed  of  a  good,  common  English  edu- 
cation. 

In  1815  he  was  married  to  Catharine  E. 
Sidney,  of  the  same  "  dorf,"  who  is  still  living 
at  the  age  of  eighty-nine,  in  the  full  possession 
of  her  mental  faculties,  and  is,  as  her  husband's 
portrait  shows  him  to  have  been,  a  true  type  of 
the  old  stock.  The  year  following  their  mar- 
riage they  removed  to  Breakabeen,  upon  the 
farm  still  owned  in  part  by  the  family.     A  few 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


191 


years  afterward,  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in 
the  grist-mill  there,  and  in  1838,  the  entire 
property.  That  year  he  built  the  present 
structure  now  owned  by  his  son,  Washington 
Bergh. 

Mr.  Bergh  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  for  many  years  an  elder,  and  was 
one  of  those  sturdy,quiet,  yet  earnest  Christians, 
in  whom  confidence  might  be  placed  without 
fear.  In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  was 
honored  by  his  townsmen  with  an  election  to 
the  office  of  supervisor  for  three  terms,  and 
various  other  offices.     As  a  business  man  he 


was  just,  prompt,  and  accommodating,  as  many 
will  testify,  who  found  aid  and  comfort  when  in 
distress,  through  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Bergh. 
He  was  successful  in  his  business  and  accumu- 
lated a  large  property.  He  died  July  22,  1874, 
at  the  age  of  eighty  years,  leaving  a  community 
in  which  he  was  highly  appreciated,  and  an 
honored  family  to  mourn  his  death. 

His  children  were  as  follows: — Washington, 
David  P.,  Mrs.  David  Zeh,  Mrs.  Henry  W. 
Becker,  Mrs.  Stephen  Nelson,  Mrs.  Jacob  W. 
Zeh,  Mrs.  Washington  Mackey,  Mrs.  Peter  M. 
Becker,  and  Mrs.  John  J.  Zeh. 


PETER  MURPHY. 


But  few  of  the  near  children  of  the  heroic 
fathers  of  our  County,  left  an  imprint  of  their 
faces  and  forms,  that  we  may  have  an  idea  of 
the  physique  of  men  brought  up  under  the 
labors  and  frugal  mode  of  living  that  were  pe- 
culiar to  their  lives.     Under  the  modern  habits 


of  living,  great  changes  are  wrought  in  the  gen- 
eral physical  appearance  of  families  from  one 
generation  to  another.  They  are  to  such  an 
extent  that  the  children  of  to-day  are  as  much 
unlike  their  ancestors  of  one  hundred  years  ago, 
as  if  they  were   of  another   nationality.     The 


192 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


pioneers  of  the  County  were  a  hardy,  muscular 
people,  and  it  was  characteristic  of  their  chil- 
dren, down  to  within  fifty  years,  when  their  ac- 
cumulations of  wealth  and  their  lightened  labors, 
permitted  a  more  easy  and  extravagant  mode 
of  living,  which  grew  upon  them  as  the  country 
made  its  advancement. 

We  are  pleased  to  present  a  true  type  of  "  the 
fathers"  in  the  likeness  of  Peter  Murphy.  It  is 
far  more  agreeable  from  the  fact  that  he  is  a 
son  of  Timothy  Murphy,  the  gallant  hero  of 
the  border  settlements,  in  the  trying  days  of 
the  Revolution,  in  which  the  patriots  and  ene- 
mies of  our  country,  alike,  surmised  that  Provi- 
dence or  the  Evil  One,  had  instilled  a  magical 
spirit  peculiar  to  the  fabled  heroes.  We  are 
told  by  those  who  were  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  father  and  the  son,  that  the  latter  is  a 
counterpart  of  the  former  in  general  appear- 
ance. The  father  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven,  and  when  Mr.  Murphy  had  arrived  at 
that  age,  the  very  close  resemblance  was  noted 
by  the  aged  people,  and  they  looked  upon  him 
with  nearly  that  degree  of  honor  they  did  his 
father  while  he  was  among  them. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  upon  the 
old  Feek  farm,  in  1794,  and  is  still  active  yet 
bearing  the  marks  of  age.  The  outlines  of  a 
ruddy  countenance,  hardy  form,  and  a  bold, 
determined  spirit,  are  easily  traced,  regardless 
of  time's  work  with  his  "  defacing  fingers."  Mr. 
Murphy  inherits  many  other  of  his  father's 
characteristics,  not  the  least  of  which  are  frank- 
ness and  honesty.  He  has  followed  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  from  his  youth,  working  hard, 
early  and  late,  and  unlike  many  who  aspire  to 
positions,  never  urged  official  favors  upon  the 
strength  of  his  parent's  services  and  reputation. 
On  the  contrary  he  has  always  manifested  a 
reluctance  in  accepting  proffered  positions,  yet 
has  been  the  recipient  of  many  town  honors, 
among  which  was  that   of  Supervisor  in  1850. 


He  adheres  zealously,  as  did  his  father  to  Demo- 
cratic principles  and  party  without  exceptions, 
never  having  cast  a  vote  against  a  candidate 
for  nomination,  and  has  ever  been  present  at 
the  polls,  regardless  of  obstacles. 


JOHN  FREEMIRE,  Jr. 


The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
John,  or  as  he  was  commonly  called,  Johannes 
Freemire,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Cobleskill. 
He  was  the  only  one  of  the  family  that  survived 
the  conflict  of  1778,  particularly  described  in 
the  Chapter  relating  to  the  town  of  Cobleskill, 
excepting  a  brother  who  fled  to  Canada  with  the 
unscrupulous  Zea. 

At  the  close  of  'the  war,  John  removed  to 
Breakabeen,  and  was  married  to  a  sister  of 
Christian  Bouck.  John,  Jr.,  was  there  born 
January  20,  1785,  and  was  reared  under  the 
prevailing  rules  of  those  days,  in  industry  and 
frugality,  with  but  little  if  any  educational  ad- 
vantages, beyond  those  aiiforded  by  daily  inter- 
course and  dealings  with  neighbors  in  the  inter- 
change of  produce,  etc. 

Mr.  Freemire  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Catherine  Bartholomew  in  the  year  1809  and 
lived  upon  the  homestead  farm,  which  he  cleared 
of  timber  and  which  is  now  inherited  and  occu- 
pied by  his  son,  William  H.,  and  there  resided 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  August  22, 1876. 
He  was  an  earnest  Democrat  of  the  old  school 
and  a  firm  friend  of  his  neighbor  and  townsman, 
William  C.  Bouck.  The  Governor's  confidence 
in  his  honesty  and  strict  adherence  to  systematic 
rules  of  performing  duty,  led  to  the  appoint- 
ment of  Mr.  Freemire  as  Guard  at  the  Sub- 
Treasury  in  New  York  City.     He   held   that 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


193 


JOHN    FREEMIRE,  Jr. 


position  of  trust  three  years  and  returned  to  his 
home. 

Not  aspiring  to  official  positions,  he  was  but 
once  elected  to  office  and  then  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  although  repeatedly  urged  to  accept  that 
and  other  honors.  His  characteristic  spirit  of 
retirement  led  him  to  refuse  a  compliance  with 
the  earnest  and  oft  repeated  appeals  of  his 
townsmen. 

His  married  life  was  blessed  in  rearing  a  large 
family  of  children  who  have  proven  themselves 
useful  and  energetic  citizens,  such  as  reflect 
credit  upon  the  wise  counsels  and  examples  of 


honest  parents.  They  are  Mrs.  John  B.  Wal- 
dron,  of  Breakabeen ;  John  Freemver,  of  Cass- 
opolis,  Mich. ;  Mrs.  Wm.  Woolford,  of  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y. ;  William  H,  of  Breakabeen;  and 
Abram,  of  Middleburgh.  Mrs.  Ephraira  Pat- 
terson also  was  a  daughter  but  died  several 
years  ago,  as  did  her  patriotic  husband  who  re- 
ceived injuries  that  proved  fatal  while  in  the  late 
Rebellion. 

The  family  name  was  originally  spelled  Fri- 
mire,  but  of  late  has  been  changed  to  Freemyer 
with  the  common  consent  of  all  branches  of  the 
family. 


194 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


ADAM  L.  MATTICE. 


Adam  L.  Mattice  is  a  worthy  representative 
of  the  early  settlers  of  the  valley,  and  of  one  in 
particular,  Nicholas  Mattice  who  first  located 
within  the  neighborhood  of  the  "  upper  fort." 
At  what  time  he  immigrated  is  not  known,  but 
he  there  reared  a  large  family,  in  which  were 
three  sons — Adam,  Frederick,  and  Conradt. 
Adam  early  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Crown 
and  fled  to  Canada  as  a  Mohawk,  in  1777,  and 
there  his  descendants  still  reside. 

Mrs.  Burget,  of  Breakabeen,  is  the  last  of  the 
direct  heirs  of  Frederick,  which  fact  leaves  Con- 
radt the  progenitor  of  those  bearing  the  family 
name  in  the  County.  He  resided  upon  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  Joseph  Mattice,  where  he 
reared  six  children  as  follows : — Lawrence,David 
John,  Henry,  Mrs.  John  Brown,  of  Sharon,  and 
Mrs.  Garrett  Hallenbeck,  of  Fulton. 


Adam  L.  is  one  of  five  children  of  Lawrence 
Mattice,  and  was  born  in  Fulton,  September 
15,  1803.  He  has  always  lived  upon  a  farm 
and  has  accumulated  a  property  that  bespeaks 
a  steady  judgment  and  practical  business  quali- 
fications. He  has  served  the  town  in  the 
capacity  of  road  commissioner,  assessor  and 
other  minor  offices  for  many  years,  and  is  looked 
upon  by  his  townsmen  as  an  upright  man  in 
whom  they  have  confidence  to  act  with  honor 
and  precision. 

Although  he  has  arrived  at  the  advanced  age 
of  seventy-eight,  yet  the  sturdy  form  is  erect,  the 
muscles  strong  and  steady,  and  the  mind  clear 
and  active,  as  are  those  of  most  of  the  children 
of  pioneers  of  the  County.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Dinah,  daughter  of  David  Mat- 
tice, and  to  them  have  been  born  five  children, 


TOWN  OF  FULTON. 


195 


James  H.,  Lawrence  A.,  Garret  W.,  Dinah  and 
Elizabeth.    James  H.  died  January  i6,  1874. 


The  business  is  at  present  being  carried  on 
by  Garret  W.,  and  Lawrence  A.  Mattice. 


EPHRAIM  B.  YHOMAK 
Lieutenant  Ephraim  Vroman,  of  Revolution 


ary  fame,  was  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  That  patriot  had  four  children 
that  survived  the  Revolution  :  Bartholomew  E., 
Josias  E.,  Maria,  (Mrs.  Peter  P.  ZieUe)  and 
Harmonus,  a  child  by  his  second  wife.  Bar- 
tholomew and  Josias  married  sisters,  they  being 
daughters  of  Colonel  Peter  Dietz,  whose  patri- 
otism made  the  name  historic  and  his  memory 
live  as  long  as  literature  exists.  Josias  E.  has 
but  two  sons  at  present  living,  Harmon  and 
Ephraim,  who  have  arrived  at  advanced  ages. 
Our  subject  is  the  only  living  heir  of  Barthol- 
omew a,nd  was  born  upon  the  old  farm  in  Vro- 
mansland  on  the  1 8th  of  August,  1806.   He  was 


reared  as  a  farmer  and  strictly  adhered  to  that 
occupation  till  within  a  short  time,  when  he  re- 
tired. 

Mr.  Vroman  received  but  a  meagre  common 
school  education,  yet  inheriting  the  natural 
characteristics  of  the  two  families  from  which  he 
sprang,  but  few  men  possess  equal  business  tact 
or  a  better  practical  judgment,  as  shown  in  his 
individual  affairs  and  those  of  the  pubhc  in 
which  he  has  from  time  to  time  been  urged  to 
transact. 

We  are  assured  by  those  of  greater  age, 
who  were  personally  acquainted  with  several  of 
the  old  stock  Vromans,  that  he  is  a  true  type  of 
that  sturdy  race  in  form,  features  and  general 


196 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


appearance.  He  has  five  children  as  follows: 
Mrs.  Alonzo  Best,  Mrs.  Harmon  Vroman,  Mrs. 
Addison  Cornell,  George  A.,  and  Charles  W., 
the  latter  two  occupying  the  old  farm  that  has 
been  in  the  Vroman  family  since  171 1. 

Although  Mr.  Vroman  is  naturally  reserved, 
yet  he  is  firm  in  his  convictions,  and  free  in  his 
expressions  of  right,  and  in  the  community  in 
which  he  resides,  as  in  his  family,  is  looked  up 
to  as  a  wise  counsellor,  generous  neighbor  and 
an  unflinching  patriot.  It'  was  Mr.  Vroman's 
grandmother  and  youthful  aunt  that  were  mur- 
dered at  the  foot  of  the  Onistagrawa  by  the  In- 
dian Seths  Henry  and  his  accompUce,  Beacraft, 
the  demoniac  Tory.  His  father  also  was  made 
to  feel  the  vengeance  of  the  unmerciful  foe,  in 
being  their  prisoner  and  forced  to  endure  insults 
and  hardships,  which  planted  a  hatred  of  In- 
dians and  Tories  in  the  family  breast  that  has 
been  transmitted,  and  will  be  undoubtedly  for 
several  generations,  and  gave  birth  to  a  staunch 
patriotism  that  truly  is  undying. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


History  of  the  Town  of  Middleburgh. 


Beauty  of  Scenery — The  Mountains — Weis- 
er's  Dorf — Conrad  Weiser — His  Daugh- 
ter— John  Peter  G.  Muhlenberg — His 
Patriotism — Conrad  Weiser,  Jr. — Inter- 
preter— Settlers  of  the  Dorf — Relics 
OF  the  Past — Reformed  Church — Its 
Early  History — Edifice  Rebuilt  in  1785 — 
Petition  to  Assembly — Other  Papers — 
Pastors'  Reformed  Church — Lutheran 
Church  —  Methodist  —  Episcopal  —  The 
True  Reformed  Church  —  Middle  Fort 
— Description — Firing  Upon  the  Flag — 


Zielie  Family — First  Zielies  in  the  Val- 
ley— Family  Relic — Colonel  Zielie — His 
Children — Peter  Swart — Old  Clock — 
Low  Dutch  Beckers — Borst  Family — 
Grist  Mills — Louck's  Family — Eckerson's 
—  First  Merchant  —  Grist  Mill  —  Bel- 
linger Family — Hartman's  Dorf — Richt- 
myer  Family — Rebuilding  of  the  Village 
— Alexander  Boyd — J.  M.  Scribner  —John 
HiNMAN — Nathan  Hinman — Building  the 
Bridge  —Jonathan  Danforth — Atchinson 
House — Freemire  House — Merchants — 
Freeman  Stanton — John  P.  Bellinger — 
D.  D.  Dodge — Tanning — Danforth  Fami- 
lies —  General  Danforth — Physicians — 
Legal  Fraternity—  Hon.  Lyman  Sanford 
— National  Bank — Masonic  Lodge — I.  O. 
G.  Templars  —  G.  A.  R.  Post  —  Cornet 
Band — Incorporation — Hunter's  Land — 
Supervisors — Boundaries. 

N  approaching  Middleburgh  village  from 
Schoharie  by  the  valley  road,  one  is  not  so 
much  impressed  with  the  beauty  of  the  scenery 
as  when  passing  over  the  hill  from  the  Cobles- 
kill  valley,  by  the  way  of  the  poorhouse, 
there  is  presented  one  of  those  placid  land- 
scapes, for  which  Schoharie  County  is  noted. 
The  broad  well  kept  flats  that  stretch  from  the 
giant  evergreen  hills  upon  the  west,  to  the  slop- 
ing ones  and  the  cliff  on  the  east,  are  dotted 
here  and  there  with  spacious  residences  and  out- 
buildings that  bespeak  the  wealth  and  prosperity 
of  the  occupants,  and  present  a  winning  picture 
of  plenty  and  contentment.  Old  Mohegontee* 
stands  out  boldly  as  a  terminus  of  a  chain  of 
picturesque  hills,  while  Ocongena  and  Onista- 
grawa, in  romantic  contrast,  look  down  upon 
the  quiet  scene  below  and  give  to  the  whole, 
grandeur  and  sublimity  such  as  mountains  only 
can  give  to  rural  sceneries.  Upon  their  lofty 
summits  and  along  their  sides,  the  Aborigines 
of  the  country  wandered  for  the  deer,  fox  and 

*  Judge  Brown,  in  his  pamphlet  histoiy,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing names  to  the  three  mountains:  Mohegan,  Cone- 
gena  and  Onisto  Giaw. 


I 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


197 


bear,  while  at  their  bases  was  reared  the  wig- 
wam, to  which  the  first  settlers  of  civilization 
in  the  valley,  resorted  for  succor,  in  the  winter 
of  1713,  when  they  sought  the  "promised  land  " 
as  refugees  from  the  toils  which  selfish  officials 
had  woven  to  entrap  them  and  make  them  un- 
willing servants  to  a  monied  aristocracy. 

Here  where  the  pleasant  village  now  stands, 
the  "seditious"  Conrad  Weiser  made  a  choice 
for  his  settlement,  which  alone  was  evidence 
enough  that  he  was  not  as  ignorant  as  tradition 
and  royal  officials  have  represented  him  to  be. 
By  consuhing  the  second  chapter  of  this  work, 
we  find  that  during  the  land  difficulties,  Weiser 
and  his  followers  left  the  valley  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania  about  the  year  1722.  There  the 
old  man  died  and  was  buried  a  few  miles  from 
Reading,  within  a  plot  of  ground  marked  out 
by  himself.  He  was  a  prominent  man  in  his 
neighborhood,  and  much  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  him.  His  daughter,  Anna  Maria,  married 
Henry  Melchoir  Muhlenberg,  D.  D.,  the  foun- 
der of  the  Lutheran  church  in  America. 

John  Peter  Gabriel  Muhlenberg  was  a  son 
who  gave  to  the  world  a  glorious  example  of 
true  patriotism. 

He  was  educated  for  the  ministry  and  or- 
dained in  the  year  1768,  and  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  Revolution,  was  stationed  at  Woodstock, 
Virginia.  Of  him,  Lossing  in  his  Field-book  of 
the  Revolution,  says : — 

"In  1774  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
of  safety  in  his  county,  and  was  also  elected  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Burgesses.  At  the 
close  of  1775,  he  was  elected  colonel  of  a  Vir- 
ginia regiment  when  he  laid  aside  his  pastoral 
character.  In  concluding  his  farewell  sermon, 
he  said,  that  in  the  language  of  Holy  Writ, 
'There  was  a  time  for  all  things;  a  time  to 
preach,  and  a  time  to  pray,  but  those  times  had 
passed  away,'  and  then,  in  a  voice  that  echoed 
like  a  trumpet-blast  through  the  church,  he  said 
'  that  there  was  a  time  to  fight,  and  that  time 
had  now  come !  "  Then  laying  aside  his  sacer- 
dotal gown,  he  stood  before  his  flock  in  the  full 
regimental  dress  of  a  Virginia  Colonel.  He 
ordered  the  drums  to  be  beaten  at  the  church 
door  for  recruits,  and  almost  his  entire  male 
audience  that  were  capable  of  bearing  arms  j  oined 


his  standard.  Nearly  three  hundred  men  en- 
listed under  his  banner  on  that  day.  He  was  in 
the  battle  at  Charlestown,  in  1776,  and  served 
with  fidelity  in  the  Southern  campaign  that 
year.  Congress  promoted  him  to  the  rank  of 
Brigadier-General,  in  February,  1777,  and  he 
was  ordered  to  take  charge  of  all  the  Continental 
troops  of  the  Virginia  line  in  that  State.  He 
joined  the  army  of  Washington,  and  was  with 
him  in  all  his  movements  until  the  year  1779. 
By  the  close  of  that  year  he  was  again  or- 
dered to  take  command  of  the  Virginia  troops, 
and  was  active  until  the  attack  of  Cornwallis  at 
Yorktown.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  ele- 
vated to  the  rank  of  Major-General.  He  re- 
moved to  Pennsylvania,  and  in  various  civil 
capacities  served  the  State.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  first  and  third  Congresses,  and  in  180 1  was 
elected  a  United  States  Senator.  The  same 
year  he  was  appointed  supervisor  of  the  internal 
revenue  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1802  was  made 
collector  of  the  port  of  Philadelphia.  He  re- 
mained in  that  office  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred at  his  country-seat  near  Philadelphia,  on 
the  first  of  October  (his  birthday),  1807,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-one  years." 

John  Conrad,  Sr.,  was  an  Indian  interpreter 
and  agent  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  John 
Conrad,  whom  it  will  be  remembered  was  tutored 
as  an  interpreter  while  Hving  here,  for  which 
Adam  Vroman  made  a  charge  against  his  father 
to  Governor  Hunter  in  1715.  Young  Weiser 
was  employed  by  the  government  for  many 
years  as  such,  and  was  often  in  company  with 
Washington  in  making  treaties  with  the  Indians. 
Tradition  says  that  when  Washington  was  en- 
route  as  President  of  the  United  States,  to  the 
city  of  New  York,  he  traveled  many  miles  out 
of  his  way  to  visit  the  grave  of  his  much  es- 
teemed friend. 

We  find  the  descendants  of  the  Weiser  family 
quite  numerous  and  occupying  prominent  posi- 
tions ;  and  when  we  look  upon  the  life  of  Gen- 
eral Muhlenberg  we  cannot  but  believe  that  the 
spirit  of  Weiser  was  inherited  by  him,  which  was 
called  "  rebellious,  seditious  and  obstinate,  and 
an  outgrowth  of  ignorance,"  when  the  family 
lived  at  the  camps  and  in  the  Schoharie  valley. 
It  is  to  such  spirits  we  are  indebted  for  our  po- 


198 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


litical   and  religious  liberties,  and  upon  which 
oppression  has  always  tried  to  trample. 

We  might  with  propriety  here  state  that  all  of 
the  descendants  of  the  followers  of  Weiser,  were 
true  patriots  in  the  Revolution  without  a  single 
exception  to  our  knowledge. 

There  was  one  of  the  Beckers  that  removed 
with  Weiser,  whose  last  heir  it  has  been  sup- 
posed, died  several  years  ago  leaving  a  vast  prop- 
erty which  has  remained  without  an  ownership 
since,  but  it  is  a  mistake,  as  the  family  now 
living  near  Philadelphia  are  more  numerous 
than  those  of  the  Schoharie  settlement  to-day. 
The  progenitor  was  of  the  High  Dutch  family 
and  brother  of  Johannes,  who  settled  on  Fox's 
creek. 

When  the  Germans  came  to  the  valley  there 
were  a  small  number  of  Mohegans  living  to  the 
north  of  the  confluence  of  the  Little  Schoharie, 
with  the  main  stream.  There  could  not  have 
been  many,  yet  it  must  have  been  in  their  hos- 
pitable wigwams  they  found  shelter  after  their 
dreary  march  through  the  deep  snow,  from  Liv- 
ingston's manor.  This  portion  of  the  Scho- 
harie tribe  dwindled  away  to  a  few  in  number, 
and  the  land  they  occupied  was  taken  by  the 
Zielies  and  Eckersons  as  early  as  1730,  and 
perhaps  earlier.  The  Indians  gave  way  as  the 
whites  increased,  and  at  last  congregated  at  and 
near  the  castle  in  Vromansland  where  they  were 
in  1750,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  straggling 
ones,  found  here  and  there  along  the  streams. 
Queen  Anne  had  directed  implements  of  all 
kinds  to  be  sent  from  England  with  the  Ger- 
mans, but  it  cannot  be  supposed  Weiser  and  his 
followers  were  allowed  to  share  in  them  since 
they  mutinied  and  left  the  Camps,  "  against  re- 
peated orders,"  but  were  forced  to  depend  upon 
their  ingenuity  and  that  of  the  Indians  in  build- 
ing without  them,  and  when  spring  came,  to 
plant  for  a  better  subsistence  than  "roots  and 
herbs." 

Although  they  were  destitute  for  a  while, 
it  was  not  long  before  they  managed  to  obtain 
the  necessary  utensils  to  till  the  ground  and 
build  their  huts  and  from  the  tenor  of  Adam 
Vroman's  letter  to  Governor  Hunter,  bearing 
date  July,  1715,  they  had  horses,  and  that  they 
drove  them  upon  his  grain  in  the  night,  beside 
"  tied  bells  upon  their  necks  and  drove  them 


to  and  fro."     Judge  Brown  tells  us,  "nine  of 
them  owned  the  first  horse,  which  was  a  gray," 
but  we  find  in  little  over  two  years  after  they 
settled  here,  they  had  "horses."    Perhaps   the 
Judge  had  not  reference  to  Weiser  and  his  clan, 
but  to  those  who  came  after  by  the  way  of 
Albany  and  the  Helleberg,   and  settled  lower 
down  the  valley,  but  his  dates  correspond  nearer 
to  this  settlement,  yet  in  them  he  is  inaccurate. 
Weiser  located    to    the    east    of  the   present 
Methodist  church,  and  we  are  fully  convinced 
after  a  careful  study  of  the  matter,  that  another 
settlement  was  made  by  his  immediate  followers 
to  the  west,  where  the  Reformed  church  now 
stands.     It  may  and  may  not  have  been  direct- 
ly under  his  charge  as  "list  master  "  or  business 
man,  it  matters  not.     There  was  a  settlement 
made,  but  there  being  so  many  people  upon  a 
small  space  of  ground  the  settlement  broke  up 
in   a  few  years,   as  Hartman's    dorf   did,    for 
broader  fields,  that  each  could  ply  their  voca- 
tions as  farmers,   principally,    more   extensive. 
That  together  with  Weiser's,  proper,  and  Hart- 
man's,  made  three  settlements  within  a  distance 
of  less  than  two  miles,  and  contained  at  least 
one  hundred  and  sixty  families  according  to  tra- 
dition and  documents  heretofore  copied.     Thus 
the  practical  reader  will  see   at  once  that  they 
could  not  subsist  without  great  inconvenience, 
and  would,  as  soon  as  possible,  divide  and  settle 
upon  farms.    They  did  so,  and  by  the  year  1730 
the  whole  valley  was,  as  far   down  as  the  Island 
opposite  of  the   present   village   of  Sloansville, 
taken  up  by  them  and  new  comers,  and  under 
a  fair  state    of  cultivation.      Many   that   came 
with  the  first  parties,  removed  to  the  Mohawk, 
while  others  from  there  came   here,  especially 
during  the  land  troubles.     They   were   for  the 
first  few  years  a  very  uneasy  people,  and  made 
it  so  for  those  around  them.  Not  only  for  Adam 
Vroman,  but  for  the  Indians,  and  officials  both 
district  and  colonial.     They  firmly  believed  they 
were  to  be  entrapped  by  land  sharks,  and  were 
not  far  from  right,  and  finding  they   could  not 
obtain  a  "  redress  of  their  grievances,"  many  of 
them  left  the  valley  for  ever,  which  satisfied  the 
honorable  government  officials  that  it  was  bet 
ter  to  give  way  to  many  of  their  foibles,  espe- 
cially than  lose  "  so  valuable  an  acquisition  to 
the  frontier,"  which  was  experienced  by  those 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


199 


that  remained  in  the  purchase  of  land  at  a  nom- 
inal sum,  with  an  assurance  of  peaceable  pos- 
session. 

It  is  not  to  be  imagined  that  Weiser's  dorf 
was  left  tenantless  upon  the  removal  of  the  dis- 
couraged party,  as  we  find  the  Dillebacks,  (Dil- 
lenbecks,)  Earharts,  Zehs,  Weavers,  Casselmans, 
Segendorfs,  Borsts,  Schaeflfers,  Loucks,  Rick- 
ards,  Ingolds  and  Conradt  families  remained 
and  were  joined  a  few  years  after  by  the  Eck- 
ersons,  Zielies,  and  at  a  later  date  by  others, 
progenitors  of  those  who  were  actors  in  the 
Revolutionary  scenes  living  near,  not  above 
mentioned.  The  history  of  the  village  and 
valley  from  1722  to  the  Revolutionary  strug- 
gle has  but  little  interest.  The  forest  was 
felled  and  the  productive  fields  became 
broader,  the  rude  huts  were  replaced  by  com- 
fortable houses,  large  barns  took  the  place  of 
barracks  and  stacks,  and  prosperity  and  con- 
tentment marked  its  course  and  abode  at  every 
turn.  The  occupants  of  the  hamlet  for  the  first 
few  years  of  their  settlement  owned  plots  of 
ground  upon  the  interval  from  which  they  ob- 
tained their  suppUes,  but  as  their  sons  and 
daughters  united  to  form  other  famiUes  they  in- 
creased their  acreage  by  purchasing  of  those 
who  at  an  early  date  took  advantage  of  the 
prospect  and  purchased  of  Governor  Hunter. 
Many  of  those  farms  have  been  handed  down 
from  one  generation  to  another  for  the  space  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  and  judging  by  the 
temperate,  economical  habits  and  pride  of  fam- 
ily another  generation  will  enjoy  the  fruits  of 
their  forefathers'  labors  without  passing  to  other 
hands.  There  are  but  few  relics  now  to  be 
seen  that  time  has  spared,  to  link  the  early  set- 
tlement of  this  place  with  the  present.  The 
Reformed  church  as  an  organization — and  a 
portion  of  the  building  used  during  the  struggle 
for  Independence  as  a  fort,  are  the  only  objects 
that  we  meet.  The  old  stone  house  near  the 
Methodist  church  is  one  that  our  nearer  fathers 
reared  after  they  passed  through  the  fiery  ordeal 
of  a  war  made  sacred  in.  the  annals  of  history 
by  their  sacrifice  of  life,  blood,  and  fortunes, 
upon  the  corner-stone  of  America's  temple  of 
Hberty !  It  is  as  a  footprint  of  the  hunted  patri- 
ots in  the  ashes  of  devastation,  after  they  eluded 
the  vengeance  of  a  mercenary,  blood-thirsty  foe ! 


It  has  been  spared  to  us  as  the  corner-stone  of 
the  re-building  or  second  settlement  of  Weiser's 
dorf,  as  it  will  be  remembered  that  the  walls 
of  the  old  brick  church  were  all  that  was  left  of 
the  village  after  Johnson  and  Brant's  exit  from 
the  valley.  But  before  we  consider  the  events 
of  that  day  let  us  go  back  to  earlier  times  and 
peer  into  the  darkness  of  the  past,  between  the 
removal  gf  Weiser  and  his  followers,  and  the 
Revolution. 

In  making  the  attempt,  we  regret  exceed- 
ingly that  the  few  records  that  are  left  of  those 
days  are  indeed  but  feeble  tapers  to  lead  us  ac- 
curately, without  stumbling,  through  the  changes 
that  circumstances  required  the  sturdy  yeoman 
to  make.  We  cannot  but  admit,  as  all  evidence 
establishes  the  fact, that  Weiser's  dorf  was  the  first 
white  settlement  in  the  County,  and  that  it  was 
made  in  17 13,  by  High  Dutch,  while  Vromans- 
land  was  settled  by  the  Low  Dutch  in  i7r4 
or  1715. 

Reformed  Dutch  C*ar<r/%. —^  Knowing  the 
natural  propensity  of  the  High  and  Low  Dutch 
to  the  observance  of  religious  rites  and  duties, 
we  cannot  believe  they  lived  in  the  valley  from 
1713  to  the  year  1732,  when  this  church  as 
thought  by  many  was  founded,  without  religious 
services  and  an  organization.  Nor  do  we  think 
they  remained  so  up  to  the  year  1728,  when  the 
Schoharie  church  was  organized,  and  attended 
there.  As  the  latter  was  founded  but  eight 
years  at  least  after  the  settlement  of  the  dorf  in 
which  it  was  organized,  we  cannot  see  any  rea- 
son why  this  dorf  was  not  as  active,  for  these 
settlers  were  as  able  financially,  as  energetic,  in 
a  business  point  of  view,  and  as  religious  as  any 
other.  We  find  that  the  people  of  this  place  and 
"Vromansland  in  after  years,  beside  maintain- 
ing this  church,  assisted  in  that  of  Fox's  Creek. 
To  conclude  we  cannot  but  think  that  the 
Middleburgh  Reformed  church  was  the  parent 
church  of  the  Schoharie  settlements,  and  was 
founded  long  years  before  an  edifice  was  erected, 
unless  they  built  a  rude  house  of  worship,  pre- 
vious to  the  one  that  was  burned  by  Johnson 
and  Brant  in  1780,  of  which  we  have  not  the 
least  knowledge.  We  cannot  but  think  it  was 
organized  as  early  as  1 7 1 4  on  7 1 6.  The  early 
churches  of  the  border  settlements  had  noregu- 


200 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


lar  organized  services,  as  at  present,  but  per- 
haps they  brought  their  organization  with  them 
from  Germany.  Their  first  religious  proceedings 
were  not  recorded,  as  a  general  thing  and  if  at 
all,  they  were  kept  in  a  rude  unbusiness-like 
manner,  and  became  lost.  As  we  intintiated 
before,  we  have  faint  light  to  guide  us  in  the 
early  history  of  the  church. 

Corwin's  Manual  says,  Hendrick  Hager 
preached  in  Schoharie  between  17  ii  and  17 17 
as  a  missisonary.  Undoubtedly  he  came  as  soon 
as  a  settlement  was  formed,  and  appearing 
among  a  people  who  were  religious  by  birth,  he 
formed  or  re-formed  an  organization  among 
them.  There  being  a  deep  enmity  existing 
between  the  Germans  and  their  Holland  neigh- 
bors, at  that  time,  and  for  several  years  we  are 
led  to  beUeve  the  latter  were  not  admitted  in 
their  society,  but  numbering  several  families,  and 
being  also  a  religious  people,  they  held  meetings 
in  their  own  neighborhood,  and  perhaps  formed 
an  organization.  Upon  the  coming  of  the  ZieUe 
and  Eckerson  families,  who  settled  among  the 
Germans,  and  the  removal  of  Weiser  and  his 
excitable  followers,  afriendly  feeUng  was  courted 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  the  High  and 
Low  Dutch  worshipped  together,  and  when  a  new 
church  edifice  was  to  be  built,  they  united  in 
the  erection  of  it.  A  few  years  later  the  Low 
Dutch  gained  the  entire  control  of  it,  and  the 
High  Dutch  society  was  consumed  by  them. 
It  was  after,  or  when  the  Low  Dutch  began  to 
control  or  obtain  a  foot-hold,  that  the  dates  of 
1732  and  1733,  which  we  have  relating  to  the 
church,  began  to  appear,  which  has  given  the 
impression  the  church  was  then  formed.  Thus, 
regardless  of  which  branch  was  first  formed, 
since  they  merged  into  one,  and  this  settlement 
being  of  at  least  five  years  the  senior  of  Fox's 
dorf,  the  present  Reformed  church  must  be  the 
parent  church  of  the  valley. 

Through  the  poUteness  to  present,  and  care 
to  preserve,  Mr.  Hiram  Zielie,  of  Webster  City, 
Iowa,  a  grandson  of  Martinus  Ziehe,  has  fur- 
nished us  with  a  few  facts  as  recorded  in  his 
Grandfather's  Low  Dutch  Bible.  Upon  the  fly- 
leaf it  says,  "Our  new  brick  church  was  dedicated 
on  December  the  1 8th  day,  1737.  Textfromthe 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  7th  Chap.  47  to  50th  verses 
inclusive.      Rev.   Dominie    Snider   Preacher." 


Tradition  has  told  us  the  building  was  of  stone, 
and  "built  after  the  model  of  the  ancient  Dutch 
church  in  Albany,  with  a  steeple  rising  from  the 
center,  but  reference  was  had  to  the  Fox's  dorf 
church  in  the  style  of  building.  From  French's 
history  we  learn  that  Johannes  Schaffer,  Hen- 
drick, Conradt,  and  Johannes  Ingold,  sold  four- 
teen acres  of  land  to  Jonas  LeRoy  and  Peter 
Spies  for  the  support  of  the  Middle  church  on 
January  3,  1737. 

Now  the  question  is,  was  it  a  High  or  Low 
Dutch  church  originally.  It  is  thought  by  many 
to  have  been  the  latter.  We  are  of  the  opinion 
that  it  was  the  former,  from  the  fact  that  if  it 
had  been  a  Low  Dutch,  the  building  would 
have  been  placed  upon  the  Low  Dutch  ground, 
upon  which  the  present  church  stands.  With- 
out doubt  both  branches  worshipped  within  the 
same  building  at  this  time. 

The  ground  upon  which  the  building  was 
placed,  was  that,  or  a  part  of  it,  which  was  the 
"  bone  of  contention  "  between  the  Palatines, 
Schuyler  and  others  who  purchased  it  of 
Hunter  in  17 14.  It  will  be  remembered  the 
Germans  refused  to  quit  the  land  or  to  pay 
rent.  They  built  their  houses  upon  it,  and  the 
church  also,  and  did  not  receive  a  title  of  the 
church  property  until  years  after.  By  a  quit- 
claim deed  now  in  the  possession  of  Henry 
Cady,  bearing  date  the  "  i8th  of  June,  in  the 
twenty-sixth  year  of  His  Majesty's  reign.  Anno 
Domini,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty- 
three,for  the  sum  of  Five  shillings  current  money 
of  New  York,"  twenty-seven  acres  of  land  were 
conveyed  by  Myndert  Schuyler,  Margaret  Liv- 
ingston, Phihp  Livingston,  Philip  Schuyler  and 
Johannes  Bough  (Bouck,)  of  Albany,  to  Johan- 
nes Schuyler,  minister  ;  Bartholomew  Vroman, 
Josias  Swart  and  Thomas  Eckerson,  elders ; 
Johannes  Becker,  Jun.,  rector  ;  O.  Zielie  and 
David  Laroway,  deacons  ;  for  church  purposes. 
The  land  was  divided  into  small  lots,  and  many 
of  them  are  still  owned  by  the  church,  being 
leased  to  the  occupants  at  a  yearly  rental.  As 
the  Reformed  church  at  Schoharie  was  organ- 
ized as  a  "  High  Dutch,"  and  soon  wafted  over 
to  the  control  of  Low  Dutch,  so  we  think  it 
was  the  case  with  this  organization.  The  Low 
Dutch  found  here,  among  whom  were  the  Vro- 
mans,  ZieUes,  Beckers  and  the  Holland  Ecker- 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


20 1 


sons,  were  more  business  men  than  the  Ger- 
mans. The  latter  had  not  but  of  late,  been 
commanders  of  affairs,  but  objects  of  command, 
and  knew  but  little  of  transacting  business, 
while  with  the  Low  Dutch  it  was  the  reverse. 
When  the  church  was  burned  in  1780,  all  re- 
ligious services  were  performed  in  the  middle 
fort,  and  after  peace  was  proclaimed,  and  as 
soon  as  the  settlers  recuperated  in  a  measure 
their  losses,  effort  were  made  to  re-build.  In 
the  spring  of  1785,  the  work  commenced  and 
occupied  the  summer  months  of  1786  and  '87, 
in  its  completion.  The  control  of  church  af- 
fairs at  this  time,  was  entirely  under  the  Low 
Dutch,  and  the  new  building  was  placed  upon 
the  fourteen  acres  purchased  in  1737,  for  the 
"  support  of  the  Dutch  church."  The  people 
being  poor,  timber  and  other  materials  were  do- 
nated by  them,  as  also  labor  and  rum,  the  latter 
to  revive  drooping  spirits.  Col.  Peter  Vroman, 
the  hero  of  the  middle  fort,  was  the  treasurer, 
and  to  show  his  manner  of  doing  business  and 
the  materials  thought  necessary  to  build  a  church 
in  those  days,  we  will  copy  from  a  few  "  items  of 
interest,"  as  kindly  furnished  us  by  Mr.  A.  B. 
Richmond,  of  Canajoharie,  and  Henry  Cady, 
of  Schoharie,  besides  papers  relating  to  the 
building,  etc.,  of  the  church  : — 

"  10  galon  RUM  "  and  "  4  Gallons  of  rum  and 
eighteen  drinks"  were  charged  against  the  church. 
Peter  Vroman  refused  to  allow  the  eighteen 
drinks.  "  i  pound  tobaco."  stones,  lumber  and 
wood  were  contributed  by  different  ones,  each 
allowed  a  certain  sum  for  the  same.  A  petition 
was  forwarded  to  the  legislature  for  aid,  bearing 
date  "  18  Oct.,  1784,"  stating  that  "Sir  John 
Johnson  Avith  a  party  of  British  Regular  troops, 
Tories  and  Indians,  on  the  17th  day  of  Oct., 
1780,  Came  and  allmost  destroyed  the  Settle- 
ment of  Schoharry  by  fire  and  other  ways, 
among  which  was  the  church  of  your  petitioners, 
which  was  intirely  burnt  and  destroyed  on  the 
said  day  which  was  valued  at  five  hundred 
pounds,  etc." 

Another  was  forwarded  to  the  city  officials  of 
Albany,  asking  the  privilege  of  circulating  a  sub- 
scription to  aid  in  the  building  of  the  church, 
bearing  date  1785  ;  also  a  general  subscription 
and  petition  "  To  the  pubhck,"  asking  "  aid  in 


re-building  church  destroyed  by  the  enemy," 
dated  1785. 

The  edifice  was  nearly  three  years  in  build- 
ing, it  being  commenced  in  the  fall  of  1784, 
and  finished  in  the  summer  of  1787.  The  funds 
were  chiefly  obtained  by  subscriptions  circulated 
in  every  direction,  and  the  work  performed  by 
the  people  of  the  vicinity,  under  Philip  Schuy- 
ler, "  carpenter  and  joiner."  Tradition  tells  us 
the  iron  figures,  r786,  placed  upon  the  front 
of  the  belfry,  were  the  work  of  one  Lutwig 
Schneider,  a  blacksmith,  who  also  made  the 
"  stays  "  placed  in  the  brick  walls. 

Josiah  Dodge,  the  progenitor  of  the  present 
Dodge  family  of  the  town,  was  entrusted  with 
the  contract  to  supply  the  necessary  timbers  re- 
quired in  the  construction  of  the  church,  for 
which  he  gave  the  following  receipt: — 

"Schoharry,  July  7,  1786,  Rec'"!  of  Johannes 
H.  Becker,  Peter  Ziele  and  Peter  Vroman,  trus- 
tees of  the  Reformed  Low  Dutch  Church,  the 
full  sum  of  twenty-two  pounds  ten  shillings, 
being  in  full  for  cutting  the  timber  for  the  church. 
I  say  Rec''i  by  me.  Josia  Dodge. 

From  time  "immemorial"  the  organization 
owned  an  old-fashioned  chest,  quite  probably 
brought  from  Germany  or  Holland  by  some  of 
the  first  settlers,  in  which  the  funds  of  the  church 
and  documents  were  kept.  For  long  years  it 
was  in  the  Becker  family,  and  held  by  them 
through  the  Revolution,  and  down  to  within  the 
last  forty  years.  It  disappeared,  however,  and 
at  the  present  time,  is  not  to  be  found,  while  the 
papers  relating  to  the  church,  that  so  long  found 
a  secure  place  within  its  "  tills,"  are  scattered 
here  and  there,  and  are  made  in  many  cases, 
articles  of  barter  among  the  collectors  of  old 
reUcs.  However,  a  few  of  the  many  are  in  the 
possession  of  the  officers  of  the  church,  that  are 
valuable  through  the  associations  connected 
with  them,  and  the  organization  to  which  they 
properly  belong.  Among  them  is  one  that  re- 
fers to  the  old  chest,  which  reads  :— 

"Scohare,  June  ist,  1789.  This  day  counted 
the  Money  Which  is  in  the  Chichst  of  the  Low 
Dudtch  Church.  Two  pound  thirteen  Shil- 
lings. „ 

John  J.  Becker, 

John  A.  Becker." 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Also  the  charter  bearing  date,  21st  of  Octo- 
ber, 1797,  which  is  upon  parchment,  and  signed 
'  by  "  Rynier  VanNese,  minister ;  Pieter  Zielie, 
Adam  Vroman,  Jacob  Hager,  and  Peter  Swart, 
elders ;  John  A.  Becker,  John  P.  Becker,  Mar- 
tinus  Vroman,  Jr.,  and  Johannes  Hager,  dea- 
cons." There  are  also  others,  many  of  which 
are  written  in  Dutch. 

Pastors  of  the  Reformed  Church. — As  the  first 
records  of  the  church  are  lost,  it  is  impossible 
to  arrive  at  any  accuracy  in  regard  to  them. 
The  "  Reformed  Church  Manual "  gives  the 
date  of  organization,  1732,  and  it  may  be  cor- 
rect, but  we  have  our  doubts,  and  believe  light 
will  yet  be  given  to  prove  it  an  error.  It  also  says 
the  first  pastor  was  Schuyler  (Johannes,)  who 
was  the  Schoharie  Reformed  pastor  from  1736, 
to  1755,  and  again  from  1766,  to  his  death.  We 
have  found  through  the  Zielie  Bible,  Dominie 
Snyder  was  the  preacher  at  the  dedication,  and 
by  tradition  coming  through  the  Eckerson  fam- 
ily, that  Snyder  was  the  first  resident  pastor  of  this 
church.  Ministers  were  not  plenty  at  that 
day,  and  if  Schuyler  was,  or  was  to  be  the  reg- 
ular pastor,  we  think  he  would  have  performed 
the  service.  If  we  were  to  make  the  list  of 
pastors,  it  would  be  headed  with  Henry  Hager,* 
from  1 7 13  to  1720,  also  John  Frederick  Hager, 
and  John  Jacob  Ehle  and  George  Weiss,  as  mis- 
sionaries, until  the  pastorate  of  Dominie  Snyder 
commenced,  in  1732,  and  perhaps  earlier.  Be- 
tween this  date  and  1763,  this  church,  as  did  the 
Schoharie  and  others,  ranged  itself  with  the 
"  Dutch  Reformed  church,'"  to  form  an  "  Ameri- 
can Ecclesiastical  Indicatory.'' 

During  Schuyler's  first  pastorate  at  Schoharie, 
we  think  Dominie  Snyder  officiated  here,  and 
may  have  been  the  High  Dutch  minister,  as  it 
is  said  by  many  of  the  old  families,  that  they 
were  told  by  their  aged  grandparents,  that  Sny- 
der was  here  a  long  term  of  years.  If  Schuyler 
preached  here  within  that  period,  he  doubtless 
preached  to  the  Low  Dutch  branch,  but  we 
think  Snyder  was  the  regular  minister,  and  both 
High  and  Low  Dutch  worshipped  together  at 
this  time,  Upon  Schuyler's  re-call  at  Schoharie, 
in  1766,  he  then  took  charge  of  this  church,  in 
connection,    and   officiated  until  his   death  in 


*  Corwin's  Manual. 


1778.  If  Schuyler  had  charge  of  this  church 
from  1736  to  1755,  and  the  connection  between 
the  two  churches  continued,  then  Johannes 
Mauritinus  Goetchins  labored  here  from  1757, 
to  1760,  Abraham  Rosenkrantz  to  1765,  and 
followed  here  by  Schuyler,  in  1766.  Schuyler 
dying  in  1778,  a  young  man  officiated  occasion- 
ally, by  the  name  of  Schneyder,  until  the  in- 
vasion of  Johnson  and  Brant,  when  the  people 
were  so  thrown  in  confusion  and  poverty,  that 
church  matters  stood  still  until  peace  was  pro- 
claimed. The  next  and  first  resident  pastor  was 
Rynier  VanNess,  from  Long  Island,  who  re- 
mained to  the  coming  of  DeVoe,  in  i8o8, 
who  preached.  The  latter  remained  to  the 
year  1815,  and  from  that  to  the  present  time  we 
will  accept  the  Ust  given  in  the  Manual. 

1816-1827— -J.  F.  Schermehorn. 
1827-1833 — J.  Garretson. 
1834-1838— J.  B.  Steele. 
1840-1842 — Joshua  Boyd. 
1842-1845 — L.     Messerreau,      Presbyterian 
Sunday  school. 

1845-1852 — -Jacob  West. 

1852-1854— L  M.  See. 

1855-1863— E.  Vedder. 

1863  — W.  E.  Bogardus. 

1863-1870— John  L.  Lott,  D.  D. 

1870-1876- Sanford  W.  Roe,  D.  D. 

1 87 6-1 880— J.  S.  Gardner. 

1 880  — Elbert  N.  Sebring,  present  pastor. 

The  church  at  the  present  time,  is  one  of  the 
leading  ones  of  the  County  in  earnest  interest, 
liberality,  and  promptness  of  duty  to  all  relig- 
ous  demands,  without  that  boisterous  display 
that  is  so  often  practiced  by  many  of  our  modern 
churches,  and  which  reverts  the  desired  and  in- 
tended aim.  The  membership  numbers  one 
hundred  and  fifteen,  among  whom  are  many  of 
the  leading  families  of  the  community,  who  take 
a  just  pride  in  the  ancient  organization  and 
church  edifice.  The  exterior  of  the  building 
is  the  same  as  when  first  built,  with  the  exception 
of  a  portion  of  the  steeple  which  was  remodeled 
in  a  measure  in  1813,  when  the  first  bell  was 
purchased  and  placed  within  it.  The  interior 
has  been  changed  at  different  times,  to  suit  the 
changing  taste  of  the  acting  generations,  and 
has  lost  nearly  all  of  its  originality,  except  in  the 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


203 


height  of  the  gallery,  which  remains  the  same, 
and  gives  to  the  whole  an  ancient  appearance. 

The  report  of  the  church  for  the  year  ending 
the  ist  of  April,  1882,  was  as  follows  :— 

Number  of  families,  90. 

Died,  I. 

Total  in  communion,  115. 

Number  of  catechumens,  20. 

Total    number   of  Sunday  School    scholars, 

TOO. 

Contributions   for  religious   and   benevolent 
purposes,  $58.25. 

For  congregational  purposes,  $1,063.39. 

Present  officers  : — 

Elders, 

Peter  S.  Danforth, 
M.  Geurnsey, 
W.  G.  Becker, 
James  Lawyer,  M.  D., 
George  L.  Danforth. 

Deacons, 

George  W.  Zeh, 
George  W.  Dodge, 
W.  E.  Bassler, 
Jacob  L.  Engle, 
Joseph  Jenks. 

Referring  thus  to  the  Reformed  church,  we 
will  give  notice  here  of  the  remaining  churches, 
although  they  are  of  a  more  recent  date,  and 
then  run  back  to  objects  of  long  ago,  when  many 
of  those  who  Ue  sleeping  beneath  the  green  turf 
of  the  ancient  cemetery,  were 

"Actors  in  life's  drama,'' 
and  their  children  that  lived  when 

"  Discord  raised  its  trumpet's  notes, 
And  carnage  beat  its  horrid  drum.  " 

The  Lutheran  Church.— U'pon  the  records 
we  read : 

"  St  Marks  Evangelican  Lutheran  church  was 
founded  the  17th  May,  A.  D.,  1824,  Rev.  Geo. 
A.  Lintner,  A.  M.  pastor." 

^'Elders — Andreas  Loucks,Abraham  Lawyer, 
Joseph  Borst. 

"  Deacons  —  Wilhelmus  Bouck,  Jeremiah 
Loucks,  Abram  Haines. 


"  Trustees  —  Jacob  Livingston,  William  C. 
Bouck,  Joseph  I.  Borst,  Thomas  Bouck,  Abram 
Haines,  Joseph  Bouck,  Phihp  Bergh,  Jun.,  Free- 
man Stanton,  John  Henry. 

"Architect — James  Rider. 

"  Other  foundations  can  no  man  lay  than  that 
is  laid,  which  is  Christ  Jesus,     ist  Cor.  iii  2." 

This  congregation,  originally  was  in  connec- 
tion with  Schoharie,  Cobleskill  and  Breakabeen, 
but  at  the  close  of  Dr.  Lintner's  pastorate, 
which  was  fifteen  years,  it  became  a  separate 
charge  with  Breakabeen  and  after  became  in- 
dependent. The  first  house  of  worship  was 
erected  in  1824,  and  was  dedicated  on  the  30th 
of  October  of  that  year.  The  building  was 
burned  on  the  ist  of  April,  1855,  and  was  not 
replaced  until  the  year  1870,  when  the  present 
structure  was  erected.  The  society  worshipped 
in  the  intervening  time  in  the  school  house,  and 
other  churches. 

The  records  from  Dr.  Lintner's  pastorate  to 
the  year  i860,  are  not  complete,  and  while  we 
know  of  the  pastors  that  followed  him,  we  are 
unable  to  tell  their  given  names  and  the  years 
in  which  they  labored. 

1 82 4- 1 839— Rev.  George  A.  Lintner. 
1834-1844 — Rev.  — —  Lefler. 

Rev. Crounse. 

Rev.  Levi  Sternbergh. 

Rev.  Conell. 

Rev.  English. 

1860-1865 — Adam  Martin. 

1865-187 1 — David  Swope. 

1871-1873 — E.  S.  Sprecker. 

1 87 3-1 87 6 — C.  P.  Witacar. 

1876  ^-J.  D.  Harkey,  present  pastor. 

The  officers  are  : — 

Elders — E.  Van  Aucken,  J.  E.  Young, 
D.  D.  Bouck,  L.  S.  Wells. 

Deacons — G.  N.  Frisbee,  Emmet  Haines, 
H.  M.  Marcellus,  John  Rickard. 

Trustees — Jacob  Neville,  N.  Manning,  G.  N. 
Frisbee. 

The  Lutheran  Sabbath  school  under  the  su- 
perintendence of  Mr.  J.  E.  Young,  editor  of  the 
Middkburgh    Gazette,  is  a  marked  feature   of 


204 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  church's  spirit  and  consists  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  teachers  and  scholars. 

The  Methodist  Church.— Iht  -Methodist 
Church  edifice  is  the  largest  and  most  costly 
structure  for  divine  worship  in  the  County. 

While  this  society's  existence  has  been  short 
in  comparison  with  the  Reformed  and  Lutheran, 
yet  its  present  prosperous  condition  exhibits  the 
energy  and  spirit  that  is  so  becoming  in  the 
laborers  of  the  "  vineyard." 

The  first  notice  of  an  organization  was  read 
by  Rev.  John  W.  Dennison  in  the  school  house 
of  District  No.  7,  of  this  town  on  the  ist  day  of 
December,  of  1832,  and  on  the  9th  of  the  same 
month  the  following  were  elected  trustees : 

Malachi  Potter, 
Anthony  Engle, 
Peter  W.  Mann, 
James  Sternberg, 
Harvey  Watson. 

An  edifice  was  built  at  the  head  of  Main 
street  in  the  same  year,  which  became  too  small 
for  the  congregation,  and  which  forced  the  so- 
ciety to  build  the  present  structure  in  1875,  ^t  ^ 
cost  of  thirty- five  thousand  dollars.  Through 
the  labors  and  courtesy  of  Rev.  James  L.  At- 
well,  the  present  pastor,  we  find  the  records  com- 
plete. Among  them  is  a  list  of  the  Presiding 
Elders  of  the  Albany  District,  since  the  year 
1832.  As  a  goodly  share  of  the  County  is  in 
his  jurisdiction,  under  the  Methodistical  system 
we  will  here  give  them,  with  the  year  in  which 
they  presided. 


1832-1835- 
1836-1839- 
1 840-1 843- 
1844-1847- 
1848 


1852-1855- 
1856-1859- 
1860-1863- 
1864-1867- 
1868-1871- 
1872-1875- 
1876-1879- 
1880 


—Henry  Stead. 

—Miner  Sherman. 

—Charles  Sherman.- 

— Ephraim  Gorse. 

-John  Lindsey  died. 
John  Clark  was  elected  to  fill  va- 
cancy and  remained  till  1851. 

-Truman  Seymour. 

-Henry  L.  Starks. 

-William  Griffin,  D.  D. 

-Rodman  H.  Robinson. 

-Samuel  Meredith. 

-Chester  F.  Burget. 

-Homer  Eaton,  D.  D. 

-J.  L.  Sawyer,  present  incumbent. 


The  pastors  of  the  congregation  have  been  as 
follows : — 

1832 — ^John  Harlam  and  John  Dennison. 

1833 — William  Ames. 

1834 — James  R.  Goodrich. 

1835— Roswell  Kelly  and  Henry  Williams. 

1836 — Roswell  Kelly  and  Henry  Burton. 

1837-1838— Henry  Coleman  and  Peter  W. 

Smith. 
1839 — Henry     Williams,    Valentine    Brown 

and  Joseph  Crounse. 
1 840-1 841 — Hiram  Chase. 
1842 — David  Poor,  Isaac  DeVoe. 
1843 — David  Poor,  Charles  Gilbert. 
1844— Amos  Osborne, 
1845-1846 — Madley  Witherell. 
1847-1848— Charles  E.  Giddings. 
1849-1850 — John  W.  Belknap. 
1851-1852 — Charles  DeVoe. 
1853-1854 — Bishop  Isbell. 
1855-1856 — J.  D.  Burnham. 
1857-1858— Selah  W.  Brown. 
1859-1860 — John  Pegg. 
186 1 -1 86  2— William  Clark. 
1863-1864 — Horace  L.  Grant. 
1865-1866-1867— Jeremiah  S.  Hart. 
1868-1869— Aaron  D.  Heaxt. 
1870-1871 — ^James  B.  Wood. 
1872-1874 — John  A.  Savage. 

The   foregoing   officiated  in  the   old   church 
while  the  following  have  officiated  in  the  new. 

1875  — Sylvester  W.  Clemins. 

1876-1877— Charles  F.  Noble. 

1878-1880 — John  L.  Atwell,  present  pastor. 

The  class-leaders  are  at  present  (1881) : 
H.  D.  Wells,  M.  D., 
S.  Requa, 
John  H.  Cornell, 
L.  D.  Mann, 
E.  Winegar, 
John  Avery, 
M.  Rickard. 

The  trustees  are:  — 
H.  D.  Wells,  M.  D., 
Almerin  Cornell, 
J.  H.  Malory, 
G.  E.  Borst, 
W.  H.  Albro. 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


205 


The  Stewards  are : — 

G.  S.  Lynes, 

J.  H.  Cornel], 

A.  L.  Vroman, 

Harvey  Borst, 

George  W.  Vroman, 

R.  F.  Noxin, 

C.  A.  White, 

J.  B.  Niffin, 

Austin  France. 
The  church  membership  is  310,  and  the  Sab- 
bath school,  under  the  superintendence  of  Aus- 
tin France,  is  the  largest  and  most  interesting 
in  the  County,  numbering  twenty-eight  officers 
and  teachers  and  three  hundred  and  ten 
scholars. 

Si.    Luke's  Episcopal    Church. — From  the 
records  of  this  church  we  copy  the  following  : 

"The  first  service  of  the  Episcopal  church, 
held  at  Middleburgh,  seems  to  have  been  about 
the  year  1852,  by  a  missionary  stationed  at 
Schoharie,  who  used  to  come  over  occasionally, 
bringing  a  melodian  and  singer  with  him,  and 
officiated  in  the  Methodist  house  of  worship, 
then  standing  near  the  old  Dutch  grave-yard. 
Rev.  M.  Hayden. 

"In  the  year  1853,  the  Rev.  M.  Porter,  of 
Schoharie,  began  to  hold  regular  services  here. 
In  the  year  1854,  owing  to  the  influence  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  David  Beekman,  M.  Porter  was  in- 
duced to  remove  to  Middleburgh,  and  the  pro- 
ject of  building  a  church  was  set  on  foot. 

"  For  the  building  of  the  church,  a  subscrip- 
tion was  raised  by  general  contributions  in 
the  village,  on  the  understanding  that  the  edifice 
was  also  to  be  used  for  school  purposes,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Episcopal  church,  but  that  the 
religious  instruction  imparted  in  said  school,  if 
any,  was  not  to  be  distinctively  Episcopalian,  in 
other  words,  it  was  not  to  be  a  parish  school. 

"  In  addition  to  the  amount  locally  contrib- 
uted, the  sum  of  about  five  hundred  dollars  was 
received  from  the  church  authorities  of  the 
diocese  of  New  York,  to  aid  in  the  erection  of 
the  building. 

"The  service  books  (now  in  use  in  the 
church,)  and  the  communion  plate,  were  donated 


by  members  of  the  family  of  the  late  Bishop 
Wainwright,  of  New  York,  and  the  organization 
took  the  name  of  the  Wainwright  Institute  and 
Chapel,  but  was  subsequently  changed  to  St. 
Luke's  church  of  Middleburgh. 

"Mr.  Porter  taught  a  school  during  his  in- 
cumbency. The  church  was  finished  in  the 
autumn  of  1855. 

"  Mr.  Porter  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Mr.  Mc- 
Ilwaine,  who  did  not  continue  the  school.  He 
remained  but  five  months,  and  was  followed  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Hedges,  who,  with  his  wife,  conducted 
the  school  with  success. 

"He  remained  two  years,  and  owing  to  ill 
health,  resigned,  and  the  Rev.  M.  Bishop  suc- 
ceeded him,  who  was  in  Deacon's  orders.  The 
next  rector  was  Rev.  T.  K.  Coleman,  who  re- 
mained two  years. 

"  After  some  years.  Rev.  Edwin  Slade  came 
as  a  missionary,  and  in  April,  1868,  was  elected 
rector. 

"  During  his  incumbency,  the  Rectory  was 
built,  and  in  1870,  he  left  the  Parish.  1872 
brought  Rev.  George  G.  Jones,  who  closed  his 
connection  in  1873,  ^.nd  was  succeeded  in  that 
year,  by  Rev.  Joseph  E.  Lindholm,  who  re- 
mained until  October,  1875.  In  the  latter  year, 
Rev.  M.  Nisbett  followed,  and  closed  his  term  in 

1879- 

"In  October,  1879,  the  Rev.  H.  C.  E.  Cos- 
telle  took  charge.  *  «  * 

In  the  latter  part  of  1879,  a  class  for  catecheti- 
cal instruction  was  formed  with  four  children, 
which  grew  to  a  Sabbath-school,  and  at  this  time, 
March  r,  1881,  is  not  in  order." 

The  officers  are : 

Wardens — Samuel  Dennison,  WiUiam  H. 
Engle. 

Vestrymen — Joseph  J.  Efner,  Charles  Bouck, 
Ralph  P.  Hyde,  and  others. 

The  True  Reformed  Church. — The  organiza- 
tion of  the  above  church  is  not  now  kept  up,  but 
about  the  year  1836  it  was  one  of  the  working 
congregations  of  the  place.  In  that  year  the 
present  dilapidated  church  edifice  was  built,  but 
the  pulpit  has  never  been  supplied  by  a  resident 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


pastor.  Henry  and  Marcus  Bellinger,  of 
Sharon,  were  the  main  pastors,  in  connection 
with  other  churches  scattered  around  the  eastern 
part  of  the  State.  The  latter  gentleman,  a 
short  time  previous  to  his  death,  in  a  conversa- 
tion with  the  writer,  claimed  this  charge  as  a 
monument  of  his  labors  in  the  cause  of  Christ. 
While  their  strict  Calvanistic  doctrines  are 
looked  upon  as  peculiar  by  the  majority  of  the 
Biblical  scholars  of  the  nineteenth  century,  we 
find  large  congregations  here  and  there  that 
closely  adhere  to  them  and  hold  a  power  but 
little  realized  by  those  of  unlike  religious  senti- 
ments. 

Middle  Fort. — We  have  thus  given  consid- 
erable space  to  the  affairs  relating  to  the  Re- 
formed church,  as  the  organization  is  the  oldest 
landmark  in  the  town,  and  around  the  history 
of  which  there  has  been  a  cloud  of  doubts.  We 
will  now  turn  to  the  next  object  of  interest, 
the  old  Fort,  which  recalls  the  stirring  events  of 
the  Revolution  and  awakens  a  deep,  deserving 
pride  of  patriotic  ancestry. 

The  portion  of  the  building  that  remains  was 
the  wing  or  kitchen  part  of  Johannes  Becker's 
mansion,  and  was  first  barricaded  with  rails  and 
timbers,  to  serve  as  a  fort  on  the  threatened  in- 
vasion of  Captain  McDonald  and  Crysler  in 
August,  1777.  The  militia  and  continental  sol- 
diers that  assembled  here  upon  that  day  marched 
up  the  valley  to  meet  the  foe,  as  stated  in  Chap- 
ter III,  and  the  miniature  fort  was  not  utilized 
upon  the  occasion,  except  to  shelter  the  patriots 
upon  their  return.  Being  centrally  situated  and 
in  the  midst  of  a  prosperous  farming  section, 
when  the  authorities  located  buildings  for  de- 
fense, later  in  the  fall  of  1777,  this  house  was 
chosen  and  made  as  impregnable  as  their  means 
and  material  would  allow.  By  looking  over  the 
ground,  and  bearing  in  mind  the  number  of  cit- 
izens and  soldiers  that  frequently  assembled 
here,  besides  what  tradition  tells  us,  there  must 
have  been  nearly  three  acres  enclosed  within 
the  pickets. 

The  barn  belonging  to  the  farm  was  enclosed 
and  stood  about  ten  rods  to  the  east  of  the 
house  and  was  used  as  barracks  for  the  soldiers 
together  with  another  building  built  for  the  same 
purpose  to  the  south  of  it.     The  citizens  built 


huts  for  their  own  accommodation  within  the 
enclosuie,  and  to  them  they  resorted  each  night 
for  safety.  By  the  side  of  the  house,  which  was 
about  thirty  by  fifty  and  joined  the  wing  on  the 
south,  was  a  staging  or  cupola  that  overlooked 
the  valley  and  in  which  the  patriots  stood  upon 
the  eventful  17th  of  October,  and  directed  their 
death  dealing  missiles  in  the  enemy's  ranks. 
"Upon  the  Northeast  and  Southwest  corners  of 
the  enclosure,''  says  author  Simms,"were  block- 
houses where  cannons  were  mounted."  "  A 
brass  nine-pound  cannon  was  mounted  on  the 
southwest  and  an  iron  one  at  the  diagonal  cor- 
ner, each  of  which  as  the  block-houses  projected, 
commanded  two  sides  of  the  inclosure." 

An  oven  was  built  in  which  forty  loaves  of 
bread  could  be  baked  at  a  time,  and  in  which, 
weekly,  were  put  the  neighborhood's  bakings. 
An  old  lady  tells  us,  her  mother  looked  back  to 
the  time  spent  in  the  old  fort  with  the  most 
pleasing  recollection.  We  have  numbered  no 
less  than  ten  marriages  that  tradition  tells  us 
were  contracted  here  between  the  sturdy  sol- 
diery and  the  buxom,  warm-hearted  girls  that 
necessity  compelled  to  remain  a  goodly  share  of 
the  time  at  the  fort.  Here  we  may  say  that  a 
better  opportunity  of  selecting  a  "help  meet" 
could  not  be  presented,  and  a  better  class  to  se- 
lect from  was  not  to  be  found.  It  is  a  fact 
worthy  to  be  brought  to  notice  that  the  girls 
and  women  of  those  days  were,  exceptionally, 
robust,  vigorous,  healthy,  and  through  the  teach- 
ings of  their  religious  mothers,  conscientious  lo 
a  fault,  tidy  and  industrious,  affable  and  exem- 
plary. Beneath  the  present  building  was  the 
magazine  that  was  so  faithfully  guarded  by 
Colonel  Vroman  upon  the  day  of  battle,  and 
which  held  such  a  meagre  supply  of  powder 
that  the  Colonel  was  fearful  of  the  consequences 
in  letting  his  men  know  the  fact. 

He  stood  firm  and  dealt  it  out  himself,  say- 
ing each  time,  "there  is  plenty  left" — "fire 
away  and  make  each  shot  count !"  When  we 
consider  the  strength  of  the  foe,  at  least  four  to 
one — and  the  destitution  of  the  garrison,  pow- 
der, bullets  and  nearly  everything,  we  canaot 
but  admire  the  patriot's  courage  and  fortitlSle 
there  displayed,  and  not  wonder  at  the  fears 
Major  Woolsey  entertained  of  making  an  effort 
to  oppose  the  blood-thirsty  foe.     But  they  were 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


207 


brave  hearts,  not  petted  by  honors  of  position, 
but  by  hardship  and  privations,  that  swelled  in 
contempt  and  disdain,  to  falter  in  their  purpose 
of  opposing  the  desecrators  of  their  homes  and 
firesides.      The    main    force    of     the    enemy 
marched  direct  to  the  east  of  the  garrison  from 
the  old  church  they  burned,  (which  stood  about 
four  rods  back  of  Wallace  Rickard's  residence) 
and  took  their  station  upon  a  knoll  a  little  north 
of  east,  and  upon  lower  ground  to  the  north  of 
it,  and  threatened  the  annihilation  of  the  little 
fort.     Why  a  greater   effort  was   not   made    to 
force  the  patriots  to  surrender  is  a  mystery,  as 
their  army  was    sufficient  to  have  stopped   all 
communication  with  the  upper  and  lower  forts, 
and  inevitably  have  starved  them  out,  if  a  sur- 
render could  not  have  been  effected  in  any  other 
way.     Undoubtedly  the   obstinacy  the  patriots 
displayed  in  firing  upon  the  flag  of  truce,  before  it 
was   fairly  started,  led    Johnson  to  believe  they 
were  assured  they  could  cope  successfully  with 
him.     Simms  in  his  "Border  Wars''  says,  of  the 
effect  the   British  guns  had  upon  the  garrison  .- 
"Three  shells  were  well  thrown  from  this  posi- 
tion by  the  enemy  at  the  fort  and  many  cannon 
shot  were  fired,  but  with  less  precision,  the  most 
of  them  passing  entirely  over  the  destined  ob- 
ject.    The  first  shell  fired -sang  in  the  air  like  a 
pigeon,  and  exploded  directly  over  the  house 
and   as   its   fragments  fell  upon  the  roof,  Mrs. 
Richtmyer,  an  old  lady,  then  in  an  upper  room, 
who   had   been  an  invalid  and  unable  to  rise 
alone   from   her  bed  for  a  long   time,  was   so 
frightened   that   she  sprang   from   it,  and  went 
below,  surviving   the  effect   but  a  short  time. 
The  second  fell  within  the  pickets  near  the  well, 
and  while  the  fuse  was  burning  off  and  the  ball 
dancing  in  a  mud-hole,  every  person  exposed  to 
its  explosion  had  ample  time  to  gain  a  respect- 
ful distance,  and  it  scattered  its  fragments  with- 
out injuring  any  one.     The   third  fell   through 
the  roof  of  the  main  building,  and  lodging  on  a 
pile  of  feather  beds  in  the  chamber,  exploded, 
tearing  the  beds   to  pieces,  doing   Httle   other 
mischief,  except   that   of  frightening  Christian 
Ri<|bard,  an  old  bachelor,  who  chanced  to  be  in 
the  room,  almost  to  death.     The  explosion  com- 
pletely filled  the   room  with  feathers,  and  grop- 
ing his  way  down  stairs,  Rickard  made   his  ap- 
pearance below,  where  many  of  the  women  and 


children  were,  covered  with  feathers,  and  spit- 
ting out  down  from  his  mouth,  which  sudden  fear 
had  caused  him  to  open  too  widely  for  such  an 
atmosphere.  When  asked  what  had  happened, 
he  replied  in  Low  Dutch—"  I  think  the  devil 
is  in  the  chamber,  for  the  feathers  fly  around  so 
I  cannot  see." 

Through  Mrs.  Van  Slyck,  a  daughter  of 
Colonel  Vroman,  Author  Simms  relates  an  in- 
cident that  occurred  in  the  Fort  that  was  an- 
other example  of  American  valor  and  patriotism, 
worthy  to  be  inscribed  upon  our  country's 
tablets  of  honor.  Nicholas  Sloughter,  who 
acquired  the  reputation  of  a  good  soldier,  had 
a  very  sick  child  in  the  Fort,  and  as  he  was 
leaving  it  with  a  party  of  volunteers  under 
Murphy,  was  told  that  his  child  appeared  to  be 
dying,  and  he  had  better  remain.  "  I  can  do 
the  child  no  good,"  was  his  reply.  "My  duty 
is  to  protect  the  living  as  well  as  the  dying." 
Though  it  may  seem  to  have  been  unfeeling  in 
the  soldier,  yet  Duty  was  his  watchword,  and 
domestic  cares  and  affections  were  sacrificed 
and  laid  upon  his  country's  altar,  as  the  price 
of  her  liberty  and  independence. 

Parties  were  sent  out  from  the  fort  through 
the  day  to  capture  stragghng  enemies  and  save 
property  that  was  being  burned  by  the  revenge- 
ful Tories,  but  little  could  be  accomplished  as 
the  force  drew  together,  and  to  attack  them  in 
the  open  fields  would  have  been  a  foolish  at- 
tempt. We  find  each  did  their  duty  well,  and 
those  mentioned  by  the  historian  Simms,  whose 
descendants  are  still  in  the  valley  were  Lieutenant 
Martinus  Zielie,  and  his  cousin  Martinus  Ziehe, 
Nicholas  Sloughter,  John  Wilber,  Major  Ecker- 
son,  Timothy  Murphy,  Peter  VanSlyck,  Bar- 
tholomew Vroman,  Joachim  Folluck,  Susanna 
Vroman,  David  Elerson,  George  Richtmyer, 
Dr.  John  King  and  the  brave  Colonel  Vroman. 

The  old  fort  and  grounds  are  now  owned  by 
David  Zeh,  whose  care  of  them  is  commenda- 
ble, but  the  ancient  walls  begin  to  crack  and 
totter,  and  soon  will  fall,  and  pass  from  view. 

Firing  upon  the  Flag. — We  are  informed  by 
the  grandsons  of  Martinus  Zielie  that  when  the 
flag  of  truce  advanced  from  General  Johnson's 
ranks,  towards  the  fort,  that  Ziehe  himself  fired 
upon  it,    as  he  stood  by  the  side  of  Murphy. 


208 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


When  Woolsey  reprimanded  him  for  so  doing 
Murphy  shouted  "  You  be  damned."  When  the 
act  was  repeated  by  Murphy  he  swore  he  would 
blow  "his  (Woolsey's)  damned  brains  out  before 
the  flag  should  enter." 

When  Zielie  fired  upon  the  flag,  he  did  so  by 
Murphy's  order,  the  latter  withheld  his  own  to 
repel  the  Major  if  he  made  an  attempt  to  carry 
his  threat  of  "  running  them  through  "  with  his 
sword  if  they  repeated  the  act.  The  second 
time  the  flag  advanced,  Murphy  was  maddened 
to  a  high  pitch  and  fired  upon  it  himself,  at  the 
same  time  daring  Woolsey  to  attempt  to  execute 
his  threat.  By  the  side  of  Murphy  and  Zielie 
stood  Elerson  and  Bartholomew  Vroman,  either 
of  whom  would  have  dispatched  the  Major  if  he 
had  attempted  to  injure  Murphy.  Martinus 
Zielie  died  near  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  November  2, 
1833,  in  the  eighty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  His 
children  removed  to  Wisconsin  and  Iowa,  and 
ever  regretted,  as  they  had  a  right  to,  the 
absence  of  the  father's  name  in  history  in  con- 
nection with  the  events  of  the  17  th  of  October, 
1780. 

Zielie  Family  and  House. — At  what  particu- 
lar time  the  Zielie  family  came  to  the  Schoharie 
valley,  we  are  unable  to  learn  for  a  certainty, 
but  at  some  time  previous  to  1732.  They  were 
Hollanders,  and  children  of  Peter  Zielie  and 
Cornelia  Dawen,  who  first  settled  upon  Long 
Island,  at  a  very  early  date.  We  find  two 
brothers,  Peter  and  David,  who  came  to  the 
valley  about  the  year  1725,  were  the  first  ones 
bearing  the  name  in  Schoharie.  Peter  married 
Anna  Ackerson  the  4th  of  June,  1724,  and  David 
married  Engeltie  Vroman,  daughter  of  Peter,  as 
noticed  in  Chapter  XIII.  The  former  had  ten 
children  and  the  latter  seven. 

The  property  the  family  possessed  lay  around 
the  present  old  stone  house,  called  the  "Zielie 
house,"  and  during  the  Revolution,  it  was  in 
the  possession  of  Peter  U,  (sometimes  written 
Peter  W.),  and  afterwards  became  the  property 
of  his  brother,  Johannes.  When  Johnson  and 
Brant's  forces  came  in  sight  of  the  village,  the  Zie- 
lie family  were  at  home,  and  each  member  hastily 
caught  up  some  article  of  furniture,  and  ran  to 
the  fort.  An  old  negro,  then  a  slave,  belonging 
to  the  family,  took  down  a  looking-glass  he  knew 


was  highly  prized  by  them,  it  having  been  brought 
from  Holland   many  years  before,  and  ran  for 
dear  life.      Being  rather  clumsy,   he    tripped, 
fell  upon  the  glass  and  cracked  it.     It  was  pre- 
served, however,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  Mar- 
tinus Zielie,  brother  of  Peter,  above  mentioned, 
and  upon  his  removal  to  Cayuga  county,  and  his 
children  to  the  distant  west,  it  was  taken  along, 
and,  now  can  be  seen  at  the  home   of  Hiram 
Zielie,  a  grandson    of    Martinus,    in   Webster 
City,  Iowa.      The  glass  fell  from  the  frame  a 
few  years  ago,  and  broke  in  several  pieces,  but 
the  largest  was  placed  in  a  neat  oval  frame,  and 
is  much  prized  by  the  family.     Colonel  Peter  W. 
Zielie,  was  the  Peter  U.  above  referred  to,  and 
lived  after  the  war  upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
Hezekiah  Swart.  He  had  but  two  children,  both 
daughters.     Cornelia  married  Johannes  Becker, 
son  of  Johannes,  the  owner  of  the  stone  fort. 
Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Becker,  by   drowning, 
she  married   VanEpps.     The   other   daughter, 
EHzabeth,  married  Tunis  Swart.     Not  having  a 
son,   the   Colonel   adopted  his  nephew,  Peter 
Swart,  the  father  of  Mrs.  J.  M.  Scribner,  the  late 
Tunis  Swart,  of  Schoharie,  and  Peter  Z.  Swart, 
Mrs.  George   Danforth,  and  Mrs.  Benoni  Spaf- 
ford.  The  old  German  clock,  .owned  by  Colonel 
Zielie,  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Scrib- 
ner, and  is  a  reUc  of  great  worth.     Its  move- 
ments are  as  "  good  as  new,"  after  a  continued 
use   of  at  least,  one  hundred  and   twenty-five 
years,  if  not  one  hundred  and  fifty.     It  was  re- 
cased,  as  were  many  others  in  the  valley,  by  one 
"  Vogel,"  who  was  a  dealer  in  clocks,  (and  un- 
doubtedly the  first  "jeweler"   in   the  valley,) 
for  many  and  long  years  ago.     The  Low  Dutch 
Beckers,    of   Middleburgh,  the  Zielies,  Swarts, 
Eckerson  and  Vroman  families,  became  wonder- 
ously  mixed  up  in  marriage,  as  will  be  seen  by 
noticing  each  family   Hneage.     These   families 
were,  in  early  times,  the  aristociats  of  the  val- 
ley, having  come  here  with  abundant  means; 
but  through  the  losses  occasioned  by  Indian  and 
Tory  invasions,  they  were  reduced  to  a  level  with 
their  German  neighbors,  which,  doubtless  miti- 
gated in  a  measure,  the  ill  feehng  that  was  early 
sown  and  nourished  towards  each  other. 

The  Borst  Family. — Besides  the  families  al- 
ready mentioned,  that  were  early  settlers,  and 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


209 


of  which  descendants  may  still  be  found,  were 
the  Borsts.  They  came  as  early  as  1 7 1 3  or  1 7 1 4, 
and  were  Germans.  The  head  of  the  family  we 
believe  to  have  been  Jacob,  whose  sons  were 
Joseph  and  Jacob,  of  Cobleskill,  and  Peter,  of 
this  town.  They  settled  where  James  W.  Davis 
now  resides.  Peter  built  a  grist-mill  a  short  time 
previous  to  the  Revolution,  which  stood  till  the 
year  1795.  That  year  the  present  "Davismill" 
was  built,  and  is  now  an  interesting  relic  of  other 
days.  The  frame  is  chiefly  pine,  and  so  well 
constructed  that,  upon  the  abutments  being 
washed  away  a  few  years  ago,  the  building 
sagged  but  one-half  of  an  inch.  The  flooring 
was  also  pine,  split  out  of  large  pine  logs,  to  the 
thickness  of  three  inches.  One  Forsyth  was 
the  builder,  and  tradition  says  he  was  assisted 
by  one  hundred  men,  in  its  erection. 

Peter's  son  Peter,  called  "Tauty,"  followed 
him  in  the  milling  business,  who  was  brother 
to  Michael,  the  inn-keeper  near  the  Reformed 
church.      The  second  Peter's   son,    Peter  P., 
was  also  a  miller,  and  brother  of  Milton  Borst, 
now  of  the  Cobleskill  mill.     Wilham  and  Peter, 
sons  of  the  last  Peter  P.,  are  now  owners  of 
the    mill    above,    of     late     years    known    as 
the    "Borst    mill."       Mr.    J.    W.    Davis  pur- 
chased the  old  "Borst  mill"  propeity  in  1858, 
after  it   had   been  in   the    Borst  family's  pos- 
session, at  least   one  hundred  and  thirty  years, 
and  he  is  anticipating  a  gala  day  when  the  cen- 
tennial year  of  the   present   structure  arrives. 
During   the  war,  this  immediate  neighborhood 
was  in  sympathy  with  the  royal  cause,  and  the 
old  mill  was  left  standing  to  furnish  supplies, 
and  to  it,  the  citizens  of  all  principles  were  com- 
pelled to   come,  after  the  Eckerson  mill  was 
burnt.     One  of  the  family  lived  upon  the  farm 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  Peter  Zeh,  and  was 
true  to  the  colonial   cause.     When   Johnson's 
army  was  marching  down  the  valley,  on  the  17th, 
Colonel  Vroman  dispatched  Joseph  Borst,  a  son, 
then  a  lad  of  fourteen,  to  Albany  on  horseback 
for  assistance,  but  he  did  not  return   until  the 
next  day,  and  another  messenger  was  sent  as 
soon  as  the  force  left  the  valley. 

The  daughter  of  young  Borst  became  the  wife 
of  Jacob  Becker,  and  mother  of  the  late  David 
Becker  and  the  present  Hamilton,  who  is  the 
only  one  left  to  perpetuate  the  patriotism  of 


Jacob's  branch  of  the  family.  William,  a 
brother  of  "  Tauty,"  settled  in  Cobleskill,  and 
was  the  father  of  the  late  Marcus  and  William 
Borst,  Mrs.  William  Angle,  Mrs.  John  Zielie, 
of  Sharon,  and  Mrs.  Marcus  Sternburgh,  of 
Cobleskill.  Michael,  for  a  number  of  years, 
kept  a  tavern  near  the  Reformed  Church,  and 
a  store  where  Duryea  Beekman's  residence 
stands,  and  after  that  removed  to  Breakabeen, 
and  from  there  to  Cobleskill.  His  children 
were  John  B.,  Peter  M.,  Alexander,  Michael, 
Jr.,  Elisha,  William,  and  Mrs.  Daniel  Dodge. 

The  Becker  Family. — As  we  before  men- 
tioned, the  first  and  only  Low  Dutch  Becker 
that  settled  in  the  valley  did  so  upon  the  farm 
where  the  old  stone  fort  now  stands.  Johannes 
was  the  father  and  came  from  Schenectady, 
sometime  previous  to  1737.  He  had  two  sons, 
Peter  and  Johannes,  Jr.  Peter  married  a  Ved- 
der,  of  Schenectady,  and  upon  her  death, 
Maria  Vroman,  daughter  of  Jonas  Vroman. 
His  children  were,  Henry  who  married  Agnes 
Eckerson,  and  settled  at  "  Schoharie  Hill,"  now 
Prattsville,  Adam,  Jonas,  Mrs.  Bignell,  and  Mrs. 
John  Becker.  Johannes  married  Cornelia 
daughter  of  Col.  Zielie  and  their  children  were 
Storm,  John  and  Harmonus.  This  family  was 
firm  in  patriotism  and  did  avast  amount  of  duty 
through  the  struggle,  and  became  connected 
with  all  the  leading  families  of  the  valley. 

The  Loucks  Family. — A  few  years  after  the 
settlement  of  the  Germans,  the  Loucks  family 
removed  from  the  Camps  and  settled  upon  the 
lands  now  occupied  by  John  P.  Loucks.  This 
family  came  over  from  Germany  with  the  immi- 
gration of  17 10,  but  remained  a  short  distance 
below  the  "  camps,"  until,  perhaps  a  final  set- 
tlement of  the  land  difficulties  was  made. 

We  are  not  certain  what  the  head  of  the 
family  name  was,  but  beHeve  it  to  have  been 
Philip,  and  are  led  to  think  he  possessed  con- 
siderable property  for  those  times.  We  find  he 
purchased  the  land  at  this  place  of  the  Free- 
mire,  or  Frimire  family,  who  afterwards  settled 
in  Cobleskill.  The  old  gentleman  also  pur- 
chased lands  in  the  present  town  of  Sharon,  upon 
which  his  descendants  are  settled  at  the  present 
time,  as  we  will  notice  in  the  chapter  upon  that 
town.     We   find   there  were  four  sons,   Peter 


210 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Cornelius,  Andrew  and  William.  Cornelius  set- 
tled in  Sharon,  and  the  other  brothers  in  this 
town.  Andrew  was  the  chorister  in  the  Luth- 
eran church  at  Schoharie,  to  whom  Author 
Simms  referred,  and  his  children  were  Jere- 
miah, William  and  Mrs.  William  P.  Loucks,  of 
Sharon.  Jeremiah  was  in  the  fort  upon  the  i8th 
of  October,  and  received  a  wound  upon  the 
head.  He  was  the  father  of  Henry  J.  Loucks, 
who  resides  upon  the  parental  farm  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  William  the  brother  retained  the  old 
place  and  was  the  father  of  the  present  owner 
and  occupant,  John  P.  Loucks.  William,  the 
brother  of  Andrew  the  singer,  was  an  inveterate 
Tory  as  were  the  most  of  his  family.  He  lived 
nearly  opposite  of  Henry  J.  Loucks'  present 
residence.  His  children  were  Andrew  and 
Peter,  of  Sharon,  Jeremiah  of  Middleburgh, 
and  Mrs.  John  Ingold,  Jr.,  of  Schoharie.  His 
children  by  his  second  wife  were  John  W.,  Ja- 
cob, Henry,  William  W.,  David,  Mrs.  Storm 
Becker  and  Mrs.  WiUiam  Borst.  The  sons 
nearly  all  settled  in  Sharon. 

When  Johnson  invaded  the  valley  in  1780,  all 
of  the  Loucks'  buildings  were  burned  with  the 
exception  of  William's,  which  proved  to  be  a 
resting  place  and  supply  station  for  Indians  and 
prowling  Tories  throughout  the  war.  There 
were  quite  a  number  of  families  in  this  neigh- 
borhood that  sjmpathized  with  the  Crown,  and 
gave  needed  assistance  to  the  enemy. 

The  Eckerson  Family.  First  Merchants  and 
Millers. — At  some  time  previous  to  1700,  three 
brothers  came  to  America  from  Holland, 
Thomas,  Cornelius  and  John  Eckerson.  They 
brought  with  them,  the  family  tradition  says,  a 
cargo  of  goods,  but  were  shipwrecked  when  near 
New  York  harbor  and  lost  them  all.  Being  of 
a  wealthy  family  they  were  again  supplied  with 
goods  and  traded  in  New  York  City  for  a  while, 
when  John  settled  upon  Long  Island,  and 
Thomas  and  Cornelius  wandered  to  the  Scho- 
harie valley  and  settled  at  Weiser's  dorf,  when 
quite  advanced  m  years.  We  think  their  settle- 
ment here  was  about  the  year  1725,  at  least  as 
early  as  that  date.  They  engaged  in  trade,  build- 
ing a  brick  store  upon  the  grounds  now  occupied 
by  the  residence  of  Dr.  Linas  Wells  and  a  resi- 
dence nearly  opposite.     The  buildings  stood  at 


the  time  of  the  invasion  of  Colonel  Johnson, 
and  were  burned.  Whether  the  settlers  manu- 
factured the  bricks  used  in  these  buildings  and 
the  church  built  in  1737,  or  not,  we  are  unable 
to  say,  but  undoubtedly  did,  as  to  cart  them 
from  Albany  or  Schenectady,  wonld  have 
been  a  very  tedious  job,  beside  being  expensive 
as  they  had  not  the  roads,  or  necessary  wagons 
etc.,  to  transfer  such  heavy  articles  without  great 
labor  and  untold  inconveniences.  As  they  had 
other  tradesmen  it  is  quite  likely  they  had  brick- 
makers. 

Cornelius  Eckerson  was  unmarried,  but 
Thomas  was  fortunate  at  least  in  a  financial 
point  of  view  as  well  as  in  influence,  to  marry 
the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  man  and  government 
official.  His  children  were  four  sons  and  four 
daughters,  namely,  Thomas,  Cornelius,  Tunis, 
John,  AgneSj  Mrs.  Henry  Becker,  who  settled  at 
Prattsville,  Elizabeth,  (Mrs.  John  Zielie,)  Maria, 
(Mrs.  Martinus  Zielie)  and  Anna,  (Mrs.  Silas 
Gray,  of  Johnstown,)  whose  husband  was  a 
Colonel  of  the  Revolution,  stationed  part  of  the 
time  at  the  "  middle  fort."  All  of  these  chil- 
dren, tradition  tells  us,  were  married  during 
the  war. 

Thomas  Jr.,  as  he  will  hereafter  be  called, 
married  Margaret  Slingerland,  of  Albany.  The 
Eckersons  were  a  business  family,  and  were  con- 
nected with  all  branches  of  industry  that  were 
started  in  the  valley,  as  well  as  foremost  in  the 
church.  The  first  mill  at  this  place  was  built  by 
them,  and  we  find  they  possessed  the  present 
site  of  Steven's  mill,  near  the  stone  fort  at  Scho- 
harie, at  an  early  date,  and  we  think  built  the 
one  that  stood  there  in  the  Revolution.  They 
were  large  land-holders,  and  when  the  Revolu- 
tion commenced,  were  very  wealthy  for  people 
of  the  frontier.  Thomas  Jr.,  was  commissioned 
Major,  and  proved  a  loyal  and  efficient  officer. 
Through  some  unknown  cause,  many  of  the  de- 
scendants of  this  family  have  changed  the  name 
somewhat,  by  dropping  the  son,2XiA  writing  only 
Ecker,  while  others  go  still  farther,  and  drop 
the  E,  and  supply  with  A,  making  it  Acker. 

Rev.  R.  Randal  Hoes,  a  descendant  of  the 
family,  says  :  "  The  founder  of  the  family  in 
this  country  was  Jan  Thomaszen,  of  New  York 
City.  About  the  year  1692,  he  assumed  the  sur- 
name Eckerson,  which  was  retained  by  his  chil- 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


■dren  as  the  family  name.  It  is  variously  spelled 
in  the  New  York  Dutch  Church  records  as 
Echons,  Eckens,  Eckeson,  Etkins  and  Ekkisse, 
with  several  other  slight  modifications." 

It  is  doubtful  whether  there  was  an  earlier 
resident  merchant  at  Weiser's  dorf,  than  Eck- 
erson.  Indian  traders  occasionally  visited  the 
valley,  from  171 1  to  1740,  and  supplied  the 
people  with  such  goods  as  they  desired,  or  which 
their  merchants  did  not  possess.  Adam  Vro- 
man,  of  Schenectady,  Johannes  Lawyer,  and 
Derick  Swart,  were  early  traders,  and  perhaps 
the  Eckersons  sallied  out  as  such,  and  were  led 
to  settle  down  in  the  valley,  lured  by  the  beauty 
of  scenery  and  the  fair  prospects  of  controlling 
a  lucrative  trade. 

The  grist-mill  they  built,  stood  a  few  rods 
below  the  present  Reformed  church  sheds.  A 
portion  of  the  dam  has  been  discovered  of  late, 
by  the  washing  away  of  the  bank,  and  exposing 
timbers  used  in  the  construction.  They  were 
perfectly  sound. 

The  mill  was  burned  by  Johnson's  force,  and 
re-built  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  but  was 
destroyed  by  a  flood.  Part  of  the  dam  was 
used  for  several  years  after,  for  sawing,  and  still 
later  to  run  a  machine  in  the  manufacture  of 
nails.  A  freshet,  nearly  sixty  years  ago,  washed 
the  old  mark  away. 

The  son  Tunis,  died  in  1797,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven,  and  was  buried  in  the  old  grave- 
yard, beneath  a  rude  stone,  upon  which  his  name, 
age  and  death  are  inscribed,-and  nearly  oblitera- 
ted by  the  moss  of  years.  Not  far  distant  is  a 
large  slab  of  sandstone,  of  ancient  design,  that 
marks  the  grave  of  Cornelia  Van  Dyke,  who  was 
born  in  1724,  and  died  in  1772. 

Hartman's  Dorf. — Of  Hartman's  dorf,  little 
can  be  gleaned,  beyond  what  too  officious 
tradition  tells.  We  believe  it  was  settled  in  the 
spring  of  17 13,  and  was  the  land  spoken  of  in 
the  petition  of  1720,  copied  in  the  first  chapter 
of  this  work,  as  "  they  were  obliged  to  solicit 
all  the  Indian  Kings  there  adjoining,  for  more 
land,  which  they  wilUngly  granted  'em."  The 
first  lands  purchased  or  "  solicited  "  of  the  Indi- 
ans were  where  Middleburgh  now  stands,  which 
proved  only  enough  for  the  "fifty  families"  that 
came  with  Weiser,  who  we  believe  formed  two 


settlements,  one  around  the  first  church  and 
one  where  the  present  Reformed  church 
stands.  As  the  "remainder  of  the  people " 
came  it  became  necessary  to  obtain  more  land, 
and  consequently.  Hartman's  and  the  Feek  and 
Crysler  settlements  were  made. 

Tradition  tells  us  through  the  late  Judge  Brown 
that  this  "Dorf"  consisted  of  about  sixty-five 
houses,  also  that  "here  were  the  fir.st  apple 
trees  planted  to  an  orchard  in  Schoharie  by 
Hans  Wilhelm  Kemmer."  This  dorf  was  named 
after  Hartman  Winedecker,  a  list-master  at  the 
camps.  Undoubtedly  he  brought  those  that 
were  under  his  supervision  there  with  him  to 
form  this  settlement.  It  stood  upon  the  high 
ground  to  the  south,  nearly  two  miles  from 
Weiser's  town.  It  is  somewhat  singular  that 
this  and  Oarlock's  dorf,  the  two  largest  of  the 
valley,  were  swept  out  of  existence  leaving 
but  a  few  marks,  either  by  paper  or  other- 
wise. It  is  thought  by  many  that  the  residents 
of  the  settlement  went  away  with  Weiser 
and  his  followers.  If  tradition  is  correct 
Weiser's  settlement  consisted  of  about  sixty 
families  at  that  time,  and  that  number  only 
followed  him  to  Pennsylvania  in  1722.  Then 
where  did  they  go?  We  think  as  the  land 
which  they  occupied'proved  less  fertile  than  the 
flats,  and  not  perhaps  willing  to  accede  to  the 
owners'  price,  they  disbanded  and  united  with 
their  brethren  in  other  dorfs  and  upon  the  Mo- 
hawk, leaving  only  the  Bellinger  and  Rickard 
families  in  the  dorf  In  this  way,  perhaps,  to- 
gether with  new  arrivals  from  the  camps  and 
Germany  the  Weiser  settlement  was  continued 
and  other  dorfs  were  formed  after  the  exit  of 
1722. 

As  before  stated,  but  few  marks  are  left  of 
this  dorf  The  largest  portion  of  the  settlement 
was  upon  the  Bellinger  brothers'  farm,  and 
principally  stood  to  the  east  and  south-east  of 
their  farm  buildings.  In  plowing  the  grounds 
the  location  of  many  houses  can  be  detected, 
and  various  household  implements  have  been 
found  around  the  original  sites.  We  have  been 
shown  a  lead  spoon  that  was  very  much  cor- 
roded, but  still  retaining  its  ancient  shape.  The 
"bowl"  is  broader  and  deeper  than  those  of 
recent  manufacture,  and  the  stem  or  handle 
much  shorter.     The  Bellingers  have  also  found 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


knives  that  were  nearly  destroyed  by  rust,  but 
of  sufficient  form  to  give  an  idea  of  their  "style" 
and  workmanship.  One  that  undoubtedly  has 
many  times  divided  the  venison  "steak"  and 
quartered  many  smoking  johnny-cakes  for  the 
hungry  Palatine,  is  yet  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation,  and  proves  to  be  of  superior 
temper.  The  blade  is  short  and  narrow,  and 
plainly  shows  it  was  a  "  home-made  "  article,  as 
well  as  the  spoon.  Those  relics  are  of  great 
value,  as  they  are  all  that  is  left  of  the  utensils 
used  by  the  settlers  of  Hartman's  dorf.  Several 
old  apple  tree  stumps  still  remain  that  were,  ac- 
cording to  Judge  Brown,  the  first  trees  planted 
in  Schoharie. 

The  Bellinger  brothers  assure  us  that  the 
first  wheat  sown  or  planted  in  the  County  was 
in   the   lot   between   the   barn    and   highway. 

Judge  Brown  says,  in  referring  to  Oarlock's 
dorf: — "  Here  was  an  Indian  Castle,  though  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Schoharie  creek,  in  which 
Lambert  Sternbergh  raised  the  first  wheat  that 
was  ever  raised  in  Schoharie."  It  is  evident  that 
Oarlock's  dorf  was  not  settled  as  early  as  this  dorf, 
that  it  was  at  least  five  years  its  junior,  and  it 
is  not  at  all  probable  that  the  settlers  were  five, 
four,  or  three  years  in  the  valley  before  they 
experimented  on  the  raising  of  wheat.  If  we 
are  to  believe  that  wheat  was  first  raised  at  Gar- 
lock's,  we  are  also  to  believe  it  was  planted 
within  the  pickets  of  the  castle,  as  stated,  but 
when  we  consider  that  the  castle  was  not  built 
until  after  1750,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Judge 
was  in  error.  Lambert  Sternbergh  may  have 
planted  the  first  wheat,  but  was  a  resident  of 
this  dorf,  and  when  Kneiskern's  dorf  was  formed 
in  1728  and  1729,  removed  there  and  occupied 
in  part  the  land  upon  which  the  castle  was  after- 
wards built,  but  previous  to  the  removal,  hun- 
dreds of  bushels  of  wheat  must  have  been  raised 
yearly  in  the  valley.  The  Judge  was  misin- 
formed or  misunderstood  in  this  case,. and  with- 
out doubt  the  Belhnger  tradition  that  has  been 
handed  down  from  one  generation  to  another 
is  correct. 

The  amount  of  wheat  received  from  a  skipple 
(one  peck)  planted,  was  eighty-three,  as  told 
by  Brown  and  the  Bellinger  tradition  showing 
that  the  same  "planting"  and  result  of  harvest- 
ing was  referred  to  by  both. 


But  two  families  that  first  settled  here  remain 
upon  the  original  ground.  The  Rickard  or 
Rickert  family  is  one,  and  was  quite  numerous 
in  that  day.  As  before  stated,  one  family  set- 
tled upon  the  Reformed  church  grounds  and  re- 
moved to  Brunnen  dorf  with  the  Schaeffer's. 
One  at  least  wandered  to  Pennsylvania  with 
Weiser,  and  the  other  settled  in  this  dorf  near 
the  mountain.  Each  family  from  that  day  to  the 
present  have  been  independent  of  each  other  and 
long  years  ago  were  referred  to  as  the  Hartman 
Rickerts,  and  Fountaintown  Reckerts,  and  each 
at  the  present  time  trace  their  ancestry  back  to- 
those  dorfs,  and  still  claim  relationship. 

The  Bellinger  Family. — Among  the  first  set- 
tlers of  this  town,  was  a  Bellinger  family.  Three 
bearing  that  name,  came  over  in  17 10,  whose- 
names  were  Frederick,  Henry,  and  Marcus,  and 
settled  upon  lands  now  owned  by  John  I.,  David 
and  William  J.  Bellinger.  One  of  the  three  settled 
upon  the  Mohawk,  below  Spraker's  Basin,  and 
one  where  Utica  now  stands.  Marcus  remained 
here  and  had  one  son,  Johannes,  from  whom 
sprang  the  present  Bellingers  of  the  County. 
The  sons  of  Johannes  were  Marcus,  Peter  and 
John.  The  latter  settled  in  Sharon,  Peter  upon 
the  Cobleskill,  and  Marcus  retained  the  old 
homestead  in  Hartman's  Dorf.  He  was  Super- 
visor of  "Schoharie"  from  1767  to  1796,  through 
all  the  forms  of  government  that  were  in  force 
during  those  years.  His  sons  were  Henry,  the 
father  of  the  present  Marcus,  and  John  M.,  the 
father  of  the  present  brothers  that  occupy  the 
original  homestead  as  before  intimated.  His 
children  are  David,  William  J.,  John  I.,  Alex- 
ander, Mrs.  Alexander  Bouck,  and  Mrs.  Philip 
Richtmyer.  Each  one  of  the  children  had  large 
families,  and  with  few  exceptions,  their  descend- 
ants possess  large  estates,  it  being  characteristic 
of  the  family  to  accumulate  wealth. 

The  three  that  came  across  the  ocean,  were 
brothers  and  young  men,  and  in  after  years,  we 
find  these  Mohawk  and  Sharon  Bellingers  inter- 
married. 

David,  John  I.,  and  William  J.,  living  upon 
the  east  side  of  the  creek,  are  sons  of  John  M., 
and  the  lands  upon  which  they  reside,  have 
been  in  the  possession  of  the  family  at  least  one 
hundred  and  sixty-eight  years. 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


213 


The  day  Johnson  was  before  the  "middle 
-fort"  trying  to  gain  admittance,  Marcus  Bel- 
linger was  on  his  way  from  the  ''lower"  to  the 
"middle  fort"  with  a  bag  of  powder  upon  his 
back,  and  when  he  gained  his  residence,  which 
stood  near  the  present  one,  he  saw  the  smoke 
rising  from  the  burning  buildings  above,  and 
■concluded  he  would  be  unable  to  reach  the  fort. 
He  ran  to  the  woods  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain 
and  secreted  himself  until  the  enemy  had  passed 
down  the  valley.  They  burned  his  residence 
and  barracks,  which  stood  near,  and  one  of  the 
burnt  posts  still  remains  as  sound  as  if  but  re- 
cently set. 

Among  the  interesting  relics  of  the  past  held 
by  the  family  is  a  cannon  ball,  picked  up  upon 
the  farm,  that  weighs  over  sixteen  pounds.  It 
must  have  been  one  left  by  Johnson  and  Brant, 
as  the  patriots  had  no  use  for  such  a  projectile, 
from  the  fact  that  their  guns  were  too  small  to 
carry  it.  Another  "grim  monster"  of  devastation 
and  death  may  be  seen  at  this  place  in  the  shape 
of  an  Indian  tomahawk,  that  has  the  bowl  of  a 
pipe  upon  the  back  and  a  hole  through  the 
handle,  to  perform  a  double  duty.  After  peace 
was  proclaimed,  Marcus  Bellinger  built  the 
present  residence,  and  for  many  years  kept  a 
tavern,  as  did  his  son,  John  M.  The  ball-room 
is  overhead,  and  the  well-worn  floor  tells  us  it 
was  used  much  by  the  youngsters  of  those  days, 
who  took  special  pains  to  "hoe  it  down"  with- 
out any  regard  to  such  grace  and  dignity  as  are 
implied  in  the  poet's  ideal  dance  when  they 
"tripped  the  light  fantastic  toe." 

Referring  to  relics,  there  are  many  still  in  the 
valley  that  date  back  to  the  first  settlers,  and 
are  treasured,  as  they  should  be,  by  the  de- 
scendants of  the  bold  pioneers. 

But  a  short  distance  from  the  old  middle 
fort,  Mr.  Zeh,  the  present  owner,  dug  a  well,  a 
few  years  ago,  and  at  the  depth  of  fourteen 
feet,  came  upon  a  thick  layer  of  leaves  in  per- 
fect form,  but  upon  being  exposed  to  the  air, 
they  crumbled  to  dust.  Among  the  leaves  were 
butternuts,  that  looked  as  sound  as  if  they  had 
lain  but  a  season  in  water.  Many  arrow  heads 
and  Indian  trinkets  have  been  found  near  the 
fort,  from  time  to  time,  especially  upon  the  side- 
hill,  to  the  east,  which  are  treasured  up  by  the 
citizens  as  sacred  relics  of  Revolutionary  days. 


Among  those  that  occupy  the  lands  of  Hart- 
man's  dorf,  and  perhaps  purchased  of  the  first 
settlers  were  the  Richtmyer  family. 

The  Richtmyer  Family. — Three  brothers,  Pe- 
ter, George  and  Christian,  came  from  Germany 
together,  about  the  year  1745  and  settled  at 
Hartman's  dorf,  upon  the  faim  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  George  Richtmyer.  At  a  later  date 
Peter  settled  in  the  present  town  of  Conesville, 
and  the  two  brothers  divided  the  farm,  George 
taking  the  south  side  of  the  brook  and  Christian 
the  north.  During  the  Revolution  these  fami- 
lies were  staunch  patriots,  performing  the  trust 
of  scout  when  not  in  service  elsewhere.  George 
received  a  Captain's  commission  in  October, 
i77Sj  of  the  third  company,  and  was  at  Bemis 
Heights  and  in  every  engagement  that  occurred 
in  the  valley.  Christian  was  the  most  trusted 
scout,  and  was  a  special  friend  of  Murphy  and 
Tuffs,  with  whom  many  daring  exploits  were 
performed.  He  assumed  the  character  of  a  spy 
and  entered  the  British  lines  at  Saratoga  under 
the  guise  of  a  Hessian  and  accomplished  his 
trust  with  safety  and  success.  Perhaps  there 
was  not  another  one  in  the  Schoharie  valley 
that  performed  more  hazardous  duties  than 
did  Christian  Richtmyer,  and  we  are,  by  careful 
searching,  assured  none  have  been  less  referred 
to.  Being  quiet  and  reserved  he  did  the  work 
while  others  gained  the  praise,  and  soon  after 
peace  was  proclaimed,  ere  he  fairly  breathed 
the  pure  air  of  freedom  and  rested  his  jaded 
limbs,  disease,  contracted  by  exposures,  laid 
him  in  his  grave.  Two  of  his  sons,  Conrad  and 
William,  settled  in  Cobleskill  in  1794,  as  stated 
in  that  chapter. 

Captain  George  Richtmyer  re-built  his  resi- 
dence at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  reared  a  large 
family,  as  follows: — David,  who  settled  upon 
the  Mohawk,  Abram,  in  the  Kilmer  neighbor- 
hood of  Cobleskill,  Conradt  and  Henry,  near 
Carlisle  Centre,  Mrs.  David  Becker,  of  Pox's 
creek,  Mrs.  John  Jost  Warner,  of  Schoharie, 
and  George,  Jr.,  who  retained  the  old  place, 
and  was  followed  by  his  son,  Peter,  who  kept  a 
tavern  for  many  years  after  John  M.  Bellinger 
closed  his.  George,  the  son  of  Peter,  now 
occupies  the  place,  and  is  the  fourth  generation 
in  which  the  farm  has  been  in  their  possession. 


214 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Mrs.  Christian  Richtmyer  was  in  the  "middle 
fort"  the  day  of  Johnson's  invasion,  and  feeling 
indisposed — undoubtedly  through  fear — she  lay 
upon  one  of  her  feather-beds  that  was  taken 
there  for  safety — in  the  attic.  As  the  bombs 
flew  over  the  house  she  became  frightened,  and 
while  descending  the  stairs,  the  bomb  that 
hustled  Rickard  out  of  his  retreat  also  tore  open 
the  bed  she  had  just  left,  and  scattered  the 
feathers  around  the  room.  The  same  bed  is 
now  in  the  Loucks  family,  and  through  a 
machine  renovation  but  a  short  time  since,  was 
made  as  "good  as  new." 

Rebuilding  of  the  village. — Having  referred  to 
settlers  and  matters  of  dates  before  and  during 
the  war,  let  us  consider  the  re-building  of  the 
village,  and  the  changes  made  by  the  onward 
march  of  intelligence. 

As  we  have  already  stated,  the  people  were 
made  poor  by  the  war,  we  may  say  with  pro- 
priety, except  in  land.  That  remained,  unin- 
jured, but  stripped  of  all  improvements,  and  still 
theirs  by  title,  yet  they  were  poor,  as  a  class, 
not  having  anything  with  which  to  bear  the  ex- 
penses of  re-building.  The  Eckersons  re-built  a 
mansion  and  store.  The  store  was  abandoned 
and  the  "Inn "  only,  continued  by  the  family. 
In  1811,  one  Watkins  was  the  proprietor,  and 
was  followed  successively  by  Dewitt  &  Knowl- 
ton.  The  building  was  chiefly  built  of  the  brick 
that  was  in  the  first  storehouse  that  stood  upon 
Dr.  Linas  Wells'  grounds,  and  was  burnt  by  John- 
son. Many  of  the  same  were  used  in  the  con- 
struction of  Dr.  Henry  Wells'  present  resi- 
dence, and  the  Zielie's,  the  present  store-house 
near  the  site  of  the  old  village.  The  Low 
Dutch  being  in  control  of  the  Reformed  church, 
they  superintended  the  erection  of  the  edifice 
and  placed  it  upon  the  grounds  purchased  by 
them  in  1737,  for  the  support  of  the  "Low 
Dutch  church  of  Middletown  and  Schoharie." 
Having  thus  erected  the  church  near  the  creek, 
the  settlement  naturally  drew  towards  it  and  in  a 
few  years  quite  a  village  was   formed  around  it. 

Michael  Borst  built  an  inn  to  the  north  of  the 
church,  that  was  for  many  years  a  terror  to  the 
moral  part  of  the  community.  The  present 
residence  of  Mrs.  John  M.  Scribner  was  built 
soon  after  1790  by  Michael  Borst,  as  a  first  class 


residence,  and  still  stands  as  a  creditable  relic 
of  the  march,  progress  made,  after  peace  and 
freedom  spread  their  exhilarating  influences  over 
the  valley.  Immediately  after  the  war  closed, 
Alexander  Boyd  came  to  the  place  and  engaged 
in  business  and  proved  to  be  a  very  energetic 
and  useful  man.  He  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
of  Irish  parentage,  and  while  a  young  man  lo- 
cated in  Albany  and  came  from  that  city  to  this 
place.  He  labored  for  the  Eckerson's  on  the 
mill  for  a  while,  and  about  the  year  1800,  built 
a  mill  where  William  and  Peter  Borst's  mill  now 
stands.  The  old  building  yet  stands  and  is 
used  as  a  wagon  house  by  the  Borst  Brothers. 
Mr.  Boyd  was  quite  a  politician,  as  we  find 
him  in  1 813  to  1815  in  Congress,  and  at  differ- 
ent times  holding  local  offices,  and  we  may  here 
mention  the  fact  that  during  the  campaign  of 
General  Jackson's  second  election,  Mr.  Boyd 
was  considered  the  most  obstinate  man  in  the 
County.  Colonel  William  Dietz,  of  Schoharie, 
was  upon  the  Electoral  ticket  and  the  County 
endeavored  to  give  the  largest  majority,  accord- 
ing to  numbers,  of  any  county  in  the  State. 
Middleburgh  was  to  do  her  best  and  upon 
election  day  gave  every  vote  cast  in  the  town 
for  Dietz,  with  but  one  exception.  Alexander 
Boyd  refused  to  desert  his  Federal  principles 
for  etiquette,  and  cast  his  ballot  for  Henry 
Clay.  Among  papers  in  the  possession  of  Henry 
Cady  we  find  the  following,  penned  by  Boyd, 
bearing  date  March  5,  1822  : — 

"  For  value  received  I  promise  to  deliver 
unto  Peter  Vrooraan  a  Good  new  Iron  Shod 
two  horse  wagon  on  or  before  the  first  of 
August  next  as  witnessed  my  hand 

Alexander  Boyd." 

Wagons  at  that  time  for  farm  use  were  made 
with  and  without  a  tire.  The  first  "  iron  shod  " 
wagon  wheels  were  made  by  bolting  the  tire  on 
in  sections  instead  of  being  welded  together  as 
now.  He  built  the  grist-mill  at  Cobleskill  in  1830 
and  engaged  in  all  kinds  of  business  in  which 
profit  was  to  be  gained.  The  wife  of  Jehiel 
Larkin,  of  Sloansville,  is  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
Boyd  and  we  believe  the  only  member  of  the 
family  in  the  County.  Mr.  Boyd  hired  work- 
men to  manufacture  wagons  and  did  a  heavy 
business  for  those  times.     But  very  few  light 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


2'5 


wagons  were  made,  especially  buggies,  and  if  it 
were  possible  for  him  to  appear  before  the  re- 
pository of  McGraw  &  Barney  and  examine  the 
workmanship  of  those  mechanics,  he  would 
consider  their  slender  work  as  but  "  reeds  in 
the  wind." 

J.  M.  Scribner  purchased  the  Boyd  mill 
property  and  built  a  large  grist  and  paper  mill 
in  1855.  In  justice  to  worth,  we  cannot  pass 
by  without  giving  notice  of  Mr.  Scribner  as  he 
was  as  talented  a  business  man  as  the  County 
ever  claimed.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Washington,  Orange  county,  Vermont,  in  1805, 
and  graduated  at  Union  College  in  1833.  He 
studied  for  the  ministry  and  attended  the  New 
Brunswick  Theological  Seminary,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1836.  His  first  charge  was  at 
the  Schoharie  Reformed  church  and  Gallup- 
ville,  where  he  labored  from  1836  to  1839.  He 
removed  to  Walden,  Orange  county,  in  the 
latter  year  and  remained  three  years.  F  nding 
a  broad  field  for  usefulness  which  was  more  con- 
genial to  his  health  and  taste,  he  took  charge  of 
the  Auburn  Female  Seminary,  and  after,  of  the 
Rochester  Female  School  and  returned  to 
Middleburgh  in  1845,  and  engaged  his  mind 
upon  Mathematics,  in  which  branch  of  science 
he  proved  himself  without  a  superior.  His 
work  on  "Mensuration,"  the  "Ready  Reckon- 
er," "  Scribner's  Engineers'  and  Mechanics' 
Companion,"  "Engineers'  Pocket  Table-book," 
and  other  mathematical  works,  have  gained  for 
him  an  enviable  and  enduring  reputation  as  a 
superior  mathematician.  The  first  edition  of 
his  "  Engineers'  and  Mechanics'  Companion," 
appeared  in  1845,  and  to  give  an  idea  of  the 
value  of  the  work  we  will  here  state  that  the 
fourteenth  edition  was  pubhshed  in  1866.  Mr. 
Scribner  was  a  thorough  business  man  possess- 
ing the  qualities  to  originate  and  drive  an  en- 
terprise to  the  advantage  of  the  community. 
He  was  a  terse  writer,  active  and  practical 
thinker,  and  in  all  his  relations  with  the  business 
world  he  based  every  act  upon  principles  of 
right  and  honesty.  During  his  last  years  he 
was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  straw  paper, 
having  leased  the  "  Richmondville  mill "  for  a 
term  of  years,  and  carried  the  enterprise  on 
with  success.     He  was  one  of  the  originators 


of  the  Schoharie  Valley  Railroad  and  long  a 
director  of  the  same.  His  death  occurred 
December  20,  1880,  after  a  short  illness.  The 
Classis  of  Schoharie  held  a  meeting  at  Middle- 
burgh on  the  2 2d  of  December,  and  passed 
appropriate  resolutions  expressive  of  his  worth, 
and  the  loss  of  the  church  and  community  in 
his  death. . 

John  Hinman. — A  short  distance  above 
"Bull's  Head,"  there  lived  for  many'  years 
John  Hinman  who  was  a  Yankee,  and  as  com- 
petent to  build  a  house,  threshing  machine,  or 
plead  a  case  in  a  justice  court,  as  to  make  a 
wagon  and  iron  it.  He  left  his  pareots,  then 
living  in  Lebanon,  Conn.,  when  but  a  lad,  to 
seek  his  fortune  in  the  western  wilds,  and  after 
drifting  here  and  there,  settled  in  this  village 
about  the  year  i8r6.  After  being  absent  from 
home  three  years,  he  wrote  to  his  mother,  say- 
ing :  "Mother,  I  have  thirteen  linen  shirts,"  which 
was  his  entire  stock  of  worldly  goods.  In 
answer,  which  was  equally  as  laconic,  she  wrote : 
"John,  you  have  done  well."  In  the  course  of 
time  he  married  a  daughter  of  Frederick  Paus- 
ley,  and  settled  down  to  business.  He  made 
the  first  threshing  machines  manufactured  in 
the  County,  which  were  his  own  invention. 
The  power  was  a  "sweep,''  and  driven  by  one 
horse,  which  will  be  remembered  by  those 
whose  memories  carry  them  back  fifty  years  ago. 
Upon  the  opening  of  John  O'Brien's  law  ofiice, 
Hinman  began  to  read  law  and  fitted  himself 
to  try  civil  cases.  Upon  the  decease  of  Mrs. 
Hinman,  he  married  her  sister  who  became  the 
mother  of  Nathan  P.  and  Chauncey  W.  Hin- 
man, whose  connection  with  the  bar  of  the 
County  has  been  conspicuous.  The  education 
of  those  two  gentlemen  was  undoubtedly  as 
meager  as  any  of  the  present  bar,  not  having 
any  better  opportunities  than  were  offered  by 
the  district  school  of  the  village,  which  was  at 
that  time  of  very  low  grade.  It  is  with  charac- 
teristic humor  they  both  refer  to  their  "  school- 
ing "  as  being  "baked/'  from  the  fact  that  it 
was  one  of  the  common  modes  of  punishment 
for  the  mischievous,  to  compel  them  to  lie  down 
upon  the  floor  and  put  the  head  beneath  the 
box-stove  and  remain  there  in  a  scorching 
heat,  until  the  teacher  felt  disposed  to  release 


2l6 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


them.  The  venerable  H.  H.  Marsellus,  upon 
taking  the  school,  was  more  humane  and 
handed  his  name  down  in  grateful  remembrance 
by  adopting  the  "  toe  the  crack  and  stoop  over '" 
penalty. 

Nathan  P.  Hinman  was  born  in  the  village 
and  entered  the  law  office  of  William  H.  Engle, 
and  after  that  of  Sanford  &  Danforth.  Upon 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  he  formed  a  connec- 
tion with  Major  Houck,  at  Schoharie  village, 
which  ceased  upon  the  death  of  that  gentleman. 
He  remained  alone  until  his  brother  was  ad- 
mitted, when  a  co-partnership  was  formed  and 
continued  to  the  year  1872,  when  Nathan  with- 
drew and  removed  to  Albany  City,  where  he  is 
now  located.  Mr.  Hinman  beside  being  well 
read  in  law  and  possessing  a  keen  perception, 
is  without  doubt  the  most  natural  orator  that 
has  graced  the  Schoharie  County  bar.  His 
language  is  plain,  free  from  inflated  expression, 
and  comes  with  such  unusual  ease  and  fluency 
as  to  win  interest,  and  with  such  fervency 
as  to  excite,  which,  coupled  with  sagacious 
reasoning  through  a  pleasing  voice,  makes  him 
a  force  before  a  juiy  or  audience  that  brother 
professionals  find  hard  to  overcome. 

Building  of  the  Middleburgh  Bridge. 

Upon  the  building  of  the  bridge  in  1813,  the 
village  that  was  in  two  parts  began  to  connect 
by  the  erection  of  a  portion  of  the  present 
Atchinson  House  and  others,  whose  ancient 
appearance  bespeak  the  date  of  their  erection. 
Stores  and  inns  occupied  the  open  space,  and 
as  each  year  rolled  around  we  find  additions 
were  made  until  the  ancient  High  Dutch  and 
more  youthful  Low  Dutch  villages  were  united. 
By  an  act  of  the  Legislature  in  18 13,  Wilham 
C.  Bouck,  Thomas  P.  Danforth,  Peter  Swart, 
John  Gebhard,  Peter  Swart,  Jr.,  and  Peter 
Shafer,  Jr.,  were  made  a  corporate  body  for  the 
building  of  the  bridge.  During  that  season  the 
work  was  commenced  but  the  structure  was 
not  finished  until  the  year  18 19.  Thomas  P. 
Danforth  became  the  owner  and  his  heirs  still 
hold  the  property,  from  which  a  paying  dividend 
is  yearly  realized. 

The  turnpike  known  as  the  "  Loonenbergh 
road,"  running  through  the  village,  and  built  by 


legislative  act  of  1802,  was  built  by  issuing 
stock  certificates,  of  which  Mr.  Danforth  pur- 
chased the  controlling  influence.  For  long 
years  the  turnpike  was  called  "Paine  Dan- 
forth's  road,"  and  over  its  bed  a  vast  amount  of 
business  has  been  done.  The  old  bridge,  and 
other  structures  that  span  the  stream,  are 
monuments  of  honest  workmanship.  Sixty-eight 
years  of  constant  use  have  passed  away — many 
rushing  floods  passed  through  its  arches,  with 
the  power  and  strength  equalled  only  by  the  hand 
of  the  Omnipotent  that  ruled  them,  and  yet,  we 
find  the  old  bridge  still  firm  as  a  rock. 

Danforth. — About  the  year  1793,  Jonathan 
Danforth,  froni  Connecticut,  settled  here  after  a 
short  sojourn  in  the  city  of  Albany.  Upon  the 
formation  of  the  County  in  1795,  he  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas.  He  had  two  sons,  George  and 
Thomas  Paine.  The  former  studied  law  and 
after  a  successful  practice,  died  in  Savannah, 
Ga.  The  late  General  George  E.  Danforth 
and  ex-Judge  Peter  S.,  were  sons.  Thomas  P. 
Danforth  was  appointed  Assistant  Judge  of 
Common  Pleas  in  1823,  and  was  father  of  the 
Dr.  Volney  Danforth  and  John  J.,  who  removed 
to  Amsterdam  and  died  without  heirs,  in  the 
year  1830. 

Engle. — Martinus  Engle  settled  upon  the 
Bouck  Brothers'  present  farm  soon  after  the 
Revolution,  and  was  succeeded  by  Anthony 
Engle,  of  Berne,  Albany  county,  who  was  the 
progenitor  of  the  present  Engle  family  of  the 
town  with  the  exception  of  William  H.  Engle, 
who  is  a  nephew  of  Anthony. 

Atchinson  Home. — Immediately  after  business 
began  to  be  brisk  upon  the  road,  Daniel  Dodge 
built  an  inn  which  is  a  portion  of  the  Atchin- 
son House.  Mr.  Dodge  dying,  the  property 
was  occupied  by  Cyrus  Smith,  who  was  afterwards 
elected  Sheriff  of  the  County(i84o)  andremoved 
in  1842,  when  it  was  run  by  Mrs.  Dodge  and  her 
son,  (the  late  Daniel  D.  Dodge,)  upon  the  son  be- 
coming capable  of  assisting  in  the  management. 
They  were  followed  by  John  Foland,  James  Mc- 
Donald, Judge  N.  T.  Rossetter,  John  Shafer,  — 
Lowe,  S.  S.  Mitchel,  and  the  present  proprietor, 
E.  D.  Atchinson,  who  took  possession  in  the 
spring  of  1863. 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


217 


FreemireHouse. — The  present  hotel  familiarly 
called  the  Freetnire  House,  was  built  by  Peter 
Farran,  who  was  for  some  years  a  merchant, 
after  the  year  1830.  William  M.  Holton  fol- 
lowed and  vacated  the  premises  upon  his  elec- 
tion as  County  Clerk.  Demarrah  suc- 
ceeded, who  gave  place  to  Nicholas  Snyder. 
E.  D.  Atchinson  became  the  proprietor  and 
vacated  for  the  present  host,  A.  J.  Freemire, 
in  1863. 

These  two  hotels  are  spacious  and  have  be- 
come summer  resorts  for  people  living  in  the 
city.  The  custom  of  depending  entirely  upon 
the  proceeds  of  the  bar  for  support,  and  allow- 
ing a  motley  squad  of  intemperate  loungers  the 
freedom  of  the  premises,  as  of  early  days,  has 
been  abandoned,  and  quiet,  home-like  hospi- 
tality adopted. 

Merchants. — As  we  have  already  stated, 
Thomas  and  Cornelius  Eckerson  were  without 
doubt  the  first  resident  merchants  of  the  town, 
and  the  business  was  continued  by  some  portion 
of  the  family  up  to  the  year  1800.  Many  small 
dealers  from  that  time  to  the  present  have 
located  here  and  passed  on  in  a  short  time  to 
other  fields,  whom  we  will  not  mention.  The 
leading  substantial  tradesmen,  we  are  informed, 
from  time  to  time,  have  been : — 

Peter  Farran. 

Freeman  Stanton. 

Daniel  D.  Dodge. 

Peyton  N.  Ferrell. 

John  P.  Bellinger. 

Jacob  Becker,  who   was   followed  by  his 

sons,  David  and  Hamilton. 
James  Dexter,  flour,  feed,  hay,  straw,  etc. 

The  business  men  at  the  present  time  are  as 
follows : — 

Dodge  &  France,  (George  W.  Dodge  and 
Austin  France,)  general  merchants,  suc- 
cessors to  D.  D.  Dodge. 

J.  Neville  &  Co.,  (J.  Neville  and  Jacob  L. 
Engle,)  general  merchants,  successors  to 
David  Becker  &  Neville. 

William  E.  Bassler,  general  merchant. 

G.  N.  Frisbee,  general  merchant. 

M.  Geumsey,  general  merchant. 

A.  Wortheim,  clothier. 


L.  S.  Rivenburgh,  clothier. 

Jehial  Brazee,  grocer. 

William  Dunn,  merchant  tailor. 

Hamilton  Becker,  grocer. 

Joseph  Becker,  grocer. 

F.  D.  Schermerhorn,  grocer. 

John  H.  Cornell,  grocer. 

J.  B.  Badgley,  druggist. 

John  T.  Dunn,  druggist. 

S.  Hutchings,  hardware. 

Frank  Durham,  hardware. 

George  Pechtle,  jeweler. 

H.  J.  Stevenson,  jeweler. 

J.  Souer,  furniture. 

Frank  Straub,  barber. 

George  E.  Borst,  harness  dealer. 

James  Becker,  harness  dealer. 

Barney  &  Dennison,  carriage  manufac- 
turers, successors  to  Barney  &  McGraw. 

J.  M.  Roney,  carriage  manufacturer. 

A.  M.  Smith,  carriage  manufacturer. 

Tompkins  Bros.,  foundrymen. 

Hadley  Snyder,  dentist. 

M.  Borst,  dentist. 

J.  C.  Blodgett,  tanner. 

Williams,  tanner. 

George  Rockerfellow,  planing  mill. 

S.  Requea,  general  agent  and  manager, 
Middleburgh  Blue  Stone  Company. 

The  Middleburgh  Paper  Mill  was  built  by 
Dr.  S.  B.  Wells  and  Renelo  D.  Chase,  in  1853, 
and  has  been  a  successful  affair,  especially 
under  the  present  proprietors,  Franklin  Krum 
and  J.  O.  Williams,  of  Schoharie  C.  H. 

Among  the  many  worthy  men  engaged  in 
business  in  this  place,  none  was  superior  in 
ability  and  honor  to  Freeman  Stanton,  who 
died  in  1871.  The  Albany  Argus  thus  notices 
his  life : — 

"He  was  born  on  the  nth  of  March,  1796, 
in  Montgomery  county,  and  was  the  son  of 
John  Stanton,  who  left  nine  children.  By  the 
death  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  last  of 
that  large  family  of  children  has  gone  down  to 
the  grave.  Mr.  Stanton,  in  his  boyhood,  re- 
ceived for  those  early  days  what  was  called  a 
good  common  school  education,  and  became  a 
clerk  in  the  village  store  of  George  Smith,  Esq., 
at  Minaville.     It  was  here  that   Mr.   Stanton 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


made  the  acquaintance  of  General  Jay   Cady 
and  the  late  Judge  Paige.     That  acquaintance 
ripened  into  friendship,   and   for   over   half  a 
century  General  Cady  and  Mr.   Stanton  have 
been  as  brothers.     Soon  after  Mr.  Stanton  be- 
came of  age,  he  removed  to  Middleburgh,  and 
commenced  mercantile   business,  in  which  he 
continued  for  over  thirty  years,  when  he  retired 
to  his  farm  about  one  mile  out  of  the  village  of 
Middleburgh.     He  married  soon  after  he  com- 
menced business,  the  daughter  of  Abram  Law- 
yer.    Mrs.  Stanton  died   about   a  year   since. 
In  1824  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State 
Legislature,  and  immediately  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  the  sagacious  statesman  at  Albany, 
as  a  young  man  of  sound  judgment,  and  more 
than  ordinary  sagacity ;  and  such  men  as  Marcy, 
Flagg,  Hoffman,    Bouck   and   Crosswell,  have 
sought  his  counsel  and  advice.     The  writer  of 
this  obituary  remembers  well  a  most  interesting 
interview  at  which  he  was  present,  between  Mr. 
Stanton  and   Governor   Marcy,   a   short   time 
before  the   National  Democratic   Convention, 
held  at   Baltimore,   in   1852.      When  the  late 
Governor  Bouck  received  the  appointment  of 
Assistant  Treasurer  at  New  York  City,  from  the 
President,   he  would  not   accept  the  position 
unless  Mr.  Stanton  would  agree  to  go  with  him 
and  take  the  place  of  cashier,  giving   to  Mr. 
Stanton  the  privilege  of  selecting  his  assistant. 
On  this  condition  Mr.    Stanton  accepted  the 
appointment,  and  most  faithfully  did  he  perform 
the  work  assigned  to  him.     Mr.  Stanton,  by  his 
amiable  disposition,  his  kindness  of  heart,  and 
his   many  liberal  acts,    made    ardent  admirers 
and  devoted  friends.     He  has  gone  to  his  grave, 
it  is  believed,  without  an  enemy.     The  entire 
community  feel  that  a  good  citizen  and  a  kind 
neighbor  has   passed    away   and    will    fondly 
cherish  his  memory.     To  his   large   family  of 
children  he  has  left  a  rich  legacy,  for  it  can  be 
truly  said  Freeman  Stanton   was  an    'honest 
man,  the  noblest  work  of  God.'  " 

John  P.  Bellinger. — Contemporary  with  Stan- 
ton and  Dodge,  was  John  P.  Bellinger,  who  re- 
moved from  Cobleskill  about  the  year  1838, 
and  built  the  store-house  now  occupied  by  his 
successor,  M.  Geurnsey.  Mr.  Bellinger  was  in 
trade  in  Cobleskill  for  several  years,  and  repre- 


sented that  town  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
five  terms.  He  was  a  very  successful  business 
man  and  highly  respected  as  a  man  of  integrity 
and  vim,  with  broad  views  and  energy  sufficient 
to  carry  them  out  with  success.  He  was  a  son 
of  Peter  Bellinger,  and  grandson  of  Marcus,  the 
Revolutionary  Supervisor.  After  a  number  of 
years  of  pleasant  retirement,  he  died  at  a  good 
old  age,  in  August,  1878. 

Daniel  D.  Dodge  was  a  son  of  Daniel  D. 
Dodge,  a  former  landlord  of  the  "  Atchinson 
House,"  and  a  very  enterprising  man  for  the 
day  in  which  he  lived.  The  former  early  in  life 
engaged  in  trade,  and  was  for  a  long  term  of 
years  one  of  the  substantial  business  men  of  the 
town  and  County.  Upon  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1878,  the  Schoharie  Republican  said: 
"In  the  death  of  Daniel  D.  Dodge  the  village 
of  Middleburgh  loses  one  of  its  most  enterpris- 
ing citizens.  His  memory  will  be  gratefully  and 
lovingly  cherished.  He  was  for  many  years  a 
successful  merchant,  and  for  sixteen  years  an 
acting  magistrate  of  the  town,  discharging  the 
duties  of  the  office  with  rare  abiUty.  He  repre- 
sented his  County  in  the  Assembly  of  the  State 
in  1850,  and  for  some  eight  years  was  President 
of  the  Middleburgh  &  Schoharie  Railroad." 

The  Tanning  Interest. — Nearly  opposite  the 
Methodist  church,  at  an  early  day,  was  a  small 
tannery,   perhaps   the   first   one   that  made  a 
regular  business  in  the  place,  and  which   was 
purchased  by  the   father    of  the   late    Zodac 
Pratt,  of  Greene  county.     It  was  here  that  the 
veteran  tanner,  dairyman  and  agriculrOrist  was 
born  and  received  his  first  instruction  in  those 
branches  of  enterprise  in  which  he  afterwards 
engaged,    and   which   made   him    one   of    the 
prominent  men  of  his  day.  "^e  early  removed 
to  the  old  time  named  place  "  i^choharie  Hill," 
and  by  his  energy  established  one  of  the  largest 
tanneries  to  be  found  in  the  St^te.     The  busi- 
ness he  established  drew  arouii^.  him  a  large 
force   of  laborers   and   tradesmen,   causing  a 
thrifty  village  to  spring  up,  and  in  honor  of  its 
founder  it  was  called  Prattsville.     Other  small 
tanneries  have  from  time  to  time  succeeded  the 
old  one  near  the  church,  which  it  is  useless  to 
mention.     We  will   only    refer    to    the    large 
establishments  that  "  were,  but  are  not,"  that 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


once  were  the  the  chief  business  basis  of  the 
place. 

A  Mr.  Vroman  built  these  works  upon  the  Polly 
Hollow  creek  and  did  an  extensive  business  up 
to  the  year  1857.  The  "Mill  Valley  Tannery" 
was  built  in  1849  by  George  E.  Danforth  and  a 
large  business  was  done  for  several  years.  This 
mill  averaged  about  twenty  thousand  sides  yearly 
for  twenty  years,  averaging  sixteen  pounds  per 
side  of  sole  leather.  From  six  to  eight  thousand 
cords  of  bark  were  yearly  used.  The  works  were 
burnt  in  1865,  butre-built  in  afew  weeks.  Gen- 
eral  Danforth  purchased   the   Vroman  mill  in 

1857,  to  extend  his  business,  and  removed  the 
buildings  to  his  own.  In  1869,  Loring  An- 
drews purchased  the  property  and  upon  his 
death  in  1872,  the  heirs  sold  out,  and  after  a 
portion  of  the  buildings  were  removed,  it  came 
into  the  possession  of  the  present  owner  Mr. 
Miller,  who  manufactured  upper  leather. 

Since  writing  the  foregoing,  General  Dan- 
forth died  suddenly  at  his  home,  and  in  justice  to 
him  as  a  business  man  and  genial  townsman  we 
will  give  a  summary  of  his  life.  He  was  born 
in  the  village  of  Middleburgh  and  educated  at 
Union  college.  He  represented  the  town  upon 
the  board   of  supervisors  in  1855,  1856,  1857, 

1858,  1859,  i860,  and  was  Colonel  of  the 
Fortieth  regiment  of  State  militia  for  a  long  time 
and  also  General  in  command  of  the  Eighteenth 
Brigade.  In  1861,  he  was  commissioned  by 
the  Governor,  Edwin  D.  Morgan,  to  raise  a 
regiment  in  Schoharie  and  Otsego  counties, 
which  he  delivered  to  the  government,  as  .  the 
76th  regiment.  The  year  following,  Horatio 
Seymour  commissioned  him  to  organize  the 
134th  from  Schoharie  and  Schenectady  coun- 
ties. He  has  held  several  prominent  and  flat- 
tering positions  beside,  in  which  he  displayed 
marked  dignity  and  ability.  In  1852,  he  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  the  late  Gov.  W.  C.  Bouck, 
who  survives  him.  He  was  a  son  of  George, 
and  only  brother  of  Peter  S.  Danforth. 
On  the  night  of  the  21st  cjf  April,  1881,  he 
suddenly  dropped  away  in  the  sixty-third  year 
of  his  age. 

Abraham  Keyser. — Among  the  many  men 
that  were  born  in  the  town  and  became  promi- 
nent in  an  official  point  of  view,  none  are  more 


worthy  of  a  notice  than  the  late  Abraham  Key- 
ser. 

The  Keyser  family  were  very  early  settlers 
and  possessed  more  than  common  ability  as 
business  men.  Mr.  Keyser  died  in  Albany 
City  in  1873,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-nine 
years.  His  prominence  in  connection  with 
the  State  and  county  government  demands  a 
reference  to  his  history.  The  Albany  Argus 
upon  his  death  published  the  following : — 

"Mr.  Keyser  was  born  in  Middleburgh,  Scho- 
harie county,  April  20,  1784.  His  father 
being  a  farmer,  the  son  was  brought  up  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  In  1808  he  removed  to  Scho- 
harie village  where  his  popularity  and  useful- 
ness soon  brought  him  several  local  offices. 
When  William  C.  Bouck  was  sheriff,  Mr.  Key- 
ser was  appointed  under  sheriff,  and  at  the  ex- 
piration of  Mr.  Bouck's  term,  Mr.  K.  was  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  him  in  that  office.  In  1821 
Mr.  Keyser  was  elected  to  the  assembly,  and 
was  re-elected  in  1822.  In  1825  he  removed 
to  Albany,  and  in  1826  was  elected  state  treas- 
urer. At  that  time  the  treasurer  was  annually 
elected  by  joint  ballot  of  the  legislature,  and 
this  honor  was  conferred  upon  Mr.  Keyser  for 
twelve  consecutive  years.  During  that  period 
he  was  intimately  associated  in  the  affairs  of 
government  with  Silas  Wright,  William  L.  Mar- 
cy,  Azariah  Flagg,  WiUiani  C.  Bouck,  and  John 
A.  Dix.  Those  were  the  palmy  days  of  the  old 
Democratic  Albany  regency,  which  for  so  many 
years  conducted  the  politics  of  the  State  with 
great  success.  In  1838  he  was  appointed  treas- 
urer of  the  American  Bible  society,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  for  two  years. 

Since  that  period,  he  has  been  in  private  Ufe, 
devoting  himself  to  his  family.  He  was  an  ac- 
tive member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
for  over  fifty  years,  and  adorned  his  profession 
by  an  exemplary  Christian  life.  He  leaves  a 
family  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters.  In  poU- 
tics  he  was  always  a  Democrat.  He  leaves  be- 
hind him  the  record  of  an  honest  man  and  a 
true  Christian." 

Physicians. — The  first  regular  practitioner  of 
whom  we  have  any  account  was  David  King,  of 
Kingston.  He  located  here  before  the  Revolu- 
tion  and  becoming  old,  induced  James  Van- 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Gaasbeck,  of  the  same  city,  a  young  man  of 
promise,  to  locate  here  and  continue  his  prac- 
tice, which  began  about  the  year  1805  and  ended 
in  1863.  During  his  time  several  were  contem- 
porary with  him,  of  whom  we  cannot  be  cer- 
tain as  to  the  dates  of  their  services. 

Dr.  Cary,  of  Schenectady,  followed  Van  Gaas- 
beck, about  the  year  1812,  and  continued  till 
the  year  1820. 

Dr.  Wheeler,  came  about  the  latter  year,  and 
was  followed  by  Dr.  Samuel  B.  Wells,  in  1824, 
who  formed  a  partnership  with  him.  Wheeler 
soon  removed  to  Canada. 

In  1830,  Linas  Wells  a  brother  of  Samuel, 
came  and  studied  in  the  office  and  commenced 
practice  in  1836.. 

Dr.  Samuel  B,  Wells  was  a  student  of  Dr. 
Green  of  Gilboa,  and  came  from  Connecticut 
as  a  school  teacher.  He  practiced  until  his 
death  which  occurred  on  the  15th  of  January, 
1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one.  The  Doctor 
identified  himself  with  all  the  interests  of  the 
place  and  accumulated  a  fine  property  through 
his  close  application  to  his  profession  and  other 
extensive  business  relations. 

He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Henry  D.  Wells, 
who  together  with  his  brother  Linas  continues 
the  practice,  established  fifty-seven  years  ago^ 
and  with  marked  success. 

Volney  Danforth  commenced  in  i8.to,  and 
continued  until  his  death  in  1880. 

John  D.  Wheeler  another  skillful  physician 
of  the  Eclectic  school  was  a  student  of  Dr.  Sim- 
mons, of  Charlotteville.  He  graduated  m  r865 
and  immecliately  settled  here,  and  beside  attend- 
ing to  an  extended  practice,  he  represented  the 
town  upon  the  board  of  supervisors  in  1873, 
1874,  1875,  1876,  1877.  During  his  residence 
in  Fulton,  he  was  also  elected  to  the  same  posi- 
tion in  1863.  He  contracted  the  "slow  but 
sure  disease"  and  died  in  1879,  at  the  age  of 
forty-seven.  Beside  Doctors  Linas  and  Henry 
Wells,  we  find  at  the  present  time — 

James  Lawyer, 

John  Rossman,  Jr., 

C.  S.  Best, 

J.  W.  Ferris. 


Each  according  to  their  favorite  theory,  try- 
ing to  overcome  the  diseases  to  which  "flesh  is 
heir,''  and  gain  the  laurels  that  skill  and  indus- 
try mete  to  the  deserving. 

Past  Legal  Fraternity. — The  first  legal  gen- 
tleman that  settled  here  was  John  Gebhard,  of 
Schoharie,  soon  after  finishing  his  studies  in  the 
office  of  his  brother,  Jacob  Gebhard.  -  George 
Danforth,  son  of  Judge  Jonathan  Danforth, 
studied  in  his  office  and  followed  his  profession 
here  until  ill  health  compelled  a  change  of 
climate,  which  he  sought  at  Savannah,  Ga., 
where  he  died  in  1831. 

David  F.  Sacia  also  studied  in  the  same 
office,  and  was  appointed  District  Attorney  for 
the  County  in  1821,  which  office  he  held  for 
one  year.  He  removed  to  Canajoharie,  Mont- 
gomery county. 

John  O'Brien  came  and  settled  here  about 
the  year  18 18,  and  removed  in  1830  to  Dur- 
ham, Greene  county. 

Robert  ivIcClellan  settled  here  about  the 
year  1828,  and  was  one  of  the  leading  members 
of  the  bar.  He  was  District  Attorney  in  1836, 
and  Representative  in  Congress  in  this,  then 
the  Twenty-fifth  District,  in  1837  and  1839, 
and  upon  his  removal  to  the  city  of  Hudson  in 
1840  he  was  elected  to  the  same  position  from 
r84i  to  1843. 

Contemporary  with  him  was  Benoni  Spafford, 
who  followed  him  in  the  office  of  District  At- 
torney in  1837.  While  upcm  a  tour  for  his 
health,  which  was  declining,  he  died  at  Toledo 
in  1838. 

John  C.  Smith  and  Mitchell  Sanford  came 
about  the  year  1839,  and  the  latter  was  followed 
by  and  became  connected  with  his  brother, 
Lyman,  in  the  same  year. 

Mitchell  Sanford  was  one  of  those  quick,  dis- 
cerning professionals  that  easily  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  position  in  which  they  are  placed, 
and  when  aroused  by  sarcasm,  hurl  with  ease 
and  grace,  the  most  piercing  cuts  upon  their  an- 
tagonists. While  with  his  brother,  Lyman— 
marked  care  and  decorum  in  all  cases  won  the 
honor  and  respect  of  every  court  and  bar.  As  we 
were  engaged  in  the  compilation  of  the  "  Bar  of 
Schoharie  County"  we  were  apprised  of  the  death 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


of  the  latter,  which  led  us  with  deep  regret  to  cast 
a  notice  of  him  with  those  that  were,  instead  of 
with  those  that  are,  and  append  the  following 
obituary,  written  by  the  Judge's  partner,  William 
E.  Thome,  and  published  in  the  Albany  Argus 
of  March  24,  188 1 : — 

"Judge  Lyman  Sanford  died  at  his  late  resi- 
dence, at  Middleburgh,  Schoharie  County,  on 
the  14th  inst.,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years  and 
four  months. 

"During  his  life  he  held  many  important 
official  postions  and  offices  of  trust,  and  was 
widely  known  throughout  the  State. 

"  The  announcement  of  his  death  will  be  re- 
ceived with  universal  and  profound  sorrow 
wherever  he  was  known. 

"  Hon.  Lyman  Sanford  was  born  at  Green- 
ville, Greene  county,  N.  Y.,  on  the  13th  day  of 
November,  181 1,  received  his  early  education 
and  was  prepared  for  college  at  Greenville 
Academy,  in  his  native  village.  He  entered 
Union  College  in  1827  and  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1831. 

"  He  taught  school  for  one  year  and  then 
commenced  the  study  of  law  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  Hon.  Erastus  Barnes,  at  the  city  of  New 
York,  and  completed  the  required  course  with 
Hon.  Robert  McClellan,  at  Middleburgh,  Scho- 
harie County.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1835,  and  soon  after  formed  a  partnership  with 
his  brother,  Hon.  Mitchell  Sanford,  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  law  at  New  York  City 
and  continued  with  his  brother  for  about  two 
years,  when  Hon.  Mitchell  Sanford  removed 
from  the  city,  and  the  Judge  continued  the 
practice  of  his  profession  there  alone,  until  the 
spring  of  1839. 

"In  1837  he  married  Ann  E.  Bouck,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Governor  WiUiam  C.  Bouck.  In 
the  spring  of  1839,  he  removed  to  Middleburgh 
and  located  his  residence,  where  he  remained 
during  the  rest  of  his  life. 

"  In  January,  1840,  he  formed  a  law  partner- 
ship with  Hon.  Peter  S.  Danforth,  ex-Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  which  was  continued  until 
January,  1856.  During  the  year  1843  he  held 
the  office  of  Adjutant-General  of  this  State.  He 
was  elected  County  Judge  of  Schoharie  County 


in  the  fall  of  1855,  and  held  that  office  from  the 
ist  of  January,  1856,  to  January  i,  1864.  He 
continued  the  practice  of  his  profession  until 
January  i,  1866,  when  he  formed  a  law  part- 
nership with  ex-District  Attorney  William  E. 
Thome,  which  continued  until  his  death. 

"In  1845  he  succeeded  his  father-in-law. 
Governor  William  C.  Bouck,  as  'financial  agent, 
of  '  the  Hartwick  Seminary,'  located  at  Hart- 
wick,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  and  always  there- 
after took  a  deep  interest  in  the  management 
and  welfare  of  that  institution,  and  conducted 
its  financial  business  with  such  marked  ability 
and  zeal  that  he  was  continued  in  that  office, 
from  the  time  of  his  appointment  in  1845,  until, 
on  account  of  failing  health,  he  resigned  the 
position  in  1880;  he  was  also  elected  trustee  in 
1859,  which  office  he  still  held  at  the  time  of 
his  death;  in  1869  he  was  elected  treasurer  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees  and  continued  to  hold 
that  office  until  1880;  he  was  elected  president 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees  in  1874,  and  held  that 
office  also  until  1880,  when  his  failing  health 
compelled  him  to  resign  the  office  of  president, 
treasurer  and  financial  agent  of  the  corporation, 
and  it  is  but  justice  to  say  that  the  present  pros- 
perous condition  of  the  Hartwick  Seminary  is 
largely  due  to  the  financial  ability,  zeal  and  in- 
tegrity of  Lyman  Sanford. 

"  He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  'the  Mid- 
dleburgh and  Schoharie  Railroad,'  and  was  a 
director  of  that  corporation  from  the  time  of 
its  organization  until  the  time  of  his  death ;  he 
was  also  the  first  treasurer  and  afterward  the 
vice-president  of  that  corporation. 

"He  was  one  of  the  directors  and  the  treasurer 
of  'the  Middleburgh  and  Schoharie  Plank  Road, 
from  the  time  of  its  organization  until  it  was 
abandoned. 

"He  aided  materially  and  contributed  liberal- 
ly in  building  up  and  maintaining  every  enterprise 
worthy  of  having  or  maintaining  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived. 

"  His  bereaved  family  consists  of  his  widow 
his  son,  Charles  L.  Sanford,  his  daughter,  Ann 
E.  Martin,  wife  of  Rev.  Adam  Martin,  Professor 
of  the  German  language  and  Literature,  in  the 
Pennsylvania  College  at  Gettysburg,  Pa.,  and 
his  youngest  daughter,  Mary  Sanford. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


"  His  home  was  a  sacred  spot,  filled  with  re- 
finement, tenderness,  delightful  associations  and 
old-fashioned  hospitality. 

"As  a  Judge,  he  was  upright  and  just;  as  a 
lawyer,  thorough  and  efficient ;  as  a  neighbor, 
social  and  obliging ;  and  in  both  private  and 
public  Ufe  a  man  of  spotless  integrity." 

A  number  of  students  read  law  in  the  several 
offices  of  the  place  from  time  to  time,  that 
located  in  other  sections,  without  forming  a 
practice  here,  whom  we  would  be  pleased  to 
notice  but  space  forbids. 

Of  those  now  in  practice,  a  sketch  of  each 
may  be  found  in  Chapter  VI,  under  the  head 
of  "  County  Bar." 

2"he  First  National  Bank  of  Middleburgh 
was  organized  on  the  first  day  of  August,  1880, 
with  a  capital  of  $50,000,  under  the  following 
as  Board  of  Directors: — 

Peter  H.  Mitchell,  President. 

David  Becker. 

G.  N.  Frisbee. 

Jacob  Neville. 

George  Dodge. 

Duryea  Beekman. 

D.  C.  Dow. 

The_banking  rooms  are  in  the  Sanford  block 
and  prove  a  great  convenience  for  the  business 
men  of  the  village  and  vicinity. 

The  following  are  the  present  officers : — 

Duryea  Beekman,  President. 
G.  N.  Frisbee,  Vice-President. 
W.  E.  Mitchell,  Cashier. 

The  following  are  the  present  Directors: — 

Peter  H.  Mitchell. 
David  Becker. 
Nathaniel  Manning. 
George  W.  Dodge. 
G.  N.  Frisbee. 
Jacob  Neville. 
Duryea  Beekman. 
George  L.  Danforth. 

Middleburgh  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons.— This  lodge  was  organized  in  1867,  it  be- 
ing preceded  by  an  order  that  faded  from  exist- 


ence during  the  exciting  anti-masonic  days. 
In  the  beginning  of  the  century  an  "Ames 
Mark"  lodge  was  organized  here  by  Captain 
Thomas  Machin. 

The   present    lodge    is    No.  663,    and  con- 
sists of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  members. 

The  following  are  the  present  officers: — 

William  E.  Thome,  W.  M. 

Montraville  Geurnsey,  S.  W. 

John  Rossman,  J.  W. 

George  S.  Lynes,  S.  D. 

William  G.  Shafer,  J.  D. 

P.  Richtmyer,  Tiler. 

Rev.  J.  S.  Harkey,  Chaplain. 

George  W.  Dodge,  Treasurer. 

John  T.  Dunn,  James  Becker,  M.  of  C. 

William  Mitchell,  Marshal. 

A.  ,G.  Rosekrans,  Organist. 

Duryea  Beekman,  Montraville    Geurnsey, ' 
William  H.  Albro,  Trustees. 

Hadley  Snyder,  Harmon  A.  Vroman,  Wil- 
liam McGraw,  Finance  Committee. 

Middleburgh  Lodge  of  7.  O.  G.  Templars. — 
This  society  was  organized  October  18,  1867, 
and  is  or;e  of  the  strongest  of  the  County.  The 
charter  members  were: — 

Charles  A.  White. 
James  Lawyer. 
H.  D.  Wells. 
W.  J.  Lounsbury. 
G.  S.  Lynas. 
G.  W.  Bishop. 
Rev.  J.  S.  Hart. 
A.  Gardner. 
George  Slater. 
C.  Kline. 
J.  W.  Best. 
Elliot  Danforth. 
J.  H.  Cornell. 
C.  A.  Hinman. 
H.  Wilsey. 
Rev.  D.  Swope. 
Joseph  Borst. 
H.  A.  Blodgett. 
C.  W.  Devol. 
AureUa  S.  Blodgett. 
Sarah  Cornell, 
Helen  E.  Watson. 


-~^Yy/^^^  ^^^^ 


MEMORIAL 


OF 


HON.    LYMAN    SAKFORD. 


Upon  the  opening  of  the  March  term  of  the 
County  Court  and  Sessions  of  1881,  the  legal 
fraternity  assembled  and  took  appropriate  action 
in  expressing  their  honor  and  appreciation  of 
the  subject  of  this  memorial,  and  tender  con- 
dolence in  the  death  of  their  legal  brother 
and  associate.  His  Honor,  Judge  Charles 
Holmes,  presided,  and  was  thus  addressed  by 
Hon.  Peter  S.  Danforth  :— 

"  It  is  not,  your  Honor,  to  contribute  to  a 
mere  ceremony,  or  to  conform  to  any  custom, 
upon  such  an  occasion,  that  I  supplement  these 
resolutions  with  a  few  remarks.  My  feelings 
are  far  too  deep  for  such  lip  service  demon- 
stration. 

"  It  was  my  fortune  to  have  enjoyed  an  in- 
timate acquaintance  with  the  deceased  for 
almost  the  half  of  a  century.  He  was  my  tutor 
in  the  years  of  1832  and  1833,  preparing  me 
for  college  in  the  classics  and  mathematics.  In 
the  fall  of  the  latter  year  we  separated,  he  soon 
after  going  to  New  York  and  I  to  Union  Col- 


lege. I  saw  him  then  frequently  at  New  York, 
where  he  had  established  himself  in  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice.  In  1837  I  received  a  letter 
from  him  kindly  inviting  me  to  attend  his  wed- 
ding, and  how  well  I  remember  that  bright, 
beautiful  day  at  the  old  family  mansion  of 
Governor  Bouck,  where  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  the  accomplished  daughter  of  the  Gov- 
ernor. It  was  a  joyous  occasion.  How  well 
he  has  filled  the  position  of  husband  and  father. 
His  home  has  been  a  model  home.  He  re- 
moved from  New  York  to  Middleburgh  in  1839. 
On  the  first  of  January,  1840,  I  having  just 
been  admitted  as  co-partner,  we  commenced 
the  practice  of  law.  How  changed  since  that 
time !  As  I  stand  here  to-night  and  bring  up 
to  my  mind  those  days,  no  wonder,  your  Honor, 
and  I  know  I  will  be  pardoned,  if  my  lip  quivers 
and  my  eyes  are  filled  with  tears.  I  stand  here 
almost  alone,  as  my  hand  rests  on  the  broad 
shoulder  of  my  brother,  Brewster,  who  came  to 
the  practice  in  July,  1840.  Of  all  those  who 
were    engaged    in    the  practice    of    the  law 


HON.  LYMAN  SANFORD. 


prior  to  that  time,  all,  all  are  gone  save  William 
H.  Davis,  Hamilton  and  Goodyear,  Houckand 
Mann,  HoUaday  and  Gebhard,  at  Schoharie, 
Spafford  and  McClellan,  at  Middleburgh, 
Thomas  and  Demosthenes  Lawyer,  Thomas 
Smith  and  Jedediah  Miller,  of  Cobleskill, 
William  Beekman,  of  Sharon,  and  John  C. 
Wright,  of  Esperance.  They  were  men  who 
could  have  been  an  honor  to  any  county  of  the 
State.  The  then  four  Judges  of  the  old  Com- 
mon Pleas  have  entered  into  rest.  Sheriff, 
clerk,  and  crier,  are  no  more,  aye,  the  court- 
house even  has  crumbled  into  ashes,  fired  by 
the  torch  of  an  incendiary  prisoner. 

"The  venerable  form  of  John  P.  Cushman, 
the  then  Circuit  Judge  and  Vice-Chancellor  of 
this  district,  long  ago  has  passed  away.  Other 
Judges  have  come  to  us :  Harris,  Wright,  Wat- 
son, Gould,  Hogaboom  and  Peckham,  and  they 
are  gone,  never  to  return  !  Other  lawyers  have 
since  come  to  this  bar  and  have  gone,  and  we 
shall  see  them  no  more — Frost,  Clark,  Smith, 
Young,  Fox,  Salsbury,  Strain,  Mackey,  Under- 
wood, and  now  Sanford.  The  lesson  of  the  hour 
is  one  full  of  instruction  and  admonition.  Judge 
Sanford,  immediately  upon  the  commencement 
of  his  professional  career,  took  a  prominent 
position  as  a  good  lawyer  and  safe  counselor. 


I  often  had  occasion  to  admire  the  fidelity  he 
manifested  in  protecting  the  estate  of  the  widow 
and  orphan.  As  a  citizen  he  was  exemplary, 
and  no  stigma  or  reproach  can  be  remembered 
against  him ;  as  a  public  man  he  was  always 
adequate  to  his  position.     «     •     *     *  » 


Ralph  Brewster,  Esq.,  in  a  few  well  chosen 
words,  gave  expression  to  his  worth  as  a  man 
and  professional,  and  was  followed  by  Hon.  S. 
L.  Mayham,  who  in  the  course  of  his  remarks 
said : — 

"  No  man  ever  held  in  higher  esteem  the 
honorable  relations  that  the  true  lawyer  bears 
to  the  community  in  which  he  Hves,  or  the 
sacred  and  confidential  duty  he  owed  to  his 
client,  and  no  man  ever  did  more  to  elevate  the 
standard  and  preserve  unsullied  the  honor  of 
the  legal  profession  in  his  sphere,  than  he.  It 
was  the  profession  of  his  choice,  and  he  made 
it  the  business  of  his  life  to  impress  it  with  the 
dignity  and  respect  which  it  deserves;  and  re- 
lieve it  from  all  unjust  criticisms.      *  -  *     *     * 

"  Few  men  possessed  colloquial  powers  or 
gifts  equal  to  the  deceased,  to  which  were  added 
a  high  order  of  culture  and  scholarly  attain- 
ments; a  noble  and  commanding  presence, 
with  a  voice  rich  and  melodious ;  thus  com- 
bining in  him  at  once  all  the  talent  elements  of 
an  orator ;  and  had  he  overcome  in  early  life 
his  native  modesty,  and  brought  all  of  those 
reserved  forces  into  requisition,  he  would  have 
been  in  forensic  eloquence  and  power  more 
than  the  equal  of  his  brother,  Mitchell,  by 
whose  burning  words  the  people,  juries,  courts 
and  senates,  were  moved  and  molded." 


Hon.  William  H.  Engle  paid  an  eloquent 
tribute  to  the  character  of  the  deceased  as  a 
lawyer  and  jurist  and  closed  as  follows  upon 
his  affability  as  a  gentleman  and  neighbor : — 


HON.  LYMAN  SANFORD. 


"  On  his  countenance  rested  always  the  genial 
smile  and  in  his  utterance  the  warm  greeting 
that  revealed  the  heart  of  the  man.  Decline 
could  not  destroy  it,  and  nothing  but  the  grasp 
of  death  could  extinguish  the  external  evidences 
of  a  kindly,  noble  and  loving  nature. 

"To  his  neighbors  therefore  the  recollections 
we  all  delight  to  cherish,  come  down  to  a  recent 
date.  But  the  bar  need  nothing  to  remind 
them  of  the  pleasure  his  presence  gave.  It 
will  be  fresh  and  green  in  our  memories  as 
long  as  '  life  and  thought  and  being  lasts.' " 

Hon.  William  C.  Lamont  in  full,  earnest  and 
feeUng  remarks,  paid  a  high  compliment  to  the 
virtues  and  abihty  of  Judge  Sanford  and  attest- 
ed that : — 

"Amid  all  this,  the  highest  praise  that  can  be 
awarded  to  man,  rightfully  was  his.  In  all 
places  requiring  ability  of  a  high  order,  integ- 
rity, the  best  and  proudest  thing  that  can  be 
said,  he  did  his  duty.     It  was  well  done." 

Hon.  Hobert  Krum  followed  and  in  referring 
to  the  Judge's  legal  status  said : — 

"  He  was  not  a  great  lawyer,  but  he  was  a 
good  one;  and  he  was  a  noble  county  judge. 
As  a  lawyer  he  scarcely  ever  entered  the  arena 
of  the  bar,  or  mingled  with  the  fights  and 
strifes  of  the  trial  of  a  cause. 

"  His  modesty  and  diffidence  made  him  shrink 
from  such  an  encounter,  and  therefore  he  never 
took  such  prominence  in  the  profession  as  his 
abilities  justly  entitled  him,  and  although  he  was 
known  as  a  safe  counselor,  as  a  good  pleader, 
and  as  a  fine  office  lawyer,  yet  his  legal  ability 


was  never  fully  made  manifest  until  after  he  was 
promoted  to  the  bench. 

"  In  that  position  he  exhibited  the  well  read 
lawyer,  one  well  grounded  in  legal  principles 
who  could  carefully  discriminate  cases,  and 
when  his  opinion  was  rendered,  it  pronounced 
the  law.  He  was  an  honest  lawyer  and  an  hon- 
est judge,  because  he  was  an  honest  man." 

John  B.  Grant,  Esq.,  George  L.  Danforth, 
Esq.,  Hon.  William  S.  Clark,  W.  P.  Thomas, 
Esq.,  Almerin  Gallup,  Esq.,  and  Lyman  Sanford 
Holmes,  Esq.,  followed  in  feeling  and  eloquent 
language,  expressive  of  the  appreciation  the 
younger  members  of  the  bar  held  towards  the 
deceased  who  had  welcomed  each  in  turn  to  the 
profession,  and  encouraged  them  in  their  first 
efforts  to  gain  their  present  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful positions.  Hon.  Henry  Smith  being  in- 
disposed, and.  not  in  attendance,  paid  by  letter, 
a  high  tribute  to  the  deceased,  which  was  read 
by  the  clerk  when  his  Honor  in  conclusion  made 
the  following  remarks  : — 

"Gentlemen  of  the  bar:— For  myself  I  do 
not  expect  by  the  few  suggestions  I  shall  offer, 
to  supplement  to  the  grateful  tribute  of  respect 
which  you  have  already  so  well  and  deservedly 
rendered  to  the  memory  of  our  respected  de- 
parted brother  and  friend.  Yet  to  me  it  seems 
most  fitting  and  appropriate  that  from  this 
bench,  once  so  highly  adorned  by  Judge  San- 
ford, an  expression  of  approval  and  endorse- 
ment should  come,  commendatory  of  your  ac- 
tion, which  I  most  cheerfully  give.  I  had 
known  Judge  Sanford  quite  intimately,  since 
the  fall  of   i8ss,  when  he  was  elected  to  the 


HON.  LYMAN  SANFORD. 


position  I  now  hold ;  I  then  being  a  candidate  for 
another  place,  running  on  the  same  ticket  with 
him,  we  were  frequently  brought  together.  From 
that  period  our  relations  were  of  the  most  friendly 
character,  whether  of  a  personal,  professional, 
political,  oflficial  or  social  nature.  As  members 
of  this  bar  we  had  learned  to  love  and  respect 
him  for  his  great  virtues,  and  should  strive  to 
imitate  them,  as  we  cherish  his  memory. 

"  We  have  always  received  from  him,  in  his 
own  pleasant,  graceful  manner,  a  recognition 
and  greeting  so  cordial  that  we  felt  easy  in  his 
presence,  while  sensibly  impressed  by  his  man- 
ner and  bearing  with  the  fact  that   he  was  in- 


deed possessed  of  all  good  grace  to  adorn  and 
grace  a  gentleman.  But  he  has  gone  from  us 
forever  into  that  tribunal  over  which  presides 
the  Judge  of  all,  who  will  not,  cannot  err. 

"  Full  of  years,  enjoying  the  honor  and  respect 
of  all  who  knew  him,  he  has  finished  his  work, 
and  entered  into  eternal  rest,  and  as  well  said 
of  another,  we  can  say  of  him : — 

"He  sank  as  sinks  the  morning  star, 
Which  goes  not  down  behind  a  darkened  west 
Nor  hides  obscured  amid  the  tempests  of  the  skies. 
But  melts  away  in  the  bright  light  of  Heaven.'' 

Of  him,  of  his  virtues,  we  can  only  exclaim 
as  we  venerate  his  memory.  Hail  and  Farewell  1" 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


223 


Mary  H.  Wharton. 
Mary  Rosseter. 
Gertrude  H.  Moase. 
Louisa  Wilsey. 
Nellie  K.  Rosseter. 
Eva  V.  Tuttle. 

The  present  officers  (1881)  are: — 
W.  C.  T.,  C.  A.  White. 
W.  V.  T.,  Gertrude  H.  Moase. 
W.  S.,  Elliot  Danforth. 
W.  A.  S.,  Mary  A.  Wharton. 
W.  F.  S.,  Jiftnes  Lawyer. 
W.  T.,  H.  D.  Wells. 
W.  C,  Rev.  J.  S.  Hart. 
P.  W.  C,  Rev.  D.  Swope. 
W.  M.,  H.  A.  Blodgett. 
D.  W.  M.,  Nellie  K.  Rosseter. 
W.  J.  G.,  Aurelia  S.  Blodgett. 
W.  O.  G.,  G.  S.  Lynas. 
R.  H.  S.,  Ellen  E.  Wilsey. 
L.  H.  S.,  Ellen  E.  Watson. 

G.  A.  R.  Post  Stanton. — This  Post  was  or- 
ganized September  2, 1878,  and  named  in  honor 
of  Jay  C.  Stanton,  of  Co.  H,  76th  Reg.  N.  Y. 
S.  Volunteers,  who  was  mortally  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  August  29,  1862.  The 
following  are  the  charter  officers  and  present 
members  of  the  organization : — 

H.  A.  Blodgett,  Commander. 

Alonzo  Parslow,  S.  V.  C. 

William  C.  Brazee,  J.  V.  C. 

Samuel  Dennison,  Adjutant. 

S.  L.  Rifenburgh,  Q.  M. 

Walter  Wheeler,  Sergeant. 

Rev.  J.  S.  Harkey,  Chaplain. 

J.  K.  Alberson,  O.  D. 

George  W.  Bishop,  S.  M. 

Edward  H.  Becker,  Q.  S. 

Charles  H.  Bartholomew. 

Peter  G.  Brazee. 
William  J.  Blodgett. 
William  H.  H.  Boom. 
John  H.  Babcock. 
George  W.  Babcock. 
Edward  Dennison, 
William  Doty. 
Orrin  Duncan. 
Reuben  Cane. 


Malachi  Coons. 

Henry  Eggleston. 

George  D.  Eggleston. 

Albert  Efner. 

Linard  Heal. 

Leopold  Huysong. 

Lewis  B.  Hans. 

John  Holmes. 

David  Jackson. 

David  Layton. 

George  McBain. 

William  M.  Myers. 

Albert  Nasholts. 

Leonard  Pratt. 
Jacob  Parlianan. 
John  Rorick. 

Melvin  Richmond. 
Hiram  Wright. 
A.  M.  Wilday. 
Henry  D.  Wood. 
Martin  Wilsey. 
John  D.  Rodgers. 
John  S.  Smith. 
John  Schram. 
Edmond  Shaver. 
Calvin  Traver. 
William  H.  Vroman. 
Reuben  Wiley. 
Charles  H.  Wright. 
Jacob  Williams. 
Levans  H.  Wilsey. 
John  Whitbeck. 
David  Weyman. 

Of  the  part  taken  by  the  town  in  the  late  Re- 
bellion we  copy  from  a  speech  delivered  by  Wil- 
liam E.  Thome  upon  Decoration  day,  1880,  at 
Middleburgh : — 

"The  town  of  Middleburgh  alone  furnished 
two  hundred  and  eighty-nine  volunteers  out  of 
a  voting  population  of  but  seven  hundred  and 
forty.  Twenty-nine  of  those  volunteers  who 
left  their  homes,  bid  adieu  to  affectionate  and 
loving  friends,  endured  the  deprivations  and 
hardships  of  a  soldier's  fare,  and  braved  death 
for  their  country's  cause,  lost  their,  lives  in  the 
service  and  are  still  sleeping  upon  southern  soil 
where  their  comrades  have  laid  them.  But  their 
memories  are  still  fragrant  and  the  recollection  of 
their  heroic  deeds  is  still  tenderly  cherished  here." 


224 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


As  in  other  towns,  an  accurate  record  of  the 
amount  of  money  raised  by  the  town  to  procure 
soldiers  to  fill  out  the  quota  from  time  to  time 
was  not  kept. 

Middleburgh  Cornet  Band. — This  band  was 
organized  on  the  i8th  of  December,  1876,  and 
consisted  of  fifteen  pieces.  Professor  Salfred 
gave  the  first  instructions  and  by  close  application 
to  study  and  practice,  the  corps  have  become  apt 
and  skilled  musicians. 

The  charter  officers  were : — 

President,  J.  E.  Young. 
Vice-President,  G.  B.  Hyde. 
Secretary,  P.  B.  Couchman. 
Treasurer,  W.  G.  Shafer. 
Trustees,  G.  W.  Coewell,  G.  W.  Neville,  B. 
W.  Chase. 

Incorporation  of  the  Village. 

During  the  winter  of  1880  and  1881,  several  of 
the  prominent  citizens  of  the  place,  became  in- 
terested in  the  incorporation  of  the  village, 
chief  among  whom  was  F.  X.  Straub.  A  sur- 
vey, map  and  verbal  description  of  the  bound- 
aries were  made,  and  in  due  course  of  time  the 
following  notice  appeared,  which  we  here  copy, 
as  it  gives  the  boundaries  as  adopted  by  a  ma- 
jority of  the  citizens  : — 

"  Between  the  hours  of  Ten  a.  m.,  and  Three 
P.  M.,  on  the  16th  day  of  April,  1881,  at  the 
Hotel  kept  by  E.  D.  Atchinson,  within  the 
territory  hereinafter  described,  an  election 
will  be  held  to  determine  whether  or  not 
the  proposed  territory  described  and  indicated 
by  the  survey,  map  and  verbal  description  of 
boundaries  left  for  examination  at  the  place  of 
business  of  F.  X.  Straub,  in  the  village  and 
town  of  Middleburgh,  Schoharie  county,  N.Y., 
shall  be  incorporated  as  a  village.  The  proposed 
name  of  such  village  is  "  The  Village  of  Mid- 
dleburgh," and  the  verbal  description  of  its 
boundaries  is  :  '  Beginning  at  a  locust  tree 
standing  on  the  East  bank  of  the  Schoharie 
Creek,  and  on  the  North  line  of  a  piece  of  land 
owned  by  W.  H.  Engle,  lying  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  village,  and  running  from  thence  as  the 
needle   pointed   February    i8th,   i88i ;  North 


eighty-four  degrees  East  following  the  line  be- 
tween David  Zeh  and  Hezekiah  L.  Manning,  62 
chains  and  64  links,  to  a  Cedar  tree  on  the  said 
line.  Thence  South  one  degree  East  68  chains 
and  50  Unks  to  an  apple  tree  on  the  side-hill, 
above  Cliff  Cottage— thence  South  4  degrees 
East  53  chains  and  50  links  to  a  Pine  tree  in 
the  Cemetery,  thence  South  7  7  degrees  West  11 
chains  to  a  large  Pine  tree  on  the  East  line  of 
the  farm  occupied  by  Jonas  Bagley — thence 
North  60  degrees  West  82  chains  to  an  Elm 
tree  on  the  East  bank  of  the  Schoharie  Creek — 
thence  North  29  degrees  East  38  chains  and  30 
links,  to  the  centre  of  the  highway — fifteen  feet 
west  of  the  west  end  of  the  Middleburgh  Bridge 
— thence  North  4  degrees  West  45  chains 
and  40  hnks  to  place  of  beginning,  containing 
seven  hundred  acres  of  land.'  The  amount 
proposed  to  be  expended  the  first  year  of  the 
incorporation,  for  ordinary  expenditures  as  de- 
fined in  an  act  entitled  '  An  act  for  the  incor- 
poration of  villages,'  passed  April  20th,  1870, 
and  its  amendments  is  $100." 

Signed, 

George  Dodge. 
G.  N.  Frisbie. 
J.  E.  Young. 
H.  D.  Wells. 
Harrison  Hallenbeck. 
Wm.  Dunn. 
M.  Geurnsey. 
J.  L.  Engle. 
David  Bassler. 
W.  H.  Engle. 
John  H.  Mallery. 
W.  E.  Thome. 
Hadley  Snyder. 
A.  J.  Freemyer. 
G.  S.  Lynes. 
John  H.  Cornell. 
Frank  X.  Straub. 
J.  B.  Badgley. 
G.  L.  Danforth. 
Joseph  Becker. 
W.  E.  Bassler. 
J.  Neville. 
D.  Beekman. 
Marvin  Scutt. 
Dr.  James  Lawyer. 


TOWN  OF  MIDDLEBURGH. 


225 


The  total  number  of  votes  cast  at  the  elec- 
tion was  two'  hundred  and  fifty-eight,  of  which 
one  hundred  and  eighty  were  cast  for,  and 
seventy-eight  against  an  incorporation. 

Officials. 

Middleburgh  has  had  a  long  Kst  of  officials, 
and  many  of.  them  the  most  prominent,  as  will 
be  seen  by  Chapter  VI.  The  early  records  of 
the  town  are  not  accessible,  much  to  our  regret, 
as  we  desire  the  names  of  the  supervisors,  at 
least.  Those  that  we  are  privileged  to  examine, 
date  back  only  to  1844,  leaving  forty-seven 
years  without  a  record.  The  following,  with  the 
date  of  service,  are  the  names  of  the  super- 
visors : — 

1844— David  B.  Danforth. 
1845 — Mathew  Franklin. 
1846 —  do 

1847 — Uriah  Rider. 
1848 — Henry  Hauver. 
1849 — Stephen  Vosburgh. 
1850 — George  Bouck. 
1851 —  do 

1852 — George  W.  Tibbits. 
1853 — David  Becker. 
1854 — Edward  Finder. 
1855 — George  E.  Danforth. 

1856—  do 

1857—  do 

1858—  do 
1859 — ■  do 
i860 —            do 
1861— Wm.  Shafer. 
1862 —            do 
1863— Peter  Z.  Swart. 
1864 — Nicholas  Beekman. 
1865 — Volney  Danforth. 
1866 — Hamilton  Becker. 
1867 — Alex.  Bouck. 
1868—             do 

1869 — Bartholomew  Becker. 
1870 — Peter  Z.  Swart. 
187 1 —  do 

1872 — Nathaniel  Manning. 
1873 — John  D.  Wheeler. 

1874 —  do 

1875—  do 

1876 —  do 


1877 — John  D.  Wheeler. 
1878— Hadley  Snyder, 
1879 —  do 

1880-—  do 

1881—  do 

1882—  do 

Hunter's  Land. 

At  the  time  the  lands  around  Schoharie,  in- 
cluding Middleburgh,  were  surveyed  in  17 10, 
they  were  named  in  honor  of  Governor  Hunter, 
by  whose  orders  they  were  surveyed  and  ex- 
plored. But  those  immediately  along  the  valley, 
as  by  custom  among  the  Indians,  retained  their 
original  name  Schorie,  or  Schoharry,  and  the 
country  lying  east  upon  higher  grounds,  for  a 
long  distance  back,  was  called  Huntersfield. 
Johannes  Lawyer,  the  second,  purchased  a 
large  tract  in  1768,  which  is  now  included  in  that 
part  of  the  town  called  Hunter's  Land.  The  set- 
tlement was  not  made  at  an  early  date,  and  with 
very,  few  exceptions,  until  after  the  Revolution. 
The  Posson  family  came  before  that  event.  The 
grandfather  of  Peter  W.  Posson  came  from 
Germany  and  settled  about  the  3'ear  1760.  We 
will  here  state  that  the  father  of  Mrs.  Posson, 
Philip  Bartholomew,  came  over  with  LaFayette 
at  sixteen  years  of  age  and  held  a  captain's 
commission  under  him  during  the  war,  and  when 
the  general  returned,  Captain  Bartholomew,  as 
did  hundreds  of  his  soldiers,  resigned  his  com- 
mission and  became  a  citizen  of  the  united  col- 
onies, and  after  a  few  years  wandered  to  this 
part  of  the  country.  We  find  many  from  near 
counties  located  here,  among  whom  was  Jesse 
H.  Alger,  from  Saratoga  county,  who  came  in 
18 10.  After  a  quiet  and  successful  life,  he  died 
in  1867.  Daniel  Barkman  also  came  about  the 
year  1815,  from  Rensselaer  county,  and  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1840.  Mr.  Bark- 
man  held  the  office  up  to  the  year  1876,  when 
age  demanded  of  him  retirement,  and  Merritt 
McComber,  succeeded  him.  It  is  a  very  un- 
common occurrence  in  these  days  of  pohtical 
jealousies,  for  one  to  hold  an  office  that  term  of 
years,  and  it  bespeaks  confidence,  integrity  and 
acknowledged  ability  of  the  people  in  and  of  the 
official. 

Adam  Snyder  &  Sons  we  find  are  engaged  in 


226 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


trade  and  blacksmithing,  they  being  immigrants 
from  Lorraine  in  France,  but  of  German  origin. 
They  settled  here  in  1840,  and  have  identified 
themselves  with  the  business  of  the  place. 

Town  boundary  by  act  of  1713,  "And  at  that 
part  of  said  county  of  Schohary  beginning  at 
the  place  where  the  Cobleskill  road  crosses  the 
Punch-kill,  thence  with  a  straight  line  to  the 
northwest  corner  of  a  patent  grant  to  Michael 
Byrne  and  others,  thence  with  a  straight  line 
to  the  west  corner  of  the  house  now  or  late  of 
Jacob  Best  near  the  head  of  the  north  branch 
of  the  West-kill,  thence  continuing  the  same 
line  to  a  tract  of  land  called  Blenheim,  thence 
easterly  along  the  northerly  bounds  of  Blen- 
heim, until  it  strikes  Schoharie  creek,  thence 
easterly  with  a  straight  hne  to  the  north  east 
corner  of  the  dwelling  house  now  or  late  of 
Moses  White,  thence  with  the  same  line  con- 
tinued to  the  bounds  of  the  county,  thence 
northerly  along  the  same  to  the  south  east  cor- 
ner of  the  town  of  Schoharie,  thence  along  the 
southerly  bounds  thereof  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning, shall  be  and  continue  a  town  by  the  name 
of  Middleburgh." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

History  of  the  Town  of  Sharon. 

Formation  of  New  Dorlach  —  Sharon — 
DoRLACH  Grant — First  Settlers — Later 
Settlers  —  Peter  Sommers  —  Mereness 
Brothers — William  Beekman — Early  Af- 
fairs— Battle  of  Sharon — Colonel  Ma- 
RiNus  WiLLET— Ambush  Formed— Incidents 
OF  the  Day — Leem  and  Hopper  Families — 
Maria  Leem — Capture  of  Myndert  and 
Others — William  Kneiskern — Rev.  Peter 
N.  Sommers-St.  John's  Church— Reformed 
Church— Condition  of  Settlers — Turn- 
pikes-Taverns-Beekman's  Corners-Peter 
A.  Hilton— Robert  Eldredge — Eldredge 


Family — Dr.  Palmer — Sour  Krout  Mes- 
sage —  Peter  Paradox — Engle's  Mill — 
Leesville — Dormant  Villages— Leesville 
Lutheran  Church  —  Leesville  Baptist 
Church — Cemetery — Rockville — Sharon 
Springs — Public  Houses — Analysis  of  Wa- 
ter—Merchants— Roman  Church— Sharon 
Centre  —  John  Beakley  —  Sharon  Hill 
and  Hollow- — E.  S.  Wales  —  Zachariah 
Keyes — Hotel — Merchants — Killing  of 
Van  Schaik  —  Stage  House  —  Johannes 
LoucKS  —  William  Davenport  —  Other 
LoucKs'  Families — Lemuel  Cross — Kling 
Settlement — John  Adam  Kilts  —  Slate 
Hill  Cemetery — Bellenger  Family — Van- 
Valkenburghs  —  Tillapaugh  —  Gilbert's 
Corners — Reformed  Church  of  Sharon 
— Masonic  Lodge— Officials— Boundaries. 

THE  territory  of  this  town  was  embraced  in 
the  county  of  Tryon,  from  March  12,  1772, 
to  April  2,  1784,  when  old  Tryon  was 
changed  to  Montgomery,  in  honor  of  General 
Richard  Montgomery,  whose  patriotic  princi- 
ples proved  more  agreeable  to  the  victorious 
patriots  than  to  the  Colonial  Governor.  Upon 
the  formation  of  Otsego  county  on  the  i6th  of 
February,  1791,  a  portion  of  CarHsle,  all  of 
Seward  and  Sharon,  formed  the  town  of  "  New 
Dorlach,''  agreeable  to  the  wishes  of  many  of 
the  first  settlers  here  found  that  immigrated 
from  Dorlach  in  Germany  from  1750  to  1760, 
and  located  here  in  1754  and  1760. 

When  Schoharie  was  formed,  the  town  or  the 
eastern  part  of  it  was  annexed  to  it,  under  the 
name  of  Sharon,  from  a  town  in  Connecticut, 
from  which  Calvin  Rich  and  John  Rice  with 
their  families  came  immediately  after  the 
Revolution. 

While  the  bounds  were  defined  in  part  at 
that  time,  yet  a  perfect  formation  of  the  town 
was  not  made  until  1797.  Dr.  Tinas  Pynneo 
represented  the  town  as  "New  Dorlach"  in  the 
Board  of  Otsego  Supervisors  in  1795,  and  at 
Schoharie  in  1796  and  1797.  Owing  also  to 
the  fact  of  the  settlers  coming  from  Dorlach,  a 


TOWN  OF  SHARON. 


227 


large  tract  of  land  granted  to  Jacob  B.  Johan- 
nes, John  Jost,  and  Michael  Borst,  William 
Bauch  (Bouck),  Johannes  Braun  (Brown), 
Michael  Heltzinger  (Hillsinger),  Johannes 
Schaeffer,  Hendrick  Haines,  Johannes  and 
Jacob  Lawyer,  Christian  Zeh,  Mathias  Bauman, 
Lambert  Sternberg,  Barent  Keyser,  Peter 
Nicholas  Sommers,  which  lay  wholly  in  the 
original  town,  was  called  the  "  Dorlach  Grant." 
The  Germans  pronounced  the  name  "  Turlah," 
as  they  still  do  at  the  present  time. 

Johannes  Lawyer  and  Jacob  Borst  purchased 
the  interest  of  the  remaining  owners,  after  each 
selected  a  large  farm,  and  at  last  the  former 
became  the  sole  owner.  The  grant  has  of  late 
years  been  designated  by  surveyors  as  the 
"Borst  Patent." 

The  first  settlers  of  the  present  condensed 
town  were  : — 

Peter    and    Nicholas    Sommers,    sons    of 

Peter  N.  Sommers, 
Peter  and  Andrew  Loucks, 
Christian  Myndert, 

Kling, 

Peter  McDougle, 
Lambert  Sternberg,  Jr., 
The    Hoppers     (Harpers),    and     Leems 
(Lambs)  famihes. 

During  the  Revolution  all  immigration  ceased, 
but  as  soon  as  peace  was  proclaimed  up  to  the 
year  1800  the  greatest  influx  of  settlers  was 
made  chiefly  from  the  Cobleskill,  Schoharie  and 
Mohawk  valleys.  This  seemed  to  be  the  meet- 
ing ground  for  those  branching  off  from  those 
settled  portions.  The  Mereness,  Fritche,  (now 
Fritcher)  Bellinger,  Ball,  Hyney,  Falk,  Van 
Valkenburgh  and  Vanderwerken  families  came 
from  those  sections,  while  Calvin  Pike,  Calvin 
Rich,  Eldredges,  Beekman,  Adams,  Hiller,  John 
Rice  and  Tinas  Pynneo,  mostly  Yankees  of  New 
England,  located  here  and  all  became  influential 
and  successful  business  men.  Peter,  eldest  son 
of  Rev.  P.  N.  Sommers,  kept  the  first  store, 
dealing  chiefly  in  groceries  and  ashes,  as  was 
customary  for  all  merchants  in  new  settlements. 
Peter  held  a  commission  during  the  French  war, 
under  the  Crown  of  England,  and  while  he  was 
neither  called  upon  nor  had  occasion  to  act  in 


the  capacity  of  a  soldier,  he  had,  nevertheless, 
sworn  fidelity  to  the  King.  When  hostilities 
commenced  between  the  mother  country  and 
the  colonies  bethought  he  could  not  consistently, 
with  his  strict  religious  principles,  act  contrary 
to  his  oath  by  taking  up  arms  against  the  gov- 
ernment, and  not  wishing  to  engage  against  the 
patriot's  cause,  he  removed  to  Canada  in  1777, 
from  whence  he  never  returned.  His  brother, 
Nicholas,  settled  upon  the  land  his  father  pur- 
chased, on  a  portion  of  which  his  son,  David 
Sommers,  now  resides. 

Abram  and   John   Mereness  removed   here 
from  the  Mohawk  in  1786,  and  settled  upon  the 
farm  lately  occupied  by  Squire  Abram,  son  of 
Abram,    the    first    settler.      Squire   Mereness 
passed  away  in  February  of   1881,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age   of  ninety-six.     In    1806,   he   was 
elected  collector  of  the  town,  and  the  year  fol- 
lowing Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  office  he  held 
seventeen  years  and  resigned  to  hold  that  of 
loan   commissioner.     Upon  our    visiting    him 
nearly  one  year  ago,  we  were  surprised  to  find 
him  in  the  possession  of  his  mental  faculties  to 
such  a  degree  as  to  give  dates  of  transactions, 
the  records  of  which  were  supposed  to  have  been 
lost.    Subsequent  searching  proved  his  accuracy. 
He  was  in  his  younger  days  an  active  politician, 
in  union   with   Judge   Beekman,  John  Ingold, 
Jun.,  John  Rice  and  Calvin  Rich,  and  was  the 
arbitrator  of  local   disputes   for    many    years. 
When  questioned  in  regard  to  early  political  af- 
fairs the  "vim"  of  other  days  seemed  to  return 
and  animate  the  feeble  form  to  enter  the  arena 
again.     A  near  neighbor  to  him  was  William 
Beekman. 

William  Beekman  was  honored  with  the  ap- 
pointment of  First  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas  upon  the  formation  of  the  County, 
and  held  the  office  until  the  year  1833, 
when  John  C.  Wright,  then  of  Esperance,  suc- 
ceeded him.  Of  Judge  Beekman's  early  history 
we  are  indebted  to  his  only  living  child,  Cor- 
nehus  Beekman,  now  of  Albany,  who  in  his  old 
age  is  deprived  of  his  sight.  The  Judge  was 
born  upon  the  ocean,  was  of  German  parentage, 
and  was  early  accepted  by  Colonel  Willett  as  an 
errand  boy.  He  attended  school  but  six  months 
previous  to  his  entering  WiUett's  service.    After 


228 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  close  of  the  Revolution,  about  the  year 
1788,  he  came  to  this  town,  and  began  as  a 
merchant  in  a  small  way,  and  soon  acquired 
sufficient  means  to  purchase  the  farm  upon 
which  he  died.  During  his  life  here  he  con- 
tinued trade  in  connection  with  agriculture, 
and  proved  successful  in  both.  Upon  the 
formation  of  the  County  we  find  men  of  fine 
legal  ability  here  whom  one  would  naturally 
think  would  be  honored  with  the  appointment 
of  First  Judge,  but  one  of  the  last  acts  of  Gov- 
ernor George  Clinton  was  to  cast  the  honor  upon 
Mr.  Beekman.  What  influence  was  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  council  of  appointment  to  concur 
in  the  choice,  we  cannot  say,  nor  whether  he  was 
the  only  candidate.  We  only  know  that  Beek- 
man, a  youthful  .pioneer,  without  education, 
received  the  honor  and  performed  the  duties 
with  dignity  and  grace. 

Beside  his  judicial  appointment  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate  in  1799,  1800,  1801  and 
1802,  and  held  many  minor  positions  in  cor- 
porate bodies.  He  was  small  in  stature,  with  a 
well  proportioned  frame,  and  a  very  round  head 
which  he  carried  erect,  and  with  hair  always 
closely  cut.  He  became  gray-  at  an  early  day, 
and  upon  his  death  was  somewhat  bald.  He 
married  Joanna  Low,  (whose  parents  came  from 
New  Jersey,)  by  whom  he  had  seven  sons  and 
three  daughters.  Those  that  grew  to  man  and 
womanhood  and  married,  were  John,  Nicholas, 
William,  Cornelius,  Dow  and  Duryea.  Maria 
was  the  only  daughter  married.  Her  husband 
was  Hoffman  Ten  Eyck. 

The  Judge  built  a  spacious  mansion  west  of 
Beekman's  Coiners  in  i8o2-'o4,  which  is  still 
standing,  having  the  appearance  of  a  "  baronial 
hall,"  in  which  he  lived  in  princely  style  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  26th  of 
November,  1845,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight. 
His  remains  were  deposited  in  the  family  vault, 
near  the  residence,  and  lying  near  are  five  of 
his  first  children,  the  eldest  being  born  in  the 
year  1789.  Mrs.  Beekman  lies  beside  him,having 
died  in  December,  1835,  at  the  age  of  seventy. 

The  mother  of  Mrs,  Beekman  also  is  buried 
near,  and  we  find  she  was  born  in  Elizabeth- 
town,  New  Jersey,  in  March,  1732,  and  died  in 
Sharon  in  October,  182 1.  Without  doubt  the 
Judge  was  the  first  man  that  kept  a  general  as- 


sortment of  merchandise  in  the  town,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  did  a  large  business.  His 
barns,  sheds  and  barracks  were  at  one  time 
swept  away  by  the  hand  of  an  incendiary, 
although  at  the  same  time  but  few  men  en- 
joyed the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  neigh- 
bors and  the  country  at  large  as  did  the  Judge. 

Early  "Affairs. 

Nothing  unusual  occurred  until  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  The  Indians,  chiefly  Mohawks, 
occasionally  visited  their  German  neighbors  on 
their  hunting  and  begging  excursions,  and  a 
friendly  feehng  existed  between  them  which  the 
timid  portion  of  the  settlers  dared  not  provoke, 
and  during  the  struggle  partially  sided  with  the 
Crown  and  remained  "passive;"  It  is  easy  for 
us  who  are  safely  ensconced  beneath  the  pro- 
tecting arm  of  the  government  to  think  and 
speak  lightly  of  those  who  lived  in  the  border 
settlements  and  were  thus  timid.  If  the  struggle 
had  proved  averse  to  the  patriots,  while  we 
would  perhaps  commend  them  for  their  patriot- 
ism and  bravery,  we  would  have  considered 
them  to  have  been  foohsh  to  have  undertaken 
such  an  enterprise  while  laboring  under  such 
great  disadvantages.  As  the  result  was  the 
most  pleasing,  we  are  apt  to  censure  many — and 
perhaps  noble  characters — who  made  patriotic 
and  useful  citizens  after.  A  number  an- 
swered the  call  of  the  Crown  in  1777  from  old 
"Turlah"  to  unite  with  St.  Leger  at  Fort  Stan- 
wix,  and  upon  his  retreat  to  Canada  followed 
and  did  not  return.  A  few  came  back  and 
bathed  their  hands  in  their  neighbors'  blood. 
At  the  close  of  the  war,  the  lands  formerly  oc- 
cupied by  such  Tories  were  confiscated  and 
principally  purchased  by  the^  New  England 
settlers.  In  this,  as  in  other  settlements,  a  few 
were  accused  of  Toryism  unjustly,  and  the 
stigma  yet  stands  against  their  names.  The 
farmers  of  this  town  were  "  well-to-do "  at 
that  time,  and  raised  large  crops  of  grain,  es- 
pecially those  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town, 
then  called  '•  Rhinebeck,"  and  along  the  West 
Kill. 

During  Colonel  Willett's  command  of  the 
Mohawk  his  force  was  supplied  by  the  granaries 
of  the  Tories  of  "  Turlah."     Yet  many  times  the 


n  I  ps^iJv    t\\     i(flTM 


w 

o 
o 


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w 

o 

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I'   i'  n 


'III 


TOWN  OF  SHARON. 


229 


foraging  parties  did  not  hesitate  to  visit  those 
who  were  in  sympathy  with  the  patriots,  pro- 
vided they  possessed  the  eatables  the  soldiers 
wanted. 

Many  that  were  thus  visited,  petitioned  to 
the  Legislature  after  the  war  closed  to  be  paid 
for  such  things,  as  were  taken,  and  in  a  few 
cases  were  successful  in  receiving  compensation. 
Others  could  not  prove  their  "patriotism"  and 
failed.  A  case,  originating  from  grain  and  hay 
being  taken  from  Conradt  Brown  in  1781,  was 
in  law  for  many  years,  that  drew  a  great  inter- 
est throughout  this  part  of  the  County  and  cul- 
.minated  but  a  few  years  hence.  Through  re- 
ports of  "Toryism  "  Mr.  Brown  was  unable  to 
obtain  an  order  of  compensation  for  a  number 
of  years,  but  finally  proved  his  patriotism  by 
producing  proof  of  his  furnishing  a  substitute 
that  was  in  Willett's  command,  through  Willett 
himself. 

The  case  and  the  close  of  it  was  thus 
noticed  by  the  Canajoharie  Radii: — 

"A  very  important  and  interesting  case  in  the 
Supreme  Court,  Schoharie  County,  was  also 
tried  before  Hon.  Peter  S.  Danforth,  Referee, 
at  this  place  during  the  second  week  in  August 
inst.,  growing  out  of  a  Revolutionary  claim  for 
the  taking  of  the  personal  property  of  Con- 
radt Brown,  in  the  year  lySr,  by  the  United 
States  troops,  by  order  of  Colonel  Willett,  for 
the  supply  of  the  army  at  Fort  Plain  on  the 
Mohawk  river. 

"The  State  of  New  York  passed  an  act  in 
1785,  exonerating  said  Willett,  and  requiring 
him  to  account  to  the  State  for  the  property 
so  taken,  and  to  pay  the  value  of  the  same, 
or  account  therefor  to  the  Treasurer  of  New 
York,  that  it  might  be  brought  into  account 
with  the  United  States  which  was  paid  by  the 
United  States  to  the  State  of  New  York,  in 
1790,  with  interest,  in  order  that  the  persons 
who  were  entitled  to  the  same,  might  make 
application  to  our  Legislature  for  the  amount 
respectively  due  them,  for  the  property  so  taken. 
Subsequently,  Conradt  Brown  departed  this  life ; 
leaving  by  his  last  will  and  testament,  all  his 
interest  in  this  money,  to  his  son,  Marcus,  who 
in  his  life-time,  assigned  and  set  over  to  Messrs. 
Brown  &   Machin,   one-half  of  said   demand, 


providing  they  procured  the  passage  of  a  law 
by  our  Legislature,  to  pay  the  same  to  Marcus 
Brown  or  his  legal  representatives.  The  pas- 
sage of  this  law  was  procured  by  Messrs.  Brown 
&  Machin,  as  per  agreement,  directing  the 
Treasurer  to  pay  to  said  Marcus,  $1,545.  After 
the  passage  of  the  law,  said  Marcus  died,  leav- 
ing Peter  Brown,  his  sole  executor,  who  insisted 
upon  drawing  the  full  amount  of  the  demand, 
but  finally  consented  that  said  Machin  should 
draw  one-quarter  thereof,  but  refused  to  allow 
Severenus  Brown  to  draw  any  portion  thereof; 
insisting  that  the  assignment  was  against  public 
policy  and  void.  Messrs.  Brown  &  Machin 
had  severed  their  claim,  and  Severenus  Brown 
brought  an  action  against  said  Peter,  executor, 
to  recover  his  share  of  the  money,  which  was 
referred  to  Ex-Senator  Danforth,  of  Middle- 
burgh.  Hon.  J.  H.  SaUsbury,  of  Sharon,  and 
J.  A.  Bloomingdale,  Esq.,  of  Albany,  appeared  ' 
as  counsel  for  Severenus,  and  Messrs.  Dewey  & 
Moak,  of  Cherry  Valley,,  for  Peter  Brown,  the 
executor. 

"When  the  plaintiffrested  his  case,  Mr.  Dewey 
moved  for  a  non-suit,  on  the  grounds  that  the 
claim  was  not  assignable,  because  it  was  a  mere 
bounty  from  government,  and  a  mere  matter 
in  expectancy;  that  the  consideration  of  the 
assignment  was  an  agreement  to  perform  lobby 
services,  and  therefore  void  and  against  pubhc 
policy,  and  cited  a  number  of  cases  to  sustain 
him,  Mr.  Sahsbury  followed  in  opposition,  and 
exhibited  a  great  deal  of  ingenuity  in  his  argu- 
ment, dealing  now  and  then  in  sarcasm,  and  cre- 
ated some  considerable  laughter  by  his  witticisms 
aimed  at  Mr.  Dewey,  whom  he  at  the  same  time 
comphmented  for  his  ability  and  shrewdness. 
Mr.  Bloomingdale  also  followed  in  opposition 
to  the  motion  of  Mr.  Dewey,  and  in  a  very  able, 
pointed  and  masterly  manner  discussed  the 
principles  of  law  involved  in  the  case,  and  went 
on  to  show  that  there  was  a  very  wide  distinc- 
tion between  the  cases  cited  by  Mr.  Dewey  and 
the  one  under  discussion  ;  and  that  the  assign- 
ment was  vaUd  and  should  be  upheld.  His 
argument  was  unanswerable.  The  Referee 
here  refused  to  non-suit  the  plaintiff,  and  the 
defendant  proceeded  with  his  defence.  We 
understand  that  there  are  about  eight  thousand 
dollars  depending  indirectly  upon  the  result  of 


230 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


this  case.     It    was  an  important  question  and 
brought  out  the  talent  on  both  sides." 

Battle  of  Sharon.— dn  the  loth  of  July,  1781, 
an  engagement  occurred  between  the  forces  of 
Colonel  Willett  of  Fort  Stanwix  fame,  and  less 
than  three  hundred  regulars  and  militia,  and  one 
Dockstader  a  Mohawk  Tory,  at  the  head  of  over 
four  hundred  Tories  and  Indians,  near  Sharon 
Centre,  which  was  the  only  battle  fought  within 
the  town,  although  hostile  parties  came  very 
near  meeting  in  conflict  upon  two  other  occa- 
sions. At  this  time  Colonel  Willett  with  Major 
Robert  McKean  was  stationed  at  Fort  Plain, 
and  had  sent  a  foraging  party  over  to  "Turlah" 
for  supplies,  and  upon  their  return  they  discov- 
ered the  tracks  of  a  large  force  traveling  in  a 
southwesterly  direction.  To  estimate  their  num- 
bers, the  party  walked  back  and  forth  by  the 
■  side  of  the  enemy's  trail  and  judging  by  the 
number  of  tracks  thus  made,  a  force  of  at  least 
three  hundred  had  of  late  passed  along,  and  were 
principally  Indians.  The  foragers  sent  two  mes- 
sengers to  apprise  Colonel  Willett  of  the  fact, 
and  the  remainder  cautiously  followed  the  trail 
and  found  the  encampment  west  of  the  present 
buildings  belonging  to  Frederick  Hiller.  Dock- 
stader had  that  day  devastated  Currytown  and 
taken  several  prisoners,  a  knowledge  of  which 
had  reached  Willett,  before  the  foraging  messen- 
gers had  arrived,  and  he  had  sent  a  small  force 
to  the  relief  of  that  settlement,  but  too  late  to 
bs  of  service.  When  he  was  made  acquainted  of 
the  encampment,  he  at  once,  with  that  in- 
trepidity that  characterized  his  military  life, 
started  with  a  small  force  to  give  battle  to  the 
invaders.  He  bent  his  course  to  a  small  block- 
house at  Friesbush,  then  in  command  of  Captain 
Gross,  where  he  increased  his  force,  andhaving 
men  in  his  ranks  that  were  from  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  had  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
grounds,  he  was  led  to  make  a  circuitous  march 
to  the  west,  and  place  his  force,  unperceived  by 
the  enemy,  in  a  ravine  a  short  distance  to  the 
south  of  the  encampment,  upon  Engle's  farm. 
His  march  from  Fort  Plain  and  the  placing  of 
his  men  was  done  during  the  night  of  the  9th. 
As  day  began  to  appear,  he  sent  men  out  to 
make  a  feint  upon  the  east  of  the  encampment, 
and  by  broad  daylight   the   whole  force    was 


aroused  and  ready  for  pursuing  the  prowlers, 
but  a  small  squad  was  led  off  in  an  opposite 
direction,  which  returned  soon  without  meeting 
any  enemy  or  having  their  suspicions  aroused. 
Soon,  one  McAdemy,  of  "  Turlah,"  and  a  Bel- 
linger, of  the  Mohawk,  cautiously  approached 
the  encampment  upon  the  south,  and  fired  into 
their  camp  and  retreated.  They  being  ready 
to  resume  their  march,  gave  chase  to  McAdemy 
and  his  comrades,  and  were  led  over  the  ground 
now  occupied  by  the  store  and  hotel — 
along  the  present  road  leading  to  the  south,  and 
down  into  the  ravine,  to  the  right,  upon  the 
sides  of  which  Willett's  men  were  placed,  to. 
give  them  an  unexpected  yet  warm  reception. 
As  the  scouts  had  run  quite  a  distance  and  were 
very  closely  pursued,  it  was  feared  that  as  the 
enemy  entered  the  gully  they  would  kill  them. 
Colonel  Willett,  who  was  stationed  upon  the 
left,  in  his  excitement,  raised  up  and  swung  his 
hat,  exclaiming,  "  Give  it  to  them,  boys,  I  can 
catch  all  the  bullets  the  damn  Indians  can  send." 
At  this,  McKean  and  his  men  upon  the  right, 
gave  them  a  broadside,  and  the  battle  com- 
menced. The  Indians  seeing  they  were  cut  off 
from  fighting  from  behind  trees,  pushed  along 
down  the  small  stream  to  the  southwest,  and  as 
they  emerged  upon  the  flat,  Willett's  force  and 
theirs  became  mixed  and  they  fought 

"  Hand  to  hand,  and  eye  to  eye," 

as  at  Oriskany,  nearly  one  quarter  of  an  hour, 
when  the  Indians  gave  a  whoop  and  made  a 
precipitate  retreat  to  the  southeast.  Willett's 
force  followed  nearly  three  miles,  and  returned 
to  care  for  the  wounded.  Over  seventy  of  the 
enemy  were  slain  and  five  of  the  patriots,  there 
being  also  a  few  wounded,  among  whom  was 
the  brave  Major  McKean.  He  was  taken  to  Fort 
Plain  and  survived  but  a  few  days.  The  next 
day  a  party  was  -sent  to  bury  the  slain,  and 
among  them  were  found  Jacob  Diefendorf,  a 
lad  taken  prisoner  at  Currytown  on  the  gth, 
and  whom  the  savages  had  scalped  upon  their 
retreat,  also  a  small  girl,  who  survived  biit  a  few 
hours  after  being  discovered.  Mr.  Diefendorf 
lived  to  an  advanced  age,  and  became  one  of 
the  wealthiest  men  of  Montgomery  county. 
While  the  battle  of  Sharon  was  of  short  dura- 
tion and  of  less  numbers  than  many  others,  yet 


TOWN  OF  SHARON. 


23' 


but  few  were  more  bloody  and  obstinate  than 
this.  It  was  a  counterpart  to  the  one  of  Oris- 
kany,  in  which  that  valor  was  displayed  which  so 
nobly  adorns  the  annals  of  American  history. 

Robert  McKean  was  a  native  of  Cherry  Val- 
ley, and  at  the  head  of  a  company  early  entered 
the  service  as  Captain.  For  bravery  and  vigil- 
ance, he  was  promoted  to  Major,  and  his  early 
death  was  lamented  by  his  comrades,  especially 
by  his  superior,  Colonel  Willett.  McKean  was 
in  several  engagements,  but  in  none  displayed 
fear  or  inaction,  but  on  the  contrary,  the  great- 
est courage  and  wisdom.  While  holding  a 
captain's  commission  in  1780,  he  joined  Van 
Rensselaer  with  his  company  and  a  body  of 
Oneida  Indians  to  intercept  Sir  John  Johnson 
in  his  devastation  of  the  Mohawk  valley. 
His  remains,  we  are  told,  were  buried 
near  the  fort  at  Fort  Plain,  and  the  little  strong- 
hold was  named  in.  honor  of  the  brave  officer, 
Fort  McKean. 

"Colonel  Marinus  Willett  was  born  at 
Jamaica,  Long  Island,  July  31,  1740.  He  was 
a  farmer's  son,  and  early  entered  the  Provincial 
service,  and  was  under  Montgomery  in  his 
northern  expedition  as  Captain,  and  at  the 
opening  of  the  campaign  of  1777,  was  placed 
in  command  of  Fort  Constitution  as  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  During  that  year  he  was  ordered  to 
Fort  Stanwix,  and  after  the  unsuccessful  attack 
of  Colonel  St.  Leger,  he  was  left  in  command 
until  the  summer  of  1778,  when  he  joined 
Washington,  and  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of 
Monmouth.  He  was  in  Sullivan's  invasion  of 
the  Indian  country  in  1779,  and  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  Mohawk  valley  in  1780,  1781  and 
1782.  In  1792  he  was  appointed  by  Washing- 
ton to  treat  with  the  Creek  Indians,  and  the 
same  year  appointed  a  Brigadier-General  in  the 
army  intended  to  act  against  the  Northwestern 
Indians.  He  declined,  as  he  was  opposed  to 
the  expedition.  He  was  Mayor  of  New  York 
City  in  1807,  and  previous  was  Sheriff  of  that 
county.  In  1824  he  was  chosen  Presidential 
Elector,  and  was  made  president  of  the  electoral 
college.  He  died  in  New  York  August  22, 
1830,    in    the  ninety-first  year     of  his   age."* 

*  Benson  J.  Lossing. 


We  clip  the  following  from  the  New  York 
Journal  of  Commerce: — 

"  The  coffin  of  Colonel  Willett,  who  recently 
died  in  this  city,  was  made  of  pieces  of  wood 
collected  by  himself  many  years  ago,  from 
different  Revolutionary  grounds.  The  corpse, 
in  compliance  with  a  written  request  of  the  de- 
ceased, was  habited  in  a  complete  suit  of  ancient 
citizen's  apparel,  including  an  old  fashioned 
three-cornered  hat,  which  had  been  preserved  for 
that  purpose..  It  is  estimated  that  seven  thou- 
sand persons  passed  through  the  house  for  the 
purpose  of  viewing  the  remains." 

At  that  time  one  Leem  (Lamb)  lived  where 
Augustus  Parson  now  resides,  and  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  road  lived  the  Hopper 
family,  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by  George 
P.  Hiller.  They  were  sons-in-law  of  Har- 
wanger,  who  fled  to  Canada  in  1777.  Mrs.. 
Harwanger  was  then  living  with  Hopper  and 
sympathized  with  the  patriots,  and  while  the 
battle  was  waging,  she  retired  to  the  back  of 
the  house  and  prayed  to  the  God  of  Battles  for 
the  patriots'  success. 

A  few  days  previous  to  the  battle,  Leem 
(Lamb)  while  asleep,  dreamed  that  an  army  was 
to  invade  the  neighborhood,  and  it  worked  upon 
his  mind  to  that  extent  that  he  was  led  to  re- 
move his  family  to  Fort  Plain  the  day  before 
the  battle.  After  the  engagement,  the  remain- 
der of  the  settlers  quit  their  places  for  safety 
and  did  not  return  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
except  to  gather  their  harvest. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  Mrs.  Leem's  (Lamb's) 
daughter,  Anna  Maria,  a  young  and  blooming 
girl  of  sixteen,  walked  over  from  Fort  Plain 
to  the  farm  to  pull  flax,  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  battle-ground,  intending  to  return  the 
same  night,  but  not  being  able  to  finish  her 
task,  she  made  a  bed  of  flax  in  one  corner  of 
the  lot  and  remained  over  night.  The  next 
morning  .she  arose  with  the  sun  and  secured  the 
remainder  and  walked  to  the  fort  by  dinner 
time.  How  many  of  the  girls  of  to-day  would 
dare  do  the  same,  or  think  they  could  even 
walk  that  distance  ?  But  few,  if  any.  Con- 
sidering the  natural  timidity  of  the  female  sex, 
we  think  her  a  heroine,  especially  in  lying 
through  the  cheerless  night,  so  near  the  blood- 


232 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


stained  battle-field,  where  imagination  would 
naturally  see  all  the  horrors  of  the  strife  re- 
hearsed, and  court  the  disagreeable  nervousness 
of  fear,  to  insanity  !  She  afterwards  became 
the  wife  of  one  of  the  patriotic  Karkers,  of 
New  Rhinebeck,  and  the  mother  of  a  highly 
respected  family. 

On  the  gth  of  July,  1881,  a  centennial  celebra- 
tion* was  held  upon  the  ground  on  which  young 
Diefendorf  was  scalped,  and  was  attended  by 
several  hundred  citizens  from  the  surrounding 
country.  John  Beakley,  Esq.,  presided,  and  ad- 
dresses were  made  by  John  Van  Schaick,  Esq., 
and  Watson  Lamont,  Esq. ,  of  Cobleskill.  A  poem 
by  Hon.  John  Bowdish,  and  historical  address  by 
W.  E.  Roscoe,  were  read,  and  interspersed  by 
both  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  which,  taken 
together,  made  very  imposing  and  appropriate 
ceremonies. 

Capture  of  Myndert  and  Others. 

The  next  hostile  movement  in  the  town  was 
made  where  the  little  hamlet  long  known  as 
Moak's  Hollow  now  stands,  and  upon  the  farm 
owned  and  occupied  by  Joseph  Sharpe.  About 
the  year  1755  or  1760,  one  Christian  Myndert, 
now  pronounced  "Miner"  settled  upon  Mr. 
Sharpe's  farm.  His  house  stood  a  little  north 
of  the  foundry  site  upon  the  side  hill,  on  the 
farm  near" where  the  present  one  stands.  Sev- 
eral incursions  were  made  during  the  season  of 
1781,  by  Colonel  Willett's  men  to  obtain  sup- 
plies from  the  Tories  for  the  garrison  at  Fort 
Plain,  and  squads  of  Indians  were  frequently 
sent  to  intercept  them,  and  were  secreted  by 
the  Tories  to  watch  their  opportunity  to  kill  or 
take  them  prisoners,  but  being  too  cowardly  to 
undertake  such  risks;  they  failed  to  be  of  ser- 
vice until  about  the  middle  of  September,  1782. 
Myndert  and  family,  knowing  the  Indians  were 
frequently  secreted  in  the  neighborhood,  became 
fearful  of  their  safety,  and  in  the  fall  of  1781, 
removed  to  Middleburgh  Fort,  and  returned  in 
the  spring  with  several  scouts,  to  do  their  spring's 
work.  In  September,  as  above  stated,  he  made 
a  bargain  with  six  others  to  return  to  his  farm, 
to  harvest  his  crops,  agreeing  with  the  six  to 
divide  equally  with  them.     Those  that  engaged 


*See  appendix. 


in  the  speculation  were  Jacob  and  Philip  Karker, 
Lieutenant  Jacob  Borst,  of  Cobleskill,  William 
Kneiskern  and  two  others  whose  names  our  in- 
formant cannot  recall. 

Mrs.  Myndert  came  over  to  cook  for  the  party. 
They  had  worked  but  a  day  or  two,  when  one 
afternoon  it  began  to  rain,  and  they  sought  the 
house  for  shelter,  not  perceiving  a  squad  of 
Indians  that  had  gained  access  to  the  barn, 
assisted  by  one  of  the  neighboring  Tories.  In 
entering  the  house  the  party  placed  their  guns  in 
one  corner  of  the  kitchen  and  sat  down  in  front 
of  the  fireplace  to  dry  their  clothing  and  while 
chatting,  without  any  idea  of  insecurity,  the  door 
was  thrown  open  and  nine  powerful  Indians 
with  guns  and  tomahawks,  headed  by  an  invete- 
rate Tory,  rushed  in,  between  the  party  and 
their  guns.  The  Karkers  and  Kneiskern  en- 
joyed a  knock  down,  but  the  muzzle  of  the  In- 
dians' guns  being  brought  to  their  breasts,  they 
agreed  to  submit  as  prisoners,  and  were  soon  on 
the  road  to  Niagara,  by  the  way  of  the  Susque- 
hanna river,  with  their  hands  bound  behind 
them. 

Mrs.  Myndert  was  allowed  to  return  to  the 
middle  fort,  alone,  with  the  comphments  of  the 
Tory  commander,  to  Colonel  Vroman.  Upon 
marching  through  the  southern  part  of  the  town 
they  barely  escaped  a  party  of  Willett's  men, 
who  were  upon  a  foraging  expedition,  and  had 
found  shelter  from  the  storm  in  the  Tory  Phihp 
Crysler's  house,  but  a  short  distance  from  the 
captors'  and  captives' path.  The  prisoners  were 
severely  treated,  especially  as  they  passed 
through  Indian  villages,  when  they  were-  com- 
pelled to  run  the  gauntlet  for  the  amusement  of 
the  younger  class  of  the  "noble  red  man." 
Their  vengeance  seemed  to  be  more  especially 
upon  Lieutenant  Borst,  as  he  had  been  a  terror 
to  the  Indians  and  Tories.  The  prisoners 
secretly  consulted  with  each  other,  except  Myn- 
dert, upon  the  propriety  of  effecting  an  escape, 
but  hardly  dared  to  speak  of  it  to  him  as  he 
seemed  to  be  a  willing  captive,  but  upon  arriv- 
ing at  Niagara,  they  became  better  acquainted 
and  had  opportunities  to  talk  with  him  upon 
their  desired  escape,  and  found  he  had  wished 
to  broach  the  subject  many  times,  but  was  fear- 
ful of  being  unsuccessful.  The  whole  party  were 
retained  after  peace  was  proclaimed,  but  they 


TOWN  OF  SHARON. 


233 


made  their  escape  by  digging  beneath  the  pick- 
ets that  enclosed  their  prison. 

William  Kneiskern  was  taken  to  Rebel  Island 
and  there  he  secretly  procured  three  brandy 
casks  and  lashed  them  together  and  set  him- 
self afloat  upon  them.  He  safely  landed 
upon  the  American  side  several  miles  from  the 
Island  and  returned  to  his  home.  He  after- 
wards settled  in  Decatur,  Otsego  county,  and 
was  one  of  four  brothers  living  in  Carlisle,  two  of 
whom  were  loyal  to  the  Crown  and  two  true  and 
faithful  patriots.  Lieutenant  Borst  had  acted  as 
scout  through  the  war,  previous  to  his  captivity, 
and  being  exposed  to  all  kinds  of  weather  and 
hardships,  he  had  contracted  a  severe  cough, 
which  terminated  in  consumption  and  death,  soon 
after  reaching  home.  Our  informant,  Solomon 
Karker,  is  a  nephew  of  the  Karker  prisoners,  and 
was  conversant  with  the  men  themselves  and  has 
been  a  faithful  as  well  as  retentive  listener  to 
many  interesting  conversations  between  the  ac- 
tors of  the  Revolution. 

We  find  many  pages  of  charming  reading  in 
the  history  of  our  County,  in  admiration  of  less 
worthy  characters  than  Lieutenant  Borst.  We 
find,  as  in  other  cases,  the  praise  of  doing  was 
given  many  times  to  those  who  pretended  to  do 
and  the  risks  and  valor  of  the  quiet  and  un- 
pretending were  coveted  by  unprincipled  braga- 
docio,  and  handed  down  to  us  to  admire.  Borst 
possessed  one  of  the  most  daring  spirits  that 
those  times  produced,  and  no  labor,  endurance, 
danger  or  sacrifice  was  too  great  for  him  to  lay 
upon  the  altar  of  Liberty  and  Independence. 
But  the  noble  patriot  lived  not  to  enjoy  the 
sweets  of  his  labors.  He  drooped  and  died  as 
the  tree  of  liberty  began  to  thicken  with  the 
fohage  of  political  and  religious  blessings. 

The  closing  Ufe  of  Rev.  Peter  N.  Sommers, 
was  passed  in  this  town,  a  few  rods  to  the  west 
of  the  "  St.  John's  Evangelical  church."  After 
preaching  over  forty  years,  in  various  places,  but 
principally  at  Schoharie,  and  becoming  blind, 
he  settled  here  and  preached  occasionally  in  the 
neighboring  churches  and  houses.  .  Formerly  he 
performed  his  ministerial  journeys  on  foot  and 
undoubtedly  did  not  consider  his  task  any  more 
laborious  than  do  many  of  our  modern  preach- 
ers that  have  two  parishes  under  their  charge  a 
few  miles  apart.  '  The   people  of  those  days 


seemed  to  have  been  created  with  constitutional 
strength  and  capacity  for  the  times,  and  no 
amount  of  endurance  was  too  great  for  them. 
Sommers  was  a  ripe  scholar  and  wrote  several 
theological  works,  also  a  dictionary  of  English, 
High  and  Low  Dutch,  words  and  scriptural  pas- 
sages, which  we  believe  to  be  the  first  one  writ- 
ten in  America,  and  which  is  now  in  the  care  of 
the  Lutheran  Archaeological  Institute  at  Gettys- 
burgh,  with  other  works  of  his  composition. 

We  believe  his  ability  to  have  been  greater 
than  is  generally  conceded,  from  the  fact  that 
his  charges  were  made  up  of  a  too  illiterate  class 
of  people  to  appreciate  his  talents.  Yet  his 
ministry  was  successful  in  the  extreme,  which 
shows  a  mark  of  greatness  in  humbling  his  tal- 
ented mind  to  parallel  ideas  and  reasonings  of 
his  rude  and  uneducated  flocks.  His  nephew, 
Mr.  David  Sommers,  has  the  old  gentleman's 
Bible,  which  he  brought  with  him  from  Germany, 
and  from  which  he  preached  so  faithfully  and 
earnestly  so  many  long  years.  The  book  is 
bound  with  heavy  hog-skin  leather  over  oak 
board  covers  of  three-eighths  inch  thickness,  and 
formerly  decorated  with  heavy  brass  clasps.  The 
book  is  prodigious  in  dimensions,  it  being  nearly 
eight  inches  in  thickness,  eighteen  in  length,  and 
twelve  in  breadth,  and  embellished  with  large 
wood  cuts  of  very  fine  workmanship  for  those 
times.  It  bears  the  date  of  1736.  It  being 
very  heavy  and  having  been  carried  here  and 
there,  during  the  Revolution,  for  safety,  and 
many  times  the  exigency  of  the  case  could  not 
warrant  careful  handling,  it  has  sprung  the  bind- 
ing, but  otherwise  it  has  been  kept  very  neat, 
and  is  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  It  is  a 
relic  of  great  worth,  and  a  place  should  be  es- 
tablished by  the  County  for  the  keeping  of  all 
such  boons  as  have  been  handed  down  to  us  by 
our  worthy  ancestors,  there  to  be  preserved  in 
the  original  form.  Those  writings  at  Gettys- 
burgh  should  adorn  the  shelves  of  a  like  place 
in  our  County,  or  State,  at  least.  Mr.  Som- 
mers showed  us  a  manuscript  of  Bible  passages 
in  English,  High  and  Low  Dutch,  that  were 
written  by  his  grandfather,  in  a  plain,  neat  and 
precise  manner,  and  which  we  think  were  for 
school  purposes,  as  it  was  common  for  the  then 
languages  to  be  used,  independent  of  each  other 
in  the  schools  and  religious  meetings.     Reverend 


234 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


Sommers  organized  the  Rhinebeck  and  "Tur- 
lah  "  churches,  in  1775.  The  former  was  called 
"  St.  Peter's,"  and  the  latter  "  St.  John's."  The 
Turlah  meetings,  previous  to  1796,  were  held  in 
barns,  (they  being  more  spacious  than  the 
houses,)  when  a  church  edifice  was  built  upon 

the  brow   of  the  hill  below  Mr. Empie's, 

but  which  was  taken  down  upon  the  building  of 
the  present  structure.  A  few  graves  mark  the 
spot,  as  well  as  the  neglect  of  the  present  age 
in  caring  for  the  resting  places  of  those  who 
founded  our  happy  homes.  Rev.  Henry  A. 
Moeller,  was  the  first  resident  pastor,  as  also  of 
St.  Peter's,  and  the  same  pastors  officiated  in 
the  two  churches  up  to  the  closing  of  services 
in  that  ancient  edifice.  Since  that  time  the 
following  have  been  the  pastors,  with  the  dates 
of  their  coming,  as  near  as  Mr.  David  Som- 
mers can   inform  us : — 

1842 — James  Fenner. 

1845 — A.  L.  Bridgman. 

1847 — Martin  J.  Stover. 

1848— W.  H.  Emerick. 

1855 — L.  Swackhammer. 

1858— H.  Wheeler. 

1864— N.  Wert. 

1866 — Hemperly. 

1868— I.  S.  Porter. 

1870— N.  Klock. 

1874 — Henry  Keller. 

1877 —        do 

1877 — M.  J.  Stover,  and  present. 

The  first  records  of  this  society  are  lost,  and 
the  present  ones,  as  with  the  majority  of 
churches,  are  not  kept  in  a  systematic  manner, 
as  they  should  be.  This  society  was  re-organ- 
ized on  the  6th  of  June,  1808,  according  to  an 
act  of  legislature  passed  the  27th  of  March, 
1 80 1.  We  find  Jacob  Anthony,  Peter  Traber, 
and  Nicholas  Sommers,  were  then  trustees,  and 
Jacob  Crounse,  clerk.  The  articles  of  organ- 
ization were  signed  by  Henry  France,  and  John 
Sommers.  During  the  long  term  of  years  since 
that  day,  we  find,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
short  seasons,  that  David  Sommers,  Robert  S. 
Conyer,  and  John  H.  Sternbergh,  have  officiated 
as  clerks  of  the  society. 

The  Reformed  Church  of  Dorlach  was  erected 
the  same  year  that  the   Lutherans   built   the 


church  upon  the  hill,  and  still  stands  as  a 
monument  of  other  days.  It  has  been  twice 
repaired  since  its  erection.  The  organization 
dates  back  to  1771,  and  was  sustained  in 
conjunction  with  the  "Rhinebeck  Reformed" 
(now  Lawyersville,)  as  St.  Peter's  and  St. 
John's  were,  although  two,  yet  one. 

There  was  not  a  resident  pastor  over  the 
organizations  until  the  year  1796,  and  from  that 
date  to  the  present  time  nearly  the  same  pas- 
tors have  officiated  as  at  New  Rhinebeck  and 
Lawyersville : — 

1 796-1 798 — Bort. 
1 80  i-i  8 1 1  — Labagh. 
1816-1820 — U.  Jones. 
1829-1832 — Raymond. 
1 83  3- 1 83  7 — Bassler. 
1838-1840 — Frazee. 
1 841-1845 — Chitenden. 
1 846- 1 848 — Bogaidus. 
1849-1850 — Eckel. 
185  2-1 853 — Julian. 
1855-1856— N.  W.  Jones,  [ss.] 
1856-1864 — Raymond. 
1867-187 1— Van  Woert. 
187 1-1874— Shaffer. 
1875-1877 — Carr. 
1877-1879 — Kershaw,  [ss.J 

At  present  the  church  is  without  a  pastor, 
and  as  to  the  organization,  all  that  can  be 
gleaned  is  given  in  the  Cobleskill  Chapter  of 
this  work,  under  the  head  of  the  Reformed 
Church  of  Lawyersville. 

We  will  here  add,  that  a  more  regular  organi- 
zation than  at  first  of  this  branch  was  made  the 
31st  of  July,  1795.  It  should  be  understood 
that  the  churches  formed  in  the  border  settle- 
ments, at  an  early  day,  were  not  organized  as 
at  a  later  date.  There  was  no  formality,  but 
simply  a  "  coming  together  "  and  establishing  a 
society  without  any  prescribed  rules  or  instruc- 
tions from  Synods  or  Presbyteries,  and  when 
they  became  established,  and  the  head-orders 
of  the  church  able  to  reach  them  and  assist, 
they  re-organized  them,  according  to  estab- 
lished tenets  of  such  church. 

Condition  of  Settlers. — While  the  settlers  of 
the   town  were  well-to-do  farmers  up  to    the 


TOWN  OF  SHAROfJ. 


2^5 


years  1780  and  1781,  the  inroads  made  upon 
their  productions  by  Colonel  Willett  and  In- 
dians, left  them  in  poverty  and  compelled  the 
most  of  them  to  resort  to  Schoharie  or  the  Mo- 
hawk. They  did  not  feel  safe  personally,  and 
to  delve  along  through  the  season  and  have  it 
taken  from  them  in  the  fall  without  a  recom- 
pense was  too  discouraging,  and  they  quit  their 
places,  as  the  timid  and  the  bold  Tories  had 
done  before.  When  peace  was  proclaimed  they 
returned,  bringing  with  them  others,  who  settled 
near,  and  all  began  to  make  the  forest  again 
disappear  before  their  vigorous  strokes,  and  by 
the  year  1800  but  a  small  part,  if  any,  of  the 
town  remained  unoccupied. 

Several  farms  were  confiscated,  as  their  own- 
ers had  proved  loyal  to  the  Crown,  and  did 
everything  to  injure  the  Colonial  cause.  And 
several  instances  occurred  where  a  covetous 
neighbor  made  charges  of  Toryism  against 
others  to  obtain  his  possessions  at  reduced  rates, 
which  caused  no  little  trouble,and  also  implant- 
ed a  hatred  that  is  easily  aroused,  even  at  this  late 
day.  Such  charges  were  not  sustained,  as  it 
was  an  easy  matter  to  convince  by  positive 
proof,  the  confiscation  committee  of  true  pa- 
triotism or  Toryism.  We  can  say  the  settlers  as 
they  returned  were  poor,  and  the  year  ]  784  was 
one  of  hardships  to  them,  as  the  fore  part  of 
the  season  was  continual  rain,  and  the  latter 
continual  drought.  Petitions  were  sent  abroad 
to  older  settlements  for  subsistence,  and  were 
liberally  responded  to,  which  perhaps  saved 
them  from  famine. 

Turnpike. — In  1793  the  route  of  the  "  Great 
Western  Turnpike"  was  laid  out  through  the 
town,  and  promises  made  of  a  great  western 
thoroughfare  that  would  prove  of  immense 
advantage  to  the  country.  But  long  years 
passed  before  a  regular  wagon  road  was  con- 
structed, not  until  1806  and  1807.  In  1802 
the  Loonenbergh  road  (now  Athens-on-the- 
Hudson)  was  surveyed  but  not  completed  until 
1810  and  181 T.  These  roads  were  the  great 
thoroughfares,  and  both  running  through  the 
town,  gave  an  impetus  in  business  that  was 
astonishing.  The  immigration  from  the  Hud- 
son river  counties  and  the  Eastern  States  to  the 
west  was  made  by  ox  and  horse  teams  before 


large  covered  wagons  with  broad  tire,  and  the 
country  being  new  produced  a  large  quantity 
of  grain,  which  was  carted  to  Albany  and 
Catskill,  making  an  immense  amount  of  travel, 
and  gave  existence  to  numberless  houses  of 
entertainment  then  called  taverns. 

Taverns. — The  first  one  upon  the  Loonen- 
bergh road  that  we  will  notice  was  at  Beekman's 
Corners,  kept  by  Jacob  Crounse,  of  Guilder- 
land,  a  ready  compounder  of  "flips"  and 
"  toddy,"  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  many 
customers,  and  above  him,  to  the  west,  was  one 
kept  by  Cornelius  Beekraan,  son  of  Judge 
Beekman. 

Militia  training  was  here  frequently  held,  and  it 
was  during  one  of  the  drills  at  this  place  in 
i8t2,  that  Lieutenant  William  Elmandorf,  of 
Lawyersville,  (and  afterwards  Major)  procured 
a  fifer  and  drummer,  and  marched  around  the 
grounds  calling  for  volunteers  to  join  the  array 
on  the  northern  frontier.  This  company  was 
the  first  that  went  from  Schoharie  County,  and 
did  signal  service,  as  will  be  seen  by  consulting 
Chapter  IV. 

Beekman's  Corners. 

Beekman's  Corners  which  seems  to  be  so  iso- 
lated at  the  present  time,  was  in  the  first  quarter 
of  the  century  the  most  prominent  part  of  the 
town,  with  the  exception  of  Leesville.  Here 
Judge  Beekman  resided,  and  around  him  clus- 
tered a  sturdy  class  of  people  who  looked  upon 
him  with  honor  and  marked  confidence.  During 
a  somewhat  heated  political  campaign,  a  warm 
politician  of  the  Whig  faction  asked  a  neighbor 
of  his  if  he  would  support  the  Whig  candidate. 
He  thought  a  moment  and  replied,  "  Shust  as 
Shudge  Peekmon  dells  me."  We  find  the  old 
settlers  of  each  settlement  had  their  confidential 
advisor,  and  every  matter  was  left  to  him,  on 
the  plea  that  they  had  not  the  time  to  consider 
weighty  matters.  A  short  distance  to  the  east 
Peter  A.  Hilton,  a  very  energetic  man,  after  a 
few  years  in  the  mercantile  trade  near  the  Centre 
church  in  Seward,  built  the  present  brick  man- 
sion and  storehouse  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  Mr.  John  Pindar.  Mr.  Hilton  held  several 
official  positions  in  the  town,  beside  represent- 
ing the  town  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in 


236 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


1815  and  again  in  181 9.  He  represented  the 
County  in  the  Assembly  in  1812,  1813,  1816 
and  181 7,  with  Heman  Hickok,  Wra.  C.  Bouck, 
Thomas  Lawyer,  Isaac  Barber  and  Aaron  Hub- 
bard, and  proved  a  successful  legislator.  A 
copartnership  was  formed  between  him  and 
Jacob  Crounse,  which  lasted  several  years. 
Becoming  aged  he  sold  his  farm  to  Judge 
Robert  Eldredge  and  settled  at  Hyndsville  in 
1838,  wheie  his  son  continues  the  mercantile 
business. 

Robert  Eldredge  was  supervisor  of  the  town 
in  1821,  1822,  1823,  1824,  1834, 1835,  1836  and 
1840,  member  of  assembly,  in  1826  and  1831, 
with  Martinus  Mattice  of  Middleburgh,  and 
Daniel  Hager,  Jr.,  of  North  Blenheim,  and  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  assistant  judge  of 
Common  Pleas,  in  1832.  While  we  are  not  led 
to  think  that  as  grave  and  intricate  judicial  la- 
bors and  duties  engaged  the  minds  of  the  two 
judges  found  here,  as  now,  yet  we  find  they  per- 
formed their  duties  assigned  them,  with  satisfac- 
tion and  dignity.  Judge  Eldredge  was  an  asso- 
ciate with  John  C.  Wright,  and  was  born  in  this 
town  in  1795,  and  died  in  December,  1848, 
consequently  was  fifty-three  years  of  age. 

His  grandfather,  Edward  Eldredge,  in  com- 
pany with  a  brother,  emigrated  from  Wales, 
and  settled  upon  Cape  Cod,  Massachusetts. 
After  residing  there  a  short  time,he  came  to  this 
town  in  1788. 

He  had  five  sons.  Barnabas  was  the  fourth, 
and  was  the  father  of  Robert  and  Seth.  He 
represented  the  County  in  the  legislature  in 
1820,  and  182 1.  Seth  also  held  the  same  posi- 
tion in  1844,  and  his  son  Edward  in  1865.  Thus 
we  see  the  Eldredge  family  have  been  prominent 
citizens  of  the  town  and  County,  in  an  official 
point  of  view,  and  perhaps  few  famiUes  can  be 
found,  who  possess  the  genius  required  to  "keep  a 
hotel  "  equal  to  this  family,  from  the  oldest  to  the 
youngest.  Their  fame  is  known  to  the  travel- 
ling public,  as  adepts  in  the  business  to  which 
we  shall  hereafter  have  occasion  to  allude. 

While  we  are  here  at  the  "  corners,"  it  would 
be  unjust  not  to  refer  to  one  who  was  long  a 
resident  here,  and  whose  career  has  been  quite 
different  from  those  of  whom  we  have  made 
mention.     While  they  were  useful  in  the  official 


arena,  solving  intricate  legal  questions  and  de- 
bating upon  enactments,  this  quiet  neighbor 
attended  to  the  ills  to  which  the  fiesh  is  heir, 
and  spent  many  years  in  literary  pursuits,  beside 
studying  the  art  of  portrait  painting — three 
avocations  that  are  the  least  appreciated  by  the 
majority  of  people,  and  upon  the  labors  of  which 
fortune  has  but  few  smiles  as  financial  emolu- 
ments. 

Dr.  Sylvanus  Palmer. — In  1840  the  political 
excitement  over  Harrison's  election  ran  to  ex- 
tremes. While  the  nation  was  awakened  to 
sing  "Zip  Coon,''  drink  hard  cider  and  build 
log  houses  in  honor  of  the  rural  birth  and  life 
of  "  Tippecanoe,"  New  York  was  also  ablaze 
over  har  Gubernatorial  election,  especially 
Schoharie  County,  as  the  Democratic  candi- 
date was  one  of  her  prominent  citizens.  Wm. 
C.  Bouck,  Wm.  H.  Seward  and  Gerritt  Smith 
were  the  contestants,  but  Seward  being  in  the 
all-powerful  current  with  Harrison,  he  was  elec- 
ted by  a  majority  of  2,541  over  both  Bouck 
and  Smith.  Believing  in  Bouck's  honesty  and 
popularity,  his  adherents  kept  his  political  vir- 
tues before  the  people  and  renominated  him 
in  1842  and  were  successful  in  his  election. 
Great  excitement  prevailed,  and  during  the  two 
campaigns  numberless  grave  and  humorous 
missives  were  published  and  sung  against  Bouck 
and  the  party  that  elected  him.  There  never 
was  an  election  that  brought  out  more  poUtical 
genius  and  wit  than  those  of  1840  and  1842. 
Governor  Bouck  had  held  various  official  posi- 
tions, among  which  was  that  of  Canal  Commis- 
sioner, and  in  the  performance  of  his  duties  he 
rode  a  gray  mare,  as  he  superintended  all  the 
works  himself  and  did  not  entrust  them  to  sub- 
officers.  His  opponents  said  he  was  so  accus- 
tomed to  stop  upon  meeting  any  one  to  shake 
hands,  for  political  objects,  that  the  old  mare  did 
not  require  a  rein  or  word  of  command  in  carry- 
ing Bouck  from  one  end  of  the  "canawl"  to  the 
other,  and  stopping  to  allow  him  to  shake  hands 
with  working  men— especially  before  election. 

The  famous  Sour  Krout  Message  was  pub- 
Hshed  without  a  knowledge  of  the  author  and 
created  an  endless  amount  of  merriment.  Dr. 
Palmer  was  the  author,  and  was  known  in  the 
literary  world  as  Peter  Paradox.     He  was  born 


TOWN  OF  SHARON. 


237 


near  Canastota  station  oh  the  4th  of  August, 
1804.  He  was  a  teacher  in  his  earliest  days, 
and  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  in  the 
office  of  Dr.  Shepherd,  at  Lawyersville,  in  r822, 
and  began  to  practice  in  that  town  immediately 
after  receiving  his  license  in  1825.  He  married 
Mary,  the  daughter  of  Major  Elmandorf,  in 
1826.  The  Doctor  early  cultivated  an  artistic 
taste,  and  painted  many  portraits  that  exhibit 
his  genius  in  the  art.  His  literary  productions 
have  been  many,  and  each  are  in  commend- 
able taste,  in  sentiment  humorous  and  display 
ingenius  wit  from  a  copious  fount.  No  more 
agreeable  conversationalist  could  be  found  than 
the  doctor,  and  he  was  ever  ready  to  be  amusing 
and  instructive.  He  died  suddenly  at  his  home, 
in  October,  1880. 

Farther  on  to  the  west,  near  the  Reformed 
church,  an  inn  was  kept  for  many  years  by  John 
Vanderwerken,  under  whose  supervision  the 
annual  three  days'  horse  racing  was  witnessed, 
much  to  the  merriment  of  the  country  folk  and 
advantages  of  "mine  host's  pocket-book."  The 
people  of  this  section  were,  as  of  others  to  which 
we  have  referred,  fond  of  "gala  days,"  such  as 
"training,"  "horse  racing"  and  "  law  suits,"  and 
turned  out  without  regard  to  age,  condition  or 
sex.  Farther  on  to  the  west  was  the  last  "stop- 
ping place  "  for  travelers,  and  nightly  gather- 
ings for  neighbors  on  the  Loonenbergh  in  the 
town  of  Sharon.  It  was  known  as  the  "  Sharpe 
place "  for  many  years,  and  was  long  occupied 
by  Daniel  Feathers,  previous  to  his  removal  to 
Rockville. 

Engle's  Mills. 

Peter,  Martin,  Mathias,  Jacob  and  Henry 
Engle,  sons  of  Jacob  Engle,  of  Berne,  Albany 
county,  settled  in  this  County  about  the  year 
1798.  The  latter  located  in  the  town  of  Mid- 
dleburgh,  while  the  foriher  four  brothers  settled 
in  this  town.  They  are  of  the  same  family  origi- 
nally of  those  speUing  the  name  with  an  A,  mak- 
ing it  Angle,  that  are  numerous  throughout  the 
County.  Engleh  correct,  and  should  be  adopted 
by  the  whole  family.  Peter  Engle  built  a  grist- 
mill about  the  year  18 10,  and  during  his  life 
built  there  at  different  times,  near  the  present 
mill  site.     His  son,  Moses  Engle,  is  the  present 


prop  ietor,  and  although  the  silver  ti  its  of  age 
crown  his  locks,  yet  the  vigor  of  his  niuscular 
frame  bids  fair  for  him  to  witness  the  centennial 
year  of  his  father's  settlement  upon  the  farm. 
The  first  settlers  of  this  portion  of  the  town  were 
the  Baxter  family,  the  descendants  of  whom  yet 
hve  near. 

Leesville. 

Upon  estabhshing  a  mail  route  over  the 
great  western  turnpike  in  1805,  Sharon  post- 
office  was  here  located,  and  for  many  years 
this  little  hamlet  was  the  chief  business  center. 
Here  were  three  hotels,  two  stores,  a  tannery, 
beside  blacksmith  and  other  shops  that  are 
usually  found  in  a  busy  country  village.  Here 
Calvin  Rich  settled  in  1784  from  Sharon,  Conn. 
He  was  of  a  legal  turn  of  mind,  and  did  con- 
siderable business  in  justice  courts,  and  during 
the  war  of  181 2  he  was  Colonel  upon  the  north- 
ern frontier  in  General  Richar  J  Dodge's  brigade. 
Mrs.  Cornelius  Lane,  of  Friesbush,  is  a  daughter 
of  the  Colonel,  and  is  the  only  one  of  the  family 
left  in  this  section  of  the  country.  The  Colonel 
settled  upon  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  Alvin  Dockstader.  At  the  time  of  Rich's 
settlement  there  were  others  from  the  east  that 
settled  near  that  we  will  here  mention,  before 
we  allude  to  the  present. 

Calvin  Pike  came  in  1785,  settled  upon  Clin- 
ton Lehman's  present  place,  and  was,  hke  Colo- 
nel Rich,  a  Yankee  and  pettifogger  in  law,  being 
Rich's  opponent  usually  in  legal  troubles.  These 
two  men  were  without  doubt  better  qualified  for 
public  officials  than  many  that  were  chosen,  but 
being  extreme  Federalists  they  were  not  thus 
honored. 

Hezekiah  Adams  came  from  Massachusetts 
about  the  year  1785,  and  .settled  upon  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Joseph  Ward,  and  was  the  father 
of  the  present  Mrs.  Daniel  Feathers,  Mrs.  John 
Pindar,  Mrs.  Anthony  Simmons,  Mrs.  Walter 
Walradt  and  Henry  Adams,  of  Troy,  Wisconsin. 
John  Hutt,  another  Yankee,  came  in  the  same 
year  and  settled  upon  the  George  Dunkle  place, 
and  built  the  first  saw-mill  in  the  present  terri- 
tory of  the  town.  He  afterwards  built  clothing 
works  down  near  the  sulphur  springs  long  before 
any  road  but  a  foot-path  was  constructed  to 


238 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


reach  it  from  the  present  turnpike.  A  short 
distance  below,  Omed  La  Grange  built  a  small 
grist-mill  near  where  Bang's  plane  factory- 
stands,  about  the  year  1798. 

Dormant  Villages. 

The  old  turnpikes  are  but  little  traveled  at 
the  present  time,  andthe  rattling  stage-coaches 
have  vanished,  and  in  their  stead  the  screeching, 
puffing  iron-horse,  before  long  trains  of  moving 
palaces,  wind  around  the  hills,  occasionally 
crossing  the  old  roads,  but  unblushingly  pass  on 
without  "paying  toll"  at  the  rate  of  speed  that 
would  leave  the  "Jehu's"  of  other  days  far  back 
in  the  shade,  wondering  what  will  come  next. 
The  grass  nearly  covers  the  old  road-bed — 
gloom  is  written  upon  the  crumbling  mile-stones, 
and  this  small  hamlet,  as  many  others  along 
the  turnpike  lines  that  were  once  so  busy,  is 
growing  grey  with  the  moss  of  inactivity. 

Most  of  the  route  taken  by  the  railroad 
through  Sharon  and  Seward  was  surveyed  for 
the  Erie  Canal  before  its  construction  along  the 
Mohawk,  to  intersect  the  Hudson  at  Catskill, 
upon  the  supposition  that  the  distance  would 
be  lessened  from  Buffalo  to  tidewater  by  cut- 
ting across  from  Utica.  If  this  route  had  been 
established,  Catskill  would  have  been  to-day 
what  Albany  is,  as  a  business  center. 

In  visiting  Leesville  we  find  a  few  aged  ones 
remaining  as  links  of  the  past,  but  none  as  active 
as  Mathew  Ottman,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one.  Ac- 
companying him  in  a  walk  of  one  mile  and  one 
half  over  railroad  ties,  we  found  him  too  active 
to  make  the  walk  agreeable  to  us,  whose  years 
are  but  half  of  his.  He  assured  us  he  chopped 
his  two  cords  of  wood  each  day  the  last  winter 
and  "  did  his  chores."  While  a  young  man, 
his  strength  was  great,  as  upon  a  wager  he 
carried  eleven  bushels  of  wheat  across  the  barn 
floor.  He  stood  upon  his  hands  and  knees, 
while  others  piled  the  bags  upon  his  back,  and 
carried  the  eleven  bushels  without  faltering. 
Mr.  Ottman's  father  was  William  Ottman,  one 
of  the  three  brothers  that  were  taken  prisoners 
in  the  fall  of  1782,  as  stated  in  the  Seward  Chap- 
ter, and  is  a  genuine  type  of  the  early  settlers, 
not  gigantic  in  size,  but  of  medium  height  and 
muscular.     He  is  a  consistent  member  of  the 


Lutheran  church,  and  was  instrumental  in  the 
building  of  the  same  at  this  place  by  his  liberal- 
ity and  labors.  This  organization  is  called  the 
"Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, of  Leesville." 

Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, of  Leesville. — This  church  was  organized 
by  Rev.  Phihp  Weiting,  in  1853.  The  first 
officers  were  : — 

Trustees— Mathew  Ottman,  John  H.  Snyder 
and  Sebastian  Fonda. 

Deacons— Mathew  Ottman  and  J.  H.  Sny- 
der. 

Clerk — Peter  A.  Ham. 

The  following  were  the  pastors : — 

P.  Weiting, 
George  Young, 
M.  Kling, 

William  H.  Sheldon, 
Jacob  Rosenbergh, 
G.  W.  Hemperly, 
Chauncey  Diefendorf, 
James  Weaver, 
Samuel  Bruce, 
A.  L.  Bridgman. 

The  edifice  was  built  in  1854  upon  grounds 
formerly  occupied  by  a  hotel  long  kept  by  Elihu 
Eldredge. 

Leesville  Baptist  Church. — The  Rev.  R.  H. 
Weeks,  present  pastor  of  this  church,  in  a  com- 
munication, says: — 

"  It  was  constituted  August  6,  1835,  with 
twenty-nine  members,  twelve  of  whom  were 
rnales,  and  seventeen  were  females,  who  had 
been  connected  with  thp  church  at  Argusville. 
During  the  first  years  of  its  history,  its  increase 
in  membership  was  rapid,  and  it  soon  numbered 
more  than  one  hundred.  Since  then,  it  has 
passed  the  usual  experience  of  churches,  of  in- 
crease and  diminution.  A  goodly  number  of  its 
members  have  entered  and  become  useful  in 
the  gospel  ministry.  One  is  now  pursuing  a 
course  of  study  at  Hamilton,  with  reference  to 
the  sacred  office.  Our  present  membership 
numbers  one  hundred  and  ten. 


n  11 


IIILlM'JlJIl 

"  11  'l 

''V  III " 

i[i»'";}ri'i|| 


ii  ifii 


"'     I 


. 


o 

PI 

to 
M 

D 

m 

p^ 

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fa 
o 

o 

fa 
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PI 


TOWN  OF  SHARON. 


The  present  deacons  are : — 

Adam  Shaul, 
Christopher  Plainer, 
Jacob  Hone. 


239 


The  following  is  a  list  of  the  pastors,  with 
their  terms  of  service  : — 


1835-1839- 
1839-1848- 
I 848- 1849- 
1850-1856- 
1856-1860- 
1860-1867- 
1867-1870- 
1870-1873- 
1873-1880- 
1880- 


-Henry  Topping. 
-George  F.  Post. 
-John  Fulton. 
-Peter  Goo. 
-C.  C.  Bourne. 
-Roswell  Collins. 
-C.  C.  Hart.     • 
-E.  Jewett. 
-J.  M.  Joslyn. 
-R.  H.  Weeks. 


The  clerks  have  been : 


183s- 
1838- 
1850- 
1852- 

1857- 
1860- 
1863- 
1865- 
1868- 
1870- 


■1838- 
■1849- 
-1852- 
1857- 
1860- 
1863- 
1865- 
i868- 
1870- 
1882- 


-Phineas  Rowley. 
-W.  L.  Judd. 
-Henry  H.  Foland. 
-A.  Haner. 
-J.  L.  Fox. 
-A.  Haner. 
-Albert  Hone. 
-Nelson  Handy. 
-Albert  Hone. 
-George  Tucker." 


The  house  of  worship  was  moved  from  its 
original  location  to  its  present  one  in  1852. 

John  Beekman,  son  of  Judge  Beekman,  was 
for  a  long  time  an  enterprising  merchant  at  this 
hamlet,  beside  William  Becker,  Nelson  El- 
dredge,  Garrett  Hone,  W.  E.  Sprong— Hone  & 
Sprong  were  partners.  Mr.  Sprong  removed 
to  Rockville,  and  in  connection  with  Mr. 
Nathan  Stratton  managed  a  co-operative  store, 
which  proved  a  success,  it  being  the  only  one  of 
the  kind  in  the  County.  In  justice  to  an  able 
official  we  will  here  refer  to  Mr.  William  E. 
Sprong,  who  has  held  the  office  of  Justice  in  the 
town  for  the  term  of  thirty-one  years.  His 
early  life  was  spent  in  teaching  school  and 
serving  as  legal  scribe  of  the  neighborhood  in 
which  his  services  as  teacher  were  required. 
Removing  from  Argusville  to  Leesville  in  1 848, 
he  was  immediately  elected  Justice,  which  office 
he  still  holds. 


Sharon  Cemetery.— TUi  Cemetery  Associa- 
tion was  formed  in  1867,  and  their  grounds, 
lying  east  of  the  village  of  Leesville,  command 
one  of  the  finest  views  to  be  found  in  the  coun- 
try. The  plats  are  artistically  laid  out,  and 
cover  seven  acres  of  ground. 

Rockville. 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  turnpike  the 
rush  of  travelers  being  great,  Barnabas  Eldredge 
purchased  a  building  that  stood  east  of  "Shaul's" 
present  hotel,  and  for  a  while  kept  by  Isaac 
Tinkum  as  an  inn,  and  removed  it  across  the 
road  upon  the  grounds  of  "  Feathers'  Hotel." 
Tinkum  built  in  1808.  Eldredge  kept  this 
house  for  many  years,  and  from  time  to  time 
additions  were  made  to  it.  It  became  the 
property  of  Daniel  Feathers,  and  was  burned  in 

1864.  The  present  structure    was  erected  in 

1865,  it  being  a  portion  of  "  Carlisle  Seminary." 
Quite  a  settlement  was  made  here  at  the 
"Rocks"  as  it  is  familiarly  called,  before  any 
village  existed  near  the  springs.  In  1863 
S.  Shaul  built  the  hotel  opposite  of  Feathers,  for 
the  accommodation  of  summer  boarders,  and' 
each  enjoys  a  lucrative  patronage  each  season. 

Sharon  Springs. 

Long  years  before  any  efforts  were  made  to 
accommodate  the  health-seeking  populace,  the 
mineral  property  of  the  different  springs  at- 
tracted those  troubled  with  cutaneous  diseases. 
The  afflicted  for  many  miles  around  procured 
the  waters  in  quantity  and  used  them  at  their 
homes,  and  found  them  beneficial.  The  Indi- 
ans also  used  them,  as  when  the  whites  first 
came  here  trees  were  marked  leading  to  them 
from  every  direction.  One  of  the  Mohawk's 
paths  leading  to  the  Charlotte  led  past  them, 
and  many  trinkets  and  utensils  cut  from  stone  . 
were  found  here,  which  lead  us  to  conjecture 
that  an  encampment  was  occasionally  made  by 
them.  Owing  to  the  customs  or  negligent  care 
of  their  bodies,  the  Indians  are  much  afflicted 
with  cutaneous  diseases,  especially  in  the  spring 
time,  and  undoubtedly  they  found  rehef  in  the 
use  of  these  waters. 

The  first  steps  taken   to   accommodate   the 
public,  were  by  David  Eldredge  who  moved  a 


240 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


house  that  stood  near  the  "  Pavilion "  down 
near  the  Springs  in  1825,  and  kept  a  few  board- 
ers. Believing  the  enterprise  could  be  made 
a  success,  the  next  season  he  added  to  his 
accommodations,  and  the  season  following  was 
favored  with  twenty-five  boarders,  which  num- 
ber increased  each  season,  and  others  were  led 
to  embark  in  the  business.  In  1836  a  com- 
pany from  New  York  City  built  a  large  board- 
ing-house, the  "Pavilion,"  for  the  better  con- 
venience of  visitors,  which  has  received  several 
additions  from  time  to  time  and  is  now  capable 
of  accommodating  five  hundred  boarders.  Be- 
side the  main  building,  the  present  proprietors, 
J.  H.  Gardner  &  Son,  have  built  seven  highly 
finished  and  furnished  cottages  (for  private 
famihes),  that  are  in  close  proximity  to  the 
"  Pavilion,"  and  form  the  largest  establishment 
at  the  Spa,  or  in  the  County.  We  believe  the 
building  was  opened  under  the  management  of 
"Getty  &  Williams,"  in  1837,  and  soon  after 
by  J.  H.  Gardner  and  Joseph  Landon.  After, 
the  firm  was  changed  to  Gardner  &  JosHn,  and 
then  again  to  Gardner  &  Landon,  the  latter 
being  William,  a  nephew  of  Joseph,  a  former 
partner.  Mr.  Gardner  at  last  became  sole 
owner  and  connected  himself  with  his  son,  J. 
H.  Gardner,  Jr.,  and  formed  the  present  firm 
of  J.  H.  Gardner  &  Son.  By  Mr.  Gardner's 
practical  method  of  managing  affairs,  the  enter- 
prise has  proved  a  success  as  a  profitable  invest- 
ment and  model  estabhshment. 

From  time  to  time  other  large  hotels  have 
been  erected  at  great  expense,  and  we  find  to- 
day ten  large  hotels,  including  the  two  already 
mentioned  at  Rockville.  Numberless  private 
families  also  accommodate  boarders  through 
the  season,  making  an  interesting  and  attractive 
center.  The  following  are  the  main  hotels  and 
present  proprietors: — 

Pavilion— J.  H.  Gardner  &  Son. 
Empire — Geo.  J.  Best. 
Union  Hall— Christian  Saur. 
Rowland  House— Sarah  Howland. 
American — N.  M.  LaRue. 
Park  House — Fred  Eigan. 
Rockville  Hotel— C.  Shaul. 
Sharon  House— Peter  Sharpe. 
Feathers'  House— Daniel  Feathers. 


Fire  has  laid  three  large  hotels  in  ashes  within 
a  few  years  that  added  very  much  to  the  appear- 
ance of  the  place  and  accommodation  of  visitors. 

Jacob  J.  Anthony  built  a  fine  building  in  1857, 
known  as  the  "Anthony  House,"  but  the  fall  of 
i860  found  it  in  ashes.  Another  of  greater 
dimensions  was  built  in  the  season  following 
which  also  burned  in  December,  1879. 

Eldredge  House.- — Seth  Eldredge,  whom  we 
have  already  noticed,  built  a  large  hotel  upon 
Main  street  in  1850,  and  opened  it  to  the 
public  in  June,  1851.  Several  additions  were 
made  to  it  as  patronage  increased,  and  upon 
its  burning  in  August,  1873,  three  hundred 
boarders  could  be  pleasantly  accommodated. 
Mr.  Eldredge  was  connected  with  his  son-in- 
law,  William  Landon,  a  former  partner  of  J.  H. 
Gardner.  Mr.  Eldredge,  after  an  active  and 
useful  life,  died  June  24,  1880. 

Congress  Hall. — H.  J.  Bangs,  of  New  York 
City,  purchased  the  land  surrounding  the  Springs 
and  built  a  large  hotel  in  the  summer  of  i860. 
He  expended  a  large  amount  of  money  in  beau- 
tifying the  grounds ;  building  arbors,  temples, 
and  laying  out  walks ;  building  bath-rooms  and 
other  improvements  for  the  convenience  and 
pleasure  of  visitors.  The  hotel  burned  in  the 
fall  of  1875,  entailing  a  heavy  loss. 

Mr.  Bangs  erected  a  large  building  near  the 
cascade  for  the  manufacture  of  carpenters' 
planes,  but  it  proved  a  non-paying  enterprise. 
We  cannot  recall  a  man  that  has  done  as  much 
for  the  prosperity  of  the  place  as  Mr.  Bangs. 
He  came  to  it  with  a  fortune  and  expended  it 
here,  and  upon  his  death  was  a  poor  man. 

The  analysis  of  the  waters  found  at  this  cele- 
brated Spa  is,  as  furnished  by  Dr.  J.  Green  : — 

White  Sulphur  Spring. 
Solid  contents  of  one  gallon  : 

Bicarbonate  of  Magnesia 24     Gr. 

Sulphate  of  Magnesia 34       " 

Sulphate  of  Lime 85.4    " 

Hydrosulphate  of  Magnesia  and 

Lime 3       " 

Chloride  of  Sodium  and  Magne- 
sium        2.7    " 


1 49. 1 


TOWN  OF  SHARON. 


241 


Hydrosulphuric  Acid  Gas,  or  Sul- 
phurated Hydrogen 20.5  cubic  in. 

Temperature  invariably  48°  F. 

Magnesia  Spring. 
Solid  contents  of  one  gallon : 

Bicarbonate  of  Magnesia 30.5  Gr. 

Sulphate  of  Magnesia 22.7    " 

Sulphate  of  Lime 76       " 

Hydrosulphate  of  Magnesia  and 

Lime .5    " 

Chloride  of  Sodium  and  Magne- 
sium        3.0    " 

132.7 
Hydrosulphuric  Acid  Gas,  or  Sul- 

phureted  Hydrogen 3.3  cubic  in. 

Temperature  invariably  48°  F. 

Gardner  Magnesia  Spring. 

Solid  contents  of  one  gallon  : 

Sulphate  of  Magnesia 19.680  Gr. 

Sulphate  of  Lime 93-Soo  " 

Bicarbonate  of  Magnesia 1.360  " 

Bicarbonate  of  Lime 9.698  " 

Bicarbonate  of  Soda 554  " 

Chloride  of  Sodium 1.232  " 

Chloride  of  Magnesium 438  " 

Chloride  of  Calcium 162  " 

Sulphurets  Calcium  and  Magnesia      .625  " 

Silicic  Acid 400  " 

127.649 

Sulphuric  Hydrogen 6.00  cubic  in. 

Carbonic  Acid 2.22  " 

Atmospheric  Air 3.00  " 

11.22 

Temperature  invariably  48°  F. 

Many  hundreds  flock  to  this  Spa  yearly  for 
health  and  pleasure,  more  particularly  the  latter, 
as  at  all  other  American  resorts,  and  owing  to 
the  shortness  of  the  seasons,  much  must  be  done 
in  a  short  space  of  time,  which  makes  an  un- 
usually lively  place  while  the  heated  term  lasts. 
Sharon  Springs  has  all  the  facilities  for  and 
characteristics  of  a  much  larger  and  more  pro- 
gressive resort,  but  why  they  are  not  employed 
and  expanded  we  are  unable  to  tell.  The  stream 
running  through  and   the   cascade   below  the 


village,  are  of  romantic  beauty.  The  scenery, 
pleasant  drives,  wholesome  atmosphere,  and 
qualities  of  the  springs,  all  invite  and  attract 
the  tourist.;  while  a  fine  stone  quarry,  an  abun- 
dance of  building  timber,  pleasant  building  sites, 
and  a  rich,  productive  country  surrrounding, 
should  induce  the  residents  to  more  pride  and 
enterprise,  to  do  their  part  as  nature  has,  in 
making  the  place  a  lively  competitor  to  other 
resorts.  Here  are  presented  to  the  geologist 
many  beautiful  specimens  of  fossil  leaves  and 
moss,  whose  tiny  ribs  and  thread-like  branches 
are  perfectly  preserved,  and  may  be  found  upon 
the  surface  as  well  as  beneath.  In  a  small  cave 
near — like  a  hidden  casket — nature  has  placed 
the  rare  mineral  Anhydrous  Sulphate  of  Lime, 
though  not  in  a  large  quantity,  as  decomposition 
of  crystals  is  continually  going  on  nearly  in  the 
same  ratio  of  forming. 

There  are  many  wealthy  families  of  various 
cities  that  yearly  come  to  this  place  to  spend 
the  heated  term,  that  do  much  for  the  benefit  of 
the  community.  For  their  convenience  and  the 
good  of  the  place,  they  formed  a  Church  of  the 
English  order,  and  built  a  neat  edifice  and  par- 
sonage of  Gothic  architecture,  that  add  much 
to  the  beauty  and  appearance  of  the  village. 

J.  H.  Gardner  has,  since  its  erection,  been 
the  leading  officer  of  the  organization,  and 
under  his  earnest  and  watchful  care,  and  the 
labors  of  the  pastor.  Rev.  Paige,  the  church 
stands  at  the  head  of  the  order  in  the  County. 

Another  worker  in  the  Christian  cause  is  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  of  Sharon  Springs, 
known  as  "  St.  Mary's  Church,"  It  is  connected 
with  the  rectory  of  the  Canajoharie  Society,  and 
has  been  under  the  pastorate  of  the  following 
priests  :  Fathers  Brennan,  Halligan  and  Zoker. 
The  latter  gentleman  at  present  officiates,  but 
intends  soon  to  return  to  Ireland,  his  native 
land,  and  retire  from  ministerial  duties,  after  a 
very  useful  and  exemplary  life  of  many  years  in 
America.  The  edifice  was  built  as  a  Union 
Church  in  1857,  but  was  not  sustained,  and  the 
Roman  Catholics  purchased  the  property  in 
1859. 

Merchants.— M.a.\s\i2\\  N.  De  NoyeUes,  now  of 
Schoharie,  was  the  first  general  merchant  at  the 


242 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Spa,  beginning  about  the  year  1848,  and  con- 
tinuing several  years.  Mr.  De  Noyelles  was 
supervisor  of  the  town  in  1854,  1859,  i860, 
1865,  1867,  1868,  and  was  an  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  Board,  beside  a  practical  business 
man.  He  was  followed  by  Nathan  W.  Stratton, 
in  general  merchandise,  who  was  also  super- 
visor in  187 1,  1872,  and  is  at  present  in  trade. 
John  B.  Hoag  was  for  several  years  a  contem- 
porary with  Messrs.  De  Noyelles  and  Stratton. 
He  was  Supervisor  of  the  town  in  1869,  1870, 
and  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1 87  4.  Mr.  Hoag 
removed  to  Kansas,  and  now  represents  his 
adopted  county  in  the  Legislature  of  that  State. 

Mr. Fitch  is  at  present  in  trade,  also  Wm. 

H.  Beekman,  who  is  the  only  one  of  the  late 
Judge  Beekman's  family  bearing  the  name  now 
residing  in  the  town.  Mr.  Beekman  removed 
from  Beekman's  Corners,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  trade. 

Sharon  Centre. 

Two  miles  east  of  the  Springs,  Jacob  Hiller 
settled  in  1785,  and  when  the  turnpike  was 
built  he  engaged  in  the  hotel  business.  A  store 
and  a  few  houses  were  soon  erected,  and  an- 
other hamlet  received  its  birth  to  be  killed  by 
the  enterprise  and  intelligence  of  a  later  day. 
But  a  short  distance  to  the  east  John  Beakley 
settled  at  an  early  day,  about  the  year  1785, 
and  we  find  him  a  member  of  the  "Sharon 
Felicity  Lodge"  (Masonic)  in  1800.  His  son, 
John  Beakley,  Jr.,  has  been  one  of  the  prom- 
inent citizens  of  the  town  for  many  years,  hav- 
ing been  Supervisor  in  1844  and  1864,  and  held 
the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  sixteen 
years,  beside  other  local  positions  of  honor  and 
trust.  Near  the  Beakley  farm  Cornelius  Van 
Alstine,  of  the  Mohawk  valley,  early  kept  an 
inn,  as  did  his  neighbor,  Adam  Dockstader,  a 
short  distance  below.  While  they  acted  well 
their  part  as  citizens,  successful  farmers  and 
obliging  landlords,  they  long  since  removed 
their  creaking,  swinging  signs,  and  passed  away 
themselves,  leaving  their  families  to  enjoy  the 
fruits  of  their  active  labors. 

Sharon,  or  Moak's  Hollow. 

Christian  Myndert  was  the  first  resident  here, 
and  upon  the  survey  being  made  for  the  turn- 


pike Tinas  Pynneo,  a  practical  physician  from 
New  England,  purchased  from  Myndert  the 
farm  now  owned  in  part  by  Seneca  Bergh,  and 
sometime  after  1795  built  a  house  for  the  pub- 
lic convenience,  which  was  soon  occupied  by 
Elisha  S.  Wales  and  his  son-in-law,  Joseph 
Alexander,  from  Arlington,  Vermont.  Alexan- 
der kept  a  store  and  Wales  the  inn.  The 
former  died  in  1803,  and  his  widow  afterwards 
married  John  Sharpe,  who  became  the  father  of 
Joseph  Sharp,  the  present  resident  of  the 
Myndert  farm.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Sharpe 
his  widow  married  Jedediah  Miller.  Another 
daughter  married  John  Redington,  who,  upon 
the  death  of  Mr.  Redington,  and  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Miller,  became  the  second  wife  of  Miller.  Mr. 
Wales  met  with  a  sudden  death  on  the  10th 
of  May,  1808,  near  the  present  residence  of 
Orrin  Griffith.  He  was  upon  a  heavy  load  of 
potash,  going  to  Albany,  and  having  occasion 
to  get  off  the  load,  he  endeavored  to  mount  the 
same  while  the  team  was  in  motion.  He  slip- 
ped and  fell  beneath  the  broad-tire  wheels,  and 
was  literally  crushed.  The  property  was  soon 
purchased  by  Zachary  Keyes,  an  Eastern  man. 
"  Zack  Keyes,''  as  he  was  familiary  called,  was  a 
cute,  fun  loving,  hospitable,  yet  rough  man,  and 
was  known  from  one  end  of  the  road  to  the 
other  as  a  practical  joker.  Many  anecdotes  are 
still  related  of  him  which  are  amusing  and 
enough  to  fill  a  goodly  sized  volume.  One 
perhaps  will  suffice.  A  temperance  organiza- 
tion was  formed  in  the  town  and  its  members 
knowing  Zack's  love  of  the  cup,  asked  him  in  a 
very  polite  way  to  join.  Ready  at  all  times  to 
comply  with  the  wishes  of  his  neighbors,  he 
agreed  to  do  so  immediately,  upon  one  condi- 
tion, "to  be  allowed  to  use  stimulants  in  the 
form  of  liquor  when  he  washed  sheep."  Having, 
as  most  Yankees,  a  large  flock,  the  temperance 
men  did  not  mistrust  any  joke,  from  the  fact 
that  it  was  customary  for  all  to  use  spirits  upon 
that  "  chilly  occasion,"  and  they  agreed  to  his 
proposal,  thinking  they  were  about  to  gain  one 
good  step  towards  a  reformation  of  the  man. 
Zack  had  a  cosset  sheep  running  in  the  yard, 
and  whenever  a  chum  asked  him  to  drink  or 
he  felt  thirsty,  he  would  catch  the  cosset  and 
throw  him  in  a  large  tub  filled  with  water  which 
he  had  placed  on  purpose  for  the  occasion.    He 


TOWN  OF  SHARON. 


243 


was  sure  to  drink  before  and  after  the  opera- 
tion. The  poor  sheep,  if  not  the  lodge  in 
general,  must  have  had  but  little  faith  in  the 
"  reform  "  as  far  as  Zack  was  concerned,  as  it 
was  compelled  to  undergo  the  washing  several 
times  each  day.  He  was  a  free-hearted,  jolly, 
business  man,  and  remained  here  several  years, 
but  at  last  removed  to  Cherry  Valley  where  he 
died.  Reuben  Moak  followed  Keyes  in  the 
hotel,  beside  keeping  a  variety  store,  and  the 
hamlet  has  borne  the  sobriquet  of  Moak's  Hol- 
low ever  since. 

Peter  Cross,  Joseph  H.  Ramsey,  D.  J.  Dow 
and  others  have  been  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  here,  but  at  present  that  branch  of 
industry  has  flown. 

About  1805  a  small  tannery  was  established 
near  the  bridge  by  one  Sweatman,  who  built 
the  house  opposite  of  Mr.  Sharp's.  In  1847 
the  "  Eagle  Foundry  "  was  built  and  conducted 

by Anthony,  who  manufactured  "sweep" 

horse-powers,  and  afterwards  invented  Harder's 
"Fearless"  tread-powers.  In  1848  or  1849, 
Elias  Paige  became  the  proprietor,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son-in-law,  George  Fox,  who  was 
the  proprietor  when  the  establishment  burned 
in  the  fall  of  1880. 

Back  of  Mr.  Seneca  Bergh's  house  upon  the 
hill,  near  a  few  poplar  trees,  was  a  race-course 
and  training  ground,  upon  which  a  sad  accident 
occurred  at  a  Polk  and  Dallas  ratification  meet- 
ing in  the  fall  of  1844.  A  small  six-pound 
cannon  was  being  used  upon  the  occasion, 
which  the  young  and  much- excited  people 
"  crowded  "  in  loading,  to  cause  it  to  "  speak  in 
louder  terms."  Sods  and  pounded  stone  were 
used,  which,  making  a  dead  weight  for  the 
powder  to  move,  caused  it  to  burst,  throwing 
the  trunnion  several  rods  and  kilhng  James 
Van  Schaaick,  a  promising  man,  instantly.  He 
was  the  son  of  Koert  Van  Schaaick,  a  Revolu- 
tionary veteran,  who  removed  from  Monmouth, 
New  Jersey,  to  Glen,  Montgomery  county,  in 
1796,  and  from  thence  to  this  place  in  1800. 
There  were  four  sons,  two  only  with  families, 
but  one  now  living.  Joseph  W.,  recently  de- 
ceased was  an  extensive  farmer,  and  being  hon- 
ored with  various  local  offices,  from  time  to 
time,  and  serving  upon  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors in  1849,  he  won,  by  his  strict  integrity. 


conscientious  principles  and  upright  dealings, 
the  explicit  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him, 
and  their  verdict  "  An  honest  man  !  "  Leffret  G. 
is  also  a  prosperous  farmer  and  another  ex- 
ample of  integrity.  These  families  are  true 
descendants  of  the  Manhatten  Van  Schaaick's, 
who  were  burgomasters  of  that  ancient  city. 

Sharon  Hill. 

Soon  after  the  building  of  the  Bergh  Hotel, 
Peter  Loucks  built  an  "inn"  upon  the  hill, 
which  was  for  many  years  managed  by  his  son, 
Andrew  P.  It  subsequently  came  in  the  pos- 
session of  one  Beauman,  and  after  that  of 
Henry  Shutts,  who  repaired  it  in  1837.  William 
Thrall  and  George  Dimmick  followed  each 
other  during  the  palmy  days  of  the  stage  line, 
and  it  was  under  Major  Thrall  the  stand  was 
favored  as  the  "stage  house"  where  horses  were 
exchanged,  meals  taken,  and  a  "round"  or  two 
of  "flip."  During  Dimmick's  stay,  the  four- 
horse  stage  line  was  withdrawn,  and  since  then 
the  house  has  exchanged  owners  many  times, 
Henry  McNeill  occupying  it  for  several  years. 
Upon  the  corner  to  the  west,  Mr.  Loucks  built 
the  present  house  about  the  year  1810,  and  es- 
tabhshed  another  son,  William  P.,  in  the  mer- 
cantile trade,  and  he  proved  successful.  In 
1839,  Henry  Shutts,  of  Cobleskill,  built  the 
present  store  occupied  by  John  Malony,  and 
engaged  in  trade  with  Abram  A.  Kneisker-n,  of 
Carlisle,  and  continued  the  same  until  1844, 
when  Robert  Brown  succeeded  them,  and  re- 
mained till  within  a  few  years  of  the  present 
date.     The  postoffice  was  established  in  1810. 

Johannes  Loucks  and  Davenport  Families. 

We  are  led  to  think  that  Johannes  Loucks 
and  WilUam  Davenport  were  the  first  settlers 
in  the  "Rhinebeck"  settlement.  Johannes 
Loucks  undoubtedly  was  a  distant  connection 
of  Cornelius,  Andrew,  Peter,  and  other  Middle- 
burgh  families  bearing  the  name.  He  came 
direct  from  Ulster  county  by  an  Indian  path, 
and  when  the  war  commenced,  being  a  staunch 
patriot,  and  the  neighborhood  otherwise,  he 
went  back  to  his  native  place  and  remained 
until  peace  was  proclaimed.  His  children  were 
John,  (Squire  Henry  Loucks'  father,)  John  G., 


244 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


(father  of  Peter  Loucks,  long  of  Carlisle,  now 
of  Cobleskill,)  Nicholas  and  Jacob.  The  chil- 
dren were  small,  and  were  brought  on  horse- 
back, while  the  parents  walked  the  entire  dis- 
tance in  coming,  and  carried  their  small  stock 
of  clothing.  They  settled  upon  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  Squire  Henry  Loucks,  and  pur- 
chased a  large  tract  of  land. 

With  them  came  William  Davenport,  a  direct 
descendant  of  John  Davenport,  of  the  Mayflower, 
being  a  great-grandson.  In  the  possession  of 
the  late  George  Davenport's  family  is  a  relic  of 
the  pilgrim  band,  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion, it  being  a  chest  belonging  to  John,  Richard 
and  Samuel  Davenport,  three  brothers,  that 
came  over  in  that  time-honored  vessel  in  1620. 
The  relic  has  been  handed  down  from  father  to 
son  through  the  long  course  of  time  with  the 
greatest  care.  We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  George 
Davenport  for  many  interesting  facts,  as  he 
possesses  a  large  store  of  general  knowledge  in 
regard  to  the  early  history  of  the  County, 
gained  from  extensive  reading  of  documents 
and  attentive  listening  to  the  aged  ones  that 
have  long  since  passed  away.  Possessing  a 
good  memory,  but  few  of  greater  pretensions 
were  better  informed  than  Mr.  Davenport,  or 
took  a  deeper  interest  in  the  events  of  other 
days,  or  possessed  a  warmer  heart  towards  his 
country. 

Other  Loucks  Families. 

These  families  came  to  this  neighborhood 
about  the  year  1765.  There  were  two  brothers, 
Peter  and  Andrew,  the  former  settling  upon  the 
place  now  occupied  by  Daniel  Loucks,  and  the 
latter  upon  the  farm,  of  late  called  Slingerland's. 
A  few  years  previous,  1760,  an  uncle  of  those 
two,  Cornelius,  settled  upon  the  farm  belonging 
to  Harrison  Kromer,  now  in  Seward.  Peter  was 
a  more  energetic  business  man  than  Andrew, 
and  had  clearer  views  upon  political  matters, 
especially  during  the  "  struggle  for  liberty.''  In 
1799  the  High  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of 
Rhinebeck  concluded  to  build  a  house  of  wor- 
ship of  their  own,  upon  lands  purchased  for 
that  purpose,  and  they  cut  and  hewed  the 
timber — (white  oak  and  heavy  enough  for  a 
temple) — ready  for  framing,  when  a  controversy 
arose  and  the  work  stopped.     The  year  follow- 


ing, the  church  was  built  at  Lawyersville.  The 
timber  was  sold  at  auction  and  purchased  by 
Peter  Loucks,  who  erected  the  present  resi- 
dence of  Daniel  Loucks  with  it  in  1802.  Peter 
and  Andrew  were  own  brothers  (see  Middle- 
burgh).  Peter's  children  were  William,  John, 
Hallis,  Daniel,  Andrew  P.,  Mrs.  Peter  Brown 
and  Mrs.  Joseph  W.  Van  Schaick. 

Prominent  as  a  business  man  has  been  Isaac, 
son  of  Daniel,  who  inherited  the  business  quali- 
ties of  his  grandfather  Loucks,  and  the  com- 
mand of  language  of  Dominie  Labagh,  his 
mother's  father.  While  we  do  not  find  him  in 
the  list  of  officials,  we  see  him  as  one  of  the 
most  active  business  men  of  his  day,  No  un- 
dertaking was  too  great  to  baffle  his  energies, 
but  with  the  vim  of  an  earnest  commander  over 
willing  followers,  he  made  business  and  it  to 
obey  his  mind.  If  he  had  been  placed  as  many 
other  men,  with  great  fortunes  at  his  command, 
and  brought  in  contact  with  the  gigantic  enter- 
prises of  this  day,  we  feel  assured  he  would  have 
proved  equal  to  them.  With  his  small  means 
and  isolated  position  while  in  his  prime,  he  did 
more  business  than  the  majority  of  his  towns- 
men do  at  the  present  time. 

Andrew  Loucks  had  but  two  children,  and 
both  were  daughters.  Mrs.  Bently  removed  to 
the  west,  and  Mrs.  Lemuel  Cross  settled  near 
and  reared  an  inteUigent  and  useful  family.  Dr. 
Cross,  of  Newark,  and  the  late  Captain  Peter 
Cross,  were  sons,  the  latter  being  the  father 
of  Dr.  Lemuel  Cross,  Augustus,  Andrew,  and 
the  late  Mrs.  Augustus  C.  Smith. 

Peter,  Mathias,  and  WiUiam  Ball,  sons  of 
Johannes  Ball,  of  Schoharie,  the  chairman  of  the 
Committee  of  Safety,  settled  in  this  town  about 
the  year  1813.  Peter  located  upon  the  farm 
previously  occupied  by  Dr.  Pynneo,  and  now 
by  his  grandson,  George  F.  He  was  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  Revolution  a  Quarter- 
master, and  drew  a  pension  as  long  as  he  lived. 
His  sons  were  William,  John,  and  Peter  M. 
William,  brother  of  Peter,  settled  upon  Henry 
Bellinger's  farm,  and  Mathias  upon  a  portion  of 
Jacob  Dockstader's. 

They  were  during  the  war  staunch  patriots, 
as  their  father,  against  whom  the  stigma  of  dis- 
loyalty was  never  breathed,  as  they  were  daily 
in  the  service  of  their  country. 


TOWN  OF  SHARON. 


245 


Kling  Settlement. 

In  the  year  1758,  Kling  came  from  Ger- 
many, and  after  a  short  residence  of  three  years 
at  Stone  Arabia,  settled  upon  the  present  Van- 
Ness  Eldredge  farm.  The  old  gentleman  had 
two  sons  and  one  daughter,  who  married  a 
McDougle,  who  proved  to  be  a  desperate  Tory, 
and  fled  to  Canada  and  did  not  return.  His 
farm,  now  owned  by  James  Voorhees,  was  for- 
feited. One  of  the  sons  wandered  away  from 
home  when  quite  young,  and  was  never  found, 
while  Luther  married  the  eldest  daughter  of  the 
patriotic  Sebastian  France,  who  it  will  be  re- 
membered, was  born  upon  the  ocean.  They  had 
four  sons,  Nicholas,  George,  Jacob,  and  Henry, 
that  settled  within  the  County  and  died,  with  the 
exception  of  Jacob,  who  removed  to  Wisconsin 
and  is  still  Uving.  It  is  a  remarkable  occur- 
rence that  he  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children, 
and  each  are  now  with  families,  without  a  death 
in  the  circle,  except  the  wife  and  mother,  of 
late  deceased. 

John  Adam  Kilts  removed  from  Stone  Arabia 
in  1790,  and  purchased  the  farm  upon  which 
Daniel  and  George  Kilts,  his  grandsons,  now 
reside.  The  old  gentleman  brought  the  boards 
with  him  from  Stone  Arabia  to  build  a  house. 
The  tract  of  land  upon  which  he  settled  was  in 
dispute  for  many  years,  and  at  last  settled  by 
the  Court,  in  Kilts  producing  large  blocks  cut 
from  line  trees,  upon  which  were  the  marks 
made  by  early  surveyors.  John  Adam  here  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  property  which  the  present 
families  bearing  the  name  enjoy.  He  reared 
four  sons,  namely,  Conradt,  John,  Adam,  and 
Peter,  who  were  the  fathers  of  the  present 
heads  of  the  Kilts  family. 

Slate  Hill  Cemetery. — Among  the  many  beau- 
tiful cemeteries  that  bespeak  reverence  for  the 
dead,  to  be  found  in  the  County,  none  are  more 
attractive  than  Slate  Hill  Cemetery.  It  is  situ- 
ated upon  a  lofty  hill  of  slate  formation,  from 
which  is  presented  one  of  those  picturesque 
sceneries  of  hill,  mountain  and  vale  that  abound 
throughout  Schoharie  County,  whose  beauty 
and  grandeur  none  can  but  admire.  It  was 
incorporated  July  6,  1866,  and  regularly  laid 
out  in  large  plats,  and  broad  roadways  and  foot- 


paths that  are  kept  in  the  best  of  order.  A 
receiving  vault  is  near  one  of  the  entrances  that 
was  erected  the  same  year,  at  a  large  expense. 
Many  fine  monuments  are  placed  here  that  re- 
flect credit  upon  the  architect  and  the  affection 
of  the  living  towards  the  dead  that  He  beneath 
them.  Upon  them  we  find  engraved,  Wieting, 
Dockstader,  Empie,  Bellinger,  Conyne,  Ram- 
sey, Borst,  Eldredge,  Van  Slyke,  Sommers, 
Pruyn,  Loucks  and  Vroman,  mostly  families 
of  the  County,  whose  fathers'  strong  and  sinewy 
arms  felled  the  broad  and  heavy  forest  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  wealth  here  displayed  as 
well  as  that  of  our  governmental  structure,  and 
who  long  since  passed  the  sad  ordeal  of  death, 
after  lives  ripe  in  affliction  and  adversity. 

Here  lies  the  first  resident  pastor  of  St.  Peter's 
and  St.  John's  churches,  and  his  son,  Dr.  John 
C.  Moeller,  whose  usefulness  in  life  deserves  a 
passing  tribute.  He  was  born  near  the  Rhine- 
beck  Church  in  1788,  and  was  educated  under 
the  care  of  his  worthy  father  and  accomplished 
mother.  He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Van- 
Dyke,  of  Schoharie,  and  settled  in  this  town 
about  the  year  1814.  He  married  Gertrude 
Traver,  who  died  in  1830,  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
nine  years,  leaving  six  children :  Mrs.  Duryea 
Beekman,  Mrs.  Samuel  Beekman,  Mrs.  Van- 
Ness  Eldredge,  Mrs.  Jacob  H.  Diefendorf,  E.  L. 
H.  Moeller,  of  Albany,  and  Augustus  Moeller, 
of  Chicago.  The  Doctor  was  a  very  skillful  physi- 
cian who  took  pride  in  his  profession,  and  was 
one  of  the  leading  men  in  the  Lutheran  church. 
He  represented  the  town  upon  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  in  1846,  and  died  on  the  sth  of 
May,  1849,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one. 

Rev.  Moeller's  life  was  sprinkled  a  little  with 
romance  that  perhaps  may  be  of  interest.  His 
first  wife  was  a  very  unpleasant  companion,  as 
she  was  a  scold,  and  while  the  army  to  which  the 
Dominie  was  attached  lay  at  Philadelphia  a 
barbacue  was  held  upon  the  ice,  to  which  his 
wife  was  counseled  not  to  attend  fearful  of 
getting  cold,  but  she  went,  and,  as  predicted  by 
her  faithful  husband,  she  caught  a  severe  cold 
and  soon  after  died.  While  at  the  barbacue, 
the  husband  met  the  accomplished  wife  of  a 
Prussian  Count,  by  the  name  of  Zebwitz,  who 
was  upon  a  tour  through  the  Colonies  at  the 
time  the  war  commenced.     The  British  block- 


246 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


aded  the  Colonial  ports,  and  he  could  not  re- 
turn home.  He  espoused  the  Patriots'  cause, 
and  was  commissioned  a  General  after  the 
death  of  Montgomery,  under  whom  he  fought 
at  Quebec.  Mrs.  Zebwitz  was  also  fascinated 
with  the  Dominie,  but  undoubtedly  kept  it  to 
herself,  and  during  the  stay  at  Philadelphia  they 
were  much  in  each  others  company,  and  each 
was  admired  by  the  other.  Ere  the  war  closed 
the  Count  died,  and  the  pair  wedded,  and  the 
union  was  most  pleasing.  In  T787  they  settled 
at  Rhinebeck,  a  very  objectionable  location  for 
one  whose  past  days  had  been  spent  in  regal 
splendor.  They  were  laboring,  conscientious 
Christians,  and  willingly  deprived  themselves  of 
ease  and  the  luxuries  of  life,  for  the  Master. 
The  Count  and  Countess  had  two  sons  that 
died  a  few  years  after  the  father.  The  fruits  of 
the  last  marriage  were  Dr.  John  C.  and  Julia, 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Almy,  of  Toddville,  Otsego  Co. 
We  find  engraved  upon  her  tomb-stone  that 
stands  beside  the  husband's,  "  Julian,  wife  of 
Rev.  Henry  Moeller,  died  July  12th,  1824,  aged 
seventy-five  years  and  ten  months,''  with  an 
appropriate  epitaph. 

Bellinger  Family. — The  Bellinger  family  of 
this  town  has  been  a  prominent  one  as  success- 
ful farmers,  and  strict  adherents  to  Calvinistic 
doctrines  in  a  reUgious  point  of  view.  Their 
ancestors  came  from  Germany,  as  will  be  seen 
by  consulting  the  Middleburgh  Chapter  of  this 
work.  Those  found  here  are  chiefly  descendants 
of  Marcus,  of  Middleburgh.  Hon  Yost  and  John, 
sons  of  Marcus,  settled  here  in  1791.  The 
former  had  two  sons,  David  and  Yost,  and  the 
latter  four,  namely,  John,  Jr.,  William,  Henry, 
and  Marcus.  The  latter  two  have  been  prom- 
inent as  preachers  of  the  "  True  Reformed 
Church"  over  half  a  century.  Henry  preached 
regularly  at  this  place,  Bethlehem,  Albany 
county,  Greenbush,  Wynderkill,  and  Piedmont, 
near  New  York  City,  and  was  revered  by  his 
different  flocks  as  a  noble,  sincere  man,  full  of 
Christian  virtues,  and  an  untiring  servant  of  the 
_  Master.  After  expounding  "the  Word"  to 
many  thousands  in  his  plain,  unpretending 
manner,  based  upon  strict  doctrines,  without 
sympathy  to  the  so-called  "Hberal  views''  of 
other  religious    sects,  he   was    called   to   the 


reahties  of  the  "  world  beyond,"  while  on  the 
route  to  fill  an  appointment  at  Piedmont  on  the 
nth  of  October,  1877,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven. 

Marcus  died  within  the  past  year.  He  com- 
menced preaching  about  the  time  his  brother 
did,  but  did  not  supply  as  many  parishes.  Cana- 
joharie,  Duanesburgh,  and  Middleburgh,  were 
the  fields  of  his  labors,  and  he  was  also  an  un- 
tiring teacher.  William  is  the  only  one  of  the 
four  brothers  living.  One  peculiarity  attended 
the  labors  of  these  men,  which  is  worthy  of 
notice — the  firm  hold  they  had  upon  their  fol- 
lowers. Through  all  the  ecclesiastical  changes 
from  "conservative doctrines"  to  "liberal views" 
that  have  been  going  on  for  the  last  few  years 
in  most  of  the  churches,  these  men  whose  views 
were  so  repugnant  to  the  general  idea  of  the 
day,  have  held  their  flocks  and  carried  them 
through,  without  dissentious  seceding,  and 
stand  to-day  stronger  in  faith  and  numbers  than 
ever.  They  received  only  a  common  school 
education,  which  must  have  been  very  limited, 
and  were  industrious  farmers  and  more  than 
common  men.  They  were  men  of  inflexible  pur- 
poses, indomitable  energies,  and  of  superior 
tact. 

Van  Valkenburgh  Family. — The  original  of 
this  family  name  is  Valk  in  German,  and  Falk 
in  Holland  Dutch,  as  we  are  informed  by  one 
of  the  family.  Dr.  Jacob  Van  Valkenburgh, 
whose  researches  into  the  family  history  have 
been  extended.  The  ancestors  of  this  branch 
of  the  Valk  family  came  from  Valkenburgh,  at 
present  within  the  bounds  of  Holland,  and  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  those  of  higher  Germany  after 
they  Carrie  to  America,  they  were  called  after 
the  place  from  which  they  came,  viz :  John  or 
Henry  Valk,  from  Valkenburgh,  was  changed 
to  John  or  Henry  Van  Valkenburgh —  Van 
meaning  from.  The  first  of  that  name  in  this 
town  was  John  Joseph,  who  came  from  Middle- 
burgh and  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty-six 
acres  of  land,  now  occupied  by  John  J.  and 
Adam  Van  Valkenburgh, in  October,  1792,  pay- 
ing therefor  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  pounds, 
four  shilHngs.  He  had  thirteen  children,  six 
sons  and  seven  daughters.  The  sons  were : 
Adam,  John  Joseph,  Peter,  Jacob,  Joachim  and 


TOWN  OF  SHARON. 


247 


Henry.     The  original  family  of  both  branches 
used  the  German  language. 

Tillapaugh  Family. — Referring  to  the  origin 
of  the  Van  Valkenburgh  name,  we  will  here 
allude  to  another,  which  is  quite  prominent  in 
this  and  other  northern  towns  of  the  County, 
that  originated  from  another  family.  It  is 
Tillapaugh.  The  original  is  Dillenbeck,  which, 
when  spoken  by  the  old  stamp  of  Germans, 
becomes  "  Dillapah,"  and  when  uttered  by  the 
English  tongue,  with  a  broader  accent,  it  becomes 
Tillapaugh,  as  written  now  through  the  fancy 
of  one  of  the  Dillenbeck  family  that  adopted 
the  name.  His  own  brothers,  however,  retained 
the  original. 

Gilbert's  Corners. 

This  settlement  was  made  about  the  year 
1794,  by  families  from  Stone  Arabia,  among 
whom  was  the  Hyney  family,  (father  of  the  late 
John  Hyney),  also  the  Taylor's  and  Gilbert's. 
The  hamlet  was  named  after  Richard  Gilbert. 
Myron  Culver  also  was  an  early  settler,  and 
kept  a  small  store  for  many  years.  The  road 
leading  from  this  place  to  the  Springs  is  one 
from  which  fine  views  are  obtained,  especially 
near  and  at  the  "  Pavilion."  The  long  stretch 
of  low  land  lying  to  the  north,  east  and  west 
along  the  Mohawk,  presents  an  attractive 
scenery,  while  the  mountains  beyond  make  a 
varied  back-ground  that  is  most  pleasing. 

Physicians. — Tinas  Pynneo  was  the  first  physi- 
cian in  the  town,  and  settled  upon  the  present 
George  Ball  place.  George  F.  Fox  studied 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  him  in  1820,  but 
Pynneo  died  that  year  and  Fox  retained  the  field 
to  within  a  few  years.  John  C.  Moeller  came 
in  1814,  and  remained  till  his  death  in  1849- 
Sylvanus  Palmer  followed  in  1825  at  Beekman's 
Corners,  and  George  B.  Huddleston  at  Leesville 
about  the  same  time.  Theodore  Gilbert,  James 
Thompson,  James  Mereness,  J.  Green  and 
James  Snyder  followed  in  succession  at  the 
latter  place.  Dr.  Snyder,  of  late  deceased, 
leaves  the  place  without  a  professional  physi- 
cian for  the  first  time  in  sixty  years.  Upon  the 
building  up  of  the  village  at  the  Springs,  Dr. 
John  Loucks  settled  there  about  the  year  1840, 


and  was  followed  by  S.  F.  Fonda,  in  1850. 
After  a  practice  at  Leesville  of  seven  years,  Dr. 
Green  located  at  the  Spa  in  1853,  and  is  still  in 
practice  with  Dr.  Fonda.  Doctors  Jacob  Dock- 
stader,  G.  A.  Williams  and  John  T.  Hard^  all  of 
the  allopathic  school,  except  Dr.  Dockstader,who 
withdrew  from  that  practice,  and  of  late  adopted 
the  homeopathic,  are  also  there.  Dr.  Jacob  Van- 
Valkenburgh,  of  the  electic  school,  succeeded 
Dr.  Fox  at  Sharon  Hill,  and  still  remains,  and 
to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  many  facts  con- 
nected with  the  history  of  Sharon. 

True  Reformed  Church  of  Sharon  Hill. — The 
"  True  Reformed  Church  of  Sharon  Hill "  was 
organized  in  1829,  with  Henry  Bellinger  at  its 
head,  having  seceded  from  the  "Reformed 
Church  "  of  "  Turlah  "  in  that  year.  The  society 
built  a  house  of  worship  the  season  following, 
upon  the  forks  of  the  roads  leading  to  Gardners- 
ville  and  Cobleskill.  In  1857  or  1858  the 
present  edifice  was  built  upon  Sharon  Hill. 
Henry  Bellinger  was  the  oflSciating  pastor  as 
long  as  he  lived,  and  since  his  death  the  pulpit 
has  not  been  regularly  supplied.  The  cause  of 
seceding  from  the  parent  church  was  as  we  were 
informed  by  the  late  Dr.  Palmer,  long  a  mem- 
ber of  this  society,  a  difference  of  belief  in 
the  doctrine  of  election  and  fore-ordination, 
the  seceders  holding  to  the  strict  injunction  of 
the  doctrine. 

Masonic  Lodge  of  Sharon  Springs  No.  624. — 
This  Lodge  of  "Free  and  Accepted  Masons" 
was  organized  June  20,  1867,  with  Barnabas  B. 
Eldredge  as  Worshipful  Master. 

Seth  Eldredge,  Senior  Warden. 

James  W.  Harper,  Junior  Warden. 

L.  H.  Jackson,  Secretary. 

Joshua  Ward,  Seward  Eldredge.  Henry  C. 
Snyder,  WiUiam  Fox,  members. 

The  membership  has  increased  over  one 
hundred,  and  the  Lodge  is  in  a  prospering  con- 
dition. Their  rooms  are  spacious  and  well 
furnished.     The  present  officers  are  : — 

James  W.  Harper,  Worshipful  Master. 

A.  P.  Prime,  Senior  Warden. 

Lyman  D.  Mereness,  Junior  Warden. 

J.  K.  Harper,  Treasurer. 

W.  H.  Craig,  Secretary. 


248 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


A.  J.  Cook,  Chaplain. 
Emmet  Kilts,  Senior  Deacon. 
Andrew  Turner,  Junior  Deacon. 
George  Copp,  Senior  Master  of  Ceremonies. 
George  Kilts,  Junior  Master  of  Ceremonies. 
Hezekiah  Simmons,  Tiler. 
Menzo  France,  Marshal. 
George  Kilts,   M.  W.   Stratton,  J.  H.  Best, 
Trustees. 

Sharon  Officials. 

This  town  presents  a  long  list  of  officials. 

Judge  William  Beekman,  beside  being  the 
first  County  Judge,  represented  the  district  in 
the  State  Senate  in  1798,  1799,  1800,  1801, 
1802. 

John  Rice  was  the  first  Assemblyman  from 
the  County.  His  successors,  including  those 
from  Seward,  up  to  the  time  that  town  was 
formed  were : — 

John  Rice,  1796,  1797,  1798,  1808,  1809, 

1810. 
Henry  BeUinger,  1806. 
Barnabas  Eldredge,  1820,  182 1. 
Robert  Eldredge,  1826,  1831. 
Peter  Hynds,  1829. 
John  F.  Hiller,  1835. 
George  F.  Fox,  M.  D.,  1839. 
Seth  Eldredge,  1844. 
James  Parsons,  1848. 
Edward  Eldredge,  1865. 
Robert  Eldredge,  Assistant  Judge,    1833, 

1838. 

The  old  town  records  have  been  carefully 
preserved  and  give  us  the  names  of  the  super- 
visors as  follows : — 

1796 — Tinas  Pynneo. 

1797 — Tinas  Pynneo. 

1798 — Peter  Loucks. 

1799 — Peter  Loucks. 

1800 — Peter  Loucks. 

1801 — Peter  Loucks. 

1802 — Peter  Loucks. 

1803 — Peter  Loucks. 

1804 — Peter  Loucks. 

1805 — Peter  Loucks, 

1806 — Peter  Loucks. 

1807 — Peter  Loucks. 

1 808 — John  Malick. 


1809 — John  Malick. 
1815— Peter  A.  Hilton. 
1816 — Jacob  Crounse. 
1 81 7— Peter  A.  Hilton. 
18 18 — John  Rice. 
1819 — Peter  A.  Hilton. 
1820 — Jacob  Crounse. 
1 82 1 — Robert  Eldredge. 
1822 — Robert  Eldredge. 
1823 — Robert  Eldredge. 
1824 — Robert  Eldredge. 
1825 — Peter  Hynds. 
1826 — Peter  Hynds, 
1827 — Peter  Hynds. 
1828 — Jacob  Crounse. 
1829 — Jacob  Crounse. 
1830 — Timothy  Cook. 
1 83 1 — John  Scott. 
1832— John  F.  Hiller. 
1833 — Adam  Empie. 
1834 — Robert  Eldredge. 
183  s — Robert  Eldredge. 
1836 — Robert  Eldredge. 
1837 — Martin  Merckley. 
1838 — ^James  Parsons. 
1839 — William  Royce. 
1840 — Robert  Eldredge. 
1 84 1— Seth  Eldredge. 
1842 — Cornelius  Beekman. 
1843 — Daniel  D.  Webster. 
1844 — John  Beakley. 
1845 — David  Becker. 
1846— John  C.  Moeller. 
1847 — Seymour  Smith. 
1848 — John  C.  Empie. 
1849— J.  W.  Van  Schaick. 
1850 — John  L.  Dockstader. 
185 1 — Adam  Empie. 
1852 — Seymour  Smith. 
1853 — Joseph  Zeh. 
1854 — M.  N.  De  Noyelles. 
1855— P.  H.  Sharp. 
1856— Luther  Taylor. 
1857 — Garrett  Hone. 
1858— Daniel  Eldredge. 
1859 — M.  N.  De  Noyelles. 
i860 — M.  N.  De  Noyelles. 
1 86 1 — Peter  Low. 
1862 — Peter  Low. 
1863— John  A.  Empie. 


TOWN  OF  BLENHEIM. 


249 


1864 — John  Beakly. 
1865 — M.  N.  De  Noyelles. 
1866 — Charles  Craig. 
1867 — M.  N.  De  Noyelles. 
1868— M.  N.  De  Noyelles. 
1869 — John  B.  Hoag. 
1870— John  B.  Hoag. 
187 1 — Nathan  W.  Stratton. 
1872— Nathan  W.  Stratton. 
1873— Augustus  Parsons. 
1874 — Peter  A.  Bellinger. 
1875 — Peter  A.  BeUinger. 
1876 — Garrett  Hone. 
1877— Garrett  Hone. 
1878 — Henry  C.  Lyker. 
1879 — Henry -C.  Lyker. 
1880 — Henry  C.  Lyker. 
1881— Henry  C.  Lyker. 
1882— Henry  C.  Lyker. 

Upon  the  building  of  the  railroad  through 
the  town,  bonds  were  issued  to  the  sum  of  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  to  aid  in  the  con- 
struction, of  which  amount  $90,000  remained 
unpaid,  July  i,  1881. 

Boundaries. 

The  boundaries  of  this  town  were  defined  in 
1813,  after  those  of  the  surrounding  towns,  and 
were  only  described  as  follows  by  statute : — 

"And  all  that  part  of  the  said  County  of 
Schoharie  bounded  northerly,  westerly,  and 
southwesterly  by  the  bounds  of  the  County, 
and  easterly  and  southeasterly  by  the  towns  of 
Carlisle  and  Cobleskill,  shall  be  and  continue  a 
town  by  the  name  of  Sharon."  (36th  Sess. 
Chap.  CI.,  (R.  L.)  Vol.  II.) 


CHAPTER   XVI. 
History  of  the  Town  of  Blenheim. 


BLENHEIM  is  one  of  the  first  towns  formed 
in  the  County,  and  originally  comprised 
the  territory  of  Jefferson  and  a  portion  of  Gil- 
boa.  The  lands  were  first  purchased  of  the 
government  by  John  Weatherhead  and  John 


Butler,  in  1769  and  1771,  although  small  tracts 
had  been  obtained  from  the  Indians  previous  to 
that  time,  which  Sir  William  Johnson  declared 
to  be  void.  But  a  small  part  of  the  territory 
was  settled  before  the  Revolution,  only  that 
bordering  on  Breakabeen,  as  farther  up  the 
stream  the  flats  were  not  broad  enough  to  suit 
the  Germans;  besides,  the  Indians  located  above 
after  disposing  of  their  lands  at  and  below 
Schoharie.  Upon  the  close  of  the  Revolution 
the  territory  was  soon  populated,  and  the  town 
has  made  progress  in  the  ratio  of  others,  con- 
sidering the  withering  feature  of  lease  lands  and 
quit-rents  that  were  early  sprung  upon  the 
people.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  unflinching 
obstinacy  of  the  first  German  settlers  of  Scho- 
harie and  Middleburgh  in  opposing  the  schemes 
of  landed  autocrats  and  oppressive  officials,  a 
goodly  share  of  the  County  to-day  would  have 
been  chained  down  by  yearly  rents,  and  in  a 
continual  Utigation.  We  will  refer  particularly 
to  the  rent  troubles  of  this  town  after  dwelling 
upon  the  early  history  of  it  and  the  patriotic 
settlers. 

Captain  Hager  settled  upon  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  Adelbert  West,  and  was  the  son  of 
Henry  Hager  who  located  upon  the  present 
Daniel  Zeh  farm  in  the  town  of  Fulton. 

The  father  and  son,  Jacob,  no  doubt  were 
the  first  families  that  settled  south  of  the  present 
village  of  Breakabeen.  Jacob  Schaeffer,  of 
Weiser's  dorf,  and  a  Kneiskern  family,  of 
Beaverdam,  and  the  Beacraft  family  soon  fol- 
lowed them,  and  made  a  quiet  settlement  until 
the  commencement  of  the  war.  Henry  Hager 
came  from  Germany  when  a  lad  with  an  uncle; 
Jacob  Frederick  Hager,  a  preacher,  who  settled 
at  the  Camps.  Three  brothers  of  Henry  also 
came  at  the  same  time,  one  settling  in  Hagers- 
town,  Maryland,  one  in  New  Hampshire,  and  one 
upon  the  Mohawk.  Henry  sought  the  German 
flats,  and  in  course  of  time  married  a  sister  of 
Mrs.  General  Herkimer,  and  then  removed  to 
this  town,  and  at  the  commencement  of  the 
Revolution  was  surrounded  by  all  the  comforts 
and  conveniences  enjoyed  by  the  farmer  at  that 
day.  His  family  consisted  of  five  sons  and  one 
daughter,  namely,  Joseph,  Peter,  John,  Jacob, 
David,  and  Mrs.  Judge  John  M,  Brown.    The 


250 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


father  was  in  service  through  the  French  war, 
and  near  its  close,  Jacob  arrived  at  the  required 
age  to  do  military  duty,  and  entered  as  a  Lieu- 
tenant under  Colonel  Sternbergh. 

Owing  to  their  connection  with  the  "  upper 
fort,"  it  being  their  especial  field  of  patriotic 
labor,  we  refer  to  his  career  more  particularly 
in  the  chapter  upon  that  town.  Upon  the  in- 
vasion by  Crysler,  Brant,  and  Seths  Henry,  of 
Vromansland  in  August,  1780,  Captain  Hager 
was  upon  his  farm  gathering  his  harvest,  and 
was  apprised  of  the  affair  by  his  brother,  John, 
who  mounted  a  horse  upon  the  arrival  of  Leek 
at  the  fort  with  the  sad  news.  Captain  Hager 
was  unloading  hay  when  his  brother  came,  and 
quickly  throwing  it  off  his  wagon,  the  few  in- 
habitants of  that  vicinity  were  taken  into  it, 
driven  into  the  woods,  and  concealed  near 
Keyser's  Kill.  Henry  Hager  started  with  the 
wagon,  when  a  favorite  dog,  that  began  to  bark, 
was  caught  by  him,  and  fearing  it  would  betray 
the  fugitives,  he  cut  its  throat  with  his  pocket- 
knife. 

After  proceeding  some  distance  from  his 
house,  having  forgotten  some  articles  he  in- 
tended to  have  taken  with  him,  he  returned 
and  found  it  already  occupied  by  the  enemy, 
who  made  him  their  prisoner.  He  was  seventy- 
seven  years  old,  and,  as  he  was  known  to  the 
enemy  to  be  a  firm  Whig,  his  sons  (one  a  cap- 
tain), and  several  of  his  grandsons  all  being  in 
the  rebel  army,  he  was  treated  with  marked 
severity.  They  burned  all  of  the  Hager  build- 
ings and  proceeded  on  their  march  to  the 
Susquehanna,  and  encamped  for  the  night  a 
short  distance  southwest  of  North  Blenheim,  or 
Patchin  Hollow.  "The  wagon  which  carried 
them  from  their  homes,"  says  Author  Simms, 
"  was  left  in  one  place,  the  horses  in  another, 
and  the  women  and  children  were  sheltered 
beneath  a  shelving  rock,  in  a  ravine  of  the 
mountain  stream  before  named."  "After  the 
women  and  children  were  disposed  of,  Captain 
Hager,  taking  with  him  his  brother  and  Law- 
rence Bouck,  Jacob  Thomas  and  several  others 
who  composed  the  guard  mentioned,  proceeded 
from  Keyser's  Kill  with  due  caution,  to  ascer- 
tain if  the  "upper  fort"  had  been  captured. 
It  was  nearly  noon  when  Brant  left  the  vicinity 
of  the  fort,  and  nearly  night  when  its  com- 


mandant and  his  men  reached  it."  "  On  the 
following  day  the  women  and  children  were 
removed  to  the  fort." 

Once  while  upon  the  journey  to  Niagara 
he  received  kind  attention  from  an  Indian. 
Being  old  and  barefoot  it  was  impossible  for 
Hager  to  keep  up  with  the  party,  and  often  he  was 
found  some  distance  in  the  rear,  for  which  he 
was  threatened  with  death  each  time,  and  upon 
the  occasion  referred  to,  he  saw  one  of  the 
savages  coming  on  the  backward  track  for  the 
purpose  he  supposed,  of  carrying  their  threats 
into  execution.  Approaching  him  he  spoke  kindly 
and  gave  him  something  to  eat,  and  after  a  friendly 
conversation  upon  a  log  by  the  roadside  they  con- 
tinued the  march.  Hager  was  gone  eleven 
months,  when  he  was  exchanged  and  returned 
to  his  desolated  home. 

Beacraft,  the  notorious  Tory,  who  fled  to 
Canada  in  1777,  and  returned  several  times  to 
different  sections  for  murder  and  plunder,  was  a 
resident  of  this  town.  His  uncalled  for  murders 
and  taunting  jeers  of  prisoners  taken  from 
their  homes  by  Indian  parties,  made  his  name 
and  presence  the  most  distasteful  to  the  patri- 
ots.* After  peace  was  proclaimed  he  had' the 
audacity  to  return  to  his  old  neighborhood, 
among  those  he  had  injured  all  he  possibly 
could,  to  settle  down  again.  Scarcely  had  the 
fact  of  his  returning  become  known  among 
the  patriots  than  a  squad  of  ten  surrounded 
the  house  in  which  he  was  staying  one  night, 
and  took  the  fiend  to  a  grove  of  hickories  a 
short  distance  below  the  Blenheim  bridge,  where 
they  stripped  off  his  clothing,  undoubtedly  with- 
out etiquette,  and  bound  him  to  a  fallen  tree. 
Procuring  ten  withe  hickory  whips  they  sur- 
rounded him  and  gave  him  fifty  lashes  upon  his 
bare  back.  At  the  conclusion  of  each  ten,  they 
reminded  him  of  his  infamous  acts.  The  first 
was  for  being  a  Tory ;  second,  for  the  murder 
of  "that  helpless  boy,  the  son  of  Vroman, 
(see  Fulton),  whom  you  scalped  and  hung  upon 
the  fence;"  third,  "for  aiding  in  the  massacre 
of  those  who  were  your  neighbors,  the  Vroman 
family;"  fourth,  "for  taunts,  jeers  and  insults 
when  certain  persons  well-known  to  you  were 
captives  among  a  savage  enemy;"  fifth,  "for 

*Patchin's  Narrative, 


TOWN  OF  BLENHEIM. 


251 


coming  again  to  the  bosom  of  that  country 
upon  which  you  have  spit  the  venom  of  hate, 
and  thus  added  insult  to  injury  never  to  be  for- 
gotten.'' After  thus  punishing  the  villain  they 
unbound  and  ordered  him  to  "  flee  the  country 
and  never  return." 

It  has  been  said  he  expressed  his  gratitude, 
after  the  fiftieth  lash  had  been  given,  that  he 
had  been  so  gently  dealt  with,  but  there  was  not 
life  enough  left  in  him  to  say  anything  about  it. 
He  was  buried  a  short  distance  from  the  whip- 
ping grounds,  rather  privately,  where  his  ashes 
lie  to-day.  The  reader  would  naturally  ask 
who  it  was  that  meted  justice  to  the  murderer  ? 
If  General  Patchin,  and  brother,  Isaac,  Cap- 
tain Hager,  Lewalt  Bartholomew  and  Casper 
Martin  had  been  asked  who  the  remaining  five 
were,  they  would  not  have  told,  as  the  facts 
were  to  be  kept  a  secret. 

No  actual  engagements  occurred  in  this  town 
during  the  war,  but  several  of  the  settlers  were 
made  prisoners,  and  forced  to  endure  untold 
hardships.  We  will  give  space  to  General  Free- 
gift  Patchin's  narrative  of  his  captive  life,  as 
published  by  him  over  sixty  years  ago.  We 
will  here  state  that  his  experience  was  that  of 
nearly  all  others,  but  few,  too  few,  of  less  tor- 
ture and  endurance,  and  who  were  constitu- 
tionally able  to  survive  their  hardships.  In 
1798,  General  Patchin  settled  where  Joseph 
Fink  now  resides,  and  built  a  mill.  He  was 
appointed  a  General  of  the  Militia,  and  repre- 
sented the  County  in  the  Assembly  in  1804, 
1805,  1820,  1821  and  1822,  being  in  six 
sessions,  and  was  elected  supervisor  several 
terms.  He  was  a  very  intelligent  man  consider- 
ing his  limited  opportunities,  and  died  August 
30,  183 1,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  not 
having  entirely  recovered  from  the  shock  his  con- 
stitution received  while  a  captive.  His  children 
were :  Mrs.  George  Martin,  Mrs  Samuel  Burns, 
afterwards  Mrs.  Nicholas  Richtmyer,  Lewis, 
Mrs.  Frederick  Hager,  Charles,  and  Mrs. 
Joseph  Johnson.  Mrs.  Martin  is  the  only  one 
living,  being  ninety  years  of  age. 

The  Captivity  and  Sufferings  of  General 
Freegift  Patchin. — In  the  year  1780,  myself  as 
well  as  the  whole  population  about  the  region 
of  old   Schoharie,   were   held  in  readiness   by 


Colonel  Peter  Vroman  as  minute-men,  to 
be  ready  at  a  moment's  warning,  as  the 
Tories  and  Indians  were  a  watchful  and  cruel 
enemy.  Around  the  region  of  the  head  of  the 
Delaware  it  was  suspected  there  were  persons 
who  favored  the  cause  of  the  British ;  a  small 
company  of  men  therefore  were  sent  out  as 
spies  upon  them,  and  also  if  possible  to  make  a 
quantity  of  maple  sugar,  as  an  abundance  of 
the  maple  grew  there.  Of  this  little  company 
Captain  Alexander  Harper  had  the  command. 
Fourteen  persons  were  all  that  were  sent  out, 
among  whom  were  myself,  Isaac  Patchin,  my 
brother,  Ezra  Thorp,  Lieutenant  Henry  Thorp, 
and  Major  Henry.  It  was  early  in  the  month 
of  April — the  second  day  of  the  month — when 
we  came  to  the  place  of  rendezvous,  a  distance 
from  the  forts  of  Schoharie  of  about  thirty  miles. 
A  heavy  snow-storm  came  on,  during  which 
about  three  feet  of  snow  fell,  in  addition  to  that 
which  was  on  the  ground  before.  We  were  not 
in  the  least  apprehensive  of  danger,  as  the 
nearest  fort  of  the  enemy  was  at  Niagara ;  know- 
ing also  that  Sullivan  the  year  before  had 
scoured  the  Chemung  and  Genesee  countries, 
killed  or  driven  the  Indians  to  Canada ;  also  as 
it  was  winter,  and  the  snow  very  deep,  we  sup- 
posed were  circumstances  of  sufficient  magni- 
tude to  prevent  marauding  parties  effectually 
from  approaching  from  that  quarter  at  that  par- 
ticular time.  We  had  tapped,  as  the  sugar 
making  phrase  is,  a  great  number  of  trees, 
finding  the  proper  utensils  at  hand,  as  they  had 
been  before  occupied  in  the  same  way  by  the 
inhabitants  who  had  fled  to  other  places  for 
safety.  A  few  hundred  pounds  of  maple  sugar 
would  have  been  a  great  acquisition,  as  the  in- 
mates of  the  forts  were  in  want  of  all  things, 
having  been  compelled  to  flee  from  their  homes 
to  Schoharie  and  other  places  of  safety.  We 
had  proceeded  in  our  enterprise  as  merrily  as 
the  fatiguing  nature  of  the  business  would  per- 
mit, a  few  days,  when  on  the  7th  of  April,  1780, 
at  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  were 
suddenly  beset  and  surrounded  by  forty-three 
Indians  and  seven  Tories.  The  names  of  the 
Tories  I  forbear  to  mention,  except  two  or 
three  of  whom  the  reader  will  hear  in  the 
course  of  the  narrative,  the  rest  I  have  thought 
proper  not  to  name,  as  their  descendants  are 


252 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


not  chargeable  with  the  misguided  acts  of  their 
fathers,  and  it  is  not  my  wish  at  this  time  of 
day  to  cast  reflections  and  grieve  the  innocent. 
So  silent  had  been  the  approach  of  the  enemy 
that  three  of  our  number  lay  weltering  in  their 
blood  before  I  or  any  of  the  rest  knew  they 
were  among  us,  as  we  were  scattered  here  and 
there  busy  with  our  work.     I  was  not  far  from 
our  captain  when  I  saw  the  Indians  first,  who 
were  accosted  by  Brant,  their  leader,  as  follows : 
T— "Harper,    I  am    sorry   to   find   you    here." 
"  Why,"    said  Harper,  "  Captain  Brant,  are  you 
sorry  ?  "     "  Because,"   he  replied,  "  I  must  kill 
you,    though  we  were  schoolmates   in  youth." 
Then  he  Ufted    and  flourished  his   tomahawk 
over  his  head  ready  to  execute  the  deed,  but 
suddenly,  as  if  paralyzed   by  a  stroke  of  magic, 
stopped  this  act  of  murder,  as  if  some  new  and 
important  thought  had  crossed  his  mind — when 
he  gazed  at   Harper  with  an  eye  as  keen  and 
deadly  as  a  serpent,  saying,    "  Are  there   any 
troops  at  the  forts  at  Schoharie  ?"     Harper  per- 
ceived in   a  moment,  that   the  answer  to  this 
question  would  either  save  their  lives  or  procure 
their  instant   death;  for   if  he  should  say  no, 
which  would  have  been  the  truth,  the  Indians 
would  have  killed  them  all  and  then  proceeded 
to  old  Schoharie,  massacreing  as  they  went,  and 
cut  off  the  whole  inhabitants  before  help  could 
have  been  had  from  any  quarter,  and  the  enemy, 
as  a  wolf,  when  the  morning  appears,  flees  with 
the  shades  of  the  night.     Accordingly,  he  an- 
swered, "  There  are  three  hundred  Continental 
troops  now  at  the  forts,  who  arrived  there  about 
three  days  since,"     But  the  whole  of  this  state- 
ment was   untrue;  yet  who  will  condemn  the 
captain,    and   say   the   act  would   need   much 
repentance  ere  it  should  have  obtained  forgive- 
ness.   On  hearing  this,  the  countenance  of  Brant 
fell,  when  he  waved  with  his  hand  a  signal  to  the 
chief,  stopped  the  massacre,  and  called  a  coun- 
cil of  war ;  all  of  which,  from  the  time  Brant  had 
brandished  his  hatchet  over  the  head  of  Harper, 
had  been  but  the  work  of  a  moment. 

The  eleven  survivors  were  seized,  pinioned, 
and  turned  all  together  in  a  hog-pen,  where  they 
were  kept  till  the  morning.  A  guard  of  Tories, 
with  one  Beacraft  by  name  at  their  head,  was  set 
over  them  in  the  pen— a  bloody  villain,  as  will 
appear  in  the  course  of  this  account. 


All  night  Brant  and  his  warriors,  with  the 
Tories,  were  in  fierce  consultation  whether  the 
prisoners  should  be  put  to  death,  or  taken  ahve 
to  Niagara.     The  chiefs  appeared  swayed  by 
Brant,  whose  influence  prevailed  over  the  whole 
opposition  of  the  murderous  crew ;  there  was  a 
reason  for  this,  as  will  appear  by-and-by.     While 
this  question  was  pending,  we  could  see  plainly 
their  every  act  through  the  chinks  of  the  pen, 
as  a  monstrous  fire  was  in  their  midst,  and  hear 
every  word,  though  none  of  us  understood  their 
language  but  our  captain,  whose  countenance 
we  could  perceive,  by  the  hght  of  the  fire,  from 
time  to  time  changing  with  the  alternate  pas- 
sions of  hope  and  of  fear,  while  the  sweat  ran 
down  his  face  from  the  mere  labor  of  his  mind, 
although  it  was  a  cold  night.     And  added  to 
this,   the  sentry,   Beacraft,    who   was   set  as  a 
guard,  would  every  now  and  then  cry  out  to 
us,  "  You  will  all  be  in  hell  before  morning." 
But  there  we  were,  tied  neck  and  heels,  or  we 
would  have  beat  the  pen  about  his  head.     Our 
captain   whispered  to    us   that   his   word  was 
doubted  by  the  Indians  and  Tories,  who  were 
for  kiUing  us,  and  proceeding  without  delay  to 
Schoharie.     At  length  the  morning  came,  when 
Brant  and  his  associate  chiefs,  five  in  number, 
ordered  that  Harper  be  brought  before  them. 
Here  the  question  was  renewed  by  Brant,  who 
said,  "  We  are  suspicious  that  you  have  lied  to 
us  ; "  at  the  same  time  he  sternly  looked  Harper 
in  the  face,  to  see  if  a  muscle  moved  witk  fear 
or  prevarication.     To  which   our  captain  an- 
swered with  a  smile,  expressive  of  confidence 
and  scorn,  and  at  the  same  time  descriptive  of 
the  most  sincere  and  unvarying  honesty,  that 
every  word  which  he  had  spoken,  respecting  the 
arrival  of  troops  at  Schoharie,  was  wholly  true. 
His  answer  was  believed,  at  which  moment  not 
only  their  own  hves  were  saved,  but  also  those 
of  hundreds  of  men,  with  helpless  women  and 
children,  who  have  not  known  to  this  day,  except 
the  few  to  whom  the  story  has  been  told,  that 
so  great  a  Providence  stepped  in  between  them 
and  servitude,  torture  and  death. 

It  was  extremely  mortifying  to  Brant  to  be 
compelled  to  rehnquish,  at  the  very  moment 
when  he  was  ready  to  grasp  the  utnsost  of  his 
wish,  in  the  glory  and  riches  he  would  have 
acquired  in  the  completion  of    his  enterprise. 


TOWN  OF  BLENHEIM. 


253 


He  had  fed  the  hopes  of  his  associate  chiefs, 
warriors  and  Tories  with  the  same  prospects ; 
having  calculated,  from  information  long  before 
received,  that  Schoharie  was  in  a  defenseless 
state,  and  dreaded  no  evil,  which  rendered  it 
extremely  difficult  to  restrain  them  from  kiUing 
the  prisoners  out  of  mere  fury  at  the  disap- 
pointment. A  few  moments  of  consultation 
ensued,  when  the  rest  were  ordered  out  of  the 
pen.  Brant  now  disclosed  the  whole  plan  of 
the  expedition  in  English,  expressing  his  regret 
at  its  failure,  stating  that  he  and  the  other 
chiefs  had,  with  difficulty,  saved  them  from 
being  scalped,  and  that  he  did  not  wish  to  kill 
them  in  cold  blood  now,  they  had  been  together 
a  day  and  a  night,  and  if  they  chose  to  go  with 
him  to  Niagara  as  captives  of  war,  they  might, 
but  if  they  failed  on  the  way  through  fatigue  or 
want  of  food,  they  must  not  expect  to  live,  as 
their  scalps  were  as  good  as  their  bodies. 

They  had  no  provisions  with  them,  neither 
had  they  eat  anything  as  yet  while  we  had  been 
their  prisoners,  except  what  they  had  found  in  our 
sap-bush,  which  they  had  at  first  devoured  with 
the  rapacity  of  cannibals.  We  now  took  up  our 
line  of  march,  with  our  arms  strongly  pinioned, 
our  shoulders  sorely  pressed  with  enormous 
packs,  our  hearts  bleeding  at  the  dreadful 
journey  before  us,  and  the  servitude  we  were 
exposed  to  undergo  among  the  Indians,  or  if 
bought  by  the  British,  imprisoned  by  land  and 
sea,  was  our  certain  fate,  at  least  till  the  end  of 
the  war,  if  we  even  survived  the  journey. 

The  snow  was  then  more  than  three  feet  deep, 
and  being  soft  rendered  it  impossible  for  us 
prisoners  to  travel,  as  we  had  no  snow-shoes, 
but  the  Indians  had ;  a  part,  therefore,  of  them 
went  before  us  and  a  part  behind,  all  in  Indian 
file,  so  by  keeping  their  tracks  we  were  enabled 
to  go  on,  but  if  we  happened  to  fall  down,  the 
Indians  would  cry  out,  "  JVaugA  Bostona.."  We 
had  traveled  about  ten  or  twelve  miles,  when 
we  came  to  a  grist-mill,  situated  on  the  Dela- 
ware, the  owner  of  which  welcomed  this  band 
of  infernals,  and  gave  them  such  refreshments 
as  were  in  his  power,  but  to  us,  poor  prisoners, 
he  gave  nothing,  while  we  were  made  to  sit  apart 
on  a  log  beside  the  road.  I  shall  never  forget 
the  cruelty  of  three  or  four  daughters  of  this 
man,  whose  name  I  forbear  to  mention  out  of 


pity  to  his  descendants.  These  girls  insisted 
that  they  had  better  kill  us  there,  for  if  by  any 
means  we  should  ever  get  back,  their  own  lives 
would  be  taken  by  the  Whigs;  their  father  also 
observed  to  Brant  that  he  had  better  have  taken 
more  scalps  and  less  prisoners.  When  we  were 
ready  to  proceed  again,  the  miller  gave  Brant 
about  three  bushels  of  shelled  corn,  which  was 
divided  into  eleven  different  parts  and  put  upon 
our  backs,  already  too  heavily  burdened.  This 
corn  was  all  the  whole  body  of  Indians  and 
ourselves  had  to  subsist  upon  from  there  to 
Niagara,  except  that  which  accidentally  fell  in 
our  way,  a  distance  of  more  than  three  hundred 
miles,  entirely  a  wilderness.  From  this  mill  we 
traveled  directly  down  the  river ;  we  had  not, 
however,  gone  many  miles,  when  we  met  a 
man  who  was  a  Tory,  well-known  to  Brant,  by 
name  Samuel  Clockstone,  who  seeing  us,  the 
prisoners,  was  surprised,  as  he  knew  us;  when 
Brant  related  to  him  his  adventure,  and  how 
he  had  been  defeated  by  the  account  Captain 
Harper  had  given  of  the  troops  lately  arrived  at 
Schoharie.  "  Troops,"  said  Clockstone,  "  there 
are  no  troops  at  that  place,  you  may  rely  upon 
it.  Captain  Brant,  I  have  heard  of  none."  In  a 
moment  the  snaie  eyes  of  Brant  flashed  murder, 
and  running  to  Harper,  he  said,  in  a  voice  of 
unrestrained  fury,  his  hatchet  vibrating  about 
his  head  like  the  tongue  of  a  viper,  "  How  come 
you  to  He  to  me  so  ?  "  When  Harper,  turning 
to  the  Tory,  said,  "  You  know,  Mr.  Clockstone, 
I  have  been  there  but  four  days  since ;  you 
know  since  our  party  was  stationed  at  the  head 
of  the  river,  at  the  sap-bush,  that  I  have  been 
once  to  the  forts  alone,  and  there  were  troops,  as 
I  have  stated,  and  if  Captain  Brant  disbelieves 
it,  he  does  it  at  his  peril."  That  Harper  had 
been  there  happened  to  be  true,  which  the  Tory 
happened  to  know,  when  he  replied,  "Yes,  I 
know  it."  All  the  while  Brant  had  glared  in- 
tensely on  the  countenance  of  Harper,  if  possi- 
ble to  discover  some  misgivings  there,  but  all 
was  firm  and  fair ;  when  he  again  believed  him, 
and  resumed  his  march. 

There  was  a  very  aged  man  by  the  name  of 
Brown,  who  had  not  gone  off  with  the  rest  of 
the  famihes  who  had  fled  the  country.  This 
miserable  old  man,  with  two  grandsons,  mere 
lads,  were  taken  by  Brant's  party,  and  compelled 


254 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


to  go  prisoners  with  us.      The  day  after  our 
meeting  with  the  Tory,  as  above  described,  this 
old  man,  who  was  entirely  bald  from  age,  be- 
came too  weary  to  keep  up  with  the  rest,  and 
requested  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  return, 
and  alleged  as  a  reason,  that  he  was  too  old  to 
take  part  in  the  war,  and,  therefore,  could  do 
the   King's  cause  no   harm.     At  this  request, 
instead  of  answering  him,  a  halt  was  made,  and 
the  old  man's  pack  taken  from  him,  when  he 
spoke  in  a  low  voice  to  his  grandsons,  saying 
that  he  should  see   them   no   more,    for  they 
were  going  to  kill  him  ;  this  he   knew,  being 
acquainted  with   the  manners  of  the  Indians. 
He  was  now  taken  to  the  rear  of  the  party,  and 
left  in  the  care  of  an  Indian,  whose  face  was 
painted  entirely  black,  as  a  token  of  his  office, 
which  was  to  kill  and  scalp  any  of  the  prisoners 
who  might  give  out  on  the  way.     In  a  short 
time  the  Indian  came  on  again,  with  the  bald 
scalp  of  the  old  man  dangling  at  the  end  of  his 
gun,  hitched  in  between  the  ramrod  and  muz- 
zle, this  he  often  flapped  in  the  boys'  faces  on 
the  journey.     The  place  at  which  this  was  done 
was  just  on  the  point  of  a  mountain,  not  far 
from  opposite  where  Judge  Foot  used  to  hve, 
on  the  Delaware,  below  Delhi.     There  he  was 
left,  and  doubtless   devoured  by  wild  animals. 
Human  bones  were  afterwards  found  on  that 
part  of  the  mountain. 

We  pursued  our  way  down  the  Delaware  till 
we  came  to  the  Cook  House,  suffering  very 
much,  night  and  day,  from  the  tightness  of  the 
cords  with  which  our  arms  were  bound.  From 
this  place  we  crossed  through  the  wilderness, 
over  hills  and  mountains,  the  most  difficult  to 
be  conceived  of,  till  we  came  to  a  place  called 
Ochquago,  on  the  Susquehanna  river,  which 
had  been  an  Indian  settlement  before  the  war. 
Here  they  constructed  several  rafts  out  of  old 
logs,  which  they  fastened  together  with  withes 
and  poles  passing  crosswise,  on  which,  after 
untying  us,  we  were  placed,  themselves  manag- 
ing to  steer.  These  soon  floated  us  down  as 
far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Chemung  river,  where 
we  disembarked  and  were  again  tied,  taking  up 
our  Une  of  march  for  the  Genesee  country. 
The  Indians,  we  found,  were  more  capable  of 
sustaining  fatigue  than  we  were  and  easily  out- 
traveled  us,  which  circumstance  would  have  led 


to  the  loss  of  our  lives  had  not  a  singular 
Providence  interfered  to  save  us !  This  was 
the  indisposition  of  Brant,  who  every  other  day 
for  a  considerable  time  fell  sick,  so  that  the 
party  were  compelled  to  wait  for  him,  this  gave 
an  oppcrtunitity  for  us  to  rest  ourselves.  Brant's 
sickness  was  an  attack  of  the  fever  and  ague, 
which  he  checked  by  the  use  of  a  preparation 
from  the  rattlesnake.  The  rattlesnake  he 
caught  on  the  side  of  a  hill  facing  to  the  south, 
on  which  the  sun  shone,  and  had  melted  away 
the  snow  from  the  mouth  of  the  den  of  those 
serpents,  where  it  appears  one  had  crawled  out, 
being  invited  by  the  warmth. 

The  reader  will  also   observe  that  about   a 
fortnight  had  now  elapsed  from  the  time  of  our 
captivity,   so  that  the  season  was  farther  ad- 
vanced, and  added  to  this,  the  snow  is  sooner 
melted  on  the  Chemung,  in  Pennsylvania,  being 
farther  south  by  about  three  degrees  than  the 
head  of  the  Delaware,  yet  in  places  even  there, 
there  was  snow  on  the  ground,  and  in  the  woods 
it  was  still  deep.     Of  this  snake  he  made  a 
soup,  which  operated  as  a  cure  to  the  attack  of 
the  ague.     The  reader  will  remember  the  three 
bushels  of  corn  given  at  the  mill;  this  they  fairly 
and    equally    divided    among    us    all,    which 
amounted  to  two  handsful  a  day,  and  that  none 
should  have  more  or  less  than  another  while  it 
lasted,   the  corn  was  counted   as  we  received 
them ;  in  this  respect  Brant  was  just  and  kind. 
This  corn  we  were   allowed  to  boil  in   their 
kettles  when  the  Indians  had  finished  theirs; 
we  generally  contrived  to  pound  it  before  we 
boiled    it,  as  we  had  found  a  mortar    at    a 
deserted  wigwam  left  by  the  Indians  the  year 
before,  who  had  been  driven  away  by  General 
Sullivan.     While  in  the  neighborhood  of  what 
is  now  called  Tioga   Point,  we  but  narrowly 
escaped  every  man  of  us  being  butchered  on 
the  spot ;  a  miracle,  as  it  were,  saved  us.     The 
cause  was  as  follows  :  At  this  place,  when  Brant 
was   on    his  way  down  the  Chemung  on   this    ^ 
same  expedition,  but  a  few  days  before,  he  had 
detached  eleven  Indians  from  his  company  to 
pass  through  the  woods  from  Tioga  Point  to  a 
place  called  the  Minisink.     It  was   known  to 
Brant  that  at  this  place  were  a  few  families, 
where  it  was  supposed  several  prisoners  might 
be  made  or  scalps   taken,   which   at  Niagara 


TOWN  OF  BLENHEIM. 


255 


would  fetch  them  eight  dollars  apiece.  This 
was  the  great  stimulus  by  which  the  Indians  in 
the  Revolution  were  incited  by  Butler,  the 
British  agent,  to  perpetrate  so  many  horrid 
murders  upon  women,  children,  and  helpless  old 
age  in  this  region  of  country. 

This  party  made  their  way  to  the  Minisink, 
where,  lying  concealed  in  the  woods,  they 
managed  to  get  into  their  possession,  one  after 
another,  five  lusty  men,  and  had  brought  them 
as  far  as  to  the  east  side  of  the  Susquehanna 
opposite  Tioga  Point.  Here  they  encamped 
for  the  night,  intending  in  the  morning  to  con- 
struct a  raft  in  order  to  float  themselves  over 
the  river,  as  they  had  done  on  their  way  towards 
the  Minisink  a  few  days  before,  and  so  pursue 
their  way  up  the  Chemung  which  course  was  the 
great  thoroughfare  of  the  Indians  from  the 
Susquehanna  country  to  that  of  the  Genesee. 
Meanwhile  the  eleven  Indians  lay  fast  asleep 
being  greatly  fatigued  and  apprehending  no 
danger,  as  the  prisoners  were  securely  bound 
and  sleeping  soundly,  as  the  Indians  supposed, 
before  they  laid  themselves  down ;  but  as  the 
soul  of  one  man,  the  prisoners  were  ever  watch- 
ing some  opportunity  to  escape.  But  this  was 
not  possible  even  if  they  could  have  made  their 
escape,  unless  they  should  first  have  effected 
the  death  of  the  whole  of  the  party  of  Indians. 
This  object  therefore  was  their  constant  aim. 
This  night,  by  some  means  unknown,  one  of 
the  prisoners  got  loose,  doubtless  either  by 
knawing  off  his  cord  or  by  chafing  it  in  two  as 
he  lay  upon  it,  or  during  the.  day  had  managed 
to  hitch  it  as  often  as  he  could  against  the 
snags  of  the  trees  till  it  had  become  fretted  and 
weak  in  some  place,  so  that  at  last  he  got  it  in 
two.  When  this  was  effected,  he  silently  cut 
the  cords  of  his  fellows,  when  each  man  took  a 
hatchet,  and  in  a  moment  nine  of  them  received 
their  blades  to  their  handles  in  their  brains ; 
but  the  sound  of  the  blows  in  cutting  through 
the  bones  of  their  heads  awakened  the  other 
two,  who  sprung  upon  their  feet  as  quick  as 
thought,  when  one  of  them,  as  he  fled,  received 
the  blade  of  a  hatchet  between  his  shoulders, 
which,  however,  did  not  kill  him  nor  prevent  his 
escape,  yet  he  was  terribly  wounded. 

These  men  who  had  so  heroically  made 
their  escape,  returned,  as  was  supposed,  to  their 


■  homes  to  relate  to  their  famiUes  and  posterity 
the  perils  of  that  dreadful  night.  After  they 
had  gone,  the  two  Indians  returned  to  the  spot 
where  lay  their  ruthless  but  unfortunate  com- 
panions, fast-locked,  not  only  in  the  sleep  of  the 
night,  but  that  of  death,  never  more  to  torment 
the  ear  of  civilized  life  with  the  death  yell  of 
their  sepulchral  throats. 

They  took  from  the  feet  of  their  slaughtered 
friends  their  mocassins,  nine  pair  in  number, 
and  then  constructed  a  raft  on  which  they 
crossed  the  river,  and  had  proceeded  little  way 
up  the  Chemung  where  they  had  built  a  hut, 
and  the  well  Indian  was  endeavoring  to  cure 
his  wounded  companion. 

When  the  whooping  of  the  party  of  Indians 
to  whom  we  were  prisoners  struck  their  ear,  he 
gave  the  death  yell,  which  hung  on  the  dull  air 
as  the  scream  of  a  demon  reverberating  in 
doleful  echoes  up  and  down  the  stream ;  at 
which  the  whole  body  made  a  halt  and  stood 
in  mute  astonishment,  not  knowing  what  this 
could  rnean ;  when  directly  the  two  Indians 
made  their  appearance,  exhibiting  the  nine  pair 
of  mocassins,  and  relating  in  the  Indian  tongue, 
which  Harper  understood,  the  death  of  their 
companions.  In  a  moment,  as  if  transformed 
to  devils,  they  threw  themselves  into  a  great 
circle  around  us,  exhibiting  the  most  horrid 
gestures,  gnashing  their  teeth  like  a  gang  of 
wolves  ready  to  devour,  brandishing  their  toma- 
hawks over  us,  as  so  many  arrows  of  death. 
But  here  let  it  be  spoken,  to  the  praise  bf 
Divine  Providence,  at  the  moment  when  we 
had  given  ourselves  up  as  lost,  the  very  Indian, 
who  was  a  chief,  and  had  been  the  only  one  of 
the  eleven  who  had  escaped  unhurt,  threw  him- 
self into  the  midst  of  the  ring,  and  with  a  shake 
of  his  hand  gave  the  signal  of  silence,  when  he 
plead  our  cause  by  simply  saying,  "  These  are 
not  the  men  who  killed  our  friends,  and  to  take 
the  life  of  the  innocent  in  cold  blood,  cannot  be 
right."  As  it  happened,  this  Indian  knew  us  all, 
for  he  had  lived  about  Schoharie  before  the 
war,  and  was  known  as  as  an  inoffensive  and 
kind-hearted  native,  but  when  the  war  came  on, 
had  seen  fit  to  join  the  British  Indians;  his 
words  had  the  desired  effect,  arrested  the  mind 
of  Brant,  and  soothed  to  composure  the  terrific 


256 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


storm  that  a  moment  before  had  threatened  to 
destroy  us. 

Again  we  resumed  our  course,  bearing  with 
considerable  more  patience  and  fortitude  the 
anguish  of  our  sufferings,  than  it  is  likely  we 
should  have  done  had  our  lives  not  been  pre- 
served from  a  greater  calamity  just  described. 
We  soon  came  to  Newtown,  where  we  were 
nearly  at  the  point  of  starvation,  Indians  and 
all,  as  we  had  nothing  to  eat  except  a  handful 
or  two  of  corn  a  day;  and  what  the  end  would 
have  been  is  not  hard  to  foresee,  had  not  the 
amazing  number  of  wolf  tracks  remaining,  di- 
rected us  to  the  carcass  of  a  dead  horse.  The 
poor  brute  had  been  left  to  take  care  of  itself 
the  summer  before  by  Sullivan,  in  his  march  to 
the  Indian  country,  being  unfit  for  further  ser- 
vice as  a  pack-horse.  Here,  on  the  commons 
of  nature,  which  during  the  summer  and  fall,  it 
is  likely,  produced  an  abundance  of  pasturage, 
but  when  winter  came  on  and  rendered  it  im- 
possible for  the  poor  worn-out  animal  to  take 
care  of  itself,  death  came  to  its  relief  That  it 
had  lived  till  the  winter  had  become  severe,  was 
evident  from  its  not  being  in  the  least  degree 
putrescent,  but  was  completely  frozen,  it  having 
been  buried  in  the  snow  during  the  winter. 

The  wolves  had  torn  and  gnawed  the  upper 
side  quite  away,  but  not  being  able  to  turn  the 
carcass  over  it  was  sound  and  entire  on  the 
under  side.  This  we  seized  upon,  rejoicing  as 
at  the  finding  of  a  hidden  treasure!  It  was 
instantly  cut  to  pieces,  bones,  head  and  hoofs, 
and  equally  divided  among  the  whole.  Fires 
were  built,  at  which  we  roasted  and  eat,  without 
salt,  each  his  own  share,  with  the  highest  degree 
of  satisfaction. 

Near  this  place  we  found  the  Painted  Post, 
which  is  now  known  over  the  whole  continent 
to  those  conversant  with  the  early  history  of  our 
country ;  the  origin  of  which  was  as  follows : 
Whether  it  was  in  the  Revolution  or  in  the 
Dunmore  battles  with  the  Indians,  which  com- 
menced in  Virginia,  or  in  the  French  war,  I  do 
not  know,  an  Indian  chief  on  this  spot  had  been 
victorious  in  battle,  killed  and  taken  prisoners  to 
the  number  of  sixty.  This  event  he  celebrated 
by  causing  a  tree  to  be  taken  from  the  forest 
and  hewed  four  square,  painted  red,  and  the 
number  he  killed,  which  was  twenty-eight,  repre- 


sented across  the  post  in  black  paint,  without 
any  heads,  but  those  he  took  prisoners,  which 
were  thirty,  were  represented  with  heads  on,  in 
black  paint,  as  the  others.  This  post  he  erected 
and  thus  handed  down  to  posterity  an  account 
that  here  a  battle  was  fought,  but  by  whom,  and 
who  the  sufferers  were  is  covered  in  darkness, 
except  that  it  was  between  the  whites  and 
Indians. 

The  post  will  probably  continue  as  long  as  the 
country  shall  remain  inhabited,  as  the  citizens 
heretofore  have  uniformly  replaced  it  with  a 
new  one  exactly  like  the  original,  whenever  it 
has  become  decayed.  Nothing  more  of  note 
happened  to  us  till  we  came  to  the  Genesee 
river,  except  a  continued  state  of  suffering. 
We  passed  along  between  the  Chemung  andthe 
head  of  the  lakes  Cayuga  and  Seneca,  leaving 
the  route  of  Sullivan,  and  went  over  the  moun- 
tains farther  north.  These  mountains,  as  they 
were  very  steep  and  high,  covered  with  brush, 
and  our  bodies  being  weak  and  emaciated,  were 
almost  insurmountable,  but  at  length  we  reached 
the  top  of  the  last  and  highest,  which  over- 
looks immeasurable  wilds,  the  ancient  abode  of 
men  and  nations  unknown,  whose  history  is 
written  only  in  the  dust.  Here  we  halted  to 
rest,  when  the  Tory  Beacraft  took  it  in  his  head 
to  boast  of  what  he  had  done  in  the  way  of 
murder  since  the  war  began.  He  said  that  he 
and  others  had  killed  some  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Schoharie,  and  that  among  them  was  the 
family  of  one  Vroman.  These  he  said  they 
soon  despatched,  except  a  boy  of  about  fourteen 
years  of  age,  who  fled  across  the  flat  toward  the 
Schoharie  river.  "  I  took  after  the  lad,"  said 
the  Tory,  "  and  although  he  ran  like  a  spirit, 
I  soon  overtook  him,  and  putting  my  hand 
under  his  chin  laid  him  back  on  my  thigh, 
though  he  struggled  hard,  cut  his  throat,  scalped 
him,  and  hung  the  body  across  the  fence." 
This  made  my  blood  run  cold;  vengeance 
boiled  through  every  vein,  but  we  dare  not  say 
a  word  to  provoke  our  enemies,  as  it  would  be 
useless.  This  man,  however,  got  his  due,  in  a 
measure,  after  the  war  was  over,  which  will  be 
related  at  the  end  of  this  account. 

Another  of  them,  by  the  name  of  Barney 
Cane,  boasted  that  he  had  killed  one.  Major 
Hopkins,  on  Dimon  Island,  in  Lake  George. 


TOWN  OF  BLENHEIM. 


257 


"  A  party  of  pleasure,"  as  he  stated,  "  had  gone 
to  this  Island  on  a  sailing  excursion,  and  having 
spent  more  time  than  they  were  aware  of  before 
they  were  ready  to  return,  concluded  to  encamp 
and  remain  all  night,  as  it  would  be  impossible 
for  them  to  return  to  the  fort.  From  the  shore 
where  we  lay  hid,  it  was  easy  to  watch  their 
motions ;  and  perceiving  their  defenseless  situa- 
tion, as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  we  set  off  for  the 
Island,  where  we  found  them  asleep  by  their 
fire,  and  discharging  our  guns  among  them, 
several  were  killed,  among  them  was  one  woman 
who  had  a  suckling  child,  which  was  not  hurt. 
This  we  put  to  the  breast  of  its  dead  mother, 
and  so  we  left  it.      *  *         *         * 

*         *  *        *     But  Major  Hopkins  was 

only  wounded,  his  thigh-bone  being  broken  ;  he 
started  from  his  sleep  to  a  stooping  posture, 
when  I  struck  him,"  said  Barney  Cane,  "  with 
the  butt  of  my  gun  on  the  side  of  his  head, 
he  fell  over,  but  caught  on  one  hand ;  I  then 
knocked  him  the  other  way,  when  he  caught 
with  the  other  hand ;  a  third  blow  I  laid  him 
dead.  These  were  all  scalped  except  the  infant. 
In  the  morning,  a  party  from  the  fort  went  and 
brought  away  the  dead,  together  with  one  they 
found  alive,  although  he  was  scalped,  and  the 
babe,  which  was  hanging  and  sobbing  at  the 
bosom  of  its  lifeless  mother." 

Having  rested  ourselves,  and  our  tantalizing 
companions  having  finished  the  stories  of  their 
infamy,  we  descended  the  mountain  towards  the 
Genesee,  which  we  came  in  sight  of  the  next 
day  about  two  o'clock.  Here  we  were  met  by  a 
small  party  of  natives,  who  had  come  to  the 
flats  of  the  Genesee  for  the  purpose  of  corn 
planting,  as  soon  as  the  waters  of  the  river 
should  fall  sufficiently  to  drain  the  ground  of 
its  water.  These  Indians  had  with  them  a  very 
beautiful  horse  which  Brant  directed  to  be  cut 
to  pieces  in  a  moment,  and  divided  equally 
without  dressing  or  any  such  fashionable  delay, 
which  was  done,  no  part  of  the  animal  what- 
ever being  suffered  to  be  lost.  There  fell  to 
each  man  of  the  company  but  a  small  piece, 
which  we  roasted,  using  the  white  ashes  of  our 
fires  as  salt,  which  gave  it  a  delicious  relish; 
this  Brant  himself  showed  us  how  to  do.  On 
these  flats  were  found  infinite  quantities  of 
ground  nuts,  a  root  in  form   and  size  about 


equal  to  a  musket  ball,  which,  being  roasted, 
became  exceedingly  mealy  and  sweet.  These, 
together  with  our  new  acquisition  of  horse- 
flesh, formed  a  delicious  repast. 

From  this  place  Brant  sent  a  runner  to 
Niagara,  a  distance  of  about  eighty  miles,  in 
order  to  inform  the  garrison  of  his  approach; 
and  of  the  number  of  prisoners  he  had,  their 
names  and  quaHty.  This  was  a  most  humane 
act  of  Brant,  and  by  this  means  he  eff'ected  the 
removal  of  all  the  Indian  warriors  in  the  two 
camps  contiguous  to  the  fort.  Brant  was  in 
possession  of  a  secret  respecting  Harper,  which 
he  had  carefully  concealed  in  his  own  breast 
during  the  whole  journey,  and;  probably,  in  the 
very  first  instance  at  the  time  when  he  dis- 
covered that  Harper  was  his  prisoner,  operated 
by  influencing  him,  if  possible,  in  saving  his  life. 
This  secret  consisted  in  a  knowledge  that  there 
was  then  in  the  fort  a  British  officer  who  had 
married  a  niece  of  Harper,  Jane  More,  whose 
mother  was  a  sister  of  Captain  Harper.  This 
girl,  together  with  the  mother  and  a  sister,  had 
been  captured  at  the  massacre  of  Cherry  Valley 
and  taken  to  Niagara.  This  information  was 
conveyed  by  means  of  the  runner  to  the  hus- 
band of  Jane  More,  Captain  Powell,  who,  when 
the  girl  was  first  brought  by  Butler  and  his 
Indians,  a  prisoner  to  the  fort,  loved,  courted 
and  honorably  married.  Now  if  Powell  wished 
to  save  the  life  of  his  wife's  uncle  he  had  the 
opportunity,  by  doing  as  Brant  had  suggested, 
that  was,  to  send  the  warriors  of  both  camps^ 
down  the  lake  to  the  nine-mile  landing,  with 
the  expectation  of  meeting  Brant  there,  whose 
prisoners  would  be  given  into  their  hands  to  be 
dealt  with  as  the  genius  of  their  natures'  cus- 
toms might  suggest.  Accordingly,  Powell  told 
his  wife  that  her  uncle  was  among  the  prisoners 
of  Brant,  who  had  sent  him  word,  and  that  the 
warriors  must  be  sent  away ;  to  whom  he  gave  a 
quantity  of  rum,  as  they  thought,  to  aid  in  the 
celebration  of  their  infernal  pow-wows  at  the 
nine-mile  landing,  having  obtained  the  consent 
of  his  superior,  Colonel  Butler,  to  do  so. 

Brant  had  concealed,  from  both  his  Indians 
and  Tories,  as  well  as  from  the  prisoners,  that 
Powell,  at  the  fort,  was  Harper's  relative,  or 
that  he  had  made  the  above  arrangement. 

The  reader  may  probably  wish  to  know  why 


258 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  warriors  in  those  two  camps  must  be  sent 
away,  in  order  to  save  the  lives  of  the  prisoners. 
All  persons  acquainted  with  Indian  customs  in 
time  of  war,  know  very  well  that  the  unhappy 
wretch  who  falls  into  their  hands  at  such  a  time, 
is  compelled  to  run  what  is  called  the  gauntlet, 
between  two  rows  of  Indians,  composed  of 
warriors,  old  men,  women  and  children,  who,  as 
the  prisoner  ilies  between  them,  if  possible,  to 
reach  a  certain  point  assigned,  called  a  council- 
house,  or  a  fort,  receives  from  every  one  who 
can  reach  him,  a  blow  with  the  fist,  club, 
hatchet  or  knife,  and  even  wadding  fired  into 
their  bodies,  so  that  they  generally  die  with 
their  wounds  before  they  reach  the  appointed 
place,  though  they  struggle  with  all  the  violence 
of  hope  and  despair.  We  had  now,  on  the 
•  fourth  day  after  the  runner  had  been  sent, 
arrived  within  two  miles  of  Niagara,  when  the 
Tories  began  to  tell  us  the  danger  we  were  soon 
to  be  exposed  to,  in  passing  those  two  Indian 
encampments,  which,  till  then,  we  knew  nothing 
of;  this  difficulty  they  were  careful  to  describe 
in  the  most  critical  manner,  so  that  every 
step,  although  so  near  our  journey's  end,  when 
we  hoped  at  least  to  have  our  hunger  satisfied, 
was  as  the  steps  of  the  wretch  condemned  to 
die.  But  on  coming  to  the  first  encampment 
what  was  our  surprise  and  joy  at  finding  noth- 
ing there  capable  of  injuring  us  but  a  few  old 
women  and  children,  who  had  indeed  formed 
themselves  as  before  described.  However,  one 
old  squaw  coming  up  in  a  very  friendly  manner 
saluted  me  by  saying,  "  Poor  shild,  poor  shild," 
when  she  gave  me  a  blow,  which,  as  I  was  tired, 
could  not  be  parried,  that  nearly  split  my  head 
in  two.  Directly  we  came  to  the  second 
encampment,  which  was  supposed  to  be  more 
dangerous,  as  the  most  bloody  warriors  were, 
from  choice,  situated  nearest  the  fort;  but 
here,  through  the  policy  of  Powell,  a  whole 
regiment  of  British  troops  were  thrown  into 
two  parallel  lines,  extending  through  the  whole 
encampment,  to  protect  us,  as  here  were  many 
young  lads  of  the  natives  quite  able,  if  oppor- 
tunity was  given  them,  to  hack  and  club  us  to 
death  before  we  reached  the  fort.  But  now  the 
desired  fort,  although  it  was  to  be  our  prison- 
house,  was  seen  through  the  opening  woods.  I 
had  come  to  within  about  five  rods  of  the  gate- 


way, still  agonizing  under  the  effects  of  the 
old  squaw's  blow,  when  a  young  savage,  about 
twelve  years  old,  came  running  with  ajiatchet 
in  his  hand  directly  up  to  me,  and  seizing  hold 
of  the  petunip  line,  or  cord,  by  which  I  was 
tied,  twitched  me  around  so  that  we  faced  each 
other,  when  he  gave  me  a  blow  between  my 
eyes  on  the  forehead  that  nearly  dropped  me 
dead,  as  I  was  weak  and  faint;  the  blood 
spouted  out  at  a  fearful  rate,  when  a  soldier 
snatched  the  little  demon's  hatchet  and  flung  it 
into  the  lake.  Whether  Brant  was  awarded 
over  and  above  the  eight  dollars,  (which  was  the 
stipulated  price  per  head),  for  Harper,  or  not,  I 
cannot  tell;  but  as  was  most  natural  to  sup- 
pose, there  was  on  the  part  of  himself  and 
niece  great  joy  on  so  unexpectedly  falling  in 
with  friends  and  relatives  in  the  midst  of  ene- 
mies, and  on  the  part  of  Powell  respect  and 
kindness  was  shown  to  Harper  on  account  of 
the  lovely  Jane  More,  who  had  become  a  talis- 
man of  peace  between  them. 

We  had  scarcely  arrived  when  we  were 
brought  to  the  presence  of  a  number  of  British 
officers  of  the  Crown,  who  blazed  in  all  the 
glory  of  military  habiliments,  and  among  them 
as  chief,  was  the  bloated,  insolent,  unprincipled, 
cruel,  infamous  Butler,  whose  name  will  stink 
in  the  recollections  of  men  to  the  latest  page 
of  American  history ;  because  it  was  he  who 
directed,  rewarded,  and  encouraged  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Indians  and  Tories  all  along  from 
Canada  to  the  State  of  Delaware.  This  man 
commenced  in  a  very  abusive  manner  to  ques- 
tion us  respecting  American  affairs;  and  ad- 
dressing me  in  particular,  probably  because  he 
was  nearer  me  than  any  of  the  rest,  whether 
I  did  not  think  that  by  and  by  his  Indians 
would  compel  a  general  surrender  of  the 
Yankees  !  I  replied  to  him  in  as  modest  a 
manner  as  possible,  not  feeling  in  a  mood  of 
repartee,  as  the  blood  from  the  wound  in  my 
forehead  still  continued  to  trickle  down  my 
face,  covering  my  vest  and  bosom  with  blood, 
that  I  did  not  wish  to  say  anything  about  it  nor 
to  give  offense  to  any  one.  But  he  would  not 
excuse  me;  still  insisting  that  I  should  say 
whether  I  did  not  think  so  ;  to  which  I  firmly 
replied — feeling  what  blood  and  spirit  there 
were  yet  left  in  me,  to  rouse  a  little — that  if  I 


TOWN  OF  BLENHEIM. 


«59 


must  answer  him,  it  was  to  say  No !  and  that 
he  might  as  well  think  to  empty  the  lake  of  its 
waters  at  a  bucketful  at  a  time,  as  to  conquer 
the  Yankees  in  that  way.  At  which  he  burst 
out  in  a  violent  manner,  calling  me  a  dam'd 
rebel,  for  giving  him  such  an  insolent  answer, 
and  ordered  me  out  of  his  sight ;  but  here, 
when  ready  to  sink  to  the  floor,  (not  from  any- 
thing the  huge  bulk  of  flesh  had  said  to  me,  but 
from  hunger,  weariness,  and  the  loss  of  blood,) 
a  noble-hearted  soldier  interposed,  saying  to 
Butler,  "The  lad  is  not  to  blame,  as  you  have 
compelled  him  to  answer  your  question,  which 
no  doubt  he  has  done  according  to  the  best  of 
his  judgment."  "  Here,  poor  fellow,  take  this 
glass  of  wine  and  drink."  Thus  the  matter 
ended. 

We  were  now  given  over  to  the  care  of  a 
woman,  Nancy  Bundy  by  name,  who  had  been 
ordered  to  prepare  us  a  soup,  made  of  proper 
materials,  who  was  not  slow  to  relieve  our  dis- 
tress as  far  as  she  dare,  as  she  also  was  a 
prisoner.  But  in  taking  off  the  belt  which  I 
had  worn  around  my  body,  as  the  manner  of 
the  Indians  is,  to  keep  the  wind  out  of  the 
stomach,  it  appeared  that  I  was  falhng  to  pieces, 
so  strange  was  the  sensation,  that  I  was  ready 
to  disown  my  own  body  had  I  not  been  con- 
vinced by  my  other  senses  that  there  was  no 
mistake. 

I  will  just  give  the  reader  a  short  account  of 
this  woman,  as  I  received  it  from  herself.  She 
stated  that  herself,  husband,  and  two  children 
were  captured  at  the  massacre  of  Wyoming,  by 
Butler's  Indians  and  Tories,  and  brought  to  the 
Genesee  country,  then  entirely  inhabited  by  the 
natives.  There  she  was  parted  from  her  hus- 
band, the  Indians  carrying  him  she  knew  not 
where,  but  to  some  other  and  distant  tribe. 
She  had  not  been  long  in  the  possession  of  the 
tribe  after  her  husband  was  taken  away,  when 
the  Indian  who  had  taken  her  prisoner,  ad- 
dressed her,  and  was  desirous  of  making  her 
his  wife;  but  she  repulsed  him,  saying  very 
imprudently  she  had  one  husband,  and  it  would 
be  unlawful  to  have  more  than  one.  This 
seemed  to  satisfy  him,  and  she  saw  no  more  of 
him  for  a  long  time  ;  but  after  a  while  he  came 
back  and  renewed  his  suit,  alleging  that  there 
were  no  objections  to  her  marrying  him  as  her 


husband  was  dead,  for,  said  he,  I  found  where 
he  was  and  I  have  killed  him.  She  then  told  him 
if  he  had  killed  her  husband  he  might  kill  her 
also,  for  she  would  not  marry  a  murderer.  When 
he  saw  she  was  resolute  and  that  his  person  was 
hateful  in  her  sight,  he  took  and  tied  her,  and 
brought  her  to  this  place  and  sold  her  for  eight 
dollars. 

From  this  prison,  after  being  sold  to  the 
British  garrison  for  eight  dollars  a  head,  we 
were  sent  across  the  lake  to  Carleton  Island, 
from  this  place  down  to  the  Cedars ;  from  the 
Cedars  we  were  transported  from  place  to 
place,  till  at  length  we  were  permanently  lodged 
in  the  prison  at  Chambly.  Here  we  were  put 
in  irons,  and  remained  two  years,  suffering 
everything  but  death,  for  want  of  clothes,  fire, 
food,  medicine,  exercise  and  pure  air.  At 
length  from  the  weight  and  inconvenience  of 
my  irons  I  became  so  weak  that  I  could  not  rise 
from  the  floor,  when  my  fellow-sufferer  Thorp, 
who  was  not  as  badly  off  as  myself,  used  to  help 
me  up. 

The  physician  appointed  to  have  the  care  of 
the  prisoners,  whose  name  was  Pendergrass, 
paid  but  little  attention  to  his  charge,  seldom 
visiting  us,  but  never  examining  closely  into 
our  situation ;  consequently  a  description  of 
my  horrid  condition  would  afflict  the  reader,  on 
which  account  I  forbear  it.  At  length  however 
this  physician  was  removed  and  another  put  in 
his  place,  of  entirely  contrary  character;  he  was 
humane,  inquisitive,  industrious  and  skillful. 

When  he  came  first  to  that  part  of  the  prison 
where  myself  and  about  twenty  others  were 
confined,  the  captain  of  the  fort  came  with  him, 
when  the  doctor  proceeded  to  examine  us, 
one  by  one,  instead  of  giving  us  a  general  look 
only,  as  the  other  had  done.  The  place  where 
I  sat  was  quite  in  the  corner,  I  had  chosen  it 
because  it  was  the  darkest  and  served  to  hide 
me  from  observation  more  than  any  other  part 
of  the  room.  I  had  contrived  to  get  into  my 
possession  an  old  rug  of  some  sort  which  partly 
hid  my  naked  limbs ;  this  I  kept  over  my  lap  in 
the  best  possible  manner. 

After  a  while  it  became  my  turn  to  be  ex- 
amined, when  he  said :  "  Well  my  lad  what  is 
the  matter  of  you  ? "  From  shame  and  fear 
lest  he  would  witness  the  loathsome  predica- 


26o 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


ment   which  I  was  in,  I  said,  "Nothing  sir," 
"  Well  then,"  said  he  "  get  up."     "  I  cannot,  sir, 
said  I."     "  He  then  took  the  end  of  his  cane 
and    putting  it  under   the    blanket   that  was 
partly  over  me,  threw  it  one  side,  and  a  spec- 
tacle of  human  suffering  presented  itself,  such 
as  he  had  not  dreamed  of  seeing.     I  had  fixed 
my  eyes  steadily  on  his  face,  to  see  if  aught  of 
pity  moved  his  breast,  which  I  knew  I  could 
trace  in  his  countenance,  if  any  appeared.     He 
turned  pale ;  a  frown  gathered  on  his  brow,  the 
curl  of  his  lip  denoted  wrath ;  when  he  turned 
round  to  the  captain  of  the  fort,  whose  name 
was  Steel,  and  looking  steadily  at  him  said,  in  a 
voice  of  thunder,  "  You  infamous  villain,  in  the 
name  of  God,  are  you  murdering  people  alive 
here!    send  for  your    provost   sergeant    in   a 
moment,  and  knock  off  that  poor  fellovJs  spare 
shackles,  or  I  will  smash  you  in  a  moment ! " 
Oh,  this  language  was  balm  to  my  wounds  ;  was 
oil  to  my  bleeding  heart ;  it  was  the  voice  of 
sympathy,  of  determined  mercy,  and  immediate 
relief.     I  had  a  soldier's  heart,  which  shrunk 
not ;    a  fountain   of  tears   I   had  not  in   the 
hour   of   battle ;    but    now  they  rushed    out 
amain,  as  if  anxious  to  behold  the  man  who,  by 
his  goodness  had  drawn  them  from  their  deep 
seclusion. 

An  entire  change  of  situation  now  took  place ; 
our  health  was  recovered,  which  rendered  my 
imprisonment  quite  tolerable.  From  this  place 
after  a  while  we  were  sent  to  Rebel  Island,  or 
Cutodelack  or  Cutthroat  Island,  where  we  re- 
mained a  year,  when  peace  was  declared. 

We  were  now  sent  to  Quebec  and  put  on 
board  a  cartel  ship,  and  sent  round  to  Boston ; 
though  before  we  reached  that  place  we  were 
driven  out  to  sea  in  a  storm  and  nearly  ship- 
wrecked, suffering  exceedingly;  but  at  last 
arrived  at  the  desired  haven  where  I  once 
more  set  foot  on  my  native  land  and  rejoice  that 
it  was  a  land  of  liberty  and  Independence.  As 
fast  as  possible  we  made  the  best  of  our  way  to 
Old  Schoharie,  which  was  our  home,  after  an 
absence  of  three  years,  during  which  I  suffered 
much,  as  well  as  my  companions,  for  the  love  of 
my  country;  which  under  the  blessings  of 
Heaven  I  have  enjoyed  these  many  years, 
feeling  that  it  is  a  recompense  in  full  measure. 
May  He,  who  never  lost  a  battle  perpetuate 


the  blessing  to  those  who  have  it,  to  the  latest 
era  of  time. 

Supposed  Silver  Mine. — Years  before  the 
Revolution,  the  Indians  procured  an  ore  at 
some  point  in  Blenheim  that  resembled  silver, 
and  as  soon  as  peace  was  proclaimed,  efforts 
were  made  by  the  speculative  to  find  the  vein 
that  the  Indians  had  kept  a  secret.  After  several 
ineffectual  attempts,  John  and  Wilhelmus 
Bouck  procured  the  services  of  one  Casper 
Bertram,  a  German  mineralogist,  or,  as  called 
at  that  time  a  "  chemister,"  whose  superstition 
was  greater  than  his  ability.  After  searching 
for  several  years  he  concluded  the  precious  ore 
lay  in  large  deposits  upon  the  farm  of  Nicholas 
Becker. 

Accordingly,  the  Boucks  drew  up  the  follow- 
ing:— 

"  Articles  of  Agreement  made,  concluded  and 
signed  the  seventeenth  Day  of  December  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  Thousand  Eight  Hundred 
and  Four  Between  Nicholas  Becker  and 
Catharine  his  wife  of  the  town  of  Blenheim 
in  the  county  of  Schoharie  farmers  of  the  first 
part  and  John  Bauch — Wilhelmus  Bauch  and 
Casper  Bertram  of  the  town  of  Schoharie  and 
county  aforesaid  of  the  other  part  Witnesseth 
that  whereas  it  is  probable  from  the  situation 
and  appearance  that  there  is  ore  in  the  farm  of 
the  Party  of  the  first  part  where  he  now  resides 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Schoharie  creek  or  river 
Southerly  from  his  Dwelling  house,  and  where- 
as the  Parties  of  the  second  part  having  an 
inclination  to  Dig  and  work  said  ore  or  mine 
have  together  with  the  parties  of  the  first  part 
made  the  following  mutual  arrangements  : 

"  Firstly  It  is  agreed  between  both  Parties 
that  the  said  Parties  of  the  Second  Part  shall 
have  full  power  and  authority  to  Dig  the  said 
ore  or  mine  and  take  out  the  ore  of  whatever 
nature,  forever,  and  further  that  the  said  Parties 
of  the  second  part  shall  have  full  power  and 
authority  in  their  digging  to  follow  the  said  ore 
or  ores  in  such  direction  as  will  be  the  most  ad- 
visable and  best  advantageous  for  both  Parties 
and  also  that  the  Parties  of  the  Second  part 
shall  Have  the  privilege  to  go  to  and  return  from 
the  said  mine  with  any  team  or  carriage  to  Car- 


TOWN  OF  BLENHEIM. 


261 


ry  off  their  ores,  and  to  carry  to  the  mine  what 
shall  be  required  towards  the  mine  and  it  is 
further  agreed  between  both  parties,  that  the 
party  of  the  first  part  shall  furnish  all  the  wood 
necessary  for  the  mine  if  there  is  any  required 
for  the  same,  and  it  is  further  agreed  that  the 
second  party  shall  work  or  dig  the  mine  at  their 
own  expense  and  charges,  and  that  the  party  of 
the  first  part  shall  have  an  equal  fourth  part  of 
all  the  ore  which  shall  be  dug  out  of  said  mine, 
and  the  party  of  the  second  part  shall  have 
three  equal  third  parts  of  the  said  ore  so  dug  by 
the  parties  of  the  second  part  out  of  said  mine, 
and  it  is  further  agreed  by  both  parties,  that  the 
parties  of  the  second  part  and  their  Heirs  shall 
have  a  lawful  right  to  enjoy  the  above  Preveledges 
for  such  term  of  time  as  the  Parties  of  the  second 
part  shall  think  Proper  to  quit  the  same,  or  un- 
till  such  time  that  there  is  no  more  ore  to  be 
found  in  said  farm  or  mine.  And  for  the  more 
absolute  Performance  and  confermance  of  the 
above  articles,  and  to  render  the  same  more 
effectual  in  the  law,  Both  Parties  Do  respectfully 
bind  themselves,  their  Heirs,  Executors  and  Ad- 
ministrators and  assignees  for  the  above  Per- 
mitted times  or  Period. 

"In  witness  whereof  Both  Parties  to  these 
Presents  have  hereunto  Interchangebly  set 
their  Hands  and  seals  the  Day  and  year  first 
above  written. 

"  Signed  by  Nicholas  Becker  and  Catharine, 
his  wife,  John  Bouck  and  Casper  Berthram,  in 
the  presence  of  Elias  Holladay  and  M.  N.  Sim- 
mons, Jun.'' 

Before  seeking  for  the  ore,  Bertram  had  a 
written  oath  or  pledge  which  he  took  himself 
and  required  those  who  assisted  to  do  the  same, 
if  not,  their  efforts  would  prove  futile.  The  cross 
that  follows  the  jargon  is  to  he  understood  as 
the  number  of  times  each  one  was  to  cross 
themselves  over  the  heart  with  the  forefinger  of 
the  right  hand,  after  walking  over  the  ground 
with  an  apple-tree  branch,  which  was  supposed 
to  be  able  to  point  to  the  spot,  by  order  of  the 
"  Spirit "  that  answered  the  charge,  which  was 
as  follows : — 

"  I  charge  you  to  reveal  to  me  what  I  ask  you 
in  the  name  of  the   three  holy  Kings,    Casper, 


Besler,  and    Melchior,   who  found  the  infant 
Christ  in  the  East,     t  t  t 

The  jargon  of  course,  was  repeated  in  Ger- 
man, and  according  to  tradition,  was  efl^ectual 
in   finding    treasures. 

The  original  of  the  oath  was  obtained  and 
preserved  by  John  G.  Gebhard,  Jr.,  as  was 
also  the  articles  of  agreement,  to  whom  we  are 
indebted  for  the  privilege  of  a  copy.  It  was 
thought  copper  ore  was  obtained,  but  before  the 
mines  began  to  work  in  earnest,  an  accident 
happened  to  Bertram,  that  closed  his  hfe. 

One  of  the  Beckers  was  anxious  to  cut  a  cer- 
tain piece  of  grass,  and  procured  several  hands 
to  assist — perhaps  made  a  "  bee  "  to  cut  it — 
and  Bertram  was  one  of  the  number,  and  in 
mowing  ahead  of  one  of  the  laborers,  he  was 
cut  in  the  leg  by  him,  and  bled  to  death. 

It  is  said  he  was  buried  in  one  corner  of  the 
lot,  and  with  him  vanished  the  silver  mines,  but 
not  the  idea  of  the  treasure  being  hid  in  large 
quantities  within  the  rocks,  as  we  still  find  those 
who  believe  in  an  inexhaustable  mine  beneath 
the  giant  hills,  that  will  some  day  enrich  the 
country. 

War  of  1812. — -When  the  war  of  1812  was 
proclaimed  this  part  of  the  County  was  aroused 
to  a  sense  of  patriotism  that  culminated  in 
twenty-five  entering  the  service.  The  first  that 
went  belong-ed  to  the  regiment  of  mihtia  and 
every  third  one  was  drawn.  Afterwards  an 
enhsting  station  was  made  at  Schoharie  village, 
under  Major  Diedrick  Van  Vetchten.  Daniel 
Hager,  grandson  of  Captain  Jacob  Hager  was 
a  captain  in  the  militia  service  and  was  in  the 
engagements  at  Sackett's  Harbor  and  Platts- 
burgh,  as  was  also  Captain  Philip  Bartholomew 
in  the  same  regiment,  two  men  of  firm  adherence 
to  country,  as  were  their  grandfathers  before 
them. 

Bartholomew  Family.  —  John  Bartholomew 
and  his  wife,  Dorothy,  early  purchased  a  tract 
of  land  near  the  Charlotte,  in  the  present  county 
of  Otsego,  and  raised  a  large  family.  When 
the  Revolution  commenced,  they  sought  safety 
in  the  Schoharie  valley  and  proved  to  be  staunch 
patriots. 


262 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


There  were  seventeen  children,  we  are  told, 
by  one  of  the  family,  (G.  W.  Bartholomew,  now 
of  Austin,  Texas,)  and  two  of  them  at  least 
settled  in  Schoharie  County,  John  and  Philip. 
The  children  of  Philip  settled  at  Fultonham, 
Gilboa  and  Middleburgh,  while  those  of  John 
were  to  be  found  in  this  town,  as  well  as  those 
of  Middleburgh. 

The  progenitors  of  this  family  came  from 
Holland  and  settled  in  Germantown,  Penn., 
about  the  year  1740,  and  came  from  there  to 
the  Charlotte  in  1770. 

One  of  the  sons,  Tewalt,  was  with  the  party 
taken  prisoners  near  Harpersfield,  while  making 
sugar,  in  the  spring  of  1780,  as  stated  in  General 
Patchin's  manuscript.  He  returned  to  Scho- 
harie at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  for  several 
years  lived  near  the  Hagers. 

Jacob  Sutherland. — Among  the  notable  resi- 
dents of  this  town  was  Jacob  Sutherland,  who 
wa,s  a  son-in-law  of  Chancellor  John  Lansing, 
an 'Owner  of  land  lying  in  the  town.  In  1820 
he  was  appointed  one  of  the  delegates  to  the 
constitutional  convention,  and  in  debate  proved 
a  very  sound  reasoner  and  intelligent  debater. 
During  that  time  he  was  District  Attorney  for 
the  United  States  District  Court,  and  in  1823 
was  elected  State  Senator,  but  did  not  take  his 
seat,  as  he  received  the  appointment  of  Puisne 
Justice,  in  the  place  of  Joseph  C.  Yates,  who 
resigned  when  elected  Governor.  Mr.  Suther- 
land removed  to  Geneva,  Ontario  county,  in 
the  district  in  which  he  served.  He  afterwards 
removed  to  Albany  and  resigned  the  office  of 
Judge,  in  January,  1836,  and  was  appointed 
Clerk  of  the  Court,  which  position  we  think  he 
held  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
May,  1845,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight.  He  re- 
sided upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by  O.  J. 
Spring,  and  lived  in  princely  style  for  those 
days,  and  was  much  respected  by  his  townsmen. 

His  debates  upon  the  Elective  Franchise  and 
Appointing  Power,  the  two  subjects  that  caused 
the  warmest  discussion  that  was  held  in  the 
constitutional  convention,  were  ingenious  and 
forcible,  displaying  true  Democratic  principles, 
and  oratorical  reasoning  with  fearless  expression. 

He  was  born  in  Stanford,  Duchess  County, 
and  educated  for  the  bar,  for  which  he  was  well 


fitted  intellectually,  and  being  connected  with 
the  best  legal  families  of  the  day,  and  men  of 
political  influence,  he  was  pushed  along  to 
prominence  and  usefulness,  while  yet  a  young 
man,  through  appointments  much,  we  are  told, 
against  his  natural  retiring  disposition. 

The  Mayham  Family. — Among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  the  town  was  Henry  Maham,  an  emi- 
grant from  Ireland,  who  settled  upon  Blenheim 
Hill,  when  that  section  was  a  dense  forest.  He 
reared  a  family  of  six  sons,  William,  John, 
Cornelius,  Henry,  Thomas  and  Stephen,  who 
settled  within  the  County,  with  the  exception  of 
Henry  and  Thomas,  the  former  removing  to 
Catskill  and  the  latter  to  Niagara  Falls.  John 
changed  the  spelling  of  the  name  by  writing  it 
Mayham,  while  the  other  members  of  the  family 
retain  the  original,  Maham.  The  descendants 
of  John  adhere  to  the  father's  custom  and  are 
to  be  known  by  the  adoption  of  thejc.  To  this 
branch  of  the  family  belongs  Stephen  L.  May- 
ham, now  of  Schoharie  village,  who  has  proved 
to  be  a  representative  man,  and  in  whom  the 
qualities  of  a  scholar  and  honest  man  are  to  be 
found.  A  brother,  Isaac  F.,  long  since  dead, 
also,  through  self-culture,  attained  a  prominence 
as  a  scholar  and  medical  professional  at  Car- 
lisle, but  passed  away  many  years  ago  in  the 
bloom  of  a  successful  career.  Stephen  May- 
ham was  the  first  man  to  lease  a  farm  of  Chan- 
cellor Lansing  in  the  town,  which  he  purchased 
at  a  nominal  price  during  the  anti-rent  troubles 
of  the  40's. 

The  Methodist  Church  of  North  Blenheim  is 
the  oldest  religious  organization  in  the  town.  It 
was  organized  by  Reverends  Hemanand  Nathan 
Bangs  as  early  as  1800,  and  has  been  a  pros- 
perous society  through  its  long  existence.  The 
early  records  are  not  accessible,  or  were  not 
at  least  to  us,  which  we  regret  exceedingly. 
Previous  to  1828,  meetings  were  held  in  private 
houses  and  the  school-house;  the  preachers  being 
what  was  called  in  those  days  "  circuit  riders." 
In  that  year  the  present  church  edifice  was 
erected,  which  has  been  remodeled,  and  com- 
pares favorably  with  the  County  churches. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Eminence. 
This  class  was  formed   about  the  year  1830 


TOWN  OF  BLENHEIM. 


263 


and  after  the  Reformed  Church  was  built  wor- 
shipped within  it  in  union  with  that  society. 
The  Methodist  class  purchased  the  building, 
and  in  1854  erected  the  present  one.  The 
pastors  have  been  many  since  the  organization, 
among  whom  were : 

Paul  R.  Brown, 

Osborn, 

Hedstone, 

Bloomer. 

Carver, 

Bangs, 

Mitchell, 

Stout, 

Stewart, 

Lakin, 

Wright, 

Couchman, 

Decker, 

Taylor, 

Woodruff, 

Martin, 

Cornish, 

White, 

Tousley,  the  present  incumbent. 

Our  informant,  Mr.  J.  H.  Burrows,  to  whom 
we  are  grateful  for  many  favors,  says,  "The 
pastors  thus  named  have  officiated,  but  perhaps 
are  not  placed  in  their  order."  This  society 
conducted  a  camp  meeting  near  the  Reformed 
Church  in  August,  1881,  that  was  quite  largely 
attended,  and  awoke  a  deep  interest  in  the  re- 
ligious cause. 

The  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church  of 
North  Blenheim. — About  the  year  1830,  a 
Presbyterian  church  was  here  formed  in  con- 
nection with  that  of  Jefferson,  but  their  num- 
bers were  few,  and  being  unable  to  sustain  the 
organization  the  elders  of  that  society,  P.  I. 
Hager,  Frederick  Hager  and  N.  Wyckoff,  peti- 
tioned to  the  Classis  of  Schoharie  on  the  i6th 
of  February,  1852,  "to  be  recognized  by  them 
as  belonging  to,  and  forming  a  part  of  their 
church."  The  Classis  "deeming  it  expedient, 
resolved  to  comply  with  the  petition,"  and 
proceeded  to  organize  it  as  the  "Reformed 
Protestant  Dutch  Church  of  North  Blenheim." 
On  the  2 2d  of  May  following,  "the  officers 
were  installed  and  ordained,  whose  names  had 


been  before  the  church  three  successive  Sab- 
baths, as  no  objections  having  been  brought 
against  them." 

The  officers  were  as  follows : 
Elders. 
Adam  H.  Hager, 
Nathan  Wyckoff, 
Frederick  Hager, 
Peter  I.  Hager. 

Deacons. 
Chauncey  Vroman, 
Munson  Morehouse. 

Clerk. 
Chauncey  Vroman. 

Pastors. 
1852  — J.  H.  VanWoert. 

1853-1859— Wm.  G.  E.  See. 
1859-1867— T.  L.  Shafer. 
1867-1870 — Albertus  Vanderwater. 
1 87 1  — W.  L.  James. 

1872-1882— E.  Miller. 

Upon  the  formation  of  this  church,  the  Break- 
abeen  Church  was  connected  in  pastorate,  and 
still  remains  so.  The  church  edifice  was  built 
in  1853,  and  ordained  in  November  of  that 
year. 

Blenheim  Bridge.— O'a  the  19th  of  April, 
1828,  an  act  was  passed  to  incorporate  the 
"  Blenheim  Bridge  Company."  The  first  char- 
ter expired  8th  October,  1857,  and  was  extended 
to  thirty  years  by  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  as 
by  petition  of  George  W.  Martin  and  William 
Fink,  as  directors.  It  was  built  by  a  stock 
company.  Hezekiah  Dickerman  was  a  share- 
holder, and  purchased  the  remaining  stock  which 
he  presented  to  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Charles 
Waite,  of  Jefferson  county,  who,  in  1871,  sold 
to  Mr.  Moses  Hubert,  the  present  owner.  It 
is  the  third  toll  bridge  across  the  Schoharie, 
and,  like  the  Esperance  and  Middleburgh 
bridges,  has  withstood  devastating  floods,  and 
still  stands  firm. 

Anti-Rent  Troubles.— k%  stated  in  Chapter 
IV  of  this  work,  the  only  actual  collision  be- 
tween the  Anti-Renters  and  the  sheriff  occurred 
in  this  town.     William  Fink  kept  the  hotel_still 


264 


HISTORY  or  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


standing,  where  Sheriff  Brown  and  Bouck  were 
stopping,  and  the  "Anti's"  were  encamped 
about  four  miles  to  the  westward,  upon  lands 
owned  by  the  Baldwin  family,  and  known  as 
"  Baldwin's  Heights."  As  stated,  the  officers 
were  seized  a  short  time  after  dark,  and  hurried 
to  their  encampment,  where  tar  and  feathers 
were  in  readiness  to  be  presented  to  them  with- 
out ceremony.  A  witness,  without  interest, 
(except  curiosity,)  informs  us  that  a  vote  was 
taken  by  the  painted  chieftains  whether  to  com- 
mit the  act  or  not,  which  was  vociferously 
carried.  After  parleying  awhile  another  vote 
was  taken,  but  did  not  receive  a  unanimous 
affirmative,  and  after  voting  several  limes,  each 
with  less  vigor,  it  was  decided  to  "  refrain  from 
the  act."  Just  at  that  moment  the  horses  hoofs 
struck  a  bridge  near,  and  the  party  began  to 
disperse,  some  hastily,,  others  leisurely,  until  the 
captives  were  left  alone,  with  the  exception  of 
the  village  boys,  who  had  been  attracted  to  the 
place  to  see  the  fun.  The  rent  troubles  soon 
died  away  much  to  the  credit  of  the  people, 
without  bloodshed  or  waste  of  tar. 

Fink's  Tavern. — The  old  house  still  stands  as 
a  relic  of  other  days,  around  which  cluster  many 
incidents  that  memory  recalls  to  the  old  resi- 
dents and  travelers  with  fondness,  yet  not  per- 
haps with  pride.  When  the  old  house  was  in 
its  business  glory,  the  people,  as  a  mass,  pre- 
sented a  rougher  edged  morality  than  now, 
which  perhaps  produced  more  sensational 
pleasures,  yet  did  but  little,  if  anything,  to 
elevate  character,  improve  society,  and  advance 
enterprise.  William  Fink  was  a  son  of  John 
Fink,  who  was  found  in  the  valley  with  the  pa- 
triotic Hagers,  Martins,  and  others  of  1776, 
"  daring  for  the  right."  When  the  war  closed 
they  settled  here,  and  were  followed  by  General 
Patchin,  making  a  neighborhood  of  sturdy 
patriots,  whose  children  with  fondness  repeat 
the  many  incidents  that  occurred  along  the 
valley  one  hundred  years  ago. 

Robert,  John,  Casper,  and  George  Martin, 
were  sturdy  pioneers,  whose  ire  was  easily 
aroused  upon  the  appearance  of  a  Tory.  The 
three  former  were  engaged  in  several  scouting 
expeditions,  and  were  officious  patriots.  The 
latter  was  the  youngest  and  married  a  daughter  of 


General  Patchin.  Casper  was  the  eldest,  and 
was  one  of  the  left-handed  men  that  laid  the 
lash  upon  the  back  of  Beacraft  for  his  inhuman 
butcheries.  We  were  told  by  Miss  Catharine 
Hager  that  her  father,  the  Judge,  saw  the  body 
of  the  Vroman  boy  that  Beacraft  killed,  to- 
gether with  those  that  were  slain  upon  that  day, 
as  they  lay  in  a  wagon  to  be  taken  to  the  fort. 
They  were  terribly  mutilated  and  covered  with 
blood,  presenting  a  sickening  scene.  In  taking 
the  scalp  from  the  head  an  incision  was  made, 
usually  a  little  below  the  crown,  and  the  point 
of  the  knife  forced  into  the  skull,  and  by  hold- 
ing it  obliquely,  was  easily  guided  to  cut  a 
circular  piece,  which  varied  in  size,  according 
to  the  "taste"  of  the  butcher;  usually  the 
whole  upper  scalp  was  taken,  which  will  cause 
that  part  covering  the  forehead  to  fall  over  the 
face,  making  the  victim  unrecognizable  until 
raised  to  its  position. 

Supervisors. 

The  first  records  of  this  town  were  lost  or 
destroyed  many  years  ago,  and  without  doubt 
interesting  matter  forever  lost. 

1848 — Stephen  Badgley. 

1849 — Chauncey  Vroman. 

1850 — Alonzo  C.  Morehouse. 

185 1 — Hezekiah  Dickerman. 

1852 — Thomas  H.  Knickerbocker. 

1853 — John  Mayham. 

1854 — John  Badgley. 

1855 — Almerin  M.  Martin. 

1856 — Nathan  S.  Peaslee. 

1857 — Mathew  Fetter. 

1858 — Stephen  L.  Mayham. 

1859 — Stephen  L.  Mayham. 

i860 — Stephen  L.  Curtis. 

1 86 1 — George  Morehouse. 

1862 — ^John  Badgley. 

1863 — Silas  Sweet. 

1864 — Giles  S.  Champlin. 

1865 — Silas  Sweet. 

1866 -Silas  Sweet. 

1867 — John  Hager. 

1868— Silas  Sweet. 

1869— Silas  Sweet. 

1870 — Silas  Sweet. 

187 1 — Edwin  Kingsley. 


TOWN  OF  BLENHEIM. 


265 


1872 — Silas  Sweet. 
1873 — Silas  Sweet. 
1874— Silas  Sweet. 
1875— John  Hager. 
1876 — John  Hager. 
1877 — Edwin  Kingsley. 
1878 — George  Granby. 
1879 — Edwin  D.  Hager. 
1880— Edwin  D.  Hager. 
1 88 1 — George  Granby. 
1882 — J.  Perry  Champlin. 

Boundaries. 


a   final   act   passed   by   the   Legislature 
12.  1813,  the  bounds  of  the  town  were 


By 

April 

defined  as  follows :  — 


"  All  that  part  of  said  County  of  Schoharie 
beginning  at  a  point  in  the  south  bounds  of 
Middleburgh  where  the  same  is  intersected  by 


the  east  line  of  Walter  Butler's  patent,  north  of 
the  dwelling-house  now  or  late  of  Christian 
Schaeffer,  thence  south  along  the  said  line  of 
Walter  Butler's  patent  to  Smith's  patent,  thence 
south  along  the  line  of  Smith's  patent  to  Edward 
Clark's  patent,  thence  along  the  east  and  south 
bounds  of  Edward  Clark's  patent  to  the  middle 
of  Schoharie  creek,  thence  southerly  through 
the  middle  of  said  creek  to  the  south  bounds  of 
the  County,  thence  westerly  along  the  same  to 
the  town  of  Jefferson,  thence  along  the  easterly 
bounds  of  the  town  of  Jefferson  to  the  southerly 
bounds  of  the  town  of  Middleburgh,  thence 
easterly  along  the  said  southerly  bounds  to  the 
place  of  beginning,  shall  be  and  continue  by 
the  name  of  Blenheim.'' 

Gilboa  and  a  portion  of  Fulton  was  taken 
from  the  above,  making  the  north  of  the  former 
and  the  south  of  the  latter,  the  south  and  north 
lines  of  Blenheim. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES. 


BARENT  KEYSER. 

The  Keyser  and  Schaeffer  families  came  to 
the  upper  part  of  old  Breakabeen  some  time 
after  the  year  1750.  They  became  related  by 
marriage,  and  were  closely  connected  in  many 
business  transactions. 

It  is  said  the  stream  that  forms  a  junction 
with  the  Schoharie  near  the  present  village,  or 
modern  Breakabeen,  was  named  Keyser  Kill, 
after  the  first  settler,  and  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  That  pioneer  built  a 
small  grist-mill  about  the  year  1765  at  some 
point  in  this  part  of  the  valley,  but  the  exact 
location  is  not  definitely  known.  He  also 
reared  a  family  of  boys  who  numbered  at  least 


four,  but  through  the  agency  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war — diverse  political  opinions — and  death 
by  exposures,  peculiar  to  those  times,  but  two 
families  were  left  in  the  States  at  the  close  of 
that  war,  Abram,  as  stated  in  Chapter  XIII, 
and  the  family  of  the  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
Barent.  One  of  the  sons  married  Catharine,  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  Schaeffer,  from  whom  she 
received  a  farm  lying  in  the  town  of  Sharon  as 
her  portion,  to  which  the  family  removed  about 
the  year  1795.  Barent,  the  son  and  third  in 
name,  was  there  born  on  the  5th  day  of  August, 
1799.  In  1805  the  family  returned  to  the 
valley  and  settled  upon  the  farm  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  Mr.  Keyser. 


266 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


The  family  being  large,  Mr.  Keyser  "worked 
out"  by  the  month  among  the  farmers  of  the 
valley,  and  by  following  the  frugal  customs  of 
the  day  he  laid  by  a  few  hundred  dollars,  which 


he  was  induced  by  his  mother  to  pay  upon 
debts  against  the  homestead.  He  assumed  the 
responsibility,  and  in  a  few  years  became  the 
owner  of  the  farm.     It  being  mostly  covered 


[Barent  Keyser  and  Wife.J 


with  heavy  timber,  it  can  be  imagined  an  im- 
rriense  amount  of  labor  was  required  to  bring  it 
to  its  present  state  of  cultivation.  But  industry 
coupled  with  energy  and  frugality,  made  the 
great  change,  and  gave  to  Mr.  Keyser  a  com- 
petency and  pleasant  home  to  enjoy  in  his  old 
age. 

When  his  labor  commenced  upon  the  farm, 
he  states  that  the  woods  abounded  with  deer, 
and  it  was  not  an  unusual  occurrence  to  see 
several  in  a  herd  grazing  upon  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  especially  in  the  spring  of  the  year, 
when  they  could  find  the  low  and  tender 
bushes.  During  one  winter  in  Mr.  Keyser's 
time,  the  snow  being  very  deep,  with  a  heavy 
crust  upon  it,  a  neighbor  of  his  killed  over 
seventy  with  an  ax.  Bears  were  also  numerous 
and  plagued  the  farmers  by  killing  their  hogs 


and  sheep.  It  is  indeed  pleasing  to  those  that 
experienced  the  trials  and  labors  attending  the 
pioneers  of  the  hills  of  Blenheim  to  recount  them 
over  and  over  again,  and  contrast  those  days 
with  the  present,  and  draw  from  it  lessons 
worthy  to  be  heeded  by  their  children  and 
grandchildren  who  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their 
labors. 

Mr.  Keyser  early  married  a  sister  of  the 
present  HonYost  Warner,  of  Warner  Hill, 
who  long  years  ago  passed  on  to  the  spirit 
world,  after  assisting  the  husband  in  his  early 
struggles  against  the  thousand  obstacles  that 
were  placed  in  his  way,  and  rearing  the  following 
family  of  children:  Mrs.  John  Mattice,  Mrs. 
Henry  Parslow,  Mrs.  Henry  Smith,  Mrs. 
Henry  Keyser,  George,  John,  and  Jacob. 

Being  a  hard-working  man,  Mr.  Keyser  has 


TOWN  OF  BLENHEIM. 


267 


never  aspired  to  official  honors,  therefore  never 
held  any  office  beyond  local  trusts  imposed 
upon  him  by  the  neighborhood  of  which  he  has 
so  long  been  a  respected  member. 


When  a  young  man  he  served  his  time  in  the 
State  Militia,  and  was  detailed  as  guard  at  the 
execution  of  Casler  in  1818,  and  also  of  Van 
Alstine  the  year  following. 


JACOB  L.  SHAFER. 


Jacob  L.  Shafer  is  a  descendant  of  Hendrick 
Schaeffer,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Brunen 
"dorf."  His  grandfather,  Jacob  Schaeffer,  as 
particularly  stated  in  a  preceding  chapter  of 
this  work,  settled  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Shafer,  several  years  previous  to  the  Revo- 
lution. Here  his  family  of  five  sons  were  born, 
some  of  whom  Americanized  the  name  from 
Schaeffer  to  Shaver  or  Shafer,  according  to 
their  fancy.  The  sons  were  Hendricus,  Garrett, 
Christian,  Marcus,  and  Jacob.  Hendricus,  as 
will  be  seen,  settled  in  Schoharie ;  Garrett 
retained  the  old  place  now  belonging  to  Jacob 
L. ;  Christian  located  upon  the  opposite  side 


of  the  creek;  and  Marcus  settled  in   Sharon. 
Jacob  was  a  mute  and  remained  single. 

Jacob  L.  is  a  son  of  Garrett  Shafer,  and  is 
the  only  male  descendant  in  the  town  of  Blen- 
heim, excepting  hi?  sons.  He  was  born  there 
February  27,  1815,  receiving  but  a  meager 
education  in  his  youth,  yet  strictly  tutored 
in  the  school  of  honesty,  industry  and  frugality. 

Being  of  a  reserved  disposition,  Mr.  Shafer 
has  never  aspired  above  agricultural  pursuits, 
but  has  kept  steadily  on,  improving  and  adding 
to  the  inheritance  derived  from  the  father. 
Holding  no  official  trust,  but  minor  local  ones, 
he  has  confined  himself  strictly  to  his  own  and 


268 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


family  affairs,  yet  never  refusing  proffers  of  aid 
to  the  unfortunate,  nor  embracing  an  oppor- 
tunity for  taking  the  advantage  of  anyone. 

But  few  men  are  held  in  greater  esteem  by 
their  townsmen  than  Mr.  Shafer,  for  his  adher- 
ence to  Christian  principles  in  every  position 
in  which  he  can  be  placed.  His  honors  lie  in 
his  integrity,  and  not  in  his  accumulations.  His 
children  are :  Mrs.  Daniel  Bouck,  Mrs.  Hiram 
Kniskern,  Gideon,  Albert,  Joseph  A.,  Walter, 
Mary,  William  G.  and  Edward  D.  They  have 
been  carefully  guided  through  their  youth,  in  the 
life  principles  of  their  parents,  and  are  now 
active  and  useful  citizens. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

History  of  the  Town  of  Seward. 

Town  Formed  —  Controversy  Between 
Whigs  and  Democrats — Peter  Hynds — 
Henry  Haines — First  Grist  Mill— Cap- 
ture of  the  Hynds  Family — Treatment 
OF  Maria  Hynds — The  Crysler  Brothers 
— Invasion  of  Seths  Henry — Murder  of 
Michael  Merckley — Of  Catharine  and 
Sebastian  France  —  John  France  Mur- 
dered— Capture  of  Henry  and  His  Es- 
cape—Murder of  Young  Fox — Frederick 
Merckley' s  Family  —  France  Family  — 
John  Rice — First  Meeting  House — His- 
torical Associations  —  Murder  of  Mr. 
AND  Mrs.  Hoffman  —  Tories'  Passion — 
Ottman  Boys  Taken  Prisoners  —  Rhine- 
beck  Church— Henry  Moeller  and  Other 
Pastors— First  Settlers  of  Rhinebeck— 
Gold  Mine  —  Strobeck  —  Post  Office  — 
Hyndsville  —  Seward  Valley  —  Seward 
Station  —  Gardnersville  —  Rev.  Philip 
Weiting  — Colonel    Willett's    Raids 


Mills — Business  Interests — Churches — 
Dairy  Interests  —  Physicians  —  Town 
Bonds — Supervisors — Boundaries. 


SEWARD  was  formed  from  Sharon,  February 
II,   1840.      Several  years  previous  to  the 
formation  of   the  town,   considerable  partisan 
feeling  was  displayed  throughout  Sharon,  and 
in  fact  extended  through  the  Western  Assembly 
District  of  the  County.     The  Whig  element  of 
Sharon  was  within  the  present  limits  of  Seward, 
and  they  desired  to  run  the  line,  so  as  to  make 
a  town  of  that  political   sentiment,  while  the 
Democrats  run  a  line  to  make  it  Democratic. 
At  last  Peter  Hynds,  a  thorough  active  Demo- 
crat, and  a  very   influential  man,  headed  the 
Democratic   faction,    and  Jedediah  Miller,  of 
Cobleskill,   the    Whig.     After    repeated    lines 
were  run,  and  much  loud  speaking  and  many 
impressive  arguments  used,  the  factions  met  in 
the  political  field  in  the  fall  of  1838,  running 
the   two   veterans  for   Member   of    Assembly. 
Miller  was  elected,  but  failed  to  get  the  desired 
enactment  passed,  after  petitions  and  protests 
in  abundance  had  been  sent  to  the  "  Honorable 
Body.''     But    Miller's  interest   was   awakened, 
and  not  being  discouraged,  he  still  "insisted," 
and  in  1840,  while  Charles  Goodyear,  of  Scho- 
harie, and  Seymour  Boughton,  of  Summit,  were 
in  the  Assembly,  the  bill  was  passed.     Miller, 
being  consulted  as  to  the  name  of  the  town, 
wrote  upon  a  slip  of  paper  "  Seward,"  in  honor 
of  the  then  acting  governor.     During  the  year 
of  that  local  poUtical  excitement,  the  United 
States  Government  and   Mexico  were  having 
considerable  trouble    over  Texas,  and  Hynds 
desired  to  call  the  new  town  after  that  disputed 
territory  ;  a  very  appropriate  name  considering 
the  controversy.     About  the  time  Hynds  was 
defeated   by   Miller,    the   Texans    and    Mexi- 
cans under  Santa  Anna,  had  an  engagement, 
in  which  the  Mexican  General  was  defeated. 
The   opponents   of    Hynds   gave   to   him  the 
appellation  of  "  Santa  Anna,"  by  which  he  was 
known  until  his  death. 

Peter  Hynds  was  a  very  energetic  man,  in 
whom  the  people  had  great   confidence.     In 


TOWN  OF  SEWARD. 


269 


1829  he  represented  the  Western  District  in 
the  Assembly,  and  each  year  was  honored  by 
his  townsmen  with  some  office  of  trust.  He 
was  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  long  series  of 
,  years,  and  was  the  first  supervisor  elected  in 
the  town,  which  office  he  held  for  three  terms, 
1840,  1841  and  1851.  On  the  24th  of  August, 
1864,  he  died  at  Hyndsville,  in  the  sixty-fifth 
year  of  his  age. 

The  earliest  settlement  in  the  town  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  in  1754.  Judging  by  cer- 
tain circumstances,  as  well  as  by  a  careful 
searching  of  old  records.  We  believe  that  the 
Haines  family  were  the  first  settlers  in  this 
town,  although  their  settlement  has  been  fixed 
at  a  later  date  by  many.  We  may  possibly  be 
mistaken,  still  we  are  led  to  think  they  were 
the  first,  followed  soon  after  by  Sebastian 
France,  William  Spornhyer,  Henry  Fritz,  Will- 
iam Hynds,  and  two  brothers,  Frederick  and 
Michael  Merckley.  They  were  all  Germans 
of  the  Palatine  order,  trusty,  industrious  and 
frugal. 

We  have  examined  letters,  deeds  and  leases, 
given  to  different  parties,  (actual  settlers),  and 
find  the  earliest  date  to  be  1757.  One  lease 
from  Johannes  Lawyer  requires  the  lessee  to 
make  the  first  payment  in  1764,  thereby  giving 
the  tenant  an  opportunity  of  building  and 
putting  such  other  improvements  upon  the 
place  as  were  necessary,  without  crippling  them 
financially.  There  are  a  few  places  in  town  the 
titles  of  which  were  obtained  from  the  Indi- 
ans. The  Haines  farm  is  one.  David  H. 
Haines,  the  present  occupant  of  the  old  home- 
stead, is  the  great-grandchild  of  the  first  settler, 
Henry  Haines.  He  was  ever  a  friend  to  the 
Indians,  and  when  his  son,  David,  made  free  to 
side  with  the  Colonists,  the  old  man  became 
very  wroth,  and  upon  making  his  will  gave  the 
other  children  the  greater  portion  of  his  prop- 
erty. The  first  grist-mill  in  the  town,  and  in 
the  western  part  of  the  County,  was  built  by 
him  near  Mr.  David  H.  Haines'  present  farm 
buildings. 

At  the  time  of  the  Revolution  these  farmers 
were  well-to-do,  with  comfortable  frame-houses 
and  spacious  barns.  They  were  visited  three 
times  by  the  Indians  and  Tories,  who  did  not 


fail  to  leave  their  marks  of  rapine  and  plunder, 
as  well  as  blood  and  murder.  Upon  the  4th  of 
July,  1780,  a  party  of  seven  Indians,  led  by 
Adam  Crysler,  surprised  the  family  of  William 
Hynds,*  while  at  dinner.  They  made  the  whole 
family,  eight  in  number,  prisoners.  After  cap- 
turing four  horses,  upon  the  backs  of  which 
they  placed  Mrs.  Hynds  and  the  small  children, 
together  with  the  plunder  taken  from  the  house, 
the  party  moved  off,  and  traveled  that  after- 
noon to  Summit  lake. 

The  Hynds  family  were  gone  three  or  four 
days  before  the  remainin'g  families  of  New 
Dorlach  knew  of  their  capture. 

They  were  taken  to  Niagara,  and  were  very 
well  treated  considering  the  brutality  used  upon 
many  of  their  prisoners.  Mrs.  Hynds  and  four 
children  died  while  in  captivity.  The  remain- 
der of  the  family  returned  after  an  absence  of 
two  years  and  one-half,  excepting  Mary,  one  of 
the  oldest  children,  who  was  separated  from 
the  family  at  Niagara,  and  was  not  allowed  to 
return  for  nearly  three  years  after  Mr.  Hynds. 
Thus  we  see  the  farm,  stock  and  everything 
was  left  behind,  without  anyone  to  take  charge 
of  them,  and  the  family  hurried  off  at  the 
mercy  of  a  treacherous  foe,  who,  upon  the 
impulse  of  the  moment,  were  as  likely  to  mur- 
der the  whole  family  as  to  spare  them. 

One  of  the  children,  Maria,  after  became 
the  wife  of  Peter  Bouck,  of  Cobleskill,  and 
mother-in-law  of  Abram  L.  Lawyer.  She  was 
about  twelve  years  of  age  when  taken,  and  was 
forced  to  travel  on  foot,  at  times  in  torture 
from  cuts  and  bruises.  She  had  long  hair,  and 
the  savages,  both  white  and  red,  often  caught 
her  by  it,  and  flung  her  around  as  if  she  were 
inanimate.     They  often  threatened  to  kill  her. 


*The  Indians  and  Ciysler  appeared  at  Michael  Merck- 
ley's  at  dusk,  and  demanded  quarters  for  the  night.  In 
the  course  of  the  evening,  the  party  retired  to  a  room 
and  held  a  private  council.  Mr.  Merckley  told  his 
family  that  he  was  fearful  mischief  was  entertained, 
and  told  them  to  keep  a  watch  over  them.  A  Fritz 
girl  and  a  daughter  of  Frederick  Merckley  were  present, 
and  they  listened  at  the  door,  but  were  detected,  and 
an  Indian  placed  as  sentinel.  They  held  a  council  and 
asked  of  the  girls  if  France  was  at  home,  being  told 
that  he  was  not,  they  retired  for  the  night,  and  in  the 
morning  captured  the  Hynds  family. 


27° 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


and  took  pains  to  torture  the  mind,  if  not  the 
body.  At  one  time,  while  in  a  chamber  above 
a  party  of  fiends,  she  heard  them  consulting  in 
regard  to  taking  her  scalp,  and  was  called  down 
with,  the  expectation  of  the  act  being  com- 
mitted, but  owing  to  some  cause  or  other  she 
was  allowed  to  return  to  her  cheerless  quarters. 

The  few  families  living  in  this  part  of  New 
Dorlach  were  in  friendship,  regardless  of  their 
political  differences,  and  with  the  exception  of 
Philip  Crysler  and  family,  those  that  sided  with 
the  Crown  remained  quiet  and  did  nothing  to 
injure  or  molest  their  patriotic  neighbors. 

Settling  as  they  did  among  the  Indians, 
receiving  lands  and  many  favors  from  them, 
years  before  any  political  disturbances  arose,  it 
could  not  be  expected  otherwise  than  that  a 
friendship  should  spring  up  between  them, 
which  they  hardly  dared  to  disturb,  as  they 
were  entirely  at  the  savages'  mercy,  and  to  cast 
the  epithet  of  "Tory"  upon  many  of  them 
for  their  passiveness  is  hardly  just.  But  the 
Crysler  families — Adam,  Philip,  William  and 
John — four  brothers  living  in  different  sections 
of  the  County,  were  demons  in  human  form, 
whose  brutal  acts  outvied  those  of  the  uncivil- 
ized barbarian,  and  are  a  stain  upon  the  history 
of  civilized  mankind.  We  are  pleased  however 
to  make  one  exception  in  the  Crysler  family  of 
one  that  was  a  true  patriot,  although  but  a  mere 
lad.  Philip  owned  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
Abram  France,  at  Gardnersville,  and  when  he 
came  from  Canada,  (where  he  fled  in  1777  with 
his  brothers,)  after  his  family,  his  son,  George, 
refused  to  go,  and  left  home  to  keep  out  of  his 
father's  way.  He  served  the  Colonists  as  a 
scout  and  remained  firm  and  patriotic  through- 
out the  struggle.  His  father's  farm  was  con- 
fiscated at  the  close  of  the  war  and  should  have 
been  given  to  the  son  as  a  reward  for  his  pa- 
triotism. He  lived  in  the  town  of  Sharon  for 
many  years,  but  at  present  we  do  not  know  of 
his  whereabouts.  After  the  murders  committed 
by  and  at  the  mstigation  of  his  father,  George 
seemed  to  loathe  his  parent. 

A  few  years  ago  another  son  of  Philip 
returned  to  regain  the  farm  by  legal  means,  but 
he  was  unsuccessful  and  returned  to  Canada. 

Within  the   territory   of  Seward,   many  in- 


cidents peculiar  only  to  the  Revolution,  were 
enacted,  a  few  of  which  we  can  speak  of  with  a 
certainty,  while  around  others  there  lies  a  haze 
which  we  have  been  unable  to  penetrate,  and  of 
them  we  will  remain  silent. 

On  the  1 8th  of  October  following  the  capture 
of  the  Hynds'  family,  a  party  of  eighteen  In- 
dians and  three  Tories,  led  by  Seths  Henry 
and  Philip  Crysler,  made  their  appearance  at 
Michael  Merckley's  house,  which  stood  back  of 
Austin  Sexton's  barn.  This  party,  it  was 
thought  by  Simms,  arrived  in  the  neighborhood 
a  day  or  two  previous,  but  kept  themselves 
secreted.  The  day  before  their  appearance. 
Colonel  Johnson  invaded  the  Schoharie  valley 
with  a  body  of  cut-throats,  among  whom  it  was 
believed  was  Seths  Henry,  the  notorious  Scho- 
harie redskin.  Simms  thinks  the  party  that 
appeared  at  Merckley's  waited  in  secret  to  know 
of  Johnson's  success  and  to  be  joined  by  Seths 
Henry.  It  might  be  possible  that  the  whole 
party  were  with  Johnson,  as  in  numbers  there  is 
strength,  and  it  was  useless  for  them  to  be  idle 
when  possibly  they  would  be  wanted,  and  upon 
the  retreat  of  Johnson  they  might  have  broken 
off  and  come  up  here  to  devastate  and  assist 
Crysler's  family  to  Canada.  However  that 
may  be,  they  appeared  here  on  the  i8th,  and 
upon  Mr.  Merckley  riding  up  towards  his  house 
on  horseback,  from  a  visit  west,  he  was  shot 
and  scalped. 

His  niece,  Catharine,  a  daughter  of  Frederick 
Merckley,  had  accompanied  her  uncle,  but  had 
loitered  behind  in  company  with  Betsey  or 
Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  Sebastian  France. 
Hearing  the  report  of  the  gun,  and  perhaps 
anticipating  danger,  she  rode  on,  leaving  Miss 
France  near  her  home.  As  Catharine  neared 
her  uncle's  house,  (having  nearly  a  mile  further 
to  ride  to  reach  her  own  home,)  and  seeing  the 
hfeless  body  of  her  uncle,  she  urged  her  horse 
on  up  the  knoll  in  front  of  the  Merckley  house, 
heedless  of  the  Indians'  orders  for  her  to  stop. 
Seths  Henry  standing  by  a  stone — still  to  be 
seen — leveled  his  rifle  and  fired  upon  her,  when 
she  fell  from  the  horse,  mortally  wounded. 

Upon  scalping  her,  Seths  Henry  said  he 
would  not  have  shot  her  if  he  had  known  she 
was  such  a  pretty  paleface.     Such  is  the  simple 


TOWN  OF  SEWARD. 


271 


story,  as  told  by  the  near  descendants  of  Miss 
Merckley,  and  the  fact  that  she  was  soon  to 
marry  a  true  patriot^ — Christopher  France,  son 
of  Sebastian — added  much  interest  to  the 
tragedy.  Like  the  uncalled  for  murder  of  Jane 
McCrea,  it  stands  upon  record  against  the 
virtues  of  the  "  defender  of  the  faith,"  as  an- 
other demoniacal  act  so  frequently  committed 
by  the  "defender's"  hired  emissaries  during  the 
American  Revolution. 

After  their  murdering  the  old  gentleman  and 
Catharine,  a  portion  of  the  party  moved  west  to 
the  residence  of  Sebastian  France,  a  committee- 
man, which  stood  near  the  present  site  of 
William  Denmon's  dwelling.  Mrs.  Denmon  is 
a  descendant  of  Sebastian  France.  Upon  the 
Indians  arriving  here,  the  children  only  were  at 
home^  Mrs.  France  being  at  Mr.  Haines,  a  short 
distance  west,  on  a  visit,  and  Mr.  France  hear- 
ing the  report  of  the  gun  which  fired  upon  Mr. 
and  Miss  Merckley,  had  taken  his  gun  and 
entered  the  woods  back  of  the  house  to  learn 
the  cause  of  the  noise.  He  came  very  near 
meeting  the  party,  but  evading  them  and  know- 
ing he  could  not  reach  his  own  house  without 
detection,  he  hurried  off  to  Schoharie  for  assist- 
ance, a  distance  of  at  least  sixteen  miles. 

Simms  says  the  children  were  standing  upon 
a  stoop  in  front  of  the  door,  when  the  Indians 
came,  and  John,  one  of  the  oldest  children,  was 
struck  on  the  head  and  felled  by  an  Indian, 
near  an  out-door  oven,  which  stood  where  Mr. 
Denmon's  ash-leach  now  stands.  Henry,  a 
younger  brother,  was  taken  in  charge  by  another 
Indian,  from  whom  he  ran  away,  but  was  re- 
taken. Mrs.  France  hearing  the  noise,  returned 
home  to  find  one  of  her  boys  weltering  in  his 
blood.  The  anguish  that  filled  that  mother's 
heart  no  pencil  can  describe;  yet  those  demons 
could  look  on  and  laugh  at  such  scenes !  Upon 
her  entreating  the  Indians — who  were  helping 
themselves  to  her  eatables — not  to  hurt  the 
remaining  children,  they  promised  they  would 
not.  Henry  watched  his  opportunity  to  escape, 
and  when  his  captor's  head  was  turned,  sprang 
out  of  the  door  and  fled  towards  the  woods. 

The  Indian  that  struck  John  immediately  ran 
over  to  Hoffman's,  a  short  distance  west,  to 
dispatch  him  and  his  wife,  but  they  hearing  the 


noise  at  France's,  sought  safety  in  the  woods, 
thereby  cheating  the  Indian  out  of  their  scalps. 

Philip  Crysler's  wife  afterwards  stated  that 
he  was  at  home  when  the  Indians  appeared  at 
the  France  place,  and  she  advised  him  to  put 
on  his  Indian  dress  and  go  over  and  save 
the  France  family,  as  she  was  under  many  obli- 
gations to  them.  Upon  his  reaching  the  place, 
the  family  was  spared  through  his  influence,  but 
such  fiends  cannot  be  believed.  It  is  very 
doubtful  as  to  his  being  at  home,  as  he  was  at 
the  Merckley  house  but  an  hour  before. 

About  the  time  Henry  escaped  the  last  time, 
the  Indian  that  ran  over  to  Hoffman's  returned, 
and  upon  finding  that  the  boy  had  escaped  and 
John  still  living,  he  cleft  his  skull  with  his  toma- 
hawk and  took  his  scalp.  The  poor  boy  after 
receiving  the  first  blow,  vainly  tried  to  follow 
the  whispered  advice  of  Henry,  "to  crawl  under 
the  oven,"  as  the  loss  of  blood  and  stunning 
effect  of  the  brute's  blow  rendered  him  too 
weak  to  move.  With  what  solicitude  Henry 
and  the  remaining  children  must  have  looked 
upon  their  helpless  brother!  The  party  soon 
left,  without  doing  farther  damage  to  the  family, 
but  applied  the  torch  to  the  barn  and  stacks, 
which  soon  reduced  the  labor  of  the  season  to 
ashes.  Mrs.  France  carried  the  body  of  her 
son  in  the  house,  and  with  the  remainder  of 
the  family  concealed  themselves  in  the  woods. 

The  party  proceeded  to  Haines',  who  was  a 
loyalist,  and  captured  a  few  slaves,  then  turned 
their  course  back  down  the  creek,  to  join  the 
rest  of  the  party  that  was  left  at  Merckley's. 
They  burned  the  Michael  Merckley  buildings 
and  William  Spornhyer's,  which  stood  where 
George  Winegard  now  resides,  also  Frederick 
Merckley's,  the  father  of  Catharine,  and  passed 
over  the  hills  to  the  south,  with  two  Merckley 
girls  and  a  boy  (Martin),  and  a  lad  by  the  name 
of  Fox,  together  with  the  slaves,  as  prisoners. 
The  Fox  boy  cried  to  return,  and  was  murdered 
upon  the  south  side  of  the  creek.  The  fact 
was  not  known  at  New  Dorlach  of  the  boy's 
death  until  a  long  time  after,  when  it  was  com- 
municated by  letter  from  the  Merckley  girls  to 
their  friends,  although  bones  had  been  found, 
but  to  whom  they  belonged,  was  a  mystery. 
Martin  was  taken  to  Canada,  from  whence  he 


272 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


returned  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  became 
the  father  of  our  informant,  David  Mercklty. 

One  son  of  Frederick  Merckley  was  with 
Christopher  France  at  the  "lower  fort,"  and 
two  were  under  Captain  Hager,  and  served  with 
Arnold  in  1777.  Christian,  a  boy  older  than 
Martin,  was  at  home,  who,  together  with  the  par- 
ents was  secreted  in  the  woods  when  the  savage 
party  returned  and  burnt  the  buildings.  They 
fled  to  the  "lower  fort"  and  from  thence  to 
the  Hellebergh's,  where  they  remained  until  the 
war  closed,  when  they  returned  to  their 
desolated  homes  and  began  life  anew.  One  of 
the  sons  went  to  Canada  and  procured  the 
brother,  Martin,  from  a  squaw  that  had  adopted 
him  as  her  son. 

The  accusation  against  Michael  Merckley  of 
being  disloyal,  we  are  far  from  being  able  to 
credit,  and  are  led  to  believe  it  was  an  unjust 
charge,  prompted  by  a  neighbor's  maliciousness 
after  a  period  of  over  fifty  years  from  the  mas- 
sacre. That  the  transaction,  as  related  of  the 
private  counsel  held  at  Merckley's  house,  is  cor- 
rect, we  are  convinced,  and  from  the  tenor  of 
the  charges  made,  only  a  very  fibre-like  proof 
can  be  gleaned  of  there  being  any  truth  in  them. 
If  Merckley  advised  the  savage  party  to  cap- 
ture Hynds  and  family,  who  told  of  it  ?  Would 
he  ?  If  the  captors  did,  should  they  be  sooner 
believed  in  that  matter  than  in  any  other  ? 
Should  such  deceivers  be  believed  at  all  ?  Did 
the  patriots  of  that  day  put  any  weight  in  their 
words  ?  Again,  even  the  massacre  of  the  old 
man^  or  the  circumstances  attending  it,  are  cited 
as  evidence  of  his  friendly  relations  with  the 
loyal  cause  !  "  He  discovered,"  says  Simms, 
"  the  Indians  about  the  door,  but  conscious  of 
his  kind  feelings  towards  them,  and  zeal  in  the 
royal  cause,  while  in  the  act  of  dismounting  from 
his  horse  with  perfect  unconcern,  he  was  shot 
down."  Who  could  assume  to  know  what  he 
thought  and  felt  ?  With  his  family  in  the  house, 
surrounded  by  a  blood-drinking  band,  and  know- 
ing by  their  past  history,  they  would  as  soon  thirst 
for  their  blood  as  any  others,he  could  not,with  the 
heart  of  a  true  father,  feel  unconcerned,  and  his 
riding  up  to  the  party  when  he  might  have 
evaded  them  by  keeping  back,  was  no  evidence 
of  his  unconcern  or  zeal   only   for   his   family. 


Had  he,  upon  seeing  the  savages  around  the 
house,  put  spur  to  his  horse  and  eluded  them, 
he  would  have  been  branded  as  a  coward,  with- 
out a  father's  heart,  and  justly  too.  Many  in 
those  days,  were  unjustly  accused. 

There  are  famihes  to-day,  whose  grandparents 
were  connected  with  both  sides  in  that  contest, 
that  accuse  the  Hynds  family  of  being  loyalists, 
and  say  they  were  pretended  prisoners,  not  only 
the  Hynds,  but  others  who  were  true  patriots. 
When  we  come  to  trace  the  origin  of  such 
charges,  we  invariablyfind  them  to  be  old  family 
feuds  that  never  die  out  in  the  old  German 
breast.  We  find  Michael  Merckley  to  have  been 
a  man  well  advanced  in  years,  a  widower  of 
considerable  means,  and  lived  a  gentleman, 
without  manual  labor. 

He  was  the  scribe,  or  head  man  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  took  no  active  part  in  the  strug- 
gle, was  friendly  to  all,  and  an  honored  man. 
The  family  of  Frederick  Merckley  were  at- 
tached to  the  Colonial  cause,  and  were  active 
participants  from  the  son  John,  entering  service 
under  Arnold  to  relieve  Gansevoort,  to  the  close 
of  the  struggle,  yet  they  too,  were  accused  of 
being  friends  to  the  Crown. 

About  the  year  1790,  a  very  energetic  man 
by  the  name  of  John  Rice,  from  New  London 
county,  Connecticut,  settled  upon  the  Michael 
Merckley  farm,  and  after  a  few  years  built  a 
"  tavern  "  upon  the  site  of  Austin  Sexton's  resi- 
dence. Here  Old  Sharon  for  many  years  held 
its  elections,  law  suits,  and  did  other  public 
business.  He  built  a  grist-mill,  and  the  place 
was  known  as  "  Rice's  Mills."  Rice  was  justice 
of  the  peace  for  many  years,  and  represented 
the  County  in  the  legislature  four  terms,  1796, 
1797;  1798  and  1832,  and  was  the  first  member 
sent  from  Schoharie  after  the  County  was  formed. 
It  was  entitled  to  but  one  member  at  that  time, 
but  in  T832  John  Ingold,  Jr.,  of  Schoharie 
village,  was  his  colleague. 

Squire  Sexton,  who  now  resides  between  the 
old  tavern  stand  and  the  creek,  and  has  held  the 
office  of  justice  for  thirty  years,  related  an  inci- 
dent in  regard  to  Rice's  official  acts.  Two 
men  had  a  suit  to  be  tried  before  him,  and 
went  to  his  office  for  that  purpose,  when,  upon 
conversing,  their  troubles  engaged  their  conver- 


TOWN  OF  SEWARD. 


273 


sation,  and,  as  is  usually  the  case,  each  became 
angry,  and  in  their  passion  "  let  out "  more,  per- 
haps, than  they  intended  relative  to  the  case. 
Rice  sat  at  his  desk  writing,  and  upon  one  of 
the  men  asking  him  if  it  was  not  time  to  call 
the  suit,  "  Why  yes,"  said  Rice,  "  the  time  is 
up,  and  I've  rendered  judgment  upon  your  own 
confession."  An  inexpensive  way  of  trying  law- 
suits. Rice  was  supervisor  of  the  town  in  18 14 
and  1818,  and  held  a  Colonel's  commission, 
and  was  a  very  energetic  business  man,  much 
respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  died  Sep- 
tember 8,  1832,  aged  seventy-two  years. 

First  Meeting  House. — But  a  few  rods  east  of 
where  Catharine  Merckley  was  shot,  towards 
the  Methodist  Church,  near  a  large  elm  tree, 
the  first  church  was  built  west  of  Schoharie.  It 
was  but  a  rude  log  building,  and  must  have 
been  built  about  the  year  1760.  Here  Peter 
N.  Sommers,  and  an  occasional  missionary, 
preached  to  the  settlers  of  Dorlach  until  the 
Rhinebeck  Church  was  built,  and  it  was  in  this 
rude  building  that  a  few  of  the  pioneers  assem- 
bled, during  the  war,  for  the  purpose  of  holding 
a  prayer-meeting.  While  thus  engaged,  one  of 
the  company  espied  a  band  of  Indians,  fifteen 
in  number,  wending  their  way  towards  the 
house.  Knowing  that  to  retreat  would  arouse 
their  vengeance,  and,  being  unarmed,  the  leader 
of  the  meeting  fell  upon  his  knees  and  requested 
the  remainder  to  do  so,  and  pray  for  protection. 
Some  moments  passed  in  silent  prayer,  and  the 
Indians  not  making  any  appearance,  their 
movements  were  noticed  and  it  was  found  that 
when  within  a  few  rods  of  the  building  they 
had  changed  their  course,  and  left  them  un- 
molested. Many  such  escapes  were  experi- 
enced through  that  struggle,  which  seemed  to 
mark  the  interposition  of  a  watchful  Pro- 
dence,  and  impressed  the  early  settlers  with  a 
deep  sense  of  their  dependence  upon  Him. 

This  neighborhood  is  as  full  of  historical 
interest  as  any  other  in  the  County.  It  seems 
to  us  that  the  scenery  around  would  convey  to 
the  stranger  the  idea  of  romance,  if  not  of 
tragedy.  Here  the  log  cabin  was  reared  in  the 
depth  of  the  forest,  to  which  the  scattering  set- 
tlers might  resort  to  hear  the  gospel  preached, 
and    mingle   their  petitions  at  the  Throne  of 


Grace.  Here  the  aged  Merckley  and  beautiful 
Catharine  fell  by  the  hand  of  relentless  hatred, 
and  whose  tragic  end  will  resound  to  posterity 
and  lead  many  to  view  the  ground  thus  made 
memorable,  and  bow  at  the  humble  tombstone 
that  marks  her  grave,  in  pity  and  admiration. 
One  hundred  years  have  come  and  gone  since 
her  death,  and  with  them  have  passed  the  near 
friends  whose  tears  were  those  of  deep  affec- 
tion at  the  recital  of  the  tale,  yet  again  and 
again  it  is  being  told  with  no  less  degree  of 
interest,  but  with  more  of  romance. 

Tradition  unfolds  a  touching  recital  of  an  in- 
cident connected  with  the  murder  of  young 
France,  but  a  short  distance  above.  While  pros- 
trated by  the  blow  the  Indian  gave  him,  the 
mother  returned,  and  upon  approaching  her  son, 
he  partially  arose,  and  exclaimed  with  weakness 
and  pain,  in  an  appealing  tone,  "Ma-ma,  mam- 
ma !  "  and  fell  fainting  at  the  mother's  feet.  No 
death  throes  upon  a  bed  of  sickness,  could 
pierce  the  heart  with  such  vehement  anguish  as 
the  appealing,  confiding  and  agonized  cry  of  the 
young  man  to  the  weak,  helpless,  and  yet  love- 
clinging  mother.  Beneath  a  rude  stone,  near 
where  the  heart-rending  act  transpired,  lie  the 
remains  of  poor  John  France,  a  lad  of  but  four- 
teen years  of  age,  the  only  offence  for  which  he 
suffered  being  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  patriot, 
and  a  helpless,  defenseless  child  ! 

Nearly  opposite  of  the  blood-stained  door- 
step of  Francis,  the  year  following,  upon  the 
day  of  the  battle  of  Sharon,  a  few  Indians  and 
Tories,  on  their  retreat,  murdered  old  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hoffman. 

They  lived  upon  the  place  now  known  as  the 
"  Klock  farm."  It  was  thought  that  the  old 
couple's  sympathies  were  favorable  to  the  Crown, 
but  some  personal  animosity  prompted  the 
Tories — PhiUp  Crysler,  perhaps — to  murder  the 
old  man  and  his  wife. 

Mr.  Hoffman  was  an  aged  man,  and  was  at- 
tending rehgious  services  at  the  barn  of  Con- 
radt  Brown,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  upon  which 
"  Turlah  church  "  was  afterwards  built.  It  is 
now  occupied  by  Martin  L.  Borst.  While  Som- 
mers was  reading  a  psalm,  a  messenger  arrived, 
stating  that  he  heard  firing  some  distance  west, 
and  in  all  probability  the  enemy  were  not   far 


274 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


distant.  The  meeting  broke  up,  and  many  made 
haste  to  their  homes,  to  secrete  their  families 
and  effects,  while  others  started  in  the  direction 
of  the  firing,  to  discover  the  cause.  Mr.  Hoff- 
man was  nearly  two  miles  from  his  home,  and 
hastened  there,  only  to  be  murdered.  As 
he  approached  the  house,  the  Indians  appeared 
and  led  him  and  his  wife  outside  of  the  door- 
yard,  and  tomahawked  them.  Mrs.  Hoffman's 
sister,  Catharine  Engle,  then  on  a  visit,  escaped. 
The  main  force  of  the  army  passed  along  to  the 
north  of  the  house,  and  crossed  the  West  Kill,  at 
the  place,  where  the  previous  year  Mr.  Merck- 
ley  and  niece  were  murdered,  and  encamped  for 
the  night  where  Seward  Valley  village  stands. 
The  two  preceding  years  in  which  the  murderers 
appeared  in  this  neighborhood,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hoffman  had  secreted  themselves  in  the  woods, 
knowing  no  doubt,  of  the  hatred  towards  them, 
of  the  Tory  Crysler.  At  such  times  it  requires 
but  a  small  offense  to  lead  such  fiends  to  com- 
mit the  most  heinous  crimes.  Mrs.  Hoffman 
was  a  daughter  of  Conradt  Engle.  Many  times 
during  the  war,  the  Indians,  when  left  at  liberty 
to  act,  kindly  left  the  aged  and  infants  un- 
harmed, while  the  Tories  did  not  scruple  to 
murder  them  without  a  pretext.  It  seemed  to 
be  the  Tories  ruling  passion  to  destroy,  torture 
and  murder  in  the  most  inhuman  ways. 

We  cannot  recall  to  mind  a  single  instance 
where  the  Indians  were  their  equals  in  tortur- 
ing, unless  it  was  at  the  instigation  of  their  pale 
faced  allies ;  and  much  as  the  stigma  rests  upon 
the  character  of  the  savages,  for  acts  committed 
during  the  Revolution,  for  cruelty  and  blood- 
thirst,  those  of  the  Tories  outvie  them  all. 

The  France  Family. — The  oldest  child  of 
Sebastian  France  was  born  on  the  ocean  in 
1754,  and  msrried  in  1772  to  Luther  Kling,  a 
notice  of  whom  may  be  found  elsewhere. 
Catharine,  the  second  daughter,  married  Wm. 
Ottman,  who  was  taken  prisoner  in  1782. 
Betsey  or  Elizabeth,  married  Paul  Shank,  (see 
Cobleskill,)  while  the  sons,  Henry,  Lawrence, 
and  Jacob,  married  and  reared  families.  Chris- 
topher married  but  died  without  heirs.  After 
the  murder  of  John,  and  burning  of  the  barn 
buildings,  the  family  removed  to  Watervliet  and 
remained  there  until  the  war  closed.     Sebastian 


France  was  the  progenitor  of  the  innumerable 
France  family  found  in  Schoharie  and  adjoining 
counties,  beside  an  army  in  the  distant  west. 

Centennial  Anniversary. — The  incidents  of 
the  1 8th  of  October,  1780,  were  celebrated 
near  the  grave  of  Miss  Merckley,  on  the  cen- 
tennial day.  Gilbert  France,  a  son  of  Henry 
France,  presided,  and  able  addresses  were 
delivered  by  Hon.  Charles  Holmes,  John  Van 
Schaick,  and  William  S.  Clark.  An  appropriate 
poem  was  recited  by  a  descendant.  Miss  Effie 
France,  written  for  the  occasion  by  H.  H. 
Johnson.  Nearly  four  thousand  people  were  in 
attendance,  and  united  to  make  the  day  one  of 
interest  and  long  to  be  remembered.  Rehcs  of 
one  hundred  years  ago  were  exhibited,  among 
which  was  wearing  apparel  of  Miss  Merckley, 
worn  upon  the  day  of  her  assassination ;  the  old 
chair  of  Sebastian  France  ;  Indian  accoutre- 
ments ;  ancient  books,  and  many  other  things 
of  interest  belonging  to  the  families  connected 
with  the  early  settlers  of  the  neighborhood. 

Captivity  of  the  Ottman  Children.— Some 
time  in  September,  1782,  three  brothers, William, 
Nicholas,  and  Peter,  children  of  Christian  Ott- 
man, (then  spelled  Uttman)  who  lived  where 
Isaac  Ottman  now  lives,  were  taken  prisoners  by 
a  party  of  Indians  and  carried  to  Niagara.  Ac- 
companying the  Indians  was  a  squaw,  who  had 
many  times  been  hospitably  succored  by  the 
family,  whom  Mrs.  Ottman  followed  for  some 
distance  with  such  entreaties  as  only  a  mother 
can  express,  but  of  no  avail.  As  she  appealed 
to  the  squaw,  she  only  answered  "  It's  not  me  ! 
not  me  ! "  When  the  children  returned,  one  of 
their  captors  came  with  them,  and  Peter  desired 
to  follow  the  Indian  back,  having  become 
fascinated  with  Indian  life,  which  highly  pleased 
the  redskin.  He  desired  to  return  to  Canada 
with  them,  but  the  parents  objected,  and  not 
until  (tradition  says)  the  Indian  cut  off  the  fore- 
top  of  each,  with  a  small  bit  of  the  scalp,  would 
the  children  consent  to  remain.  Upon  his 
doing  so  they  rushed  to  the  mother  and  were 
contented.  The  story  in  regard  to  the  foretop 
however,  is  without  foundation.  There  were 
seven  sons  in  the  Ottman  family  who  have  long 
since  passed  away,  and  were  the  father  and 
grandfather  of  the  innumerable  Ottmans  of  to- 


TOWN  OF  SEWARD. 


275 


day.  They  were  in  order  of  their  ages,  William, 
Daniel,  John,  Nicholas,  Peter,  George,  and 
CorneUus.  The  party  that  took  the  boys  captive 
passed  down  to  Cobleskill  village  and  made 
more  prisoners,  as  stated  in  that  chapter. 

Christian  Ottman,  the  father,  came  from 
Germany  in  1761,  and  settled  here  soon  after. 
The  family  name  is  variously  spelled  Ottman, 
Otman,  Uttman,  Utman,  Oatman,  yet  all  direct 
descendants  of  Christian.  He  died  at  the  age 
of  one  hundred  and  two. 

The  first  frame  house  of  worship  built  in  the 
town  was  the  Rhinebeck  Churchy  which  is  still 
standing.  About  the  year  1760,  quite  a  number 
settled  here  from  Rhinebeck,  on  the  Hudson, 
and  the  territory  north  and  northwest  of  Law- 
yersville  was  called  "New  Rhinebeck."  This 
Lutheran  society  was'  organized  by  Peter  N. 
Sommers  in  1772,  and  a  re-organization  was 
effected  according  to  act  of  1 801,  in  February, 
1808.  The  edifice  was  built  in  1785,  and 
stands  as  the  only  relic  in  this  section,  of  "ye 
olden  time.''  The  windows  have  been  taken 
out  and  the  old  monument  has  the  appearance 
of  "  wrecked  desolation.''  Vandalism  has  made 
fearful  work  upon  it.  Many  years  ago  it  was 
remodeled,  and  the  high-backed  pews  and 
antique  pulpit  were  replaced  by  those  of  more 
modern  date.  The  entrance  was  effected  at 
the  side,  instead  of  at  the  end  of  the  building,  as 
is  the  custom  at  the  present  day.  The  pulpit 
stood  opposite  the  door,  and  the  gallerj  was 
upon  three  sides.  The  original  desk  should 
have  been  preserved,  as  it  would  have  been  a 
great  curiosity  at  the  present  time,  and  greater 
still  for  years  to  come.  It  was  an  octagon, 
standing  against  the  wall,  upon  one  pillar  or 
leg.  requiring  eight  or  ten  steps  to  reach  it. 
Back  of  the  desk  was  a  sounding-board,  reaching 
quite  high,  and  from  the  centre  of  the  top,  ribs, 
similar  to  those  of  an  umbrella,  spread  out  over 
the  desk,  and  were  covered  with  thinly  wrought 
boards,  giving  the  pulpit  and  parachute  over  it, 
the  appearance  of  a  modern  drinking  goblet, 
with  another  inverted  above  it.  There  was  not 
room  enough  for  more  than  one  in  the  desk, 
and  when  its  occupant  sat  down,  the  congrega- 
tion could  only  discern  the  top  of  his  head.  A 
Baptist  minister  once  preached  in  this   pulpit 


and  made  the  remark  that  he  "felt  like  stand- 
ing in  a  hogshead  and  being  compelled  to  speak 
through  the  bung-hole.''  As  we  stand  within 
the  desolated  walls  of  this  time-honored  temple 
of  our  fathers,  imagination  can  but  lead  us  back 
to  the  days  when  aged  Sommers,  feeble  and 
blind,  drew  vivid  pictures  of  the  sufferings  of 
his  Christ,  upon  whose  arm  he  leaned  so  many 
years,  and  drew  from  his  sturdy  and  faithful 
flock  their  honest  "Amen  !"  as  his  feeble  voice 
expressed  his  heartfelt  sympathy  and  love.  Here 
met  men,  women,  and  children,  our  parents 
and  grandparents,  after  a  lonely  walk  of  many 
miles  through  the  forest,  to  hear  the  word  of 
God  preached  in  a  plain  and  unpretending 
manner. 

One  Henry  Moeller,  pronounced  in  English, 
Miller,  was  the  first  stationed  minister,  and 
preached  here  for  many  years.  Johannes  Law- 
yer, Jr.,  owning  a  tract  of  land  here,  sold  to  the 
Lutherans  of  Cobleskill,  Rhinebeck  and  "Tur- 
lah,"  in  March,  1789,  for  ;£iio,  a  farm  of 
150  acres,  upon  which  the  church  stands,  for  the 
support  of  it.  In  1794,  the  members  from 
Cobleskill  built  the  "  brick  church,"  and  with- 
drew from  this. 

A  year  or  two  after,  the  "Turlah"  members 
built  the  church  we  mentioned  as  standing  up- 
on the  brow  of  the  hill  above  Borst's  and  called 
it  "  St.  John's." 

The  "Turlah church"  stood  in  the  town  of 
Seward,  but  a  new  one  was  built  within  a  few 
years,  a  short  distance  west,  and  is  in  the  town 
of  Sharon.  Moeller  officiated  as  pastor  of  both 
churches,  and  died  here  at  an  advanced  age, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Rhinebeck  cemetery,  and 
afterwards  at  Slate  Hill.  The  epitaph  upon  his 
tombstone  he  wrote  himself,  and  reads,  "After 
a  long  and  hard  pilgrimage,  wherein  I  often 
erred,  my  Divine  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  led  me 
by  his  holy  word  and  spirit  to  His  eternal  home." 
He  was  a  chaplain  in  the  army,  under  General 
Washington,  during  the  Revolution,  and  settled 
here  soon  after  peace  was  proclaimed. 

At  the  time  the  Cobleskill  Lutherans  with- 
drew from  Rhinebeck,  some  difficulty  was  ex- 
perienced and  lasted  several  years,  in  regard  to 
the  church  property,  but  it  was  amicably  settled 
in  1808.     In  that  year  fifty  acres  of  the  farm 


276 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


was  set  off  for  their  benefit,  which  was  "  in  full 
of  all  accounts."  The  structure  was  built  by 
both  Lutherans  and  Dutch  Reformed,  each  wor- 
shipping within  the  walls  with  Christian  spirit, 
and  when  the  latter  built  a  church  of  their  own 
in  1800  at  Lawyersville,  the  Lutherans  promised 
to  refund  the  amount  of  money  the  Reformed 
church  had  contributed,  and  did  so  in  1808,  at 
the  time  the  fifty  acres  were  set  off  for 
their  benefit.  They  became  then  the  sole 
occupants  and  owners  of  the  church  and  prop- 
erty. Prosperity  smiled  upon  this  society  for 
many  years,  but  like  all  things  earthly  it  was 
doomed  to  trouble  and  decay.  The  revolt 
upon  church  discipline  and  technical  doctrines 
of  many  staunch  churchmen,  gave  rise  to  the 
"  New  School  "  or  "Franckean  Synod,"  and  this 
church  received  a  shock  from  which  it  has  not 
and  perhaps  never  will  recover.  In  1865  the 
farm  was  sold,  and  the  last  church  meeting 
under  the  old  order  was  held  February  9,  1867, 
Daniel  Engle  being  elected  trustee,  and  Philip 
W.  Strobeck,  clerk.  The  associate  trustees 
were  Paul  Strobeck  and  John  J.  Petrie. 

The  pastors  of  this  ancient  church  have  been 
as  follows : — 

Peter  N.  Sommers  and  others,  of  Schoharie 
church,  up  to  1806,  when  Henry  Moeller  came 
and  remained  till  1822. 

Abraham  Crounse,  from  1823  to  1828. 

Philip  Weiting,  from   1828  to  1838. 

Mr.  Emmerick,  from  1838  to  1867,  when  only 
occasional  preaching  was  sustained. 

The  "Rhinebeck  Church"  was  called  "St. 
Peter's. 

Mr.  Lawyer  also  sold  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  land  lying  to  the  east  of  the  Rhinebeck 
lot,  for  the  support  of  a  "  Reformed  Church," 
and  was  occupied  by  Mr.  Kinney.  Upon  the 
farm  a  parsonage  was  built,  but  not  a  church. 
Judge  John  M.  Brown  bought  the  parsonage  in 
1805,  and  removed  it  opposite  of  Hager  Brown's 
barn,  as  a  residence,  where  he  lived  many  years. 
The  church  was  erected  at  Lawyersville  in  1800. 

The  first  settlers  of  Rhinebeck  now  included 
in  the  territory  of  Seward,  were  the  Loucks, 
Uttmans,  (Ottman),  Fredericks,  and  Browns. 
They  were  a  hardy,  industrious  class  of  people. 


and  a  few  of  them  nobly  acted  in  the  cause  of 
liberty  in  after  years,  and  exhibited  a  Spartan 
bravery  and  an  endurance  which  we  take  pride 
in  ascribing  as  characteristic  of  the  American 
pioneer.  A  few  famihes  of  this  settlement  who 
were  loyal  to  the  Crown  were  passive,  with  but 
two  exceptions,  and  did  nothing  to  injure  the 
Colonial  cause. 

Many  of  the  old  orchards  through  the  town  of 
Seward  were  brought  from  Schoharie  and 
Breakabeen  by  the  first  settlers,  upon  their 
backs.  We  find  they  are  not  backward  each 
season  in  their  old  age,  in  supplying  their  owners 
with  an  abundance  of  fruit,  and  we  will  not  be 
overdrawing  facts  in  sajing  that  the  farmers  of 
this  town,  as  a  class,  are  not  negligent  in  taking 
care  of  their  orchards  as  well  as  their  rich  lands, 
and  take  pride  in  keeping  everything  around 
them  in  order. 

Gold  Mine. — But  a  short  distance  from  the 
"  Rhinebeck  Church"  are  to  be  seen  marks  of  a 
supposed  rich  paying  "gold  digging"  that  was 
commenced  but  a  few  years  ago  by  one  of  the 
enterprising  farmers  of  this  locality.  A  son 
visited  the  west,  and  while  there  was  induced 
to  have  his  "fortune  told"  by  an  expert,  that 
drew  his  knowledge  from  a  common  quartz 
crystal  of  a  prodigious  size,  and  which  was  said 
to  be  a  "  diamond."  The  young  man  was 
made  acquainted  with  the  cheering  news  that  a 
gold  mine  coiild  be  found  by  digging  in  a  cer- 
tain spot  upon  his  father's  farm.  He  returned 
to  his  home,  and  upon  stating  the  circumstance 
of  the  "fortune  telling"  to  the  family  they 
became  satisfied  that  there  must  be  a  "divinity" 
in  the  stone  or  man,  and  sent  for  him.  Upon 
his  coming,  to  use  the  words  of  our  informant, 
"  he  walked  right  to  the  spot."  Work  was  soon 
commenced,  and  the  laborers  being  "worthy  of 
their  hire,"  a  small  sum,  say  a  few  hundred 
dollars,  was  expended.  But  on  reaching  the 
depth  as  instructed,  the  gold  was  not  there,  but 
instead,  said  our  friend,  a  curious  soil  showed 
itself,  which  made  the  shovels  as  blue  as  "indigo 
bags."  They  little  thought  that  they  were  so 
near  the  brimstone  "pit"  upon  making  the 
"blue"  discovery!  Being  too  eager  and  ex- 
citable, perhaps  they  "spoke"  to  each  other 
just  before  they  reached  the  gold,  which  would 


TOWN  OF  SEWARD. 


277 


cause  the  treasures  to  vanish,  according  to  the 
belief  of  our  good  old  Dutch  fathers  and 
mothers.  There  is  indeed  gold  to  be  found  in 
these  noble  hillsides  and  valleys,  but  not  by 
digging  such  large  holes.  It  is  found  in  the 
corn  and  potato  hills,  in  the  rich  pastures  and 
luxuriant  meadow  lands,  but  careful  industry 
and  economy  must  be  used  to  find  it  instead  of 
a  "  diamond." 

For  many  years  after  1800,  a  tavern  was  kept 
by  John  Adam  Strobeck,  father  of  the  late  Paul 
Strobeck,  upon  the  place  of  the  latter's  late 
residence.  Here  "general  training"  was  quite 
often  held,  with  its  variety  of  amusements  and 
gingerbread  sales,  and  "high  old  times"  in 
general,  enjoyed  by  the  hardy  sons  of  the  soil, 
which  enlivened  their  wearisome  life.  An 
occasional  horse-race  was  seen  between  the 
lusty  wheat-fed  horses,  that  always  enjoyed  the 
fun  as  well  as  their  owners  ;  also  justice,  here 
sat  stalwart,  amidst  clouds  of  tobacco-smoke 
and  fumes  of  "nog"  and  "flip,"  in  all  the 
dignity  of  an  ancient  burgomaster,  rendering 
judgments  against  "counstopples"  if  the  merits 
of  the  case  could  not  warrant  them  against  the 
plaintiffs  or  defendants.  Hon  Adam,  as  he 
was  familiarly  known,  always  drove  good  horses, 
and  was  captain  in  mischief  for  fun,  especially 
while  on  the  road  to  Albany  with  grain,  when 
several  neighbors  would  go  in  company,  as  was 
the  custom,  and  run  horses,  turn  around  sign- 
posts, and  occasionally  have  a  few  "  rough  and 
tumbles." 

The  cost  of  marketing  produce  fifty  or  sixty 
years  ago,  was  more  in  gateage  than  in  hotel 
accommodations,  providing  they  did  not  drmk 
too  often.  Lodging  was  six  cents,  horse  stabling 
one  shilling.  The  farmer  carried  his  hay  and 
grain  to  feed,  beside  his  own  "dinner  box." 
Every  bar-room  was  furnished  with  a  large 
table,  upon  which  the  farmers  would  place  their 
victuals  and  each  one  "  help  himself,"  without 
preference  to  claims.  In  extreme  cold  weather 
they  indulged  in  a  glass  of  "  flip  "  to  "  warm 
up,"  and  wash  the  food  down ;  and  in  extreme 
heat  to  "cool  off"  and  assist  digestion;  but 
when  the  weather  was  moderate — between  the 
two  extremes — one  or  two  "horns"  were  taken, 
to  be  prepared  for  sudden  changes.     The  ex- 


pense was  trifling,  three  cents  for  a  single  drink 
and  a  "quarter"  for  the  crowd  regardless  of 
its  numbers. 

Hon  Adam  was  in  the  battle  of  Sharon  and 
was  wounded  in  the  hip  from  which  he  never 
fully  recovered.  After  peace  was  proclaimed 
he  settled  here  and  amassed  a  fine  property, 
and  was  followed  by  his  son,  Paul.  Mr.  Stro- 
beck was  a  staunch  patriot  and  a  very  chari- 
table man,  except  to  Tories,  who  were  objects 
of  his  hatred.  Long  after  the  war  closed,  a 
gathering  for  training  or  a  lawsuit  was  made  at 
the  Strobeck  house,  and  among  the  number 
was  an  inveterate  Tory,  whose  crimes  had  been 
many,  by  the  name  of  Monk,  and  who  boasted 
while  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  of  his  crimes. 
Strobeck  caught  him  up  and  threw  him  in  the 
large  dutch  fireplace  that  contained  a  blazing 
fire,  and  nearly  burnt  him  to  death.  For  many 
years  the  village  now  called  "  Hyndsville  "  was 
known  as  "  Hoffmans  Mills,"  which  consisted 
of  a  grist  and  saw-mill,  the  former  being  the 
first  one  at  this  place,  erected  in  1795.  When 
the  postoffice  was  established.  Squire  Hynds 
received  the  appointment  as  postmaster,  and 
the  office  as  well  as  the  place  was  named  after 
him.  It  is  fitting  that  all  places  bear  the 
family  name  of  the  first  settlers.  The  village 
being  upon  the  Sharon  &  Cherry  Valley  rail- 
road, which  connects  with  one  of  the  trunk 
lines  of  the  State,  is  accessible  to  all  parts,  and 
by  enterprise,  aided  by  capital,  may  be  made  a 
flourishing  manufacturing  town,  as  the  water 
privileges  are  very  inviting.  There  is  a  superior 
quarry  of  flagging-stone  near  the  railroad, 
from  which  those  of  large  dimensions  are  ob- 
tained. Here  are  about  two  hundred  inhabi- 
tants, two  hotels,  two  variety  stores,  two  wagon 
shops,  one  undertaker  and  two  blacksmith 
shops,  and  a  tin  and  cooper  shop.  A  short 
distance  east  of  the  village  upon  the  north  bank 
of  the  West  Kill,  is  the  pleasant  mansion  of 
John  Hynds,  whose  father,  (Henry)  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  Indians  on  the  4th  of  July,  1780, 
as  already  mentioned.  Mr.  Hynd's  mother  was 
a  daughter  of  Nicholas  Warner,  another  pris- 
oner, and  who  is  a  true  sample  of  the  original 
German  settlers.  His  father  was  absent  from 
home,  as  a  prisoner,  two  years,  and  after  marry- 


278 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


ing,  settled  upon  this  place.  The  old  gentleman 
died  in  1854,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years,  and 
was  buried  upon  a  pleasant  knoll  not  far  from 
the  mansion.  The  grandfather,  William,  settled 
upon  the  south  side  of  the  creek,  where  George 
Winegard  now  resides,  about  the  year  1756. 
He  was  a  German,  hardy  and  industrious. 
When  the  feeble  colonists  made  a  strike  in 
Freedom's  cause,  we  find  he  fainted  not  but 
stood  firm,  fearless  and  vigilant.  When  we 
consider  his  situation,  in  the  midst  of  the  forest, 
upon  the  hunting  grounds  of  the  savage,  far 
from  assistance  when  needed,  liable  to  be 
tortured  and  slain  any  moment  for  his  political 
sentiments,  we  cannot  but  admire  and  won- 
der at  his  bravery  and  zeal.  Such  characters 
brighten  the  pages  of  history. 

The  town  has  two  postoffices,  one  at  Hynds- 
ville  and  the  other  at  Seward  station.  "  Seward 
Valley  "  is  a  village  in  the  north-west  part  of 
the  town  and  is  pleasantly  located.  It  was 
formerly  called  "  Neeley's  Hollow  "  after  one 
of  the  prominent  citizens  and  first  settlers, 
Mathew  Neeley,  from  Florida,  Montgomery 
county.  He  settled  upon  the  place  now  occu- 
pied by Hagadorn,  and  was  a  black- 
smith and  Baptist  preacher.  He  founded  the 
Baptist  church  at  this  place  over  which  he  pre- 
sided for  several  years.  He  kept  the  first 
store  in  the  place,  and  was  a  very  energetic 
business  man,  but  removed  to  Cattaraugus 
county,  where  he  died  at  a  ripe  old  age. 

Here  are  two  churches,  a  grist  and  saw-mill, 
and  about  thirty  houses.  A  foundry  was  run 
successfully  for  many  years,  but  at  present  it 
"  is  not."  The  Seward  postoffice  was  formerly 
here,  but  upon  the  completion  of  the  rail- 
road through  the  town,  a  station  was  established 
about  one  mile  distant  to  the  northeast,  and 
named  Seward  Station,  and  the  postoflSce  was 
removed  to  it. 

Seward  Station. 

Quite  a  settlement  is  being  formed,  which 
consists  of  a  hotel,  two  stores,  grist-mill  and 
nearly  twenty  houses.  Clark  B.  Griggs  was 
the  pioneer  settler  of  this  hamlet,  as  a  mer- 
chant and  hotel  keeper.  It  being  a  central  sta- 
tion for  a  large  territory,  well  cultivated  and 


productive,  the  prospect  of  its  becoming  an 
active  business  centre  seems  favorable.  Nearly 
two  miles  from  the  station  to  the  north  is  Gard- 
nersville. 

Gardnersville. 

Gardnersville  is  a  small  hamlet,  named  in 
honor  of  Dow  B.  Gardner,  who  was  long  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business,  but  removed 
to  Albany,  and  was  the  ticket  agent  of  the 
"Rensselaer  &  Saratoga"  railroad  for  several 
years.  He  was  the  father  of  "Billy"  Gardner, 
the  first  regular  conductor  on  the  Albany  & 
Susquehanna  railroad,  which  position  he  held 
for  many  years. 

The  farm  upon  which  resides  Abram  France, 
as  we  have  before  mentioned,  was  the  "  Crysler 
farm,"  but  the  old  house  stood  farther  to  the 
east  than  the  present  one.  When  the  property 
was  confiscated  after  the  war,  Lawrence  France 
purchased  it,  whose  heir  now  resides  upon  the 
farm. 

The  large  and  substantial  church  standing 
here  was  built  by  the  Lutherans  of  the  "  new 
school "  that  withdrew  from  the  Rhinebeck  and 
"Turlah"  churches  under  the  leadership  of 
Rev.  Philip  Weiting. 

Rev.  Philip  Weiting. — Mr.  Weiting  was  born 
in  Minden,  Montgomery  county,  N.  Y.,  Sept. 
23,  1800,  and  entered  the  ministry  in  1825,  at 
Le  Roy,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  from  whence 
he  removed  to  New  Rhinebeck,  in  1828,  to 
officiate  over  that  church  and  Dorlach,  which 
position  he  held  for  forty  years,  and  brought 
them  from  a  '■  fading  "  shadow  to  their  present 
high  standard,  by  his  untiring  labors  and  fervent 
godliness.  Upon  the  division  of  the  Synod, 
Mr.  Weiting  and  his  followers  claimed  the 
Rhinebeck  church  property,  while  the  Dorlach 
charge,  which  held  to  the  old  Synod,  com- 
menced litigation  to  retain  it.  After  many 
years  of  legal  dispute  the  courts  decided 
against  the  new  school's  (Franckean  Evangelic 
Lutheran  Synod,)  rights  to  the  property,  and 
Mr.  Weiting  and  flock  found  themselves  desti- 
tute of  a  house  of  worship.  Measures  were 
immediately  taken,  and  in  1849  this  church  of 
Gardnersville  was  dedicated,  but  the  building 
was  burned  soon  after,  supposed  to  have  been 


TOWN  OF  SEWARD. 


279 


the  work  of  an  incendiary.  Not  daunted,  the 
present  one  soon  took  its  place,  in  which  the 
greatest  efforts  of  Mr.  Weitings  hfe  in  the 
cause  of  the  Master,  were  witnessed.  The  con- 
gregation was  large,  covering  a  wide  extent  of 
territory,  and  it  became  necessary  to  build  a 
branch  at  Lawyersville,  which  was  done,  in  the 
latter  part  of  1849,  and  dedicated  in  February, 
1850. 

Mr.  Weiting  preached  his  valedictory  sermon 
on  the  first  day  of  October,  1868,  the  fortieth 
anniversary  of  his  pastorate  over  his  charge — 
in  which  he  said  "  The  aggregate  of  money 
raised  by  these  two  churches  during  my  ministry 
is  $35,000,  or  an  average  of  $800  a  year."  His 
last  sermon  was  preached  in  the  new  brick 
Lutheran  church  at  Cobleskill,  on  the  i8th  day 
of  July,  1869.  The  fruits  of  his  ministry  in  the 
sparsely  settled  section  in  which  he  was  placed 
were,  "received to  membership,  1,250,  baptized 
1,300,  marriages  solemnized,  800,  and  1,700 
funerals  attended."  "  Fifteen  of  his  spiritual 
children," — says  his  memoir — "  entered  or  are 
about  to  enter  the  ministerial  calling." 

On  the  7th  of  September,  1869,  Mr.  Weiting 
died,  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  and  was 
buried  in  the  "Slate  Hill  Cemetery"  by  a  large 
concourse  of  friends,  by  whom  he  was  dearly 
loved. 

His  biographer  says,  which  is  true,  also  of  his 
whole  Hfe  in  all  relations:  "The  secret  of  his 
successful  ministry  was  earnestness,  fidelity, 
perseverance."* 

Railroads. — The  railroads  have  proved  the 
death  blow  to  the  little  hamlets  scattered 
throughout  the  County  that  were  unfortunate 
enough  to  lie  away  from  their  lines,  as  quite  a 
business  in  a  small  way  was  once  done  there. 
The  "defunct"  little  Janesville  boasted  of  being 
quite  active  and  attractive,  but  its  life  and 
energy  have  flown,  and  the  ratthng  of  the  wheels 
and  shriek  of  the  whistle,  that  pass  with  the 
speed  of  the  wind,  prove  to  be  exultations  of 
triumph  over  their  feeble  efforts  to  "do  some- 
thing." 

However,  the  good  people  have  a  church, 
where  they  assemble  and  worship;  several 
mechanical  shops  to  drive  away  "gloomy  fore- 

*  See  portrait,  Town  of  Cobleskill. 


bodings,"  and  many  homes  that  are  as  cheery 
as  if  a  railroad  ran  around  each  one.  It  mat- 
ters little,  where  peace  and  plenty  abound, 
especially  where  fond  affection  draws  its  golden 
cord  around  the  hearthstone,  and  makes  it  in 
the  true  sense  of  the  term  a  "  home — be  it  ever 
so  humble." 

Colonel  Willetfs  Raid  for  Subsistence.— Yim- 
ing  the  Revolutionary  struggle  many  farmers  of 
New  Dorlach  were  well-to-do,  and  raised  large 
crops,  and  being  loyalists.  Colonel  Willett  in 
command  at  Fort  Plain,  occasionally  sent  forag- 
ing parties  over  to  obtain  supplies,  such  as  grain, 
meat,  and  other  articles  for  subsistence,  which 
they  took  without  "leave  or  license."  But  one 
suit  at  law  emanated  from  those  acts  of  which 
we  have  been  made  acquainted,  from  the  fact 
that  the  articles  thus  taken  were  from  those 
who  were  unable  to  prove  their  loyalty  to  the 
Colonies.  The  suit  was  brought  on  to  recover 
fees  for  obtaining  damages  from  the  govern- 
ment, which  brought  out  the  following  facts : — 

On  the  day  of  the  battle  of  Sharon,  Colonel 
Willett  and  his  men  followed  the  retreating 
force  to  Conradt  Brown's,  (where  the  meeting 
was  broken  up  upon  hearing  the  firing,)  and 
made  a  raid  upon  his  eatable  effects.  Finding 
a  goodly  store,  they  came  at  different  times. 
At  the  close  of  the  war^  Brown  proved  his 
patriotism  and  petitioned  for  redress.  The 
Legislature  of  New  York  passed  an  act  in  1785 
exonerating  Willett,  and  required  him  to  ac- 
count to  the  State  for  the  property  so  taken, 
and  to  pay  the  value  of  the  same  or  account  to 
the  Treasurer  of  New  York,  that  it  might  be 
brought  into  account  with  the  United  States. 
It  was  paid  by  the  Government  to  New  York 
in  1790,  with  interest,  in  order  that  the  persons 
who  were  entitled  to  the  same  might  make 
application  to  the  Legislature  for  the  amount. 
The  amount  in  1790  was  $1,575.00.  We 
believe  the  money  was  obtained,  but  whether 
the  heirs  of  Brown  or  the  agents  employed  to 
get  the  amount  realized  the  most,  we  are  unable 
to  say.  Several  other  claims  against  the  gov- 
ernment for  "subsistence"  thus  taken  from 
New  Dorlach,  were  presented,  but  the  failure  of 
the  claimants  to  prove  their  allegiance  debarred 
them  from  receiving  any  compensation. 


28o 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Mills.— Hht  first  grist-mill  in  the  town  was 
built  about  the  year  1765,  by  Henry  Haines,  a 
little  below  the  bridge  that  crosses  the  stream 
near  the  "Haines  farm"  buildings.  The  next 
were  "  Rice's  Mills  "  near  Squire  Sextons,  and 
soon  after  "  Hoffmans  Mills."  H.  A.  Warner 
is  the  present  proprietor  of  the  "  Seward  Grist- 
mill" near  the  station,  which  was  built  in  1795. 
A  saw-mill  is  connected,  which  has  for  long 
years  assisted  to  clear  the  forest,  and  cause  a 
scarcity  of  water  through  the  summer  months, 
that  has  compelled  the  purchase  of  an  engine  to 
drive  the  grist-mill,  as  in  many  other  instances 
throughout  the  country.  The  waste  of  lumber 
in  past  years  has  been  great,  while  nothing  has 
been  done  towards  the  propagation  of  forest 
trees. 

In  1850  Tobias  Warner  and  G.  Miller 
erected  the  mill  now  owned  by  John  McChes- 
ney,  with  four  run  of  stone,  capable  of  grinding 
three  hundred  bushels  daily.  These  mills, 
together  with  several  saw-mills  add  much  to 
the  business  of  the  town  beside  affording  a 
convenience  that  may  well  be  highly  appreciated. 

Merchants.- — The  first  merchant  of  Hynds- 
ville  was  Abram  Hynds,  a  son  of  Henry.  He 
built  the  present  brick  store  occupied  by  Philip 
P.  Hilton.  Mr.  Hilton  succeeded  him  in  1839, 
and  is  a  son  of  Peter  A.  Hilton,  for  a  long  time 
a  merchant  and  supervisor  of  Sharon.  His  trade 
is  in  dry  goods,  groceries,  crockery  and  hardware, 
.,  as  also  is  James  A.  Wilber  and  Clark  B.  Griggs, 
at  Seward  Station,  and  Wright  Bros.,  of  the 
Valley.  M.  E.  Myers,  of  Hyndsville,  and  N. 
Southworth  at  Janesville  keep  a  line  of  grocer- 
ies only.  Q.  &  H.  B.  Calkins,  of  Hyndsville, 
Menzo  Brown,  of  Janesville,  and  Chas.  Brown, 
of  the  Valley,  are  engaged  in  wagon  and  sleigh 
making.  H.  B.  Loyd  is  undertaker  and  furniture 
dealer,  at  Janesville.  It  is  a  fact,  that  before 
the  railroad  was  built  through  the  county  local 
merchants  and  tradesmen  were  more  numerous 
and  more  busily  engaged  than  at  present. 
Trade  of  all  kinds  has  been  led  off  to  more 
distant  centers,  where  competition  is  formed, 
to  invite  trade. 

The  "  Hyndsville  Cornet  Band  "  composed  of 
fifteen  pieces,  under  the  leadership  of  Henry 
Bellinger,   is    an   organization  worthy  of  our 


attention,  as  it  has  but  few  if  any  equals  in  the 
country.  It  was  organized  in  1868  by  farmers 
and  mechanics,  of  whom  proficiency  in  musical 
attainments  is  not  expected. 

Churches. 

There  are  five  churches  in  the  town,  which 
consist  of  three  Methodist,  one  Baptist,  and 
one  Lutheran,  and  are  so  situated  that  the  in- 
habitants can  conveniently  attend  divine  ser- 
vice. 

The  Baptist  Church  of  Seiaard  Valley. — The 
records  of  this  church  prove  it  to  be  the  oldest 
organization  in  the  town,  excepting  the  New 
Rhinebeck,  which  has  long  ceased  to  wield  its 
influence.  We  find  upon  the  fly-leaf  of  the 
church-book  that  upon  the  i8th  of  October, 
1820,  "Agreeable  to  request  of  a  number  of 
Baptist  Brethren  belonging  to  the  towns  of 
Sharon  and  Decatur,  a  number  of  delegates 
from  the  following  churches  met  in  council : — 
From  the  church  of  Charlestown — Elder  Elisha 
Herrick,  brothers  Ebenezer  Norris  and  Moses 
Persons;  from  the  church  of  Summit — 
Julian  Beeman,  brothers  Elisha  Bruce  and 
David  D.  Rider;  from  the  church  in  Schoharie 
— Elder  Burton  Carpenter ;  from  the  church  in 
Worcester — Deacon  David  Holmes,  brothers 
David  Goat,  Allen  Sheldon  and  Edward  Binder. 
After  singing  and  prayer.  Elder  Herrick  was 
chosen  moderator,  and  Elder  Burton  Carpenter, 
clerk.  Articles  of  faith  and  practice  were  then 
presented." 

The  church  was  thus  formed  under  the 
Rensselaerville  Association,  and  Mathew  Nealy, 
a  self-made  preacher,  officiated  as  such,  holding 
their  meetings  alternately  at  this  place  and  the 
school-house  in  Decatur.  Sometime  between 
1820  and  1824,  Elder  Leonard  Marsh  settled  as 
pastor,  but  for  some  transgression  of  conduct, 
perphaps  did  work  of  some  kind  upon  the  Sab- 
bath, which  was  not  unusual,  for  nearly  all  of 
the  inhabitants  after  church  service — especially 
the  German  element.  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Rensselaerville  Association,  and 
met  in  November,  1824,  "to  inquire  into  the 
situation  of  the  church."  The  result  was  "  As 
to  Elder  L.  G.  Marsh,  we  are  of  the  opinion  that 
the  repeated  shifting  of  his  principles  and  the 


TOWN  OF  SEWARD. 


281 


manner  of  dealing  with  the  church  renders  him 
unworthy  of  the  confidence  of  his  brethren." 
At  a  meeting  held  a  few  days  after  at  Decatur, 
the  same  committee  decided  to  "  withdraw  the 
hand  of  fellowship  from  Leonard  Marsh  and 
Deacon  Matthew  Nealy,  for  disregarding  the 
first  day  of  the  week  as  the  Christian  Sabbath 
in  principle,  and  for  advocating  the  cause  of  a 
transgressor." 

Their  first  house  of  worship  was  built  upon 
the  south  side  of  the  creek,  in  1834.  Being 
small  for  the  congregation  we  find,  February 
20,  1856,  "the  building  of  the  Seward  Baptist 
church  and  shed  is  let  this  day  to  Josephus 
Simmons  by  the  job  at  $1,350,"  and  on  the 
^ist  of  December,  the  new  church  was  dedi- 
cated. This  church  was  not  incorporated  until 
the  31st  day  of  December,  1857. 

The  following  have  officiated  as  preachers  : — 

Elders  Herrick  and  Matthew  Nealy  to  1824. 

Leonard  G.  Marsh,  from  1824  to  1825. 

Herrick,  Nealy  and  Marsh,  to  1834. 

Henry  Toping,  1834. 

Elijah  Spafford,  1851. 

H.  H.  Chase,  1853. 

C.  Brown,   1854. 

Elijah  Spafford,  1855. 

Russel  H.  Spafford,  1859. 

G.  W.  Abrams,  1863  to  1865. 

L  Powell,  187 1. 

G.  W.  Wentworth,  1873. 

Levi  Rury,  1874. 

P.  C.  Bently,  1875. 

The  pulpit  was  suppUed  by  Elder  Collins, 
of  Richmondville,  to  April,   1880,  when 
Homer  Denton  was  called  and  accepted, 
and  still  remains. 
Seward  Centre  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
— The  first  records  of  this  society  reach  back  to 
September   17,   1831,  when    Isaac   Grant   was 
preacher  in  charge,  andWilliam  Diefendorf  and 
Frederick  Ramsey  were  local  preachers  in  the 
"  Sharon  Circuit."     At  a  meeting,  William  Cal- 
kins and  William  M.  Wilcox  were  chosen  cir- 
cuit stewards.     The  first   election  of  trustees 
was  held  on  the   i8th  of  March,   1833,  when 
Alfred  Williams,  William  Boyce,  William  Cal- 
kins, Dermon  Rowley,  and  Hiram  Sexton,  were 
chosen,  and  at  the  same  time  it  was 


"  Resolved,  That  this  religious  society  shall 
be  known  and  distinguished  as  the  Zion  Society 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  town 
of  Sharon." 

Articles  of  incorporation  were  adopted  and 
the  society  became  an  established  and  legal 
body.  Rev.  Isaac  Grant  and  David  H.  France 
presided  at  the  meeting.  The  year  following, 
1834,  the  present  edifice  was  erected,  and  the 
society  was  one  of  the  largest  in  the  County. 

Upon  the  building  of  the  railroad  through 
Hyndsville,  the  people  of  that  section  antici- 
pated a  progressive  village,  and  built  a  fine 
edifice  as  a  branch  of  this  church,  also  the  por- 
tion of  the  society  living  at  and  near  Seward 
Valley  built  a  neat  and  substantial  church  at 
their  place,  also  as  a  branch.  All  three  are  as 
one  parish,  and  the  pastors  of  the  mother 
church  and  the  two  branches  are  as  follows, 
with  years  in  which  they  served  : — 

1831 — Isaac  Grant. 

1832 — Isaac  Grant. 

1833 — Isaac  Grant  and  William  Allen. 

1834 — Edward  Dennison  and  Abram 
Fish. 

1835 — Isaac  Grant. 

1836 — George  Harmon. 

1837 — Jared  C.  Ransom. 

1838 — Isaac  D.  Warren. 

1839— Alexander  C.  Daniels  and  John 
T.  Wright. 

1840— Alexander  C.  Daniels  and  John 
T.  Wright. 

1841 — Eben  L.  North. 

1842— Eben  L.  North  and  Abram  Die- 
fendorf. 

1843— Frederick  Brazee. 

1844 — R.  M.  VanSchaick. 

1845— C.  Pomeroy. 

1846 — Aihos  Osborn. 

J  847 — Amos  Osborn. 

1848— Amos  Osborn. 

1849 — Joel  Squires. 

1850 — Joel  Squires. 

1851— C.  E.  Giddings. 

1852—0.  E.  Giddings. 

1853 — E.  Watson. 

1854— E.  Watson. 

1855— A.  Lyon. 


282 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


A  break  here  seems  to  be  made,  and  perhaps 
re-united  with  the  Richmondville  circuit. 
1864— M.  B.  Mead. 
1867— S.  S.  Ford. 
1869— A.  J.  Day. 
1870— W.  J.  Sand. 
1873— G.  E.  Metcalf. 
1874— E.  E.  Taylor. 
1876— A.  W.  Smith. 
1877 — -W.  J.  Chapman. 
1 880 —J.  H.  Clark,  at  present  officiating. 

Gardnersville  Lutheran  Church. — The  early 
history  of  this  society  is  so  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  life  and  labors  of  the  late  Philip 
Weiting,  that  we  have  referred  to  it  in  a  notice 
of  that  veteran's  life.  Since  he  resigned  the 
pastorate  of  this  church,  the  pulpit  has  been 
supplied  by  the  following  :  Chauncy  Diefen- 
dorf,  N.  Daniels,  H.  L.  Dox,  the  present  pastor. 

Mr.  Dox  wrote  the  life  of  Phihp  Weiting, 
from  which  we  glean  the  facts  in  our  notice  of 
the  veteran  preacher. 

The  Dairy  Interest  of  the  town  has  become 
of  marked  proportions.  The  pure  sprirTg  water 
of  the  hills,  and  succulent  grasses,  unite  to  make 
dairying  a  special  feature  of  the  farmer's  pur- 
suits. There  are  at  present  three  large  cheese' 
factories  with  a  united  capacity  for  the  milk  of 
fifteen  hundred  cows,  while  many  dairymen  man- 
ufacture both  cheese  and  butter  themselves,  the 
amount  of  which  we  are  unable  to  learn,  but  of 
such  amount  as  to  rank  the  town  among  the  first 
of  the  County  in  the  dairy  products. 

The  cheese  associations  are  the  "Seward  Val- 
ley Cheese  Factory,"  "  Seward  Centre  Cheese 
Factory,"  and  "  Gardnersville  Cheese  Factory." 

Physicians. 
Doctors  White,  of  Cherry  Valley,  Pinneo,  of 
Sharon,  and  Shepherd,  of  Lawyersville,  were 
the  early  practitioners  of  this  town,  and  the 
first  resident  one  was  Andrew  Hines,  about  the 
year  1835.  He  was  followed  by  Doctors  Mosher 
and  Charles  Abrams.  The  latter  was  a  superior 
scholar,  and  usually  taught  a  class  in  the  lan- 
guages and  mathematics.  Doctors  Sutphun  and 
Eldredge,  preceded  the  present,  excepting  E.  O. 
Bruce,  who  graduated  at  the  Castleton  Medical 
College,  in  1858,  and  was  contemporary  with 
the  latter.     Doctor   Henry  A.  Myer  is  a  gradu- 


ate of  the  Syracuse  Medical  School,  of  the  class 
of  1853,  and  licensed  in  1874,  by  the  Eclectic 
Medical  Society. 

Doctor  Charles  Dickerson,  of  Seward  Station, 
graduated  in  i860,  at  the  Albany  Medical  Col- 
lege. 

The  town  gave  bonds  to  aid  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Albany  and  Susquehanna  Railroad, 
to  the  amount  of  $30,000,  although  the  road 
did  not  reach  the  bounds  of  the  town.  At  the 
time  the  "  Erie  railroad  war "  was  waging,  the 
stock  of  the  Susquehanna,  and  town  bonds 
given  to  it  were  at  par.  The  town  wisely  sold 
the  bonds  and  was  released  from  paying  them. 
Upon  the  building  of  the  Sharon  and  Cherry 
Valley  branch  the  people  once  more  put  forth 
a  helping  hand,  and  issued  bonds  to  the  amount 
of  $25,000  to  assist  in  the  construction,  a 
greater  part  ot  which  is  unpaid.  The  road 
passes  through  the  central  part  of  the  town,  by 
following  the  West  Kill,  and  proves  a  great  con- 
venience to  the  inhabitants,  by  riiaking  a  ready 
market  for  their  products,  at  their  doors,  or 
cheap  transportation  to  distant  marts.  We  do 
not  know  of  a  township  that  is  more  conveni- 
ently located,  more  picturesque  in  appearance, 
or  is  more  productive  than  the  town  of 
Seward.  It  has  20,106  acres  of  land  whose 
corrected  valuation  in  1880  was  $499,272. 
The  population  by  census  of  1875  was  1772,  of 
which  number  416  is  found  upon  the  tax  Ust  of 
1880  with  an  assessed  valuation  of  $15,475, 
personal.  The  total  amount  of  tax  for  that 
year  was  $8,559.27.  Interest  and  five  per  cent 
of  railroad  bonds  was  $2,834;  rate  per  cent  of 
tax  on  each  dollar  assessed  $.0275. 
The  Clove. 

That  section  of  the  town  called  "The  Clove," 
is  a  romantic  spot,  and  first  settled  by  the  Coss 
family,  who  are  still  its  occupants.  The  valley 
was  originally  called  "  Clauver  Kloof,"  meaning 
Clover  Valley,  from  the  wild  clover  being  found 
there.  In  after  years  Clauver  was  dropped  and 
it  was  known  as  "  The  Kloof,"  a  name  given  to 
such  dish-Uke  valleys  by  the  Dutch,  and  which 
in  English  is  "The  Clove."  Undoubtedly 
Isaac  Vroman,  (Low  Dutch)  who  did  the  sur- 
veying of  the  Dorlach  Patent,  and  was  here  in 
173°)  together  with  other  Low  Dutchmen,  who 
were  interested  in  these  lands,  gave  the  valley 


TOWN  OF  RICHMONDVILLE. 


283 


the  Low  Dutch  name,  as  those  that  first  settled 
here  were  Germans,  and  in  their  language  would 
have  called  it  "  Klauftche.''  The  hills  surround- 
ing were  called  by  the  Indians  Onnondada. 

Supervisors. 

The  following  is  a  hst  of  Supervisors  elected 
in  the  town  with  the  date  of  their  election  :  — 

1840 — Peter  Hynds. 

1841 — Peter  Hynds. 

1842 — Andrew  Hynds. 

£843 — Austin  Sexton. 

[844 — Austin  Sexton. 

1845— John  C.  Shutts. 

1846 — Abraham  Sternbergh. 

1847 — Abraham  Sternbergh. 

1848— Robert  M.  Van  Schaick. 

[849 — Tobias  Warner. 

[850 — Abraham  Sternbergh. 

1851 — Peter  Hynds. 

1852— Alfred  W.  Rowley. 

1853 — Joseph  Zeh. 

1854 — Kirtland  Handy. 

1855 — Nathaniel  Southworth. 

1856— John  C.  Shutts. 

1857— John  C.  Shutts. 

1858— John  C.  Shutts. 

1859 — Jacob  H.  Diefendorf. 

i860 — Isaac  Bellinger. 

1861 — Henry  A.  Stall. 

1862 — Isaac  Bellinger. 

1863 — Isaac  Bellinger. 

1864 — Isaac  Bellinger. 

1865 — Abraham  Sternbergh. 

1866 — Abraham  Sternbergh. 

1:867 — Abraham  Sternbergh. 

i868— E.  O.  Bruce. 

1869— E.  O.  Bruce. 

1870 — Sylvester  Diefendorf. 

1871 — H.  A.  Warner. 

[872— H.  A.  Warner. 

1873— H.  A.  Warner. 

1874 — John  G.  Empie. 

1875— H.  A.  Warner. 

1876 — John  G.  Empie. 

r877 — John  Patry. 

1878— Elias  Pierce. 

1879 — Elias  Pierce,  (deceased.) 

1879 — ^John  Patry,  elected  to  fill  vacancy. 

r  880— David  H.  Osterhout. 


1881 — Menzo  Young. 
1882 — Menzo  Young. 

Legislature. 

The  town  was  represented  in  the  Legislature 
in  1841,  by  Nicholas  Beekman,  and  in  1849,  by 
Austin  Sexton. 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 


History  of  the  Town  of  Richmondville. 

Formation  of  Town — First  Settlement — 
George  Warner — His  House — John  Zea 
AND  Family — Appearance  of  an  Enemy — 
Borst  Brothers'  Conflict — Assistance 
Called — March  to  Warner's  House — 
Ambushed  by  Indians — Flight — Stand  at 
Warner's — Patriotism  of  Soldiers — Bat- 
tle Ground — Incidents  of  the  Day — 
Tory  Brothers  —  Buildings  Burned  — 
George  Warner,  Jr.,  Taken  Prisoner — 
Nicholas  Warner's  Family  Relics — Cap- 
tain Snyder — His  Life — Snyder  Family — 
Warnerville  —  George  Mann — Warner- 
viLLE  Methodist  Church  —  Christian 
Church — Seminary— Richmondville  Sash 
AND  Blind  Factory — Bradley's  Fulling 
Mill  —  Foundry  —  First  Tavern — John 
Warner — First  Justice  of  the  Peace — 
Hon.  John  Westover — First  Mail  Carrier 
—  Physicians  —  Churches  —  Methodist — 
Lutheran  —  Christian — Seminary — Rich- 
mondville Bank  —  Newspapers  —  School 
at  West  Richmondville — The  Jumel  Liti- 
gation—  The  Town  Railroad  Bonds — 
Supervisors — Present  Business  of  Town. 

T  A  TE  find  that  the  "  Schoharie  County  Direc- 
W  tory"  and  "French's  Gazetteer,"  two 
works  often  referred  to,  are  in  error  in  regard 
to  the  date  of  this  town's  formation.  They  both 
give  the  date,  April    11,  1845.     Isaac  Mann,  a 


284 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


practical  surveyor,  now  living  in  the  town,  sur- 
veyed the  line  in  February,  1849  and  on  the 
nth  of  April  following,  an  act  was  passed  by 
the  Legislature,  making  it  a  town,  taking  the 
whole  from  the  town  of  Cobleskill,  and  giving  it 
the  name  of  the  postoffice — Richmondville. 

On  the  2ist  of  October,  1851,  a  portion  of 
Seward  was  annexed,  making  the  town's  pres- 
ent territory. 

First  Settlement. —  Warner  Family. — The 
first  settlers  were  George  Warner  and  John 
Zea,  who  came  from  Germany  and  settled 
near  the  hamlet  now  known  as  Warnerville. 
There  were  three  of  the  Warner  brothers  that 
immigrated  to  this  country,  who  were  the  pro- 
genitors of  the  family  bearing  that  name 
throughout  the  country,  especially  in  Albany 
and  Schoharie  counties.  They  were  George, 
Stuffle  and  HonYost,  or  Joseph.  Stuffle,  or 
Christopher,  settled  in  Berne,  Albany  county,  of 
whom  Dr.  Philip  I.  Werner,  of  Barnerville,  is  a 
descendant.  While  those  of  the  name  living  at 
Warner  Hill  east  of  Schoharieville  are  descend- 
ants of  HonYost. 

The  original  name  is  Werner  and  some 
branches  of  the  family  write  it  so,  while  others 
give  the  German  e  the  sound  of  EngUsh  a  and 
write  it  Warner.  Those  living  in  this  locality 
use  the  latter  orthography.  George  Warner 
was  born  in  1720,  and  settled  here  in  the  spring 
of  1764,  in  a  log  house  that  stood  near  where 
James  Warner  now  resides,  and  reared  two  sons, 
whose  connection  with  him  in  the  Revolutiona- 
ry struggles,  made  the  family  name  memorable 
upon  Schoharie  County  history.  Nicholas  and 
George  Jr.,  were  staunch  patriots,  although 
young — and  the  only  children  that  were  old 
enough  to  take  a  part  in  the  conflict. 

Both  have  long  since  been  laid  by  the  ashes 
of  their  father,  upon  a  knoll  back  of  the  present 
residence  of  James  Warner,a  grandson  of  George, 
Jr.  Even  the  children  have  grown  old  and 
died,  the  last,  Marcus,  son  of  George  Jr.,  passed 
away  within  the  past  year  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-eight.  We  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
him  a  few  months  before  he  died  and  Hstened 
to  his  trembhng  voice  as  he  recited  many  in- 
cidents connected  with  his  father's  life,  and 
which  often  animated  his  feeble  form,  as  if  new 


life  and  vigor  were  given  it,  and  enkindled  a 
sparkle  in  his  eye  of  a  patriotic  and  courageous 
glow,  which  spoke  plainly  that  the  true  and  tried 
spirit  of '76  yet  lived.  He  was  born,  lived  and 
died  upon  the  same  building  site,  which  seems 
a  remarkable  case,  since  the  modern  Americans 
have  become  "ramblers"  but  it  is  only  one  of 
many,  to  be  found  in  our  staid  Schoharie.  The 
first  house  built  by  Warner,  as  we  have  men- 
tioned, was  a  log  hut,  but  some  time  previous  to 
1778,  a  frame  one  was  built  near  the  family 
burial  ground,  and  a  trace  of  its  cellar  may 
still  be  seen.  This  house,  Author  Simms  says, 
was  the  first  building  burned  in  the  Schoharie 
settlements  by  the  enemy  in  the  Revolution.  It 
was  in  the  burning  of  that  house,  that  two, 
more  than  Spartans  fell,  whose  valor  gives  lustre 
to  the  annals  of  history,  and  which  we  will  shortly 
consider.  The  family  built  another  frame 
building  after  peace  was  proclaimed,  in  which 
Marcus  was  born  and  which  stood  where  James 
Warner's  residence  now  stands. 

John  Zea  and  Family. — As  before  stated, 
John  Zea  settled  here  at  the  same  time — in 
1764 — and  occupied  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Alexander  Larkin.  The  old  house  stood  near 
the  creek,  upon  the  south  side  of  the  road,  and 
was  the  only  one  west  of  Warner's  until  after 
the  Revolution. 

Some  time  previous  to  1778,  Zea  and  his 
wife  passed  away,  leaving  his  sons^  John  and 
Nicholas,  and  four  daughters,  in  possession  of 
the  farm,  that  comprised  a  large  tract  at  that 
time,  but  which  has  since  been  cut  up  into 
several  farms.  The  family  has  become  extinct, 
there  not  being  one  left  bearing  the  name. 
John  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Cobleskill,  and 
was  unmarried,  and  his  brother  Nicholas  proved 
to  be  a  Tory,  and  fled  to  Canada,  from  whence 
he  did  not  return,  and  leaving  only  a  daughter 
as  his  issue. 

Appearance  of  an  Enemy. — As  nothing  oc- 
curred in  this  part  of  Cobleskill  settlement, 
(with  the  exception  of  the  addition  of  the 
Frimire  family  as  settlers  east  of  the  Warner 
place  soon  after  1764),  until  the  day  before  the 
battle  of  Cobleskill,  we  will  now  consider  the 
facts  relating  to   that  event,  which  proved  the 


TOWN  OP  RICHMONDVILLE. 


285 


most  disastrous  to  the  settlement,  and  which 
also  proved  the  true  political  sentiments  of  the 
few  citizens  of  the  valley. 

All  border  settlements  had  been  in  a  constant 
state  of  alarm,  as  the  Tories  bad  threatened  an 
invasion,  which  gave  rise  to  the  organization  of 
the  militia  company  in  the  valley  for  protection. 
Lieutenant  Jacob  Borst  and  brother  Joseph, 
accompanied  by  John  Frimire,  started  early 
on  the  morning  of  May  30,  1778,  upon  a  scout- 
ing expedition  down  the  Schenevus  creek. 
After  traveling  nearly  to  the  head-waters  of 
that  stream  and  the  Cobleskill,  Frimire  expressed 
his  fears  of  a  safe  return  home,  as  he  believed 
he  had  a  presentiment  of  misfortune.  His  com- 
rades allowed  him  to  return,  which  led  many, 
that  perhaps  had  less  patriotism,  to  cast  the 
epithet  of  "Tory"  upon  him.  The  Borst  brothers 
continued  onj  and  returned  the  next  day,  and 
overtook  two  Indians  a  short  distance  east  of 
the  present  village.  They  accused  the  brothers 
of  being  in  quest  of  Indians,  and  showed  a  dis- 
position for  an  encounter  by  throwing  the  prim- 
ing from  one  of  the  brothers'  guns,  after  a  pre- 
tended salutation. 

"Joseph,"  says  Judge  Brown  in  his  brief  his- 
tory, "with  ready  presence  of  mind  and  good 
resolution,  dropped  his  own  gun  and  clinched 
the  Indian's  piece — took  hold  and  twisted  the 
flint  out  of  the  cock,  and  then  replied  in  Mo- 
hawk, 'To  zeneryit  sagat  j'  that  is  to  say,  'It 
is  good  that  this  is  just  so.'  At  this,  the  Indian 
clinched  Borst  with  lion-like  fury.  'Borst,  not  in 
the  least  daunted,  but  with  good  resolution,  also 
took  a  rash  hold,  gave  a  hearty  Indian  whoop, 
which  took  away  half  of  the  Indian's  strength, 
and  soon  brought  him  down  on  his  knees.  At 
this  time  a  shot  fell  behind  his  back.  The  In- 
dian, almost  naked,  strove  to  extricate  himself 
from  Borst's  hands,  now  shpped  loose  and  ran 
off  leaving  his  gun  in  the  lodge.  Lieutenant 
Borst,  who  by  this  time  had  finished  the  best 
part  of  his  business  with  the  other  Indian,  ran 
up  to  his  brother  and  picked  up  his  gun,  but 
Hanyerry  escaped.  *         «         «         » 

"Lieutenant  Borst  now  stood  in  every  way 
exposed.  The  other  Indian,  Oness  Taap,  came 
up  and  demanded  him  to  surrender  prisoner; 
he  made  one  step  back,  and   replied,  '  Taghte,' 


which  is  to  say  '  no  !'  then  shot  him  through  the 
body,  and  broke  his  backbone,  so  let  him  lay, 
and  made  off." 

The  Borst  brothers  returned  to  the  militia 
rendezvous  at  Christian  Brown's,  and  reported 
the  facts,  which  no  doubt  led  the  small  com- 
pany to  beheve  that  the  two  Indians  were  not 
alone  but  were  sent  forward  by  a  large  force  to 
reconnoitre.  A  messenger  was  sent  to  Scho- 
harie for  assistance,  and  Captain  Patrick  of  the 
regular  service,  and  forty  continental  soldiers 
were  sent  over  and  arrived  early  in  the  morning 
of  June  ist,  at  Captain  Brown's,  where  sixteen 
of  the'  valley  militia  had  assembled.  Leaving 
the  patriots  to  become  better  acquainted  with 
each  other,  we  will  examine  into  the  movements 
of  the  enemy.  Captain  Brant  the  dreaded  Mo- 
hawk chief,  had  raised  a  force  of  Aquago  In- 
dians and  a  few  loyalists,  and  marched  to  Cherry 
Valley  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the  place, 
but  believing  a  force  of  Tryon  county  militia 
was  stationed  there  and  not  wishing  to  hazard 
an  attack,  he  turned  his  steps  towards  Cobles- 
kill  to  devastate  the  valley. 

The  force  arrived  at  the  Zea  house  early  in 
the  morning  of  June  ist,*  and  Brant  had  a 
friendly  consultation  with  Nicholas,which  his  four 
sisters  witnessed,  and  which  gave  them  to  un- 
derstand for  the  first  time  that  he  was  a  loyalist 
or  as  more  plainly  expressed  by  them  "  a  Tory." 
The  girls  fled  from  the  house,  and,  undoubtedly, 
apprised  the  Warner  family  or  some  others,  of 
the  enemy's  proximity,  who  communicated  the 
fact  to  the  force  at  Captain  Brown's. 

Ambuscade  and  Battle. — The  enemy  lay 
quiet  above  Zea's,  and  the  troops  marched  up 
to  the  Warner  house  and  while  being  regaled 
by  the  host's  good-cheer  and  joined  by  four 
more  militia,  a  few  redskins  presented  them- 
selves to  the  westward  of  the  house  to  intimi- 
date the  patriots.  Captain  Brown  and  his  men, 
who  were  well  acquainted  with  Indian  strategy, 
divined  their  object,  but  Captain  Patrick  would 
not  listen  to  their  cautious  warnings,  and,  being 
superior  in  rank,  ordered  the  troops  to  follow 
the  Indians.     Obeying  the  command,  the  force, 

*  The  date  of  the  battle  we  accept  of  J.  R.  Sirams' 
"  Border  Wars  " 


286 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


numbering  but  sixty,  pursued  them,  and  were 
led  in  an  ambush  upon  the  broad  flat  west  of 
the  Snyder  brothers'  present  residence,  which 
proved  disastrous  to  the  Patriots,  and  showed 
the  truth  of  Brown's  warnings.  Captain  Patrick, 
with  many  others,  fell  upon  the  first  fire,  and 
the  command  was  given  by  Brown  to  retreat, 
as  he  saw  the  enemy  were  strong  in  numbers, 
and  were  closing  upon  them.  They  fought 
desperately  from  tree  to  tree  on  their  retreat 
towards  the  Warner  house,  but  they  were  so 
pressed  they  were  obliged  to  make  a  precipitate 
flight.  Upon  nearing  the  house,  they  saw  that 
strategy  must  be  used  or  all  would  be  either 
killed  or  taken  prisoners,  and  their  families  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  vaUey  also  become  objects 
of  torture  and  death,  as  the  barbarous  clan 
would  pour  down  upon  them  before  they  knew 
of  their  presence. 

The  house  being  reached,  four  noble  braves 
entered  to  give  battle  to  their  pursuers  and  en- 
able the  remainder  to  eff'ect  their  escape  and 
apprise  their  families  of  their  danger.  Soon 
the  building  was  surrounded  by  the  whole  force, 
numbering  in  the  neighborhood  of  three  hun- 
dred, whose  savage  propensities  were  excited 
to  unmerciful  ends.  Bravely,  heroically  they 
fought,  but 

"Alas  !  'twas  but  to  die.'' 
The  torch  was  applied,  and  the  eager,  mad- 
dening flames,  as  if  jubilant  to  finish  the  fiend- 
ish work,  soon  reduced  the  dwelling  to  ashes. 
During  the  burning,  a  Continental  soldier  tried 
to  make  his  escape  but  was  caught,  and  an  act 
of  cruelty  practiced  upon  his  helpless  body  that 
should  make  the  prince  of  demons  blush.  His 
abdomen  was  opened  and  his  entrails  fastened 
to  a  tree,  and  he  compelled  to  walk  around  it 
until  he  sank  in  untold  agony.  In  derision  of 
the  government's  financial  distress,  a  roll  of 
Continental  bills  were  placed  in  his  mouth  and 
left.  Another  one  tried  to  escape  but  was  shot, 
and  two,  Martines  Ferster  and  John  Frimire, 
were  burned  with  the  building.  Those  men 
knew  if  they  loitered  here  their  doom  would  be 
sealed,  yet  they  threw  themselves  as  barricades 
before  the  foe  to  save  others.  They  fell  as  the 
three  hundred  at  the  pass  of  Thermopylae,  whose 
valor  has  brightened  history's  page  for  centuries. 
Poets  have  tuned  their  lyres  to  praise  in  song 


those  heroic  Spartans,  and  for  ages,  granite 
spires  reared  by  a  grateful  and  admiring  nation 
have  marked  the  spot  as  sacred  ground  upon 
which  they  so  fearlessly  fell.  But  here  lie  Fer- 
ster and  Frimire,  and  their  unknown  comrades, 
at  the  gates  of  new  born  civilization,  as  it  were, 
without  a  tablet  to  mark  their  resting  place  ! 
Almost  unknown,  forgotten  !  Yet  here  they  lie, 
true  martyrs  in  a  holy  cause. 

A  small  detachment  a  few  days  after  the  con- 
flict, from  Schoharie,  laid  them  here  in  rude 
pits,  without  display — without  a  chant,  except 
such  as  emanates  from  the  very  depths  of  loving 
hearts,  by  trembling  sighs  and  flowing  tears.* 

Beyond  the  stream,  upon  a  distant  bank,  a 
marble  shaft  marks  the  spot  where  lies  a  martyr 
of  a  later  date,  after  defending  the  gates  of 
our  country's  harbor  from  a  brother's  reckless 
hatred.  George  W.  Snyder,  of  Sumter  memory, 
was  a  worthy  son  to  lie  beside  the  ashes  of 
Ferster,  Frimire  and  others  that  fell  here  in 
1778. 

The  contemplation  of  such  spirits  can  but 
animate  lesser  ones  to  deeper  love  of  humanity, 
and  firmer,  stronger  love  of  country. 

After  the  enemy  left  the  house  they  passed 
down  the  valley,  laying  houses  and  barns  in 
ashes;  but  the  women  and  children  having 
timely  notice,  secreted  themselves  in  the  forest 
and  escaped  unharmed.  The  murderous  clan 
retraced  their  steps  to  the  battle-ground  and 
buried  about  sixty  of  their  comrades,  that  the 
patriots  killed,  in  a  morass  to  the  west,  a  trace 
of  which  may  still  be  seen.  They  encamped 
for  several  days  on  the  flat  below  the  village,  to 
care  for  their  wounded,  and  then  passed  over 
to  the  Charlotte  trail  to  their  wigwams. 

The  patriots  were  scattered  thro'ughout  the 
woods,  and  several  days  elapsed  before  they  all 
reached  the  fort  and  a  knowledge  of  their  loss 
was  ascertained.  From  the  little  band  of  sixty, 
twenty-two  were  killed,  and  two  made  prisoners, 
(Continentals)  and  several  wounded.  It  will 
be  seen  that  every  shot  made  by  the  little  force, 
was  to  kill. 

As  we  have  mentioned^  the  engagement  was 
upon  the  broad  flat  west  of  the  Snyder  brothers' 

*Simms. 


TOWN  OF  RICHMONDVILLE. 


287 


residence.  The  Indians  formed  a  half  circle, 
their  right  lying  against  the  rise  of  ground  to 
the  south  of  the  road,  and  the  left  near  the 
creek.  The  Patriots  inarched  in  the  center  of 
the  opening,  and  gained  nearly  the  center  of 
the  circle,  before  they  were  apprised  of  their 
critical  situation,  and  upon  learning  it,  fell 
back  a  short  distance,  which  debarred  the  enemy 
from  closing  upon  them  and  cutting  off  a 
retreat.  Finding  their  numbers  were  great,  it 
was  useless  to  undertake  to  cope  with  them, 
and  a  retreat  was  made,  although  stubbornly. 

As  we  before  stated,  there  were  four  girls  in 
the  Zea  family,  Sophronia,  (afterwards  Mrs. 
John  Karker,)  of  whom  Adam,  Philip,  and 
Peter  WiUiam,  are  grandchildren,  Miss  Catha- 
rine, Lana,  (Mrs.  Luther  Snyder,)  and  Mar- 
garet, (Mrs.  Christopher  Warner,)  of  Albany 
county. 

Sophronia  was  the  eldest,  and  was  about  six- 
teen, and  upon  arriving  where  Cobleskill  village 
now  stands,  upon  their  way  to  the  Schoharie 
fort,  having  missed  her  pocket,  (a  necessary 
appendage  in  those  days,)  in  which  a  few  family 
valuables  were  placed,  she  resolved  to  return  to 
the  house  and  procure  it,  bidding  her  sisters  to 
flee  direct  to  the  fort  and  not  wait  for  her 
return.  After  traveling  back  to  the  homestead 
and  obtaining  the  article,  she  started  alone  for 
the  fort,  and  upon  her  arrival,  found  that  Cath- 
arine had  strayed  away  from  the  rest  and  was 
not  to  be  found.  Three  days  passed  without 
any  tidings  of  her  fate,  and  she  was  given  up  as 
killed  or  taken  prisoner.  Towards  night  of  the 
third  day,  a  couple  of  men  were  on  their  way  to 
fish  near  the  "Lime  Kilns,"  in  Middleburgh, 
when  they  were  startled  by  a  moaning  in  a  rock 
hole  a  short  distance  off.  Upon  approaching, 
they  found  Catharine  nearly  dead  with  fright 
and  cold.  She  refused  to  leave  her  retreat, 
fearful  of  being  massacred  by  her  rescuers,  and 
they  were  obhged  to  carry  her  to  the  fort.  Her 
mental  powers  were  so  shocked  that  she  never 
recovered,  although  she  lived  to  the  age  of 
eighty-three. 

Sophronia  received  a  visit  from  her  brother, 
Nicholas,  after  she  married,  it  being  the  first 
time  he  returned  from  Canada,  where  he  fled 
after  the  battle,  but  her  patriotism  overcame 


family  affection,  and  she  refused  to  extend  even 
the  courtesy  of  a  chair  for  him  to  sit  upon.  She 
accused  him  of  being  in  the  battle  and  shooting 
his  brother,  John,  which  he  did  not  deny.  The 
brothers  had  made  an  agreement  after  the 
father's  death  to  the  effect  that  John  should 
join  the  militia,  and  Nicholas  remain  at  home 
and  attend  to  the  farm,  and  while  thus  engaged 
it  was  ascertained  that  he  acted  as  a  spy,  and 
gave  all  the  information  he  could  obtain  regard- 
ing the  Patriots'  movements  to  their  enemy, 
without  being  suspected. 

All  of  the  buildings  that  stood  within  the 
present  limits  of  the  town  were  burned  by  the 
enemy,  excepting  the  Zea  buildings  and  the 
old  log  house  first  reared  by  George  Warner, 
which  it  was  thought  was  spared  for  the  purpose 
of  Warner  to  occupy,  that  they  might  return 
some  future  time  and  capture  him.  Warner 
was  a  "Committee  man"  and  a  bounty  of 
twenty  dollars  was  given  by  the  British  officers 
for  any  such  officials  as  prisoners,  and  eight 
dollars  for  their  scalp. 

Twice  this  settlement  was  visited  by  the  enemy 
for  the  purpose  of  taking  George  Warner,  Sr., 
prisoner.  Upon  the  8th  of  July,  1782,  Adam 
Crysler  at  the  head  of  a  small  squad  of  Indians 
appeared  at  the  log  house,  and  not  being  fortu- 
nate in  finding  the  father  at  home,  took  the  son, 
George,  Jr.,  prisoner,  and  held  him  as  such  at 
Niagara  until  peace  was  proclaimed,  when 
with  several  others  he  ran  away  and  returned 
home.  His  captivity  was  attended  with  less 
severity  than  many  others,  yet  as  often  was  the 
case,  snakes,  horseflesh  and  many  other  un- 
palatable eatables  were  resorted  to,  to  sustain 
life  while  upon  the  march.  The  day  before 
the  taking  of  George,  Jr.,  the  same  party  ap- 
peared upon  Fox's  creek  and  committed 
murder,  as  will  be  seen  by  consulting  the  chapter 
on  the  town  of  Wright. 

In  December  (i8th,)  following  the  capture  of 
George,  Jr.,  the  renowned  murderer,  Seths 
Henry  with  a  party  of  eight  fellow  savages  ap- 
peared suddenly  at  the  log  house  and  took  the 
father  and  son  prisoners  and  left  the  neighbor- 
hood without  being  noticed.  They  staid  the 
night  previous  with  a  Tory  in  the  Rhinebeck 
settlement,  expecting  to  capture  John  Philip 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Karker,  but  he  being  away  from  home  they 
passed  over  to  Warner's.  The  party  directed 
their  steps  towards  the  Charlotte  trail,  through 
a  new  fallen  snow  and  encamped  for  the  night 
near  Summit  village. 

Nicholas  watched  his  opportunity  late  at 
night  and  made  his  escape,  traveling  the  greater 
part  of  the  distance  with  bare  feet.  The  old 
gentleman  was  taken  to  Canada  and  received 
very  good  treatment  considering  the  nature  of 
his  host.  He  was  exchanged  after  an  absence 
of  eleven  months  and  returned  to  his  family. 

We  see  at  one  time  three  of  this  family  were 
held  as  prisoners  by  the  unmerciful  foe.  Drear 
must  have  been  the  fireside  the  night  following 
the  capture  of  the  husband  and  son.  The  fate 
of  George,  Jr.  was  unknown.  The  thousand 
phantoms  which  the  imagination  leads  the  terri- 
fied mind  to  view  must  have  made  the  wife  and 
mother's  heart  quiver  in  terror  and  dismay. 
We  cannot  wonder  at  the  bitter  hatred  that 
filled  the  breasts  of  the  patriotic  women  of  the 
Revolution  towards  the  Tories  and  Indians. 
The  former  were  feared  throughout  the  border 
settlements  more  than  the  latter,  as  their  hearts 
seemed  to  be  calloused,  many  times  in  tortur- 
ing, where  the  uncivihzed  Indians  were  merciful. 
It  is  a  fact,  that  the  most  inhuman,  more  than 
brutish,  acts  that  were  committed  during  the 
war  were  by,  or  at,  the  instigation  of  those  who 
were  called  civiUzed.  The  most  wanton  acts 
of  cruelty  were  committed  by  them  upon 
friends  and  even  kinsmen,  such  as  put  the 
"  untutored  savage  "  to  blush. 

Nicholas  Warner. — Undoubtedly  there  did 
not  exist  a  man  that  bore  a  greater  enmity  to 
the  Indians  and  Tories  than  Nicholas  Warner. 
He  was  an  inveterate  enemy  to  them.  While 
upon  a  scouting  expedition  he  encountered  an 
Indian  in  the  woods,  and  both  "took  to  trees." 
Warner  peered  out  one  side  of  the  tree  to  see 
his  •'  game,"  but  drew  back  with  his  eyes'  full  of 
chips,  from  the  bark  which  the  Indian's  bullet 
caused  to  fly  as  it  whizzed  past.  After  clearing 
his  eyes,  he  ventured  once  more,  and  supposed 
he  had  a  fair  chance  at  the  head  of  the  redskin, 
and  fired.  Instead  of  the  head,  it  was  the 
Indian's  hat  placed  upon  the  end  of  the  ramrod 
to  deceive  Warner,  and  as  soon  as  he  fired,  the 


Indian  jumped  with  tomahawk  uplifted  to  dis- 
patch his  unarmed  neighbor.  Before  he  reached 
him,  Nicholas  had  reloaded,  and  with  equal 
dexterity  unloaded  his  trusty  rifle  in  the  head 
of  the  wily  warrior.  At  another  time,  while 
hunting,  he  espied  an  Indian  some  distance  up 
the  creek,  quietly  fishing,  and  being  a  good 
marksman  and  fond  of  game,  his  rifle,  he  said, 
was  pointed  that  way  and  it  went  off,  but  he 
never  went  to  see  if  he  hit  him. 

At  the  time  Warner  settled  here  in  1764,  he 
built  a  ''barrack,"  near  the  house,  in  which  he 
stored  hay  and  grain,  as  was  the  custom  among 
the  first  settlers,  they  being  too  poor  to  build 
barns.  They  were  constructed  by  placing  four 
posts  in  the  ground  forming  a  square,  and  run- 
ning high  enough  to  admit  a  good  sized  stack. 
Upon  the  top  of  the  posts  was  placed  a  roof 
made  of  boards,  or,  in  their  absence  poles,  and 
thatched  with  straw  or  evergreen  boughs.  Many 
built  the  roof  so  as  to  be  raised  or  lowered,  at 
will,  to  give  better  protection  to  the  products. 
This  "barrack"  was  burned  the  day  of  the 
battle,  and  the  unburned  posts  were  left  by  the 
owner  and  his  sons  who  followed  him,  as 
memorials  of  that  disastrous  day.  After  a  lapse 
of  one  hundred  and  ten  years,  Mr.  Isaac  Mann, 
a  great-grandson,  cut  a  piece  from  one  of  those 
posts,  which  he  now  uses  as  a  ruler.  It  is 
sound  and  lithe  as  a  lately  cut  stick.  Mr.  Mann 
has  also  the  Warner  High  Dutch  Bible  which 
George,  Sr.,  brought  over  with  him  from  Ger- 
many. The  cover  is  of  board  and  very  heavy 
leather.  It  is  well  bound,  neatly  printed,  and 
profusely  illustrated.  In  comparing  them  with 
the  fine  steel  cuts  that  embellish  the  Bibles  of 
to-day,  or  of  this  work,  one  is  struck  with  the 
advancement  art  has  made;  While  the  family 
were  scattered  hither  and  thither — now  home- 
less— terror-stricken  and  despondent,  so  many 
times  through  their  life-struggles — they  clung  to 
the  old  Bible  and  brought  it  through  all 
calamities  unhurt.  As  we  turned  its  yellow, 
clumsy  leaves,  this  thought  struck  us— of  all 
the  family  rehcs,  the  "  Old  Bible "  stands  pre- 
eminent! "It  was  grandfather's,"  or  my 
"great-grandfather's,"  or,  perhaps,  it  was 
"  mother's,  and  she  gave  it  to  me  ! "  Holy 
instructor — always  bound  to  us  by  holy  asso- 
ciations!     A  brutish  spirit  indeed  it  must  be, 


TOWN  OF  RICHMONDVILLE. 


289 


that   would  refuse    to  cling  to  it    with   deep 
reverence ! 

Capt.  George  W.  Snyder. — Crossing  over  the 
valley  we  come  to  the  grave  of  one  to  whom 
honor  is  due.  Beneath  a  plain,  yet  substantial 
monument,  lies  the  soldier,  and  upon  it  we  read 
upon  the  west  side : — 

Lieut.  Geo.  W.  Snyder, 

Born  at  Cobleskill, 

July  30,   1833. 

Died  at  Washington,  D.  C, 

NoV.  17,  1861. 

And  upon  the  east : — 
One  of  the  Gallant  Defenders  of  Fort 
Sumter. 

Upon  the  north  : — 
A  Graduate  of  Union  College,  also  of  the 
Military  Academy  of  West  Point,  with 
THE  Highest  Honors  of  his  Class. 

And  on  the  south  : — 

Aide-de-Camp  of  General  Heintzelman, 
AT  the  Battle  of  Bull  Run. 

George  W.  Snyder  was  the  son  of  William 
Snyder,  and  great-grandson  of  the  old  patriot, 
Nicholas  Warner. 

He  commenced  attending  the  district  school 
at  Cobleskill  village  at  the  age  of  four  years, 
and  was  so  diligent  in  his  studies  and  apt  in 
learning,  that  within  one  week  he  learned  his 
letters.  The  same  characteristics  were  notice- 
able through  his  whole  life,  and  placed  him  at 
the  head  of  everything  in  which  he  enlisted  his 
energies. 

We  scarce  meet  with  one  whose  onward 
course  was  as  progressive  as  George  W.  Snyder's, 
or  with  one  whose  demise  draws  upon  our  sym- 
pathies more,  as  in  him  we  could  but  see  a  still 
greater  and  nobler  career  drawing  towards  him 
through  his  energetic,  studious  and  amiable  life. 
At  the  age  of  ten  he  was  sent  to  the  Schoharie 
Academy,  and  from  there  to  Franklin,  Delaware 
county,  and  Cherry  Valley  successively,  and 
returned  to  Schoharie  to   prepare   for    Union 


College,  which  he  entered  in  the  year  1850,  at 
the  age  of  seventeen. 

Remaining  there  but  two  years,  he  received 
his  diplomas  as  "  Majistr^  "  and  "  Baccalaurie," 
in  July,  1852,  and  entered  the  military  school 
at  West  Point  a  few  months  after,  where  he 
redoubled  his  energies  and  received  his  first 
recommendation  from  the  officers  of  the  school 
to  the  President,  from  whom  he  was  honored 
by  promotion  as  Brevet  Second  Lieutenant  of 
the  Corps  of  Engineers,  on  the  ist  of  July, 
1856,  signed  by  Franklin  Pierce,  and  his  secre-  • 
tary,  Jefferson  Davis.  On  the  21st  of  August 
following,  he  was  raised  in  his  class  by  the  same 
to  Second  Lieutenant,  and  promoted  by  Presi- 
dent James  Buchanan,  to  First  Lieutenant,  on 
on  the  I  St  of  July,  i860.  His  commission  from 
President  Lincoln,  as  Captain,  was  given  on 
the  14th  of  April,  1861,  and  on  the  3ist  of 
July  following,  he  was  honored  by  another 
certificate,  signed  by  President  Abraham  Lincoln . 
and  his  secretary,  Simon  Cameron,  promoting 
him  to  the  rank  of  Major,  "For  gallant  and 
meritorious  services  in  the  Manassas  campaign.'' 
A  few  days  before  he  died  he  was  honored  by 
the  appointment  of  Colonel,  by  President  Lin- 
coln. While  acting  as  First  Lieutenant  under 
Major  Anderson,  he  was  with  the  gallant  com- 
pany that  held  Fort  Sumter  against  the  mis- 
guided Carolinians,  and  it  was  through  exposure 
and  the  use  of  unwholesome  food  and  water, 
that  he  was  attacked  with  a  diarrhoea  which 
became  chronic,  and  closed  his  life  upon  the 
17th  of  November,  1861. 

Upon  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Sumter,  Snyder 
reported  at  Washington,  and  immediately  com- 
menced actual  field  services.  He  had  charge  of 
the  landing  of  the  first  troops  at  Annapolis,  and 
was  in  General  Heintzelman's  staff  at  the  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  and  brought  off  the  last  of  our 
troops  from  the  field  in  good  order. 

The  New  York  Times,  in  its  issue  of  Novem- 
ber 22,  said  of  him: — 

"  Zealous  and  unflinching  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties — no  matter  how  disagreeable  they 
might  be — he  overtasked  his  body  and  fell  an 
easy  prey  to  the  fever  which  ended  his  career. 
His  former  comrades  in  arms,  mourn  in  him 
the  loss  of  one  of  the  brightest  ornaments  of 


290 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


their  profession,  and  his  country  has  lost  the 
services  of  an  upright,  fearless  and  devoted 
officer." 

The  progenitor  of  this  Snyder  family  was 
William  Snyder,  who  came  from  the  Helleberg 
before  the  Revolution,  and  during  that  struggle 
acted  as  a  militia  man  and  home  guard. 

He  married  a  daughter  of  George  Warner, 
Sr.,  and  settled  upon  the  farm  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  Sylvester  McDonald,  where  he 
began  in  1800  to  "keep  tavern,"  the  main  road 
to  Schenevus  rurming  upon  that  side  of  the 
creek.  Their  children  were  Peter  W.,  and 
Maria,  the  latter  a  wife  of  Henry  Mann. 

Peter  W.,  married  a  daughter  of  Nicholas 
Warner,  to  whom  one  child  was  born,  Wilham, 
the  father  of  Captain  George  W.  Snyder. 

Warnerville. 

This  little  hamlet  was  formerly  and  for  many 
years  known  as  "  Mann's  Valley,"  after  the 
family  of  Captain  George  Mann,  of  Schoharie, 
who  removed  to  this  place  in  1786.  The  Cap- 
tain had  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  who  at 
one  time  lived  near  with  families,  and  made 
quite  a  settlement  of  their  own. 

Their  names  were : — 
Peter, 
Henry, 
PhiHp, 
Jacob, 
Abram, 

Betsy,  (Mrs.  Colyer.) 
Catharine, 

Christina,  (Mrs'.  Jacob  Kromer,) 
Lana,  (Mrs.  Adam  A.  Shaver.) 

Peter's  children  were : — 

Ex-Sheriff  Henry  Mann, 
Isaac, 
Abram, 
George, 
Mrs.  Calkins. 
Henrfs  children  were  : — 
Alexander, 
William  H., 
George  L., 
David, 
Mrs.  Henry  Mann, 


Mrs.  Ephraim  Warner, 
Catharine. 

Philip's  children  were  •: — 

Tobias, 

Mrs.  Jeremiah  Richtmyer. 

Abram' s  children  were : — 

Mrs.  Peter  Hilts, 
Alexander, 
David  S., 
Mrs.  Fuller, 
Abram, 
George, 
Judson, 
William, 
Miss  Etta. 

Peter  was  the  oldest  son  and  kept  the  first  tav- 
ern west  of  Cobleskill,  which  stood  nearly  oppo- 
site of  Alexander  Larkin's  residence.  Here  he 
catered  to  the  wants  of  the  community  and  travel- 
ing public  for  many  years,  and  after  closing  up 
his  business,  his  brother  Henry  opened  quite 
an  extensive  establishment  between  Segar  & 
Mann's  store  and  the  blacksmith  shop,  south, 
and  followed  the  business  a  long  time.  But 
the  whole  has  been  cleared  away  and  not  a  trace 
of  the  old  familiar  haunt  remains.  The  name 
of  the  place  was  afterwards  changed  to  Cobles- 
kill  Centre,  and  still  later  to  its  present  name 
of  Warnerville.  When  the  plank  road  was  in 
operation  and  for  some  time  before,  the  little 
hamlet  presented  a  lively'  appearance  as  a  farm- 
ers' business  centre,  but  the  railroad  drew  a  veil 
over  its  prosperity  and  wafted  the  attractions, 
all  down  to  the  village  of  Cobleskill,  leaving 
Warnerville  quiet.  The  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished in  1 83 1  as  '•  Mann's  Valley"  and  Abram 
Mann  received  the  appointment  as  postmaster, 
and  kept  the  office  in  Henry  Mann's  Inn. 

The  tannery  that  is  now  owned  by  Jarvis 
Peak  was  built  about  the  year  1834,  by  Joseph 
W.  Courter,  and  afterwards  purchased  by 
Henry  Webb.  It  was  quite  an  extensive  con- 
cern for  several  years  and  added  much  to  the 
business  interest  of  the  place. 

There  were  for  many  years  two  hotels  found 
here,  but  fire  laid  them  in  ashes,  and  at  present 
a  former  private  house  is  occupied  as  such,  but 


TOWN  OF  RICHMONDVILLE. 


291 


the  custom  that  for  years  made  the  business 
paying,  ceased  with  the  life  of  road  travel. 

Churches. — The  present  Methodist  church 
was  organized  in  1840,  and  the  edifice  built  in 
1848.  Its  pastorate  is  connected  with  that  of 
Cobleskill. 

The  Christian  C,^«^^/^  was  organized  in  1846 
by  the  veteran  John  Ross,  of  Charlestown,  with 
a  membership  of  eleven.  The  house  of  wor- 
ship was  built  the  same  year  and  repaired  in 
1870.  The  pulpit  has  been  supplied  by  other 
churches,  until  the  organization  of  the  Rich- 
mondville  Christian  Society,  where  one  regular 
pastor  officiates  in  both. 

Seminary. — During  the  "  Seminary  epidemic" 
of  1850  and  1854  that  swept  over  the  country 
and  excited  the  usual  steady  minds  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  made  sad  havoc  with  the  accumulation 
of  years  of  economy  and  industry,  the  citizens 
of  this  place  erected  a  fine  edifice  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  two  hundred  boarding  pupils. 

It  is  very  pleasantly  situated  and  has  all  the 
conveniences  necessary  for  a  first-class  institu- 
tion. 

It  was  erected  in  1853  at  a  cost  of  thirty 
thousand  dollars,  and  was  opened  in  the  fall  of 

that   year  with Douglass   as   principal, 

and  a  corps  of  twelve  assistants.  Not  proving 
successful  the  institution  was  closed  and  re- 
mained so  until  November,  1861,  when  a  school 
was  commenced  with  Cljester  C.  Thorn  e  as 
principal,  under  the  title  of  Union  Literary 
Institute.  The  course  of  instruction  embraced 
the  essential  branches  of  a  thorough  and  ac- 
complished English  and  classical  education. 
The  school  continued  one  year  and  one-half 
and  closed. 

The  building  remained  vacant  until  the  year 
1870,  when  Prof.  Dean  Smith  refurnished  it, 
and  commenced  the  school  as  "Dean's  College" 
but  after  a  trial  of  eighteen  months,  Prof. 
Smith's  efforts  proved  futile  to  make  it  a  self- 
sustaining  enterprise,  and  the  building  was  once 
more  abandoned  for  school  purposes,  and  it  has 
stood  idle  since.  It  is  but  a  grim  monument 
to  inexperience  and  people's  folly. 

The  first  grist-mill  in  the  town  was  built 
back   of  George   M.    Warner's  residency,   by 


David  Lawyer,  immediately  after  the  Revolu- 
tion. His  son  Lambert  occupied  the  farm  in 
after  years,  but  was  not  the  Lambert  Lawyer 
of  Cobleskill,  as  supposed  by  many.  The  lat- 
ter was  an  uncle  of  the  former  Lambert. 

RiCHMONDVILLE. 

In  drawing  near  Richmondville  one  is  struck 
with  the  location  of  the  village  for  manufactur- 
ing purposes.  Perhaps  the  steady  rumbling  of 
mills  and  earnest  hammer  strokes  awaken  our 
mechanical  genius,  and  lure  the  mind  down  to 
the  massive  reservoirs  that  obstruct  the  streams 
of  lesser  flow,  throughout  Connecticut  and 
Massachusetts  and  hold  back  the  water  to  en- 
able the  largest  mills  to  run  incessantly  the 
year  round  and  give  employment  to  thousands 
of  laborers.  There  is  not  a  more  attractive 
spot  in  the  County  for  such  enterprises  than  is 
found  here.  There  are  at  present  one  flour 
and  two  provender  mills,  two  saw,  one  paper 
and  two  cider  mills,  a  sash  and  blind  factory,  one 
woolen  mill,  a  machine  shop  and  foundry,  one 
grain  cradle  and  two  cloth  drier  manufacturies, 
each  and  all  doing  a  good  business.  There  are 
also  harness,  blacksmith,  cooper  and  shoe 
shops  in  abundance  driven  by  the  sinewy  arms 
of  the  industrious  people. 

The  Richmondville  paper-mill  was  estab- 
lished in  1865  by  Westover  &  Foster  and  is 
capable  of  running  three  tons  of  coarse  straw 
paper  per  day. 

The  first  grist-mill  was  built  upon  the  site  of 
John  Weller's  present  mill,  by  Asa  Bailey  in 
1807.  The  present  one  has  three  run  of  stone 
and  is  capable  of  grinding  five  hundred  bushels 
per  day. 

Nearly  eighty  years  ago,  some  one  unknown 
to  our  informant,  Mr.  M.  N.  Bradley,  built  a 
small  mill  for  fulling  cloth  upon  the  site  of  the 
present  one.  A  few  years  after  a  carding  ma- 
chine was  attached.  The  cloth  was  fulled  only, 
it  being  taken  to  a  small  log  house  near  and 
sheared  by  hand.  In  1837  it  became  the  prop- 
erty of  Milo  Bradley,  of  Bamerville,  and 
under  his  and  sons'  management  it  became 
an  important  enterprise  of  the  place.  In  1872 
Mr.  M.  N.  Bradley  put  in  a  full  set  of  ma- 
chinery for  manufacturing  all  kinds  of  domestic 


292 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


goods,  which  has  added  still  more  to  the  value 
of  the  property  as  well  as  convenience  for  the 
rural  surroundings.  From  eight  thousand  to 
ten  thousand  pounds  of  wool  are  carded  yearly 
and  nearly  an  equal  number  of  yards  of  cloth 
manufactured. 

RichmondviUe  Iron  Works,  —  The  foundry 
was  first  built  by  William  Wood  and  for  many 
years  owned  and  managed  by  his  son  Henry 
Wood  in  the  manufacture  of  plows  and  fixtures, 
stoves,  scrapers,  engine  fixtures  and  all  other 
articles  common  to  a  country  foundry.  It  is  at 
present  under  the  management  of  A.  B.  Stevens 
and  bids  fair  to  reach  a  high  standard  among 
the  shops  of  the  valley. 

The  present  business  of  the  works  will  aver- 
age at  least  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  tons  of 
castings  yearly,  employing  from  six  to  eight 
workmen. 

The  first  hotel  to  accommodate  the  traveling 
public  in  the  village  was  kept  by  George  Dox, 
where  the  Westover  house  now  stands,  about 
the  year  1795.  Dox  was  a  son  of  George  Dox 
who  came  from  Germany  before  the  Revolution, 
and  settled  below  the  Hellebergh,  and  after  the 
war  closed,  at  RichmondviUe.  His  sons  were 
George,  Michael,  John  and  Jacob.  The  family 
living  at  Beard's  Hollow  are  those  of  Michael, 
who  settled  there  in  1802.  Following  Dox 
in  the  inn  was  Ezra  Ackley  in  1804,  upon 
the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  resi- 
dence of  Mrs.  Felton.  The  third  keeper  of 
the  house  was  John  Warner,  son  of  George 
Warner,  Jr.,  who  was  appointed  the  first  post- 
master upon  the  establishment  of  the  oflSce  at 
this  place  in  1825.  Nearly  one  year  ago  we 
visited  Mrs.  John  Warner,*  at  the  residence  of 
her  son-in-law,  James  Harroway,  and  although 
eighty-seven  long  and  eventful  years  had  passed 
over  her  head,  we  found  her  still  active  and 
communicative. 

She  was  a  daughter  of  the  late  John  Spraker, 
of  Palatine-on-the-Mohawk.  We  find  the 
"  boys  "  of  those  days  would  "  a  wooing  go " 
away  from  home,  as  now,  and  to  judge  by  the 
outlines  of  Mrs.  Warner's  face,   her  husband 


*  She  has  since  died. 


had  an  eye  to  beauty  as  well  as  intelligence. 
We  love  to  sit  by  such  aged  ones,  whose  lives 
have  been  busy  and  eventful,  and  listen  to 
them,  when  their  minds  are  as  clear  and  strong 
as  hers.  We  find  many  as  old,  but  their  memo- 
ries are  but  slender  threads  uniting  the  past  with 
the  present,  and  much  worn  by  Time's  vibra- 
tions and  too  weak  to  tell  any  but  wandering 
tales. 


First  Justice  of  the  Peace. — Mr. 


-  Nor- 

cutt  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  in  the 
old  town  of  Cobleskill,  and  received  his  appoint- 
ment in  1805.  He  was  succeeded  by  Asa 
Bailey  in  1809.  Norcutt  and  Bailey  both  died 
in  that  year,  and  Jonah  Westover,  who  removed 
from  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  in  1808,  was 
appointed  to  the  office,  and  held  it  until  the 
year  1829,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  his  son, 
Hon.  John  Westover,  who  held  the  office  to  the 
year  1863.  In  1834  he  was  honored  by  the 
appointment  of  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  which  office  he  held  thirteen  years.  He 
was  associated  with  John  C.  Wright  and  Charles 
Goodyear.  In  1835  he  represented  the  town 
of  Cobleskill  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and 
in  1853  was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  where  his 
exertions  were  enlisted  in  giving  birth  to  the 
Albany  &  Susquehanna  Railroad  project,  in 
which  he  took  a  deep  interest,  and  became  one 
of  the  leaders  of  the  enterprise.  He  has  re- 
peatedly been  chosen  one  of  its  directors,  and 
in  that  position  as  elsewhere,  has  exhibited  that 
strict  business  characteristic  which  has  been 
prominent  throughout  his  life,  and  made  him 
one  of  the  County's  foremost  men. 

Mr.  Westover  was  born  in  Berkshire  county, 
Mass.,  in  1797,  and  still  exhibits  an  unusually 
sagacious  mind,  and  the  same  extraordinary 
vim  for  business  as  in  younger  years.  We  find 
very  few,  comparatively,  that  make  life  a  suc- 
cess. We  do  not  mean  in  accumulating  wealth, 
butin making  themselves  useful  and  exemplary, 
doing  much  for  the  public  good,  and  trustworthy. 
In  every  position,  both  public  and  private,  Mr. 
Westover  has  shown  the  same  indomitable 
energy  to  act  wisely,  and  the  present  firm  and 
substantial  business  of  the  place  are  the  fruits  of 
his  spirit. 


TOWN  OF  RICHMONDVILLE. 


293 


First  Mail  Carrier. — A  man  by  the  name  of 
Webb  living  at  West  Richmondville  was  the 
first  mail  carrier  to  this  place  over  ten  years 
previous  to  the  establishment  of  the  postoffice. 
He  brought  the  newspapers  from  Cobleskill  on 
horseback,  and  at  a  late  date  carried  the  mail 
as  far  as  Unadilla,  and  was  known  as  Deacon 
Webb.  Whether  his  strict  religious  life  gave 
him  the  appellation,  or  it  was  "  honorary,"  for 
his  ease  in  calling  so  often  upon  his  Maker, 
when  behind  time,  as  mail  carriers  usually  do, 
we  are  unable  to  say.  Poor  horse-ridden  Webb 
little  thought  as  he  sat  perched  upon  his  trusty 
charger  with  a  small  mail  bag  strapped  "  on 
behind"  that  before  he  was  forgotten,  a  screech- 
ing, puffing  monster  would  wind  along  the  sides 
of  these  hills,  with  a  long  snake-like  train 
"Singing through  the  forest 

Rattling  over  ridges. 
Shooting  under  arches 

Rumbling  over  bridges," 
appearing  and  disappearing  in  less  time  than  he 
could  seat  himself  in  the  saddle  and  chirp  "  gee 
up." 

However,  Webb  caught  the  spirit  of  improve- 
ment and  carried  the  mail  in  a  one-horse  wagon. 
He  continued  the  business  about  twenty-five 
years,  and  gave  up  the  reins  to  Oliver  Bass,  who 
put  a  coach  upon  the  route  through  to  Albany. 
Many  who  are  now  living,  well  remember  as  the 
old  yellow  and  red  "  Rocking  coach  "  drove  up  to 
the  door,  how  perfect  every  arrangement  seemed 
to  be,  and  with  what  ease  and  comfort  a  trip  to 
Albany  or  Binghamton  could  be  made  in  the 
short  space  of  ten  or  twelve  hours. 

Physicians. — In  181 2  Dr.  John  Nichols  settled 
in  the  village  and  was  the  first  regular  practicing 
physician.  He  died  in  i8ig  and  his  remains  lie 
in  the  Methodist  cemetery.  A  vacancy  being 
made  upon  his  death,  the  people  made  a  call  on 
the  Medical  School  of  New  York  for  a  physician 
in  March,  1820. 

Dr.  Thomas  B.  Van  Alstyne,  a  native  of  Kin- 
derhook,  N.  Y.,  and  a  student  of  the  noted  Dr. 
White,  of  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  was  sent  in  answer  to 
the  above  request,  who  continued  to  practice  to 
the  year  1856,  and  reared  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, each  of  whom  have  made  themselves 
worthy  of  a  worthy  father,  and  become  promi- 
nent and  useful  citizens. 


Thomas  J.,  is  a  resident  of  Albany,  and  has 
occupied  the  county  judicial  bench  for  two 
terms,  highly  satisfactory  as  a  gentleman  and  an 
able  jurist.  He  was  elected  at  the  late  election 
to  the  United  States  Congress,  and  takes  his 
seat  in  December,  1883. 

Sylvester  M.  Van  Alstyne  followed  his  father 
in  the  practice  of  medicine,  and  stood  at  the 
head  of  the  medical  fraternity  in  the  County. 
He  represented  the  town  in  the  Board  of  Super- 
visors in  the  years  1862,  1863,  1864,  1875, 
1876,  where  he  displayed  the  abihty  of  a  legis- 
lator, that  very  few  possess.  He  died  October 
28,  1882. 

We  give  space  to  the  following  article  from  the 
Richmondville  Democrat,  of  October  28, 1882: — 

"  In  the  death  of  Dr.  S.  M.  Van  Alstyne, 
Richmondville  loses  one  of  its  most  worthy 
citizens.  Dr.  Van  Alstyne  was  born  on  the 
28th  day  of  February,  1833.  He  had  the  full 
advantages  of  a  complete  education,  and  was 
always  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  learned  in 
our  community.  At  the  early  age  of  seventeen 
he  received  an  appointment  to  the  military 
academy  of  West  Point.  During  his  stay  at 
that  institution  his  peculiar  brilliancy  and  edu- 
cation placed  him  at  the  head  of  his  class, 
which  exalted  position  he  maintained  until, 
submitting  to  the  very  urgent  solicitations  of 
his  parents,  he  resigned  his  position  at  West 
Point  and  chose  the  study  of  medicine  as  his 
profession,  graduating  with  high  honors  at  the 
Albany  Medical  College,  December  2,  1854. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Schoharie  County 
Medical  Society,  also  of  the  New  York  State 
Medical  Society.  As  a  physician  he  occupied 
a  position  which  can  only  be  obtained  by  a 
thorough  study,  and  apphcation  to  one's  chosen 
profession.  He  was  selected  by  his  townsmen 
to  represent  them  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
for  five  years,  discharging  the  duties  pertaining 
to  this  office  to  their  utmost  satisfaction. 

"He  was  married  on  the  9th  of  July,  1855, 
to  Cynthia  E.  Whitney,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Whitney,  of  Milford,  N.  Y.  He  leaves  a  wife, 
one  son — Dr.  T.  B.  Van  Alstyne,  of  Richmond- 
ville, and  two  daughters — Mrs.  Dr.  Voorhees, 
of  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  and  Miss  Adah  Van  Alstyne, 
of  Richmondville. 


294 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


"  Dr.  Van  Alstyne  was  a  conscientious  Chris- 
tian, a  true  gentleman,  a  kind  husband,  and  lov- 
ing father.  His  death  will  be  a  great  loss  to 
this  community,  and  his  genial  presence  and 
kindly  recognitions  will  be  missed  by  all.  We 
can  pay  no  higher  tribute  to  the  memory  of  our 
distinguished  friend,  neighbor  and  physician 
than  to  say  that  a  great,  grand  and  noble 
christian  man  has  gone  to  his  rest." 

Fayette  E.,  became  a  mechanic  and  settled 
at  Binghamton  where  he  now  resides. 

John  studied  medicine  and  commenced  to 
practice  in  1865,  and  remained  till  the  year 
1873,  when  he  removed  to  Binghaniton,  where 
he  still  resides,  and  stands  at  the  head  of  his 
profession.  He  received,  very  shortly  after  grad- 
uatingin  1862,  a  commission  as  assistant-surgeon 
of  the  3d  N.  Y.  V.  C,  was  soon  promoted  to 
surgeon  of  the  regiment,  and  toward  close  of 
the  war  was  made  brigade  surgeon. 

Mrs.  Joseph  K.  Barry,  [deceased,]  of  Chicago, 
and  Mrs.  J.  L.  Multer,  of  the  Independent  Cal- 
istogian,  of  California,  are  the  daughters  that  com- 
plete the  family  of  six,  whose  early  training  in  the 
principles  of  right  and  usefulness  have  made 
them  an  honor  to  the  place  of  their  birth. 

Dr.  Thomas  Skinner  located  here  in  1833,  and 
after  removed  to  Hartwick  and  died  near  Syra- 
cuse in  1879.  J.  B.  Rossman  came  in  1840  and 
remained  till  1850  when  he  located  at  Albany. 
Dr.  Henry  Barnes  was  in  practice  here  some 
years.  Dr.  Valentine  Cornell  came  in  1865  and 
removed  to  Cobleskill  village  in  1874,  where  he 
died  in  1877. 

Dr.  Atkins  came  in  1874  and  the  year  follow- 
ing located  at  Saratoga  village,  and  thence  to 
Essex,  N.  Y.,  where  he  enjoys  a  lucrative  practice. 
Dr.  George  H.  Leonard,  of  East  Worcester 
located  here  in  1858  and  entered  the  Union 
army  in  1863  as  assistant  surgeon  and  died  of 
consumption  soon  after. 

Dr.  Thomas  B.  Van  Alstyne,  grandson  of  the 
first  Thomas  B.,  opened  an  office  in  June,  1881, 
and  at  present  is  the  only  physician  practicing 
in  the  village.  He  is  the  only  male  represent- 
ative of  the  Van  Alstyne  family  now  residing 
in  the  county,  an-d  bids  fair  to  maintain  the 
enviable  reputation  acquired  by  his  ancestors. 

Dr.  Rowley  settled  at  Warnerville  about 
1832  and  died  there  in  1846  and  was  succeeded 


by  Dr.  Jared  Chase  in  1850  and  Dr.  Eli  Bois 
&  Son  in  1854.  The  elder  Bois  died  in  1857 
and  Willard  succeeded  him  and  still  remains. 
Dr.  H.  S.  Gale  removed  from  West  Fulton  in  the 
spring  of  1881,  who  together  with  Doctors  Chase 
and  Bois  attend  to  the  "  ills  "  of  their  friends. 

Churches — Here  we  find  four  churches  whose 
appearance  bespeak  the  enterprise  of  the  people 
as  well  as  their  pride  in  their  houses  of  worship. 

The  Methodist  Church  is  the  pioneer,  it 
being  organized  in  1820  by  John  Bangs. 

Their  meetings  were  held  in  the  school  house 
until  the  year  1836  when  an  edifice  was  erected. 
The  present  one  was  built  in  1866  and  will  seat 
nearly  seven  hundred.  A  prosperous  Sabbath 
School  and  large  Bible  class  are  sustained  by 
the  society  and  a  deep  interest  in  the  religious 
cause  is  manifested  by  the  church  as  a  whole. 

The  Lutheran  Church  was  organized  in 
1830  and  the  first  edifice  erected  in  1833.  The 
present  one  was  built  in  1857,  being  repaired 
and  enlarged  in  1876,  and  will  seat  over  six 
hundred.  The  records  have  not  been  preserved 
in  such  order  as  to  enable  us  to  glean  the  desired 
information  but  we  find  John  Selemer  was  the 
first  pastor  and  after  a  few  years  was  recalled 
and  died  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine. 

He  was  followed  by  Ira  Parker,  P,  Ludden, 
S.  Curtis,  Charles  L.  Barringer  and  Jacob  Paul 
the  latter  at  present  officiating. 

There  is  also  connected  with  this  church  a 
large  Sabbath  School  and  Bible  class  in  whose 
behalf  the  society  takes  a  lively  interest. 

The  Baptist  Church  was  next  in  organization 
and  was  formed  in  1838  by  twenty-six  members. 

The  records  say,  "At  a  council  held  in  Rich- 
mondville  on  the  13th  of  June  1838  by  the 
delegates  from  the  Baptist  churches  in  Summit, 
Jefferson,  Worcester,  Westford,  Cobleskill,  Ful- 
ton and  Harpersfield,  it  was  thought  proper  to 
constitute  a  Baptist  church  in  the  above  men- 
tioned place  to  be  called  the  'Richmondville 
Baptist  Church'.  A  constitution  was  drawn  up 
embracing  articles  of  confession,  Faith  and 
practice  and  entered  upon  the  church-book, 
which  tersely  exhibits  the  sincerity,  stability  and 
character  of  professors  of  that  day. 

"At  a  covenant  meeting  held  September 
II,   1841,  Elder   Walter  Covey  was  appointed 


TOWN  OF  RICHMONDVILLE. 


29s 


a  committee  to  prepare  an  article  on  Temper- 
ance which  he  did  and  attached  it  to  the 
church  articles  of  Practice.  It  being  the  first 
move  by  the  body  in  the  cause  we  here  copy 
the  same.  "  We  believe  that  intemperance  is  a 
great  evil  and  therefore  we  will  not  use  intoxi- 
cating liquors  as  a  beverage,  nor  traffic  in  them 
nor  provide  them  as  an  article  of  entertainment, 
or  for  persons  in  our  employment  and  that  we 
will  discountenance  their  use  throughout  the 
community.'' 

The  following  Elders  have  officiated : — 

1838— David  B.  Collins. 
1839 — James  Ingles. 
1840 — Walter  Covey. 
1 841 — Walter  Covey. 
1842 — L.  C.  Bates. 
1843 — L.  C.  Bates. 
1844 — L.  C.  Bates. 
1845 — L.  C.  Bates. 
1846 — L.  C.  Bates. 
1847 — L.  C.   Bates. 
1849— W.  Covey. 
1850 — L.  E.  Spafford. 
1851— L.  E.  Spaff"ord. 
1852— L.  E.  Spaff'ord. 
1853 — A.  S.  Davis. 
1854 — A.  S.  Davis. 
185  s — A.  S.  Davis. 
1856  — George  Evans. 
1857 — George  Evans. 
1858 — George  Evans. 
1859 — C.  C.  Boorne. 
i860— C,  C,  Boorne. 
1861— C.  C.  Boorne. 
1862 — C.  C.  Boorne. 
1863 — C.  C.  Boorne. 
1866— W.  M.  Halleck. 
1867— W.  M.  Halleck. 
1868— W.  M.  Halleck. 
1869— W.  M.  Halleck. 
187 1— P.  C.  Bently. 
1872— P.  C.  Bently. 
1873 — G.   W.  Remington. 
1874 — G.  W.  Remington, 
1875 — G.  W,  Remington. 
1876 — G,  W.  Remington, 
1877 — G.  W.  Remington. 
1878— D.  B.  Collins. 


1879— D.  B.  Collins. 

1880— O.  W.  Cook. 

1881 — R.  Lehman  and  present. 

The  first  church  edifice  was  built  in  1843. 

Richmondville  Bank — Mr.  Westover,  for  many 
years,  feeling  the  inconvenience  of  having  no 
bank  to  transact  business  in  a  systematic  man- 
ner, with  his  ample  means  established  a  banking 
house  which  was  opened  for  the  convenience  of 
the  business  public  on  the  first  day  of  April 
1881. 

J.  M.  Foster  long  interested  in  the  business 
of  the  place,  was  associated  in  the  enterprise, 
making  the  firm  Westover  &  Foster,  Bankers. 
The  business  men  of  the  village  and  surround- 
ing country  fully  appreciate  the  convenience, 
and  assure  their  confidence,  in  a  flattering  pat- 
ronage. 

Christian  Church  —  The  Christian  church 
was  built  in  1875  at  a  cost  of  twenty-five  hun- 
dred dollars  and  dedicated  on  the  4th  of  Jan- 
uary 1876  under  the  pastorate  of  A.  J.  Wel- 
ton,  who  was  followed  by  T.  N.  Davis  and 
D.  M.  TuUer,  the  present  incumbent.  This 
church,  as  before  mentioned  is  connected  in  pas- 
torate with  the  "Christian  church  of  Warner- 
ville." 

Seminary — In  the  spring  of  1852  the  citizens 
of  this  place  concluded  to  make  a  permanent 
investment  of  a  few  thousand  dollars  in  one  of 
those  palatial  seminaries  to  which  many  com- 
munities, suddenly  become  partial.  During  the 
summer  of  that  year  a  building  was  erected  up- 
on the  lot,  now  occupied  by  James  N.  Burn- 
ison  and  school  commenced  in  the  fall  under 
very  flattering  circumstances. 

One  night  in  December  of  the  same  year  an 
incendiary  laid  the  whole  in  ashes,  which  was  a. 
heavy  stroke  to  the  stockholders. 

But  believing  in  the  wisdom  of  the  invest- 
ment a  similar  building  was  built  the  season  fol- 
lowing and  opened  for  patronage  in  the  fall  of 
1853.  The  success  of  this  institution  was  con- 
sidered certain,  butin  1854  the  second  structure 
was  burned  and  after  an  expenditure  of  nearly 
sixty  thousand  dollars,  further  efforts  to  rebuild 
were  abandoned. 


296 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Newspapers.— The  first  paper  published  was 
the  Schoharie  County  Democrat,  by  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  Schenevus  Monitor,  J.  J.  &  J.  L. 
Multer.  The  issue  bears  date  November  5, 
1870.  The  paper  was  purchased  in  1876  by  J. 
B.  Olmstead  and  its  title  changed  to  the  Rich- 
mondville  Democrat.  Mr.  Olmstead  has  steadily 
improved  the  paper  and  made  of  it  a  neat, 
readable  and  newsy  sheet  that  fully  deserves  its 
success. 

District  Schools. — At  what  time  the  first 
schoolhouse  was  built  we  have  not  been  able 
to  learn,  but  it  is  supposed  about  the  year  1807. 

The  present  school  building  was  erected  in 
1865.  It  is  a  graded  school,  having  become 
such  under  the  charge  of  George  Ostrander. 
Three  teachers  are  employed  with  an  average 
of  over  one-hundred  pupils.  The  studies  are 
the  higher  English  branches,  and  no  pains  or 
expense  are  spared  to  make  it  a  first-class 
school.     J.  E.  Mann  is  the  present  principal. 

The  road  leading  to  the  west  follows  the 
course  of  the  Cobleskill  and  winds  around  the 
lofty  hills,  that  the  waters  have  broken  through, 
presenting  to  the  traveler  a  varied  and  pleasing 
picture.  The  broad  fields  lying  upon  the  hill- 
sides are  productive  of  both  winter  grain  and 
grasses,  and  well  adapted  for  dairying  purposes, 
being  well  watered.  Snugly  located  a  short 
distance  above  the  village  is  William  Rocker- 
fellow,  grandson  of  Captain  Rockerfellow,  of 
Revolutionary  fame. 

Mr.  Rockerfellow's  father  moved  from  Colum- 
bia county  upon  "  Dutch  Hill"  in  i8r2.  The 
family  bearing  that  name,  of  the  Schoharie 
valley,  originally  belong  to  the  same  descend- 
ants of  brothers  who  emigrated  from  Germany 
at  an  early  day.  Mr.  Rockerfellow's  success  in 
the  accumulation  of  property  is  an  example  of 
what  the  will  can  perform  if  aggravated  to 
work  under  unfavorable  circumstances,  and  is 
worthy  to  be  here  recorded.  During  his  bo}- 
hood  days,  he  was  both  uncouth  in  appearance 
and  dissipated  in  habits,  having  allowed  himself 
to  be  drifted  along  without  care,  by  the  uni- 
versal custom  of  the  valley  in  fighting,  horse- 
racing,  gambling  and  dancing.  Peter  Poland 
was  the  keeper  of  the    "  Inn "   that  is   now 


Kennedy's  wagon-shop  in  Cobleskill  village, 
and  he  had  a  daughter  Elizabeth,  who  awakened 
Rockerfellow's  inward  soul,  and  which  the  father 
forbade  the  daughter,  to  countenance.  But 
their  sympathies  were  mutual,  and  after  being 
driven  away  several  times,  with  the  idea  of  the 
old  gentleman's  opinion  of  him  firmly  impressed, 
the  young  lover  firmly  decided  to  change  his 
course  in  Hfe  and  show  the  family  that  he  was 
neither  lazy  or  intemperate.  Changing  his  whole 
course  of  conduct  he  began  in  earnest,  with 
eyes  and  ears  opened  to  every  opportunity,  to 
gain  a  hvelihood  independent  of  his  family  or 
persecutors.  Gaining  here  and  there,  with 
care  arid  industry,  we  now  find  him  upon  the 
verge  of  seventy  with  a  large  property,  and  by  his 
side  is  found  one  happy  in  her  choice  and  sur- 
roundings, knowing  that  their  combined  efforts 
have  brought  William's  prophesy  true,  that  "they 
could  see  the  day  they  could  buy  the  whole  of 
them  out." 

West  Richmondville. 

West  Richmondville  is  a  small  hamlet  near 
the  county  line,  and  comprises  a  small  Metho- 
dist church  which  was  built  in  1865,  a  black- 
smith shop  and  a  few  dwellings.  It  was  origi- 
nally known  as  Caryleville,  but  upon  the  post- 
office  being  established  it  was  changed  to  its 
present  name. 

The  first  settlers  of  this  neighborhood  were 
Cornelius  Ten  Eyck  and  his  son  Bornt,  John, 
Moses  and  Isaac  Caryle,  John  Lampson,  Madi- 
son Skinner,  Joel  Bates,  Isaac  White,  John 
Houck,  George  Jones  and  Robert  Smith,  (the 
latter  from  Duchess  county,)  whose  son 
Solomon  still  lives  upon  the  old  place,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-five,  in  the  vigor  of  early  life. 
Asa  Foster  settled  about  the  year  1816  ;  Isaac 
Caryle  built  a  distillery  about  the  year  18 10, 
and  run  the  same  to  1820,  also  a  store.  The 
lands  not  then  occupied,  around  this  place  were 
purchased  in  1815,  by  Stephen  Jumel,  the  hus- 
band of  the  renowned  Madame  Jumel.  Owing 
to  the  fact  of  Jumel's  property  causing  a  long 
litigation,  we  will  here  state  the  circumstances 
and  give  a  sketch  of  Mr.  Jumel's  life,  as  written 
by  Mr.  J.  G.  Caryle,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  who 
lived  with  Mr.  Jumel  and  was  well  acquainted 


TOWN  OF  RICHMONDVILLE. 


297 


with  the  family  affairs.     A  settlement  of  the 
litigation,  we  believe  was  due  to   Mr.  Caryle's 
testimony  in  the  case.      Mr.  Caryle  was  born 
near  West  Richmondville,  in  1813.     He  says: — 
"I  first  became  acquainted  with  Madame  Jumel 
of  New  York  city  in  the  town  of  Sharon,  Scho- 
harie county  in    1826.       My  father  then  lived 
upon  lands  owned  by  Stephen  Jumel,  a  French- 
man of  the  Kingdom  of  France,  City  of  Paris. 
He  had  been  a  resident  of  New  York  city  from 
the  year  1795  until  the  year  18x5  when  he  re- 
turned  to    France.       Mr.    Jumel   left    France 
when  a  young  man  and  took  up  his  residence 
in  the  Island  of  St.  Domingo  that  being  at  the 
time  a  French  province.     He  then  engaged  in 
trade  and  run  a  coffee  plantation  up  to  1 793  when 
at  the  uprising  of  the  Blacks,  and  extermination 
of  the  Whites,  Mr.  Jumel  made  his  escape  in  the 
following  manner.     He  had  an  old  colored  man 
living  with  him  who  was  very  much  attached  to 
Mr.  Jumel,  who  told  him  of  the  approaching  in- 
surrection which  Jumel  did  not   credit  at  the 
time,  but  from  observation  he  finally  concluded 
to  make  the  best  shift  possible  and  wait  the 
result.     He  gathered  in  all  the  coffee  and  spices 
he  could  and  loaded  a  brig  and  consigned  the 
cargo  to  a  firm  in  New  York.     When  the  time 
came,  the  black  man  took  Jumel  in  the  moun- 
tains and  secreted  him  in  the  rocks,  stating  that 
if  the  blacks  did  not  rise  as  represented  and  the 
town  not  burned  then  Jumel  could  return,  but 
if  the  blacks  rebelled,  then  he  must  look  out  for 
himself     The  result  was  the  Whites  were  mas- 
sacred and  the  place  burned. 

"Jumel  remained  in  the  mountains  for  several 
days,  and  the  black  not  making  his  appearance 
and  being  a  good  swimmer,  swam  across  the 
bay  to  a  small  island  where  he  subsisted  for 
several  days  on  such  barks  and  grapes  as  he 
could  collect.  After  many  days  a  sail  made  for 
the  port  and  finding  the  place  burned,  did 
make  a  landing,  supposing  there  was  something 
wrong.  Mr.  Jumel  with  his  garments  signaled 
the  vessel  and  a  boat  was  sent  and  took  him  in. 
Learning  the  state  of  affairs  from  him  they  put 
to  sea  for  St.  Helena  where  Jumel  shipped  for 
France,  and  arrived  in  New  York  the  year  fol- 
lowing. With  what  money  he  left  in  New  York 
and  the  proceeds  of  his  cargo  of  coffee  etc.  he 
commenced    trade  and  became  a  heavy  ship- 


ping merchant,  and  during  the  time  of  the  em- 
bargo, made,  through  the  importation  of  French 
brandy  and  wines  a  fortune,  amounting  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  which  was, 
in  that  day  considered  ample. 

"It  was  during  that  success  he  became  ac- 
quainted with  Ehza  Bowne  a  beautiful  young 
woman  from  Providence,  R.  I.  whom  he  mar- 
ried and  who  became  the  noted  Madame  Jumel. 
In  1809  or  '10  Mr.  Jumel  retired  from  business 
in  part  and  bought  a  fine  property  at  Washing- 
ton Heights  and  moved  to  it,  from  Whitehall 
street.  All  things  not  running  smoothly — or  to 
Mr.  Jumel's  hking,  in  1815  he  left  for  France 
taking  with  him  an  adopted  daughter — a  niece 
of  Madame  Jumel.  He  kept  the  girl  in  France 
seven  years  and  educated  her  in  the  French 
schools,  when  Madame  went  over  and  returned 
with  the  niece  to  New  York  in  1826.  She  had 
a  power  of  attorney  from  Mr.  Jumel  to  take 
charge  of  affairs  in  New  York  for  the  benefit 
of  her  husband. 

' '  Under  the  power  of  attorney,  Madame  Jumel 
sold  in  1827,  the  entire  estate  of  Jumel,  em- 
bracing several  hundred  acres  in  the  town  of 
Sharon,  (now  Richmondville  and  Seward,) 
Decatur  and  Worcester,  Otsego  county." 

The  town  of  Richmondville  consists  of  19,844 
acres  of  land,  with  an  assessed  valuation  in 
1880,  of  $442,700,  anda  population  of  2,ii9in- 
habitants.  Bonds  were  issued  to  aid  in  the  con- 
struction  of  the  railroad  to  the  amount  of  $50,- 
000,  upon  which  there  remained  due  $14,552. 
This  amount  was  raised  by  special  tax  in  t88i, 
and  the  debt  Hquidated.  Total  amount  of  town 
expenses  in  1879,  was  $824.50.  Total  amount 
of  tax,  including  interest  on  bonds,  $5,844.04. 
Supervisors. 

1849 — Peter  H.  Warner. 
1850— Peter  H.  Warner. 
i85i_Thomas  B.  Van  Alstyne. 
1852 — David  Mann. 
1853-^David  Mann. 
1 85  4— William  Snyder. 
i855_Wilham  Snyder. 
1856 — Tobias  Mann. 
1857 — Tobias  Mann. 
1858 — Tobias  Mann. 
1859 — Tobias  Mann. 


^ — 


TOWN  OF  RICHMONDVILLE. 


299 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCH. 


HON.    JOHN    WESTOYER. 


Hon.  John  Westover,  son  of  the  late  Jonah 
Westover,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Egremont, 
Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts,  on  the  8th  of 
July,  1797.  In  the  year  1808  he  removed  to 
Schoharie  County  with  his  parents,  and  located 
where  the  village  of  Richmondville  now  stands, 
when  the  grounds  and  surroundings  were  covered 
with  the  forest.  This  portion  of  the  County 
being  new  and  the  settlement  very  sparse,  it 
must  be  supposed  that  the  pioneer  school  was 
of  an  inferior  grade,  and  the  chances  for  a 
youth  to  obtain  an  education  extremely  dis- 
couraging. Yet  regardless  of  adverse  circum- 
stances and  privileges,  many  of  the  best  men  of 
our  country  have  loomed  up  from  such  positions, 
through  their  indomitable  will  and  energy,  and 
became  what  they  were  and  are. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  an  example  of  a 
self-made  man.  By  studious  efforts,  he  was 
enabled  to  enter  the  school-room  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  as  teacher,  and  followed  the  avocation 
most  of  the  time  to  the  year  1824,  when,  with 
his  meager  savings,  he  purchased  a  part  of  the 
farm  upon  which  he  still  resides,  of  Governor 
Yates.  The  Governor  owned  a  large  tract  of 
land  lying  here,  through  tax  sales,  and  in 
1825  appointed  Judge  Westover  his  agent  in 
the  sale  and  renting  of  the  same,  which  trust  he 
held  nearly  forty  years,  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Governor  and  his  heirs.  It  was  upon  a  visit  in 
connection  with  business  relating  to  these  lands, 
that  Mr.  Westover  enjoyed  the  pleasing  honor 


of  being  one  of  the  sixteen  that  rode  upon  the 
first  passenger  railroad  cars  in  the  United  States 
in  1 83 1,  between  Albany  and  Schenectady. 
He  sat  by  the  side  of  Governor  Yates  in  the 
center  seat  of  the  front  car,  or  stage-coach  body 
placed  upon  truck-wheels.  The  Governor 
commissioned  him  Captain  in  the  militia  service, 
under  the  old  military  law,  from  which  he  was 
promoted  to  Colonel  of  then  113th  Regiment. 

He  was  elected  by  the  people  of  the  old 
town  of  Cobleskill,  in  1829,  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  filled  the  position  in  that  town  and 
the  town  of  Richmondville,  for  the  long  period 
of  thirty-eight  years.  He  succeeded  in  his  first 
election,  his  brother,  Jonah  Westover,  Jr.,  who 
held  the  office  twenty-one  years,  making  fifty- 
nine  years  the  office  was  held  in  the  family,  a 
case  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the  County. 

Under  the  Constitution  of  1821,  Governor 
Marcy  appointed  him  in  August,  1838,  to  the 
bench  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  as  asso- 
ciate with  Hon.  John  C.  Wright,  Jonas  Krum, 
Robert  Eldredge,  Harvey  Watson,  and  Nathan 
P.  Tyler. 

Upon  the  election  of  William  C.  Bouck,  as 
Governor,  the  honor  was  again  bestowed  upon 
him,  and  held  to  the  year  1846,  when  the  Third 
Constitution  took  effect,  and  aboUshed  the  office 
of  Assistant  Judges.  In  1853  Judge  Westover 
was  elected  to  the  Assembly,  where  he  turned 
his  attention  and  labors  towards  the  building  of 
the  Albany  &  Susquehanna  Railroad,  in  which 


300 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


he  became  a  Director,  and  one  of  the  managing 
spirits  in  its  construction  as  he  was  in  its  incep- 
tion, in  unison  with  Hon.  J.  H.  Ramsey, 
Charles  Courier,  Eliakim  R.  Ford,  and  others. 

Judge  Westover  has  always,  from  a  youth, 
been  identified  with  and  a  strong  advocate  of 
public  improvements.  When  the  Democratic 
party,  to  which  through  life,  he  has  been  at- 
tached, divided,  as  Democrats  and  Clintonians 
upon  the  internal  improvement  questions,  he 
sided  with  the  Clintonians  for  a  time,  and 
demonstrated  his  sincerity  by  favoring  every 
project  that  had  a  tendency  to  the  development 
and  progress  of  the  country  without  extravagant 
taxation.  For  several  years  he  bent  his  efforts 
to  the  building  of  a  railroad  through  the  County. 
The  first  was  by  a  special  charter  from 
the  Legislature  in  1836,  in  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  director  with  Jedediah  Miller  and 
others,  in  the  construction  of  a  railroad  to  con- 
nect the  Catskill  &  Canajoharie  road  with  the 
Erie.  For  that,  and  other  projects  of  improve- 
ment, he  was  chided  by  conservative  men  as 
extravagant  in  ideas,  but  which  has  proved  the 
far-seeing  characteristic  of  the  man  whereby 
profitable  results  were  brought  about. 

When  the  building  of  plank  roads  engaged 
the  attention  of  the  people,  the  Judge  was 
among  the  first  to  push  along  the  enterprise 
and  build  the  "Richmond ville  and  Charlotteville 
road,"  over  which  he  presided  as  president 
for  twenty-five  years. 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  Susquehanna 
railroad  he  became  interested  in  the  Howe's 
Cave  enterprises,  and  was  chosen  president  of 


the  Howe's  Cave  Lime  and  Cement  Company, 
which  position  he  still  holds,  beside  bearing  the 
same  relation  to  three  other  corporate  bodies. 
By  careful  and  economical  business  tact  he  has 
amassed  a  large  property.  He  owns  nearly 
half  of  the  village  where  he  resides,  including 
three  hotels,  two  stores,  and  the  manufacturing 
interest  wholly,  or  in  controlling  part.  He  has 
expended  large  sums  in  the  improvement  of  the 
water-power  of  the  place,  by  constructing  large 
reservoirs  and  conductors  for  milling  purposes, 
and  made  the  "  privileges  "  of  that  character 
found  here  the  best  and  most  extensive  in  the 
County. 

His  large  amount  of  business  requires  a 
practical  system,  which  he  early  adopted,  and 
for  near  commercial  convenience,  he  organized 
a  banking-house  in  February,  1881,  under  the 
title  of  "  Richmondville  Bank,"  of  which  he 
is  the  president  and  leading  financier.  Through- 
out his  official,  and  in  his  individual  transactions. 
Judge  Westover  has  exhibited  a  practical 
administrative  abiUty  that  but  few  possess  with- 
out extensive  culture,  and  exemplified  a  tem- 
perate life,  which  gives  to  him  a  great  age,  free 
from  infirmities,  and  enables  him  to  still  per- 
sonally guide  and  conduct  his  business,  and 
presents  a  worthy  example  to  the  youth,  of  the 
results  of  study,  earnest  thought,  industry,  and 
observance  of  the  general  laws  of  nature  in  the 
formation  of  habits. 

In  1832  he  married  Catharine,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  Miles,  of  Schoharie,  who  died  with- 
out issue  in  January,  1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six,  after  an  active  life  passed  in  sympathy  with 
the  husband's  tastes  and  aspirations. 


TOWN  OF  CARLISLE. 


301 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

History  of  the  Town  of  Carlisle. 

First  Settlers  —  Dorlach  Grant  —  New 
Rhinebeck— Relics— Mrs.  Philip  Karker— 
Judge  Brown — George  William  Brown — 
Re-interment  of  Judge  Brown — Young 
Family — Tory  Families — Osterhouts — 
John  C.  McNeill— Hillsinger — Settle- 
ment OF  Grovenor's  Corners — Joseph 
Taylor— Benjamin  Young — Durand's  Joke 
— Squire  John's  Place — Carlisle  Cen- 
tre— First  School  House — Merchants  of 
Grovenor's  Corners — Settlement  upon 
the  Turnpike — Carlisle  Formed — First 
Officers — P.  I.  Cromwell — D.  W.  Seeley— 
Sloan's  Tavern — Huntington  Tavern — 
Carlisle  Church — -Carlisle  Postoffice — 
Henry  M.  Brown — Killing  of  Keller — 
First  Store — Merchants  of  Carlisle 
Village — James  Boughton — J.  C.  Selleck 
— Argusville — Aaron  Malick — Michael 
Vanderveer — John  Hyney — Physicians — 
Mercantile  Firms — James  Swarthout — 
Nelson  Burnap— The  Bear  Swamp— Henry 
I.  Moak — Carlisle  Seminary — Carlisle 
Foundry — Steam  Mill — Robbery  of  Peter 
Becker — J.  H.  Angle — First  Mills — An- 
cestral Customs — Selleck's  Cave— Death 
OF  Professor  McFail — Hidden  Caverns — 
Churches — Valuation  of  Town- — Expense 
OF  Town — Supervisors — Boundaries  of 
Town. 

THE  first  settlers  of  Carlisle  were  John 
Philip  Kerger  (Karker),  and  Peter  Young. 
The  father  of  the  latter  came  from  Ger- 
many at  an  early  date,  and  settled  upon 
the  Hudson,  near  the  Camps,  and  was  re- 
lated to  the  Kergers.  John  Philip  landed  at 
Philadelphia,  and  came  to  the  Hudson  to  visit 
his  relatives,  and  then  return  to  his  native  land  ; 


but  failing  to  get  a  passage  at  the  desired  time, 
he  concluded  that  fate  decreed  him  to  remain. 
He  married  a  daughter  of  Young,  and  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother-in-law,  concluded  to  set- 
tle among  the  Schoharie  hills — the  German  "  El- 
dorado" of  those  early  times — by  the  "good 
account  of  ye  fertilete  of  ye  soile."  They  set- 
tled upon  lands  owned  by  a  Young,  (Karker 
taking  three  hundred  acres),  and  built  a  house 
near  the  present  residence  of  Solomon  D.,  and 
Joseph  Karker,  the  old  man's  great-grandchil- 
dren. Young  purchased  to  the  north  of  him, 
and  built  near  the  spot  upon  which  Nicholas 
Young,  a  grandson,  now  resides. 

Karker's  father  was  a  wealthy  wine  merchant, 
and  was  engaged  extensively  in  the  culture  of 
grapes,  and  Philip  selected  the  high  ground  near 
the  mountain,  with  the  intention  of  raising 
grapes.  Upon  his  departure  from  the  parental 
home,  the  father  cut  a  silver  coin  in  four  pieces, 
giving  each  son  a  quarter,  which  was  to  be  evi- 
dence of  heirship  to  the  father's  property,  upon 
his  decease.  Upon  the  old  gentleman's  death, 
the  pieces  were  to  be  presented,  and  if  they 
fitted  perfectly,  each  holder  was  to  receive  a 
fourth  part  of  the  effects.  During  the  Revolu- 
tion, Philip's  quarter  was  lost,  and  at  the  father's 
death,  his  share  was  not  claimed. 

The  first  land  cleared  in  the  town,  was  north 
of  the  "Rock  school-house,"  in  1760.  These 
farms  were  a  part  of  "  New  Dorlach "  patent, 
granted  in  1730,  (now  called  the  Borst  patent,) 
but  not  surveyed  until  the  year  r753,  by  Isaac 
Vroman,  and  re-surveyed  in  1797,  by  Johannes 
Lawyer,  (the  third  land  holder). 

The  original  grant  contained  forty-five  lots  of 
six  hundred  acres  each  and  nine  of  one  hun- 
dred and  three  hundred  acres  each.  In  1754 
Johannes  Lawyer  (the  second),  Johannes 
Becker  and  others  purchased  an  addition 
to  the  tract  upon  the  east,  extending 
from  the  Cobleskill  creek  to  the  north  line 
of  the  original  tract — two  lots  in  width,  also  one 
lot  in  width  to  the  north  of  that  and  running 
west  along  the  Dorlach  line — four  lots  of  one 
hundred  and  ninety-three  acres  each  which  is 
called  the  Becker  patent.  Lot  number  one,  of 
the  Dorlach  grant,  lies  east  of  the  mountain 
vulgarly  called  "  Barrack  Zourie."    Numbers  two 


302 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


and  three  cover  the  mountain.  From  the  sum- 
mit of  this  conical  shaped  mountain,  origi- 
nally called  Owelus  Sowlus — but  now  "Karker 
Mount" — as  beautiful  a  scene  presents  itself  to 
the  north  and  northeast  as  can  be  found.  Upon 
the  north  stretches  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk, 
and  beyond  rise  the  hills  and  mountains  of 
Fulton  and  Hamilton  counties,  while  in  the 
northeast  those  of  Warren  and  Washington  ap- 
pear in  the  foreground  of  the  Green  mountains 
of  Vermont. 

Upon  the  southeast  side  of  the  mountain  lies 
a  small  sheet  of  water,  clear  and  of  great  depth 
having  an  outlet  running  in  the  Cobleskill. 

A  few  years  after  the  settlement  of  Karker 
and  Young,  several  families  moved  here  from 
Rhinebeck  on  the  Hudson  and  the  settlement 
was  known  as  New  Rhinebeck.  Other  families 
soon  followed  from  Schoharie  and  Middleburgh. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution  quite 
a  number  of  families  could  be  found  in  this 
neighborhood.  Prominent  actors  in  the  strug- 
gle were  the  Karkers,  Young,  Brown,  Fichter, 
Borntheit,  Kneiskern,  Loucks  and  Manch  or  of 
late  Monk.  The  descendants  of  all  those 
pioneers  are  still  here  but  as  neighbors  enjoy 
better  feeling  towards  each  other  than  their  an- 
cestors did,  who  were  divided  in  a  political 
point  of  view  as  Patriots  and  Tories. 

Around  this  mountain  cluster  the  Revolution- 
ary historical  associations  connected  with  the 
town  of  Carlisle.  Here  upon  its  sides,  were 
experienced  all  the  hopes  and  fears,  joys  and 
sorrows,  anxieties  and  aspirations  peculiar  to 
the  Revolutionary  days  of  the  patriotic  Karker, 
Young  and  Brown  families.  John  P.  Karker 
and  sons  were  scouts  during  the  war,  leaving 
home  and  traversing  the  country  day  and  night 
to  watch  the  movements  of  the  prowling  foe 
carrying  messages  and  doing  other  dangerous 
and  important  services. 

Madame  Karker  during  the  early  part  of  the 
war,  remained  at  home,  while  her  nearest  neigh- 
bors were  loyalists,  ever  watchful  of  her  family's 
actions  and  thirsting  for  their  blood.  She  re- 
mained here  regardless  of  danger,  as  a  barri- 
cade to  her  fireside.  Night  after  night  she  re- 
tired to  a  tree,  which  is  still  standing,  and  laid 
down  upon  the  cold  damp  ground  to  sleep,  fearful 


of  bemg  captured  if  she  remained  in  the  house. 
Two  of  her  neighbors,  fit  companions  of  in- 
carnate fiends,  sought  to  capture  and  slay  her, 
while  her  husband  and  sons  were  away ;  but 
■  being  apprised  of  their  design,  she  fled  to  the 
mountains,  and  hid  beneath  a  shelving  rock, 
with  a  babe  upon  her  breast.  Her  pursuers 
were  often  in  sight,  and  once  stood  upon  the 
rock  beneath  which  she  lay  concealed.  The 
babe  was  restless  and  for  fear  it  would  betray 
her,  she  put  a  handkerchief  in  its  mouth  and 
nearly  suffocated  it  before  the  Tories  retired. 
The  babe  was  Peter  Karker,  whose  descend- 
ants live  in  the  West,  and  are  heads  of  families 
and  begin  to  bear  the  marks  of  hoary  age. 
Thus  time  glides  on,  carrying  with  it  one  gene- 
ration after  another,  efifacing  all  the  works  of 
man,  except  those  found  upon  our  blest  govern- 
mental structure.  Those  labors  and  sacrifices 
are  there  enstamped,  which  will  grow  brighter 
and  brighter,  as  age  after  age  rolls  on.  During 
the  war  the  most  valuable  effects  of  the  Karkers 
were  secreted  in  a  fallen,  hollow,  basswood  tree, 
upon  the  side  of  the  mountain.  Among  the 
goods  thus  stowed  away  was  the  family  Dutch 
Bible.  A  crevice  in  the  tree  admitted  the  rain 
and  did  damage  to  the  book  by  loosening  the 
binding  and  staining  the  leaves.  It  is  now 
kept  as  a  sacred  relic  by  Solomon  Karker,  a 
grandson,  living  near  the  old  homestead,  whose 
family  pride  and  veneration  of  his  ancestors 
justify  him  in  retaining  by  memory,  and  relat- 
ing with  fervency  the  many  incidents  connected 
with  the  lives  of  his  noble  sires.  Soon  such 
admiring  children  will  pass  away,  and  less  care 
be  taken  of  the  "mementoes  "  handed  down  so 
carefully,  and  nothing  left  of  the  patriotic 
personal  effects.  Each  year  makes  the  number 
less,  which  ought  not  to  be,  but  should  with  the 
greatest  care  be  preserved  for  ages  to  come. 

John  W.  Brown. — About  the  year  177 1, 
there  came  to  New  Rhinebeck,  John  Malhias 
Brown,  a  man  whose  after  life  proved  him  to  be 
one  of  the  "noblest  works  of  God"  an  honest 
man.  With  a  mind  superior  to  those  with  whom 
his  lot  was  cast,  he  was  appreciated  and  was 
called  upon  to  act  in  all  business  relations 
throughout  this  section  of  country  and  was  found 
to  be  a  just,  practical,  frugal  and  energetic  man. 


TOWN  OF  CARLISLE. 


3°J 


He  was  born  at  the  Camps  in  1745,  and  came 
to  "  Weiser's  dorf "  with  his  father  William,  in 
1752- 

After  marrying  Gitty  Hager,  of  Breakabeen, 
he  settled  upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Samuel 
Young.  The  land  was  purchased  by  one  Wae- 
nig,  a  German,  who  purchased  several  of  the 
Dorlach  lots  in  the  year  1770,  and  lived  in  an 
underground  hovel  near  the  present  barn  build- 
ings. Governor  George  Clinton's  attention  was 
called  to  Mr.  Brown's  career  and  abiHties,  and 
he  became  one  of  his  confidential  friends  and 
advisors.  It  is  well  known  that  Governor  Clin- 
ton, as  well  as  nearly  all  of  the  chief  officials  of 
those  times,  did  not  hesitate  to  Usten  to  the 
voice  of  the  common  yeomanry  of  the  country 
upon  public  questions  and  give  heed  to  their 
reasonings. 

During  Clinton's  "Tory  war"  of  1784,  CUn- 
ton  called  upon  Brown  for  his  opinion,  knowing 
he  was  located  in  the  border  settlement,  in 
which  that  element  was  better  known.  As  there 
were  those  who  had  not  been  "  offensive  "  but 
who  sided  with  the  Crown  through  fear,  and  be- 
lieving they  would  make  good,  law  abiding  citi- 
zens. Brown  favored  their  right  as  voters  which 
was  effected  by  Schuyler  and  Hamilton  in  1787. 

This  expression  of  opinion,  led  many  of  the 
over  patriotic  to  cast  the  epithet  of  "  Tory" 
upon  Brown,  which  was  unjust.  Brown  was 
commissioned  Captain  of  a  company  of  Tryon 
county  militia,  by  Governor  Clinton,  but  being 
lame  he  insisted  upon  the  honor  being  bestowed 
upon  some  one  else.  But  Clinton  refused  to 
change  the  appointment  and  furnished  a  horse 
for  his  use.  If  Brown  had  been  a  "Tory" 
Clinton  would  have  known  it,  and  if  such  had 
been  the  case,  George  CHnton  would  have  been 
the  last  man  to  have  placed  any  confidence  in 
him.  DeWitt  Chnton's  mind  also  was  enrap- 
tured with  his  country's  glorious  achievements, 
and  like  a  true  patriot  he  desired  to  see  her 
struggles  and  triumphs  engraved  upon  history's 
page.  The  Schoharie  and  other  border  settle- 
ments drew  his  heartfelt  sympathy  and  he  re- 
quested Brown  to  write  their  early  history,  which 
he  did  in  a  manner  so  plain  that  the  most  simple 
can  understand. 

When  we   consider  his   stinted   educational 


advantages  (only  six  weeks  schooling)  and  his 
meagre  social  opportunities  in  early  life  we  can- 
not but  wonder  at  the  correctness  of  his  lan- 
guage and  composition.  The  Judge  was  a  half- 
brother  of  Captain  Christian  Brown  who  early 
settled  upon  the  James  Becker  farm  in  Cobles- 
kill.  His  first  wife  died  in  1796,  and  a  few 
years  after  he  married  EUzabeth  VanArnin, 
daughter  of  Captain  VanArnin,  of  the  Conti- 
nental army,  with  whom  he  lived  many  years. 
The  fruits  of  the  first  wife  were  eight  sons  and 
one  daughter,  viz  : — 

John, 

Elizabeth, 

Peter, 

George  WiUiam, 

Henry, 

David, 

Abram, 

Jacob, 

Severenus. 
The  youngest  of  the  children  were  Abram 
and  David  who  were  twins. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  poverty  of  the  early 
settlers  as  well  as  their  customs,  under  stinted 
circumstances,  we  will  here  state  that  these  boys 
were  nine  years  old  before  they  possessed  a  hat. 
While  plowing  in  the  spring  and  fall,  being 
barefooted  and  the  ground  cold,  they  were  com- 
pelled, occasionally,  to  sit  upon  their  feet  in  the 
furrow  to  warm  them,  and  these,  were  the  chil- 
dren of  a  Schoharie  County  Judge  !  It  was  not 
penuriousness  on  the  part  of  the  father,  but 
poverty  that  compelled  a  sacrifice  of  bodily  com- 
forts. It  was  so  with  nearly  all  of  the  early  settlers, 
they  were  extremely  poor.  Brown  was  appoint- 
ed Associate  Judge  in  1795  upon  the  formation 
of  the  County,  and  held  the  office  until  the  year 
1820,  when  he  resigned. 

The  fourth  son  of  the  Judge  was  George 
William,  whose  voracious  appetite  caused  not 
a  little  merriment  wherever  he  went.  In  draw- 
ing grain  to  market,  as  we  have  before  men- 
tioned, several  neighbors  accompanied  each 
other,  and  the  custom  was  to  take  their  own 
provisions  along  in  a  dinner  box ;  but  that  cus- 
tom was  dropped  in  George  Wilham's  case,  as 
he  could  not  carry  enough  to  appease  his  tire- 
less appetite   and   quite  likely  he  often  went 


304 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


without  eating  until  his  return,  but  upon  this 
particular  occasion  he  was  to  dine  with  Russell 
Case,  at  what  was  formerly  called  Battleman's 
Mills,  eight  miles  west  of  Albany.  Perhaps  his 
associate  laid  a  plan  to  victimize  the  landlord 
and  agreed  to  pay  for  the  dinner,  which  was  one 
shilling,  a  very  small  pittance  for  the  amount  of 
fun  in  store.  George  sat  down  to  the  table 
upon  which  was  a  roasted  pig  on  a  platter  in 
front  of  him.  Without  ceremony  he  took  upon 
himself  the  task  of  carving,  and  putting  the 
meat  down  his  throat  as  he  carved  without  giv- 
ing his  fellow  guests  a  morsel.  No  doubt  the 
strangers  present  looked  dumbfounded  and  were 
anxious  to  render  assistance  in  exterminating 
the  pig,  but  George  understood  his  business,  or 
rather  his  inward  cravings,  and  ate  the  whole 
pig,  "  stuffing  and  all."  Upon  looking  around 
for  more  with  the  earnestness  of  Ohver  Twist, 
no  doubt,  he  called  the  landlord  and  asked 
"  Hash  you  got  any  more  of  dem  leetle  hocks  ?" 
Undoubtedly  Mr.  Case  replied  "  nix." 

At  the  age  of  twelve  George  was  equal  to  the 
best  of  laborers,  especially  in  chopping  wood,  and 
it  was  he  that  cut  a  goodly  share  of  the  timber 
which  stood  upon  the  Kne  of  the  Great  Western 
Turnpike  through  Carlisle,  for  the  road's  con- 
struction. He  was  a  muscular  man,  that  could 
endure  any  amount  of  labor,  especially  in  devour- 
ing "leetle  hocks'' 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1879,  the  remains  of 
Judge  Brown  and  wives  were  re-interred  in  the 
Carlisle  cemetery  in  the  presence  of  many  hun- 
dred people.  The  exercises  were  imposing. 
After  Scripture  reading  by  Rev.  L.  Lyon  and 
prayer  by  Rev.  C.  L.  Offer,  the  remains  were 
delivered  by  the  Marshal  of  the  day,  Nicholas 
Hanson,  to  the  President,  Hon.  John  M.  Ros- 
coe.  Thirty-eight  young  ladies  representing  the 
States  of  the  Union,  (after  the  recital  of  a 
poem  by  Miss  Mary  Duesenbury)  paid  .homage 
to  the  patriots  by  casting  evergreens  and  flowers 
in  the  graves.  An  eulogium  was  deUvered  upon 
the  lives  and  characters  of  Brown  and  his  asso- 
ciates, the  Karkers  and  Young,  whose  remains  it 
was  also  expected  to  have  placed  beside  him,  but 
the  relatives  withheld  their  consent.  The  bones 
of  the  Judge  were  found,  nearly  entire,  after  a 
period  of  forty-one  years  interment.     The  brain 


was   well   preserved   and   was  very  large  and 
weighty. 

In  1778,  when  the  Indians  began  their  depre- 
dations in  the  Schoharie  settlements,  the 
patriots  of  New  Rhinebeck  made  the  house  of 
Peter  Young  their  rendezvous.  Being  but  few 
in  numbers,  and  the  Tory  neighbors  becommg 
more  venomous  as  their  allies  began  to  make 
their  raids,  this  little  company  concluded  to 
leave  their  homes  and  seek  safety  in  the  forts. 
A  band  of  Indians  assembled  at  a  Txiry's  house 
in  the  neighborhood  to  capture  them,  upon 
which  Peter  Young  started  to  take  his  wife, 
who  was  a  cripple,  to  the  Camps  for  safety ;  but 
fearing  he  would  be  unable  to  do  so,  she  was 
taken  to  a  small  cave  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tain and  left  there  alone.  Being  supplied  with 
provisions,  she  remained  for  several  days  in  that 
place  without  being  discovered  by  the  Tories, 
whose  houses  were  very  near.  The  walls  of 
this  "  rock-house,"  as  it  has  since  been  called, 
for  many  years  plainly  showed  the  marks  of  the 
fires  she  built  late  at  night,  when  all  was  quiet 
and  danger  of  being  seen  had  passed. 

After  the  Indians  passed  off  to  other  fields 
for  murder  and  devastation,  her  husband  re- 
turned and  carried  her  to  the  Camps,  where  she 
remained  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Peter  Young's  children  were  : — 

Jacob, 

Zachariah, 

William, 

Mathias, 

Jeremy, 

Christian, 

Christina. 

Mathias  was  born  on  the  20th  day  of  Janu- 
ary, 1763,  and  was  the  first  white  child  born  in 
the  present  territory  of  Carlisle. 

His  children  were : — ■ 

Benjamin, 
Richard, 
Solomon, 
Margaret, 
Elizabeth, 

Lana,  (Mrs.  Nicholas  Osterhout.) 
He  died  May  21,  1822. 


TOWN  OF  CARLISLE. 


305 


The  Fichter,  Monk,  Henry  Kneiskern,  and 
two  of  the  Loucks  families  were  loyal,  and  when 
the  news  of  a  Royal  victory  was  heard,  they  ex- 
pressed their  pleasure  by  playing  upon  fifes.  It 
is  said  the  Fichter  girls  could  play  equal  to  any 
man.  This  family's  house  was  the  rendezvous 
of  the  Tories  and  Indians.  The  head  of  the 
family  was  Andrew  Fichter,  who  in  company 
with  his  brother-in-law,  Michael  Borntheit,  came 
here  from  New  Orleans,  where  they  landed  in 
1750.  Bcffntheit  died  childless,  and  Andrew 
Fichter  was  followed  by  his  sons,  Henry  and 
Andrew.  There  remains  but  one  of  the  family 
that  bears  the  name,  and  soon  it  will  be  as  ex- 
tinct as  that  of  Borntheit. 

To  the  east  of  this  neighborhood,  Abram 
Osterhout,  a  native  of  Ulster  county,  settled  in 
1806.  Here  he  reared  a  large  family,  that  have 
been  prominent  in  the  poUtical  field,  and 
energetic  in  the  interest  of  the  town  and  County. 

The  children  were  : — 

Cornelius, 

Peter, 

John, 

James, 

Nicholas, 

Abram, 

George, 

Jacob, 

Chauncey. 

Peter  was  elected  sheriff  in  1831.  John  and 
James  were  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1843 
and  1852,  beside  filling  various  other  official 
positions,  at  all  times  proving  themselves  to  be 
faithful  and  strictly  honest  officials. 

P'  In  1784,  John  C.  McNeill,  of  Londonderry,  a 
Revolutionary  veteran,  came  to  Charleston, 
Montgomery  county,  with  his  wife,  and  after  a 
few  weeks  land  hunting,  concluded  to  locate  in 
Carlisle.  He  began  at  once  to  clear  the  forest, 
and  what  proved  most  singular,  felled  the  first 
tree  upon  the  spot  where  he  was  buried  many 
years  after.  ,  The  farm  is  now  occupied  by  a 
grandson,  Merritt  McNeill.  While  clearing  a 
site  to  place  his  house,  his  wife  remained  at 
Charleston,  and  he  walked  over  daily  and 
worked  alone,  the  only  white  man  north  of  the 
present  turnpike,  in  the  limits  of  the  town.     A 


short  time  after,  one  McCracken,  another  repre- 
sentative of  the  "Emerald  Isle"  settled  upon  the 
west  part  of  the  David  Seeley,  Sr.,  farm,  but 
after  1805  moved  farther  west. 

Between  the  years  1795  and  1810,  the  town 
was  filled  by  immigrants  from  every  part  of  the 
country,  many  coming  from  Connecticut, 
Rhode  Island,  and  New  Jersey,  owing  to  the 
idea  gained  during  the  war,  of  Schoharie  being 
such  a  wheat  growing  section.  With  but  very 
few  exceptions,  the  descendants  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  the  town  remain  upon  their  ancestral 
homes. 

Immediately  after  the  Revolution,  Jacob  and 
Peter  Hillsinger  settled  at  Little  York,  upon  the 
farms  now  occupied  by  Adam  and  William. 
During  the  war,  Jacob  and  Peter  were  employed 
as  scouts,  and  spent  much  of  their  time  in  Old 
Dorlach,  watching  the  movements  of  the  Tories. 
After  the  invasion  of  the  Schoharie  valley  by 
Johnson  and  Brant,  a  Tory  of  Dorlach,  returned 
to  his  home,  after  assisting  the  British  and  In- 
dians in  devastating  the  valley,  and  was  met  by 
Peter  and  others,  who  were  acquainted  with  his 
proceedings. 

After  a  friendly  salutation  passed  between 
them,  Peter  accused  him  of  his  complicity  with 
the  invaders,  and  leveled  his  rifle  to  shoot  him, 
declaring  he  was  not  fit  to  live.  Peter's  com- 
panions turned  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  up  as  he 
fired,  and  saved  the  life  of  the  Tory,  but  much 
to  Hillsinger's  disappointment.  These  brothers 
lived  upon  their  possessions  to  good  old  ages, 
and  were  highly  esteemed.  Soon  after  Hill- 
singer's  settlement,  also  came  Frederick  Ullman. 

Frederick  Ullman  was  a  Mohawk  scout  of 
notoriety,  who  came  to  that  valley  immediately 
after  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  in  which  he  par- 
ticipated. His  parents  were  German  settlers  of 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  without 
doubt,  were  connected  with  some  of  the  Mo- 
hawk German  families  which  led  him  off"  to  these 
parts.  Ullman  had  the  reputation  of  being 
the  fleetest  of  foot  of  any  man  in  the  valley, 
which  saved  his  scalp  many  times.  He  married 
a  Keller,  of  Currytown,  and  settled  upon  the 
Fox  place. 

Reuben  Parkinson,  an  Irishman,  settled  about 


3o6 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  same  time,  upon  the  present  Ullman  farm, 
and  after  a  few  years  exchanged  with  Ullman, 
and  kept  a  tavern  where  the  present  one 
stands.  Several  of  the  Parkinson  families  were 
scattered  over  the  town,  in  its  earliest  days,  and 
were  people  of  ability,  and  held  prominent  town 
offices. 

Nathaniel  H.  Clark,  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island,  and  graduate  of  Yale  College,  settled 
upon  the  east  of  Little  York,  where  William 
Roberts  now  resides,  about  the  year  1828,  and 
commenced  the  mercantile  business.  He  was 
a  pitiable  cripple,  being  nearly  helpless,  but  of 
active  and  extraordinary  mind.  The  last  few 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  speculating  in 
eggs,  taking  nearly  one  week  in  going  to  and 
coming  from  Albany,  with  his  own  conveyance. 

He  died  in  Albany,  while  on  his  way  to  his 
old  home,  to  receive  the  care  of  brothers  and 
other  friends,  at  the  age  of  eighty. 

In  1794  or  1795,  Moses  Grosvenor,  (we  use 
the  original  name),  settled  at  the  corners  bear- 
ing the  family  name,  after  locating  at  Lawyers- 
ville,  with  Dana  and  Redington,  brother  Yan- 
kees, for  a  time.  In  1 804  a  number  moved  up 
from  Poughkeepsie,  and  settled  in  the  present 
Baumis  neighborhood,  east  of  the  Corners. 
They  purchased  their  land  of  supposed  owners, 
but  after  a  few  years  the  rightful  ones  came,  and 
demanded  the  lands  or  purchase  money.  The 
most  of  them  refused,  and  removed.  The  Van- 
VaUn,  Rich,  Conklin,  and  Dean  families,  re- 
mained, and  were  Quakers.  This  settlement 
was  called  "  New  Poughkeepsie." 

A  few  years  after  the  exit  from  those  lands, 
there  came  several  families  of  Quakers  from  the 
Hudson,  the  principal  ones  being  Moses  and 
Jacob  Dickinson,  and  the  Underbills. 

After  the  latter  settlers  came,  New  Pough- 
keepsie was  changed  to  "  Quaker  street."  Gid- 
eon VanValin  kept  an  inn  where  Thomas  N. 
Borst  now  resides  and  was  followed  by  Lyman 
Hawes,  from  Connecticut,  who  settled  upon 
Chauncy  Grovenor's  farm,  and  who  was  one 
of  the  first  justices  in  the  town  and  held  the 
office  for  many  years.  His  grandson,  Josiah 
L.  Hawes,  was  here  born  in  1822,  and  after  fit- 
ting himself  for  the  bar  removed  to  Kalamazoo 


Michigan,  where  he  now  holds  the  office  of  Cir- 
cuit Judge  in  the  9th  Judicial  District. 

About  the  year  1806  Andrew  and  James 
Griffin,  Adam  and  Andrew  Mickle  came  from 
Schodack,  the  two  former  as  school  teacher.=. 
Andrew  at  last  settled  west  of  the  "Corners" 
and  commenced  keeping  tavern  in  1809,  where 
his  son  now  resides. 

Dr.  John  Kelley  was  the  first  practicing  phy- 
sician at  this  place  and  settled  in  1830.  He 
afterwards  removed  to  Esperance  where  he  died, 
and  was  followed  in  the  profession  by  Dr.  Isaac 
Scott,  who  still  remains.  Dr.  Scott  is  a  native 
of  Root,  Montgomery  county,  and  graduated  at 
the  Albany  Medical  College  in  1848,  and  soon 
after  settled  here. 

Farther  to  the  west  Joseph  Taylor  settled  in 
the  year  181 1  upon  a  farm  that  had  been  occu- 
pied by  a  Hitchnian  family  for  several  years. 
Taylor  kept  a  store  and  built  a  distillery  and 
was  a  very  energetic  business  man.  He  pur- 
chased large  quantities  of  flax-seed  which  he 
shipped  to  Europe,  beside  other  grains,  which 
proved  successful  speculations.  "  Uncle  Joe's  " 
sterling  qualities,  among  which  was  a  ready  flow 
of  wit  and  humor,  were  sufficient  pass- 
ports to  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  every  one, 
especially  the  business  portion  of  the  whole 
country.  He  reared  a  large  family  of  active 
business  men,  and  gave  to  each  a  goodly  "por- 
tion" and  passed  away  in  the  year  7848,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-four,  esteemed  by  all  who  knew 
him. 

Joining  the  Taylor  farm  Gideon  Young  set- 
tled in  1 80 1,  having  removed  from  the  Angle 
Brothers'  farm,  near  Lawyersville.  He  also 
reared  a  large  family,  among  whom  were  Hon. 
John  G.,  Jacob  and  Gideon.  The  longevity  of 
this  family  exceeds  any  other  in'  the  County,  its 
members  being  as  active  and  sturdy  at  the  age 
of  seventy  to  eighty-nine,  as  those  of  other  fam- 
ilies are  at  sixty  to  seventy-five. 

The  Snyder  and  Buthans  families  found  in 
this  neighborhood  came  from  the  Hudson,  be- 
low Coeymans,  in  1808,  and  occupy  the  best 
portion  of  the  town  in  an  agricultural  point  of 
view. 

Benja?nin   Young,  a  brother  of  Gideon,  Sr., 


TOWN  OF  CARLISLE. 


3°7 


before  mentioned,  built  a  house  and  kept  a  tav- 
ern in  1808  where  Ira  Young  now  resides.  For 
many  years  the  usual  sports  of  horse  racing, 
wrestling,  flip  drinking,  card  playing  and  many 
other  immoral  customs  were  tolerated  seven 
days  in  a  week.  Uncle  Ben,  as  he  was  famil- 
iarly called,  was  quite  a  horseman  and  kept  his 
horses  sleek  and  lively.  Treat  Durand,  after- 
wards Sheriff  of  the  County,  Uved  with  Uncle 
Ben  and  rode  his  horses  while  running,  being  a 
small  lad.  He  was  not  satisfied  with  his  daily 
fare  as  it  consisted  of  too  much  johnny  cake 
and  supawn  to  suit  his  aspiring  stomach.  One 
day  there  being  a  crowd  of  bystanders  and  a 
challenge  given  to  Uncle  Ben  to  run  horses,  he 
requested  Treat  to  bring  out  the  horse  and  "run 
him."  The  horse  not  making  very  good  time, 
being  rather  inactive,  Uncle  Ben  asked  Treat 
"Vat  ish  te  mather  of  dee  hoss?"  "I  don't 
know,"  replied  Treat,  "  unless  he  has  been  fed 
too  much  johnny  cake." 

Young's  rage  knew  no  bounds,  but  the  laugh- 
ter from  the  crowd  soon  opened  his  understand- 
ing and  the  flip  was  passed  at  his  expense,  with 
"tam  leetle  tival"  as  a  commendation  for 
Treat's  ready  answer. 

A  short  distance  west  of  Uncle  Ben's  at  the 
forks  of  the  road  John  Severson  kept  an  inn 
about  the  year  1820,  in  a  house  built  by  the 
father  of  Andrew  Young,  the  historian.  The 
property  fell  in  the  hands  of  John  Young,  son  of 
Uncle  Ben,  and  was  known  for  many  years  as 
"  Squire  John's  place."  From  this  place  to  the 
school-house,  east,  was  the  race-course.  The 
frequenters  of  those  races  were  the  farmers  in, 
and  from  the  adjacent  neighborhoods  and  much 
to  their  discredit,  their  sports  were  carried  to  ex- 
tremes, as  the  quiet  of  Sabbath  was  frequently 
broken  by  their  drunken  broils  and  other  im- 
moral proceedings. 

To  use  the  words  of  one  of  the  "cronies,"  as 
they  were  called,  but  who,  many  years  ago,  like 
Saul  of  old,  was  stricken  down  to  repentance 
by  the  glorious  "hght,"  "  these  places  were  hell 
holes."  It  is  a  fact  which  we  are  loth  to  chroni- 
cle, that  from  1800  up  to  1830,  the  morals  of 
every  neighborhood  in  our  County  were  at  a 
low  tide.  Intemperance  carried  a  fearful  sway 
even  to  the  church  altar,  where  might  frequently 


be  seen  those  whose  breath  was  only  fumes  of 
liquor.  It  was  not  unusual  for  deacons  to  be 
habitual  drinkers,  and  "members"  habitual 
swearers,  and  the  temperance  advocate  branded 
as  a  fanatic. 

The  Young,  Loucks  and  Richtmyer  families 
now  hving  here  are  near  descendants  of  the 
first  settlers  of  the  County.  The  small  hamlet 
east,  for  many  years  called  "Bradt's  Corners," 
was  changed  to  "  Carhsle  Centre,"  upon  the 
estabhshment  of  the  postoffice  in  187 1. 

Carlisle  Centre. 

Nathan  Bassett  originated  this  little  hamlet, 
and  lived  here  many  years.  During  the  counter- 
feiting days  of  1830  to  1840  of  paper  currency 
as  mentioned  in  Chapter  IV,  of  this  work,  the 
law  was  very  harsh  with  those  who  passed  the 
"spurious''  and  many  poor  men,  that  received 
it  for  wages,  were  arrested  on  passing  it  for  the 
necessaries  of  hfe,  as  the  guilty  were  able  to 
swear  to  anything  that  would  save  themselves 
and  send  others  to  prison.  Bassett  was  a  poor 
but  hard  working  man,  and  happened  to  be  the 
possessor  of  a  two  dollar  bill  which  he  passed 
and  was  sent  to  States  prison  for  the  offense, 
much  against  the  desire  of  the  majority  of  the 
people,  as  they  believed  he  was  innocent  of  in- 
tended criminality.  But  a  certain  few,  whose 
pockets  were  at  all  times  full  of  the  "  bad," 
swore  poor  Nathan  to  the  grates.  During  his 
imprisonment,  the  news  of  William  C.  Bouck's 
election  to  the  Gubernatorial  chair,  was  made 
to  him,  upon  which  he  quit  work  and  gave  three 
cheers  for  Bouck.  The  rules  of  the  prison  for- 
bid such  a  demonstration  and  Bassett  received 
a  few  lashes  as  a  reminder  of  prison  discipline, 
but,  "  I  can't  help  it,"  said  Bassett  and  gave 
three  more.  Upon  Bouck's  entry  into  office  a 
petition  was  placed  before  him,  with  hundreds 
of  names  attached,  for  his  release,  which  was 
granted  and  Bassett  became  a  citizen  again,  and 
was  known  to  the  day  of  his  death  as  a  "  thor- 
oughbred, hardshell  Democrat." 

fohn  W.  Bradt  commenced  the  mercantile 
business  here  in  1863,  upon  a  small  scale,  but 
by  enterprise  and  perseverance,  enlarged  his 
facilities  and  trade,  and  amassed  a  comfortable 
fortune  in  a  few  years. 


3o8 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


The  First  School  House  in  the  town  was  built 
of  logs,  and  stood  in  the  present  orchard  of 
Nicholas  Young,  near  the  "Rock  school- 
house."  At  what  time  it  was  built,  we  are  un- 
able to  tell,  but  it  stood  intact  before  1795. 
The  next  one  built  was  at  Grovenor's  Corners, 
in  1805.  The  first  merchants  at  this  hamlet 
were  Allen  &  Knight,  who  were  followed  by 
John  Snyder,  in  the  building  now  occupied  by 
Tobias  Myres,  as  a  residence. 

D.  D.  L.  &=  Jeremiah  Mc  Cullock,  carried 
on  a  store  of  general  merchandise,  for  many 
years,  in  the  building  now  occupied  as  such.  In 
1854,  D.  D.  L.,  was  elected  sheriff  upon  the 
Whig  ticket,  which  was  an  unusual  event  in 
"  Democratic  Schoharie."  But  his  reputation 
as  an  honest,  upright  man,  was  an  "  electioneer- 
ing "  capital  that  the  people  admired,  and  dur- 
ing his  term  of  office  he  made  no  cause  for  them 
to  regret  the  choice  made. 

The  co-partnership  was  dissolved  upon  his 
election,  and  Jeremiah  continued  the  business 
for  several  years,  but  is  now  a  resident  of  Albany 
City.  The  family  came  from  Albany  county  as 
also  did  the  Bradt,  Mosher,  Myers,  and  Mc- 
Millen  families  living  near. 

Henry  Best  removed  from  Columbia  county 
about  the  year  1805,  and  settled  upon  the 
present  HonYost  Becker  farm,  and  ten  years 
after  upon  that  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
James  McMillen.  His  son  Henry  bec^ne  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  for  many  years,  and  was  a 
business  man.  He  is  well  remembered  as  the 
only  "  auctioneer,"  in  a  large  circuit  of  country, 
for  a  long  term  of  years. 

Within  the  cemetery  near  the  Union  church, 
built  in  ]  83 1,  lie  many  of  those  who  settled  here 
when  these  fine  farms  were  but  a  dense  forest, 
while  others  are  scattered  around  upon  different 
farms,  in  graves  unmarked,  and  covered  with 
briars  and  brambles,  and  soon  will  be  lost  be- 
neath the  work  of  the  plow  and  harrow. 

William  Clark  came  from  Coeymans,  in 
1813,  and  settled  upon  the  farm  still  known  as 
the  "Clark  farm." 

He  settled  when  the  neighborhood  was  a 
dense  forest,  and  by  hard  labor  and  superior 
perseverance,  cleared  a  large,  productive  farm 


before  he  died.  His  sons,  Honorable  William 
S.  and  Benjamin,  were  born  upon  this  farm,  and 
have  been  prominent  in  the  political  and  edu- 
cational affairs  of  the  County.  Near  by  Henry 
W.  Larkin,  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  settled  after 
following  the  avocation  of  school  teaching  for 
many  years.  Mr.  Larkin  was  an  unusually  eccen- 
tric man,  of  very  industrious  habits,  and  amassed 
a  fine  property.  The  Grovenor  families  living 
near,  are  the  descendants  of  Moses  Grosvenor, 
but  have  changed  the  name  somewhat  by  drop- 
ping the  s. 

Upon  the  survey  and  building  of  the  Great 
Western  turnpike,  many  families  from  the  East- 
ern States  began  to  locate  along  the  route, 
expecting  it  to  be  the  great  thoroughfare  of  the 
day. 

During  the  spring  of  1804,  Rodger  W.  Lord, 
of  New  London  county,  Connecticut,  settled 
upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Peter  Runkle, 
and  "  kept  tavern,"  the  first  one  in  the  town. 

The  year  previous  (1803)  John  Sweetman 
moved  from  Charleston,  N.  Y.,  and  settled  where 
his  grandson,  Henry,  now  lives.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  justices  in  the  town,  and  held  the 
office  nine  years.  His  son,  James,  represented 
the  district  in  the  Assembly  in  1827.  A  few 
years  after  his  brother,  Michael,  together  with 
David  and  Nathan  Seelej,  came  and  settled 
near. 

John  B.  Roscoe,  from  Essex  county,  N.  Y., 
settled  with  the  Lord  family  in  1805,  and  was 
the  first  physician  in  the  town,  and  the  only  one 
between  Sharon  Hill  and  Duanesburgh  until 
the  year  1812.  He  continued  his  practice 
nearly  sixty  years  over  a  large  extent  of  terri- 
tory, and  was  a  very  successful  practitioner ;  he 
was  followed  in  i860  by  his  nephew,  R.  J.  Ros- 
coe, who  still  continues  the  practice. 

Carlisle  Formed. — In  1807  the  town  was 
formed  from  Cobleskill  and  Sharon,  and  was 
named  by  Mrs.  John  Sweetman,  an  estimable 
lady,  after  Carlisle  Pierce,  a  prominent  towns- 
man. One  hundred  and  twenty-three  acres 
were  laid  out  in  village  lots  of  one-half  acre 
each,  with  three  parallel  streets  running  east 
and  west,  and  the  same  north  and  south,  where 
the  village  now  stands,  making  a  very  neat 
village  plan.     But  while  Livingston,  the  owner 


TOWN  OF  CARLISLE. 


309 


of. the  land,  easily  built  a  small  city  on  paper, 
but  few  actual  buyers  came.  They  passed  on, 
with  the  cry,  "Westward  ho!"  But  Carlisle 
was  a  town,  and  from  the  first  records  we  copy 
the  following :  — 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  town 
of  Carlisle,  held  this  first  day  of  March,  in  the 
year  1808,  at  the  house  of  Benjamin  Johnson, 
in  the  town  of  Carlisle,  agreeably  to  an  act 
of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
for  that  purpose,  in  the  last  Session,  made  and 
provided;  the  following  persons  were  chosen 
to  represent  the  said  town  the  ensuing  year, 
viz: " 

Supervisor — William  Ferris. 

Clerk — Henry  M.  Brown. 

Assessors — Henry  Kniskern,  Peter  Gordon, 
Mathias  Young. 

Commissioners  of  Highways — Lawrence  Van 
Wormer,  Gideon  Young,    Silvanus  Parkinson. 

Overseers  of  Poor — David  Lawton,  Abrara 
Kniskern. 

Constables — Jacob  Brown,  James  Kennedy. 

Collector — Jacob  Brown. 

Poundmaster — Benjamin  Johnson. 

Fence  Viewers — Bostwick  Brown,  John  M. 
Brown. 

Benjamin  Johnson  came  in  1805  or  1806,  and 
built  a  house  and  kept  an  inn,  and  sold  the 
same  in  1808  to  Philip  1.  Cromwell,  who  came 
from  Glen,  (Charleston,)  N.  Y.,  and  built  the 
large  building  so  many  years  known  as  "  Crom- 
well's stand."  Perhaps  no  man  was  better 
known  from  New  York  to  Buffalo  than  Crom- 
well unless  it  was  his  brother  landlord,  "  Zach 
Keyes,"  of  Sharon  Hollow;  two  fun-loving 
Yankees,  whose  practical  jokes  were  themes 
of  daily  gossip  by  all  travelers. 

Cromwell's  buildings  were  spacious,  and  his 
was  the  best  estaWishment  on  the  road.  His 
variety  of  fowls  and  animals,  and  unique  dove- 
cot, were  attractions,  which  in  those  days  were 
seldom  seen,  and  which  to  our  youthful  minds 
were  beyond  description. 

The  Cromwell  house  at  a  subsequent  period 
was  occupied  by  David  W.  Seeley,  the  patentee 
of  the  famous  "  wagon  coupHng  "  that  did  away 


with  the  "  hounds "  upon  wagons  and  saved 
quite  an  item  in  the  manufacture  of  the  same. 
But  few,  if  any,  possessed  greater  enterprise 
and  perseverance  than  Mr.  Seeley,  whose 
natural  propensity  found  its  greatest  pleasure  in 
"patent  rights''  and  "horseflesh."  He  re- 
moved to  Albany  at  a  later  period,  where  he 
still  resides. 

Sloan's  Tavern. — In  1809  Sturges  Sloan  re- 
moved from  Sloansville  and  built  a  small  house 
for  another  "  tavern  ''  where  William  Becker's 
fine  residence  now  stands.  As  travel  and 
custom  increased  he  added  to  his  accomoda- 
tions, and  at  last  occupied  a  goodly  sized 
building,  and  was  followed  at  a  later  date  by 
Reuben  Moak,  William  Thrall,  Henry  P.  Knis- 
kern and  Peter  W.  Ferris,  and  still  later  by 
the  famous  Doctor  Slingerland,  whose  medical 
genius  was  displayed  upon  boots  and  shoes 
instead  of  the  ills  to  which  the  flesh  is  heir. 
But  his  remarkable  cures  and  more  remarkable 
surgical  operations  as  told  by  him  to  strangers, 
gave  to  him  the  title  of  Doctor. 

He  was  full  of  "big  stories"  that  could 
hardly  be  called  "Ues,"  as  he  never  told  one  to 
injure,  but  rather  to  amuse,  a  Ust  of  which 
would  fill  a  large  volume,  all  as  he  excused 
himself  "  to  make  everybody  feel  good." 

In  1810  Elijah  Huntington  came  from  Frank- 
lin, Conn.,  with  an  ox  team  and  one  horse,  also 
workmen,  and  built  the  present  hotel  building. 
Upon  finishing  and  opening  the  house  to  the 
public  he  placed  upon  his  sign  "  Tontine  Coffee 
House."  Much  to  his  surprise  the  innocent 
Dutchmen  that  principally  traveled  the  road 
supposed  it  to  be  a  store  and  passed  on,  either 
to  Cromwell's  below  or  Sloan's  above. 

These  landlords  were  amused  by -their  ques- 
tions "Vat  kinds  of  coffee  ish  dot  he  keeps?" — 
while  others  understanding  the  meaning,  consid- 
ered it  a  high  priced  establishment  and  would 
pass  on  for  more  "  common  coffee  "  and  lower 
rates.  Finding  the  inscription  had  a  contrary 
efiect  upon  his  financial  prosperity,  he  placed 
his  own  name  in  its  stead  and  soon  obtained  his 
share  of  patronage.  He  kept  the  house  many 
years  and  was  a  very  energetic,  yet  eccentric 
man. 


3IO 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


The  Presbyterian  Church  was  built  in  1813, 
and  left  without  paint,  plastering  or  pews. 
Huntington's  pride,  led  him  to  volunteer  to  re- 
model and  finish  it,  and  at  quite  an  outlay  he  pro- 
duced from  the  frame,  one  of  the  finest  churches 
to  be  found  in  the  County,  which  stood  until 
the  year  1853  when  its  lofty  spire  was  taken 
down  and  timbers  placed  in  the  seminary. 

The  Carlisle  Presbyterian  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  1803  with  twenty-three  members  and 
held  their  meetings  in  private  houses  and  Crom- 
well's tavern  until  the  edifice  was  built. 
There  have  been  thirteen  resident  pastors. 
Nelson  Austin  was  the  first,  and  while  preach- 
ing was  attacked  with  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs 
and  died  within  a  few  hours.  His  successors 
were  as  follows: — 

Lyman  S.  Rexford. 

R.  R.  Demming. 

L.  P.  Blodget. 

Charles  Wadsworth. 

William  Clark. 

James  N.  Crocker.  / 

Craig. 

Anson  H.  Seeley. 

Stephen  Searles. 

Robert  L.  Jones. 

Cyrus  L.  Offer. 

Henry  A.  Lewis. 

Mr.  Wadsworth  was  the  pastor  in  the  church's 
palmiest  days,  from  1832  to  1845.  The  throng 
that  assembled  here  to  worship  was  unequalled 
by  any  in  the  County.  Mr.  Wadsworth  lived  in 
retirement  for  several  years  and  died  near 
Rochester  in  June,  1878,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  eighty-nine. 

Mr.  Clark  followed  for  a  period  of  fourteen 
years  and  removed  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
died  a  true,  noble  Christian. 

The  pastorate  of  Mr.  Seeley  extended  fourteen 
years  in  connection  with  the  church  at  Esper- 
ance,  in  which  he  endeared  himself  to  both 
parishes  by  his  sturdy,  conscientious  christian 
principles,  which  made  him  a  man  of  great 
worth,  and  deeply  mourned  when  he  passed 
away. 

Reverends  Crocker,  Craig,  Searles  and  Jones, 
each  zealous  workers  in  the  "vineyard,"  labored 
for  a  while  and  were  called  to  other  fields  in 


which  "the  harvest  is  great."  C.  L.  Offer,  who 
took  the  charge  in  1878,  assiduously  worked 
in  the  cause  and  received  many  into  the  church 
membership  as  "seals  to  his  ministry"  and  was 
followed  by  Henry  A.  Lewis,  in  the  fall  of  1 880, 
the  present  pastor. 

This  church  was  organized  by  Simeon 
Hosaik,  of  Johnstown,  and  previous  to  Mr. 
Austin's  charge,  preaching  was  performed  by 
John  B.  Romeyn,  of  Albany,  Samuel  Smith, 
Thomas  Holaday,  William  McMillian,  Eliphalet 
Nott,  A.  Brandage  and  John  Chester, 

The  Carlisle  Postoffice  was  established  in 
February,  181 1,  and  Philip  I.  Cromwell  received 
the  appointment  of  "  Deputy "  after  quite  a 
struggle  between  him  and  Huntington,  who  ac- 
cused each  other  of  being  neither  "beast  or 
human"  in  the  petitions  sent  to  the  department. 

Henry  Brown,  for  several  years  a  Supervisor 
of  the  town  settled  in  1806  where  his  son,  Joseph 
I.,  so  long  resided,  and  now  owned  by  WiUiam 
Cary.  He  kept  a  "tavern"  which  was  burned, 
but  rebuilt  the  present  structure,  in  which  the 
last  town  meeting  was  held  in  the  second 
Cobleskill  district,  previous  to  the  formation  of 
the  town  of  Carlisle.  The  season  following  the 
building  of  Brown's  house,  one  Sibley  erected 
the  house  now  occupied  by  Jacob  Kling,  which 
was  used  as  a  "tavern"  for  a  long  series  of 
years  by  David  C.  Richtmyer,  William  Thrall 
and  Abram  A.  Kniskern.  Below  Henry  Brown's, 
nearly  opposite  of  William  Hurst's  was  another 
"inn"  kept  for  a  long  time  by  one  Gauley, 
making  eight  on  the  turn-j  ike  within  the  town, 
a  distance  of  seven  miles. 

About  the  year  1830  there  came  to  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  town  the  Bradway  Brothers,  who 
settled  upon  the  present  farm  of  William  Doty 
as  "wagon  makers"  whose  workmanship  was 
unequalled  by  any  other  in  the  County.  Much 
of  their  work  is  now  in  use  not  showing  a  fault, 
and  said  to  be  the  lightest  draft  of  any  of  the 
latest  "  improvement "  in  hub  and  axle. 

From  the  year  1813  to  1840  a  vast  amount  of 
potash  was  manufactured  along  the  line  of  the 
turnpike,  which  was  drawn  to  Albany  by  teams 
on  heavy,  broad  rimmed  wagons.  One  Keller, 
of  Sharon,  was  upon  a  load  and  arriving  at  the 


TOWN  OF  CARLISLE. 


311 


summit  of  the  hill  west  of  Hiram  Rockerfellow's, 
having  occasion  to  alight  to  arrange  the  harness, 
he  stepped  upon  a  spoke  of  the  wheel  which 
threw  him  under  the  hind  wheel,  where  he  was 
literally  crushed. 

But  few  accidents  happened  along  the  hne  of 
this  road,  considering  the  amount  of  travel,  and 
such  occurrences  as  the  one  mentioned,  in  those 
days,  made  a  greater  impression  upon  the  people, 
than  the  wholesale  slaughter  of  travelers  by 
railroads  and  steamers  does  upon  us  of  to-day. 

The  first  store  in  town  was  upon  the  turnpike, 
and  kept  by  CorneUus  Marshall  an  Eastern  man, 
in  the  house  now  occupied  by  Stephen  H.  Knis- 
kern,  and  for  many  years  by  Talmage  Leek. 
Mr.  Leek  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  came 
to  the  town,  as  a  saddler  and  harness  maker,  in 
the  year  1813,  he  being  the  first  one  of  that 
trade  in  the  town.  For  six  years  from  1829  to 
1835,  he  held  the  office  of  justice,  with  Charles 
Grovenor,  John  F.  Taylor  and  Sylvanus  Park- 
inson, and  was  esteemed  as  an  upright  and  hon- 
orable rnan.  Mr.  Marshall  removed  his  busi- 
ness to  Carlisle  village  about  the  year  18 14,  in 
a  building  still  standing  east  of  Cromwell's. 

In  1816  the  building  now  occupied  by  A.  A. 
Kniskern  as  a  residence  was  built,  and  J.  W. 
Taylor,  Tobias  Young,  Alonzo  Crosby,  Sherman 
Corbin  and  Samuel  P.  Shibley  followed  each 
other  in  the  mercantile  business,  within  it.  Dr. 
Nelson  Beach,  son-in-law  of  Cromwell,  pur- 
chased the  property  and  made  a  private  dwelling 
of  it  about  the  year  1838. 

Mr.  Shibley  built  the  present  lower  store  in 
1838,  and  in  company  with  his  brother  George 
R.,  continued  the  business  up  to  the  year  1854, 
when  a  stock  company  was  formed  who  pur- 
chased the  goods  and  fixtures,  and  which  proved 
to  be  an  unsuccessful  speculation. 

D.  Seely,  Jr.,  &  B.  Mowers  followed,  and 
after  them,  came  J.  M.  Falkner,  Milo  &  Ira 
Auchampaugh,  C.  W.  Taylor  &  Kelsh,  D.  D.  C. 
Gaige  &  A.  A.  Kniskern. 

J.  W.  Taylor  built  a  "store"  near  "Sloan's 
tavern"  in  1824,  which  was  burned,  and  replaced 
by  the  present  upper  store,  which  was  occu- 
pied for  a  time  by  Minard  Harder,  and  since 
the  year  1847  by  J.  H.  &  P.    A.   Angle,  until 


quite   recently,  when  the  firm  changed  to  J.  H. 
Angle  &  Son. 

James  Boughton,  a  native  of  Columbia 
county,  and  who  lately  died  at  the  age  of 
ninety-two,  was  the  first  school  teacher  in 
the  village  district  (No.  5,)  and  taught  in 
a  private  house  during  the  winter  of  1807  ; 
he  was  followed  by  Reuben  Parkinson  and 
Charles  Sloan.  The  first  school-house  was 
built  upon  the  site  of  the  present  one  in  181 8, 
and  John  C.  Selleck  shortly  after  came  from 
St.  Lawrence  county  and  engaged  as  teacher, 
which  position  he  held  for  many  years.  He 
was  afterwards  employed  in  other  districts,  and 
served  in  that  capacity  for  thirty-two  years  in 
succession,  and  endeared  himself  to  thousands, 
who  were  related  to  him  as  pupils,  for  his  strict 
integrity,  Christian  principles,  and  untiring 
efforts  in  the  cause  of  education.  Mr.  Selleck 
was  a  close  student  of  nature,  and  became  a 
proficient  geological  scholar  and  a  terse,  ex- 
pressive writer  of  both  prose  and  verse.  He 
died  after  a  lingering  illness  on  the  12th  of 
September,  1878,  aged  seventy-five. 

Argusville. 

In  1785  when  the  northwest  part  of  the  town 
where  Argusville  and  the  pleasant  farm  homes 
that  surround  it  are,  was  a  dense  forest  and  a 
greater  part  an  impenetrable  swamp,  John 
Malick  and  family  settled  where  Robert  Ram- 
sey's house  now  stands.  He  came  from  New 
Jersey,  a  thickly  settled  country,  to  this  lone 
spot,  not  knowing  of  the  presence  of  white 
settlers  at  a  less  distance  than  Currytown.  Mrs. 
Malick  came  from  a  wealthy  family,  and  was 
unused  to  labor,  and  much  less  to  the  privations 
of  pioneer  hfe.  They  built  a  log  hut,  in  which 
they  lived  many  years,  and  we  can  imagine  in 
which  Mrs.  Malick  passed  many  tearful  days. 

It  is  only  a  woman's  love  to  husband  and 
family  that  will  dictate  such  sacrifices  of  com- 
fort and  happiness,  and  which  is  too  often 
overlooked.  Such  self-denials  show  the  true 
nobleness  of  the  heart  and  character. 

After  they  had  passed  a  few  lonely  months  in 
their  rude  house,  one  quiet  morning  their  at- 
tention was  drawn  to  the  barking  of  a  dog  to 
the   southward,  which   denoted   a    settlement. 


3^2 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


They  set  out  at  once  guided  by  the  barking, 
and  emerged  from  the  thicket  at  Myndert's, 
upon  the  present  Sharp  farm.  No  doubt  they 
were  pleased  to  find  an  old  settler,  and  more  so 
to  learn  of  the  settlement  farther  south. 
Twenty-five  years  before,  this  family  wandered 
off  here  alone,  and  within  that  time  had 
endured  the  horrors  of  the  Revolutionary  strug- 
gle as  captives  to  the  barbarous  Tories  and 
Indians,  and  lost  the  few  personal  effects  which 
they  had  by  industry  and  economy  procured. 
But  once  more  they  were  in  peaceful  possession 
of  their  home,  and  though  humble  "open 
wide "  was  the  door  to  "  lonely  wanderers." 
There  is  a  doubt  whether  a  more  hospitable 
people  was  ever  known  than  the  old  stock  of 
Germans  that  first  settled  Schoharie.  A  more 
free-hearted,  sympathetic  people  never  lived, 
and  when  the  Malick's  received  a  welcome  to 
their  fireside,  we  know  it  was  a  hearty  one,  such 
perhaps  as  Mrs.  Malick  in  her  homesickness 
had  longed  to  enjoy. 

Mr.  Malick  brought  a  span  of  horses  with 
him,  and  there  not  being  any  clearing  for  past- 
ure, he  took  them  daily  to  the  Rhinebeck  set- 
tlement for  grazing.  Late  in  the  fall  of  1785 
he  was  upon  the  hill  west  of  his  house  and 
heard  some  one  chopping  in  a  south-western 
course.  He  went  to  his  hut  and  obtained  his 
compass,  and  taking  the  "bearing"  directed  his 
steps  by  it,  and  found  the  Hiller  family  cutting 
logs  for  a  house  upon  the  present  "  Hiller 
farm,"  at  Sharon  Centre.  The  families  im- 
mediately formed  an  acquaintance  which  ever 
after  proved  most  agreeable. 

During  the  year  1785  and  up  to  1800,  the 
greatest  influx  of  settlers  occurred  in  this  part 
of  Schoharie  and  Montgomery  Counties. 

In  1788  Malick  built  a  grist-mill  upon  the 
creek  near  his  residence  and  for  many  years  it 
was  the  only  one  between  the  Mohawk  and 
West  Kill,  except  a  small  "  corn  cracker,"  of 
which  we  will  hereafter  mention. 

Here  we  can  discern  the  genius  that  led  this 
man  to  this  isolated  place.  We  perhaps  thought 
it  strange  that  any  but  an  exile  should  make 
such  a  selection,  as  at  that  time  large  tracts  of 
land  were  unoccupied  nearer  settlements,  but 
in  looking  at  the  attractive  mill  site,  and  the 


constant  flow  of  immigration,  we  do  not  wonder 
that  Malick,  with  a  mechanical  brain  wandered 
and  located  here. 

Mr.  Michael  S.  Vanderveer,  long  a  near 
neighbor  and  particular  friend  of  Mr.  Malick, 
informs  us  that  he  was  a  practical  surveyor,  and 
land  being  cheap  throughout  these  parts,  he  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  settling  here  to  follow  that 
avocation,  but  was  led  to  build  a  mill,  which 
employed  the  most  of  his  time.  After  a  very 
few  years'  residence,  he  built  a  better  house 
upon  the  ground  on  which  Arnold's  public  house 
now  stands. 

The  town  line  between  Carlisle  and  Sharon, 
made  by  Captain  Thomas  Machin,  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame,  and  his  son,  Thomas,  Jr.,  in  1806, 
passed  between  the  mill  and  the  house  in  an 
oblique  manner,  leaving  the  former  in  Sharon 
and  the  latter  in  Carlisle.  A  frame  house  was 
built  in  the  log  hut's  stead,  and  as  the  family 
became  larger  and  the  country  more  thickly 
settled,  the  building  was  enlarged,  and  Malick 
kept  an  old-fashioned  inn. 

In  1828  Mr.  Mahck  built  another  grist-mill, 
of  late  torn  down,  and  gave  the  property  to  his 
sons,  Peter  and  Aaron.  The  former  bought 
the  latter's  interest,  and  the  father  gave  him  fifty 
acres  of  land,  which  are  still  owned  by  his  heirs. 

Mrs.  Orville  Hodge,  Mrs.  Robert  Ramsey, 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Lyker,  are  grand-daughters  of 
the  first  settler,  and  we  believe,  the  only 
descendants  living  near  the  pioneer's  home. 
Mr.  Malick  died  October  7,  1834;  Mrs.  Malick 
died  June  7,  1814. 

John  Hyney  moved  from  Stone  Arabia  with 
his  father,  and  settled  at  Gilbert's  Corners  in 
1796.  In  1817  he  purchased  the  farm  upon 
which  he  lived  so  many  years.  There  was  a 
saw-mill  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream 
from  where  the  present  one  stands,  and  the 
road  ran  across  below  the  mill.  As  the  "  Mahck 
mill "  began  to  fail  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
the  increasing  grain-growing  community,  Hyney 
built  the  present  "  Carlisle  mill "  in  1838.  Mr. 
Hyney  was  a  soldier  in  181 2,  in  Captain  Kel- 
logg's  company  with  Aaron  and  Ehas  Malick, 
Charles  Gordon,  Abraham  Wessel,  and  several 
others  living  near  at  that  time. 


TOWN  OF  CARLISLE. 


313 


When  the  Erie  canal  was  first  put  in  opera- 
tion, Mr.  Hyney  built  boats  at  Yatesville,  taking 
the  timber  and  lumber  from  his  farm  and  mill, 
which  in  any  other  shape  would  find  a  poor 
market.  It  was  but  an  example  of  his  sagacity 
as  a  business  man,  which  gained  for  him  a  large 
property.  Mrs.  Hyney  is  still  living,  and  is 
over  eighty  years  of  age.  She  retains  her 
faculties  remarkably  well  after  a  long,  indus- 
trious life. 

We  were  pleased  to  meet  with  others  here 
who  have  passed  beyond  the  fourscore  years, 
with  minds  strong,  and  forms  erect  and  active. 
Luther  Taylor,  whose  age  is  eighty-three,  has 
the  appearance  of  most  men  at  sixty-five  or 
seventy.  He  gave  free  scope  to  his  retentive 
memory,  at  our  visit,  and  would  abash  many 
younger  men  in  recalling  scenes  and  incidents 
with  which  he  was  acquainted  in  days  long 
since  gone  by. 

It  is  pleasant  to  meet  such  aged  ones,  when 
we  find  them  free  from  the  feebleness  of  mind 
and  body  that  usually  attends  them.  We  are 
told  that  this  little  hamlet  gained  its  appella- 
tion from  the  fact  that  so  many  copies  of  the 
Albany  Argus  were  taken  by  the  citizens.  The 
post-office  was  established  in  1840  and  John 
Simmons  Junior  received  the  appointment  as 
Deputy.  Previous  to  that,  the  mail  matter  for 
this  place  was  obtained  at  Carlisle  and  Sharon. 
Argusville  for  many  years  past,  has  been  as 
busy  a  little  hamlet  as  could  be  found  in  the 
country,  but  at  present  it  is  rather  dormant. 

Dr.  Samuel  Pettingill  was  the  first  physician 
and  was  a  very  successful  practitioner.  He  re- 
mained many  years  and  finally  removed  to 
Amsterdam  where  he  died  in  1874.  Dr.  J.  S. 
Herritk,  of  Duanesburgh  followed  in  a  very  suc- 
cessful practice  for  the  period  of  seventeen 
years  but  was  stricken  down  with  disease  in  the 
prime  of  life  and  died  in  the  year  1872  much 
to  the  regret  of  a  large  circle  of  admirers.  Upon 
Dr.  Herrick's  death,  Dr.  I.  S.  Lowell,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Albany  Medical  school,  and  student 
of  Doctors  J.  &  S.  VanAlstine  settled  here  and 
is  the  present  physician  and  is,  as  were  his  pre- 
decessors— of  the  allopathic  school,  and  is 
meeting  with  that  success  due  a  careful,  atten- 
tive and  studious  professional. 


Several  mercantile  firms  have  been  successful 
here.  John  Simmons  we  believe  to  be  the  first 
who  was  followed  by  Webster  &  Scott,  Loucks 
&  Co.  and  James  Snyder.  The  latter  amassed 
a  fortune  and  removed  t&  Illinois  about  the 
year  1855  and  became  an  extensive  farmer. 

Orville  Hodge  came  next  in  order,  whose 
business  qualifications  and  gentlemanly  bearing, 
gained  an  unprecedented  trade  which  enabled 
him  to  retire  and  hand  over  the  business  to 
Bellinger  &  Maloney  in  1875.  The  latter  firm 
was  changed  to  Bellinger  &  Hyney,  under 
whose  management  the  only  mercantile  estab- 
lishment of  the  place  was  carried  on  for  a  while 
when  Mr.  Harvey  BelUnger,  as  now,  became 
the  proprietor. 

Theodore  Nevills  commenced  the  same  busi- 
ness here  and  after  a  successful  trade  of  six 
years,  a  conflagration  swept  his  property  away 
together  with  adjoining  buildings  which  have 
not  been  replaced. 

Hon.  John  H.  Sahbury  practiced  law  at  this 
place  for  several  years,  after  acquitting  himself 
as  a  successful  school  teacher.  He  was  town 
superintendent  of  schools  several  terms,  beside 
County  Superintendent  from  1843  to  1845  ^'^'i 
ever  exhibited  a  hvely  interest  in  the  cause  of 
education.  He  represented  the  County  in  the 
Assembly  in  1858,  and  removed  to  Sharon 
Springs  where  he  increased  his  business  and 
became  a  popular  lawyer.  He  was  a  self-made 
man — studious  in  his  profession,  an  energetic 
worker  and  a  fluent  speaker.  After  a  lingering 
sickness  he  passed  away  and  his  remains  lie 
here  in  the  Lutheran  cemetery  beneath  a  plain 
marble  upon  which  we  read  : 

Died  Aug.  2r,  1870,  Aged  63  Years. 

James  Swarthout  was  for  a  long  time  a  resi- 
dent and  held  the  office  of  Justice  for  twenty- 
five  years  in  succession  and  much  to  his  credit 
as  a  jurist,  not  a  single  decision  was  reversed 
by  higher  courts  and  his  labors,  relating  to  his 
office  were  unequalled  by  any  other  in  the 
County  for  the  same  number  of  years.  They 
closed  in  the  year  1876  as  he  became  a  resident 
of  an  adjoining  county.  He  died  January  20, 
1881  aged  seventy-two. 


3U 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


For  several  years  Nelson  Burnap  was  en- 
gaged very  extensively  in  the  tin  and  hardware 
business  near  the  bridge,  and  was  the  most 
energetic  man  that  the  County  produced,  but 
by  the  lack  of  discretion  his  energy  overbal- 
anced his  business  and  the  latter  "collapsed," 
giving  the  village  a  shock  which  its  business 
characteristics  have  not  overcome.  He  was 
after  a  few  years  succeeded  by  M.  Hoag  whose 
business  was  purchased  by  Ezra  Yates,  now  in 
trade. 

Passing  on  from  this  quiet  spot  towards 
Carlisle  village,  we  pass  by  the  "  Bear  swamp,'' 
that  was,  to  within  a  few  years  back  a  large 
miry  level  covered  with  black  ash  chiefly,  and 
inaccessible  only  in  winter  time.  From  it 
emanates  Flat  creek  that  passes  through  Mont- 
gomery county,  whose  rapid  flow  has  ever  been 
partial  to  "  contract  bridges "  and  tax-payers' 
grumblings. 

Many  fine  mill-sites  are  found  along  its 
course,  a  few  of  which  have  long  been  occupied. 
From  whence,  or  how  the  swamp  received  the 
name  we  are  unable  to  tell. 

Nearing  Little  York  we  pass  by  the  late  resi- 
dence of  Henry  I.  Moak,  who  served  through 
the  War  of  1812  upon  Long  Island  and  in  New 
Jersey,  and  removed  from  Albany  county  to 
this  town  in  181 5.  Mr.  Moak  was  a  genial 
gentleman  of  strict  business  quahfications,  and 
held  the  office  of  "  Justice  of  the  Peace " 
nearly  forty  years,  and  represented  the  town  in 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  1856.  He  was 
practical  in  his  business  relations  and  an  able 
jurist,  and  served  the  people  faithfully.  He 
died  in  1874,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
four. 

Carlisle  Seminary. — In  the  fall  of  1852  a 
joint  stock  company  was  formed  to  build  a 
boarding-school,  at  the  village  of  Carlisle,  in 
which  enterprise  many  of  the  prospering  farm- 
ers and  mechanics  of  the  community  engaged. 
The  season  following,  the  building  was  erected 
and  furnished,  at  a  total  cost  of  thirty-two 
thousand  dollars,  to  accommodate  three  hun- 
dred boarders.  It  contained  a  large  chapel, 
several  commodious  recitation  rooms,  and  all 
the  conveniences  of  a  first-class  and  successful 
institution. 


Speculative  excitement  ran  so  high  that  the 
immense  structure  was  conceived,  erected, 
furnished  and  started  with  "bright  prospects" 
in  a  few  months'  time.  But  ere  the  season  of 
1854  closed,  the  institution  began  to  totter  and 
soon  proved  a  financial  failure.  It  nearly 
ruined  many  of  the  stockholders.  Several  at- 
tempts were  made  to  revive  it,  but  each  proved 
unsuccessful. 

A  long  litigation  followed  between  the  trust- 
ees and  stockholders,  which  proved  a  very  ex- 
pensive aff"air  and  only  crippled  those  engaged, 
the  more. 

The  stockholders  refused  to  pay  certain 
debts  which  they  contended  the  trustees  con- 
tracted without  power  from  and  consent  of 
them.  The  result  was  as  in  all  other  litigations 
that  the  attorneys  engaged  made  the  money. 
Several  old  and  established  mechanics  and 
tradesmen  were  forced  to  part  with  their  homes 
and  seek  new  ones  in  the  West,  through  the 
losses  sustained  in  the  building  and  failure  of 
the  Seminary.  Among  them  was  George 
Browri,  who  with  his  brother  John  W.,  for 
many  years  were  engaged  in  wagon  making  and 
blacksmithing,  and  had  become  permanent  and 
substantial  business  men. 

The  death  of  John  W.  Brown  at  an  earlier 
date,  removed  one  of  those  active,  deep-minded 
men  to  whom  communities  are  wont  to  look  up 
to  as  superiors,  without  a  display  of  pomposity, 
but  reserved  and  unpretending.  He  was  super- 
visor of  the  town  in  1847,  and  had  he  lived,  his 
abilities  would  have  ensured  a  bright  and  use- 
ful official  career. 

The  firm  of  S.  P.  &  G.  R.  Shibley  was  seri- 
ously crippled,  and  while  the  former  member 
sought  a  home  in  Missouri  to  regain  his  fortune, 
"Uncle  George"  delved  early  and  late  in  the 
foundry  for  many  years  in  his  old  age,  to  pay 
his  honest  indebtedness,  which  he  did.  He  died 
at  his  native  home,  near  Glen,  Montgomery 
county,  in  1872,  assured  by  all  to  be  "an 
honest  man." 

The  Seminary  building  was  taken  down  and 
a  portion  rebuilt  as  ''  Feathers'  Hotel,"  at 
Rockville,  and  the  remainder  was  drawn  to 
East  Worcester,  Otsego  county,  to  erect  the 
"Thurber  House." 


TOWN  OF  CARLISLE. 


315 


Carlisle  Village. 

Carlisle  village  was,  previous  to  the  Seminary 
mania,  a  busy,  self-sustaining  place,  but  her 
citizens  believing  that  there  were  "millions  in  it" 
with  the  sincerity  of  Colonel  Sellers,  depended 
entirely  upon  the  school  to  make  the  place, 
and  dividends  large  enough  to  support  them, 
and  let  their  less  pretentious  enterprises  drop, 
and  when  the  institution  failed,  the  place  be- 
came dormant  and  remained  so  for  many  years. 
At  present  its  business  is  on  the  increase,  and 
will  cope  well  with  many  larger  villages  with 
which  it  is  surrounded. 

The  Carlisle  Foundry  was  established  in  1846, 
by  Paige  &  Woolson,  and  is  at  present  owned 
and  managed  by  George  Dwelly,  who  makes  a 
specialty  in  the  manufacture  of  plows  of  various 
patterns,  that  are  sent  to  all  sections  of  the 
country.  Having  all  necessary  facilities,  the 
enterprise  bids  fair  to  extend  to  greater  pro- 
portions. 

The  steam,  saw  and  grist-mill,  erected  upon 
the  site  of  the  "Cromwell  stand,"  by  Nicholas 
Hanson,  in  1875,  adds  greatly  to  the  business 
of  the  place.  In  1875  the  old  "tavern"  building 
was  burned — it  having  been  remodeled  to  a 
mill — and  the  present  buildings  took  its  place, 
which  are  furnished  with  a  "run  of  stone,"  turn- 
ing lathe,  planing  machine,  and  buzz-saw, 
which  work  up  from  eight  to  ten  thousand 
logs  per  annum. 

The  tin  and  hardware  establishment  of  C.  D. 
Becker,  is  fast  giving  evidence  of  extended 
prosperity.  Several  "peddlers"  are  started 
from  this  shop  who  furnish  tin  and  wooden- 
ware  to  a  large  section  of  country,  while  the 
home  trade  continues  to  increase  through  the 
proprietor's  careful  and  determined  manage- 
ment. 

In  1802,  Peter  Becker,  of  Fox's  creek,  and 
his  son,  George,  settled  upon  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  Andrew  Relyea,  and  had  made 
quite  an  inroad  in  the  giant  timber,  when  they 
were  induced  to  rent,  and  purchase  a  farm  upon 
the  turnpike,  which  they  did  in  18 19,  and  which 
is  now  owned  by  George  Adams. 

About  that  time  a  vast  amount  of  spurious 
bank-notes    flooded    the     country,    of    which 


Becker,  in  his  innocence,  received  and  was 
obliged  to  lose,  and  which,  coupled  with  losses 
in  Continental  money  in  his  father's  family, 
destroyed  his  confidence  in  paper  promises  to 
pay,  and  every  dollar  his  industry  and  economy 
obtained  was  in  gold  and  silver,  which  were 
carefully  put  away,  and  which  through  a  long 
series  of  years,  amounted  to  several  thousand 
dollars.  It  being  known  that  he  was  the  pos- 
sessor of  such  treasures,  a  family  named  Sulli- 
van, Irish  renegades,  conceived  the  idea  of 
relieving  the  old  man  of  his  precious  care,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1849,  upon  a  certain  night,  his 
house  was  entered  by  bursting  an  outside  door 
open  with  a  huge  stone,  and  the  accumulation 
of  years  was  swept  into  the  robbers'  bags  and 
carried  away.  In  the  morning  the  neighbor- 
hood was  aroused  and  a  posse  tracked  them 
to  their  very  door. 

The  family  suspected,  consisted  of  Michael 
and  his  wife,  a  brother  John  and  one  son  Dan- 
iel, at  home;  the  remainder,  several  in  number, 
worked  at  different  places.  Michael,  John  and 
Daniel  were  arrested  and  tried  before  Justices 
Moak  and  Osterhout  but  not  finding  Daniel 
guilty  he  was  released.  John  escaped  the 
constable  under  whose  care  he  was  placed  and 
Michael  was  the  only  one  sent  to  jail  to  be  tried 
at  the  circuit  court.  Upon  searching  the  house 
in  which  they  lived  a  belt  of  silver  was  found 
in  a  bed,  amounting  to  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five dollars,  and  in  the  spring  following 
Phoebe  and  Lany  Bassett  found  beneath  a 
stone  in  a  pasture  lot  the  sum  of  eight  hundred 
dollars  which  they  delivered  up  to  the  Becker 
family  and  received  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  as  a  reward.  The  whole  amount  re- 
claimed would  not  exceed  over  one  thousand 
dollars,  while  that  taken  was  supposed  to 
be  about  eight  thousand  dollars.  Michael 
was  convicted  in  March  1850  and  sent  to 
the  States  prison  for  ten  years.  There  were 
tracks  of  three  persons  found  along  the  route 
taken  by  the  robbers  but  after  Daniel's  release 
no  one  was  arrested  upon  suspicion.  Never- 
theless a  strong  opinion  prevailed  that  Mrs. 
Sullivan  was  the  third  party.  While  Michael  was 
in  jail  she  was  admitted  to  his  cell  several  times 
in  the  presence  of  the  Sheriff,  without  any 
thoughts  of  mischief  brewing;  but  one  night  the 


3i6 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


jailor  was  aroused  by  the  cries  of  a  prisoner, 
and  repairing  to  the  jail  it  was  found  that 
Sullivan  and  others  confined,  were  effecting  an 
escape,  and  that  a  more  "sensitive"  jail-bird 
was  giving  the  alarm.  Upon  investigating,  it 
was  found  that  Mrs.  Sullivan  had  stolen  a  saw- 
mill bar  from  a  mill  in  Carlisle  and  had  smug- 
gled it  into  the  jail  beneath  an  old  style  "mantle" 
or  cloak.  It  was  suspended  by  a  cord  to  her 
neck  and  escaped  the  jailor's  scrutiny. 

The  belt  of  money  spoken  of  was  found  the 
next  day,  which  was  in  readiness  for  Sullivan  to 
take  with  him  when  his  anticipated  escape  was 
effected. 

George  Becker  was  seized  by  the  ruffians  the 
night  of  the  robbery,  by  the  throat  and  held  in 
a  strangling  grasp  until  the  money  was  obtained 
and  securely  placed  in  the  sacks.  His  hfe  was 
nearly  despaired  of  and  months  elapsed  before 
he  fully  recovered.  The  father  was  blind  and 
deaf  with  age  and  knew  not  of  his  loss  un- 
til the  robbers  had  left,  and  upon  learning  the 
fact  he  slowly  sank  away  as  if  with  a  broken 
heart  and  died  soon  after. 

Another  daring  robbery  was  committed  in 
the  village  that  was  attended  with  boldness  and 
strategy  that  deserves  mention.  On  the  night 
of  January  i,  1873,  the  residence  of  J.  H. 
Angle  was  entered  by  a  burglar,  while  the  fami- 
ly was  absent  a  few  minutes  and  took  money  to 
the  amount  of  seven  hundred  dollars  from  the 
bed-room  without  molesting  anything  else,  and 
not  leaving  a  trace  that  would  lead  to  detection. 
All  efforts  to  obtain  a  clue  to  the  guilty  ones 
proved  fruitless. 

First  Mill. — It  has  been  thought  the  first 
mill  in  town  was  upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
William  and  Walter  Larkin,  and  known  as  the 
"Samp  mill,"  but  years  previous  to  the  erec- 
tion of  it  one  stood  in  the  north-east  part  of 
the  town  and  was  known  as  "  Bryant's  mill."  It 
stood  near  the  "  Hilts  Burton  Bridge,"  and 
must  have  been  built  about  the  year  1790. 
Bryant,  Stephen  Crocker,  (grandfather  to  Lewis 
and  George  Crocker,)  David    Lawton,  Pierce 

Dwelly  and Montayne,  came  from  Rhode 

Island,  in   1788,  and  settled  in  this  neighbor- 
hood upon  lands  still  retained  by  their  families. 


Prior  to  the  building  of  the  latter  mill,  one 
Beauman  (Bowman)  built  a  grist-mill  between 
Hamilton  and  Sosthenes  Lawyer's  homes,  over  a 
"rock  hole,''  in  which  the  water  flowing  from 
a  swamp  near,  entered  the  ground.  The  water 
wheel  was  placed  quite  deep  in  the  cavern  and  re- 
ceived the  water  from  a  shelving  rock.  This 
also  was  a  "  samp  mill "  i.  e.  without  a  bolting 
cloth  and  was  used  chiefly  to  grind  corn. 

At  what  time  this  mill  was  built  we  are  un- 
able to  say,  but  it  must  have  been  immediately 
after  the  Revolution  and  was  unoccupied  many 
years  before  it  was  taken  down.  The  swamp 
from  which  the  water  flowed  furnished  a  full 
supply,  during  and  for  some  years  after  the 
war,  but  of  late  years  as  the  lands  surrounding 
have  become  cleared  of  timber,  but  little  water 
accumulates  excepting  in  the  spring,  when  the 
outlet  becomes  clogged  with  snow  and  ice. 
Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  first  mill  was  the 
"  Beauman,"  the  second  the  "  Malick,"  and 
third  the  "  Bryant,"  and  the  fourth  the  "  Samp 
mill,"  built  by  John  Brown,  and  after  owned  by 

Blodgett,  father  of  James  F.  Blodgett, 

of  Cobleskill. 

Mr.  Malick's  mill  was  the  only  one  having  a 
bolting  cloth  when  first  built.  His  mill  also 
was  furnished  with  a  first-class  "  Sopus  Stone," 
and  was  more  like  a  mill  of  to-day  than  any 
other  in  this  section  of  the  country.  As  a  proof 
of  the  fact,  he  made  forty  pounds  of  fine  flour 
from  a  bushel  of  wheat,  which  we  have  been 
told  other  mills  could  not  do. 

The  milling  in  early  days  was  done  on  foot, 
with  a  small  quantity  at  a  time,  and  as  the 
people  became  better  able,  on  horseback. 
Here  we  may  relate  a  little  incident  that  hap- 
pened not  far  distant  from  our  own  neighbor- 
hood, to  show  a  characteristic  peculiar  to  the 
ancient  Dutch,  that  of  doing  as  their  fathers 
did  before  them  regardless  of  its  imj)ractica- 
bility. 

A  farmer's  son  was  ordered  to  carry  a  bushel 
of  corn  to  the  mill  on  horseback,  and  the 
method  was  to  put  the  grain  in  one  end  of  the 
bag  and  a  stone  in  the  other,  that  would  give 
nearly  an  even  weight  on  both  sides  of  the 
horse,  thereby  ensuring  the  rider  of  its  safety  in 
not  slipping  off.     The  young  man  objected  to 


TOWN  OF  CARLISLE. 


317 


the  stones  and  in  their  stead  put  in  another 
half-bushel  of  corn,  and  after  tying  the  bag 
caused  an  equal  quantity  to  be  placed  in  each 
end,  and  upon  throwing  it  on  the  horse,  proved 
or  tried  to  prove,  in  a  practical  way  that  it 
would  carry  just  as  safely  as  if  stones  were 
used,  and  so  much  more  grain  taken.  The 
father  looked  on  with  contempt,  as  a  "  new 
fangled  notion,"  and  ordered  the  boy  to  put 
the  stones  in  the  bag,  asking  him  if  he  was  not 
ashamed  to  think  he  knew  "more  ash  your 
fadder  or  grandfadder  did  before  you." 

Caverns— Selleck's  Cave.— There  are  several 
caverns  in  the  town,  the  chief  of  which  is  upon 
the  farm  of  Ira  Young,  and  was  discovered  and 
explored  by  Prof.  John  C.  Selleck,  and  bears 
his  name.     Its  entrance  is  effected  by  a  per- 
pendicular descent  of  nearly  fifty  feet;  coming 
upon  a  level  it  bears  off  to  the  west  of  south, 
and  from  its  ceiling  the  most  beautiful  transpar- 
ent  stalactites   are   formed    by    the    dripping 
waters  of  ages.      Beneath  are  rare  and  curious 
shaped  stalagmites  upon  the  rock  floor,  rough 
and  uneven.     Many  fine  geological  specimens 
are  to  be   found   within   this  ever  dark  aisle. 
Prof.  McFail,  of  Carlisle  Seminary,  an  accom- 
plished gentleman,  met  an  untimely  death  at  its 
entrance  after  exploring  the  cave   with  others, 
in  1853.     The   Professor  was  on  the  rope  used 
to  draw  persons  up  from  the  pit,  and  coming 
in  contact  with  the  outer  air  he  fainted  and  fell 
back   stricking   upon    his    head,  which    badly 
fractured  the  skull,  and  from  which  he  survived 
only  a  short  time.     Since  that  time,  few  if  any, 
visits  have  been  made  to  the  cave.     Logs  have 
been  rolled  in,  and  a  small  stream  running  to  it 
has  nearly  closed  the  entrance,  which  will  in  a 
few  more  years  shut  from  knowledge,  except  by 
tradition,  its  existence.     Several  streams  in  the 
town  emerge  from  the  fissures  in  the  lime  rock, 
and  after  running  upon  the  surface  a  short  dis- 
tance hide  themselves,  to  appear  again,  perhaps 
miles  away. 

There  are  no  doubt,  many  very  attractive 
caverns  within  the  town  which  are  now,  and 
forever  will  be  unknown,  wrapped  in  darkness 
and  silence,  save  the  gentle  rippling  of  the 
pearly  drops  of  water,  that  have  been  for  ages 
and   ages  forming   transparent  pendants.     In 


these  hidden  caskets  of  nature,  beautifully  ar- 
ranged are  earth's  choicest  gems,  upon  which,  if 
the  sun  could  but  throw  its  light,  the  eye  of 
man  would  be  too  feeble  to  behold. 

Churches. 

Baptist  Church  of  Argusville. — In  the  fall  of 

1837  a  great  revival  meeting  was  held  at  this 
place  by  different  denominations  and  not  having 
any  house  of  worship,  steps  were  taken  for  the 
organization  of  a  society  and  the  building  of  a 
church.  The  Baptists  being  in  the  ascendancy, 
organized  in  September  of  that  year  under  the 
pastorate  of  Henry  Topping  then  pastor  of  the 
Leesville  Baptist  church.  Nathan  Seeley,  of 
Carlisle  and  George  Button,  of  Anns  were 
chosen    Deacons.     An   edifice  was   erected  in 

1838  and  built  by  incurring  a  debt  and  by  sub- 
scription from  the  citizens.  The  Baptists  were  to 
have  the  first  privilege  of  the  pulpit  and  when 
not   occupied  by  them,  other   evangelical   de- 
nominations had  the  right  of  use.     In  1841  the 
first  resident  pastor  was  settled,  being  Merrett 
House  of  Sandlake,   but  who  succeeded  him 
we  are  unable  to  learn,  as  the  records  were  not 
to  be  found,  upon  our  visit.     The   tide  of  em- 
igration to   the  Western  states  from  this  local- 
ity began  in  1847  and  it  told  upon  the  Baptist 
membership  to  such  a  degree   as   to   make  it 
impossible  to  free   the  society  of  the  building 
debt.     Judgment   was   acknowledged   and   the 
building   sold,    the    purchasers   being   Nathan 
Seeley  in  behalf  of  the   Baptists  and  the  Luth- 
eran society.     Preaching   by  the  two  churches 
was  enjoyed — alternately  at  first,  but  that  of  the 
Baptists  soon  ceased  and  the  Lutherans  alone 
occupied  the  house.     Upon  the  building  of  the 
Lutheran  church  the  old  building  was  sold  and 
removed — the  seats  and  desk  being  now  in  use 
in  the  "Root  Centre  church." 

Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  at  Argus- 
i,i/le.—This  church  was  organized  on  the  13th 
of  February  1839  by  Reverend  Philip  Weiting. 
Nicholas  Kling  and  John  Collins  presided.  The 
following  officers  were  chosen  : — 

Elders  : 

Nicholas  Kling. 

John  Collins. 

Peter  VanValkenburgh. 


3i8 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Deacons  : 

Benjaman  Lehman. 

John  Bellinger. 

Jacob  Moak. 
Trustees  : 

Nicholas  Kling. 

John  Ressigieu. 

W.  H.  Davenport. 
Secretary  : 

James  Swarthout. 

The  society  worshipped  in  the  "Baptist 
church"  until  it  became  too  small  for  their  num- 
bers. Their  present  substantial  church  build- 
ings were  erected  in  1855.  The  following  pas- 
tors have  officiated: — 

Rev.  Philip  Weiting. 

J.  D.  Lawyer. 

1848 — Marcus  Kling. 
1849 — Marcus  Kling. 
1850 — Marcus  Kling. 
1851 — Marcus  Kling. 
1852 — Marcus  Kling. 
1853 — Marcus  Kling. 
1854 — Marcus  Kling. 
1855 — Marcus  Kling. 
1856 — Marcus  Kling. 
1857— Marcus  Kling. 
1858 — Marcus  Kling. 
1859 — Marcus  Kling. 
i860 — Marcus  Kling. 
1 86 1—  Marcus  Kling. 
1862 — Marcus  Kling. 
1863 — Marcus  Kling. 
1864 — Marcus  Kling. 
1865 — Marcus  Kling. 
1866 — Marcus  Kling. 
1868— J.  R.  Sikes. 
1869— J.  R.  Sikes. 
1870— J.  R.  Sikes. 

1 87 1 Julian. 

1872— L.  E.  Marsh. 
1873— Augustus  Bridgman. 
1874 — Augustus  Bridgman. 
1875— L.  Ford,  present  pastor. 
During  Mr.  Kling's  pastorate  this  church  was 
in  connectiori  with  Little  York  and  Centre  Val- 
ley—and  under  Mr.  Sikes— with  Little   York. 
The  officers  chosen  in  1880  were: 


Deacons  : 

Reuben  Collins. 
John  Bellinger. 
Clerk  : 

Orville  Hodge. 

Universalist  Church  of  Argusville. — This 
society  was  organized  about  the  year  1850  and 
they  built  an  edifice  in  1 853  under  the  pastor- 
ate of  Reverend  J.  D.  Hicks.  Reverend  W. 
H.  Waggoner  officiated  for  several  years  and  at 
present  the  society  is  only  in  name,  the  mem- 
bers being  scattered  and  too  few  to  sustain  a 
preacher,  their  house  of  worship  was  rented  to 
the  Methodists  in  1874  who  still  occupy  it. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Argusville. 
—The  organization  was  effected  in  May,  1874, 
and  John  Schermerhorn,  M.  M.  McCann  and 
Adam  Conradt  elected  trustees.  It  is  connec- 
ted, as  an  organization,  with  Rural  Grove  in 
pastorate  and  worships  in  the  house  erected  by 
the  Universalists— at  a  yearly  rental. 

This  society  is  full  of  spirit,  and  progressive 
and  will  soon  erect  a  church  of  their  own  or 
purchase  the  one  they  now  use.  The  following 
ministers  have  officiated  : — 

1874 — Charles  Heath. 

1875 — Charles  Heath. 

1876 — William  Stanley. 

1877 — LeGrand  Jones. 

1878 — LeGrand  Jones. 

1879 — LeGrand  Jones. 

1880 — Hamilton  Allen,  present  pastor. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Grovenor's 
Corners. — At  what  particular  time  this  society 
was  first  organized  we  are  unable  to  say,  as  the 
old  records  are  not  to  be  found.  As  far  back 
as  1807,  there  was  Methodist  preaching  in  the 
house  of  Peter  Mosher,  upon  the  farm  occupied 
by  the  late  David  Larkin.  Mr.  Mosher  was 
from  Coeymans,  and  a  staunch  professor  of  that 
doctrine.  In  all  probability  the  society  was 
organized  near  that  time,  making  it  one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  County.  The  neighborhood  being 
made  up  of  immigrants  from  all  parts,  it  must 
be  supposed  they  were  of  various  doctrinal 
beliefs,  and  they  united  in  1831  in  the  building 
of  a  church.     The  Methodists  being  in  greater 


TOWN  OF  CARLISLE. 


3^9 


numbers,  they  have  originally  had  the  preference 
in  the  use  of  the  house,  but  preachers  of  the 
Reformed  Church  of  Lawyersville,  Elder  Ross, 
of  Charleston,  and  pastors  of  the  Baptist  Church 
of  Sloansville,  have  from  time  to  time  held 
meetings  here.  This  society  was  included  in 
the  Cobleskill  circuit  in  1832,  and  up  to  1867. 
Since  that  time  it  has  been  connected  with 
either  Central  Bridge  or  Sloansville  in  pastorate. 
The  present  pastor,  Philip  West,  is  the  first  one 
that  has  had  the  charge  by  itself.  The  society 
are  now  building  an  edifice. 

Baptist  Church  of  Grovenor's  Corners. — As 
far  back  as  1820,  the  Baptists  of  Sloansville 
have  held  meetings  within  this  church,  and  from 
time  to  time  awakened  a  religious  interest,  but 
did  not  legally  organize  until  1868,  under  the 
pastorate'  of  Parley  Grovenor.  Since  Mr. 
Grovenor's  removal,  the  pulpit  has  been  occu- 
pied by  the  Sloansville  pastor. 

Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  Little  York. 
— This  organization  was  effected  by  Rev.  M. 
Kling  in  1848,  and  an  edifice  erected  the  year 
following.  It  was  dedicated  December  i,  1849, 
and  Martin  Tilapaugh,  Elias  Paige,  and  Peter 
Brown,  were  chosen  trustees.  Rev.  M.  Kling 
continued  his  pastorate  to  the  latter  part  of  the 
year  1859,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J. 
R.  Sikes,  who  remained  two  years;  Rev.  George 
Young  followed  from  1862  to  1863,  when  Rev. 
M.  Kling  was  again  called  and  still  occupies  the 
desk. 

Carlisle  Christian  Church. — This  society  was 
organized  in  1878,  and  built  the  present  edifice 
in  the  fall  and  winter  of  that  year,  with  Rev. 
James  Wright,  of  the  Charleston  Christian 
Church,  as  pastor.     The  present  officers  are:— 

Deacons  : 

Nicholas  Hanson. 
John  Ressigieu. 
William  S.  Brown. 
Milton  Benson. 

Statistics. 
The  assessed  valuation  of  the  town  in  1821 
was  as  follows  : — 

Personal,  $2,760. 
Real,  $141,216. 
.    The  number  of  taxpayers  was  207. 


The  assessed  valuation  of  the  town  in  1880 
was  as  follows  : — 

Personal,  $66,510. 
Real,  $629,113. 
The  number  of  taxpayers  was  461. 

The  total  expense  of  the  town  in  1827  was 
$97.75;  and  in  1880,  $620.00. 

Supervisors. 

The  Supervisors  of  the  town,  with  the  date  of 
their  election,  are  as  follows: — 

1808— William  Ferris. 
1809 — William  Ferris. 
1810 — William  Ferris. 
i8ti — William  Ferris. 
181 2 — William  Ferris. 
1813 — William  Ferris. 
1814 — Cornelius  Marshall. 
1815 — Cornelius  Marshall. 
1816 — Gideon  Young.* 
181 7 — Lyman  Hawes.j 
1 818 — Henry  M.  Brown. 
1819 — Henry  M.  Brown. 
1820 — Henry  M.  Brown. 
182 1 — Henry  M.  Brown. 
1822 — Henry  M.  Brown. 

1823 — Henry  M.  Brown. 

1824— Henry  M.  Brown. 

1825— Henry  M.  Brown. 

1826— Henry  M.  Brown. 

1827 — John  Young. 

1828 — William  Ferris. 

1829 — William  Ferris. 

J  830 — William  Ferris. 

1 83 1 — William  Ferris. 

1832 — Silvanus  Parkinson. 

1833 — Ira  Dewey. 

1834 — Ira  Dewey. 

183s — Ira  Dewey. 

1836— Samuel  P.  Shibley. 

i837_Samuel  P.  Shibley. 

J838— Samuel  P.  Shibley. 

i83g_Samuel  P.  Shibley. 

1840— David  Angle. 

1841 — David  Angle. 

1842— Chauncy  Grovenor. 


*  Deceased. 

\  Appointed  in  1816,  elected  in  1817. 


320 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


843 — Chauncy  Grovenor. 
844 — John  Simmons. 
845— D.  D.  L.  McCullock. 
846 — John  W.  Brown. 
847— D.  D.  L.  McCullock.. 
848 — Charles  G.  Kenyon. 
849 — Barziliar  McNeill. 
850 — Barziliar  McNeill. 
851 — A.  A.  Kniskern. 
852 — D.  Angle. 
853 — Samuel  Pettengall. 
854 — -Chauncy  Grovenor. 
85s — Chauncy  Grovenor. 
856— Henry  I.  Moak. 
857 — Abrara  A.  Kniskern. 
858 — Abrara  A.  Kniskern. 
859 — Abram  A.  Kniskern. 
860 — Abram  A.  Kniskern. 
861 — Henry  C.  Lyker. 
862 — Adam  Hillsinger. 
863 — Henry  C.  Lyker. 
864 — Adam  Hillsinger. 
865 — Henry  C.  Lyker. 
866— R.  J.  Roscoe. 
867 — J.  M.  Roscoe. 
868— J.  M.  Roscoe. 
869 — J.  M.  Roscoe. 
870 — J.  M.  Roscoe. 
871 — J.  M.  Roscoe. 
872 — J.  M.  Roscoe. 
873 — J.  M.  Roscoe. 
874 — J.  M.  Roscoe. 
875 — J.  M.  Roscoe. 
876 — J.  M.  Roscoe. 
877 — J.  M.  Roscoe. 
878— J.  M.  Roscoe. 
879 — George  Burhans. 
880 — George  Burhans. 

Boundaries. 
And  all  that  part  of  the  said  County  of  Scho- 
harie bounded  by  a  line  beginning  in  the 
northerly  bounds  of  the  County  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  town  of  Schoharie,  and 
running  thence  southerly  along  the  west 
line  of  the  said  town  of  Schoharie  until  it 
comes  opposite  the  house  lately  occupied  by 
Aaron  Cole,  Jr.,  thence  westerly  to  the  south 
side  of  the  house  now  or  late  of  George  Loucks, 
thence  westerly  to  the  north  side  of  the  house 


now  or  late  of  John  Angle,  thence  on  the  same 
course  until  it  intersects  a  straight  line  running 
southerly  from  the  northwest  corner  of  the  house 
now  or  late  of  Wm.  Ferris,  thence  northerly 
along  the  Hne  so  intersected  to  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  the  dwelling  house  last  mentioned,  thence 
northerly  to  a  straight  line  to  a  spring  at  the 
west  end  of  the  house  now  or  late  of  John  Red- 
dington,  on  the  farm  lately  occupied  by  him, 
thence  northerly  in  a  straight  line  along  the  east 
side  of  the  house  now  or  late  of  John  Malick, 
to  the  north  bounds  of  the  County,  and  thence 
easterly  along  the  said  north  bounds  to  the 
place  of  beginning,  shall  be  and  continue  a 
town  by  the  name  of  Carlisle. 


CHAPTER   XX. 
History  of  the  Town  of  Esperance. 

Location  of  Esperance  Village — Purchase 
OF  THE  Lands  by  Ten  Eyck — By  General 
North — A  Sketch  of  his  Life — Turn- 
pike— Bridge — Accident — Daniel  Hare — 
His  Inn — Other  Inns — Calvin  Wright — 
J.  C.  Wright — Isaac  H.  Tiffany — Other 
Lavstv^ers  — Presbyterian  Church — Metho- 
dist Church — Physicians — Storrs  Mes- 
senger— Judge  Briggs — Merchants — Vil- 
lage Corporation  —  Postoffice  —  Stage 
House  and  Route  —  Academy  —  Chair 
Manufacture  —  Feathers  House — Gitty 
Lawyer — Judge  Fletcher — Peck's  Inn — 
First  Gate  Keeper — Proceeds  of  Road — 
Sloansville  —  Van  Valkenburgh  Settle- 
ment—  Brown  Brothers'  Settlement  — 
Toll  Gate  —  Sloan  Family — Other  Set- 
tlers— Stores— Robert  McMaster — Post 
Station — David  Phelps — Stone  Heap — 
Rev.  Hawley's  Narrative — Foster  Mill — 
Kneiskern's  Dorf — Its  Settlers — Their 
Children  —  Their  Graves  —  Kneiskern 
Family  —  Enders  Family — First  Grist- 
Mill — Johnson's  Invasion — Encampment- 


TOWN  OF  ESPERANCE. 


321 


Town  Formed — First  Officers — General 
Brown — Anti-rent  Troubles — Assembly- 
men— Supervisors — Aid  to  the  Railroad 
— Baptists— Prominent  Men— First  News- 
paper— Quotations  from  it — Land  Pat- 
ents. 

THE  territory  which  embraces  the  town  of 
Esperance,  previous  to  1846,  belonged  to 
Schoharie.  The  quiet  and  neat  little  village  from 
which  the  town  derived  its  name,  is  pleasantly 
situated  upon  the  north  bank  of  the  Schoharie 
creek,  and  is  the  oldest  incorporated  village  in 
the  County.  In  1803  Harmonus  Ten  Eyck, 
heir  of  Jacob  and  Hendrick  Ten  Eyck,  who 
received  the  land  grant  in  1739,  owning  the 
land  upon  which  the  village  stands,  laid  out 
between  sixty  and  seventy  acres  in  building 
lots.  The  same  was  sold  to  General  North,  of 
Revolutionary  fame,  February  26,  1806,  who 
gave  to  it  its  present  name,  it  being  a  French 
word,  signifying  "  Hope." 

General  North  owned  a  large  estate  in  the 
town  of  Duanesburgh,  near  the  Duane  mansion, 
(a  member  of  which  family  he  married,)  where 
he  lived  for  many  years.  In  1798  he  received 
from  Governor  Jay  an  appointment  to  the 
United  States  Senate,  to  succeed  John  T. 
Hobart.  He  represented  the  Albany  district  in 
the  State  Assembly  in  1792,  1794  and  1795, 
Albany  and  Schoharie  in  1796,  and  Schenectady 
in  1810.  In  1795,  1796  and  also  in  1801  he 
was  Speaker  of  the  same.  During  the  Revolu- 
tion he  was  an  aid  to  Baron  Steuben.  The 
latter  part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  New  London, 
Conn.  On  the  4th  day  of  January,  1836,  he  died 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  his  remains  were 
brought  to  Duanesburgh  and  placed  within  the 
Duane  family  vault.  Nearly  all  of  the  Esper- 
ance lots  were  sold  or  leased  by  him,  those  of 
the  latter  for  a  perpetual  term. 

As  the  turnpike  enters  the  County  at  this 
place,  we  will  now  refer  particularly  to  that 
thoroughfare. 

An  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  on  the 
loth  of  April,  1792,  for  the  "construction  and 
improving  a  road  from  Isaac  Truax,  Jr.,  in  the 
city  of  Albany,  to  Cherry  Valley,  and  a  bridge 


across  the  Schoharie  creek,  between  the  north 
bounds  of  the  farm  occupied  by  Oliver  Hills, 
and  the  north  bounds  of  the  farm  occupied  by 

Degroot,  in  the  town  of  Duanesburgh." 

General  WiUiam  North,  Silas  Talbot  and 
Theodorus  V.  W.  Graham  were  appointed  a 
board  of  commissioners  to  lay  the  road  and  see 
to  the  construction  of  the  same,  and  the  bridge. 

During  that  season  the  road  was  laid  out, 
and  the  bridge  built  so  that  teams  could  cross, 
but  was  not  finished  until  the  season  following — 
1793.  The  road  then  laid  out,  passed  near  the 
stone  church  and  a  little  north  of  the  present 
path,  to  the  west,  until  near  Sloansville,  where 
it  was  run  as  now.  Emigration  to  the  west- 
ern counties  began  to  be  quite  brisk  and  the 
road  not  having  received  any  improvement  ex- 
cept the  cutting  of  trees,  a  petition  was  made 
for  the  construction  of  a  substantial  road-bed, 
but  the  Legislature  did  not  exert  itself  to  that 
end  until  the  bridge  at  this  place  was  swept 
away  by  the  unparalleled  freshet  of  1798.  On 
the  15th  of  March,  1799,  an  act  was  passed  to 
establish  a  "turnpike  corporation  for  improving 
the  State  road  from  the  house  of  John  Weaver 
in  Watervliet  to  Cherry  Valley. "  The  act 
says : — 

lyhereas  the  bridge  over  the  Schoharie  Kill 
on  the  State  road,  was  by  reason  of  the  force 
of  water  and  ice,  last  spring  (1798)  destroyed 
and 

Whereas  the  road  on  which  the  aforesaid 
bridge  was  erected  is  of  pubhc  utility  and  is 
one  of  the  public  routes  of  communication  be- 
tween the  city  of  Albany  and  the  western  set- 
tlements of  this  state  Therefore 

Resolved  that  William  North,  John  Taylor, 
Abraham  Ten  Eyck,  Charles  R.  Webster,  Calvin 
Cheeseman,  Zenas  Pinneo,  Ephraim  Hudson, 
Joseph  White,  Elihu  Phinney  and  Thomas 
Machin  (Sr.,)  and  all  such  persons  as  shall  as- 
sociate for  the  purpose  of  making  a  good  road 
from  the  house  where  John  Weaver  now  lives 
in  the  town  of  Watervliet  in  the  county  of 
Albany  following  the  State  road  westward  to  the 
house  where  John  Walton  now  lives  in  the  town 
of  Cherry  Valley  in  the  county  of  Otsego,  shall 
and  are  hereby  created  and  made  a  corpora- 
tion and  body  poUtic. 


322 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


A  bridge  was  built  at  this  place  in  1792  and 
was  swept  away  in  1798. 

A  temporary  bridge  was  constructed  a  little  to 
the  west  of  the  present  one  in  1799,  and  the 
present  one  was  not  built  till  several  years  after. 
In  1809,  one  Burr,  took  the  contract  to  build  a 
new  bridge  and  built  the  abutments  a  few  feet 
high  when  he  was  called  to  some  other  place 
to  construct  a  bridge,  and  did  not  return  till 
the  year  18  r  i.  The  structure  was  finished  and 
the  first  team  driven  over  by  Judge  OIney 
Briggs  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1812.  Sixty- 
nine  years  have  rolled  around  and  thousands 
after  thousands  of  people  and  teams  have 
passed  over,  and  devastating  floods  beneath, 
yet  it  stands  firm  and  is  an  example  of  honest 
and  perfect  work.  Nearly  forty  years  ago  it 
was  condemned  by  hungry  contractors  and  tim- 
bers were  drawn  upon  the  spot  to  rebuild,  but  the 
work  was  deferred  and  they  have  long  since  de- 
cayed and  a  healthy  contract  lost,  while  the 
bridge  stands  to  Jaugh  at  human  calculations 
and  expectations.  While  the  temporary  bridge 
was  in  use  a  few  planks  had  been  removed  to 
let  stone  through  to  the  abutments,  and  care- 
lessly replaced. 

A  family  by  the  name  of  Morrow  living  north 
of  the  stone  church  were  returning  from  meet- 
ing in  Duanesburgh  and  upon  driving  over  these 
planks  they  gave  way  and  precipitated  the  fam- 
ily and  team  to  the  bed  of  the  creek  a  distance 
of  thirty  feet.  The  hind  wheels  of  the  wagon 
were  too  large  to  pass  through  the  space  and 
consequently  remained  suspended.  Mrs.  Mor- 
row was  fatally  injured  while  the  rest  of  the 
family  escaped  with  slight  bruises.  Doctor 
Roscoe  of  Carlisle  was  the  nearest  physician 
and  surgeon  and  was  in  attendance.  Judge 
Briggs  purchased  the  privilege  of  being  the 
first  to  drive  over  the  present  bridge  by  the 
payment  of  twenty  dollars. 

Having  thus  referred  at  length  to  the  bridge, 
we  will  return  to  the  village,  its  first  settlement, 
and  the  prominent  gentlemen  that  located  here. 
Upon  the  building  of  the  bridge  and  road,  there 
were  but  three  small  and  rude  houses  erected, 
but  by  whom  we  are  not  able  to  learn.  In 
1793  Daniel  Hare,  from  Columbia  county,  after 
a  short  residence  below  Quaker  street,  passed 
over  the   bridge  and  settled   opposite  Erastus 


Williams'  present  residence,  west  of  the  village. 
He  built  a  small  house  intending  to  settle  as  a 
farmer,  but  when  the  workmen  were  construct- 
ing the  road,  he  boarded  them  and  concluded 
to  adopt  the  Inn  business.  He  built  an  addi- 
tion to  his  house,  and  when  the  road  was  fin- 
ished to  Cherry  Valley  and  the  immensity  of 
travel  began  to  pour  over  the  road,  he  opened 
a  public  house,  and  for  many  years  it  was  known 
as  the  "  Red  Tavern."  But  time  has  decayed 
the  building  with  all  its  surroundings,  and  long 
since  the  whole  was  cleared  away,  leaving  noth- 
ing of  its  "  once  having  been  "  but  the  well, 
over  which,  for  many  long  years  the  creaking 
groaning  "sweep"  carried  the  "oaken  bucket" 
up  and  down  its  moss  covered  sides.  There 
did  not  seem  to  be  a  very  good  prospect  of  the 
village  lots  being  taken  until  the  year  1805. 
Emigration  to  the  western  counties  and  Ohio, 
from  the  Eastern  States  and  Hudson  river 
counties,  together  with  the  produce  of  Otsego 
and  northwestern  Schoharie,  finding  a  market 
at  Albany,  began  to  take  this  route,  and  men 
of  abiUty  and  means  became  satisfied  that 
Esperance  would  become  a  business  center. 
About  the  year  1806  an  inn  was  built  near 
the  bridge  by  John  Burt,  which  in  after  years 
was  known  as  the  Phoenix.     It  was  for  many 

years    kept  by  Tillman,  and   at   a  later 

date  by  John  Hare,  who  was  interested  in  the 
stage  business.  There  was  also  a  like  house 
built  upon  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
Methodist  church,  but  who  its  first  occupant 
was  we  are  unable  to  tell. 

About  the  year  1808  Calvin  Wright  became 
the  "  host "  and  after  a  few  years  the  building 
was  burned  and  not  rebuilt.  Mr.  Wright  was 
the  father  of  John  C.  Wright,  who  figured  so 
conspicuously  in  poHtical  affairs  in  after  years. 
Mr.  Wright  studied  law  in  the  office  of  John 
Cummings.  After  being  admitted  and  gaining 
a  lucrative  practice,  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  First  Judge  of  the  County  in  1833,  suc- 
ceeding Judge  Beekman,  and  held  the  position 
until  the  year  i848,jwhen  he  was  succeeded  by 
Charles  Goodyear.  Mr.  Wright  was  elected 
State  Senator  in  1843,  1844,  1845  and  1846, 
and  represented  the  third  district,  which  com- 
prised the  counties  of  Albany,  Columbia, 
Greene,  Rensselaer,  Schenectady,  Delaware  and 


TOWN  OF  ESPERANCE. 


323 


Schoharie.  He  removed  to  Schenectady  and 
was  elected  Comptroller  of  the  State,  in  1857, 
the  duties  of  which  important  office  he  per- 
formed faithfully  and  satisfactorily  to  the  people. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  settled  again  at 
Schenectady,  where  he  died  on  the  4th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1862,  at  the  age  of  sixty-one. 

Isaac  Hall  Tiffany,  whom  we  will  notice  in 
Cobleskill,  settled  here  about  the  year  1809  or 
1810,  and  was  the  first  lawyer.  It  was  here  he 
became  interested  in  the  breeding  of  fine  wool 
sheep,  in  which  he  met  with  heavy  losses.  Mr. 
Tiffany  was  shortly  followed  by  John  Curamings, 
a  lawyer  of  fine  ability,  who  removed  in  after 
years  to  Canajoharie.  Alexander  and  David 
Cruikshanks  succeeded  Cummings ;  the  former 
represented  the  County  in  the  Assembly  in 
1832.  John  C.  Wright  succeeded  these  gentle- 
men, and  was  associated  with  Sherburne  Frost, 
who  upon  Wright's  removal,  remained  in  the 
office. 

About  the  year  1848,  John  E.  Mann,  of  Scho- 
harie, a  student  of  Henry  Hamilton,  also  held 
a  law  office  at  this  place,  but  removed  to  Wis- 
consin, and  now  occupies  the  judicial  bench  of 
Milwaukee  county,  having  been  of  late  elected 
to  that  position  for  the  third  term. 

Joshua  M.  Donaldson,  a  student  of  Jedediah 
Miller,  settled  here  in  1857  or  1858,  and  repre- 
sented the  town  upon  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
in  i860  and  1861.  Donaldson  removed  to 
Minnesota,  where  he  died  in  1877.  Donald- 
son was  succeeded  by  J.  F.  Hazleton,  who  was 
for  several  years  United  States  Internal  Revenue 
Assessor,  and  received  the  appointment  of  Con- 
sul to  the  Court  of  Rome  by  President  Hayes, 
and  is  now  acting  upon  that  mission. 

A  grist-mill  was  built  upon  the  opposite  side 
of  the  stream  at  an  early  date  by  Thomas 
Thornton,  and  was  afterwards  owned  by  Henry 
W.  Starin,  uncle  of  the  present  Congressman, 
John  H.  Starin,  of  Fultonville.  The  last  owner 
of  the  mill  was  Henry  Brown.  It  was  burned 
and  rebuilt  by  him,  but  fire  once  more  laid  it  in 
ashes,  and  Haines  &  Isham  built  one  upon  the 
Esperance  side,  which  still  stands.  A  paper- 
mill  formerly  occupied  the  site,  but  by  whom  it 
was  built  we  are  unable  to  learn.  Henry 
Mandle  and  Alfred  Isham  owned  the  property 


for  many  years.  The  iron  foundry  of  Woolson 
&  Keyes,  was  established  in  1856,  by  Roswell 
Woolson,  who  removed  from  Carlisle,  and  was 
the  inventor  of  the  well-known  "Carlisle  No.  i  " 
plow. 

The  first  school-house  stood  a  little  to  the 
west  of  Daniel  Hare's  old  tavern  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street,  and  was  built  in  1805. 
William,  a  brother  of  Daniel  Hare,  settled 
here  upon  the  hill  south  of  the  creek  a  short 
time  after  1 793,  while  Jonathan,  another  brother, 
located  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by  Silas 
Hare,  a  son  of  William,  in  the  town  of  Duanes- 
burgh. 

In  1 8 10  the  village  had  become  quite  large 
and  was  the  aristocratic  settlement  of  the 
County.  The  old  school-house  was  abandoned 
and  a  new  one  built  that  year,  and  used  for 
holding  religious  meetings  as  well  as  school 
purposes,  until  the  year  1824.  The  building 
was  considered  the  finest  of  the  kind  in  the 
County.  General  North  and  lawyer  Tiffany 
donated  a  bell,  which  was  placed  in  the  belfry 
for  church  purposes.  It  was  purchased  in 
Albany,  but  by  whom  it  had  been  previously 
owned  we  cannot  say.  It  bears  the  date  of 
1738,  and  the  inscription  upon  it  reads  : 

"  Pours  Le  Beninum  Sic  Nomen  Domini 
Benedictum  1738,  Faith  Par  Moi." 

Presbyterian  Church. — We  find  upon  the 
well-kept  records  the  following : — 

"Esperance,  August  8,  1823. 

"  Church  session  met  for  the  first  time  at  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Lyons'  study;  present.  Rev.  L.  Lyons, 
Mr.  Joel  Messenger,  Mr.  Joseph  Green,  Mr. 
Robert  W.  Naton.  It  was  resolved  that  the 
following  narrative  be  recorded : — 

"Previous  to  the  year  1817  the  inhabitants 
of  this  village  were  not  favored  with  regular 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  by  any  denomination. 
The  Rev.  James  N.  Austin,  who  now  rests 
from  his  labors,  was  employed  one-fourth  of  his 
time  to  preach  at  this  place.  He  commenced 
July,  1 81 7.  His  labors  among  this  people  were 
blessed,' and  on  February  22,  181 8,  the  follow- 
ing persons  were  formed  into  a  church,  viz : — 


324 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Joel  Messenger, 
George  Leet, 
Erastus  Gaylord, 
Sally  Gaylord, 
David  Casson, 
Andrew  Caswell, 
Mary  Cumprton, 
Sarah  Wright, 
Lucretia  Leet, 
Sally  Meuny, 
Elizabeth  Cumprton, 
Alida  Cumprton, 
Julia  Isham. 

"  During  that  year  there  was  an  addition  of 
twenty-six  members  in  all.  Mr.  Austin  left  in 
1819,  after  which  they  were  supplied  by  Rev. 
Roswell  Messenger,  October  20,  1821,  Rev.  Mr. 
McFarlane,  and  Rev.  Luke  Lyon  in  1822. 

"November  12,  1822,  a  meeting  was  called  to 
elect  trustees  and  take  measures  to  build  a 
house  of  worship." 

The  first  Sabbath-school  was  organized  Janu- 
ary 19,  1823,  and  on  the  9th  of  February  fol- 
lowing, the  Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated  for  the 
first  time.  On  the  4th  of  May,  1823,  a  church 
was  formed,  composed  of  those  already  men- 
tioned, and  in  addition  : — 

Richard  Hemstreet, 
Ebenezer  Brown, 
Mrs.  Clarissa  Sheldon, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Dickenson, 
Mrs.  C.  Van  Schoonhoven, 
Mrs.  Lydia  Simpson, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Beach, 
Mrs.  Martha  McCaity, 
Mrs.  M.  Tapping, 
Mrs.  Mary  Vene, 
Widow  Martha  Hemstreet, 
Mrs.  Maria  Young, 
Mr,  W.  L.  Candee. 

The  first  elders  were  : — 

Joel  Messenger, 
Joseph  Green, 
Robert  W.  Nolton. 

The  new  church  was  dedicated  July  4,  1824, 
Rev."  Dr.  Yates,  of  Schenectady,  and  Rev.  L. 
Lyon,  officiated. 


Rev.  L.  Lyon  was  installed  August  18,  1824. 

The  pastors  have  been  as  follows : — 

Rev.  L.  Lyon,  1824-1827. 
Rev.  Jared  Dewing,  1832. 
Rev.  William  E.  Dixon,  1833. 
Rev.  C.  D.  W.  Tappen,  1834. 
Rev.  William  E.  Dixon,  1849-185 1. 
Rev.  A.  Craig,  1855-1859. 
Rev.  A.  H.  Seeley,  1859-187 2. 
Rev.  J.  D.  Countermine,  1876-1880. 
Rev.  W.  J.  Blain,  1881. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  —  The 
Methodists  worshipped  in  a  small  church  for 
many  years  that  stood  upon  the  south  side  of 
the  turnpike  opposite  the  school-house,  in  the 
town  of  Duanesburgh.  In  1828  a  society  was 
organized  here  and  in  1836  they  erected  a  large 
house  of  worship  with  a  brick  basement  upon 
the  corner  of  Main  and  Steuben  streets,  where 
Hon.  Joseph  Buckbee's  fine  residence  now 
stands.  The  first  Quarterly  Conference  was 
held  in  the  building  July  i6th  of  that  year.  S. 
Stebbins  and  A.  Champlin  were  the  preachers 
and  S.  Miner  the  presiding  elder.  It  was  voted 
that  Palatine  Bridge  and  Spraker's  Basin  be 
annexed  to  this  circuit.  In  1868  the  building 
was  removed  to  its  present  site  and  remodeled. 
There  were  but  five  members  at  the  organiza- 
tion and  Reverend  Joseph  Ames  was  the  first 
pastor. 

Physicians. — Dr.  Beach  was  the  first  physician 
and  came  about  the  year  1808  and  was  followed 
in  18 1 2  by  Dr.  Prentiss  Leonard  a  student  of 
Joseph  White  of  Cherry  Valley.  His  son  Lo- 
renzo I.  Leonard  now  holds  the  practice,  gained 
by  the  father  when  the  country  was  new  and  very 
uninviting  to  professionals.  Dr.  Henry  Green 
soon  followed  Leonard.  Dr.  Green  removed 
to  Albany.  Dr.  Dunbar  of  Westerlo,  Albany 
county,  afterwards  settled  and  was  followed 
by  Dr.  John  Kelly,  after  a  long  practice  in 
Carlisle.  He  located  here  about  the  year  1856 
and  died  m  1863. 

Dr.  Norwood  located  here  a  short  time  pre- 
vious to  Kelly's  death  and  is  at  present  the 
regular  practicing  physician.  About  the  year 
1840  Dr.  Rowland  located  at  Sloansville  and 
enjoyed  an  extensive  practice  throughout   the 


TOWN  OF  ESPERANCE. 


225 


town  for  many  years,  when  he  removed  to 
Cherry  Valley.  He  was  a  very  skillful  prac- 
titioner and  business  man.  During  his  last 
year's  residence  in  that  village  Dr.  Teeple 
located  there  and  continued  until  the  year  1870. 
Dr.  J.  M.  Emerson  was  also  at  that  place 
during  the  6o's  and  removed  to  the  West. 

Daniel  Beach  a  brother  of  Dr.  Beach  was  the 
first  jeweler  and  removed  to  Sloansville  about 
the  year  181 8  and  was  familiarly  known  as 
"Tinker  Beach."  He  was  succeeded  by  Storrs 
Messenger  who  came  to  the  place  from  Con- 
necticut in  1817.  Mr.  Messenger  has  since 
that  date,  been  identified  with  the  business  en- 
terprises of  the  place.  As  old  age  has  crept 
upon  him  he  has  laid  his  blow-pipe  and  glass 
aside,  having  only  the  business  cares  of  the 
post-office  upon  his  mind,  to  which  he  has  at- 
tended for  many  years.  His  trade  is  carried 
on  by  one  of  his  journeymen,  Avery  Brazee  and 
is  still  the  only  one  in  the  place.  Mrs.  Messen- 
ger was  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  Delavergne, 
who  it  is  said  was  the  first  hatter  in  the  County. 
He  came  from  Columbia  county  and  settled  at 
"Oarlock's  dorf"  near  Schoharie  in  1785  and  re- 
,  moved  to  this  village  in  1808.  John  Delavergne 
his  son,  is  at  present  the  owner  of  the  village 
lots  and  leases,  having  purchased  the  same  from 
the  North  heirs  in  1878. 

Judge  Briggs. — At  the  time  John  Cummings 
settled  here,  his  brother-in-law  Olney  Briggs 
also  came  as  a  saddle  and  harness  maker. 
Mr.  Briggs  was  born  in  Berkshire  county  Mas- 
sachusetts in  1775  and  with  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Otsego  county  soon  after  the  Revolu- 
tion. After  learning  his  trade  he  came  to  this 
village  and  became  one  of  its  foremost  men  as 
well  as  a  prominent  one  in  the  County.  He 
was  appointed  to  the  bench  in  1816  and  filled 
the  position  as  Assistant  Judge  sixteen  years. 
He  was  a  delegate  with  Asa  Starkweather,  from 
the  County  to  the  Constitutional  Convention  of 
1821,  to  frame  that  which  is  distinguished  as 
the  Second  Constitution  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Briggs  in  the  Constitutional  Convention 
of  1 820  upon  the  rights  of  negro  suffrage  said  : — 

"  We  have  come  to  universal  suffrage,  and  I 
want  we  should  fix  it  in  the  face  of  the  instru- 


ment. Gentlemen  wish  to  get  away  from  it, 
they  endeavor  to  evade  it.  Sir  !  This  distinc- 
tion (negro  suffrage)  will  help  to  weaken  the 
breach.  When  we  get  to  have  such  a  popula- 
tion as  the  gentleman  has  described,  our  con- 
stitution will  be  good  for  nothing.  We  must 
carry  the  strong  arm  of  the  law  to  the  cradle, 
sir,  and  let  the  rising  generation  know  we  have 
established  the  principle  of  universal  suffrage, 
that  they  may  prepare  themselves  accordingly, 
and  qualify  themselves  to  live  under  it." 

Upon  exemption  of  taxation,  he  said : — 

"  I  am  opposed  to  exclusive  privileges, 
whether  to  manufacturers  or  clergy.  If  the 
latter  are  exempted,  why  should  not  deacons  be 
exempted  too  ?  They  are  good  men.  And 
why  not  exempt  the  carpenter  also,  who  builds 
the  church,  and  the  printer,  who  prints  the 
bibles  and  psalm  books  ? 

"Where  should  the  line  be  drawn?  I  wish 
to  shackle  the  Legislature,  and  prevent  them 
from  enacting  such  laws." 

Mr.  Briggs  advocated  annual  elections  for 
Governor,  and  in  his  remarks  upon  the  motion 
said : — 

"  So  it  is  with  the  people,  they  do  not  need 
any  great  advice,  the  imagination  is  to  be  thus 
worked  up  about  elections.  Some  great  dark 
project  is  afoot ;  the  great  circle  for  the  election 
of  Governor  has  come  round,  the  other  side 
are  hard  at  work,  and  we  must  beware  that  they 
do  not  out-general  us.  Hand  bills  are  afloat ; 
demagogues  are  busy ;  but  make  the  election 
annual,  and  all  these  squabbles  and  scuffles 
would  have  an  end,  there  would  not  be  thou- 
sands of  dollars  spent  to  secure  a  mere  annual 
election.  They  would  not  excite  the  public 
mind. 

"Sir !  Who  ought  we  to  elect  for  Governor  and 
officers,  ambitious  politicians  ?  No !  The  modest 
man— who  keeps  retired — who  says  to  himself, 
if  my  country  wants  any  services  let  them  come 
and  ask  me  for  them.  He  would  disdain  this 
bribery  and  corruption,  he  would  only  serve 
when  his  country  wanted  his  services." 

Merchants. — A  miniature  Borough,  as  the 
founders  intended  Esperance  to  become,  could 


326 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


not  well  do  without  a  merchant.  In  those 
times  a  public  house  was  the  first  thing  to  be 
established,  the  same  as  a  "store"  is  at  present 
in  new  hamlets.  General  North's  companion- 
in-arms,  Egbert  Cumbleton,  who  held  a  com- 
mission of  Major,  under  General  Steuben, 
began  the  first  store  in  1805.  Whether  others 
embarked  in  the  business  at  that  time,  tradition 
does  not  tell. 

Major  Cumbleton  was  an  adept  in  military 
tactics  and  a  brave  soldier,  but  in  a  business 
point  of  view  he  was  too  liberal  to  succeed. 
Who  followed  him  cannot  be  ascertained,  but 
one  Louis  Candy,  familiarly  known  as  "  Dr. 
Candy''  and  Charles  Starin  were  here  at  an  early 
date,  about  1815,  and  remained  a  number  of 
years. 

James  TurnbuU,  A.  Billings,  Alfred  Isham 
and  Henry  Mandle,  as  Isham  &  Mandle,  John 
Dewell  and  Robert  L.  Topping,  were  in  business 
from  one  time  to  another,  but  perhaps  not  in 
the  order  in  which  they  are  here  placed.  The 
largest  dealer  that  located  here,  and  perhaps  in 
the  County,  was  Benjamin  F.  Wood,  son  of 
Dr.  Wood,  of  Duanesburgh.  Mr.  Wood  com- 
menced some  time  before  the  Southern  Rebellion 
and  was  during  that  period  the  largest  produce 
dealer  in  Central  New  York,  particularly  in 
butter.  Tons  of  that  article  were  shipped  almost 
daily,  at  prices  that  probably  will  be  incredible. 
many  years  hence.  At  the  commencement  of 
that  struggle  the  prices  ranged  from  ten  to 
twelve  cents  per  pound,  but  ere  it  closed,  fifty 
and  fifty-five  cents  were  often  refused.  All 
goods  were  proportionately  high,  and  speculation 
was  rife  among  all  classes,  in  every  department, 
which  left  a  demoralizing  chill  upon  business 
branches  that  years  of  pinching  intrenchment 
only  can  drive  away. 

Since    Mr.  Wood  closed  his  business,  John 

O.  Root,  Mcintosh  &  TurnbuU, Brumly, 

William  Folensbee,  Benjamin  "W.  Clark  and 
Martin  Watson  have  engaged  in  trade,  and 
George  Briggs  as  the  first  and  only  druggist. 

The  village  was  incorporated  in  the  year  18 19 
and  not  in  the  year  1832  as  published  in  other 
works.  April  21st  of  the  latter  year  the 
charter  for  a  fire  company  was  obtained  and 
the  village  charter  was  revised  to  meet  the  re- 


quirements of  the  corporation  upon  certain 
proceedings.  It  was  the  only  incorporated 
village  in  the  County  up  to  the  year  1868.  The 
post-office  was  established  in  1805.  The  mail 
was  carried,  when  the  route  was  established  in 
1800,  on  horse,  and  the  approach  of  the  carrier 
was  made  known  by  his  blowing  a  horn.  How 
long  the  mail  was  thus  carried  we  cannot  say, 
but  upon  the  advent  of  wagon  and  sleigh 
coaches  the  Phoenix  Hotel  was  the  central 
station  between  Albany  and  Cherry  Valley.  As 
the  stage-coach  epoch  has  long  since  passed 
away,  leaving  happy  reminiscences  to  many  who 
marked  with  delight  the  progression  of  the  age, 
from  foot  and  horseback  mail  carriers  to  golden 
striped  rocking  wagon  "palaces,"  we  will  here 
copy  an  article  published  in  the  Cobleskill 
Index  as  a  correction  to  a  statement  made  in  re- 
gard to  the  stage  lines,  by  an  unknown  writer: — 

"The  first  line  of  stages  between  Albany  and 
Cherry  Valley  through  Esperance,  was  run  about 
1826  and  had  three  proprietors:  Thorpe  & 
Sprague  owned  the  line  from  Albany  here, 
twenty-six  miles,  and  William  Story  of  Cherry 
Valley  the  line  from  here  to  that  place — known 
in  the  driver  and  passenger  parlance  of  those 
days  as  "the  Valley"— a  like  distance.  Thorpe 
&  Sprague  had  the  mail  contract  from  Albany 
to  "the  Valley"  at  one  hundred  dollars  a  mile, 
and  as  the  distance  was  a  shaving  (not  certain 
how  thick)  over  fifty-two  miles  (the  same  gen- 
erosity characterized  our  Uncle  Samuel  then  as 
now)  paid  them  five  thousand  three  hundred 
dollars  a  year,  for  carrying  the  mail  on  their 
"four  horse  coaches"  and  they  "pooled"  the 
price  with  Story  for  carrying  it  over  the  west 
half  of  the  route.  Unfortunately  for  Mr.  Story 
his  agent  in  Albany  discounted  "futures" — just 
as  the  Fall  River  treasurers  and  secretaries  do 
now,  (by  which  it  appears  that  human  nature 
has  not  changed  much  in  fifty  years)  and  Mr. 
Story  sold  out  his  end  of  the  line  to  John 
Wilkins  of  Cherry  Valley  and  sometime  (not  very 
long)  thereafter  Sprague  died  and  Thorpe  sold 
out  the  Albany  end,  and  the  mail  contract  to 
William  Platner  of  Cherry  Valley,  who  run  the 
line  with  Wilkins  about  two  years,  and  then 
sold  out  to  a  Mr.  Baker  and  a  partner,  whose 
name  is  already  lost  by  the  writer.    Those  men, 


TOWN  OF  ESPERANCE. 


327 


Baker  &  Co.,  sold  out  their  interest  in  this 
Albany  and  Cherry  Valley  line,  and  other  lines 
running  east  and  north  from  Albany,  to  the 
"  Reeds  "  of  Rensselaer  county — Stephentown 
I  think — with  the  stock,  running  as  well  as 
rolling  for  thirty  thousand  dollars.  This  oc- 
curred somewhere  about  1836,  am  not  certain 
of  the  date,  and  for  a  number  of  years  the 
Albany  and  "Valley"  line,— but  of  course 
under  reduced  mail  contract,  —  was  run  by 
Reed  &  Wilkins  among  whose  drivers  were 
"Elder"  Williams  and  "Jumpy"  Sprong,  as  well 
known  to  boy  and  man  along  their  respective 
routes,  and  the  traveling  public,  as  the  oldest 
conductor  on  the  Central  or  Susquehanna  to- 
day. Reed  &  Wilkins  continued  to  own  and 
run  the  line  to  184 1,  by  which  time  opposition 
to  the  Mohawk  &  Hudson  (Albany  &  Sche- 
nectady) railroad,  by  the  Reeds'  stage-coach 
line  to  Schenectady  had  been  abandoned. 
The  Schenectady  &  Utica  railroad  was  in  op- 
eration and  drawing  passengers  from  the 
Cherry  Valley  and  Albany  stage  route  to  Cana- 
joharie;  the  Boston  &  Albany  railroad  (then 
known  as  the  Western  railroad)  approached  its 
western  terminus  (Albany)  and  the  Reeds  col- 
lapsed and  John  Hare  bought  their  interest,  the 
Albany  end  of  the  line,  and  ran  it  awhile  with 
Wilkins.  The  latter  was  in  a  bad  way  finan- 
cially and  I  think,  but  am  not  certain,  handed 
the  concern  over  to  Ed.  Wheeler;  but  finally 
sold  out  to  John  Vanetten  of  Cherry  Valley 
who  with  Hare,  ran  the  stage  from  here  to 
Cherry  Valley  for  two  or  three  years.  There 
was  but  one  mail  contract  after  the  Vanetten 
and  Hare." 

Esperance  Academy. — The  old  stone  building 
upon  the  north  side  of  Main  street  is  an  old 
land  mark,  around  which  cluster  many  pleasant 
memories.  It  was  built  for  an  exchange  stable 
by  John  D.  Dickinson,  a  noted  horse  jockey, 
and  afterwards  remodeled  for  an  Academy 
about  the  year  1835,  and  used  as  such  for 
several  years. 

Joshua  M.  Donaldson,  soon  after  graduating 
at  Union  College,  entered  the  school  as  Princi- 
pal, and  under  his  management  it  became  one 
of  the  head  schools  of  the  country.  McClelland 
followed,  but  not  proving  a  financial  success  the 


project  dropped,  and  Peter  D.  Shinville  occu- 
pied the  building  for  a  long  term  of  years  in 
the  manufacture  of  fanning-mills,  which  met 
with  ready  demand,  and  were  considered  the 
best  then  in  use.  Of  late  the  rustic  appearing 
landmark  has  been  used  as  a  tenant  house. 
About  the  year  1815  William  Simpson  estab- 
lished a  cabinet  shop,  that  for  many  years  was 
one  of  the  leading  enterprises  of  the  village. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Alexander  Dean,  who  in 
turn  gave  place  to  Frederick  Happe,  the  present 
business  proprietor,  and  in  whom  is  found  one 
of  those  examples  that  the  German  people  give 
to  young  Americans,  by  rising  from  a  wandering 
immigrant,  without  means,  or  the  language  of 
the  country  at  command,  to  an  independence 
and  prominence  within  a  few  years. 

About  1820  to  183  s  Esperance  was  quite  a 
manufacturing  point.  There  were  two  exten- 
sive chair  factories  in  operation,  that  supplied 
the  surrounding  country  with  their  wares. 
Henry  Mandle,  James  Vilbert  and  James  E. 
Downing,  part  of  the  time  separately,  at  others 
as  partners,  were  the  leaders  in  the  enterprise 
and  did  a  large  and  successful  business.  Dur- 
ing that  time  the  paper-mill  was  run  to  its 
utmost  capacity,  by  Dr.  Leonard,  which  made 
the  place  present  a  Uvely  appearance. 

Feathers  House. — The  building  was  occu- 
pied by  Larkin  Feathers,  and  was  built  for  a  store 
about  the  year  1820,  and  occupied  for  several 
years  as  such.  It  was  subsequently  changed  to 
an  "Inn"  and  one  of  the  first  proprietors  was 
Gitty  Lawyer,  of  Schoharie,  a  woman  skilled  in 
money  getting.  A  young  law  student,  coming 
from  the  Eastern  States,  being  unable  to  bear 
the  expense  of  "board"  and  other  necessaries, 
became  enamored  with  the  proprietress,  or  her 
money,  and  in  due  time  they  mere  married. 
Then  having  the  means  he  acquitted  himself  in 
the  armour  of  the  law,  and  sought  a  home  in 
the  wilds  of  Michigan,  then  the  point  to  which 
immigration  was  pouring,  to  be  followed,  per- 
haps, by  his  loving  spouse,  when  he  decided 
upon   a  location. 

After  waiting  a  number  of  years  without  a 
word  from  him  to  cheer  her,  the  wife  and  land- 
lady equipped  herself  with  horse  and  wagon  to 
seek  her  accomplished  lord,  not  unmindful  of 


328 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  convenience  of  a  stove  in  the  family,  which 
she  took  with  her,  and  an  abundance  of  cloth- 
ing. 

She  traveled  alone  and  upon  her  arrival  at 
Detroit,  instead  of  meeting  the  husband,  who 
was  apprised  of  her  coming,  she  met  a  friend  of 
his  who  told  her  that  her  husband  was  deeply  in 
debt,  and  if  she  remained  her  funds  would  be 
seized  to  liquidate  them. 

Appreciating  the  hard  earned  dollars,  she 
turned  her  face  homeward,  leaving  her  lover  to 
worry  his  creditors  as  best  he  could.  That 
same  man,  William  A.  Fletcher,  became  the 
first  judge  upon  the  present  Ninth  Judicial 
Circuit  of  Michigan,  which  position  is  now  held 
by  another  Schoharie  County  boy,  Hon.  Josiah 
L.  Hawes,  a  native  of  Carlisle,  and  student  of 
Joseph  H.  Ramsey. 

Jeremiah  Peck  erected  an  "  Inn "  upon  the 
northwest  corner  of  Main  and  Church  streets, 
about  the  year  1818,  and  kept  it  as  such  until 
his  death,  and  was  followed  by  Mrs.  Peck  and 
children.  The  chief  business  was  done  at  the 
bar,  while  other  houses'  profits  came  from  lodg- 
ers, meals  and  stabling. 

There  was  another  inn  built  at  the  west 
end  of  Main  street,  upon  the  brow  of  the  hill, 
by  Levitt  Mansfield,  about  the  year  1826,  and 
during  its  last  days  was  kept  by  George  Smith, 
but  its  portals  have  long  since  been  closed,  and 
only  the  Feathers  House  furnishes  accommo- 
dation for  the  public  at  the  present  time.  In 
passing  along  to  the  west,  one  mile  and  one  half, 
snugly  nestled  in  a  hollow  was  another  tavern, 
whose  accommodations  were  equally  as  extended 
as  those  of  the  village. 

General  John  S.  Brown  followed  his  father  in 
its  management,  and  made  a  specialty  in  furn- 
ishing feed  for  the  droves  of  live-stock  that 
crowded  the  thoroughfare. 

In  the  last  days  of  its  usefulness  as  a  public 
house,  other  landlords  loved  to  tell  the  traveler 
of  the  hideous  "spooks"  and  unearthly  noises 
that  were  seen  and  heard  nightly  within  its 
walls.  Judson  and  Ager,  each  followed  General 
Brown,  and  under  the  latter,  the  old  building 
was  torn  down  to  give  room  for  the  present 
spacious  frame  house.    Near  to  the  west,  a  toll- 


gate  was  built  in  1810,  through  which  each 
teamster  and  drover  was  obliged  to  deposit  in 
the  company's  treasury,  pay  for  the  privilege  of 
traveling  upon  the  road.  Who  was  the  first 
gate-keeper  we  are  unable  to  learn,  but  one 
Cleveland  was  receiver  for  many  years,  and  in 
fact  was  in  office  when  this  part  of  the  turnpike 
was  annuled  by  the  company. 

The  first  gate-keeper  at  the  bridge  was  Bar- 
tholomew Keene,  and  the  present  one  is  Mrs. 
Obediah  Sprong,  who  has  stood  at  her  post  day 
and  night  for  twenty-nine  years,  performing  her 
duty  faithfully.  Her  husband  died  many  years 
since,  and  was  a  coach  driver  during  the  palmy 
days  of  this  thoroughfare,  and  familiarly  called 
"Jumpy."  None  knew  how  to  draw  the  "rib- 
bons," or  "clip  the  ears"  of  the  leaders  with 
the  coach  whip,  better  than  "  Jumpy."  While 
referring  to  the  "drivers"  we  cannot  but  mention 

Walter    Wood,  Williams,     known    as 

"  Elder,"  George  Chilson  and  John  Bradt,  who 
were  the  "  regulars "  for  many  long  years. 
Thousands  of  passengers  and  an  immensity  of 
valuables  were  entrusted  to  their  care,  and  we 
fail  to  find  an  instance  that  a  death,  injury  or 
loss  occurred.  One  driver  made  the  trip  from 
this  place  to  Cherry  Valley,  but  changed  horses 
at  Sharon  Hollow  or  Hill.  The  "  Elder"  was 
the  principal  driver  at  this  end  of  the  route, 
and  drove  a  four-horse  team  daily  from  here 
to  Sharon  during  eighteen  years. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  amount  of  business 
the  stage  line  did  before  the  Central  Railroad 
was  in  operation,  we  are  authorized  by  an  old 
driver  to  say,  that  from  forty  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  passengers  were  daily  booked  at 
Cherry  Valley,  for  Albany  and  intermediate 
points. 

The  travel  upon  the  road,  otherwise 
than  by  coach,  was  also  immense.  An  ex- 
toll  collector  informs  us  that  the  monthly 
returns  of  the  Esperance  bridge  gate  were 
usually  one  thousand  dollars;  and  that  seven 
hundred  teams  had  been  counted  that  passed 
through  in  a  day.  Thus  we  can  plainly  see  the 
cause  of  such  numbers  of  taverns  built  along 
the  line,  and  not  think  it  an  erroneous  statement 
when  the  aged  ■  ones  tell  us,  they  "  failed  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  the  traveling  public." 


TOWN  OF  ESPERANCE. 


329 


Sloansville. 

While  we  have   been  contemplating   Esper- 
ance  village  when  it  was  a  pine  forest,  down  to 
the  present  time,  musing  over  the  changes  that 
progress  has  made  from  time  to  time,  we  must 
not  harbor  the  idea  that  when  the  first  tree  was 
felled  at  that  village  no  other  white  man  had  set- 
tled in  this  "remote  region,"  as  in  passing  up  the 
turnpike,  near  the   present   residence  of  John 
Schuyler,  upon  the  hill  to  the  east  of  his  house, 
John   Joseph    Van    Valkenburgh,    a   German 
Palatine,  settled  as  early  as  1756  or  1760,  and 
made   quite   a   clearing.     When  Johnson  and 
Brant   invaded   the  valley  he  saw   the   smoke 
arising  over  the  hills,   and  divined  the  cause. 
With  his  wife  and  children  he  started  for  the 
"  middle  fort,"  passing  the  lower  one  upon  the 
hills  to  the  east,   and  gained  the  fortress  near 
dark.     He  quit  his  pioneer  farm  and  joined  the 
patriots  as  a  scout,  and  proved  one  of  the  most 
brave  and  trusty  ones.     At  the  close  of  the  war 
he  settled  in  Sharon,  as  slated  in  Chapter  XV. 
Nor  must  we  think  that  Sloansville  was  among 
the  things  that  were  to  be,   as  here  we  find  a 
path — as  old  perhaps,  as  the  aborigines  of  the 
country,  leading  from  the  Mohawk  to  the  Scho- 
harie valley,   treading  which,  the  Germans  of 
each  valley  were  enabled  to  visit  and  barter  with 
each  other,   nearly  seventy-five  years  before  a 
settlement  was  here  made.     By  the  side  of  this 
path  we  find  three  brothers  settled  as  early  as 
1785  or  1786.     John,  James  and  George  Brown 
purchased   a    portion    of  the     "  stone    heap " 
patent,   and  built  a  log  house  upon  the  ground 
where  Mrs.  Spenser  Foster's  house  now  stands. 
They  cleared  up  the  land  south  of  the  house, 
and  in   after  years  built  another  one  upon  the 
Baptist  church  site.     It  being  upon  the  Indian 
path  and  the  Germans  traveling  thatroute  quite 
often,  induced  the  brothers  to  commence  the 
tavern  business  for  their  accommodation  when 
thirsty  and  weary. 

Soon  after,  the  brother,  John,  desirous  of 
having  a  separate  home,  built  a  log  house  upon 
the  Mcintosh  place,  and  when  the  turnpike 
was  constructed  he  built  another  at  a  very  short 
distance  to  the  south  of  the  first,  to  be  enabled 
to  accommodate  the  workmen.  The  following 
years,  1805    and   1806,  the  road  was  finished 


through  to  Carlisle,  and  the  company  was  per- 
mitted to  erect  a  toll-gate  at  this  place,  and 
Brown  received  the  appointment  of  gate-keeper. 
He  built  a  gate  or  swinging-pole  from  one  house 
to  the  other,  and  received  toll  until  the  road  was 
completed  to  Cherry  Valley  according  to  con- 
tract, when  the  gate  was  abandoned  and  the 
one  near  Esperance  established.  The  company 
was  obliged  to  finish  a  certain  number  of  miles 
of  road  before  a  gate  was  allowed,  and  it  was 
not  finished  acceptably  to  the  Valley  until  1810. 
While  liberal  inducements  were  offered  to  con- 
struct the  road,  yet  the  company  were  under 
restraints,  and  were  obliged  to  keep  it  in  repair, 
which  was  an  expensive  task  owing  to  the  vast 
amount  of  travel,  and  if  the  road  became  bad, 
complaints  were  made  to  the  County  turnpike 
inspectors,  by  notice,  who  could  compel  the 
gate-keeper  to  allow  all  teams  to  pass  through 
without  toll,  until  the  road  was  repaired  and 
accepted  by  him. 

James  Brown  kept  the  inn  where  the  church 
stands,  and  he  sold  the  property  to  Captain 
William  and  John  R.  Sloan  upon  their  coming 
here  about  the  year  1800.  Brown  settled  in 
Carlisle. 

The  Sloans  were  active  men,  and  were  en- 
gaged in  after  years,  in  connection  with  the 
hotel,  in  the  manufacture  of  chip  goods,  but 
upon  the  burning  of  the  building,  about  1825, 
the  enterprise  was  abandoned.  Quite  a  num- 
ber of  settlers  came  from  New  Jersey  and 
Rhode  Island  in  1788  and  settled  principally 
north  of  the  village  upon  the  hill,  among  whom 
were.  John  Teeple,  Stephen  Crocker  (now  in 
Carlisle)  and  Abram  Montaney— whose  de- 
scendants still  occupy  the  pioneer  homes  and 
are  prominent  citizens. 

John  and  Gideon  Larkin  also  came  from 
Rhode  Island  about  1803  and  settled  here  for 
awhile.  John  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and 
removed  to  Carlisle,  while  Gideon  located  upon 
the  hill  southwest  of  the  village  and  was  fol- 
lowed in  the  possession  of  the  farm  by  his  sons 
Gideon,  Jr.  and  Israel  whose  honesty  and  in- 
tegrity none  dared  assail.  The  children  of  John 
were  Daniel,  Jehiel  and  Phineas,  who  have 
been  prominent  men  of  the  County  as  business 
men  and  agriculturists. 


33° 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


About  the  year  1795,  the  father  of  the  Brown 
brothers  also  came  with  his  son  Henry  and 
settled  with  James  upon  what  was  after  owned 
by,  and  known  as  the"Grum"  farm.  Henry 
built  an  inn  upon  the  turnpike  as  has  already 
been  stated,  John  sold  his  interest  in  the 
present  Mcintosh  place  and  purchased  farther 
down  the  turnpike  and  built  the  "Inn"  to 
which  we  referred  and  the  brick  house  in  which 
his  son  General  Brown  resided. 

The  store  now  occupied  by  J.  H.  Crandal 
was  built  by  the  Brown  Brothers  and  occupied 
by  them  for  a  while  but  passed  into  other  hands 
and  in  the  year  1838  Jehiel  Larkin,  became 
the  owner  and  occupant  and  for  a  number  of 
years  carried  on  the  mercantile  business.  He 
was  followed  by  his  nephew  Alexander  Larkin, 
whose  early  death  placed  the  present  occupant 
in  his  stead.  The  Sloans  built  the  store,  long 
occupied  by  Stephen  Teeple,  about  the  year 
1820. 

Who  the  builder  and  first  occupant  of  Daniel 
Gallup's  store  was,  we  are  unable  to  learn. 

Robert  McMaster  came  from  Rhode  Island 
about  the  year  1800  and  after  learning  the  tan- 
ner's trade  in  the  town  of  Florida,  Montgomery 
county,  he  settled  here  in  1805.  He  married 
the  daughter  of  James  Brown  and  was  one  of 
those  quiet,  unassuming  men  who  command 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  those  with  whom 
they  come  in  contact.  He  became  indepen- 
dent by  his  careful  and  economical  mode  of 
doing  business  and  died  in  1877  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-eight  years.  He  was  fol- 
lowed in  his  business  by  his  son  James  B.  Mc- 
Master who  has  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  nearly  twenty  years  and  represented  the 
town  upon  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in  1858 
and  1859. 

As  we  have  made  mention  of  the  fact  tliat 
the  mail  was  first  carried  over  the  road  on 
horse,  we  will  here  state  that  this  place  was 
made  a  post-station,  where  the  riders  changed 
horses.  Three  changes  were  made  between 
Albany  and  Cherry  Valley,  the  first  being  at 
Cheesl3ro's,  the  second  here  and  the  third  at 
Wales  or  Moak's  Hollow,  and  afterwards  at 
"  Hiller's''  or  Sharon  Centre.  It  was  a  lonely 
route,  but  thinly  settled  and  a  very  uneven  road. 


The  post-office  was  not  established  here  we 
believe  until  181 7  through  the  influence  of 
General  Thomas  Lawyer  then  in  Congress. 

David  Phelps,  of  Connecticut,  came  here  as 
a  wagon  maker,  about  the  year  1806  or  1807, 
and  was  followed  by  his  brothers  Gains  and  Syl- 
vester. The  former  was  a  hatter  and  carried  on 
the  business  largely  and  successfully  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  closed  the 
business  with  a  competency  in  1850,  and  died 
at  the  age  of  eighty,  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
him. 

Sylvester  worked  with  his  brother  David,  and 
after  a  few  years  became  a  driving  business  man. 
The  present  "  Dopp  Hotel"  was  partly  built  by 
David  K.  Larkin,  who  was  something  of  a 
speculator,  and  in  his  trafficing  received  from 
Sylvester,  wagons  for  the  property.  Phelps  fin- 
ished the  house  and  became  a  "  landlord  "  in 
1836,  He  afterwards  traded  wagons  for  a  farm 
and  in  connection  with  his  trade  managed  the 
hotel  and  farm.  As  money  was  a  scarce  article, 
every  means  was  employed,  to  substitute  some- 
thing for  it.  The  wagons  were  traded  off  for 
horses  among  the  farmers,  and  the  horses  taken 
to  the  Eastern  States  to  be  sold  for  cash,  thus 
making  a  lively  traffic  among  the  speculators, 
tradesmen  and  farmers.  When  Sylvester  Phelps 
was  in  his  prime  in  years,  he  made  this  little 
hamlet  as  busy  a  place  as  could  be  found  for 
many  miles  around. 

Taverns. — There  were  formerly  four  "Tav- 
erns'" in  the  place,  each  doing  a  good  business. 
The  one,  of  late  years  known  as  the  "Widow 
Moore's  place,"  was  for  a  long  time  the  drovers 
home,  as  Mrs.  Moore's  first  husband,  Gilchrist, 
was  a  drover  and  intimate  with  all  of  the  clan 
that  frequented  the  turnpike.  Besides,  accom- 
modations were  always  to  be  had,  as  a  large 
farm  was  connected  with  the  hotel.  Upon 
the  death  of  Gilchrist  she  married  one  Moore, 
with  whom  she  did  not  entrust  her  business 
affairs,  much  to  his  disgust,  and  he  left  her 
"  alone  in  her  glory."  She  became  very  avari- 
cious, and  during  her  last  years  in  business, 
the  indifferent  manner  of  keeping  the  hotel, 
drove  the  old-time  customers  away,  conse- 
quently the  profits  of  hotel  keeping   became 


TOWN  OF  ESPERANCE. 


331 


small.  A  few  rods  below,  where  John  Hoag 
now  resides,  was  a  spacious  inn  kept  for  many 
years,  by  Walter  Sloan,  but  it  was  long  smce 
closed,  and  the  old  house  presents  a  picture  of 
rural  prosperity  and  contentment  under  the 
care  of  its  present  owner,  such  as  the  general 
outlook  of  public  houses  never  guaranteed. 

The  First  Baptist  Church  in  the  County  was 
organized  here  in  1810,  and  an  edifice  built  the 
year  following.  It  stood  upon  the  hill  east  of 
the  village,  and  the  "  Cornish  residue." 

The  society  was  organized  by  the  veteran, 
E.  Herrick,  and  was  divided  through  some  doctri- 
nal point,  that  created  the  "  New  School"  about 
the  year  1841.  The  seceders  erected  the  present 
edifice  in  1842.  The  old  church  society  dwin- 
dled to  a  name  only,  and  the  church  was  sold 
to  the  Methodists  in  1868,  who  removed  it  to  its 
present  location. 

There  was,  until  within  the  period  of  twenty 
years,  a  few  rods  north  of  the  village,  upon  the 
lands  of  Hiram  Brand  and  once  occupied  by 
Sylvester  Phelps,  an  immense  stone  heap. 

From  that  pile,  the  tract  of  land  granted  to 
John  Bowen  and  others  in  1770  was  named  the 
"Stone  heap  patent."  The  stones  had  been 
accumulated  for  a  long  series  of  years,  by  the 
accession  of  single  stones  thrown  upon  the 
pile  by  each  passing  Indian.  Its  dimensions 
were,  four  rods  long,  nearly  two  wide  and  about 
ten  feet  in  height,  in  its  original  form,  consisting 
of  small  flat  stones,  which  must  have  been  many 
thousands  in  number.  This  pile  beside  giving 
the  name  to  "  Bowen's  patent,"  also  marked  an 
angle  in  the  original  division  line  between  Al- 
bany and  old  Tryon  .county.  Rev.  Gideon 
Hawley,  a  missionary  among  the  Mohawks, 
Oneidas  and  Aquagos,  traveled  the  path  that 
lead  by  the  heap,  in  1753,  in  company  with 
another  missionary,  Mr.  Woodbridge  and  an 
Indian  guide.  They  started  from  General  Will- 
iam Johnson's  residence  on  the  Mohawk,  to  visit 
Schoharie,  and  in  an  account  of  the  journey  he 
says : — 

"  We  came  to  a  resting  place  and  breathed 
our  horses,  and  slaked  thirst  at  the  stream, 
when  we  perceived  our  Indian  looking  for  a 
stone,  which  having  found,  he  cast  to  a  heap, 


which  for  ages  has  been  accumulating  by  pas- 
sengers like  him,  who  was  our  guide.  We  en- 
quired why  he  observed  that  rite.  His  answer 
was  that  his  father  practiced  it  and  enjoined  it 
on  him." 

The  gentleman  also  mentions  in  the  same 
narrative : — 

"  I*have  observed  in  every  part  of  the  country 
and  among  every  tribe  of  Indians,  and  among 
those  where  I  now  am,  in  a  particular  manner, 
such  heaps  of  stones  or  sticks  collected  on  the 
like  occasion  as  the  above.  The  largest  heap 
I  ever  observed  is  that  large  collection  of  small 
stones  on  the  mountain  between  Stockbridge 
and  Great  Barrington.  We  have  a  sacrifice 
rock,  as  it  is  termed,  between  Plymouth  and 
Sandwich,  to  which  stones  and  sticks  are  always 
cast  by  Indians  who  pass  it.  This  custom  or 
rite  is  an  acknowledgement  of  an  invisible 
being  j  we  may  style  him  the  Unknown  God, 
whom  this  people  worship. 

"  This  heap  is  their  altar  ;  the  stone  that  is 
collected  is  the  oblation  of  the  traveler,  which 
if  offered  with  good  mind  may  be  as  acceptable 
as  a  consecrated  animal." 

It  has  been  conjectured  that  this  stone  heap 
marked  the  grave  of  a  warrior,  but  we  think 
otherwise,  from  the  fact  that  the  Indians  who 
frequented  this  section  had  particular  burial 
grounds,  and  when  a  chief  or  warrior  died,  or 
was  slain,  they  carried  the  remains  to  those 
grounds,  unless  it  was  a  great  distance  from 
them.  It  was  not  an  uncommon  occurrence 
for  the  Mohawks  and  Oneidas  to  carry  their 
dead  from  Schoharie  to  their  homes.  An  aged 
person  of  veracity  related  to  us  an  instance  that 
was  told  to  him  by  his  father,  who  was  a  witness 
to  the  occurrence,  and  which  undoubtedly  was 
but  one  of  many  hundred.  An  Oneida  died  at 
Schoharie  in  one  of  the  fall  months,  and  his 
body  was  wrapped  in  blankets  and  placed  in  a 
tall  hemlock  tree,  beyond  the  reach  of  wild 
animals.  When  winter  came  and  a  crust  was 
formed  upon  the  snow,  the  body  was  taken 
down  and  bound  upon  a  sled,  and  drawn  to 
Oneida.  We  are  of  the  opinion  that  if  an 
Indian  was  slain  at  this  spot  and  was  so  highly 
honored  by  his  race  as  to  receive  such  marks  of 
honor  and  remembrance  as  this  pile  exhibited. 


332 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


they  would  certainly  take  the  pains  to  carry 
and  place  him  by  the  side  of  the  "  ashes  of  his 
fathers.'' 

We  are  led  to  concur  in  the  missionary's 
idea  as  he  states  farther  on.  "  These  stone 
heaps  are  erected  to  a  local  deity."  His  long 
intercourse  with  the  race,  learning  their  customs 
and  habits  so  well  gives  weight  to  his  opinion. 

The  "  stone  heap  "  patent  was  surveyed  and 
divided  into  lots  in  1792,  and  embraced  a  por- 
tion of  Esperance,  Carhsle  and  Charleston, 
Montgomery   county. 

Passing  down  the  old  Indian  path,  which 
is  now  a  well  beaten  road,  we  come  to  the  old 
grist- mill  that  has  rumbled  for  over  fifty  years. 
In  its  early  days  it  was  the  only  mill  in  the 
town.  Spencer  Foster,  an  Englishman  by  birth, 
built  a  steam  mill  a  few  rods  below  and  carried 
on  a  large  custom  business  for  many  years,  but 
not  proving  a  very  profitable  investment  it  was 
taken  down  and  we  see  a  spacious  barn  stands 
in  its  stead. 

Passing  on,  we  soon  come  to  the  Schoharie 
stream,  and  if  we  had  stood  here  the  day  the 
first  tree  was  felled  by  the  Brown  boys  in  1786, 
and  looked  over  the  flats  to  the  south,  we  might 
have  seen  large  farms  divided  into  meadow, 
plow,  and  pasture  fields — spacious  barns  and 
houses  reared  over  the  ashes  of  former  ones 
that  had  fallen  by  the  torch  of  a  savage  foe,  in  a 
fierce  war  against  a  nation  that  plead  for  liberty 
and  independence. 

There  stood  a  settlement  made  in  1729,  and 
known  as  Kneiskerris  Dorf.  The  whole  of  the 
original  settlement  is  not  in  the  town  of  Esper- 
ance, but  the  greater  part  was,  and  we  will  refer 
to  the  whole  here.  By  the  second  chapter  of 
this  work  we  find  that 

John  Peter  Kneiskern, 
Godfrit  Kneiskern, 
Lambert  Sternberg, 
Philip  Berg, 
Hendrick  Houck, 
Hendrick  Strubach, 
Johannes  Merkle, 

were  the  first  settlers.  John  Peter  Kneiskern 
was  the  head  man  of  the  colony  as  at  the 
Camps,  and  was  the  business  man.     He  settled 


upon  the  farm  now  owned  by  William  Shout, 
who  is  a  descendant  of  the  family,  and  the  only 
one  left  in  the  neighborhood.  The  ancient 
papers  relating  to  the  settlement  are  in  his  pos- 
session in  perfect  order,  beside  the  family  Bible 
and  old  clock,  to  which  Mr.  Shout  clings  with 
pride  and  as  sacred  relics  of  his  grandsires. 
The  old  clock  reaching  nearly  to  the  ceiling, 
still  keeps  time  for  this,  the  fifth  generation,  as 
it  did  for  the  first,  and  is  still 

"Ticking  the  moments  as  they  swiftly  fly, 
And  whispering  to  all — Eternity." 

During  the  war  it  was  secreted  beneath  limbs 
and  leaves  in  the  woods  east  of  the  house,  and 
remained  unmolested.  Mr.  Shout's  mother  was 
a  grand-daughter  of  Kneiskern,  and  Mrs.  Shout 
is  a  descendant  of  the  original  Houck  family 
that  settled  by  the  side  of  Kneiskern,  where 
Jacob  Houck  now  resides.  Thus  we  see  that 
the  old  families  are  united  by  stronger  ties  than 
those  of  neighbors.  We  find  that  a  firm, 
brotherly  feeling  existed  between  the  first  set- 
tlers, that  is  without  a  parallel  at  the  present 
time.  They  all  purchased  together,  as  one, 
and  not  until  several  years  passed  did  they 
make  a  division  of  their  property  and  lands,  and 
when  they  did,  we  find  they  drew  an  article  of 
agreement,  that  "  If  any  one  should  lose  any 
part  of  their  lands  by  law  or  otherwise,  the  rest 
should  make  it  up  to  him  or  her.''  Such  acts 
of  true  Christian  charity  towards  the  unfortu- 
nate can  only  be  found  in  the  honest  simplicity 
of  our  German  fathers  and  mothers. 

Johannes  Merkle  settled  farther  down  the 
valley  upon  the  farm  now  owned,  in  part,  by 
Henry  Dunberg.  There  are  but  few  of  this 
family  left  bearing  the  .  name  in  this  immediate 
vicinity,  but  farther  down  the  creek  distant  rel- 
atives reside,  whose  ancestors  settled  there  sev- 
eral years  after  the  settlement  was  here  made. 

Henry  Strubach  settled  upon  the  farm  long 
owned  by  the  late  Adam  P.  Vrooman.  The 
old  house  stood  east  of  Vrooman's  barn  but 
has  long  since  vanished.  Christian  his  son,  re- 
sided here  through  the  Revolution  and  held  a 
commission  as  Captain.  He  was  a  daring  sol- 
dier and  the  Indians  and  Tories  employed  vari- 
ous means  to  capture  him,  but  his  sagacity 
foiled   their   plans.      He    was  at   the   "  lower 


TOWN  OF  ESPERANCE, 


333 


fort"  when  Johnson  and  Brant  made  the  at- 
tack and  in  company  with  the  Schoharie  militia 
the  day  following,  in  harrassing  the  rear.  When 
the  first  company  of  the  Fifteenth  Regiment 
was  formed,  Strubach  was  chosen  First  Lieuten  - 
ant  and  George  Mann  Captain,  but  upon 
Mann's  proving  to  be  infected  with  disloyalty, 
Strubach  was  promoted  to  Captain.  Several 
brothers  Uved  near  each  other  upon  the  lands 
their  father  purchased  but  all  have  gone  to  their 
long  homes  without  leaving  a  single  heir  to  per- 
petuate the  name.  They  Uved  to  extreme  ages 
and  died  suddenly  without  sickness,  as  did  their 
children.  Henry  Strubach  built  a  grist-mill, 
the  frame  of  which  still  stands  (or  a  part  of  it) 
and  is  distinguished  as  the  "old  mill"  now 
owned  by  Abram  Becker. 

Philip  Berg  settled  lower  down  the  creek 
upon  the  west  side,  where  Alexander  Larkin's 
house  now  stands  and  reared  two  sons,  Philip 
and  Abram.  The  latter  remained  upon  the  old 
place  and  became  a  very  wealthy  man  for  his 
day,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  possession  of  it 
by  his  son  David  Berg,  who  disposed  of  the 
property  to  Herman  Gardner  in  1842,  after  it 
had  been  in  the  possession  of  the  family  for  tlie 
period  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen  years.  It 
was  the  best  property  in  the  valley  but  it  has 
been  cut  up  in  various  ways  and  nothing  is  left 
of  its  primitive  appearance. 

About  the  year  1760,  Abram  Berg  purchased 
of  a  small  band  of  Indians  that  had  an  encamp- 
ment upon  the  "Cripple  bush,"  a  tract  of  land 
lying  upon  the  side  hill,  between  that  stream 
and  the  Cobleskill,  in  part  occupied  by  Peter 
VanZant,  John  Brayman  and  the  heirs  of  the 
late  Peter  I.  Enders.  The  consideration  was 
one  barrel  of  cider  and  a  fat  two  year  old  steer 
and  the  privilege  of  drinking  and  eating  the 
same  and  holding  a  "pow  wow"  beneath  a 
white  oak  tree,  still  standing  not  far  from  the 
Berg  mansion.  After  the  "pow  wow"  they 
left  the  country  and  never  returned,  and  Abram 
ever  after  held  peaceful  possession  of  the  pur- 
chase. The  old  family  together  with  the  origi- 
nal Strubach's  lie  here  upon  the  farm,  in  a  neg- 
lected spot  covered  with  briers  and  brambles, 
as  also  the  remains  of  the  brave  Captain  Stru- 
bach. 


Philip  Berg  son  of  Philip  settled  upon  the 
farm  now  owned  by  William  Hallenbeck  and 
was  familiarly  called  "  Lipps  Barrack  "  it  being 
the  German  of  PhiHp  Berg.  His  old  house 
stood  to  the  west  of  the  Hallenbeck  barn,  some 
distance  in  the  field  and  had  an  entry  or 
"stoop,"  (as  formerly  called,)  in  front.  Nearly 
all  of  the  first  settlers'  dwellings  had  a  lintel  at- 
tached in  front,  that  resembled  the  piazza  of  the 
present  day  enclosed.  A  double  door  invar- 
iably was  used,  the  upper  of  which  was  seldom 
closed,  but  the  lower  always,  except  upon  the 
ingress  and  egress  of  the  family.  This  Berg 
building  was  erected  immediately  after  the  Rev- 
olution. Mrs.  Berg  with  other  women  and  two 
or  three  babies,  during  the  war  were  upon  the 
flat  north  of  the  present  Central  Bridge  puUing 
flax,  when  a  band  of  Indians  came  along  the 
bank  of  the  stream  without  observing  them. 
They  hid  in  the  bushes  and  being  fearful  lest 
their  babies  would  make  a  noise  and  betray 
them,  they  put  their  handkerchiefs  in  their 
mouths  and  nearly  strangled  them  before  the 
Indians  passed.  It  was  afterwards  ascertained 
that  they  were  watching  an  opportunity  of  cap- 
turing Captain  Strubach  while  on  his  way  to 
and  from  the  fort,  and  that  they  had  a  fruitless 
watch  of  two  weeks. 

The  Captain's  eyes  were  also  open  and  while 
they  could  not  see  him,  he  daily  saw  their  move- 
ments. Thus  it  was,  in  those  times,  danger 
was  lurking  near  when  they  least  expected  it, 
and  wherever  they  were,  they  were  compelled  to 
be  upon  the  watch  each  moment,  and  as  they 
lay  upon  their  beds  at  night  to  rest,  they  knew 
not  but  the  morning  might  find  them  tortured 
prisoners  or  mangled  corpses. 

Godfrit  Kneiskern  settled  upon  the  late  Peter 
I.  Ender's  farm.  What  relation  he  was  to  John 
Peter  cannot  be  told,  nor  what  became  of  his 
descendants.  Perhaps  a  son  settled  at  Beaver 
Dam,  as  we  find  a  family  there  after  1754,  from 
whom  came  the  Kneiskerns  of  Carlisle,  and 
those  along  the  Cobleskill  west  of  this  place. 
They  were  related  to  John  Peter,  but  in  what 
degree  we  cannot  learn. 

John  Peter's  family  were  true  patriots  during 
the  Revolution,  while  those  already  mentioned 
were  well  tinctured  with  disloyalty,  with  the  ex- 


334 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


ception  of  two  members,  William  and  Jacob, 
the  former  being  the  one  taken  prisoner  at 
Moak's  Hollow,  and  afterwards  settled  near 
Seward  Valley. 

Lambert  Sternbergh  settled  the  farthest  south 
of  the  seven  families,  upon  the  farm  now  owned 
in  part  by  William  Landrum.  He  became  one 
•  of  the  fifteen  purchasers  of  "  Dorlach  Patent" 
and  upon  the  division  of  the  lots  those  lands 
now  occupied  by  his  descendants  in  the  town  of 
Seward  became  his.  In  1768  we  find  Lambert 
dead  and  his  son  Jacob  acting  in  his  stead. 
Hendrick  Houck,  as  we  stated,  settled  by  the 
side  of  Kneiskern,  and  the  property  still  is  held 
by  the  family.  The  family  has  always  been  a 
prominent  one  of  the  town  in  an  official,  agri- 
cultural and  business  point  of  view. 

Bartram  Entis  came  to  this  settlement  in 
1731  or  1732,  and  purchased  lands  of  Hen- 
drick Houck,  that  lay  outside  of  the  "  Dorf  pur- 
chase." At  the  same  time  Harmonus  Sidrick 
also  came  and  purchased  one  thousand  acres 
down  the  creek. 

Where  those  two  men  came  from  we  cannot 
learn,  but  conjecture  they  came  directly  from 
Germany  in  the  third  Palatine  immigration  that 
settled  mostly  east  of  Canada  creek,  upon  the 
Mohawk.  As  the  descendants  of  Entis  are 
quite  numerous,  we  will  here  state  that  the  name 
was  changed  in  after  years  to  Entres,  and  subse- 
quently to  Enders,  as  written  at  the  present 
time.  Bartram  had  two  sons,  Peter  and  John, 
from  whom  sprang  the  present  families  in  this 
valley.  We  are  not  positive,  but  think  there 
were  other  sons,  who  settled  upon  the  Mohawk. 
Peter  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution  and  lost 
his  building  by  the  torch  of  Johnson,  in  1780. 
His  grandsons  Jacob  P.,  and  Peter  I.,  were 
large  agriculturists  and  wealthy  men,  and  the 
fathers  of  the  present  famihes  that  bear  the 
name  in  and  around  the  old  "  Dorf." 

Jacob  P.  occupied  the  old  homestead  and  met 
an  untimely  death  in  crossing  the  stream.  The 
current  being  strong,  he  was  carried  by  it  to  a 
watery  grave,  and  was  followed  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  property  by  his  son  John,  who 
was  a  true  type  of  a  just  and  exemplary  man 
He  was  mstantly  killed  in  the  spring  of  1880 
by  a  runaway  team.     Peter  I.,  lived  to  a  ripe 


old  age  and  died  after  a  lingering  illness  in  the 
same  year.  The  Sidrick  family  name  has  also 
been  changed  and  is  now  written  Sidney. 

John  Peter  Kneiskern  built  the  first  grist-mill 
at  this  place  and  in  the  town.  It  was  a  small 
affair,  however,  to  merely  crack  the  grain,  anjj 
stood  upon  the  little  rivulet  that  runs  from  the 
high  ground  south  of  Mr.'  Shout's  residence. 
The  mill  stood  until  the  year  1780.  Jacob  Ko- 
bell,  a  resident  of  Weiser's  dorf  has  the  honor 
of  building  the  first  mill  upon  the  Cobleskill 
Creek,  at  this  place,  which  we  doubt  belongs  to. 
him.  Judge  Brown  wrote  his  "  Brief  Sketch  of 
the  First  Settlement  of  Schoharie"  in  1 8 1 7,  which 
was  published  in  1823,  while  he  was  in  the  full 
possession  of  his  mental  faculties,  and  of  the 
affair  he  says,  "so  called  after  the  name  of  a 
certain  man  who  cleared  a  spot  at  the  outlet, 
under  pretence  of  building  a  mill  thereon,  but 
was  never  brought  to  pass''  Author  Simms 
visited  the  Judge  in  1837,  whenhehad  arrived  at 
the  age  of  ninety-two,  and  upon  his  questioning 
him  in  regard  to  the  mill  he  "  thought  he  had 
been  to  mill  there."  The  mill  which  Brown  had 
visited,  unquestionably  was  the  Kneiskern  mill 
to  which  we  have  alluded. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  Kobell  or  some  one 
else,  intended  to  build  a  mill  here,  as  a  small 
"  runner"  was  found  upon  the  bank  of  the  creek 
many  years  ago  by  the  late  Samuel  Smith,  and 
which  is  now  to  be  seen  beneath  a  post  in 
Charles  Rich's  cow-shed,  but  no  other  evi- 
dence is  shown  that  a  mill  was  here.  The 
Kneiskern  mill  was  burned  by  Johnson  and  Brant 
in  1780,  as  were  all  other  buildings  of  the  dorf, 
and  upon  the  close  of  the  war  the  Strubach 
(more  recentlj  pronounced  Strubrack)  family 
built  one  nearly  upon  the  ground  of  the  present 
old  mill,  and  at  a  later  date  the  Hoiicks  built 
one  upon  the  Schoharie  creek  nearly  opposite 
of  the  family  mansion,  but  owing  to  the  caving 
of  the  banks,  it  was  taken  down.  In  regard  to 
the  name  of  the  Cobleskill  mill  we  will  refer 
the  reader  to  that  chapter. 

The  stone  or  "runner"  found  upon  the  bank 
was  perhaps  brought  from  some  of  the  mills  at 
Schoharie  or  Weiser's,  that  had  been  discarded 
for  larger  ones.  It  is  a  common  sand-stone,  and 
does  not  show  much  use.  During  the  Revolution 


TOWN  OF  ESPERANCE. 


335 


the  settlers  of  this  "  dorf "  were  loyal  to  the 
Colonial  cause  and  met  with  severe  losses  by  the 
torch.  When  the  invasion  of  Johnson  occurred, 
a  few  of  the  families  were  at  the  Lower  Fort, 
but  the  most  of  them  fled  to  the  hills  upon  each 
side  of  the  creek.  The  Enders,  Sidney  and  the 
Merkles  built  a  small  hut  upon  the  rise  of  ground 
to  the  east,  which  was  out  of  the  regular  path  of 
the  foe,  and  to  it  they  resorted,  when  danger 
was  near  and  too  short  notice  given  to  reach 
the  fort.  For  the  protection  and  better  con- 
venience of  these  settlers,  a  small  block-house 
was  built  in  the  year  1782,  near  the  residence 
of  George  Taylor,  to  which  they  removed  as 
long  as  the  war  lasted.  Being  destitute  of 
houses  at  that  time  and  not  being  able  to  re- 
build, or  run  the  chances  of  losing  again,  they 
all  made  the  block-house  their  home.  The 
most  valuable  of  their  effects  were  secreted 
in  the  woods,  and  when  Johnson  came  down 
the  valley,  the  people  were  better  prepared  than 
those  above,  having  a  timely  warning  of  his  ap- 
proach. 

After  Johnson  had  laid  the  valley  in  ashes,  he 
crossed  the  creek  with  his  force  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  island  below  the  old  ferry  and  en- 
camped for  the  night  between  the  "  valley  ceme- 
tery" and  the  creek  to  the  west.  The  day's 
laurels  must  have  weighed  heavily  upon  the 
"  Christian  faith's  defender's"  agent,  and  the  en- 
lightened chieftain  Brant.  Their  proceedings 
throughout  the  day  failed  to  show,  either  mili- 
tary skill  or  commendable  bravery,  but  on  the 
contrary,  inability  and  cowardice,  and  proved 
them  to  be  a  sneaking  band  of  cutthroats  and  fit 
companions  of  incarnate  fiends.  The  next  day 
they  followed  the  Indian  path  to  the  Mohawk 
to  seek  other  fields  for  plunder  and  murder,  with 
the  awakened  militia  of  the  Schoharie  valley  at 
their  rear,  to  punish  them  for  their  cowardly 
acts. 

The  town  at  present  is  without  manufactures 
except  local  milling  and  has  but  three  hotels, 
where  at  one  time  could  be  counted  ten  within 
the  distance  of  six  miles. 

The  town  is  beautifully  located,  asfrom  near- 
ly every  point  the  whole  can  be  seen  and  pre- 
sents a  very  even  and  well  cultivated  appear- 
ance. 


It  was  formed  through  the  efforts  of  Judge 
Wright,  then  State  senator  from  Schoharie,  in 
February,  1846,  and  on  the  19th  of  May  follow- 
ing, the  first  town  meeting  was  held,  and  the 
following  officers  elected : — 

Supervisor — John  S.  Brown. 
Justices — George  Taylor  and  Wm,  B.  Abell. 
Clerk — Stephen  Teeple. 
Collecibr — George  Crocker. 
Superintendant    of    Schools — Lorenzo   I. 

Leonard,  M.  D. 
Assessors — George  A.  Smith,  David  Berg. 
Constables— iis.t\\a.mt\  Eggleston  and  Henry 

Merkle. 

John  S.  Brown  now  resides  in  Duanesburgh, 
and  is  a  son  of  the  first  settler  of  Sloansville, 
John  Brown.  He  was  elected  sheriff  of  the 
County  in  1842,  at  the  time  the  "Anti-rent" 
war  created  so  much  excitement  in  several 
counties  of  the  State. 

While  blood  was  drawn  in  other  localities  we 
are  pleased  to  state  the  vigilance  of  General 
Brown  in  procuring  a  well-armed  force  saved  the 
County  the  disgrace  of  a  rebellion,  as  will  be 
seen  by  consulting  Chapter  IV.  The  Anti's 
weapon,  tar  and  feathers,  was  but  very  sparingly 
used  in  this  county,  although  sheriff  Brown  and 
deputyTobias  Bouck,  barely  escaped  a  luxuriant 
coat. 

This  town  has  been  represented  in  the  As- 
sembly four  times  since  its  organization. 

Hon.  Lewis  Rockwell  in  1851. 
Hon.  John  Lovett  in  1856. 
Hon.  Joseph  Buckbee  in  1861. 
Hon.  William  S.  Clark  in  1 867-1 868. 

Mr.  Rockwell  was  a  native  of  the  town.  Mr, 
Lovett  was  born  in  Vermont,  and  was  for  many 
years  a  tin  and  hardware  dealer  at  Esperance. 
He  was  a  man  of  sterling  worth ;  but  in  the 
bloom  of  manhood  he  fell  a  victim  to  the  slow, 
but  sure  disease,  consumption,  lamented  by  all 
who  knew  him.  Mr.  Buckbee,  familiarly  known 
as  Uncle  Joe,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  place 
for  many  years,  as  well  as  the  active  citizen, 
ever  looking  to  the  comfort  of  others,  and  es- 
pecially the  welfare  of  the  place.  Mr.  Clark 
was  born  in  Carlisle,  and  early  fitted  himself  for 
the  bar,  and    settled    at    Sloansville,    as    the 


336 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


first  one  of  the  profession,  and  what  is  very 
singular,  the  only  one  in  the  town  at  the  present 
time,  that  but  a  few  years  since  contained 
several. 

When  the  Southern  Rebellion  shook  our 
country  to  its  center,  this  town  proved  itself 
loyal,  by  furnishing  both  men  and  money.  The 
records  of  the  town  are,  as  we  find  in  most  sister 
towns,  unable  to  give  accurate  statistics  of  the 
number  and  amount. 

Supervisors. 
The  supervisors  of  the  town  have  been : — 
1846 — John  S.  Brown. 
1847 — Charles  Knox. 
1848 — Lewis  Rockwell. 
1849 — Lewis  Rockwell. 
1850 — Spencer  Foster. 
185 1 — John  E.  Mann, 
1852— John  E.  Mann. 
1853 — Horace  D.  Phelps. 
1854 — Horace  D.  Phelps. 
1855 — ^John  Lovett. 
1856 — Storrs  Messenger. 
1857 — Storrs  Messenger. 
1858 — James  B.  McMaster. 
1859 — James  B,  McMaster, 
i860— J.  M.  Donaldson. 
1 86 1 — J.  M.  Donaldson. 
1862 — Jehiel  Larkin. 
1863 — Jehiel  Larkin. 
1864— Jesse  A.  Tubbs. 
1865 — Cornelius  O.  Dorn. 
1866 — Alexander  Larkin. 
1867 — Alexander  Larkin. 
1868 — James  Van  Vechten. 
1869 — James  Van  Vechten. 
1870 — James  H.  Crandall. 
187 1 — James  H.  Crandall. 
1872 — James  Van  Vechten. 
1873 — James  Van  Vechten. 
1874 — Jehiel  Larkin. 
'87s — James  Van  Vechten. 
1876 — James  Van  Vechten. 
1877 — James  Van  Vechten. 
1878 — James  Van  Vechten. 
1879 — James  Van  Vechten. 
1880— M.  W.  Stevens. 
1881— M.  W.  Stevens. 
1882— M.  W.  Stevens. 


Statistics. 

When  the  Albany  &  Susquehanna  Railroad 
was  built,  the  town  gave  bonds  to  the  amount 
of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  to  aid  in  its  con- 
struction. By  the  report  of  the  supervisor 
upon  the  first  day  of  November,  1878,  there 
was  yet  remaining  unpaid, 

Principal $i8,ooo 

Interest  on  the  same 1,288 

Total  yet  due $19,288 

The  town  consists  of  11,360  acres  of  land. 
The  assessed  valuation  of  real  estate  is  $502,670; 
and  of  personal  property,  $157,424;  number  of 
names  on  the  tax  list,  422. 

The  first  Baptist  church  in  the  County  was 
built  in  Sloansville,  in  181 1.  The  organization 
was  effected  some  time  previous,  by  Rev.  E. 
Herrick.  The  building  stood  upon  the  turn- 
pike, east  of  the  residence  of  Mr.  Harvey  Cor- 
nish, and  was  purchased  by  the  Methodists  and 
removed  to  its  present  site  in  1852.  The  pres- 
ent Baptist  church  was  erected  in  1842,  it  being 
of  the  "  New  School "  order,  while  the  original 
one  was  of  the  "  Old." 

The  most  prominent  men  of  the  town  besides 
those  already  mentioned,  were,  and  are, 
Charles  Hemstead, 
William  Wood, 
Henry  Mandle, 
WiUiam  Simpson, 
A.  Billings, 
Alfred  Isham, 
John  Duell, 
Dr.  Rowland, 
James  McMaster, 
H.  Shurburn, 
J.  O.  Root, 
M.  W.  Stevens, 
Jerome  Dwelly, 
S.  Teeple,  ■^ 

David  Enders, 
Daniel  Gallup, 
Jesse  Tubbs, 
Erastus  Williams. 

In  1832  the  Schoharie  Free  Press  was  re- 
moved from   Schoharie   to   Esperance  village, 


TOWN  OF  ESPERANCE. 


337 


and  the  name  changed  to  Esperance  Sentinel 
and  Schoharie  and  Montgomery  County  Reporter. 

It  was  edited  by  Duncan  McDonald,  whose 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  Horatio  Gates  Spafford, 
the  author  of  "Spaffords  Gazetteer."  Mrs. 
McDonald  was  a  fluent  writer,  and  added  much 
talent  to  the  columns  of  the  paper.  The  Senti- 
nel'^zs,  "Anti-Masonic,"  and  the  copy  before 
us  of  October,  1832,  has  the  following  nomina- 
tions made  by  that  party,  at  the  head  of  its 
columns : — 

For  President — William  West. 
For  Vice-President — Amos  Ellmaker. 
For  Governor — Francis  Granger. 
For  Elector — John  Gebhard. 

The  editorial  says:  — 

"  We  entertain  strong  hopes  that  Schoharie 
is  about  to  shake  oflf  the  yoke  of  the  regency 
and  Masonic  coahtion  and  take  the  place  she 


formerly  occupied  among  the  old  Democratic 
counties  of  the  State,  redeemed,  regenerated, 
disenthralled." 

The  sheet  was  discontinued  in  1836. 

The  town  comprises  nearly  the  whole  of 
Jacob  and  Hendrick  Ten  Eyck's  patent  which 
was  granted  in  1739  and  surveyed  in  1761. 

Lewis  Morris'  and  A.  Coeymans'  grant  of 
1726,  lying  at  Kneiskern's  dorf  is  mostly  in  the 
town,  also  a  portion  of  the  Schoharie  patent, 
purchased  in  1714,.  by  Myndert  Schuyler  and 
others,  and  surveyed  in  1726,  running  north 
and  south  on  the  west  of  Ten  Eyck's  grant. 
Lawyer  &  Zimmer's  second  allotment  of  1768 
also  takes  in  a  portion  of  the  town  upon  the 
west  and  north  of  Morris  &  Coeymans',  while 
the  "Stone  heap  patent"  of  1770  lies  to  the 
north  and  west  of  it  and  extends  into  the  county 
of  Montgomery. 


BIOGRAPBICAL   SKETCH. 


HOH.  WILLIAM   S.  CLARK. 


Mr.  Clark's  grandparents,  who  were  born  in 
Duchess  county,  settled  in  Coeymans,  Albany 
county,  during  the  year  1773.  His  paternal 
grandfather  being  unable  to  endure  the  priva- 
tions of  pioneer  life,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
two.  His  maternal  grandfather,  Reuben  Stan- 
ton, was  among  those  who  by  their  vigor  and 
hardi'  ood,  contributed  much  to  clear  up  the 
wilderness  in  Coeymans,  in  the  days  when 
homes  were  never  safe  in  consequence  of  the 
depredations  of  marauders,  from  the  army 
in  the  war  preceding  the  Revolution.  He 
was  for  some  years  a  licentiate  in  the  Baptist 
church  and  was  regularly  ordained  by  that 
denomination  in  1793,  continuing  to  preach 
until  he  was  disqualified  by  age.     Mr.  Clark's 


parents  settled  on  a  farm  in  Carlisle,  in  18 13, 
where  he  was  born,  and  where  his  father  died 
in  1849. 

Mr.  Clark  was  favored  with  good  educational 
opportunities,  having  attended  some  of  the 
academies  of  Schoharie  and  Madison  counties. 
He  was  a  teacher  during  several  winters,  and 
then  chose  law  as  a  profession ;  he  graduated 
from  the  Albany  law  school  in  the  spring  of 
1858,  and  returned  to Sloansville,  where  he  now 
resides.  Since  then,  however,  he  has  gratified 
his  desire  for  travel,  to  a  great  extent,  and  has 
also  been  identified  with  all  movements  of 
public  interest  in  his  locality,  yet  devoting  him- 
self to  the  practice  of  his  profession,  in  which 
his  interest  and  status  is  shown  by  his  partici- 


338 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


pation  in  the  organization  of  the  New  York 
State  Bar  Association,  and  present  membership 
in  that  body. 

In  the  year  1850,  Mr.  Clark  was  elected 
town  superintendent  of  common  schools  in 
Carlisle,  and  was  commissioner  of  excise  dur- 
ing the  years  1862,  1863  and  1864.  He  was 
nominated  by  acclamation  by  the  Democrats, 
and  elected  without  opposition  to  the  Assembly 
of  1867,  and  was  renominated  and  returned 
the  following  year  by  a  majority  of  one  thous- 
and, seven  hundred  and  seventy-eight,  leading 
his  ticket  just  one  hundred. 

During  the  war,  his  talents  and  influence 
were  exerted  to  sustain  the  government,  by  ad- 
dressing war  and  bounty  meetings,  and  en- 
couraging volunteering,  both  in  his  own  and 
the  surrounding  counties.  He  has  always  been 
a  Democrat,  and  various  political  articles  from 
his  pen,  which  have  appeared  through  the  pub- 
lic press,  among  them  his  discussion  of  the  pro- 
posed constitutional  convention  in  1858,  and 
of  the  constitutional  modifications  suggested  in 
the  convention  of  1867 — display  a  repleteness 
of  ideas  and  a  vigor  of  analysis  above  the 
ordinary  cast  of  mind.  The  position  taken 
by  Mr.  Clark  in  the  Legislature  of  1867,  was 
recognized  by  his  appointment  by  Speaker 
Pitts,  as  a  member  of  the  joint  committee  to 
investigate  the  management  of  the  canals. 

His  ability  and  legislative  experience  made 
him  quite  a  prominent  candidate  for  Speaker  of 
the  House  in  1868,  for  which  position  he  re- 
ceived favorable  commendations  from  the  press, 
but  in  deference  to  the  unanimity  of  the  New 
York  delegation  and  in  recognition  of  the  claim 
of  the  New  York  Democracy,  Mr.  Clark  with- 
drew from  the  canvass  prior  to  the  caucus. 

Following  our  natural  expectations  from  such 
antecedents,  Mr.  Clark's  conception  of  Legisla- 
tive duties  is  not  confined  to  mere  local  inter- 
ests but  embraces  within  its  scope,  legislation 
of  a  general  character ;  and  the  comprehensive-    I 


ness  both  of  his  views  and  his  familiarity  with 
the  requirements  of  the  people,  is  indicated  by 
the  bills  introduced  by  him  in  relation  to  the 
registry,  assessment  and  highway  laws  of  the 
State.  He  also  rendered  efficient  aid  to  the 
Albany  &  Susquehanna  railroad  passing  in  the 
Assembly  the  bill  which  gave  $250,000  State 
aid  to  that  project,  by  a  vote  of  seventy-six, 
thus  assuring  the  early  success  of  that  enterprise 
whose  value  is  now  so  well  known. 

Mr.  Clark,  having  been  a  member  of  the 
select  committee  on  canals  in  1867,  and  the 
Legislature  of  1868  preferring  articles  of  im- 
peachment against  R.  C.  Dorn^  then  ex-canal 
commissioner,  he  was  appointed  by  Speaker 
Hitchman  as  one  of  the  managers  on  the  part 
of  the  Assembly,  in  the  prosecution  of  the  im- 
peachment, and  took  an  active  part  in  the  con- 
duct of  the  trial.  The  versatility  of  Mr.  Clark's 
attainments  and  his  standing  in  the  Assembly  are 
further  shown  by  his  appointment  as  one  of  a 
select  committee  to  examine,  dm'ing  the  recess, 
the  historic  relics  in  the  collection  of  S.  G. 
Eddy,  of  Stillwater,  N.  Y.,  and  J.  R.  Simms  of 
Fort  Plain.  His  report  on  the  subject  was  full 
and  explicit,  having  the  concurrence  of  his 
colleagues,  resulting  in  the  securing  to  the  State 
the  more  valuable  of  the  collections.  In  de- 
bate he  was  ready,  forcible,  logical  and  at  all 
times  eloquent,  always  having  the  attention  of 
the  Assembly  ;  and  by  his  suavity  of  manner  and 
geniality  of  nature,  secured  not  only  the  good 
will,  but  the  personal  regard  of  all  his  associates 
in  the  House.  In  his  position  as  Chairman  of 
the  Committee  on  Internal  Aifairs  of  Towns  and 
Counties,  he  was  indefatigable  in  his  labors  to 
facilitate  the  progress  of  the  measures  submitted 
to  the  scrutiny  of  the  committee.  He  served  also 
on  the  Committee  on  Charitable  and  Religious 
Societies,  and  on  Local  General  Orders. 

Mr.  Clark  is  still  in  the  full  vigor  of  life, 
enjoys  a  good  joke  or  a  keen  sarcasm  with  the 
same  zest  that  an  epicure  relishes  his   salads. 


TOWN  OF  ESPERANCE. 


339 


and  we  doubt  not  that  his  versatile  intelligence 
and  recognized  ability  will  secure  for  him  higher 
positions  and  larger  trusts ;  and  however  high 
the  position  the  future  may  assign  him,  he  will 
discharge  its  duties  with  fidelity  unquestioned 
and  honor  untarnished. 

Our  subject  also  has  a  finely  cultivated  liter- 
ary taste  and  exhibits  in  his  composition  a  cer- 
tain vim  and  dash  which  excite  and  insure  one's 
admiration.  His  "  Memoir  of  Charles  Howard 
Phelps"  which  was  written  for  the  trustees  of 
Dudley  observatory,  and  subsequently  published 
by  them,  is  a  chaste  and  beautiful  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  one  whose  whole  soul  was  inspired 
with  the  grandeur  of  astronomy  and  whose  life 
trembled  at  the  impressions  of  those  master 
thoughts  which  seem  to  transfigure  the  whole 
being. 

Mr.  Clark's  address  dehvered  at  the  centennial 
anniversary  of  the  Seward  Massacre  in  1 780,  held 
at  Seward,  October  18,  1880,  in  the  presence  of 
a  large  gathering  of  people  from  the  surrounding 
country,  possesses  so  much  that  is  grand  and 
eloquent  that  we  here  published  it  in  full: — 

"  Mr.  President  and  fellow  citizens,  mine  the 
pleasing,  though  somewhat  laborious  and  diffi- 
cult task,  to  gather  up  the  raveled  threads  of 
the  events  which  these  scenes  recall,  and  in 
memory  of  which  we  are  assembled,  and  weave 
them  the  best  I  may,  into  chapters  of  this  day's 
proceedings,  to  make  the  volume  of  their  his- 
tory which  shall  cheer,  encourage  and  inspire 
your  descendants  through  coming  generations 
and  all  the  future.  The  same  sky  is  over  us ;  we 
inhale  air  of  the  same  balminess  and  invigorating 
power;  the  same  beauty  of  landscape  with  its  un- 
dulating plain,  gentle  sloping  hillside  and  tow- 
ering mountain,  environs  this  spot  as  it  did  a 
hundred  years  ago. 

"But  how  different  the  other  surroundings 
and  accessories  of  this  and  that  afternoon  !  The 
danger  which  lurked  in  the  shadow  of  every 
rock  and  tree  as  the  stillness  of  the  night  set- 


tled upon  the  earth,  and  ambushed  in  every 
road-side,  bush  or  thicket  in  the  bright  sunlight 
of  mid-day,  is  forever  dispelled;  prosperity 
abounds  on  every  side;  peace  serenely  and  se- 
curely sits  everywhere  in  these  fruitful  valleys  and 
among  those  beautiful  hills;  safety  abides  under 
every  roof-tree,  and. security,  joy,  and  happiness 
dwell  with  you  in  all  your  homes.  And  all  this 
contrast  because  the  settlers  of  New  Dorlach 
were  patriots ! 

"  'Twas  in  the  cause  of  liberty  and  freedom 
that  John  France  fell,  and  Catharine,  fairest  of 
the  fair,  was  sacrificed.  To  commemorate 
their  lives  and  keep  green  the  memory  of  this 
ruthless  sacrifice,  by  every  means  in  your  power, 
is  the  noblest  work  in  the  lives  of  their  descend- 
ants, and  can  but  inspire  in  the  hearts  of  you 
all,  emotions  of  gratitude  that  the  patriot 
fathers  and  mothers  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  Tryon  county  as  well  as  those  of 
New  Dorlach,  endured  the  trials,  bore  the  bur- 
den of  privation,  suffering  and  sorrow,  with  a 
fortitude  and  heroism  beside  which,  in  the 
world's  history,  occurs  neither  its  equal  nor 
parallel,  and  must  beget  in  you  all  a  deeper 
devotion  to  the  land  of  your  birth — to  your 
homes  and  firesides,  where  spring  earth's 
brightest  hopes  and  nestle  its  sweetest,  most 
heavenly  joys;  and  induce  that  love  and  vener- 
ation for  your  country  and  its  glorious  flag,  which 
alone  will  secure  the  perpetuation  and  trans- 
mission of  the  blessings  we  all  enjoy. 

"  Here  are  the  descendants  of  the  Merckleys 
and  Bastian  France,  whose  names  have  been 
alluded  to  as  those  around  which  clusters  the 
interest  of  this  grand  occasion.  With  these 
people  you  are  acquainted  and  of  them,  there- 
fore, I  need  not  speak,  except  Gilbert  G. 
France,  your  president  of  the  day,  whose  father 
was  the  captured  Henry,  which  may  surprise 
some  of  you.  But  there  are  here,  to-day, 
besides  Gilbert  G.  France  and  his  nephews, 
William  G.  and  Albert  France,  whom  you  all 


340 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


know,  two  other  sons  of  the  captured  Henry 
France— David  and  Jacob — venerable  men, 
upon  whose  heads  are  the  snows  of  nearly  four- 
score years,  and  who  have  journeyed  from 
their  distant  homes,  that  they  might  be  here  on 
this  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  event,  which 
for  the  hour,  so  darkened  the  heart  of  their 
ancestors;  to  drop  a  tear  to  the  memory  of 
Catharine  Merckley  and  John  France,  upon 
the  soil  consecrated  to  liberty  by  their  blood — 
'the  deep  damnation  of  whose  taking  off'  can 
now  never  be  forgotten  ;  to  drink  again  from 
the  fountain  of  patriotism,  and  catch  thence  an 
inspiration,  which  with  an  unfaltering  faith  and 
trust  in  the  promises  of  Christianity,  shall  cheer 
and  sustain  them  as  they  totter  down  life's 
steep  decline.  Jacob  France,  of  Cold  Brook, 
Herkimer  county,  and  David  France,  of  South 
Canisteo,  Steuben  county,  evince  by  their 
presence,  though  burdened  by  the  weight  of 
years,  their  love  of  home  and  native  land. 
More  than  this,  Jacob  France  is  both  precept 
and  example  to  the  young  men  and  youth  here 
to-day,  and  wherever  else  the  story  of  this 
day's  exercises  shall  come. 

"  Coming  into  possession  of  the  German  Bible 
of  his  grandfather,  Bastian  France,  late  in  life, 
with  which  language  he  was  wholly  unacquainted, 
he  resolved  when  seventy-two  years  old  that  he 
would  learn  to  read  the  word  of  his  and  his 
grandfather's  God  in  the  language  in  which  it 
was  written,  and  in  eighteen  months  had  so 
mastered  it  that  he  was  able  to  read  the  Scrip- 
tures in  the  German,  and  has  since  read  that 
Bible,  aged  a  hundred  and  thirty-five  years,  twice 
through  in  course. 

"  Young  men  of  Seward,  of  the  adjoining 
towns  and  of  the  County,  there  is  encourage- 
ment, cheer  and  inspiration  to  duty,  in  this  to 
you,  and  to  perseverance  in  whatever  you  may 
properly  undertake,  which  insures  success. 
David  France,  by  his  devoted  labors  as  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel  during  fifty-two  years  of  his 


life,  attests  at  once  his  belief  and  trust  in  the 
God  of  his  fathers,  and  therefore  his  worth  and 
merit  as  a  citizen  and  patriot. 

"Among  the  wonderful  achievements  of  in- 
vention and  science  since,  in  answer  to  patriot 
invocations,  war's  dread  alarms  were  hushed 
and  peace  smiled  over  the  land,  I  would  men- 
tion those  of  Albert  France  to  whom  allusion 
has  been  made  in  the  manufacture  of  guns  and 
projectiles,  who  by  his  breech-loading  cannon 
with  steel-pointed  ball,  second  to  none  in  the 
world  for  war's  dread  conflict,  has  made  the  iron- 
clads of  the  world's  navies  but  as  the  valueless 
wooden  walls  of  ancient  naval  armaments. 

"  The  clustering  memories  of  noble  deeds  of 
patriot  sires,  incited  and  nerved  by  the  bloody 
sacrifices  we  commemorate,  the  emotions  of 
gratitude  they  awaken  and  the  grand  lessons 
they  inculcate,  are  all  too  numerous  for  the 
swift  flying  hours,  and  I  leave  them  all  to  say, 
that  realizing  the  difference  between  the  peace 
of  to-day  and  the  terrors  of  a  hundred  years 
ago,  when  the  slumbers  of  innocence  were  brok- 
en by  the  fiendish  war-whoops  of  the  painted 
savage,  and  making  sleepers  affrighted  by  gleam- 
ing tomahawks  or  glittering  scalping-knife, 
faithful  to  the  teachings  of  the  hour  and  the 
glistening  memories  of  the  past,  your  descend- 
ants shall  here  assemble  in  October,  1980,  un- 
der the  same  bright  stars  and  stripes,  to  re- 
memorize  the  tragedies  of  a  hundred  years  ago, 
and  by  the  act,  will,  as  you  do  now,  with  prayer 
and  song,  dedicate  themselves  and  their  lives  to 
God  and  their  native  land. 

"  Descendants  of  Bastian  France,  to  you  re- 
mains, and  upon  you  devolves  a  holy  duty,  made 
sacred  by  this  day's  pageant  of  banner  and  music, 
oratory  and  song.  It  is,  that  you  erect  to  the 
memory  of  the  murdered  John  France,  a  suita- 
ble monumental  stone.  I  appeal  to  you  and 
adjure  you  by  the  'green  graves  of  your  sires,' 
let  not  another  October's  sun  arise  ere  the  work 
of  love  is  done." 


TOWN  OF  WRIGHT. 


34' 


CHAPTER  XXI  . 
History  of  the  Town  of  Wright. 

Town  Formed — First  Settlement — Becker 
Family — Its  History — Pedigree — Becker 
Land  Grant— First  Saw  Mill — HonYost 
Becker — His  Intended  Marriage — John 
DoMiNiCK  AND  Family — Dr.  Multer  Whips 
Dominick — Hessian  Settlers — Events  of 
1783 — Burning  of  Zimmer's  Buildings — 
Becker  Murdered — Boys  Secreted — Ad- 
vance Upon  Major  Becker's  House — 
Jacob  and  William  flee  to  the  Moun- 
tain— John  Hutt— George  Schell— Firing 
Upon  the  Indians — Snyder  and  Mann 
Captured — Traditionary  Tale  of  Seths 
Henry's  Death  —  Treatment  of  Prison- 
ers—Major Becker's  Death— Stone  Store 
AT  Shutter's  Corners — Henry  Becker — 
Founding  of  School  —  Resolutions  — 
HuntingFamily—Gallupville— Tannery- 
Churches — Reformed  Church  —  Metho- 
dist— Lutheran — Temperance — School — 
New  Village— Wagon  Making — Dutch 
Settlement — Weidman's — Hiram  Walden 
Officials  —  Supervisors  —  Valuation  — 
Merchants  and  Physicians — Boundaries. 

THIS  town  was  formed  from  Schoharie  on 
the  4th  of  April,  1846,  through  the  Legis- 
lative labors  of  the  late  Judge  John  C.  Wright, 
then  Senator  of  the  Third  District,  and  named 
in  honor  of  the  acting  Governor,  Silas  Wright. 

It  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  both  agriculture 
and  manufacture,  although  but  little  of  the  lat- 
ter is  practiced,  yet  by  the  aid  of  capital.  Fox's 
creek  and  the  numberless  small  streams  that 
issue  from  the  hillsides  might  be  utihzed  for 
such  purposes,  and  be  as  profitable  as  like  privi- 
leges warrant  throughout  the  Eastern  States. 

Agriculture  has  arrived  at  an  as  advanced 
state  in  this  town  as  any  other  of  the  County  in 
the  production  of  cereals  and  grasses  to  which 
the  land  is  adapted,  especially  winter  grains. 


The  first  settlement  made  in  the  town  was 
near  the  present  village  of  Gallupville,  at  an 
early  date,  probably  about  the  year  1735. 

We  are  of  the  opinion  based  upon  circum- 
stances and  documents,  that  the  Becker  family 
were  the  pioneer  settlers,  and  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  they  form  a  goodly  representation  in 
the  population  of  the  township  at  the  present 
time,  beside  being  connected  with  events  of 
historic  interest  during  the  Revolutionary  war, 
we  will  refer  to  their  early  history  and  be  more 
particular  in  regard  to  the  individual  members 
of  the  family  as  occasion  will  require  a  knowl- 
edge of  their  connection. 

During  the  voyage  from  Germany  the  father 
and  husband  died,  leaving  the  mother  and  two 
sons,  Johannes  and  Jacob,  as  the  only  repre- 
sentatives of  the  German  or  High  Dutch 
Beckers  in  America.  They  settled  upon  the 
Hudson  river,  below  the  Camps,  and  must  have 
remained  there  several  years,  as  the  mother 
married,  and  the  sons  there  grew  to  manhood 
and  married  before  they  came  to  the  promised 
land  of  Schoharie.  The  tradition  of  the  family 
as  given  us  by  Gideon  Becker,  a  great-grandson 
of  Johannes,  who  has  spared  neither  pains  nor 
expense  in  tracing  the  history  and  lineage  of 
his  ancestors,  is  to  the  effect  that  the  two  broth- 
ers started  alone  with  guns  and  knapsacks 
from  their  homes  upon  the  Hudson,  and  fol- 
lowed that  stream  up  to  the  Mohawk,  and  from 
thence  to  the  Schoharie  creek  and  located  here, 
it  being. the  suburbs  of  the  Schoharie  settle- 
ment. 

The  mother  and  stepfather  followed,  and  a 
rude  but  comfortable  house  was  built  near  the 
present  site  of  Austin  Becker's  farm  house,  now 
occupied  by  Spatehohs.  There  they  quietly 
labored  and  laid  the  foundation  of  the  wealth 
and  influence  the  family  possessed  and  enjoyed 
for  many  long  years,  even  down  to  the  present 
time,  yet  not  forgetful  of  the  customs  of  the 
"  Fater  land,"  which  proved  disastrous  to  the 
existence  of  the  step-father.  His  name  was 
Bashsha,  and  he  had  served  many  years  as  a 
soldier  in  his  narive  land.  Observing  the  old 
German  customs  of  making  New  Year's  day 
merry  by  songs,  dances,  drinking  and  athletic 
sports,  his  near  neighbors,  the  Indians,  were  invit- 


342 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


ed  to  partake  of  his  hospitality,  and  perhaps  con- 
tributed to  the  sports.  At  the  close  of  the  day, 
target  shooting  was  indulged  in,  and  an  old 
squaw,  wishing  toexhibither  science  in  gunning, 
begged  the  privilege  of  trying  her  skill,  but  be- 
ing under  the  influence  of  "  firewater,"  she 
carelessly  shot  Bashsha,  instead  of  the  target. 
He  died  soon  after,  regretting  that,  after  passing 
through  several  wars,  he  at  last  fell  by  the  hand 
of  a  drunken  squaw. 

Jacob,  not  liking  the  country,  again  shouldered 
his  gun  and  knapsack,  and  traveled  down  the 
Susquehanna,  and  joined  the  German  colony  at 
Tunkhannock,  in  Pennsylvania,  where  his  de- 
scendants still  reside. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Johannes,  or  John,  and 
the  widowed  mother,  were  the  only  ones  left  of 
the  family.  The  former  became  a  large  land- 
holder, and  the  progenitor  of  the  present  High 
Dutch  Becker  family  of  Schoharie  County, 
whose  numbers  are  almost  legion.  His  children 
were  Johannes,  Jr.,  Jacob,  Hon  Yost,  (Joseph,) 
George,  William,  and  Maria,  (Mrs.  John  Werth, 
of  Schoharie.) 

Johannes,  Jr.,  was  father  of  young  Peter 
Becker,  of  Carlisle,  and  Jacob  was  grand- 
father of  Austin  and  Gideon  Becker,  of  Gallup- 
ville.  Joseph  (Major)  had  two  sons,  Henryand 
John.  The  former  was  father  to  Mrs.  Rix  War- 
ner, of  Cobleskill,  and  Mrs.  Coats,  and  the 
latter  the  father  of  Martinus,  and  Hon- 
Yost,  or  Joseph,  of  Carlisle,  David,  Peter  and 
Mrs.  William  Posson.  George's  sons  were 
Peter  Becker,  (Old  Peter)  of  Carhsle,  William, 
of  Gallupville,  and  Jacob,  of  Peoria.  William 
died  childless.     He  occupied  the  homestead. 

The  children  settled  upon  lands  the  father  pur- 
chased in  1743,  and  became  prosperous  farmers 
and  true  patriots.  Near  the  time  the  Beckers 
came,  Johannes  Schaeffer  and  his  son  Johannes 
settled  where  William  Schermerhorn  now  re- 
sides, and  in  company  with  Johannes  Becker, 
purchased  several  thousand  acres  of  land  of 
Johannes  Lawyer  and  John  Depeyster,  in  1743 
upon  which  they  located  their  children.  Becker 
and  Schaeffer  made  a  division  of  the  same  on 
the  istof  December,  1763.  These  two  men 
became  mterested  in  several  large  tracts  of  land 
m  different  sections,  especially  the  one  lying  in 


Carlisle  and  Cobleskill,  east  of  Borst's,  or  "  Dor- 
lach  patent,"  and  designated  as  Becker's  Pat- 
ent, also  of  one  thousand,  two  hundred  and 
forty-six  acres,  lying  partly  upon  and  to  the  west 
of  Barton  Hill,  purchased  February  5,  1772. 

About  the  year  1740,  there  settled  upon  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  Christian  Hilts,  one 
Jacob  Zimmer,  who  became  connected  with 
Johannes  Lawyer,  the  second,  in  the  purchase 
of  large  tracts  of  land,  and  was,  at  one  time,  a 
landed  autocrat,  being  the  possessor  of  at  least 
ten  thousand  acres. 

He  became  addicted  to  intemperate  habits 
and  careless  in  business  transactions,  of  which 
his  partners  took  advantage,  and  obtained  an 
assignment  of  all  excepting  a  tract  lying  upon 
and  around  the  present  Zimmer  hill.  His  shrewd- 
ness, only,  saved  it,  which  he  divided  among  his 
heirs,  with  whom  he  lived  during  the  latter  part 
of  his  life.  His  sons  were  Adam,  Peter,  George 
and  William,  whose  great-grandchildren  occupy 
the  land  which  he  purchased  at  six-pence  per 
acre,  nearly  one  century  and  one-half  ago. 

Having  now  referred  to  the  three  families 
that  first  settled  within  the  limits  of  the  town, 
we  will  cast  a  glance  toward  the  advancement 
made  by  them  as  pioneers  in  the  year  1770. 
We  find  the  three  had  united  and  built  a  saw- 
mill upon  Alexander  Zimmer's  present  farm  and 
tradition  tells  us  the  water-wheel  was  eight  feet 
in  diameter  and  the  crank  of  the  pitman  was 
made  of  wood  and  it  required  two  men  to  man- 
ufacture them  to  keep  the  mill  running  as  there 
being  a  great  deal  of  strain  upon  it,  and  the 
wood  being  green,  they  would  soon  twist  off.  If 
the  stick  from  which  it  was  hewn  was  tough,  it 
might  possibly  last  one  day,  but  usually  one 
half  of  that  time. 

Hon  Yost.  Becker  caught  the  spirit  of  im- 
provement, undoubtedly,  energetic,— and  built 
another  near  his  house  about  the  year  1765  and 
he  obtained  an  iron  crank  from  Holland,  which 
was  the  first  one  used  upon  the  stream.  Soon 
after  he  built  a  grist-mill  in  which  he  placed  a 
"  sopus  "  stone,  that  proved  to  be  the  death  of 
his  matrimonial  calculations.  He  was  to  marry 
one  of  the  buxom  girls  of  Schoharie  as  soon  as 
he  returned  from  purchasing  a  mill-stone  and 
transacting   other  business   down  the  Hudson 


TOWN  OF  WRIGHT. 


343 


river.  Having  been  delayed  a  few  days  beyond 
the  time,  upon  his  arrival  at  home,  he  found  his 
intended  bride  had  become  the  wife  of  another. 
Without  doubt  Becker  found  his  sopus  mill- 
stone far  more  profitable  and  staple  than  the 
fickle  minded  bride.  He  built  a  large  stone 
house  in  after  years,  which  still  stands  and  is 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  Anthony  Belong, 
and  which  was  occupied  by  the  patriots  of  the 
neighborhood  as  a  fortress  during  their  struggle 
for  liberty.  Upon  the  door-lock  is  enstamped 
177s,  which  without  doubtisthe  date  of  the  erec- 
tion of  the  building.  Becker  was  commissioned 
Major  of  the  Fifteenth  Regiment  and  was  in 
command  of  the  Lower  or  Stone  Fort  upon  the 
invasion  of  Johnson  and  Brant  in  1780. 

Sometime  before  the  Revolution  commenced, 
John  Dominick  came  from  New  York  City  and 
settled  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  upon 
the  farm  now  occupied  by  Isaac  I.  Barber,  and 
caused  no  little  commotion  among  his  neighbors 
and  the  community  after  a  few  years  by  his 
peculiar  rehgious  tenets.  He  was,  without 
doubt,  the  first  Methodist  in  these  parts,  and 
owing  to  his  deep  interest  in  the  Christian 
cause,  and  the  excitable  nature  of  the 
spirit  that  moved  him,  his  neighbors  and 
acquaintances  concluded  he  was  bewitched, 
and  treated  him  accordingly — though  not  with 
that  severity  to  which  the  Puritans  subjected  the 
unfortunate  of  their  day.  Dominick  was  taken 
to  Br.  Multer,  of  Schoharie,  whose  skill  was  in 
the  extermination  of  witches,  in  short,  a  witch 
doctor.  The  Methodistical  Dominick  insisted 
that  he  was  not  sick,  nor  possessed  of  witches 
or  devils,  and  would  not  take  the  medicine  the 
doctor  prescribed.  Multer  was  a  large  man, 
and  when  a  patient  refused  to  take  his  medi- 
cine, through  the  want  of  faith,  or  a  knowledge 
of  the  inconsistency  of  the  case,  he  threw  the 
patient  and  poured  his  drugs  down,  contending 
that  the  witches  were  to  be  overcome  by  force. 
Dominick  was  thus  served,  and  upon  his  closing 
his  teeth  and  throwing  the  medicine  from  his 
mouth,  the  wise  doctor  concluded  that  the 
witches  refused  his  mode  of  treatment,  and  a 
sound  whipping  was  the  only  alternative.  Poor 
Dominick,  though  a  stout  man,  was  but  a  child  m 
the  hands  of  Multer,  and  was  forced  to  receive 
a  sound  thrashing  with  hickory  gads,  that  the 


evil  spirits  might  be  frightened  away  long 
enough  for  the  doctor  to  get  some  of  the  medi- 
cine down  the  patient.  Dominick,  upon  being 
released,  concluded  to  leave  the  evil  spirit 
found  with  the  doctor,  and  when  the  latter's 
watchful  eye  was  turned,  he  took  to  his  heels 
and  wandered  down  to  Breakabeen,  where  he 
concealed  himself  for  a  while,  and  sent  word  to 
his  sons  to  take  him  home.  Regardless  of  dis- 
tasteful medicine,  whippings,  and  the  jeers  of 
the  uncharitable,  Dominick  was  still  a  Methodist, 
and  continued  so  to  be  until  his  death.  He 
was  the  leader  of  the  first  Methodist  service  in 
the  County,  and  for  many  years  attended  the 
old  Knox  church,  from  which  a  pastor  was  sent 
to  preach  in  the  school-house,  in  the  present 
district.  Number  One,  long  before  the  present 
Methodist  organization  was  formed. 

His  children  were : — 

John, 

Francis, 

George, 

Peter, 

Maria,  (Mrs.  Peter  Schell,) 
the  children  of  whom  love  to  relate  the  bewitch- 
ing life  of  the  Christian  grandfather,  whose 
shouts  of  Hallelujah  and  Glory  awoke  distrust  of 
lunacy  among  the  simple  settlers,  and  brought 
persecution  upon  him,  to  which  his  happy  spirit 
responded  a  fervent  Amen ! 

Upon  the^  surrender  of  Burgoyne  quite  a 
colony  of  Hessians  came  to  this  town  and 
located  south  of  the  creek  upon  the  hills  and 
became  thrifty  and  industrious  farmers,  whose 
descendants  are  still  in  possession  of  the  lands. 
Among  them  were  the  Nasholts,  Derringers, 
Bellers,  Hiltzley,  Spateholts,  (originally  Betholts,) 
Shofelt  and  Keinholts.  The  latter,  after  settled 
in  Guilderland. 

Having  referred  to  the  earhest  settlers,  we 
will  now  consider  the  events  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war  as  they  occurred  within  the  Hmits  of 
the  town,  not  forgetful  of  the  fact  that  the  set- 
tlers were  in  independent  circumstances  through 
their  industrious  and  economical  habits. 

Nothing  of  a  warlike  nature  occurred  here 
until  the  morning  of  July  26,  1782,  the  particu- 
lars of  which  we  draw  from  "  Schoharie  County 


344 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


and  Border  wars,"  whose  author  was  conversant 
with  the  patriots  who  were  in  the  strife  upon 
that  day.  We  are  also  indebted  to  Gideon 
Becker  a  grandson  of  one  of  the  actors,  for  loca- 
tion of  events  and  the  free  use  of  ancient  docu- 
ments to  substantiate  dates  and  traditions. 

On  that  eventful  morning  a  band  of  Indians 
and  Tories  under  the  command  of  Adam 
Crysler,  numbering  twenty-five  sallied  out  from 
Johannes  Schaeffer's  residence,  where  they  had 
lodged  a  few  days,  to  that  of  Jacob  Zimmer, 
nearly  two  miles  distant  and  somewhat  obscured 
from  the  main  settlement,  without  being  de- 
tected by  the  neighbors. 

Zimmer  and  his  son  Peter  were  not  at  home, 
but  the  savage  band  found  others  to  practice 
their  cruelty  upon  in  the  person  of  Jacob  Jr., 
and  a  Hessian  that  worked  for  the  family.  The 
former  was  tomahawked  and  scalped  in  the 
presence  of  his  wife  and  mother,  and  the  latter 
was  killed  a  few  rods  from  the  buildings  in  a 
brutish  manner  by  crushing  the  skull  with  a 
stone.  Perhaps  he  was  the  first  one  attacked 
and  that  method  was  adopted  not  to  apprise 
the  family  of  their  approach. 

After  setting  fire  to  the  house  and  barn  they 
turned  their  course  back  to  the  Becker  neigh- 
borhood. The  barn  was  entirely  consumed, 
but  the  house  being  built  of  stone,  the  two  Mrs. 
Zimmers  succeeded  in  extinguishing  the  fire. 
Peter,  another  son,  went  to  the  Beckers  upon  an 
errand  that  morning  and  upon  his  return  was 
met  by  the  party  who  took  him  prisoner.  Upon 
his  asking  the  leader  if  they  saw  his  brother 
Jacob,  they  rephed  they  had  left  him  home  with 
the  women,  but  ere  they  had  marched  to  the 
Becker  house,  he  recognized  his  brother's  bleed- 
ing scalp  dangling  from  an  Indian's  musket. 

Upon  nearing  the  Becker  mansion  which 
stood  where  the  old  house  now  stands,  the  party 
heard  some  one  chopping,  to  the  northeast  of 
the  house  and  they  slily  approached,  and  found 
John,  the  next  oldest  of  the  Becker  sons,  busily 
•engaged  in  clearing  a  spot  for  a  wheat  stack  It 
bemg  understood  by  the  settlers  that  the  enemy 
was  bent  on  destroying  their  harvest,  which  as- 
sisted m  the  army  supply,  and  to  avoid  it  being 
burned  they  usually  built  stacks  in  thickets  out- 
side  of  the  regular  paths,  and  John  was  that 


morning  engaged   in  preparing  a  spot  for  such 
purposes. 

They  came  upon  him   unawares   and  struck 
him  with  a  tomahawk   upon  the  back  of  the 
head .  driving  the  weapon  to  the   brain,  which 
from   appearances,   instantly  killed   him.     His 
scalp  was  taken  and  they  passed  on  towards  the 
house,  near  which  were  Jacob  and  William  hoe- 
ing corn.     The  latter  saw  the  party  approaching 
in  the  thicket  and  cried  "  Indians !"  upon  which 
both  dropped  their  hoes  and   ran   towards  the 
house.     The  Indians  could  have  shot  them  both 
but  not   wishing  to  alarm    the  neighborhood, 
especially  Major  Becker  of  the  present  Belong 
residence,  they  tried  to  catch  them  by  cutting 
off  their  retreat,  but   they  both  ran   directly  for 
the  bank  of  the  creek,  east  of  the  house  and  in- 
stead of  running  down  the  stream  as  one  would 
naturally   expect,    to   gain  the   stone  house  of 
Major   Becker,  they   ran   up  along   the   steep 
bank  and  hid.     The  Indians  were   close   upon 
them,  but  they  eluded  their  search,  owing,  per- 
haps to  the   thick  underbrush  that  grew  along 
the  bank,  beneath  the  roots  of  which  the  water 
ran,  and  under  which   they  hid.     At  one  time 
Jacob  could  touch  his  pursuer's  leg,  but  did  not 
feel  disposed  to  gain  his  attention  by  so  doing. 
His  heart  throbs  seemed  to  be  loud  enough  to 
be  heard   at  quite   a   distance,  but  the  savage 
passed  on  over  to  an  island  that  has  long  since 
disappeared,  and  searched  for  them.    Not  find- 
ing them   he    bent  his   course  towards  Major 
Becker's  as  did  the  whole  force,  without  molest- 
ing the  women  who   had   hid  near  the  cabbage 
patch  they  were   hoeing  when  the  party  made 
their  appearance,  or  setting  fire  to  the  buildings. 
No  doubt  but  the  invasion  was  made  for  the 
purpose  of  either  taking  Major  Becker  prisoner 
or  obtaining  his  scalp,  and  the  greatest  caution 
was  used  in  not  apprising  him  of  their  presence. 
The   party  were  guided  by  a  Tory  neighbor, 
whose  intimacy  with  the  Beckers  and  Zimmers 
had  been   very  close,  both  in  a  social  and  busi- 
ness point  of  view  and  without  any  aggravating 
interruption.     It   was  but  another    example  of 
the   treachery  the   human  heart  is   capable  of 
practicing,  when  imaginary  gain  is  to   be  en- 
joyed, and  we  find  that  at  no  period  in  the  his- 
tory  of  our  country,  was   the  art  practiced  so 
much  as  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 


TOWN  OF  WRIGHT. 


345 


Joseph  and  William  remained  concealed  un- 
til the  savages  passed  on,  when  they  went  upon 
the  hill  to  the  south  of  the  house,  and  in  an 
open  spot  pulled  their  clothes  off  to  dry  them 
in  the  sun,  as  they  had  lain  partly  in  the  water 
when  concealed. 

They  heard  the  firing  at  Major  Becker's,  and 
moved  on  to  the  west  to  gain  a  ledge  of  rocks, 
north  of  Shutter's  corners,  from  which  they 
could  look  down  upon  the  valley  and  witness 
the  result  of  the  attack.  Before  gaining  the 
rocks,  they  heard  the  party  approaching,  and 
William,  thinking  it  to  be  the  neighboring  women 
seeking  safety  by  flight,  came  very  near  calling 
to  them,  and  would  have  done  so,  had  not  the 
more  discreet  Jacob  cautioned  him.  Soon  the 
whole  force  passed  up  the  brook  near  them, 
wending  their  way  in  the  direction  of  the  Cobles- 
kill,  not  wishing  to  pass  down  Fox's  creek 
to  the  Schoharie,  and  then  down,  as  they  might 
be  met  with  a  force  from  the  Lower  Fort.  The 
young  men  again  started,  after  the  party  passed, 
and  from  the  rocks,  saw  the  house  still  stand- 
ing, and  a  few  men  close  by.  They  drew  near 
cautiously,  for  fear  there  might  be  a  few  still  lurk- 
ing near,  but  upon  close  inspection,  the  brawny 
form  of  Schell  and  Hutt,  were  recognized,  when 
they  boldly  joined  them.  The  old  house  is  still 
standing,  as  before  stated,  although  its  general 
appearance  has  been  changed  according  to  the 
fancy  or  convenience  of  later  occupants.  J.  R. 
Simms  says  of  its  former  design  : — • 

"  It  had,  at  that  period,  a  gambrel  roof  A 
hall  passed  through  it  from  north  to  south,  with 
a  door  at  each  end.  The  house  contained  five 
front  and  five  rear  windows,  and  at  that  time, 
two  chamber  windows  in  the  east  gable  end, 
since  altered. 

"The  upper  part  of  the  house  was  unfur- 
nished, and  all  in  one  room,  and  the  windows 
were  barricaded  nearly  to  the  top,  with  oak 
plank,  the  front  door  was  closed  up  with 
plank,  and  the  back  door,  then  the  only  entrance 
to  the  house,  strengthened  by  a  false  door,  also 
of  oak,  to  arrest  the  bullets  of  the  enemy. 

"  Just  before  Crysler,"  continued  the  histor- 
ian, "and  his  murderers  arrived  at  Major 
Becker's,  Henry,  his  son,  then  nine  years  of  age, 
Jacob  Zimmer,  Jr., — nephew  of  the   one  mur- 


dered— and  several  other  boys  about  the  same 
age,  had  been  a  httle  distance  southeast  of  the 
house  to  drive  hogs  to  a  pasture. 

"  On  their  return,  and  when  within  ten  or 
fifteen  rods  of  the  house,  one  of  the  boys  said 
to  the  rest :  '  See  the  riflemen  over  there ;  they 
are  painted  like  the  Indians  ! '  The  Schoharie 
rangers,  when  on  a  scout,  were  clad  much  like 
Indians,  but  young  Becker  instantly  recog- 
nized the  party  to  be  a  band  of  savages.  A  few 
rods  above  the  house  was  a  small  island  contain- 
ing perhaps  an  acre  of  ground,  separated  from 
the  bank  southeast  of  the  dwelling,  by  a  deep 
pool  of  stagnant  water,  over  which  had  been 
felled  a  tree.  The  enemy  being  upon  the  island, 
had  either  to  make  a  circuit,  or  cross  the  log, 
which  could  only  be  done  in  single  file.  This 
gave  the  boys  a  little  start,  and  they  ran  to  the 
house  shouting  "  Indians  !  Indians  !  " 

"  They  could  easily  have  been  shot,  as  they 
were  but  a  few  rods  distant  from  the  enemy,  but 
the  latter  still  hoped  to  surprise  a  militia  Major, 
which  would  doubtless  have  been  done,  had  not 
the  boys  thus  opportunely  discovered  their  ap- 
proach. 

"  Major  Becker,  who  chanced  to  be  engaged 
back  of  the  house,  caught  the  alarm,  and  running 
in  seized  his  gun,  entered  the  southwest  room, 
thrust  it  through  a  loop-hole  above  one  of  the 
windows,  and  fired  upon  the  invaders,  breaking 
an  Indian's  arm. 

"As  the  boys  ran  into  the  hall  door,  they  en- 
countered several  children  within,  and  all  tum- 
bled in  a  heap. 

"  Major  Becker's  wife,  who  was  a  woman  of 
the  times,  sprang  to  the  plank  door,  which 
fastened  with  a  ring  and  bolt,  drew  it  to,  and 
held  it  ajar  with  the  bolt  in  her  hand. 

"  John  Hutt,  as  the  enemy  approached,  was 
at  the  western  end  of  the  house  making  a 
whiffletree.  Mrs.  Becker  continued  to  hold 
the  door  open  for  Hutt,  who  took  alarm 
from  the  furious  barking  of  three  dogs  belong- 
ing to  the  inmates  of  the  house,  which  had  met 
and  were  giving  battle  to  the  invaders,  who 
halted  to  shoot  them.  As  Hutt  neared  the 
door,  a  large  Indian  sprang  to  seize  him  j  but 
the  former  raised  the  missile  which  he  had  re- 
tained in  his  hand,  in  a  threatening  manner,  the 


346 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


latter  recoiled,  and  he  sprang  into  the  door, 
which  was  quickly  bolted  by  Mrs.  Becker.  Had 
not  Mrs.  Becker  possessed  great  presence  of 
mind,  and  the  dogs  met  the  enemy,  Hutt  must 
have  either  been  slain  or  captured  by  them. 

"The  shot  of  the  Major  may  also  have 
damped  the  ardor  of  the  assailants.  George 
Schell,  another  Schoharie  soldier,  was  for- 
tunately in  the  house  at  the  time,  and  assisted 
in  its  defense. 

"  The  inmates  of  the  house  consisting  of  the 
three  men  named,  Mrs.  Becker,  Mrs.  Adam 
Zimmer,  possibly  one  or  two  other  women,  and 
some  eight  or  ten  children,  went  upstairs.  The 
Major  took  his  station  at  the  southwest  corner 
window,  which  commanded  the  enemy's  ap- 
proach to  his  barn,  assigned  to  Hutt  the  eastern 
gable  windows,  and  to  Schell,  the  northwest 
window  opposite  his  own,  which  commanded 
their  approach  to  the  mill,  which  stood  a  few 
rods  from  the  house  upon  the  ground  now 
occupied  by  the  raceway  of  the  present  mill. 
The  lower  sash  of  the  upper  windows  was  also 
secured  by  plank. 

"  The  enemy  immediately  ran  around  the 
eastern  end  of  the  house,  and  there  gained 
temporary  shelter,  some  under  the  creek  bank, 
some  behind  a  fence,  and  others  behind  a  small 
log  building  standing  a  Httle  distance  southeast 
of  the  house,  used  as  a  sort  of  store-room.  The 
enemy  fired  numerous  balls  at  the  windows,  twen- 
ty-eight entering  the  window  at  which  Hutt  was 
stationed.  He  was  a  bold,  vigilant  fellow,  and 
often  incurred  the  censure  of  Major  Becker  for 
exposing  his  person  so  much  about  the  window, 
telling  him  that  the  force  of  the  enemy  was 
unknown,  but  their  own  was  three  men,  the  loss 
of  one  being  one-third  of  their  strength.  Hutt 
however,  could  not  be  restrained  by  the  prudent 
counsels  of  the  Major,  and  kept  constantly 
returning  the  shot  of  the  enemy. 

"  Discovering  through  a  crevice  of  the  log 
building  the  hat  of  one  of  his  foes,  Hutt  sent  a 
bullet  through  the  brim  of  it  close  to  the  crown. 
This  hat,  it  was  afterwards  ascertained,  was  on 
the  head  of  Captain  Crysler. 

"The  balls  of  the  enemy  cut  the  air  several 
times  around  the  head  of  Hutt  like  the  fall  of 
hail  in  a  hurricane,  but  fortunately  without 
injury. 


"After  continuing  the  attack  for  some  time, 
the  enemy  attempted  to  fire  the  building.  They 
placed  a  wheel-barrow  under  the  water  con- 
ductor leading  from  the  gutter  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  the  house  to  within  three  or  four  feet 
of  the  ground;  and  piUng  on  combustibles  set 
them  on  fire  which  quickly  communicated  with 
the  wooden  spout,  and  threatened  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  building. 

"It  was  impossible  for  the  inmates  of  the 
house  to  fire  on  their  foes  while  applying  the  in- 
cendiary torch  without  exposing  themselves  to 
almost  instant  death,  as  some  of  the  Indians 
were  constantly  on  the  lookout  for  such  an  ex- 
posure. 

"  As  the  flames  began  to  ascend  the  gutter 
towards  the  roof.  Major  Becker,  who  had  no 
incHnation  to  be  burned  alive,  set  about  forc- 
ing off  the  corner  of  it  with  a  piece  of  scantHng, 
which  fortune  placed  in  the  chamber,  while  his 
wife  went  into  the  cellar  to  procure  water.  On 
entering  the  cellar  she  found  an  outside  cellar 
door  upon  the  north  side  of  the  building  stand- 
ing wide  open,  where  the  enemy  might  have 
entered  had  they  gone  to  the  other  end  of  the 
building,  which  they  could  have  done  without 
danger. 

"Fastening  the  door,  and  procuring  a  pail  of 
water,  she  returned  to  the  chamber.  For  a 
time  the  roof,  which  was  nailed  on  with  heavy 
wrought  nails  as  was  the  ancient  custom,  baf- 
fled all  the  Major's  efforts,  but  at  length  yielded 
and  he  sank  down  almost  exhausted. 

"As  the  shingles  fell  to  the  ground  the  In- 
dians gathered  them  up,  exclaiming  "Yok-wah" 
Thank  you!  and  added  in  the  dialect,  '■•we  can- 
kindle  it  now."  A  hole  being  made,  water  was 
thrown  down  and  the  fire  extinguished.  The 
enemy  soon  had  it  blazing  again  with  additional 
combustibles  but  it  was  again  put  out  and 
again  rekindled  and  put  out,  until  the  spout 
had  burned  off  above  their  reach,  when  they 
abandoned  further  attempts  to  set  the  house  on 
fire.  Supposing  their  firing  would  be  heard  at 
the  Lower  Fort,  some  three  miles  distant,  the 
assailants  took  French  leave  of  the  premises 
about  nine  o'clock,  a.  m.,  and  buried,  them- 
selves in  the  forest,  having  been  about  the 
Becker  house  several  hours." 


TOWN  OF  WRIGHT. 


347 


Others  living  in  the  neighborhood  fled  to  the 
Lower  Fort  upon  the  beginning  of  the  attack  of 
the  stone  house,  and  according  to  Simras, 
Captain  Brown,  then  in  command,  detailed 
Lieutenant  Snyder  with  a  party  to  give  the 
Beckers  relief,  but  they  arrived  after  the  enemy 
had  left.     Simms  farther  says : — 

"After  the  enemy  retired  from  Beckers,  the 
supposed  Indian  whom  Schell  had  shot,  was 
found  to  have  fallen  partly  in  the  water  and 
was  not  dead.  He  was  taken  into  the  house 
and  Doctor  Werth  called  to  examine  his  wound, 
who  pronounced  it  mortal,  the  ball  having 
passed  diagonally  through  the  body  at  the 
shoulders.  The  man  was  now  discovered  to  be 
a  painted  Tory  instead  of  an  Indian;  and  was 
shortly  after  recognized  to  be  Erkert,  a  Scotch 
cooper,  who  had  made  flcur  barrels  for  Major 
Becker  before  the  war.  The  Major,  on  making 
the  recognition,  accused  the  Tory  of  ingrati- 
tude. Said  he,  '  when  you  came  to  me  for 
work,  I  employed  you,  and  always  paid  you 
well;  and  now  you  come  with  a  band  of  savages 
to  murder  me  and  my  family,  plunder  and  burn 
my  buildings.' 

"  The  man  appeared  penitent  as  certain  death 
was  before  him,  expressing  his  sorrow  for  the 
course  he  had  taken,  and  said  he  did  not  care 
which  succeeded.  King  or  Congress. 

"He  was  scalped  by  a  friendly  Indian  named 
Yan  (a  son  of  David  who  was  killed  by  the 
Cavalry  under  Colonel  Harper  in  1777,)  ^nd  on 
the  following  morning  he  was  summoned  to  the 
bar  of  his  Maker,  to  render  an  account  for  the 
deeds  done  in  the  body.'' 

John  Snyder,  known  as  Schoharie  John,  and 
Peter  Mann,  of  Fox's  Creek  were  captured  in  the 
morning  by  Crysler  and  party,  as  the  former 
were  returning  from  Beaver  Dam.  Mann  was 
liberated  at  Kneiskern's  dorf.  The  party  passed 
on  to  the  Warner  neighborhood  in  CobleskiJl, 
where  they  took  George  Warner,  Jr.,  prisoner 
as  stated  in  Chapter  XVIII. 

Zimmer  and  Snyder  were  taken  to  Niagara, 
the  former  returned  on  parole  while  the  latter 
enlisted  in  the  British  service  to  afford  an  op- 
portunity to  desert  and  return  home  as  stated 
by  Author  Simms. 
We  will  here  state,  although  it  is  contrary  to 


published  history  that  this  Schoharie  John  Sny- 
der claimed  the  honor  of  kihing  the  notorious 
Seths  Henry,  after  the  war  closed.     While  it  is 
firmly  believed   to   be  a  fact  by  the  family,  we 
cannot  vouch  for  its  truthfulness,  yet  will   here 
insert  the  tradition,  as  after  the  war  closed  many 
boasts  were  made  of  doing  this  and  that,  which 
had  but  little  truth  attached.      It  is  said  that 
during  the  march  from  Fox's  Creek  to  Canada, 
after  the  attack  upon  the  Becker  house  and  cap- 
ture of  Snyder,  Seths  Henry  incurred  the  displeas- 
ure of  Snyder  by  loading  him  with  plunder  and 
abuse.       After   the   war   closed,    Snyder    and 
several  other  men  that  became  too  lazy  to  labor, 
were   lounging  around  Zimmer's  inn,  when  an 
Indian  and  squaw  were  seen  to  approach  from 
the  Beaver  Dam  road.    Snyder  recognized  in  him 
the   dreaded  Seths  Henry,  yet  upon  question- 
ing him,  he  pretended  to  be  another  man,  but 
after  a  few  drinks,  offered  in  a  friendly  manner, 
the   squaw  became  indignant  towards  her  lord 
and  master  for  trying  to  disown  his  name,  and 
after  a  short  time  he  acknowledged  himself  to 
be  the  hated  savage.     Snyder  and   his   fellows 
freely  treated  him  until  he  became  sleepy  drunk, 
and  while  nodding  in  his   chair  in  front  of  the 
house,  Snyder   obtained  a  rope  and  making  a 
noose  at  one  end,  slipped  it  over  the  Indian's 
head   and  around  his  neck,  and   he  with  his 
helpers  ran  towards  the  creek  dragging  the  un- 
fortunate warrior  roughly  over  the  ground.     Af- 
ter beating   him  with   clubs  they  threw  him  in 
Fox's    creek,    and   the   water    being  high,   he 
was   carried  along  by  the  current  the  length  of 
the  rope,  which  was  fastened  to  a  log  that  span- 
ned the  stream.     He  was  thus  held  until  death 
relieved  him  of  the  pains  of  vengeance,  when 
the  rope  was  unloosened  from  the  neck  and  the 
body  allowed  to  float  down  the  stream.     Some 
distance   below,  a  tree   had  fallen   across  the 
creek  against  which  brush  and  logs  had  floated 
and  formed  a  miniature  dam,  of  rather  seine, 
through  which  only  the  water  freely  passed. 

The  body  floated  to  it  and  sank,  where  it  was 
found  after  the  water  subsided.  Murphy 
through  his  biography,  as  has  been  seen,  claimed 
the  pleasure  of  relieving  the  villain  of  a  hated 
existence  by  his  unerring  rifle,  but  we  doubt  very 
much  as  to  the  wily  savage  being  disposed  of 
in  this  manner. 


348 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


To  show  the  treatment  of  the  captives  of  that 
eventful  day  of  which  we  have  narrated,  to- 
gether with  George  Warner,  Jr.,  while  on  the 
march  to  Niagara,  we  will  still  farther  copy  from 
Simms'  history  as  related  to  him  by  Warner 
himself: — 

"The  second  day  after  leaving  Cobleskill  the 
whole  party  was  obliged  to  subsist  on  horse- 
flesh without  bread  or  seasoning  of  any  kind. 
Warner,  who  communicated  the  facts  to  the 
author,  said  he  ate  on  the  way  to  Niagara  of  a 
deer,  a  wolf,  a  rattlesnake  and  a  hen-hawk,  but 
without  bread  or  salt.  The  two  captives,  War- 
ner and  Zimmer,  were  lightly  bound  and  gener- 
ally fared  alike  while  on  their  journey. 

"  They  had  for  some  days  contemplated  mak- 
ing an  escape  and  complaining  that  they  could 
not  travel  on  account  of  their  cords,  and  they 
were  a  Uttle  loosened,  which  favored  their  plan. 
They  concluded  they  ought,  in  justice,  to  com- 
municate their  intention  to  their  fellow-prisoner, 
although  he  was  not  bound,  and  give  him  a 
chance  to  escape  with  them  if  he  chose  to  em- 
brace it.  But  a  short  time  after  their  intention 
was  communicated  to  a  third  person,  the  con- 
spirators for  liberty  were  more  firmly  bound 
than  ever,  and  were  afterwards  continually 
watched  until  they  arrived  at  Niagara.  Nights 
they  were  pinioned  so  tight  that  they  could  not 
get  their  hands  together,  and  were  secured  by  a 
rope  tied  to  a  tree  or  pole,  upon  which  rope  an 
Indian  always  laid  down. 

"The  prisoners  also  passed  on  their  way  an- 
other party  of  Indians,  who  were  killing  a  pris- 
oner in  a  singular  manner.  His  captors  had 
tied  his  wrists  together  and  drawn  them  over  his 
knees,  after  which  a  stick  was  passed  under  the 
knees  and  over  the  wrists  and  a  rope  tied  to  it 
between  them  and  thrown  over  the  limb  of  a 
tree.  His  tormentors  then  drew  him  up  a  dis- 
tance and  let  him  fall  by  slacking  the  rope,  con- 
tinuing their  hellish  sport  until  the  concussion 
extinguished  the  vital  spark." 

Major  Becker  Uved  within  the  stone  house 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1806  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight,  leaving  two  sons,  Henry  and 
John,  who  engaged  in  the  mercantile  and  dis- 
tiUing  business.  In  1799  they  purchased  the 
ground   upon  which   the  old   stone  walls  now    I 


stand  at  Shutter's  Corners,  and  the  year  follow- 
ing built  the  store.  Upon  it  we  find  engraved 
several  names,  among  which  is  that  of  Ryer 
Schermerhorn,  the  mason  that  built  the  walls. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  fire  a  few  years 
ago  nearly  destroyed  the  ancient  walls. 

Henry  became  one  of  the  Assistant  Judges  of 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  the  County,  and 
was  an  upright  business  man.  He  rebuilt  the 
grist  mill  which  still  stands,about  the  year  i8ro. 
While  there  are  many  of  the  Becker  family  liv- 
ing in  the  town,  there  are  none  of  the  old  class 
left,  they  have  passed  away,  yet  they  left  a 
worthy  record  of  fidelity  to  country  that  is 
proudly  referred  to  by  their  grandchildren. 
The  widow  of  one  of  Jacob's  sons,  Mrs.  John 
Peter  Becker,  still  survives,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five,  with  children  around  her  with  locks  whit- 
ened by  the  weight  of  years,  and  is  still  in  the 
vigor  of  her  mental  faculties,  though  somewhat 
crippled  physically.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Hon- 
Yost  Warner,  of  Warner  Hill,  and  connected  by 
marriage  with  many  of  the  old  stock  patriotic 
families  of  the  Schoharie  settlements. 

About  the.year  1800  Jacob  Becker,  Jr.,  built 
a  fulling  mill  upon  the  north  side  of  the  creek, 
opposite  the  Belong  residence,  which  was  after- 
ward purchased  by  Silas  Brewster,  and  still  later 
by  his  son,  Silas,  Jr.,  who  in  turn  sold  to  his 
brother  Allen,  who  removed  it  up  the  valley  and 
which  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  him.  This 
little  hamlet  was  for  many  years  the  business 
center  of  this  part  of  the  town  of  Schoharie  and 
drew  a  large  trade  from  the  Schoharie  valley 
and  the  hills  surrounding.  The  Becker  Brothers' 
store  was  no  common  affair  for  those  days,  ad- 
ded to  which  was  the  distillery  and  ashery,  be- 
side the  fulling  and  flouring  mills,  making  a 
lively  center. 

The  next  settlement  east,  as  we  have  already 
mentioned,  was  in  the  present  Barber  neighbor- 
hood, but  no  efforts  were  made  to  make  a  busi- 
ness center.  The  settlers  returned  after  the  war, 
and  were  farmers,  but  of  no  mean  class,  as  we 
find  they  were  aware  of  the  importance  of  ed- 
ucation, and  encouraged  the  facilities  to  instruct 
their  children.  As  the  founders  of  Yale  College 
assembled  in  1700,  and  upon  laying  a  few  books 
down,  said:     "I  give  these  books  for  founding 


TOWN  OF  WRIGHT. 


-349 


a  college  in  Connecticut,"  so  the  early  settlers 
of  that  neighborhood  assembled  and  drew  up 
the  following  preamble  and  resolutions,  on  No- 
vember 2,  1812  : — 

"  To  promote  literature  and  place  the  means 
of  knowledge,  information,  and  the  benefits 
arising  from  well  regulated  society  within  the 
reach  of  all,  we,  whose  names  are  hereunto  an- 
nexed, do  hereby  form  ourselves  into  a  school 
society,  in  order  that  we  may  adopt  some  rule 
to  govern  ourselves  by,  for  the  continuance  of  a 
school,  and  to  secure  the  benefits  flowing  from 
such  an  institution,  we  do  hereby  declare  the 
following  articles  permanently  binding  on  all  the 
company : — 

Article  \st.  There  shall  forever  hereafter,  be 
two  Trustees  annually  chosen  on  the  first  of  Oc- 
tober, in  each  year,  for  the  purpose  of  engaging 
preceptors,  and  see  that  they  have  their  pay,  and 
likewise  to  call  school  meetings  whenever  they 
deem  it  necessary. 

Article  2d.  There  shall  be  two  Censors  annu- 
ally chosen,  for  the  purpose  of  enquiring  into 
the  abilities  of  any  Teacher  that  may  present 
himself  as  such,  and  report  their  opinion  respect- 
ing his  quahfications,  to  the  Society  at  their  meet- 
ing. It  shall  hkewise  be  the  duty  of  the  Censors 
to  visit  the  school  at  least  once  in  a  month,  and 
enquire  into  the  progress  made  by  the  Scholars 
in  learning. 

Article  ^d.  Nine  members  shall  constitute  a 
quorum  to  enact  any  by-laws  for  the  better  reg- 
ulation of  the  society,  not  repugnant  to  this 
constitution. 

Article  /^th.  Whenever  a  school  meeting  is 
called  and  amended,  they  shall  proceed  regular- 
ly to  choose  one  chairman,  and  one  secretary — 
the  chairman  to  have  no  vote  on  any  question, 
unless  the  house  is  equally  divided.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  secretary  shall  be  to  keep  a  record 
of  the  proceedings  in  that  meeting,  to  enter 
them  in  a  book  kept  for  the  purpose,  and  to 
transmit  them  together  with  the  book  to  his 
successor  in  office  ;  likewise  to  read,  if  required, 
all,  or  any  part  of  the  antecedent  proceedings  of 
the  Society. 

Article  t^th.  Whenever  two  or  more  members 
shall  feel  themselves  aggrieved,  either  by  the 
teacher  or  the  officers  of  the  society,  they  shall 


apply  to  the  Trustees,  who  shall  call  a  school 
meeting,  in  order  to  adjust  the  difficulty.  And 
if  this  constitution  shall  appear  on  trial  to  operate 
harder  on  some  than  others,  two-thirds  of  the 
signers  shall  have  power  to  amend  it,  or  add  a 
new  clause,  and  three-fourths  of  the  members 
shall  have  power  to  abolish  it. 

Signed  by 
Joseph  Dennis, 
John  Wess,  (by  mark.) 
Jehiel  Babcock, 
Henry  Sloot, 
William  W.  Zimmer, 
Isaac  Barber, 
Robert  Hurst,  Jr., 
Isaac  Lounsbury, 
Joseph  Hunting, 
David  Seabury, 
Enoch  Potter, 
John  Dominick,  Jr., 
O.  Scranton, 
Henry  Little." 

A  lease  of  the  school-house  lot,  bearing  date  the 
rst  day  of  November,  1812,  is  with  the  records, 
and  stating  the  consideration  to  be  five  pepper- 
corns yearly,  for  the  rent  of  the  lot.  At  a  meeting 
held  in  the  school-house  on  the  second  day  of 
November,  the  same  year,  pursuant  to  notice 
previously  given,  Isaac  Lounsbury  was  chair- 
man, and  Isaac  Barber,  secretary.  John  Dom- 
inick, Jr.,  and  Joseph  Hunting,  were  chosen 
trustees,  and  William  W.  Zimmer,  and  Isaac 
Barber,  censors.  The  secretary  was  ordered,  by  a 
resolution,  to  purchase  a  book  for  records,  and 
receive  his  pay. 

On  April  i,  1837,  a  meeting  was  held  and  a 
resolution  was  passed  to  build  a  new  school- 
house,  twenty  by  twenty-five  feet,  "the  wall  to 
be  two  feet  and  one-half  underground,  and  one 
foot  above  ground  on  the  lowest  corner  of  the 
wall,  to  be  quarry-stone  of  Schoolcraft's  quarry ;" 
also 

"Resolved  it  to  be  built  in  a  workmanlike 
manner,  and  there  be  two  hundred  dollars 
raised  for  purpose  of  building  a  school-house.'' 

It  is  needless  to  remark  here,  that  the  char- 
acter of  that  neighborhood  is  easily  understood, 
and  that  those  men  were,  among  the  settlers  of 


35° 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


that  day,  exceptions  to  the  common  class. 
While  other  schools  were  formed,  yet  none  with 
the  care  and  weight  of  interest  as  shown  in  the 
foregoing  articles.  It  was  more  like  the  found- 
ing of  a  college  than  a  simple  common  school. 
In  the  foregoing  list  of  signers  to  the  school 
proceedings,  we  find  Joseph  Hunting,  who  was 
the  progenitor  of  the  present  Hunting  family 
of  the  town.  He  settled  here  upon  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  his  grandson,  Ambrose  Hunt- 
ing, about  the  year  1785,  and  reared  four  sons, 
John,  Ira,  Joseph,  and  Asa,  who  have  been 
identified  with  the  interests  of  the  town  for 
many  years.  Upon  the  list  of  supervisors  we 
find  John  Hunting  in  1853,  1854,  1855,  and 
Ambrose  R.,  in  1864,  1866,  i88r,  1882,  beside, 
in  the  official  Ust  of  the  County  the  important 
position  of  school  commissioner  was  conferred 
upon  the  latter  two  terms,  whose  successful 
administration  was  undoubtedly  an  outgrowth 
of  the  "  school  society "  in  which  the  grand- 
father took  such  a  deep  interest. 

Gallupville. 

This  village  was  named  after  the  Gallup 
family,  that  purchased  the  land  npon  which  it 
stands,  about  the  year  1817.  The  Gallup  family 
were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Massachusetts, 
in  fact,  of  the  "  Pilgrim  band,"  and  according 
to  "Trumbull's  History,"  were  prominent 
members  of  the  Old  Colony,  (especially  during 
King  PhiHp's  war,)  in  a  military  point  of  view. 
As  the  cry  of  "  Westward  ho !  "  began,  after 
the  Revolutionary  struggle,  two  families  settled 
in  this  part  of  the  country — Nathan  at  Beaver 
Dam,  Albany  county,  (the  father  of  William  H. 
Gallup,  formerly  editor  of  the  Schoharie  Repub- 
lican, and  Almerin,  ex-County  clerk,)  and  Ezra 
Gallup,  Sr.,  at  a  later  date,  upon  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Benjamin  Gallup.  Ezra,  Jr.,  a  son, 
purchased  the  village  land  and  built  a  grist-mill 
about  the  year  1819,  where  the  present  one 
stands.  He  was  a  merchant  and  an  energetic 
man,  and  at  once  invited  tradesmen  to  settle 
upon  his  land,  and  gave  them  rare  chances  to 
become  successful.  He  would  not  allow  two 
of  the  same  occupation  to  settle  here,  unless  it 
became  strictly  necessary.  Not,  at  least,  to 
cause  opposition,  or  a  conflict  in  pricfes. 


In  1825  the  postoffice  was  established  and  he 
received  the  appointment  as  Deputy,  and  was 
that  year  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  which 
office  he  held  to  the  year  1 849.  Owing  to  his 
extended  business,  John  Wheeler  became  a 
partner  in  the  mill,  and  it  has  been  a  valuable 
property  since  its  erection. 

It  has  four  run  of  stone  which  are  driven  by 
a  powerful  wheel  of  seventy-five  horse  power, 
and  under  the  management  of  Alfred  Zeh,  the 
present  owner,  is  not  excelled  by  a  like  enter- 
prise in  the  County. 

The  first  and  only  inn  in  the  village  was  kept 
.by  Paul  Suttle.  The  present  one  was  built 
in  1872  by  Weidman  Dominick,  and  rented 
yearly  up  to  the  present  season,  when  it  was  pur- 
chased by  Peter  CuUings. 

Tannery. — The  energy  of  Squire  Gallup  soon 
brought  Samuel  Curren,  a  tanner  and  currier, 
who  established  the  present  tannery  about 
the  year  1825.  He  was  succeeded  by  several 
in  turn  among  whom  where  Whipple  &  Mor- 
gan, G.  Conklin,  Gordon  &  Lawrence,  and  in 
1850  by  Mathew  Lampson.  While  the  property 
belonged  to  Conklin  in  1840,  the  old  building 
was  burned  and  the  present  one  or  a  part  of  it 
was  built  by  him  the  season  following.  Mr. 
Lampson  carried  on  the  business  with  the 
greatest  success  of  any  of  the  proprietors  that 
preceded  him.  He  was  a  very  careful,  sub- 
stantial business  man  and  amassed  a  fortune 
with  which  he  did  a  vast  amount  of  good,  and 
endeared  himself  to  all  with  whom  he  transacted 
business,  by  his  honest  and  unselfish  demeanor. 
The  enterprise  has  added  much  to  the  business 
of  the  village,  and  consequently  to  its  growth, 
especially  the  latter,  under  the  management  of 
Charles  Gorden,  who  built  nearly  all  of  the 
houses  upon  Mill  street,  beside  several  others, 
and  caused  the  street  to  be  laid  out  in  place  of 
the  old  one,  that  ran  near  the  creek. 

Churches  and  Schools. — Business  being  estab- 
lished upon  a  firm  basis  and  a  village  assured, 
efforts  were  made  for  the  erection  of  a  house  of 
worship.  There  being  several  denominations 
represented  in  the  place,  it  was  first  proposed  to 
erect  a  Union  church,  but  the  proposition  did 
not  meet  with  favor. 


TOWN  OF  WRIGHT. 


3SI 


The  Reformed  Church  was  organized  on  the 
5th  of  August,  1844,  with  the  following  offi- 
cers : — 

Elders: — John  W.  Zimmer,  Robert  Forsyth, 
Abraham  Martin  and  John  G.  Zimmer. 

Deacons: — Robert  Coats,  Jacob  I.  Devoe, 
Adam  Z.  Settle  and  Henry  Mattice. 

The  edifice  was  constructed  of  brick  the 
year  following,  with  a  stone  basement,  which 
part  was  intended  for  an  Academy. 

The  records  of  this  organization  are  not  com- 
plete, a  portion  being  lost  which  debars  us  from 
giving  a  more  extended  account  of  the  Society. 

The  pastors  of  this  Society  were :  — 
Paul  Weidman, 
E.  S.  Hammond, 
N.  Bogardus, 

Lane, 

J.  M.  Compton, 
E.  Vedder, 
J.  H.  Kershaw, 
-     William  H.  Carr. 

At  the  present  time  it  has  no  settled  pastor. 

The  Methodist  Society  held  meetings  in  school 
houses  for  many  years  previous  to  the  building 
of  the  church  edifice  at  the  village,  but  at  what 
time  the  organization  was  effected  we  are  un- 
able to  learn.  It  is  an  early  outgrowth  of  the 
Knox  church,  and  a  monument  of  the  religious 
zeal  of  John  Dominick,  the  bewitched  victim. 
It  was  removed  to  the  village  in  June,  1844, 
under  the  pastorate  of  E.  Osborn.  All  of  the 
Methodist  churches  were  supplied  by  circuit 
preachers  at  that  time,  the  circuit  embracing 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  County— or  at  least  as 
much  territory — running  many  times  into  other 
counties,  which  made  it  laborious  for  the  pastors, 
and  the  meetings  irregular.  The  pastors  that 
have  officiated  here  are  as  follows :  — 

E.  Osborn, 
Ezra  Strong, 
Hiram  Chase, 
Manley  Witherel, 
C.  E.  Giddings, 
J.  W.  Belknap, 
A.  McGilton, 
G.  C.  Simmons, 


W.  Little, 
W.  R.  Brown, 
A.  W.  Garvin, 
S.  S.  Ford, 
W.  H.  L.  Starks, 
M.  D.  Mead, 

D.  T.  Elliott, 
H.  Blanchard, 
William  H.  L.  Starks, 
R.  T.  Wade, 

H.  Wright, 

E.  E.  Taylor, 
D.  Brough, 

S.  W.  demons, 
J.  Goodins, 
T.  D.  Walker. 

Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. — The  records 
of  this  society  are  in  better  condition  than 
those  of  others  in  the  town,  and  we  find  the 
organization  was  effected  by  Rev.  G.  A.  Lint- 
ner.  May  6,  1854,  although  a  prehrainary 
organization  was  made  nearly  two  years  previous, 
and  their  house  of  worship  erected  in  1853.  At 
a  meeting  of  the  Brothers,  held  on  the  6th  of 
May,  1854,  when  John  Shafer  was  chairman, 
and  Ezra  Brownell,  secretary,  it  was 

Resolved,  That  the  society  shall  be  known  as 
the   "Evangelical  Church  of  Gallupville." 

The  following  were  elected  officers: — 

Trustees:— V^K.f^  Schoolcraft,  Ira  Zeh,  and 
Ezra  Brownell. 

Elders  :—}o\\'<\  Shafer,  John  Miller,  P.  J. 
Livingston. 

Deacons:— Y.].  Zeh,  J.  F.  Schoolcraft,  John 
J.  Shafer. 

Treasurer : — Peter  J.  Zeh. 

C/^r/J.-— Egbert  M.  Gaige. 

It  was  also 

Resolved,  That  we  call  Rev.  L.  Swackhamer, 
of  Berne,  as  pastor. 

The  first  Communion  was  celebrated  on  the 
1 2th  of  August,    1854,   with   Rev.  L.  Swack- 
hamer, officiating. 
.The  following  pastors  have  officiated : — 
Rev.  L.  Swackhamer,  1854. 
Rev.  A.  P.  Ludding,  1855-1867. 
Rev.  Henry  Keller,  1868-1872. 


352 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Rev.  William  P.  Davis,  1872-1877. 
Rev.  J.  R.  Sikes,  1877,  and  present. 
On  the  29th  of  September,  1867,  the  con- 
nection with  the  Berne  society  was   annulled, 
and  since,  it  has  been  self-sustaining. 

Temperance  Society. — We  find  upon  the 
Methodist  book  of  records,  the  preamble  and 
resolutions  of  a  temperance  society  organized 
at  this  place  February  27,  1830,  which  is  the 
only  old  society  that  has  left  its  records,  that 
have  been  accessible  to  us,  and  we  find  the 
strictures  to  which  the  members  were  bound, 
did  not  argue  total  abstinence,  as  now,  as  will 
be  seen  in  the  following  resolution,  which  is  a 
fair  specimen  of  the  by-laws : — 

Resolved,  That  those  members  of  this  society 
who  use  wine,  cider,  or  beer  to  excess,  shall  be 
dealt  with  in  the  same  manner  as  if  they  were 
ardent  spirits. 

A  long  htigation  existed  between  this  society 
and  the  Reformed  Church  in  regard  to  the  use 
of  the  church  basement,  which  aroused  a  bitter 
spirit  among  the  members  of  each,  that  years 
have  not  yet  erased. 

School. — As  we  have  already  mentioned,  the 
basement  of  the  Reformed  church  was  used  as 
an  academy  for  several  years,  yet  it  was  an  acad- 
emy only  in  name,  and  not  by  incorporation.  It 
was  more  of  a  select  school,  than  now — for  a  few 
years  the  enterprise  was  dormant  but  through 
the  energy  of  Dr.  Houghtaling,  Weidman 
Dominick  and  others  it  was  again  revived  and 
has  been  under  the  tutorage  of  C.  E.  Markman, 
of  the  town  of  Fulton  for  the  past  two  years, 
and  is  one  of  the  first  schools  of  the  County. 

Upon  the  building  of  the  Albany  and  Scho- 
harie plank  road,  it  not  passing  through  the  old 
village,  a  new  one  was  started  upon  its  line, 
which  has  become  connected  with  the  old  by 
the  building  of  residences,  making  a  fine  ad- 
dition and  improvement  in  the  place.  The 
Wright  House  was  erected  by  Austin  Becker 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  traveling  commu- 
nity and  during  the  gala  days  of  the  road  did. a 
lucrative  business. 

Peter  Feek  the  veteran  wagon  and  carriage 
maker  carried  on  a  large  business  here  for  many 


years  in  the  manufacture  of  those  articles,  and  was 
succeeded  by  John  J.  Dominick,  who,  in  turn 
was  followed  by  the  present  occupant  John  Spate- 
holts.  This  shop  has  the  reputation  of  making 
the  best  of  work  and  has,  since  it  was  estab- 
lished, manufactured  a  very  large  number  of 
carriages  and  sleighs  yearly  that  find  ready  sale. 

The  south  line  of  this  town  runs  through  a 
neighborhood  that  has  been  for  a  long  term  of 
years  known  as  the  "Dutch  settlement,"  not 
particularly  because  the  settlers  were  Dutch 
more  than  Germans  but  as  they  were  both,  the 
people  for  the  last  fifty  years  have  been — not 
rightly— styled  "Dutch."  While  "Dutch"  are 
Hollanders,  the  Germans  are  "High  Dutch,"  and 
the  latter  were  referred  to  in  that  way  by  the 
old  settlers  merely  through  the  language  they 
used.  Chief  among  the  ancient  families  of 
this  place  were  the  Hallenbecks  who  removed 
from  the  "Camps"  at  a  later  date  than  the  first 
settlers  of  Schoharie.  There  were  three  sets  of 
Hallenbecks — one  upon  the  Mohawk,  one  at 
Weiser's  dorf  and  the  third  here  which  extended 
partly  into  Albany  county.  Undoubtedly  the 
three  progenitors  were  related — perhaps  broth- 
ers. 

We  will  here  remark  that  several  of  the  old 
famihes  of  Middleburgh,  Schoharie  and  Wright 
were  connected  by  marriage  with  the  Weidmans 
a  very  old  and  substantial  family,  from  a  place 
called  Berneswitzer  in  Germany  and  who  settled 
in  Berne,  Albany  county  and  gave  the  name  of 
their  paternal  home  to  their  settlement.  Many 
of  the  families  of  this  town,  removed  from 
Beaver  Dam,  once  a  very  prominent  settlement 
of  that  town. 

Hiram  Walden. — We  cannot  pass  without 
referring  to  Hiram  Walden,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  men  of  the  town  for  many  years,  al- 
though a  quiet  and  unpretending  man. 

In  1836  he  represented  the  County  in  the 
Assembly  with  Alvin  Wilkins,  of  Gilboa;  and 
the  Twenty-first  Congressional  District,  which 
comprised  Otsego  and  Schoharie,  in  Congress  in 
1849  and  rSsr,  also  the  town  upon  the  board 
of  Supervisors  four  terms,  being  the  first  elected 
in  the  town  of  Wright.  But  few  men  were 
better  qualified   than   Mr.    Walden  for  official 


TOWN  OF  WRIGHT. 


353 


business  or  gained  the  confidence  of  his  constit- 
uents to  a  greater  degree.  He  was  many 
years  connected  with  the  State  militia  and  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  Major-General  of 
the  Sixteenth  Division  in  May  1839,  and  proved 
a  very  efficient  officer.  "Right"  was  his  watch- 
word in  all  transactions  and  whatever  was  en- 
trusted to  him  was  acted  upon  faithfully  without 
leaving  a  reproach.  After  a  useful  life  he  died 
in  June,  1880,  at  the  age  of  eighty-one. 

Supervisors. 

1846 — Hiram  Walden. 
1847 — Hiram  Walden. 
1848 — Hiram  Walden. 
1849 — Henry  D.  Rosekrans. 
1850 — Henry  D.  Rosekrans. 
1851 — Simeon  Morgan. 
1852 — Simeon  Morgan. 
1853 — John  Hunting. 
1854 — John  Hunting. 
1855 — John  Hunting. 
1856 — Peter  Dominick. 
1857 — Weidman  Dominick. 
1858 — Weidman  Dominick. 
1859 — Weidman  Dominick. 
i860 — Weidman  Dominick. 
1861 — James  Plank. 
1862 — Austin  Becker. 
1863 — Austin  Becker. 
1864 — Ambrose  R.  Hunting. 
1865 — John  J.  Dominick. 
1866— A.  R.  Hunting. 
1867 — Peter  Weidman. 
1868— Hiram  Walden. 
1869 — Henry  D.  Rosekrans. 
1870 — Henry  D.  Rosekrans. 
1871— Ira  Zeh,  resigned  and  John  J.  Dom- 
inick appointed  to  fill  vacancy. 
1872 — John  J.  Dominick. 
1873 — John  J.  Dominick. 
1874 — John  J.  Dominick. 
1875 — Peter  Weidman. 
1876 — Peter  Weidman. 
1877 — Chester  Posson. 
1878 — Samuel  Davidson. 
1879 — Samuel  Davidson. 
1880 — John  J.  Dominick. 
1 88 1— Ambrose  R.  Hunting. 
1882— Ambrose  R.  Hunting. 


Statement  of  the  aggregate  valuation  of  the 
town  and  amount  of  taxes  levied  and  assessed 
in  1880. 

Assessed  value  of  real  estate.  .$368,619.00 
Assessed  value  of  personal 

property 69,500.00 

Corrected  value  of  real  and 

personal 488,475.00 

Amount  of  town  tax 1,165.85 

County  tax  on  town 2,665.83 

State  tax  for  schools 903.67 

Amount  State  tax 921.15 

Aggregate  taxation S.^SS-^S 

The  tax  rate  in  the  town  was  .0125 

The  area  of  the  town  is  17,211  acres  and 
the  number  of  names  on  the  tax  list  three  hund- 
red and  fifteen. 

Merchants. — Upon  the  retirement  of  Ezra 
Gallup  from  the  mercantile  business,  George 
Dominick  Succeeded  him,  whose  contem- 
porary for  a  while  was  a  Mr.  Lawrence; 
John  Schoolcraft  followed,  and  for  several  years 
did  a  lucrative  business,  but  at  last  removed  to 
Schoharie,  C.  H.,  and  engaged  in  a  hotel  where 
he  died  at  an  advanced  age,  and  was  known  far 
and  near  as  "  Uncle  Johnny."  From  time  to 
time  others  located  here,  among  whom  were  Da- 
vid Zimmer,  Sanford  Marsellas,  David  Hilts, 
Peter  Becker  &  Son,  and  Wright  &  Giddiogs, 
although  they  may  not  have  followed  in  the  order 
given.  The  present  merchants  are,  Jacob 
Kelsh  and  O.  F.  Plank,  the  latter  the  present 
postmaster,  and  the  former  acting  justice  of  the 
peace. 

Physicians. — Upon  the  founding  of  the  village, 
Dr.  Slade  located  here  but  removed  and  left 
a  vacancy  which  was  filled  by  Doctors  VanDyke 
and  Foster  of  Schoharie,  the  two  leading  pro- 
fessionals of  this  part  of  the  County  at  that  day. 

Dr.  Darius  Coy  came  about  the  year  1832 
and  was  followed  in  a  few  years  by  Ira  Zeh,  who 
formed  a  copartnership  with  his  student  the 
present  practicing,  John  Houghtaling,  who  upon 
the  dissolution  of  the  connection,  remained  as 
the  only  professional  of  the  town,  until  two 
years  ago,  when  Dr.  O.  A.  Snyder  located,  and 
still  remains. 


354 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

History  of  the  Town  of  Schoharie. 

First  Settlers  of  Brunnendorf— Schaeffer 
Family  and  Name- Relics  Found— Luther- 
an Church  and  Parsonage— Dominie  Som- 

MERS,  AND    other  PaSTORS — DOCTOR    LlNT- 

\ER — Reformed  Dutch  Church — Baptism 
of  Gersina — Church  Converted  into  a 
Fort — Doctor  Budd — Colonel  Vroman's 
Grave — David  Williams'  Monument- 
Simon  HoosiCK  Mix — "Post  Mix" — Peter 
Mix — First  Clerk  of  the  County — Dr. 
Brigham — Physicians  of  Schoharie — Cap- 
tain Mann — Captain  Snyder — Taverns — 
Present  Hotels— Fox's  Dorf — Dietz  Fam- 
ily— Colonel    William     Dietz — William 

Fox    and    Settlers    of    Fox's    Dorf 

Smith's  Dorf— Court  Hoi^e — George 
Tiffany — Jacob,  John,  and  John,  Jr.,  Geb- 
hard — Lawyers  of  Schoharie — Lawyer 
Family — Garlock's    Dorf — Jacob    Vro- 

MAN DUANESBURGH   TuRNPIKE SaMUEL 

Smith— -O.  H.  Williams— J.  G.  Caryl — 
Strubach  Mill — Village  at  Depot — 
First  Grist-Mill — Carding  Mill  — Dis- 
tillery— Hub  Factory — Wagon  Makers 
— Marble  Works — Business  of  i8io — 
Engagement  at  Fort — Schaeffer  House 
AND  Family — Incident  at  Grist- Mill — 
John  Ingold — Bouck  House,    and  other 

Buildings— Burning  of  Court    House 

Great    Fires Fountain   Town   School 

House — Schoharie  Academy — Methodist 

Church African    Church Gebhard's 

Cave — Schoharie   Bridge — Formation  of 

Town — First    Officers — Supervisors 

Lutheran  Cemetery— Commodore  Hard- 
ing. 

THERE  are  spots  upon  which  we  may  stand 
and  let  our  thoughts  take  freeer  scope  and 
revert  with  greater  ease  and  fondness  back  upon 
the  scenes  of  other  days,  as  history  and  tradition 


have  painted  them  upon  the  retina  of  our  minds. 
Here  beneath  the  refreshing  shade  of  these 
pines  of  the  old  Lutheran  cemetery,  we  will 
dwell  upon  the  scenes  of  many  years  ago,  when 
giant  oaks  and  pines  covered  nearly  the  whole 
view  before  us,  where  those  whose  ashes  lie 
beneath  us,  and  whose  requiem  the  mourning 
evergreens  have  so  long  sang,  came  in  their 
honest  simplicity,  to  rear  homes  for  themselves 
and  children,  free  from  regal  authority  and 
exactions.  Year  after  year  passed  away  ere 
their  vigorous  strokes  conquered  the  mighty 
forest,  and  these  broad  flats  and  lofty  hills  yielded 
to  them  their  virginity,  and  revealed  a  richness 
that  vied  with  nature's  best. 

Hendrick  Schaeffer,  Johannes  Lawyer  and 
two  sons,  Johannes  Jr.,  and  Jacob  Frederick, 
Hendrick  Conradt,  Johannes  Ingold,  Hendrick 
Haynes,  Germans,  mostly  of  the  Palatine  order, 
settled  here  near  the  ledge  of  rocks  about  the 
year  1718.  Purchasing  the  land  together,  a 
division  was  not  made  until  the  year  1753. 

In  three  of  the  original  "  dorfs  "  the  settlers 
were  in  number  seven.  They  first  drew  an 
article  of  agreement  for  their  lands,  and  then 
received  the  deed,  and  after  holding  their  pos- 
session, perhaps  until  it  became  necessary  to 
divide  with  the  children,  a  general  division  was 
made,  each  individual  deed  receiving  the  signa- 
tures of  the  whole.  This  settlement  was  dis- 
tinguished from  those  above  as  "  Brunnen- 
dorf "  or  "  Fountain  Town,"  which  (both 
German  and  English)  name  was  derived  from 
the  springs  that  issue  from  the  ledge,  and  es- 
pecially from  the  one  near  the  parsonage,  whose 
crystal  fount  still  bubbles  refreshing  waters  for 
our  use,  as  it  did  for  those  hardy  pioneers,  one 
hundred  and  sixty  years  ago. 

The  dwelling  lots  were  all  to  the  west  of  the 
cemetery,  extending  as  far  as  the  present  farm 
of  Martin  L.  Schaeffer,  that  was  settled  by  Hen- 
drick Schaeffer.  He  was  one  of  seven  emigrants 
of  that  name  from  Germany  in  1710.  Twoof 
them,  Hendrick  and  Johannes,  settled  here  and 
the  remainder  upon  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk. 
The  name  was  originally  written  Schaeffer  and 
Schaffer.  At  the  present  time,  it  is  written  in 
various  ways,  according  to  the  fancy  of  the 
family. 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


355 


Two  families,  whose  children  settled  ia 
Cobleskill  many  years  after  this  settlement,  from 
the  Hudson,  although  cousins,  varied  in  the 
orthoepy  of  the  name,  by  writing  it  Shafer  and 
Shaver,  as  will  be  seen  by  consulting  the  next 
chapter. 

But  a  few  years  ago  Martin  L.  Schaeffer 
was  plowing  a  short  distance  back  of  his  farm 
buildings  and  turned  up  a  portion  of  a  fireplace 
which  was  without  doubt  the  spot  upon  which 
the  first  Schaeffer  settler's  residence  stood.  Not 
far  from  the  fireplace  was  a  small  headstone, 
with  the  initials  and  date, 

ANo  1744  M.  E.  E. 

From  this  Schaeffer  family  sprang  those  of 
Breakabeen,  Carlisle  and  Sharon. 

By  a  map  of  "  Fountain  Town"  bearing  date 
1753,  now  in  possession  of  Henry  Cady,  we 
find  that  the  most  easterly  building  in  this  dorf 
was  the  Lutheran  Church,  a  blue  limestone 
structure,  the  corner  stone  of  which  was  laid  on 
the  loth  of  May,  1750,  and  on  the  6th  of  May 
following,  was  dedicated.  It  stood  upon  the 
ground  now  occupied  as  burial  lots  of  Dr.  George 
A.  Lintner  and  John  Gebhard,  the  former  hav- 
ing been  a  resident  pastor  of  the  organization 
for  the  term  of  thirty  years,  long  after  its  found- 
ers had  crumbled  to  dust.  At  what  time  the  or- 
ganization was  effected,  the  records  do  not  show, 
but  undoubtedly  soon  after  the  settlement  of 
the  valley  was  made,  and  before  this  httle  'dorf" 
was  begun.  The  first  vestry  meeting  was  held 
June  8,  1743,  under  the  following  officers: — 
Abram  Berg,  elder ;  H  en  drick  Schaeffer  an  d  Peter 
Lowenstien,  deacons.  It  was  resolved  to  erect 
a  parsonage  for  the  minister,  and  a  place  of 
worship  for  the  congregation. 

On  the  3d  of  July,  following,  sacrament  was 
administered  to  one  hundred  communicants, 
and  on  the  12th  of  September,  following,  servi- 
ces were  held  for  the  first  time  in  the  parsonage 
and  continued  to  be  until  the  erection  of  the 
church.  The  building  still  stands  in  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  cemetery,  in  good  repair,  and 
is  the  oldest  one  in  the  County. 

Would  that  a  reflection  of  the  scene  might 
again  be  witnessed  that  here  presented  itself  one 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  years  ago,  as  Peter  N. 


Sommers  and  his  uncouth  yet  sincere  flock  gath- 
ered and  knelt  for  the  first  time  within  those 
walls  before  the  throne  of  Him  whom  they  so 
anxiously  desired  to  adore ;  but  that  passed  on 
to  the  heart  of  their  God  to  swell  the  effulgence 
of  his  love. 

"  Previous  to  the  building  of  the  parsonage," 
Dr.  Lintner  says  in  the  Lutheran  Magazine  of 
1827,  of  which  he  was  the  editor,  "the  pioneers 
of  these  settlements  performed  services  by  one 
of  their  number  reading  approved  sermons,  and 
occasionally  Dominie  Berkemeier,  of  Loonen- 
burgh  (Athens-on-the-Hudson)  preached  to 
them  as  they  assembled  in  the  most  spacious 
dwellings." 

The  records  of  the  church-  have  been  care- 
fully preserved,  -and  were  written  originally  in 
High  Dutch.  The  late  Dr.  Lintner  translated 
them  to  English,  and  upon  the  first  page  we 
read: — 

"  In  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity." 

"  I,  Peter  Nicholas  Sommers,  from  the  city 
of  Hamburgh,  received  on  the  7  th  day  of  the 
month  September,  in  the  year  1742  the  call  as 
Ev.  Luth.  Preacher  in  the  congregation  at  Scho- 
harie, authorized  by  the  consistory  at  St.  Tuni- 
tatis  at  London  and  ordained  by  the  Rev.  Jo- 
hann  George  Palm  for  taking  charge  of  said 
congregation, 

"  I  started  from  Hamburgh  for  London  and 
under  God's  almighty  protection  I  arrived  at 
London  on  the  2Sth  of  Oct.  Circumstances 
prevented  my  setting  out  for  New  York  and  the 
27th  I  started  for  Albany  where  I  remained  un- 
till  the  2Sth  May.  Then  I  went  to  Schoharie 
where  I  on  the  first  Sunday  of  Tunitatis  preached 
my  introductory  sermon.  The  Lord  our  God 
be  furthermore  with  me  and  my  beloved  congre- 
gation that  the  great  end  of  my  arduous  office 
maybe  accomplished  that  the  name  of  the  Lord 
may  be  glorified.     Amen." 

Sommers'  field  of  labor  was  wide,  as  he 
preached  in  the  Lutheran  settlements  of  Stone 
Arabia,  Little  Falls,  Canajoharie,  New  Rhine- 
beck,  The  Camps,  Claverack,  Loonenburgh, 
Hoosick,  Albany,  Helleburgh,  and  as  the  coun- 
try became  cleared  and  settlements  made,  in 
Cobleskill   and   Sharon.     He  was  married,  to 


3S6 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Maria  Keyser,  of  Stone  Arabia,  on  the  26th  of 
May,  1744,  by  Dominie  Berkemeier,  and  the 
fruits  of  the  marriage  were  ten  children,  among 
whom  were  two  pairs  of  twins.  In  the  year 
T768  he  was  taken  suddenly  blind  and  remained 
so  to  the  close  of  1789,  when  one  morning  as  he 
awoke,  his  sight  was  restored.  Upon  caUing  his 
faithful  wife  to  his  bedside,  he  exclaimed,  "  I 
can  see  !"  "  What  can  you  see  ?  "  she  asked. 
"  I  can  see  the  trees,  you  and  everything."  And 
to  the  close  of  his  life  his  sight  was  retained. 

He  died  in  the  town  of  Sharon  in  the  year 
1795,  aged  eighty-five  years,  and  after  many 
years  he  was  re-interred  by  the  St.  Paul's 
Society  but  a  few  rods  from  the  site  of  the 
original  church.  During  the  Revolutionary  war 
the  enemies  of  our  country,  of  whom  so  much 
reverence  was  not  expected,  spared  the  church 
and  parsonage,  while  nearly  all  other  buildings 
fell  by  the  British  and  maddened  Mohawk 
torch. 

As  that  struggle  ceased  and  prosperity 
dawned  upon  the  once  desolated  settlement 
contributions  of  money  and  material  were  made, 
for  the  building  of  a  new  edifice,  and,  as  the 
ancient  figures  upon  the  belfry  tell  us,  the 
present  brick  church  was  erected  in  1796. 

In  the  foundation  lie  many  of  the  stones  of 
the  old  church,  and  upon  them  are  inscribed 
the  names  of  several  of  the  donors. 

The  pastors  of  the  church  and  the  date  of 
locating  are  as  follows.: — 

Rev.  P.  N.  Sommers,  1743. 

Rev.  Anthony  T.  Braun,  1791. 

Rev.  Frederick  H.  Quitman,  1795. 

Rev.  Anthony  T.  Braun,  1799. 

Rev.  Augustus  Wackenhagen,  1805. 

Rev.  John  Molther,  1816. 

Rev.  George  A.  Lintner,  1819. 

Rev.  J.  R.  Keiser,  1850. 

Rev.  E.  Belfour,  1857. 

Rev.  J.  H.  Heck  (present  pastor),  1868. 

We  were  pleased  to  find  among  the  papers  of 
the  antiquarian,  John  Gebhard,  Jr.,  a  receipt 
given  by  Rev.  Peter  N.  Sommers  for  his  yearly 
salary.  The  very  affable  article  was  written  in 
German,  and  upon  translating  it  reads  : 

"  I  gratefully  acknowledge  to  have  received 


for  my  yearly  Salary  from  my  church  Elders  and 
Deacons,  Forty  Pounds  properly  and  duly  paid. 
Schoharie  the  29th  of  May,  1745. 

Peter  N.  Sommers,  Pastor." 

Perhaps  it  would  be  safe  to  say  no  minister 
of  this  or  any  other  church  in  the  County,  en- 
deared himself  to  the  people  and  churches  of 
all  persuasions  as  did  Dr.  Lintner,  whose  pas- 
torate, as  will  be  observed,  extended  from  181 9 
to  1849.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Minden, 
Montgomery  county,  N.  ¥.,  February  15,  1796, 
and  spent  his  early  childhood  at  the  homestead, 
when  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  he  was  sent  to 
Cooperstown  to  attend  school.  He  early 
entered  Union  College,  and  after  graduating  in 
that  institution  commenced  the  study  of  theology 
under  the  direction  of  Rev.  Mr.  Domeger,  and 
was  hcensed  to  preach  by  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Ministerium  of  New  York  in  Sep- 
tember, 1818.  In  January,.  1819,  he  accepted 
a  call  from  this  church,  and  was  installed  June 
1 6th,  of  that  year.  Rev.  Edward  Belfour,  in  a 
memorial  published  soon  after  Dr.  Lintner's 
death,  says : — 

"  He  was  the  recognized  leader  of  the  young 
men  of  his  Synod,  including  Rev.  Frederick 
Schaeffer  and  H.  N.  Pohlman,  in  their  manly 
opposition  to  what  he  was  wont  to  call  the 
Quitman  Dynasty  of  Rationalism.  But  after  a 
time  he  and  others  became  so  dissatisfied  with 
the  character  of  the  old  Synod,  that  he  initiated 
measures  for  the  organization  of  a  new  Synod. 
A  convention  was  called  at  Schoharie  in  1830, 
and  the  result  was  the  formation  of  the  Hart- 
wick  Synod,  of  which  he  was  chosen  the  first 
president,  an  office  which  he  often  held  and 
graced  in  after  years. 

"In  1837,  certain  members  of  this  Synod 
withdrew  and  formed  the  Franckean  Synod  on 
the  widest  latitudinarian  basis.  The  movement 
was  thoroughly  revolutionary,  and  led  to  vigor- 
ous controversies,  and  even  to  contests  in  the 
courts.     Dr.   Lintner  led  the  Hartwick  Synod 

and  successfully  defended  himself  and  associates. 

«         *         *  *  «         *         * 

"From  the  time  of  his  resignation  in  1849, 
he  was  engaged  in  promoting  the  work  of 
foreign  missions,  of  the  American  Bible  Society, 
and  of  any  other  good  cause  which  afforded  him 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


357 


an  opportunity  to  do  something  for  his  Master. 
He  was  editor  of  the  Lutheran  Magazine  from 
1837  to  1831,  and  contributed  to  various 
religious  publications,  in  which  he  was  especially 
earnest,  and  as  in  his  sermons,  almost  bitter  in 
his  opposition  to  the  use  of  all  intoxicating 
liquors  and  wines. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  strong  and  determined 
character;  he  seldom  relinquished  any  purpose, 
but  clung  to  it  most  tenaciously  until  it  was 
accomplished,  when  that  was  possible.  He 
closed  his  eyes  for  the  last  time  on  the  scenes 
of  this  world,  at  two  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of 
December  21,  187 1." 

In  the  Lutheran  Magazine  of  April,  1827,  we 
find,  up  to  that  date,  3,691  baptisms  had  been 
performed,  778  marriages,  and  722  confirma- 
tions in  the  church  since  its  organization.  In 
the  year  1753,  Rev.  Gideon  Hawley,  the  Indian 
missionary,  passed  through  this  place,  and  in  his 
account  of  the  journey,  says  :— 

"  In  regard  to  Schoharry,  it  is  fine  land,  and 
settled  by  Palatines,  brought  over  at  the  expense 
of  the  nation,  in  Queen  Anne'sreign.  Here  are 
three  decent  meeting  houses  and  two  Dominies, 
the  one  a  Calvinean,  and  the  other  a  Lutheran. 
The  language  of  the  people  is  German  or  High 
Dutch,  and  they  are  husbandmen." 

It  has  been  supposed  that  the  three  meeting 
houses  referred  to,  were  the  parsonage,  (which 
had  been  used  as  such  for  eight  years),  the 
church  built  in  1750,  and  the  Calvinian,  of 
Weiser's  dorf,  or  Middleburgh. 

In  speaking  of  Schoharie  in  those  days,  and 
even  down  through  and  after  the  RevokUion,all 
the  settlements  in  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
County's  present  territory  were  included,  as  there 
was  not  a  special  hamlet  bearing  the  name. 

Carrying  the  idea  that  the  Reformed  church 
of  Schoharie  village  was  not  built  at  that  time, 
it  might  be  easily  conjectured  that  the  Weiser 
church  was  included.  But  here  lies  a  mistake ; 
the  Reformed  church  of  this  place  stood  at  Fox's 
dorf  and  was  built  at  a  much  earlier  date.  The 
first  records  were  supposed  to  be  lost  or  de- 
stroyed by  the  burning  of  the  old  parsonage, 
but  they  were  not.  The  records  comprised  three 
volumes  ;  the  second  was  lost,  and  the  first  and 
third  are  in  existence. 


We  find  upon  the  map  of  1750,  the  church 
pictured  upon  it,  and  find  it  stood  east  of  the 
Stone  Fort,  at  the  point  of  the  second  bend  of 
the  creek  above  the  iron  bridge,  upon  a  knoll 
where  two  or  three  apple  trees  may  now  be  seen. 
The  organization  was  effected  about  1728,  and 
we  believe  the  church  was  erected  in  1736. 

The  general  history  of  this  church  we  have 
studied,  and  cannot  give  it  in  any  better  or  more 
truthful  light  than  the  Rev.  Sanford  H.  Cobb 
did  in  a  communication  published  in  the  Scho- 
harie   Union,    February  9,  1871.     He  says  : — 

«**»**»  One 
thing  which  inquiry  shows  us  will  be  looked  on 
by  most  as  a  discovery,  is  the  fact  that  the 
organization  of  the  church  as  a  society,  ante- 
dates the  building  of  the  Stone  church  nearly 
fifty  years.  That  building  was  erected  in  ]  772, 
as  appears  in  numerous  inscriptions  on  the  walls 
of  the  church.  The  church  as  an  organized 
body,  with  officers  and  members,  was  in  exis- 
tence in  the  year  1730.  The  last  date  is  the 
earhest  found  in  the  records  of  the  consistorial 
minutes.  In  that  year,  under  date  of  December 
3d,  is  recorded  the  appointment  of  Church  offi- 
cers, whose  names  may  be  here  copied  : — 

Elders : — 

Johannes  Vedder, 
Johannes  Bekker. 

Deacons : — 

Samuel  Hagedoorn, 
Pietre  Ziele. 

"  It  would  seem  probable  that  the  formation 
or  the  church  was  a  few  years  previous  to  that 
date.  In  the  first  Treasurer's  book  an  entry  is 
found  under  date  of  1728. 

"  It  is  certain  that,  whether  to  a  regularly 
organized  congregation  or  not,  the  gospel  was 
preached  in  this  place  and  vicinity  by  ministers 
connected  with  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam,  the 
Holland  Classis  which  had  special  charge  over  the 
Dutch  churches  in  America.  Corwin's  Manual 
mentions  Hendrik  Hager  as  preaching  at  East 
and  West  Camp,  and  at  Schoharie  between  171 1 
and  17 1 7.  The  same  book  also  mentions  a 
John  Fredrich  Hager  who  officiated  *  * 
in  1720. 


3S8 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


«*  *  *  *  The  labors  of  Hager 
were  evidently  of  a  missionary  character,  and 
were  succeeded  by  those  of  John  Jacob  Ehle, 
whose  field  embraced  Schoharie  and  the  valley 
of  the  Mohawk,  from  1720  to  1750,  and  was, 
subsequent  to  1750,  a  missionaryto  the  Mohawk 
Indians.  It  is  improbable  that  either  of  the 
men  mentioned  above  was  actually  a  settled 
pastor  over  the  Schoharie  Church. 

"  The  work  of  Hager  commenced  the  year 
after  the  settlement  of  Schoharie,  and  the  pres- 
ence here  of  the  two  in  a  missionary  capacity, 
may  account  for  the  early  establishment  of  the 
Reformed  Church  in  the  Schoharie  valley.  The 
name  of  the  church  organized  probably  between 
1720  and  1730,  was  the  Protestant  Reformed 
High  Dutch  Church  of  Schoharie. 

»         *         *         «  *  «         » 

"  The  first  name  which  has  a  probable  right 
to  be  placed  on  the  pastoral  record  of  the 
church,  is  that  of  Reinhardt  Erickson.  It  is 
signed  at  the  bottom  of  a  consistorial  minute  as 
President  of  Consistory.  His  pastorate  lasted 
only  one  year,  (1730-31).  He  was  a  man  of  con- 
siderable prominence  in  his  day  in  the  church, 
and  very  successful  in  his  ministry  at  Schenec- 
tady. «  »  «  *  J-Jg      ^jg     g^f.. 

ceeded  in  the  Schoharie  pastorate  by  George 
Michael  Weiss,  or  Weitzins,  who  was  a  native  of 
the  Palatinate.  His  diploma  from  the  University 
of  Heidelberg,  and  certificate  of  ordination  are 
engrossed  in  Latin  on  the  Records  of  the  Scho- 
harie Church,  together  with  the  call  made  upon 
him  by  the  church,  which  is  written  in  German. 
He  came  to  this  country  in  17215,  and  preached 
in  Pennsylvania  to  the  Germans,  and  in  1731, 
came  to  Schoharie,  after  a  visit  of  a  year  in 
Holland.  He  remained  here  until  1736,  labor- 
ing also  in  adjoining  counties,  and  afterwards  re- 
turned to  Pennsylvania,  in  which  State  he  died 
in  1762. 

"Weiss  was  followed  at  Schoharie  in  1736  by 
Johannes  Schuyler.  Dominie  Schuyler  was  the 
first  Dutch  minister  ordained  in  this  country. 
Previous  to  this  date  all  ordinations  had  been 
performed  in  Holland,  but  by  express  permission 
of  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam,  Dominies  Erick- 
son and  Haeghoort  were  appointed  to  ordain 
Schuyler.    Schuyler  immediately  settled  in  Scho- 


harie, and  continued  in  the  pastorate  until 
1755.  Underthis  pastorate  the  chufch  formally 
ranged  itself  with  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church 
— Dominie  Schuyler,  with  his  elders,  taking 
active  part  in  those  efforts  to  form  an  American 
Ecclesiastical  Judicatory,  which  afterwards  re- 
sulted in  the  formation  of  the  General  Synod. 
Schuyler  was  twice  pastor  of  this  church. 

"  The  first  pastorate  of  nineteen  years  was  be- 
tween the  dates  just  mentioned.  From  1755 
to  1766  he  was  settled  over  the  churches  of 
Hackensack  and  Scraalenburgh,  and  in  1766 
returned  to  Schoharie,  joining  to  his  second 
pastorate  here  the  ministry  of  Beaver  Dam. 

"  This  second  pastorate  lasted  until  his  death 
in  1778.  It  was  during  the  last  settlement  of 
Dominie  Schuyler  that  the  Old  Stone  Fort  was 
built.     «     *     * 

"  Dominie  Schuyler's  name  is  cut  in  large  let- 
ters on  the  east  wall  of  the  old  church,  together 
with  the  date,  1772,  and  his  body  was  buried 
beneath  the  pulpit.  Thus,  if  tradition  says  cor- 
rectly, the  bones  of  Schoharie's  best  known  pas- 
tor have  lain  for  a  century,,  and  their  resting 
place  has,  in  these  last  years,  been  desecrated 
by  most  profane  uses.  As  the  remains  at  once 
of  a  pastor  faithful  and  beloved,  and  of  a  patriot 
animating  his  brethren  in  the  Revolutionary 
struggles,  they  have  deserved  a  better  treatment. 

"  The  interval  between  the  two  pastorates  of 
Dominie  Schuyler  was  nearly  filled  by  the  min- 
istry of  two  others.  The  first  of  these  was  Jo- 
hannes Mauritinus  Goetchius,  who  labored  here 
from  1757  to  1760.  His  field  here  extended 
over  thirty  miles.  He  was  educated  as  a  physi- 
cian and  afterward  prepared  for  the  ministry. 
He  left  Schoharie  for  Shawangunk  and  New 
Paltz,  and  died  in  1771. 

"He  was  succeeded  in  Schoharie  in  1760  by 
Abraham  Rosenkrantz,  about  whom  little  can  be 
learned,  save  the  dates  of  his  various  pastorates. 
He  remained  here  until  1765,  when  he  settled 
at  Canajoharie,  at  which  place  he  probably  died 
in  1794. 

"  The  second  pastorate  of  Dominie  Schuyler 
ended  in  1779,  and  the  church, owing  doubtless 
to  the  political  disturbance  and  war,  remained 
vacant  until  1785.  In  that  year  the  church 
called  one  William  Schneyder,  a  student,  to  be 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


359 


theirpastor.  He  appeared  before  the  General 
Synod  for  examination  and  ordination,  but  fail- 
ing to  sustain  a  creditable  examination,  he  was 
not  ordained,  and  requested  and  obtained  per- 
mission to  study  another  year,  and  be  examined 
at  the  next  meeting  of  Synod.  Instead,  how- 
ever, of  doing  this,  he  solicited  and  obtained  or- 
dination from  the  German  Reformed  Church  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  settled  in  Schoharie.  In  the 
next  meeting  of  the  Synod  this  irregular  conduct 
was  noticed,  and  the  Synod  instructed  the  Classis 
at  Albany,  to  which  the  Schoharie  church  be- 
longed, to  call  the  church  to  account  for  settling 
a  minister  disapproved  by  the  Synod. 

"  The  answer  of  the  church  was  exceedingly 
contumacious,  in  effect  telHng  the  Classis  that 
the  church  at  Schoharie  was  competent  to  take 
care  of  itself,  did  not  desire  any  interference, 
and  wanted  to  have  nothing  further  to  do  with 
either  Classis  or  Synod  ! 

"From  that  date  (1785)  until  1820  the  church 
maintained  itself  entirely  independent  unless 
indeed  it  may  have  had  some  quasi  relation  to 
the  German  Coetus.  It  is  impossible  to  answer 
this  and  many  other  questions  which  spring  up, 
because  of  the  loss  of  the  consistorial  minutes 
between  1785  and  1820.  The  book  which 
contained  them  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  the 
kitchen  of  the  second  parsonage.  The  parish 
register,  however,  is  preserved,  and  gives  a  com- 
plete record  of  marriages  and  births  from  1731, 
together  with  many  historical  notes  interspersed 
in  the  records.  From  this  register  most  of  the 
dates  in  this  paper  are  obtained.  The  pages  of 
the  register  covered  by  the  pen  of  this  Dominie 
Schneyder  are  truly  elegant  specimens  of  pen- 
man's skill.  Schneyder  remained  but  three 
years,  leaving  Schoharie  in  1788.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  J.  L.  Broefifle,  who  preached  both  in 
Schoharie  and  Canajoharie,  terminating  his  min- 
istry in  the  former  charge  about  1798.  There 
is  diflficulty  in  ascertaining  the  exact  dates  of 
Broeffle's  giving  up  the  charge  here  and  the  in- 
stituting of  his  successor.  The  more  probable 
solution  is  the  date  just  given  and  the  speedy 
installation  of  J.  D.  Schaeffer. 

"  It  is  possible  that  the  church  was  ministered 
to  by  Rynier  Van  Ness  for  a  while,  though  the 
labors  of  that  man  were  mainly  at  Middleburgh. 


He  may  also  have  filled  the  vacancy  from  1780 
to  1785,  though  no  mention  is  made  of  him  in 
the  Schoharie  church  books.  Under  date  of 
1799  there  occurs  in  the  register  a  rather  amus- 
ing solitary  note  by  a  minister  named  J.  J. 
Eyermann,  whether  settled  or  not  does  not  ap- 
pear. Beneath  this  entry  is  written  in  Latin, 
and  evidently  in  the  handwriting  of  Dominie 
Schseffer,  '  A  vagabond  unworthy  of  the  name 
of  preacher  or  pastor.' 

"Dominie  Schseffer's  pastorate  commenced 
about  1798  or  1800,  and  continued  until  1820, 
within  the  memory  of  many  now  living  among 
us.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  ministry  the  church 
was  glad  to  give  up  its  independent  position, 
and  connect  itself  with  the  Classis  of  Montgom- 
ery, from  which  and  the  Classis  of  Albany  those 
churches  were  afterwards  set  off,  which  consti- 
tuted the  Classis  of  Schoharie. 

"The  ministry  of  Paul  Weidman  com- 
menced in  1820  and  continued  to  1836,  fol- 
lowed by  that  of  J.  M.  Scribner,  1836-1839; 
Samuel  Robertson,  1839-1843;  Ransford  Wells, 
1844-1857;  E.  Crispell,  1857-1863;  S.  H. 
Cobb,  1863-1871  ;  Edwin  Vedder,  1871-1873; 
William  C.  Handy,  present  pastor. 

"The  eastern  portion  of  the  congregation 
was  set  apart  in  1844  to  form  the  church  of 
Gallupville. 

"  In  the  same  year  the  Schoharie  church  oc- 
cupied the  new  brick  building  in  the  Court 
House  village,  and  ceased  to  worship  in  the  Old 
Stone  Church." 

The  land  upon  which  the  church  was  built 
has  been  sold  from  the  original  "church  lot," 
which  contained  fifteen  acres. 

There  have  been  three  different  buildings  used 
as  parsonages.  The  first  stood  near  the  creek 
above  the  first  bend,  and  the  second  where  the 
third  was  built  and  which  is  now  occupied  by 
WiUiam  Vroman. 

Johannes  Eckerson,  brother  of  Major  Ecker- 
son,  of  Weiser's  dorf,  purchased  the  land  of 
Myndert  Schuyler  and  conveyed  it  to  the  "  High 
Dutch  Reformed  Church"  in  1752.  We  find 
within  the  Old  Fort  the  fact  of  his  giving  the 
land,  as  also  by  the  deed,  to  be  found  in  the  hands 
of  Henry  Cady.     Within  the  walls  of  the  old 


360 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


church  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Brant  or  Thayen- 
danegea  was  christened  "Gersina."  In  all 
probability  the  chief  and  his  squaw  were  on  a 
visit  to  the  valley  where  the  child  was  born,  and 
falhng  in  with  the  customs  of  the  whites,  the 
child  was  christened  as  soon  as  the  mother 
could  attend  church. 

In  1772  the  old  church  was  razed  to  the 
ground  upon  the  completion  of  building  the  one 
now  called  the  "  Stone  Fort."  The  control  of 
the  church  was  wafted  to  the  hands  of  the  Low 
Dutch  soon  after  the 
Revolution,  but  at 
present  the  descend- 
ants of  each  unite  as 
one  around  the  altar 
reared  so  long  ago  by 
their  forefathers,  and 
we  trust,  with  the 
same  honest,  earnest 
simplicity  as  charac- 
terized them  in  their 
worship  of  their  God. 

A  new  church  was 
built  in  the  year  184S, 
and  the  stone  build- 
ing was  purchased  by 
the  State,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  used 
as  an  arsenal,  but  not 
being  necessary  for 
that  purpose,  through 
the  efforts  of  Peter 
Couchman,  at  that 
time  Member  of  As- 
sembly, t  h  e  State 
deeded  the  property 
to   the   County   in 


The  Old  Stone  Fort. 


1872,  and  by  a  small  appropriation  by  the  board 
of  supervisors  yearly,  it  is  kept  in  repair. 

We  would  here  say  further  upon  the  subject 
of  the  organization  of  the  two  churches  here, 
that  both,  in  their  time,  suddenly  appeared 
here  as  a  meteor  in  the  heavens,  full  fledged, 
without  the  usual  church  formaUties  of  organi- 
zation, and  it  is  not  at  all  probable  there  were 
any.  From  vague  sources  we  are  led  to  think 
the  Lutherans  organized  at  Hartman's  dorf 
before  settling  here,  but  he  have  not  any  proof 
that  could  be  relied  upon. 


As  hostiUties  between  the  Colonies  and  the 
mother  country  became  more  desperate,  and 
the  safety  of  the  people  in  this  section  more 
uncertain,  in  the  fall  of  1777  small  block- 
houses were  built  in  the  southeast  and  northeast 
corners  of  the  stone  church,  and  the  whole  in 
closed  by  pickets,  and  the  house  of  God  be- 
came a  fortress.  Beneath  its  roof  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  surrounding  country  found  safety 
from  the  invasions  of  the  Indians  and  Tories. 
Many,  many  anxious  nights  were  here  passed 
by  those  worried  yet 
determined  patriots, 
expecting  each  mo- 
ment to  look  abroad 
over  these  beautiful 
flats  and  see  their 
homes  fall  by  tlie 
Mohawk's  torch,  and 
hear  the  dying  strug- 
gles of  their  kinsmen 
who  dared  to  remain 
upon  their  own 
hearthstones. 

As  we  approach 
the  Old  Fort  we  can 
but  feel  we  are  upon 
hallowed  ground — 
ground  bathed  by 
mothers  tears,  fath- 
ers sweat  and  priva- 
tion, and  the  blood 
of  noble  sons,  that 
bespeak  grandeur 
and  sublimity  o  f 
character  which  will 
resound  to  succeed- 
ing generations. 
Even  these  rough  walls  display  that  beauty  which 
polished  marble  fails  to  show,  as  the  patriotic 
deeds  here  enacted  are  reflected  upon  each 
rough  layer,  making  them  emeralds  in  Freedom's 
structure.  Near  by  to  the  east  lived  Dr.  Budd, 
the  delegate  to  the  secret  meeting  in  Albany  in 
1774,  whose  ashes  lie  in  the  Lutheran  Cemetery, 
beneath  a  marble  slab  bearing  the  inscription : — 
"In  memory  of  Doct.  Daniel  Budd,  who  departed 
this  Hfe  March  20th,  A.  D.  1815,  aged  65  years,  2 
months  and  1 8  days."  Dr.  Budd  was  a  native 
of  New  Jersey,  and  settled  here  about  the  year 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


361 


1770,  and  was,  we  believe,  the  first  American 
read  physician  in  the  County.  He  was  a  sur- 
geon in  the  French  war,  and  came  to  Schoharie 
with  the  Schoharie  company,  under  Captain 
Hager,  from  Lake  George.  Some  years  previ- 
ous to  his  death  he  built  the  house  now  occupied 
by  Paul  Dietz,  where  he  died,  respected  by  all 
who  knew  him  as  a  skillful  physician,  enter- 
prising inhabitant  and  true  patriot. 

Here  within  the  yard  in  which  the  old  fort 
stands,  he  many  patriots.  A  small  red  sand 
stone  marks  the  spot  that  contains  the  ashes  of 
Colonel  Peter  Vroman  and  exhibits  the  "ingrat- 
itude of  Repubhcs"  in  a  manner  too  noticeable. 
The  graves  of  such  unflinching  soldiers  should 
be  honored  by  more  imposing  looking  monu- 
ments. And  here  lie  also  the  remains  of  David 
WiUiams,  one  of  the  captors  of  Major  Andre, 
beneath  an  appropriate  monument  erected  by 
the  State  at  an  expense  of  two  thousand  dollars, 
in  1876. 

The  remains  were  brought  from  Rensselaer- 
ville,  on  the  19th  of  July,  escorted  by  a  large 
procession,  and  on  the  23d  of  September,  the 
96th  anniversary  of  Andre's  capture,  the 
corner  stone  of  the  monument  was  placed  and 
an  address  delivered  by  Grenville  Tremain,  of 
Albany,  before  an  audience  of  several  thousand 
people. 

Dr.  Daniel  Knower,  whose  energies  were  ex- 
cited in  the  enterprise  as  a  State  Commissioner 
to  erect  the  monument,  conceived  the  inscrip- 
tions upon  it  which  are  on  the  east  side,  writ- 
ten on  a  shield  : — 

"Here  rests  the  remains  of 

DAVID   WILLIAMS, 

One  of  the  Captors  of 

MAJOR  ANDRE. 

Died  in  Schoharie  County, 

August  2D,   183  r, 

Aged  76  years,  6  mos.,  8  days." 

Underneath : — 

"He  with  his  compatriots,  John  Paulding  and 
Isaac  Van  Wart,  on  the  23d  of  September, 
1780,  arrested  Major  John  Andre,  and  found 
on  his  person  treasonable  papers  in  the  hand- 
writing of  Gen.  Benedict  Arnold,  who  sought 
by  treachery  to  surrender  the  military  post  of 


West  Point  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  In 
resisting  the  great  bribes  of  their  prisoner  for 
his  Hberty,  they  showed  their  incorruptible  Pa- 
triotism, the  American  Army  was  saved,  and 
our  beloved  Country  became  free." 

Upon  the  marble  base  is  "  David  Williams," 
upon  the  north  side  a  monogram  of  David  Will- 
iams; within  a  circle  below  is,  "Vincit  Amor 
Patriae,"  and  beneath  : — ■ 

"  Gen.  Washington's  letter  to  the  President 
of  Congress,  October,  1780:  '  The  party  that 
took  Major  Andre  acted  in  such  a  manner 
as  does  them  the  highest  honor  and  proves 
them  to  be  men  of  great  virtue.'" 

On  the  south  side  upon  a  shield  is  '-Fidelity," 
and  below : — 

"By  authority  of  Congress,  in  1780,  a  silver 
medal  was  voted  to  them,  and  presented  to 
the  captors  by  Gen.  Washington,  at  a  dinner 
to  which  he  invited  them  while  the  army  was 
encamped  near  Ver  Planck's  Point." 

Upon  the  west  side  is  engraved  upon  a  plain 
shield : — 

"NANCY   BENEDICT, 

wife  of 

David  Williams. 

Died  August  5,  1844,  aged  87  yrs., 

6  MOS.,  8  d'ys. 

And  beneath : — 

"This  monument  was  erected  by  the  State 
of  New  York  from  an  appropriation  made  in 
the  Centennial  Year  of  1876,  by  a  bill  intro- 
duced by  Senator  W.  C.  Lament  under  the  fol- 
lowing State  Commissioners : 

"DANIEL  KNOWER, 
"RALPH   BREWSTER, 
"CHARLES  HOLMES." 

The  monument  is  of  Massachusetts  marble, 
having  a  granite  base,  upon  which  is  placed  a 
marble  block,  the  base  of  a  shaft  thirteen  feet 
in  height— the  whole  being  twenty-three  feet 
nine  inches  high. 

Near  by,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Fort, 
is  a  plain,  yet  neat  monument,  to  the  memory  of 
Simon  Hoosick  Mix,  who  fell  at  the  battle  of 
Petersburgh,  on  the  isth  of  June,  1864.     Mr. 


362 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Mix  was  born  in  Johnstown,  N.  Y.,  February 
25,  1825,  and  was  the  son  of  Peter  Mix,  long 
known  as  the  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Scho- 
harie Patriot.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  Mr.  Mix 
pubHshed,  in  the  office  of  his  father,  a  small 
paper  called  The  Star,  and  in  after  years  he 
followed  his  parent  in  the  pubHcation  of  the 
Patriot,  which  was  subsequently  changed  to  the 
Schoharie  Union.  His  natural  taste  was  for 
literature,  and  the  many  productions  from  his 
pen  were  able  and  pleasing,  exhibiting  a  finer 
expression  of  sentiment  than  is  usually  found 
in  the  columns  of  the  majority  of  country  period- 
icals. When  the  Rebellion  commenced,  Mr. 
Mix  volunteered  his  services  to- raise  a  regiment 
of  cavalry,  but  was  opposed  by  the  Secretary  as 
being  a  useless  appendage  to  the  army,  but 
through  his  plausible  reasoning  Mr.  Mix  was 
commissioned  to  organize  the  regiment  which 
was  called  Van  Allen's  regiment,  in  honor  of  Gen- 
eral VanAllen,  a  friend  of  Mr.  Mix.  Mr.  Van  Al- 
len was  commissioned  Colonel,  and  Mr.  Mix, 
Lieutenant-Colonel.  The  regiment  afterwards 
was  changed  to  the  Third  New  York  Cavalry, 
and  was  in  reality  the  first  volunteer  regiment  of 
Cavalry  in  service.  Mix  was  promoted  to  Col- 
onel, and  was  offered  higher  honors,  but  refused 
them. 

During  1862  and  1863,  his  regiment  was  the 
only  cavalry  regiment  at  Newbern,  and  was 
active  in  all  skirmishes  in  that  vicinity.  He 
participated  in  the  actions  at  Little  Wash- 
ington, Goldsborough,  Kingston,  and  Blantz 
Mills,  and  drove  the  guerrillas  from  Hyde  county, 
during  which  act  fifteen  of  a  squad  of  thirty-five 
men  were  slain  in  a  swamp  at  the  first  fire. 

In  the  fall  of  1 863  they  were  called  to  For- 
tress Monroe,  and  were  in  the  siege  of  Suffolk 
by  Longstreet,  and  as  the  Army  of  the  James 
advanced  in  the  spring  of  1864,  his  regiment 
was  sent  to  the  front  of  Petersburgh,  where  they 
arrived  on  the  nth  of  May,  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  A.  V.  Kautz.  The  Army  of  the 
Potomac  arrived,  and  the  advance  upon  the 
rebel  works  was  made  on  the  14th  of  June, 
and  lasted  during  the  15th  and  i6th. 

The  rebels  had  three  hnes  of  defense,  the  first 
was  taken,  and  upon  the  charge  of  the  second, 
on  the  15th,  Mix  fell  mortally  wounded,  at  the 


head  of  his  regiment.  The  retirement  of  the 
regiment  from  the  charge  brought  the  dead  and 
wounded  in  the  hands  of  the  rebels,  among 
whom  was  Colonel  Mix,  whose  body  was  not 
recovered,  and  this  monument  simply  stands  in 
the  family  plat  to  commemorate  his  name  and 
deeds,  and  not  to  designate  the  spot  which  holds 
his  remains. 

Colonel  Mix  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  the 
men  under  his  command,  as  an  officer  and 
comrade,  and  by  all  who  knew  him  as  a  true, 
genial,  whole-souled  man,  and  in  his  death  the 
government  lost  one  of  her  best  officers  and 
bravest  soldiers. 

In  honor  of  Colonel  Mix,  the  veterans  of  the 
late  Rebellion,  from  the  vicinity,  many  of  whom 
were  in  his  regiment,  organized  Post  Mix, 
under  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the  Grand 
Army  fraternity  in  1868. 

The  charter  members  of  the  same  were: — 

T.  J.  Shannon, 
P.  S.  Clark, 
Cyrus  Guffin, 
E.  Simmons, 
C.  C.  Kromer, 
R.  W.  Kinney, 
W.  Stocker, 
S.  W.  Hollenbeck, 
J.  Maternagan, 
C.  Kniskern, 
Edwin  Shafer. 

Peter  Mix,  the  father  of  Colonel  Mix,  was  a 
native  of  Johnstown,  Fulton  county,  and  early 
learned  the  printers'  trade.  He  became  the  editor 
and  proprietor  of  The  Montgomery  Republican 
in  1825,  and  continued  the  same  until  1836, 
when  the  office  was  burned  and  the  paper  dis- 
continued. He  removed  to  Schoharie  village 
and  commenced  the  publication  of  The  Scho- 
harie Patriot  in  1838,  and  there  died. 

Not  far  off  hes  the  first  Clerk  of  the  County, 
Joachim  G.  Staats,  who  died  in  1801,  at  the  age 
of  thirty  years.  He  was  a  very  good  scholar, 
to  judge  of  his  writings,  and  passed  away  at  an 
early  age. 

Beside  him  hes  Dr.  Origin  Brigham,  who  died 
on  the  2d  of  August,  1816,  aged  fifty-nine  years. 
Doctors  Budd  and  Brigham  were  here  practicing 


jry-^^rinr- 


rl-,^,Q. 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


363 


at  one  time,  but  the  former  came  many  years  be- 
fore the  latter.  Schoharie  Village  has  had  a  long 
list  of  physicians,  and  among  them  were  several 
of  unusual  skill. 

The  first  practicing  physician  located  in  the 
valley,  we  believe  to  have  been  James  Lewis, 
who  was  here  as  early  as  1730,  and  closed  his 
career  about  1750.  One  Thomas  Yunk  or 
Young  soon  followed  and  died  in  1770.  Dur- 
ing Young's  time,  Dr.  Johannes  Werth,  a  Ger- 
man, settled  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Jo- 
hannes, Jr.  A  few  of  the  old  doctor's  surgical 
instruments  are  now  in  the  possession  of  Tobias 
Bouck,  of  Cobleskill,  whose  wife  was  a  grand- 
daughter of  Johannes,  Jr. 

Following  the  above  early  physicians  at  Scho- 
harie were  Doctors  Budd,  Brigham,  Cornelius 
VanDyck,  Joshua  Crounse,  P.  S.  Swart,  David 
Budd,  Harman  Van  Dyck,  Jacob  Beakley,  Lo- 
renzo  Hubbard,    Lathrop,  Justin    Rice, 

Joel  Foster,  James  Crounse,  Cornelius  C.  Van- 
Dyck, John  I.  Swart,  John  Pindar,  and  the  pres- 
ent practicing  physicians.  Doctors  Wm.  S.  Lay- 
man, Norwood,  Kingsley  and  Kilmer. 

Within  a  very  costly  vault  lie  the  remains  of 
Benjamin  Pond,    who  came  from  some  eastern 
State  at  an  early  day,  and  married  the  daughter 
of  Abram  Bergh.     After  many  years  of   labor 
and  economy,  he  became  the  wealthiest  man  in 
the  County.     But  while  riches  guaranteed  a  life 
of  ease  and  prominence,  disease  claimed  its  vic- 
tim and  death  its  own,  and  Pond  passed  away, 
leaving  the  accumulation  of  years   behind,  that 
could  not  be  transported   "beyond."     His  son, 
A.  B.  F.  Pond,  from  1861  to  1865,  was  editor  and 
publisher  of  The  Schoharie  Republican,  whose 
able  columns  exhibited  ability  that  few  country 
journals   are   fortunate   to  possess,  and  which 
many  of  the  city  periodicals  would   do  well  to 
obtain.     This  cemetery  at  present  belongs  to  an 
association,  and  is  being  kept  in  commendable 
order.     Within  its  limits  lie  heroes  of  the  three 
wars  that  built,  established  and  perpetuated  one 
of  the   grandest   governmental   structures   the 
world  has  ever  known,  and  cemented  each  part 
to  the  other  by  their  blood  and  privations. 

The  settlement  made  here  at  an  early  day, 
was  known  as  Fox's  dorf,  and  around  it  clus- 
tered  many   scenes   that  were  peculiar  to  the   | 


Revolutionary  struggle,  of  which  we  will  make 
mention  before  going  back  to  consider  facts  re- 
lating to  Brunnen  and  Smith's  dorfs. 

Across  the  creek  where  Peter  Vroman  now 
resides,   stood  the  house   of  Captain  George 
Mann,  who  espoused  the   cause  of  the  Crown 
after  receiving  a  commission  in  the  Provincial 
service.     The  old  house  was  built  with  a  stone 
basement,    in    which    was    the   bar-room  and  ' 
kitchen,  where  whites,  Indians  and  negroes  as- 
sembled and  mixed  promiscuously  and  plotted, 
much  to  the  detriment  of  the  neighborhood's 
safety.     The  upper  part  of  the   building   was 
brick   to  the  eaves,  and  if  memory  serves  us 
aright,  they  projected  through  over  the  base- 
ment, making  what  would  be  styled  at  the  pres- 
ent time  a  piazza. 

The  day  of  McDonald's  flight,  Mann  sought 
safety  from  the  Provincials'  grasp  in  the  moun- 
tain across  the  creek,  and  after  secreting  for 
several  months,  he  gave  himself  up  to  the 
Colonial  authorities,  by  whom  he  was  kept  as  a 
prisoner  of  war  at  Albany  until  the  spring  of 
1778.  His  property  was  not  confiscated,  as  his 
acts  had  not  been  such  as  to  make  him  a  very 
bitter  enemy  to  the  cause,  and  his  allegiance  to 
the  new  government  in  after  years  atoned 
in  a  measure  for  his  rash  conduct. 

He  was  arrested  in  November,  1777,  and 
after  lying  in  prison  until  spring,  he  wrote  a 
letter  to  Colonel  Vroman  and  others  praying 
for  them  to  intercede  in  his  behalf,  to  be  re- 
leased from  confinement,  promising  to  divulge 
everything  he  knew  of  the  Tories'  arrangements 
and  become  a  patriot.  He  was  accordingly 
released,  and  proved  a  true  man  in  the  Colonial 
cause.  After  the  war  closed  he  removed  to  the 
present  hamlet  of  Warnerville,  where  he  reared 
a  large  and  influential  family. 

Where  Jacob  Dietz  now  resides,  lived  Captain 
Jacob  Snyder,  who  was  at  the  Stone  Fort  when 
Johnson  and  Brant  passed  by.  Mrs.  Snyder 
carried  the  rum  around  to  the  men,  and  when 
the  ball  struck  the  eaves  of  the  church,  some  of 
the  company  cried  fire  !  She  coolly  dropped 
the  rum  and  ran  in  the  tower  to  see  where  the 
fire  was.  Not  seeing  any  cause  for  alarm,  she 
resumed  her  task  as  if  nothing  had  occurred. 
The  ball  which  lodged  in  the  plate,  was  presented 


364 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


to  her  in  after  years,  but  being  often  loaned,  it 
was  finally  lost  from  the  family's  knowledge.  At 
present  no  less  than  three  balls  in  the  possession 
of  different  ones,  are  said  to  be  the  "  identical." 
Captain  Snyder  weighed  out  the  rations  to 
the  men  in  the  fort  with  a  pair  of  steelyards, 
which  are  now  in  the  possession  of  Philip 
Snyder,  a  grandson  of  the  Captain.  The  same 
balances  were  used  in  181 2  for  the  same  pur- 
pose when  the  Schoharie  Regiment  rendez- 
voused here. 

Captain  Snyder  died  in  1786,  and  his  widow 
married  Philip  Schuyler,  who  was  boss  workman 
upon  building  the  Stone  Fort  in  1772.  Peter 
M.  Snyder,  familiarly  known  as  "Yankee 
Pete,"  succeeded  his  father  in  the  old  home- 
stead, and  commenced  keeping  tavern  in  1802. 
In  1817  he  built  the  house  in  which  Jacob 
Dietz  now  resides.  When  he  was  a  boy  his 
father  kept  tavern  and  the  language  spoken  by 
the  family  and  most  everybody  else  that 
frequented  the  place,  was  High  Dutch,  and 
when  business  called  a  Yankee  in  these  parts, 
as  it  occasionally  did,  in  the  form  of  peddlers 
and  speculators,  it  became  necessary  to  have 
some  one  to  communicate  with  them.  Peter 
M.  was  the  chosen  interpreter,  and  became  as 
proficient  in  the  Yankee  language  as  it  was 
possible  for  a  High  Dutch  tongue,  and  there 
being  three  Peter  Snyders,  Peter  M.  was  ever 
after  called  "  Yankee  Pete."  His  son,  Philip, 
succeeded  him  and  continued  the  business  for 
several  years.  But  the  building  of  railroads 
destroyed  the  profits  of  "tavern-keeping"  on  all 
the  turnpike  roads,  and  this  old  stand  was 
promoted  to  a  private  dwelling. 

Alluding  to  taverns,  we  might  here  notice  them 
entire  as  they  were  in  "  Ye  olden  time,"  and 
particularly  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  cent- 
ury. 

Missionary  Hawley,  in  his  narrative  of  his 
visit  here  in  1753,  says: — 

"  And  at  dusk  we  arrived  at  the  nearest  house 
between  Fort  Hunter  and  Schoharie  (Kneis- 
kern's  Dorf),  but  did  not  put  up  until  we  came  to 
what  was  accounted  a  public  house,  but  very  unfit 
for  the  entertainment  of  gentlemen  strangers.  It 
had  only  one  room,  and  in  that  room  was  a  slaw- 
bunk  with  a  straw  bed  upon  which  we  lodged. 


This,  however,  was.  not  the  worst  of  it,  for  we 
had  been  contented  with  coarse  fare  and  ill  ac- 
commodations, in  case  we  could  have  had  quiet 
rest,  but  the  unhappiness  of  our  case  was  that 
it  was  at  the  end  of  the  week,  and  to  spend 
their  wages  three  or  four  old  countrymen  came 
in  and  gamed  and  drank  through  the  night, 
within  a  foot  of  our  bed.  We  remonstrated  and 
complained,  but  in  vain.  Having  had  broken 
rest  through  the  week,  we  needed  balmy  sleep 
to  refresh  us,  but  of  which  we  were  denied." 

Who  was  the  keeper  of  the  inn  referred  to 
we  are  unable  to  say,  but  beheve  it  to  have  been 
one  of  the  Lawyers.  During  the  Revolution, 
John  I.  Lawyer  kept  near  the  parsonage ;  after- 
wards Johannes  Ingold,  who  was  followed  by  his 
son  Johannes,  Jr.  So  it  will  be  seen  during 
the  Revolution,  there  were  two  inns.  Lawyer's 
and  Mann's,  Previous  to  1800,  and  a  few  years 
after,  John  Ingold  remained  in  the  old  stand, 
while  within  the  distance  of  two  miles,  no  less 
than  nine  sprang  up  like  mushrooms,  and  at  one 
time  were  all  doing  a  thriving  business.  We 
will  here  give  their  locations  and  the  prominent 
keepers,  but  may  not  be  correct  as  to  the  time. 
There  were  four  in  the  village.  Chester  Lasell 
kept  where  the  Parrott  House  now  stands,  and 
Andrew  Loucks  where  the  late  Peter  Oster- 
hout  resided.  The  original  tavern  where  Wood's 
Hotel  now  stands,  was  a  wood  building,  and 
kept  by  David  Swart,  afterwards  by  Abraham 
Keyser,  and  was  burned  while  occupied  by  Alex. 
Vrooman,  brother  of  Jacob.  A  brick  structure 
was  placed  in  its  stead  by  him.  Some  time  after 
the  establishment  of  the  taverns  already  men- 
tioned, the  residence  of  General  Wm.  Mann  was 
purchased  by  Sheriff  Peter  Osterhout,  and  con- 
verted into  a  hotel,  and  after  passing  through 
several  hands,  it  was  bought  by  John  School- 
craft, and  for  several  years  known  as  the  "Man- 
sion House."  In  1868  the  building  was  burned, 
and  upon  its  site  stands  "  Union  Block." 

Further  down.  Christian  Lawyer  held  forth 
where  the  late  Wm.  Winter  resided,  and  Peter 
Vrooman  could  be  found  in  the  stone  house 
still  standing  upon  the  "Gardiner"  farm. 

Having  thus  alluded  to  the  early  taverns  and 
their  numbers,  we  will  copy  from  the  town 
records  the  inn   keepers  and  the  amount  each 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


3^5 


paid  in  1 805  for  license.  It  must  be  remembered 
the  territory  of  the  town  was  much  larger  than 
at  present. 

The  record  says : — "  the  account  of  the 
money  Collected  the  ensuing  year,  of  the 
several  Keepers  of  Inns  and  Taverns,  the  sums 
as  are  annexed  to  each  person's  name  respect- 
ively, in  conformity  to  the  act  entitled  :  An  act 
to  lay  a  duty  of  Excise  on  Strong  &  Spirituous 
Liquors,  &  to  regulate  Inns  and  Taverns : — 
May  71 
180S 

Peter  M.  Snyder $5.00 

John  Young 5,00 

Jacob  Lawyer,  Jr. 5.00 

John  Herrick,  Jr 5.00 

David  Lawyer,  Jr 6.00 

William  Sloan,  Jr 7.00 

Daniel  Hare 5.00 

David  Swart 7.00 

Bartholomew  Swart 6.00 

Peter  Kow 5.00 

Christian  Lawyer 5.50 

John  Rosekrans 5.00 

Peter  Vroman,  Jr. 5.00 

Christopher  Wetsel 5.00 

John  Brown,  Jr 5.00 

Jacob  L.  Lawyer 5.00 

John  Dominick,  Jr 5.00 

DeWalt  Hilts... 5.00 

Jacob  Snyder,  Jr 5.00 

Judah  Burton 5.00 

Josias  Hager 6.00 

Jacob  W.  Hilton 4.50 

Joseph  Wright 1.67 

Total $118.67 

We  have  placed  before  us,  by  Henry  Cady, 
a  license  bearing  (Jate  181 1,  given  to  Peter 
Vrooman,  "  to  keep  an  inn  as  it  was  necessary." 
At  the  same  time  Cornelius  Vrooman  kept  upon 
the  old  Mann  place.  Yankee  Pete  came  next, 
while  further  on  was  Peter  Mann;  still  beyond 
Jacob  Snyder,  cousin  of  Yankee  Pete,  held 
forth  where  Smith  Couch  now  resides. 

In  place  of  those  nine  inns,  we  have  but  three 
whose  spacious  appearance  exhibits  the  same 
progression  in  that  branch  of  business  as  we 
find  in  everything  else. 


The  first  houses  of  entertainment  were  called 
inns  ;  as  they  became  more  polished  they  were 
called  taverns,  but  at  the  present  time,  in  ac- 
cordance with  their  elevation  in  space  and  ap- 
pearance, they  are  recognized  as  hotels,  and 
the  three  which  are  located  here  add  much  to 
the  appearance  of  the  village. 

Wood's  Hotel  is  fitted  to  accommodate  over 
one  hundred  guests,  while  the  Parrott  House, 
not  to  be  excelled,  finds  ample  space  for  nearly 
double  that  number.  The  Taylor  House  is 
upon  a  smaller  scale,  but  pleasant  surroundings 
can  be  found  within  its  walls. 

Fox's  dorf  proper  was  upon  the  south  side  of 
the  creek,  around  the  present  "  stone  fort  "  and 
the  settlement  upon  the  north  side  was  not 
made  until  a  much  later  date.  The  lands  lying 
between  the  creek  and  Oarlock's  dorf  were  not 
purchased  by  actual  settlers  until  177 1,  when 
Peter  Mann,  Johannes  Ball,  of  Beaver  Dam  and 

Aker  of  Canajoharie,  purchased  of Bleeker. 

Aker  sold  his  interest  to  William  and  John 
Dietz,  of  Beaver  Dam,  sons  of  Johannes  Dietz 
who  was  massacred  by  the  Indians  in  1782,  at 
the  latter  place.  William  was  a  blacksmith,  and 
a  true  patriot,  and  settled  nearly  opposite  of 
William  Dietz's  present  residence.  He  had  four 
sons,  Peter,  Philip,  Abram  and  William,  who 
became  prominent  citizens  and  reared  large 
families,  that  have  of  late  years  dwindled  down 
to  few  in  numbers,  in  comparison  with  other 
old  families.  Two  daughters  followed  the 
custom  of  the  day  and  married  into  the  leading 
families  of  Fountain  Town  and  Kneiskern's  dorf. 
Maria  married  John  Sidney,  whose  ancestor 
was  one  of  the  seven  of  the  latter  settlement 
under  the  name  of  Sidnic,  and  Christina  united 
with  John  Lawyer,  and  was  perhaps  considered 
the  "fortunate  one"  in  those  days,  by  becom- 
ing connected  with  the  land  autocrats  of  the 
country.  The  latter  removed  to  Jefferson 
county  where  their  children  still  reside.  Eva, 
the  only  daughter  of  John  Dietz,  also  be- 
came interested  in  that  family  and  married 
Abraham  Lawyer,  the  son  of  Johannes,  the 
large  landholder. 

Colonel  William  Dietz  the  youngest  of  the 
four  brothers  became  the  leading  politician  of 


366 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  County.  He  was  a  self-made  man,  receiv- 
ing only  the  meager  advantages  of  the  district 
school,  but  became  a  very  good  scholar  for 
those  days  and  superior  in  business  affairs. 

Working  in  unison  with  William  C.  Bouck 
under  the  "  Albany  Regency,"  a  political  clique 
formed  by  the  leaders  of  the  Democratic  party, 
he  made  a  successful  career  in  which  the  charge 
of  official  corruption  was  not  made  by  his 
opponents,  with  any  foundation  of  truth. 
Colonel  Dietz  was  early  promoted  from  one 
office  to  another  in  the  militia  service,  until  he 
was  appointed  Colonel.  He  was  elected  super- 
visor of  the  town  in  1812,  and  to  the  Assembly 
in  1814  and  1815,  with  William  C.  Bouck,  and 
again  in  1823  with  Peter  W.  Snyder.  In  1825 
1836  and  1827  he  was  in  Congress,  and  the 
honor  of  State  Senator  was  conferred  upon  him 
successively  in  1830,  1831,  1832  and  1833.  It 
will  be  seen  that  Colonel  Dietz  was  a  prominent 
man  and  held  responsible  official  positions. 
He  did  avast  amount  of  business  in  thesetthng 
of  estates,  and  was  an  honest,  careful  man,  in 
whom  all  had  confidence.  He  was  naturally 
quiet  and  sought  the  society  of  neighbors  and  the 
quiet  of  home  to  the  publicity  and  extravagant 
customs  with  which  an  official  life  is  apt  to 
bring  one  in  contact.  After  a  useful  life  he  died 
at  his  home  on  the  24th  of  August,  1848,  at  the 
age  of  eighty,  leaving  but  one  heir,  David,  who 
also  has  passed  away. 

David's  children  were  WiUiam,  Mrs.  Mer- 
rill and  Mrs.  Boughton,  of  Schoharie  and  Mrs. 
Judge  John  Mann,  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.  who  are 
the  only  heirs  to  perpetuate  the  name  and 
virtues  of  one  of  Schoharie's  gifted  sons. 

The  founder  of  Fox's  dorf  was  one  William 
Fox,  who  for  reasons  unknown  to  the  writer, 
removed  to  Stone  Arabia,  then  a  part  of  Pala- 
tine, with  several  others  about  the  year  1755  or 
1760,  where  his  descendants  may  still  be  found. 
In  the  beginning  of  the  century  his  grandson 
removed  to  the  town  of  Sharon,  where  he  died 
in  1816  leaving  a  family  of  four  sons,  two  of 
whom  are  still  Hving  at  advanced  ages  bearing 
the  impress  of  the  early  settlers,  in  form,  muscle 
and  longevity.  The  Snyder  family  we  believe 
to  be  the  only  one  of  the  original  settlers  of 
this  dorf  still  remaining.     There  were  the  Akers 


Funks,  Werths,  Kobells,  Stahls,  (Stalls)  Mancks, 
(Monks)  Hogebooms  and  perhaps  many 
others  in  this  settlement,  but  about  the  time 
Fox,  the  leader  removed,  they  scattered  here 
and  there  and  gave  place  to  others.  The 
Beckers  of  the  High  Dutch  branch  and  Ziramers 
were  of  a  later  date,  and  settled  farther  up  the 
creek,  but  a  few  years  previous  to  and  after  the 
Revolution  they  were  owners  of  property  in  and 
around  the  dorf. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  this  place  four 
dorfs  were  located  within  the  distance  of  two 
and  one  half  miles, — Brunnen,  Fox's,  Smith's 
and  Oarlock's. 

Having  located  the  two  former,  the  third  was 
pleasantly  situated  where  the  railroad  depot 
now  stands. 

By  the  divisions  made  upon  the  map  before 
alluded  to,  there  were  but  seven  residents  here 
in  the  .first  settlement.  The  map  shows  a  space 
of  land  along  the  creek  unoccupied.  All  of 
the  lots  in  this  dorf  of  value,  were  divided  into 
seven  parts,  that  each  resident  might  stand  equal 
with  the  others. 

When  the  lands  were  bought,  upon  which  the 
separate  settlements  were  made,  they  were  pur- 
chased by  all  together,  and  remained  undivided 
many  years ;  perhaps  until  the  marriage  of  chil- 
dren requiring  means  to  start  in  Hfe,  compelled 
the  parents  to  know  what  belonged  to  them  in- 
dividually. The  papers  relating  to  Fox's  and 
Smith's  dorfs  are  not  to  be  found,  and  without 
doubt  are  lost  forever,  leaving  us  in  the  dark  as 
to  their  true  history.  But  we  are  inclined  to 
think  the  Fox  settlement  was  made  a  short 
time  prior  to  Brunnen  dorf  about  the  year 
1715  or  1717. 

The  founder  or  List-master  of  Smith's  dorf 
was  Johannes  George  Smith,  who  was  under 
John  Peter  Kneiskern  while  at  the  Camps,  and 
upon  the  Canadian  expedition  in  17 11.  When 
excavations  were  made  for  the  foundation  of 
the  engine  house,  several  skulls  and  other  bones 
were  found,  which  leads  us  to  believe  it  to  have 
been  the  burial  ground  of  the  dorf. 

Opposite  of  this  settlement  near  the  creek, 
was  an  Indian  encampment,  but  of  what  tribe 
and  numbers,  appearance  and  customs,  we  are 
unable  to  tell. 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


367 


Before  the  Court  House  was  built,  the  road 
running  through  Fountain  Town,  ran  from  house 
to  house  near  the  ledge  of  rocks  as  it  was  made 
in  the  beginning  of  the  settlement. 

When  the  question  of  locating  the  Court 
House  was  agitated,  the  people  of  the  settle- 
ment promised  to  give  the  lands  to  the  County 
for  a  site,  and  when  it  was  established  and 
built  (1800),  the  road  was  changed  to  its  present 
position.  When  this  County  was  formed  in 
1795,  not  having  a  Court  House,  all  business 
was  transacted  at  "the  house  of  Johannes  In- 
gold."  With  the  exception  of  holding  Courts 
and  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  the 
busiest  part  of  the  town  was  at  Fox's  dorf,  and 
at  this  place  the  aristocratic  portion  of  the  town 
settled. 

After  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  Colonel 
Peter  Vrooman,  having  his  building  burnt  in 
Vroomansland  by  the  Indians,  purchased  the  old 
mill  standing  here  (built  about  1760)  and  built 
the  dwelling  now  occupied  by  Samuel  Stevens. 
Beside  Dr.  Budd,  the  Dietz  family  were  to  be 
found  near. 

About  1790  George  Tiffany,  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  came  and  settled  in  the  old  High 
Dutch  parsonage  as  a  residence.  His  office 
was  in  one  end  of  the  piazza  of  George  Mann's 
tavern.  Here  Gen.  Thomas  Lawyer  studied 
the  profession.  He  married  Tiffany's  sister 
after  settling  at  Lawyersville.  Tiffany  repre- 
sented this  district  in  the  State  Senate  in  1803, 
1804,  1805,  1806,  and  was  a  well  qualified  law- 
yer, whom  the  Schoharie  County  bar  may  look 
back  upon  with  pride.  Tiffany  was  followed  in 
1794,  by  Jacob  Gebhard,  of  Claverack,  Colum- 
bia county.  They  were  the  only  lawyers  by  pro- 
fession in  the  place  for  a  number  of  years. 

Jacob's  brother  John  came  and  studied  with 
him,  and  these  two  are  the  progenitors  of  the 
present  Gebhard  family  of  Schoharie  County. 
Prominent  among  them  is  John  Gebhard,  Jr., 
still  living.  He  was  born  in  Schoharie  in  1802, 
and  received  a  limited  education  in  the  schools 
of  the  place.  Possessing  an  enquiring  mind  and 
being  fond  of  reading,  he  has  acquired  much 
through  his  exertions  that  the  schools  he  attended 
could  not  inculcate. 

He  was  elected  to  the  County  Clerkship  in 


1828,  and  held  the  office  two  terms.  In  1846 
he  was  delegate  to  the  Third  Constitutional  State 
Convention  with  ex-Governor  William  C.  Bouck. 
The  latter  did  not  vote  for  its  adoption  in  the 
Convention,  while  Mr.  Gebhard  voted  in  the 
affirmative.  In  1849  he  was  appointed  Curator 
of  the  State  Cabinet,  which  position  he  held  to 
the  year  1856.  Mr.  Gebhard  was  for  many 
years  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  has  spent  over 
sixty  years  in  the  study  of  geology.  His  cabi- 
net was  purchased  by  the  State  a  few  years  ago, 
and  placed  in  the  Geological  rooms  at  Albany, 
adding  much  to  the  attraction  of  the  latter. 

George  Tiffany  removed  to  Canada  and  died 
at  Ancaster,  province  of  Ontario,  in  1842,  aged 
seventy-six,  leaving  no  heir  to  perpetuate  his 
name. 

Following  Tiffany  and  Gebhard  as  lawyers,, 
came  Peter  W.  Quackenboss,  Cornelius  E.  Yates, 
John  Cuyler,  John  Gebhard,  Isaac  Hall  Tiffany, 
Hermanus  Bouck,  Elias  Halliday  and  Henry 
Hamilton  before  the  year  1815.  They  were 
gentlemen  of  marked  abilities,  whose  legal 
careers  were  such  as  would  cope  with  any  in  the 
State — especially  that  of  Henry  Hamilton.  Mr. 
Hamilton  came  from  Herkimer  county  as  a 
school  teacher,  and  studied  law  with  Tiffany. 
In  181 8  he  was  appointed  District  Attorney, 
being  the  first  one  ever  holding  that  office  in 
the  County,  and  which  he  held  creditably  to 
himself  and  satisfactorily  to  the  people  until  the 
year  1821.  In  the  year  1832  he  received  the 
appointment  of  Surrogate  which  office  he  held 
two  years.  Mr.  Hamilton  married  the  daugh- 
ter of  David  Lawyer,  and  once  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Jacob  Houck,  Jr.,  and  afterwards 
with  Charles  Goodyear.  In  the  "  Stone  Fort  " 
cemetery  stands  a  plain  marble  shaft  bearing 
the  dreaded  conclusion  of  every  one's  life  : — 
"  Died  June  ist,  1846. 
Aged  58." 

General  William  Mann  was  the  next  who  es- 
tablished an  office  here,  and  was  soon  followed 
by  Jacob  Houck,  Jr.,  from  Catskill  (1827). 

The  same  year  Charles  Goodyear,  of  Law- 
yersville, after  graduating  at  Union  College  and 
studying  with  Henry  Hamilton,  was  admitted  to 
practice,  and  opened  an  office  in  that  of  Ham- 
ilton.    Being  a  careful,  earnest  worker,  he  soon 


368 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


established  a  reputation  that  equalled  any  of 
his  predecessors  in  his  profession,  and  was  called 
upon  by  the  people  to  represent  them  in  the 
Assembly  in  1840,  and  in  Congress  in  1845  and 
i847_alsoin  1865,  1867.  In  1848  Governor 
Young  appointed  him  Judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas.  Upon  the  organization  of  the 
Schoharie  Bank  in  1852,  Mr.  Goodyear  was 
elected  President,  which  position  he  held  to  with- 
in a  short  time  previous  to  his  removal  to  the 
South  in  1868.  Mr.  Goodyear  was  unfortunate 
in  a  financial  point  of  view,  during  the  insane 
speculations  that  followed  the  Civil  war,  and  to 
sustain  that  honor  which  years  of  fair  and  hon- 
est dealing  had  obtained,  his  ample  fortune  was 
sacrificed,  and  he  removed  to  Charlottesville,  Va. 
There  his  legal  qualifications  were  again  appre- 
ciated, and  he  was  placed  in  the  Judicial  chair, 
and  tendered  other  positions  which  he  felt  com- 
pelled to  refuse.  On  the  9th  of  April,  1876,  he 
died  at  his  Southern  home,  in  the  seventy- 
second  year  of  his  age. 

Next  in  order  came  Wm.  H.  Davis,  Wm.  A. 
Sternbergb,  Ralph  Brewster,  Joseph  Mackey, 
Robert  C.  Martin,  Nathan  P.  Hinman,  Almerin 
Gallup,  Hobart  Krum,  Stephen  L.  Mayham, 
(see  Blenheim),  N.  L.  F.  Bachman,  Chauncey 
Hinman,  John  B.  Grant,  B.  M.  Handy,  F.  M. 
Mayham,  C.  L.  Bailey,  and  Wilfred  Thomas. 
The  last  ten,  together  with  Mr.  Brewster,  are  at 
present  residents  of  the  village,  and  form,  as  did 
their  predecessors,  a  staff  of  lawyers,  whose 
abilities  have  often  been  admired  by  different 
courts.  Several  of  the  gentlemen  named,  be- 
side Tiffany,  Hamilton  and  Goodyear,  have  held 
official  honors,  as  will  be  seen  by  consulting  the 
Civil  List  of  the  County. 

We  find  upon  the  map  of  1750,  that  two  fam- 
ilies by  the  name  of.  Lawyer  were  residents  here 
at  that  date,  and  the  question  that  has  puzzled 
the  Lawyer  family  for  years  has  been,  "  To  what 
branch  do  I  belong  ?  "  All  hold  direct  relation- 
ship to  Johannes,  the  great  land-holder;  but 
who  was  he  ?  Was  he  the  first  Lawyer  that  set- 
tled in  the  valley,  or  was  he  a  son  of  the  first  ? 
We  have  the  wills  of  the  three  Johannes  Law- 
yers, that  followed  each  other  in  succession, 
giving  the  names  of  the  children,  and  in  com- 
paring them  with  other  records,  we  find  that  we 
have  the  lineage  correct.     It  is  evident  that  the 


first  and  only  man  by  that  name  in  AmeAca, 
settled  in  the  Schoharie  valley.  The  family  has 
become  numerous,  extending  over  the  whole 
United  States,  and  all  trace  their  lineage  to  the 
Lawyer  of  Schoharie.  The  progenitor  of  the 
family  was  Johannes  Lawyer,  a  merchant  of  New 
York  City,  who  came  here  as  an  Indian  trader, 
and  was  commissioned  to  survey  and  do  busi- 
ness for  the  Germans.  The  first  notice  of  him 
in  the  valley,  was  in  1720.  He  was  a  German, 
coming  from  some  place  along  the  Rhine,  and 
emigrated  about  the  year  1710.  He  settled  two 
of  his  sons — Johannes,  Jr.,  near  the  old  parson- 
age, and  Jacob  Frederick,  upon  the  Beller  place, 
about  the  year  1718.  After  a  few  years  he  set- 
tled with  Jacob  Frederick  and  kept  store,  and 
died  sometime  between  1760,  the  date  of  his 
will,  and  1765,  the  proving  of  it.  He  was 
buried  in  the  Lutheran  cemetery.  He  was  a 
practical  surveyor. 

His  will  states  that  he  was  a  merchant,  and 
had  five  children,  namely  : — Johannes,  Jacob 
Frederick,  Lawrence,  Elizabeth  and  Sophia.  At 
the  writing  of  the  will  Sophia  was  dead,  and  her 
children  by  her  two  husbands,  "Jost  Bellinger 
and  Christian  Ziele,"  were  to  share  the  mother's 
portion.  Elizabeth  married  Marcus  Rickert, 
and  upon  his  decease,  Hendrick  Haynes,  whom 
we  find,  by  the  old  map,  was  settled  between 
Johannes  and  Jacob  Frederick.  Haynes  after- 
ward settled  in  the  present  town  of  Seward. 
The  will  gave  each  one  of  his  children  "  one- 
fifth  part  of  his  estate,  both  real  and  personal," 
without  stating  any  real  estate  in  particular. 
His  wife  was  then  living  and  enjoyed  the  whole 
until  death.  Johannes  received  his  surveyor's 
utensils.  The  will  was  witnessed  by  Peter  N. 
Sommers,  Johannes  Schaefifer,  and  Frank  Otto. 
Upon  the  death  of  this  man,  tradition  says,  the 
people  of  the  surrounding  country  assembled 
and  had  a  gala  day.  Casks  of  liquor  and  tobac- 
co were  freely  rolled  out  for  the  occasion,  as  was 
the  custom  in  those  days  at  funerals.  Johan- 
nes, the  son,  followed  his  father  as  surveyor,  and 
became  a  large  land-holder,  owning  at  one  time 
thirty-six  thousand  acres  of  land,  principally  in 
the  present  territory  of  the  County.  No  doubt 
he  received  a  good  start  from  his  father,  and 
perhaps  purchased  considerably  before  his 
father's  death.     He  was  a  very  careful  business 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


369 


man,  and  like  his  father  before  him,  married 
twice.  His  first  wife  was  a  daughter  of 
Adam  Vroman,  2d,  and  Christina  Sternbergh, 
and  their  children,  were  as  follows  : — 

Catharine,  (Mrs.  Abram  Strubach)  ;  Eliza- 
beth, (Mrs.  Adam  Ziele) ;  Maria,  (Mrs.  Gen- 
eral Bartholomew  Swart)  ;  Rebecca,  (Mrs.  Dr. 
Budd)  ;  Lambert,  of  Cobleskill,  (married  Cath- 
arine Lawyer)  ;  Jacob,  (married  Nancy  Mann) ; 
Abraham,  (married  Eva  Dietz) ;  Johannes,  the 
3d,  (married  Angelica  Swart) ;  David,  (married 
Christina  Sternbergh) ;  Christian,  (married 
Catharine  Snyder) ;  Henry,  (married  Catharine 
Sternbergh);  Peter,  (married  Nancy  C.  Bergh). 

Jacob  Frederick's  (the  ist)  children'were  as 
follows : — 

Johannes,  (the  third  large  landowner) ;  Law- 
rence, of  Cobleskill ;  Catharine,  (Mrs.  Lambert 
Lawyer,  of  Cobleskill);  Jacob  ;  Nicholas;  David ; 
Elizabeth,  (Mrs.  Lambert  Sternbergh,  Jr.). 

Lawrence's  (the  ist)  children  were  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Johannes  Jacob,  (father  of  Mrs.  Governor 
Bonck) ;  Jacob,  (Little  Jacob,  so-called,  whose 
widow  is  still  hving  with  her  son,  Elijah  Law- 
yer) ;  Lawrence  and  John  L.,  the  Ensign  of  the 
Revolution,  (whose  son,  Samuel,  of  Crysler's 
Hook,  was  succeeded  by  the  late  John  S.  Law- 
yer) ;  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  Lawyer,  of  Cobles- 
kill. 

Having  given  the  line  of  the  first  and  second 
generation,  we  will  follow  Johannes  the  3d,  in  a 
direct  line,  who  settled  upon  the  Lasell  place, 
and  was  not  a  large  landowner.  His  children 
were  as  follows: — 

John  I.,  (married  Ruth  Allen,  of  Catskill)  ; 
Gertrude,  (Mrs.  Judge  WilHam  Fletcher,  of 
Detroit) ;  Maria,  (Mrs.  Harmonus  Bouck) ; 
Susan,(Mrs.  Samuel  Lawyer,  of  Crysler's  Hook); 
Christina,  (Mrs.  John  Armstrong,  afterwards 
Mrs.  Derick  Van  Vechten) ;  Sarah,  (Mrs.  John 
Feek,  afterwards  Mrs.  DeFrate). 

Johannes'  (the  son  of  the  first  Jacob  Freder- 
ick, and  the  third  large  landowner,)  children 
were  as  follows; — 

Adam,  Jacob  Frederick,  John  I.  I.,  Thomas, 
of  Lawyersville,  Anna,  Rebecca,  Eva  and  Wil- 
helmina. 


When  Johannes,  the  2d,  received  his  rents 
and  installments,  it  was  the  custom  of  the  whole 
family  to  assemble  and  have  a  general  time  of 
feasting.  A  dividend  was  made,  and  each  re- 
ceived their  share,  little  caring  for  the  splendor 
their  income  might  grant  them.  We  might 
here  state,  in  part,  to  prove  that  the  second 
Johannes  was  the  large  landholder ;  that  nearly 
all  of  the  purchases  were  made  after  the  death 
of  the  first  Johannes.  The  lot  of  land  lying  in 
Cobleskill,  granted  to  Jacob  Borst  and  Lawyer, 
and  one  in  Seward,  bearing  the  date  of 
1752  and  1761,  were  two  exceptions.  The 
large  tract  to  the  east  of  Schoharie  was  granted 
in  1768,  also  the  one  lying  to  the  west  of  Morris 
and  Coeymans,  at  Central  Bridge,  as  the  gov- 
ernment did  not  allow  any  one  person  to  "take 
up"  more  than  one  thousand  acres.  Lawyer 
formed  a  partnership  with  thirty-six  different 
men,  and  after  receiving  the  grants,  he  pur- 
chased their  interest  at  a  nominal  sum.  One 
Ziramer  was  interested  in  many  of  the  grants 
with  Lawyer,  and  sold  out  to  him  for  one 
thousand  acres,  which  lay  upon  and  around  the 
present  elevation  that  bears  the  name  of  "Zim- 
mer  Hill." 

In  1796  Jabez  W.  Throop  came  from  Con- 
necticut, and  worked  as  a  mechanic  until  the 
year  1 800,  when  he  commenced  upon  a  very 
limited  scale,  to  "  keep  store.''  By  careful  and 
honest  deahng  he  established  a  trade  that  is 
still  retained  by  his  son,  O.  B.  Throop,  after  a 
lapse  of  seventy-nine  years.  It  is  an'  example 
of  perseverance  and  stability  in  business  that  is 
very  seldom  witnessed  or  experienced.  Through 
all  the  changes  that  have  been  brought  about 
within  that  time — financial  reverses  of  less  and 
more  pretentious  concerns,  and  brighter  pros- 
pects of  gain  in  other  places — this  house  has 
kept  steadily  on,  outliving  the  long  list  of  those 
we  have  mentioned,  upon  the  same  ground  that 
the  humble  store  of  1800  was  built. 

Another  former  merchant  of  the  place  de- 
serves mention.  Peter  Osterhout,  Sr.,  came  to 
Schoharie  about  the  year  1820,  and  commenced 
upon  a  limited  capital.  By  strict  attention  to 
business  and  honest  deahng  he  soon  enlarged 
his  stock  and  trade,  and  became,  as  did  Mr. 
Throop,  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  the 
County.     It  was  thought  for  many  years,  that 


37° 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


an  article  that  could  not  be  found  at  either 
Osterhout's  or  Throop's,  was  not  to  be  found, 
anywhere.  Mr.  Osterhout  died  on  the  8th  of 
March,  1872,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Schoharie  Republican 
and  former  resident  of  the  village,  communi- 
cated the  following  in  addition  to  the  foregoing. 
He  says : — 

"  In  all  probability  I  have  forgotten  the  names 
of  some,  but  I  call  to  mind  the  following : — 
Nicholas  Bouck,  Rice  Orcutt,  John  G.  Gebhard, 
Jr.,  Almerin  Gallup,  Petherel  Millspaugh,  Peter 
Mesick,  Simeon  Deyo,  James  France ;  all  the 
foregoing  keeping  what  is  known  as  a  "general 
assortment."  John  I.  Lawyer,  (hardware); 
Warren  S.  Gates,  (stoves  and  tinware)  ;  Abram 
A.  Keyset,  (stoves  and  tinware) ;  George  Law- 
rence, (groceries  and  liquors) ;  Lewis  A.  Butler, 
(clocks  and  jewelry);  Mr.  Willard,  from  Cats- 
kill,  (clocks,  &c).  The  following  firm  names, 
from  the  single  names  just  given  were  well 
known  in  their  day:  Bouck  &  Orcutt,  Geb- 
hard &  Orcutt,  Orcutt  &  France,  Millspaugh, 
Mesick  &  Co. 

'■  I  also  called  to  mind  the  name  of  Charles 
Vogel,  (hardware,  tin,  &c.)  His  father,  Freder- 
ick Vogel,  who  was  a  watch  and  clock  maker, 
may  have  kept  a  small  jewelry  store.  It  is  but 
half  a  score  of  years  when  William  O.  Root, 
kept  clocks,  jewelry,  stationery,  &c.  Washing- 
ton Throop,  brother  of  Origin  B.  Throop  was 
in  copartnership  with  his  father,  Jabez  W. 
Throop. 

"  I  have  an  indefinite  recollection  as  to  hav- 
ing heard  that  a  Mr.  Peter  Bunker  was  in  trade 
way  back  to  forty-five  or  fifty  years  ago ;  and 
that  Mr.  Bunker  was  a  foundling  brought  up 
and  raised  by  Harmanus  Bouck,  whose  daughter 
he  afterwards  married.  Rice  Orcutt  married 
another  daughter  of  Harmanus  Bouck.  Nich- 
olas Bouck,  a  son  of  Harmanus,  and  Rice  Or- 
cutt constituted  the  firm  of  Bouck  &  Orcutt, 
above  named.  Before  the  dissolution  of  the 
firm  Nicholas  Bouck,  as  one  of  the  firm  of 
Bouck  &  Barnes,  engaged  in  the  wholesale  dry 
goods  business  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Nich- 
olas Bouck's  first  marriage  was  with  Ann  Lint- 
ner,  a  sister  of  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  George  A. 
Lintner,   whom  the    writer  remembers    as    a 


bright,  cheerful  young  woman,  always  happy  in 
making  the  little  folks  happy.  After  the  death 
of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Bouck  married  Sarah  Wor- 
cester, a  graduate  of  the  Albany  Female 
Academy  and  the  first  Preceptress  of  Scho- 
harie Academy,  a  most  accomplished  and  re- 
fined lady.  She  was  a  sister  of  Mr.  Worcester, 
who  has  long  been  the  Treasurer  of  the  New 
York  Central  Railroad  Company.  Mr.  Bouck 
having  died,  his  widow  married  John  C.  Wright, 
for  many  years  First  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Com- 
mon Pleas  of  Schoharie  County ;  afterwards 
State  Senator  (four  years)  and  subsequently 
(1851)  elected  Comptroller  of  the  State. 

"Among  the  head  clerks  whom  I  call  to  mind, 
and  who  were  in  reality  the  managers  of  super- 
intendents for  their  principals,  were  Mr.  Jeptha 
R.  Simms,  (Mr.  Roscoe  speaks  of  him  as 
principal,  and  possibly  he  was,)  a  most  affable 
and  courteous  gentleman,  who  must  have  con- 
trolled a  large  trade,  Mr.  Orrin  Kibbe,  (many 
years  with  Peter  Osterhout,  Sr.,)  a  Mr.  Best, 
(with  Millspaugh,  Mesick  &  Co.,)  a  very  reliable 
man  and  the  father  of  Mr.  Jacob  H.  Settle's 
wife,  and  Messrs.  Elijah  Lawyer  and  William 
Osterhout  (with  Almerin  Gallup)." 

Garlock's  iior/.  — Some  time  after  the  settle- 
ment of  Weiser's  and  Hartman's  dorf,  and  per- 
haps the  time  Fox's  settlement  was  made, 
another  hamlet  sprang  up  where  Jacob  Vroo- 
man  now  resides,  known  as  Garlock's  dorf. 
It  has  been  stated  that  Ehas  Garlock  was  the 
head  man,  and  that  he  was  a  "  List-master  "  at 
the  Camps.  The  List-master  at  the  Camps  was 
John  Christopher  Garlock,  and  no(  Elias — un- 
doubtedly Ehas  was  Christopher's  son.  The 
farm  upon  which  Elias  Garlock  settled  (Jacob 
Vrooman's)  was  purchased  of  him  by  Josias 
Swart  in  1764,  and  other  lands  joining,  by 
Barent  Vrooman,  the  grandfather  of  the  present 
Jacob,  in  1765.  We  find  the  Garlocks  were 
settled  near  Canajoharie  in  1768,  which  con- 
futes the  statement  of  the  Garlocks  leaving  the 
valley  at  the  time  Conrad  Weiser  did,  on  ac- 
count of  the  land  diflficulties  referred  to  in  the 
second  chapter  of  this  work.  John  Christopher 
witnessed  the  conveyance,  and  we  are  led  to 
believe  he  removed  from  the  Camps  at  an 
earlier  day  to  Canajoharie,  and  was  the  means 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


371 


of  drawing  Elias  away  from  this  valley.  There 
is  a  map  of  Stone  Arabia  in  the  possession  of 
John  Gebhard,  Jr.,  bearing  date  of  1758,  which 
is  a  copy  of  one  found  by  Johannes  Lawyer 
while  then  surveying,  and  we  find  among  the 
residents  noted,  Christopher  and  Elias  Garlock. 
But  these  conveyances  of  1764  and  '65,  to  Swart 
and  Vrooman,  say :  "  I,  Elias  Garlock,  of 
Schoharie,  &c."  Lawyer  must  have  copied  the 
map  after  Elias  settled  there,  and  instead  of 
the  former  owner  of  the  lots,  placed  that  of 
EUas  and  John  Christopher  Garlock  upon  it. 
That  they  were  the  same  men  we  have  abundant 
proof.  Barent  Vrooman  married  the  daughter 
of  Josias  Swart,  and  became  the  possessor  of 
the  greater  share  of  the  property. 

This  hamlet  comprised  almost  if  not  more 
than  forty  families,  and  what  became  of  them  we 
are  unable  to  tell.  As  Hartman's  dorf,  the 
largest  of  the  settlements,  vanished  without 
leaving  a  mark  of  its  once  existence,  so  has 
this  hamlet  disappeared.  Across  the  road  from 
Jacob  Vrooman's,  the  first  hatter  in  the  County, 
Nicholas  Delavergne,  settled  in  the  year  1784, 
and  remained  until  1808,  when  he  removed  to 
Esperance,  and  was  succeeded  in  this  village 
by  Chester  Lasell. 

Jacob  Vrooman  the  present  owner  and  oc- 
cupant of  the  "Garlock  farm,"  is  a  son  of 
Barent  A.  Vrooman,  in  direct  line  from  Adam 
Vrooman,  and  was  born  upon  the  farm  on  the 
27th  of  November,  1808.  His  educational 
advantages  were  very  limited,  as  the  district 
schools  of  his  boyhood  were  very  inferior,  but 
unlike  many  better  situated  he  was  energetic 
and  studious,  and  aspired  to  practical  knowl- 
edge. Through  inheritance  Mr.  Vrooman  is 
the  possessor  of  a  fine  property,  as  many  others 
of  his  age  along  the  valley,  to  which  he  clings 
with  ancestral  pride,  regardless  of  other  ex- 
tended business  relations.  Mr.  Vrooman  pos- 
sesses undaunted  energy,  with  a  firmness  of 
character  that  commands  and  elevates  the  busi- 
ness in  which  he  is  engaged  to  a  successful 
status.  Becoming  interested  in  the  Schoharie 
Valley  Railroad  he  became  its  sole  owner,  and 
by  careful,  economical  management  the  road 
has  become  a  success.  With  the  exception  of 
A.  T.  Stewart's  Florida  road,  this  is  believed  to 


be  the  only  one  owned  by  a  single  individual  in 
the  United  States. 

Joining  Garlock's  on  the  north  was  "  Kneis- 
kern's  Dorf,"  which  lies  mostly  in  the  tows  of 
Esperance,  and  which  we  have  noticed  in  the 
chapter  upon  that  town.  Upon  the  first  settle- 
ments of  these  two  most  northern  dorfs,  the  space 
of  land  between  the  httle  brook  crossing  the 
road  north  of  Jacob  Vfoman's  and  William  Hal- 
lenbeck's  farm,  was  unoccupied,  and  remained  so 
until  about  the  year  1750,  when  Lambert  Stern- 
bergh's  sons,  of  Kneiskern's  dorf,  settled  upon 
the  farm  now  occupied  by  John  Lendrum. 

In  i8ir,  the  "Schoharie  and  Duanesburgh 
Turnpike"  was  built  by  Thomas  P.  Danforth, 
through  the  farm,  to  intersect  the  Great  West- 
ern Turnpike,  "  seventeen  miles  from  Albany." 
Upon  the  forks  of  the  two  roads  stands  a  man- 
sion that  was  built  nearly  sixty  years  ago  for  a 
tavern,  where  the  young  people  of  the  valley  re- 
sorted for  dancing.  Passing  down  the  valley  we 
soon  cross  the  "  Central  Bridge,"  which  was  built 
in  1823,  as  was  the  road  leading  over  the  hill 
east  to  intersect  the  Schoharie  and  Duanesburgh 
Turnpike,  making  a  direct  road  from  Cobles- 
kill  to  Albany.  In  r824,  Samuel  Smith  built  a 
hotel  upon  the  ground  now  occupied  by  Charles 
Rich,  and  began  a  business  that  grew  to  paying 
proportions  under  his  energetic  and  shrewd 
management.  In  1830,  fire  swept  his  establish- 
ment away,  but  soon  rebuilding,  he  continued 
the  business  until  the  year  1847,  when  Levi 
Totten  purchased  the  stand,  and  "Uhcle  Sam" 
retired.  Charles  Rich  followed  in  1851.  In 
1825,  O.  H.  Williams,  a  former  clerk  of  Peter 
Osterhout,  Sr.,  erected  the  brick  store  at  present 
occupied  by  Jacob  Slingerland,  and  for  many 
years  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business. 

Mr.  Olaf  K.  WiUiams,  was  the  son  of  Eben 
Williams,  a  Revolutionary  patriot,  who  held  a 
captain's  commission  through  that  war,  and 
proved  a  useful  and  staunch  soldier,  participat- 
ing in  many  of  the  most  important  battles  fought 
during  that  ev^tful  period. 

Opposite,  J.  G.  Caryl,  son-in-law  of  Samuel 
Smith,  also  estabhshed  a  trade  in  the  same  line 
of  goods.  These  two  men,  of  energy  and  in- 
tegrity, possessed  the  confidence  of  the  farming 
community  to  an  unparalleled  extent.    Williams 


372 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


passed  away  on  the  13th  of  October,  1872, 
"  white  with  the  frost  of  years. 

Near  by  stands  an  ancient  mill  that  was  erect- 
ed by  Hendrick  Strubach,  grand-son  of  the  first 
settler  bearing  that  name,  nearly  eighty  years 
ago,  and  was  the  first  mill  on  the  stream  that 
used  bolting  cloths. 

Near  the  mill  for  several  years  the  manufact- 
uring of  agricultural  machinery,  was  carried  on 
by  G.  Westinghouse,  and  at  a  later  date  by  S. 
K.  Campbell,  who  removed  the  works  to  the 
Central  Bridge  station,  a  small  hamlet  to  which 
the  railroad  gave  birth  upon  its  completion  to 
the  place  in  1864. 

But  very  few  manufacturing  establishments 
have  been  erected  in  the  town  of  Schoharie,  con- 
sidering the  wealth  of  the  people  and  great  de- 
mand for  every  article  that  can  be  conceived. 

The  village  at  the  depot,  or  "  New  Central 
Bridge,"  through  the  energy  of  its  inhabitants, 
bids  fair  to  compare  favorably  with  any  of  its 
sister  towns  as  a  central  mart  and  manufactur- 
ing point. 

One  of  the  pioneer  business  men  was  John 
J.  Rowe,  a  merchant,  who  was  followed  by  A. 
M.  Becker,  John  M.  Mead,  and  John  Stever. 
A.  L.  Fisher  followed  Jacob  Burbanks  in  the 
hardware  business,  and  for  many  years  has  add- 
ed materially  to  the  business  of  the  place,  and 
convenience  of  the  community. 

A  short  time  after  the  Revolution  a  mill  was. 
built  upon  Fox's  creek,  a  few  rods  above  the 
iron  bridge,  against  the  bank  opposite  the  road 
leading  to  Central  Bridge,  where  once  stood  the 
first  grist-mill  built  in  the  County  soon  after  the 
settlement  of  Fox's  dorf.  Henry  Lawyer  at  a 
late  date  repaired  the  mill,  but  the  dam  of 
Colonel  Vroman's  mill  flooded  the  waterwheel, 
and  the  mill  proved  a  failure. 

About  the  year  1806,  two  Yankees  by  the 
name  of  Chase  and  Davis,  came  and  put  a 
machine  in  the  old  mill  for  carding  wool.  We 
believe  it  to  have  been  the  first  one  in  the 
County,  and  although  it  worked  slow,  it  was 
considered  a  great  improvement  upon  the  old 
mode  of  "hand-carding."  They  carded  two 
hundred  pounds  of  wool  in  twenty-four  hours 
and  were  obliged  to  work  night  and  day  to  do 


the  business.  Being  a  successful  and  paying 
machine,  in  a  few  years  many  were  built  which 
produced  a  competition  and  caused  small  profits. 
One  was  erected  upon  the  Waterbury  place  in 
1811  or  1812,  by  Stephen  Lawrence,  but  was 
changed  to  an  oil  mill,  and  did  a  thriving  busi- 
ness for  a  few  years. 

A  distillery  was  in  operation  by  Smith  Young 
in  1827,  on  the  Peter  Mann  farm,  and  after 
burning  was  again  started  on  the  Waterbury 
road.  According  to  the  ratio  of  inhabitants  it 
is  thought  that  there  was  more  liquor  con- 
sumed in  the  County  sixty  and  seventy-five 
years  ago  than  now. 

Peter  Mann  erected  a  building  for  a  tannery, 
which  was  used  as  such  for  several  years,  but 
was  purchased  by  a  firm  from  New  York — Korn 
&  Barre — who  estabhshed  a  silk  factory  within 
it.  The  old  building  was  burned  and  the 
present  stone  building  erected  in  its  stead,  and 
for  reasons  best  known  to  the  firm  the  factory 
ceased  operations.  Ephraim  Mann  finally 
purchased  the  property  and  placed  a  provender 
and  planing-mill  within  the  wall,  whose  humble 
rumblings  and  clatterings  seem  to  laugh  at 
former  pretentious  enterprises. 

In  1859  a  stock  company  was  formed,  with 
a  capital  of  $200,000,  to  manufacture  wagon 
hubs  and  felloes,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  a 
building  was  erected  near  the  cemetery  for  that 
purpose,  and  equipped  with  an  engine  and  all 
necessary  machinery. 

It  was  run  successfully  until  the  i6th  of 
October,  1865,  when  the  estabUshment  burned 
at  a  total  loss  of  sixty  thousand  dollars.  It  was 
rebuilt  by  the  company,  but  soon  purchased  by 
ex-Sheriff  Durand.  It  was  again  burned  in 
1877,  entailing  a  loss  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars 
upon  the  owner.  The  vast  amount  of  hubs 
sent  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  and  the  increasing  demand  for  them, 
was  beyond  the  expectation  of  the  owners.  The 
timber  used  was  mostly  elm,  in  which  the 
County  abounds,  and  it  being  nearly  worthless 
for  other  purposes,  the  factory  proved  a  grand 
enterprise  to  the  farmers. 

An  agricultural  and  machine  shop  was  built 
near  the  railroad  station,  soon  after  the  com- 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


373 


pletion  of  the  road,  which  employed  many 
laborers  for  several  years,  but  at  present  the 
building  stands  idle,  waiting  for  some  enter- 
prising capitalist  to  bid  the  hammer  make  its 
stroke. 

The  wagon  and  carriage  factories  of  this 
place  have  proved  successful.  The  present  one 
of  R.  N.  Stafford  &  Settle  was  long  occupied 
by  William  Winter,  whose  reputation  for  relia- 
ble work  was  known  far  and  wide,  and  many 
vehicles  of  his  manufacture,  of  thirty  years' 
usage,  still  defy  our  rough  roads,  and  we  im- 
agine make  merry  over  the  struggling  weak- 
kneed  apologies  for  wagons  of  the  present  day, 
that  are  made  like  Hodge's  razors,  "to  sell," 

Mr.  Winter  came  to  Schoharie  as  a  mechanic 
in  1842,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Van 
Camp  for  the  manufacture  of  wagons  and 
sleighs.  He  commenced  business  where  the 
fire  engine  house  now  stands,  and  afterward  oc- 
cupied the  present  "'  carriage  building."  John 
Feeck  carried  on  the  business  prior  to  Winter's 
advent  for  several  years,  but  who  preceded 
him  we  are  unable  to  learn.  Winter  and  R.  N, 
Stafford  carried  on  the  business  together  for  the 
last  years  of  Mr.  Winter's  interest  in  the  trade. 
While  engaged  by  the  State  upon  the  canal, 
he  died  suddenly  at  Yatesville,  on  the  26th  of 
,  August,  1876,  aged  fifty-nine. 

After  the  publication  of  the  foregoing  in  the 
Schoharie  Republican,  an  anonymous  writer 
commmunicated  the  following  in  regard  to 
"Schoharie  wagon  makers  :" — 

"  Peter  L.  Feeck,  a  brother  of  John  Feeck 
and  also  a  brother  of  Jacob  J.  Feeck  who 
recently  died  in  the  town  of  Fulton,  carried  on 
the  manufacture  of  carriages  with  a  partner. 
Peter  L.  Feeck  married  a  daughter  of  Jabez 
Throop. 

"Austin  Knowles  preceded  all  the  carriage 
makers  of  Schoharie  who  have  done  business 
within  the  recollection  of  the  writer.  About 
the  year  1835  <^''  '^3^  ^^  closed  up  his  affairs 
in  Schoharie  and  engaged  in  the  same  business 
in  Philadelphia  with  his  brother  Lyman  Knowles. 
He  took  with  him  a  large  number  of  unsold  and 
unfinished  carriages,  which  were  sent  to  Catskill 
and  shipped  thence  by  water  to  Philadelphia. 

"Zeb  Smith  was  another  wagon  maker.     His 


son,  Amos,  succeeded  him,  though  this  is  not 
positively  stated.  Their  shop,  afterwards  oc- 
cupied by  Peter  Lemoge,  a  Canadian  French- 
man and  cabinet  maker,  was  long  ago  demol- 
ished. It  stood  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Gardiner 
barns. 

"The  two  Wilbers  made  fine  carriages  for 
some  years  in  the  shops  adjoining  those  of 
Winter  &  Stafford.  One  Champion  and  a  Mr. 
Pearl  engaged  in  wagon  making  opposite  the 
Lutheran  church.  They  were  there  before  and 
after  1857. 

"And  who,  if  he  knew  him,  can  forget  Peter 
A.  Rickard  at  the  junction  of  the  old  Water- 
bury  lane  with  the  main  road  not  far  from  the 
Old  Stone  Fort.  Peter  could  make  a  wagon  or 
a  wheel-barrow,  a  hay  rigging  or  a  coffin,  but  if 
he  heard  of  a  fish  lying  in  Fox's  creek  waiting 
for  a  net  or  the  torch  and  spear,  the  customers 
would  also  need  to  wait  outside  gf  Peter's  closed 
doors.'' 

We  cannot  pass  another  firm  that  has  been 
perhaps  more  successful  than  any  firm  at  the 
place,  and  in  passing  the  many  cemeteries 
through  the  County  whose  marble  shafts  so  boldly 
admonish  us  of  our  uncertainty  of  life,  our  minds 
cannot  but  be  riveted  to  the  old  established 
firm  of  H.  R.  &  Z.  J.  Brown.  They  came  to 
Schoharie  County  from  Catskill,  Greene  county, 
and  settled  in  Punchkill  in  the  fall  of  1 845.  After 
fourteen  months'  residence  there  they  removed 
to  Schoharie  village,  and  have  continued  the 
business  since,  which  has  assumed  greater  pro- 
portions than  any  other  of  the  character  in  this 
portion  of  the  State. 

In  the  True  American  of  1 810,  we  find  Thomas 
Penfield  advertises  "saddles,  harness  cap  and 
holster  making  ";  also  Nicholas  Feeck  that  he 
had  commenced  the  business  of  "Tayloring,"  and 
wishes  all  to  patronize  him,  and  Benjamin  Miles 
comes  out  with  a  short  notice  that  he  keeps 
"  leather  and  groceries."  Jabez  W.  Throop  gives 
a  list  of  goods  for  which  cash  and  barter  will  be 
taken  in  exchange.     "Ashes  are  wanted." 

These  were  the  only  "business  men"  of  the 
place  at  that  time,  as  we  find  no  others  adver- 
tise. Without  doubt  the  village  contained  but 
few  houses  directly  around  the  Court  House, 
but  they  were  scattered  along  the  line  of  road 


374 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


from  Martin  L.  Schaeffer's  to  the  Stone  Church. 
Near  the  latter  gentleman's  dwelling  stands  the 
old  family  residence  of  Revolutionary  times, 
that  was  spared  from  the  torch  by  the  preten- 
sions to  loyalty  of  a  n  egress  slave. 

At  the  invasion  of  Johnson  and  Brant  the 
people  of  this  neighborhood  had  ample  time  to 
remove  to  the  lower  fort  for  safety,  as  the  alarm 
gun  from  the  upper  and  middle  forts  had  been 
heard,  besides  scouts  were  going  and  coming, 
giving  the  location  of  the  enemy  at  all  times 
through  the  day.  Mr.  Hendricus  Schaeffer  was 
at  the  lower  fort,  and  when  the  invaders  divided 
their  forces  to  approach  the  fort  from  the  east 
and  west  sides,  Mr.  Schaeffer  and  two  others, 
William  Enders  and  John  Kneiskern  wheeled  a 
small  field-piece  from  the  southeast  block-house 
to  the  knoll  where  Smith  Young's  residence 
stands,  and  fired  upon  the  force  that  was  com- 
ing in  that  direction.  They  fired  but  once  how- 
ever, when  Schaeffer's  companions  fled  from  the 
fort,  leaving  him  to  haul  the  gun  alone  or  leave 
it.  They  were  ordered  to  return,  which  they 
did,  but  through  a  shower  of  bullets  which 
passed  them  without  harm.  When  the  force 
passed  the  Schaeffer  residence  the  main  portion 
was  near  the  river,  and  small  squads  entered  the 
houses  and  did  the  mischief. 

The  owner  of  the  Schaeffer  house  was  Chris- 
tian, the  son  of  the  original  settler— Hendrick. 
He  had  been  a  cripple  for  several  years  and 
refused  to  leave  home  and  seek  the  fort  for 
safety.  When  the  squad  of  Indians  and  Tories 
entered  the  building,  a  negress  slave  assumed  a 
loyal  air,  and  verified  it  by  strong  language, 
and  placed  a  goodly  supply  of  pies  and  other 
eatables  within  sight,  which  tempted  their  ap- 
petites and  they  left  the  house  without  doing 
any  damage.  It  was  supposed  the  members  of 
this  clan  were  strangers  to  the  family,  and  find- 
ing them  at  home,  while  true  patriots  were  in 
the  fort,  beside  through  sympathy  to  Mr. 
Schaeffer  in  his  infirmities,  were  the  reasons  the 
house  was  spared.  It  still  stands  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation,  and  is  something  of  a 
curiosity.  The  beams  are  hewn  smooth,  and 
the  braces  are  cased  in  a  curve,  with  oak. 
A  groove  is  cut  in  the  posts  in  which  split  slats 
are  placed  to  plaster  upon,  which  saved  the  ex- 
pense of  nails  and  sawing  lumber  for  lathing. 


Mr.  Schaeffer  not  having  any  heirs,  adopted 
his  only  brother's  (Jacob)  son,  Hendricus,  who 
was  at  this  time  at  the  fort  as  before  mentioned. 
In  the  possession  of  Mr.  Martin  L.  Schaeffer  are 
several  relics,  among  which  is  an  oil  painting  of 
Hendricus  and  his  wife;  also  the  weathercock 
that  was  perched  upon  the  steeple  of  the  old 
stone  Lutheran  church  of  1750.  It  is  made  of 
beaten  iron,  of  the  thickness  of  very  heavy  sheet, 
and  displays  good  workmanship.  Undoubtedly 
Johannes  Lawyer,  the  first  deacon  of  the 
church,  suggested  the  idea  of  placing  a  "Roost- 
er "  upon  the  spire,  as  we  find  he  was  very  par- 
tial to  those  bipeds,  requiring  each  of  his  tenants 
to  give  him  a  pair  of  chickens  yearly,  beside  the 
stipulated  rents.  These  interesting  relics  lure 
us  back  to  olden  times,  and  awaken  a  lively 
curiosity  to  seek  further  through  such  inter- 
stices in  the  hazy  past,  for  more  mementoes, 
more  facts. 

Near  the  time  that  Hendrick  settled  here,  his 
brother,  Johannes,  also  built  a  house,  near  the 
present  location  of  the  brick  house  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  road.  We  cannot  say  why 
Johannes  was  not  mentioned  when  the  lands 
were  first  mapped,  but  he  was,  without  doubt, 
as  early  a  settler  as  his  brother.  During  the  war 
the  house  was  burned,  while  the  family  was  ab- 
sent, supposed  by  the  enemy  to  be  in  the  fort, 
where  they  really  were. 

Before  leaving  these  two  famihes  to  follow 
the  footsteps  of  the  invaders,  we  will  open  the 
records,  and  trace  their  genealogy  down  to  the 
present  time,  fearful  that  those  yellow  leaves 
may  lose  the  impress  that  dimly  marks  their 
names,  and  those  that  wish  to  learn  of  them  will 
search  in  vain.  Hendrick  had  two  sons  and 
eight  daughters.  The  sons  were  Jacob,  who 
settled  at  Breakabeen,  and  Christian  the  cripple. 
Jacob  had  but  two  sons,  that  we  know  of— 
Marcus  and  Hendricus.  Hendricus  settled,  as 
has  been  seen,  with  Chrisrian,  and  had  but  one 
son.  Christian  H.,  the  father  of  the  present 
Gideon,  Martin,  Luther  and  Jacob  H.  His 
only  daughter  married  the  late  Nicholas  Russell, 
of  Cobleskill.  Christian  H.  married  the  daugh- 
ter of  Peter  Schaffer,  of  Cobleskill,  who  passed 
his  last  days  at  this  place.  Johannes,  the 
brother,  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Martinus, 
whose  son  Marcus  occupied  the  old  homestead 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


375 


when  burned,  and  was  at  the  fort.  David  was 
the  son  of  Marcus  and  the  father  of  the  present 
Marcus  and  Henry  living  near.  Thus  we  find 
the  last  ones  mentioned  in  line  of  the  two  fami- 
lies are  the  fifth  generation. 

The  invaders  passing  down,  laid  the  houses 
in  ashes,  with  the  exception  of  the  stone  house 
of  Johannes  Lawyer,  who  had  removed  to  a 
building  near  the  fort  for  safety,  and  a  wooden 
structure  occupied  by  John  I.  Lawyer  as  an 
inn,  also  the  old  parsonage  and  Lutheran 
Church,  which,  tradition  says,  were  spared  by 
order  of  Johnson  and  Brant.  Simms  was  in- 
formed that  the  house  of  John  I.  Lawyer  was 
burned  the  night  following.  We  do  not  believe 
that  the  enemy  returned,  as  it  would  have  been 
too  hazardous  to  have  done  so.  The  night  was 
passed  by  the  patriots  at  the  lower  fort,  in  con- 
junction with  the  forts  above,  in  making 
preparation  to  follow  and  skirmish  with  the  rear 
of  the  army  the  next  day,  beside  keeping  a 
vigilant  eye  upon  the  enemy's  encampment.  If 
a  scout  had  been  sent  out  to  finish  the  work  of 
destruction,  they  could  not  have  gone  far  before 
meeting  their  doom,  as  Christian  Strubach 
with  his  trusty  followers  were  on  their  watch. 
The  building  might  have  been  burned  by  a  fly- 
ing spark  from  the  ruins  of  Ingold's  dwelling, 
but  more  likely  by  the  brands  of  the  Colonists, 
whose  opinion  of  Lawyer's  loyalty  was  not  very 
cornplimentary.  There  were  several  houses 
near  the  fort  which  escaped  the  Mohawk's 
torch,  as  they  were  too  near  the  muzzle  of  the 
patriots'  unerring  rifles  and  the  little  six- 
pounder  that  was  whe.eled  out  to  salute  their 
coming.  Captain  Mann's  mansion  across  Fox's 
creek  was  also  spared,  beside  one  occupied  by 
a  man  named  Wilham  Dietz,  down  the  valley 
near  where  the  late  Peter  Snyder's  residence 
stands.  Mrs.  Dietz  had  just  finished  milking 
and  was  entering  the  door  when  she  saw  a  few 
Indians  approaching.  Setting  the  pail  down  in 
the  door-way  she  sought  safety  back  of  the 
house,  while  the  savages'  thirst  for  blood  and 
plunder  was  pacified  by  the  pail  of  milk,  and 
they  passed  on  to  "  Kneiskern's  dorf " 

The  old  grist-mill  that  was  built  by  Johannes 
Eckerson  about  1760,  stood  between  the  old 
house  and  the  creek,  and  was  set  on  fire,  but 
making  little   progress   before  the  enemy  dis- 


appeared, it  was  soon  extinguished,  and  stood 
for  many  years  after,  and  was  owned  by  Colonel 
Peter  Vroman,  who  settled  here  at  the  close  of 
the  war.  Thomas  Eckerson,  son  of  Johannes, 
was  the  miller  at  that  time,  and  he  with  his  wife 
had  just  returned  on  foot  from  Schenectady  as 
the  enemy  set  fire  to  the  mill.  Upon  his  enter- 
ing the  building,  an  Indian  raised  his  rifle  and 
fired  upon  him,  when  a  Tory  of  the  neighbor- 
hood standing  near,  threw  up  the  muzzle  of  the 
gun,  and  thje  charge  went  over  him.  As  he 
struck  the  gun,  he  exclaimed,  "  If  you  shoot 
him  we  can't  get  any  more-  flour ! "  The  old 
mill  stood  for  many  long  years,  and  was  re- 
placed by  the  present  one,  by  Jacob  Fisher,  and 
long  owned  by  John  Griggs,  who  was  followed 
by  the  present  owner,  Samuel  Stevens. 

Within  the  hamlet  of  Brunnen  dorf  lived  John 
Ingold,  who  first  settled  near  Weiser's  dorf,  and 
removed  to  this  place  about  the  year  1740. 
His  house  was  burned  by  Johnson's  forces  in 
1780,  but  he  rebuilt  after  the  war  closed,  and 
those  buildings  were  used  for  holding  the  first 
courts  in  the  County.  The  records  say,  "  at 
the  house  of  John  Ingold,"  while  tradition  says, 
"  in  the  wagon-house  of  John  Ingold,"  which 
building  is  still  standing,  and  in  which  the  legal 
talent  of  such  men  as  Tiffany,  Gebhard,  Van 
Veghten,  Cady,  and  a  host  of  others  was  dis- 
played, and  which  were  noble  examples  of  in- 
dustrious workers,  deep  and  active  abilities  and 
honorable  aspirations. 

Johannes  Ingold,  Jr.,  succeeded  his  father, 
and  was  the  first  Coroner  in  the  County.  He 
represented  the  County  in  the  Legislature  in 
1808,  1809  and  1810,  with  John  Rice  of 
Sharon.  He  was  also  Supervisor  of  the  town 
ten  terms,  1797  to  1800  and  in  1803,  1807, 
1808,  1809,  1 8 10  and  181 1,  besides  holding 
several  other  local  offices,  in  which  he  displayed 
that  honesty  for  which  he  was  noted.  He  was 
much  respected  by  all  who  knew  him,  and 
passed  away  at  an  advanced  age. 

The  family  name  we  believe  to  be  extinct  in 

the   valley,  except  upon    the  tombstones  that 

bear 

"The  name,  the  year,  the  day." 

After  the  invasion,  buildings  were  slowly 
erected  for  the  security  of  crops,  but  no  resi- 
dences  were  built  until   after  peace  was  pro- 


376 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


claimed  in   1783,  and  then  only  upon  the  sites 
of  the  burned  houses. 

When  the  Court  House  was  built  in  1800 
more  order  in  the  location  of  the  buildings  was 
observed,  and  one  of  the  first  marks  of  improv- 
ment  that  accompanied  the  Court  House,  was 
the  building  erected  by  John  Bouck,  and  long 
occupied  by  John  Gebhard,  Jr.  It  was  a  first- 
class  country  residence  of  that  day.  Within  it 
was  a  tile  fireplace,  that  now  graces  the  Frey 
mansion  near  Canajoharie,  and  which  was  pur- 
chased in  Albany  at  a  great  cost,  and  was  the 
only  one  of  the  kind  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

Within  the  walls  of  this  old  house  assembled 
the  refined  of  the  place,  to  enjoy  the  hospi- 
tality of  the  highly  respected  host. 

The  observing  can  plainly  note  by  the  differ- 
ent style  of  buildings,  at  what  period  they  were 
erected,  and  mark  the  improvement  in  archi- 
tecture as  well  as  convenience  and  comfort  in 
their  construction.  The  one  alluded  to  was 
considered  a  fine  residence  in  its  day.  But  in 
strolling  up  the  street,  observing  the  modern 
additions  placed  upon  some  of  the  buildings  of 
equal  age,  and  especially  in  viewing  the  spa- 
cious residence  of  James  O.  Williams,  we  can 
but  be  struck  with  the  development  of  architect- 
ural art. 

The  appearance  the  present  Court  House 
presents,  no  doubt  is  in  as  great  contrast  to  the 
one  built  in  1800,  as  the  buildings  we  have  men 
tioned.  It  was  a  three  story  stone  building, 
covering  less  ground  than  the  present  one,  with 
a  belfry  rising  from  the  center  of  the  roof,  with 
but  little  ornamental  work  upon  it.  The  jail 
was  in  the  third  story,  in  which  some  time  in  the 
year  1845,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Burton  was 
confined  for  grand  larceny.  He  made  an  at- 
tempt to  escape  by  burning  the  lock  from  the 
wooden  door.  The  wood  being  very  dry  the 
fire  was  soon  beyond  the  control  of  the  prisoner 
and  ascended  to  the  attic  and  cupola.  The 
incendiary  gave  an  alarm  and  was  with  difficulty 
rescued.  Another  building  was  erected  the  same 
and  following  year,  of  more  pretentious  appear- 
ance. It  was  built  of  stone  and  consisted  of 
the  Court,  Supervisors'  and  Sheriff's  rooms  and 
office.  The  jail  which  is  still  standing,  was 
built  in  the  rear,  and  though  a  small  structure 
it  is  sufficient  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  was 


intended,  and  is  frequently  destitute  of  occu- 
pants. 

The  village  was  very  fortunate  in  having  no 
conflagrations  up  to  the  year  1868,  when  a  most 
destructive  fire  occurred,  which  threatened  an- 
nihilation of  the  ancient  "dorf."  Our  esteemed 
friend  Squire  John  Gebhard  thus  alludes  to  the 
burning : — 

"On  the  i8th  of  July,  1868,  the  largest  and 
most  destructive  fire  the  village  ever  witnessed 
occurred.  It  was  of  an  incendiary  origin.  The 
hay  in  the  barn  belonging  to  Francisco  Wood 
&  Son's  hotel,  about  the  middle  of  the  night, 
had  been  set  on  fire,  and  when  first  discovered 
the  flames  were  bursting  out  of  the  roof.  The 
brick  hotel  of  Mr.  Wood  was  greatly  injured,  a 
portion  of  the  roof  being  burnt  off.  From  the 
hotel  the  fire  extended  north,  to  Badgley's  brick 
store,  which  was  also  materially  damaged.  From 
thence  the  fire  extended  to  the  large  three  story 
frame  building  adjoining,  occupied  by  several 
tenants.  The  third  story  of  the  building  was 
occupied  by  A.  A.  Hunt,  editor  and  proprietor 
of  The  Schoharie  Republican,  and  all  the  type, 
presses,  plates,  etc.,  belonging  to  the  office,  and 
the  bound  files  of  the  paper  since  18 19,  to- 
gether with  the  building,  were  totally  destroyed. 
The  next  building,  the  'Arcade,'  a  wooden 
structure,  was  also  burned,  and  the  adjoining 
one  occupied  by  Alexander  Rickard.  The 
progress  of  the  fire  in  this  direction  was  finally 
arrested  at  O.  B.  Throop's  fire-proof  drug  store. 
To  the  south  of  the  hotel  the  flames  burned  the 
roof  of  the  "  Schoharie  County  Bank,"  then  en- 
tered the  brick  store  and  dwelling  of  Hiram 
Benedict,  which  were  destroyed.  Next  the  roof 
of  the  fire-proof  store  now  occupied  by  Jacob  T. 
Miers  was  burned.  From  thence,  the  flames  ex- 
tended to  the  store  now  occupied  by  Henry  A. 
Brown,  which  was  also  materially  injured.  The 
fire  in  this  direction  was  stopped  at  the  brick 
residence  of  the  late  Peter  Osterhout,  Sr.,  but  his 
storehouse  and  b'arns  were  consumed.  All  the 
out-houses,  barns  and  sheds  in  the  rear  of  the 
burnt  buildings  were  destroyed.  A  man  by  the 
name  of  Jacob  Lagrange  was  suspected  as  the 
incendiary.  He  was  arrested  during  the  fire 
and  made  a  full  confession  of  his  guilt,  and  was 
tried  for  the  offence  and  convicted  on  his  con- 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


377 


fession  and  sentenced  to  the  States  Prison  for  the 
term  of  eight  years.'" 

Squire  Gebhard  also  adds: — 

"A  destructive  fire  occurred  in  the  vilUage  on 
the  17th  day  of  JaiTUary,  1870.  At  mid-day  the 
hay  in  the  barn  belonging  to  the  '  Eagle  Hotel ' 
(kept  by  William  Parrott,  Jr.,)  now  the  Parrott 
House,  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire.  The  barn 
and  carriage  house  attached  were  one  hundred 
feet  in  length,  and  the  quantity  of  hay  in  the 
barn  and  the  advanced  state  of  the  flames  when 
first  discovered,  rendered  any  attempt  to  ex- 
tinguish them  wholly  futile.  The  '  Eagle ' 
fronted  on  Main  street  and  the  south  side  of  the 
hotel  faced  and  adjoined  the  Court  House 
lot.  It  was  a  frame  building,  extending  one 
hundred  feet  on  Main  street  and  was  but  a  short 
distance  west  of  the  barns  in  the  rear.  The 
wind  blowing  from  the  east,  at  once  drove  the 
flames  from  the  barn  to  the  house,  and  in  a  short 
time  it  was  completely  consumed.  The  flames 
reached  the  Court  House,  and  soon  laid  the 
wood  work  in  ashes.  To  the  north  of  the 
hotel,  the  tin  and  hardware  store  and  residence 
of  Warren  S.  Gates,  both  frame  buildings,  were 
destroyed.  The  cause  of  the  fire  has  not  been 
ascertained." 

The  County  being  again  destitute  of  a  Court 
House,  steps  were  at  once  take  for  rebuilding. 
The  citizens  of  Cobleskill  village  petitioned  to 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  to  erect  it  at  that  place, 
and  as  an  inducement  offered  to  give  the  loca- 
tion and  at  last,  to  bear  the  expense  of  building 
without  cost  to  the  County.  Schoharie,  awak- 
ened, made  a  like  offer  to  retain  the  county- 
seat,  to  which  the  Board  acquiesced.  But 
through  some  technicality,  the  County  contribu- 
ted to  its  erection,  which  occurred  in  1870.  It 
is  a  blue  limestone  structure,  three  stories  in 
height  and  considered  fire-proof,  the  cornices, 
dome  and  pinnacles  being  galvanized  iron.  The 
first  story  comprises  the  Surrogate's  and  County 
Clerk's  offices,  and  a  large  kitchen  where  cooking 
is  done  for  the  prisoners;  while  upon  the  second 
floor  large  apartments  for  the  sheriffs  family, 
together  with  a  Supervisor's  room  and  Sheriffs 
office  are  conveniently  arranged.  The  third 
floor  comprises  a  spacious  Court  Room  with 
gallery  and  petit-jury  room.     The  former  clerk's 


office  was  a  low  stone  building,  and  stood  upon 
the  north  line  of  the  Court  House  lot.  The  fire 
of  1868  seriously  damaged  the  walls,  but  the 
records  and  other  papers  were  uninjured, 
although  they  were  but  a  few  feet  from  the  burn- 
ing buildings  that  caused  an  intense  heat. 

Whether  the  people  of  the  progressive  "  Foun- 
tain town  "  had  a  school  before  the  school  here 
was  built,  near  the  old  parsonage,  or  not,  we  are 
unable  to  tell.  A  few,  very  few,  of  the  present 
residents  first  began  to  solve  the  mysteries  of 
"  Daboll  "  and  worry  over  "  Webstei's  Speller 
and  Definer"  in  the  old  building. 

When  its  walls  began  to  crumble,  another 
was  built  near  the  present  Lutheran  church, 
but  like  its  predecessor,  time  and  truants  accom- 
plished the  work  of  destruction,  and  it  yielded 
upon  the  appearance  of  a  more  commodious 
one  that  still  stands  but  a.short  distance  off. 

Schoharie  Academy. — By  an  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature, passed  upon  the  28th  of  April,  1837, 
Jacob  Gebhard,  William  Mann,  Charles  Good- 
year, Peter  Osterhout,  Sr.,  Benjamin  Pond, 
Peter  S.  Swart,  William  Dietz,  Henry  Shafer, 
Jacob  Vrooman,  and  such  other  persons  as  may 
associate  with  them,  were  constituted  a  body  cor- 
porate by  the  name  of  The  Schoharie  Academy, 
for  the  purpose  of  establishing,  maintaining  and 
conducting  a  Seminary  of  learning  for  the  edu- 
cation of  youths  of  both  sexes.  It  was  incor- 
porated by  the  Regents,  February  5,  1839, 
and  has  been  a  superior  school  from  the  com- 
mencement. 

The  course  of  study  is  as  extensive  at  pres- 
ent as  any  similar  institution  in  the  State.  The 
present  faculty  consists  of  : — 

Solomon  Sias,  Principal. 

Robert  B.  Handy,  French,  German  and 
English  branches. 

Miss    Emma    K.    Cramer,    Intermediate    or  ^ 
English  branches, 

Miss  Hattie  Morrison,  Common  Enghsh. 

Miss  Ida  Mayham,  Primary  or  Preparatory. 

It  is  under  the  management  of  the  following 
able  "  Board  of  Education  :  " 

Hon.  S.  L.  Mayham,  President. 

M.  N.  DeNoyelles,  Secretary. 

J.  O.  Williams,  Wm.  S.  Layman,  M.  D., 
Jacob  T.  Miers,  J.  W.  Marsh. 


378 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


The  first  "  Regents  Higher  Academic  Diplo- 
ma" ever  presented  in  the  County  was  given  on 
the  13th  of  June,  1881,  to  E.  E.  DeNoyelles,  and 
the  ninety-fourth  in  the  entire  State.  The  only 
three  Regents  Certificates  ever  awarded  in  the 
County  were  given  also  to  scholars  of  this  school, 
which  bespeaks  well  for  the  faculty. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church. — Within  the 
shadow  of  the  spire  of  the  ancient  brick  church 
stands  another  substantial  structure  dedicated 
to  the  worship  of  the  same  "  Master  "  according 
to  the  theory  of  Wesley.  Although  the  organ- 
ization of  this  body  is  young  in  years,  in  com- 
parison to  the  Reformed  and  Lutheran,  yet  its 
records  show  but  few  superior  workers  in  the 
"vineyard."  It  was  organized  in  1840  under 
Rev.    David   Poor,   preacher   in   charge,    with 

twelve  members.      Rev.  VanAuken,  then 

living  here,  became  deeply  interested  in  the 
organization,  and  under  his  labors  the  present 
house  of  worship  was  erected  in  1842.  The 
ministers  in  charge  from  that  date  up  to  1852 
we  are  unable  to  give,  but  from  that  date  to 
the  present  time,  they  were  as  follows : — 

William  R.  Brown,  1852-1854. 

A.  W.  Garvin,  185 4- 185 6. 

Joseph  Cape,  1856-1858. 

A.  Heath,  1858-1860. 

I.  C.  Fenton,   1860-1863. 

A.  D.  Heck,  1863-1867. 

E.  Taylor,  1867-1869. 

E.  Mott,  1869-1872. 

Milton  Tator,  1872. 

A.  Champlin,  1873. 

W.  B.  Bedell,  1874. 

A.  W.  Powers,  1874-1876. 

L.  A.  Bigelow,  1 876-1 880. 

J.  G.  Gooding,  1880  and  present. 

Barton  Hill  and  Central  Bridge  are  con- 
nected with  this  church  in  pastorate.  The 
membership  is  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven. 

The  following  are  the  present  officers: — 
Stewards : — 

M.   N.  DeNoyelles, 

P.  S.  Clark, 

G.  D.  Warner, 

S.  R.  Wright, 

Abram   Becker, 


John  Stever, 
George  Terpenning, 
Ira  Blanchford, 
G.  Shank. 

Trustees : — 

M.  N.  DeNoyelles, 
P.  S.  Clark, 
S.  W.  Zeh,  • 
W.  M.  Preston, 
John  Morrison, 
George  D.  Warner, 
T.  D.  Young. 

Recording  Steward: — 
P.  S.  Clark. 

African  M.  E.  Church.- — Of  more  humble 
pretensions,  the  small  "African  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church"  organized  in  1856  by  R.  T. 
Eaton,  closes  the  list  of  religious  organizations 
in  the  village.  The  pastors  who  have  officiated 
are  as  follows  : — 

Reverends  Benjie,  Bessler,  Ray,  Wales,  Ham- 
mond, Tyler,  Ely,  Sanford,  and  the  present  Rev- 
erend Mr.  Gibbs. 

Referring  to  the  Barton  Hill  Methodist  So- 
ciety, we  are  led  to  remark  it  was  formed  in 
1824,  and  one  of  the  leading  men  at  its  organi- 
zation still  continues  one  of  its  main  supporters. 

Theodore  Barton,  now  at  the  age  of  eighty-five, 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  elevation  known 
as  Barton  Hill,  and  still  possesses  the  activity  of 
mind  and  body  found  in  most  men  of  fifty.  He 
is  the  only  one  left  of  four  brothers  who  came 
from  Duchess  county  in  18 18  and  purchased 
lands  of  the  Keysers,  who  were  preceded  a  few 
years  by  Gideon  Wilber  and  the  Simmons 
family.  By  strict  economy  and  industry  Mr. 
Barton  has  accumulated  a  competency  which, 
together  with  his  religious  character,  ranks  him 
with  the  foremost  men  of  the  town.  He  is  the 
oldest  Mason  in  the  County. 

But  a  short  distance  from  the  Barton  neigh- 
borhood is  found  the  celebrated  Gebhard's  cav- 
ern, first  explored  by  our  venerable  friend  John 
Gebhard,  Jr.,  Dr.  Joel  Foster  and  Mr.  John  S. 
Bonney  in  the  fall  of  1831.  Among  the  many 
rich  specimens  obtained  in  this  cave  is  one  re- 
sembling alabaster.     While  we  are  led  to  think 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


379 


it  is  but  carbonate  of  lime  and  not  sulphate,  yet 
its  beauty  and  close  resemblance  to  the  genuine, 
make  it  nearly  as  valuable  and  worthy  of  ob- 
taining. The  ingress  to  this  cave  is  precipitous 
and  somewhat  hazardous,  which  but  few  visit- 
ors feel  disposed  to  incur,  yet  the  beautiful 
threadlike  crystals,  stalactites  and  stalagmites, 
aragonite  and  satin  spar,  found  down  in  its 
depths,  well  repay  the  student  for  his  venture. 

Schoharie  Bridge. — On  the  26th  of  March, 
1803,  an  act  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  to 
establish  a  lottery  and  appoint  managers  of  the 
same,  to  raise  $41,500  "for  opening  and  im- 
proving certain  great  roads  in  this  State,"  and 
the  sum  of  six  hundred  dollars  was  included  for 
the  building  of  the  bridge  over  the  Schoharie 
creek,  opposite  of  Schoharie  village.  The 
money  was  "  to  be  paid  to  the  Commissioners 
of  Highways  of  the  town  of  Schoharie  for  that 
purpose."  By  an  act  passed  March  8, 1805,  John 
Dominick,  Jr.,  John  Becker,  John  Ingold,  Jr., 
Peter  Shafer,  David  Swart,  Peter  Swart,  Jr., 
Jacob  Lawyer,  Jr.,  and  Peter  I.  Shafer  were 
created  a  body  corporate  to  build  the  bridge 
and  were  called  the  "Schoharie  and  Cobleskill 
Bridge  Company."  The  structure  was  finished 
in  1 813.  Near  this  bridge  upon  the  farm  of 
John  Gebhard,  during  the  Revolution,  the  patri- 
ots manufactured  sulphur  for  making  powder, 
and  it  was  thought  that  other  minerals,  such  as 
silver  and  copper  existed  there  in  great  quanti- 
ties, but  little  effort  was  made  to  unearth  them. 

We  have  already  mentioned  the  village  was 
first  called  "  Brunnen  dorf"  and  afterwards 
"Fountain  Town."  At  a  later  date  it  was  fre- 
quently called  "Sommersville,"  in  honor  of  the 
first  Lutheran  pastor.  It  received  its  present 
appellation  upon  the  building  of  the  Court 
House. 

The  town  was  formed  in  1788,  as  a  part  of 
Albany  county,  and  comprised  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  present  territory  of  Schoharie  County. 
In  1797,  Middleburgh,  Blenheim,  Broome  and 
Cobleskill  were  taken  from  it,  and  in  1846 
Wright  and  Esperance.  The  first  general  elec- 
tion of  town  officers  of  which  we  have  any  rec- 
ord was  held  "  upon  the  first  Tuesday  in  April, 
1797,"  and  lasted  three  days.  The  voting  was 
done  by  dropping  the  ballot  in  a  hat  and  each 


official  voted  for  separately.  The  following  ticket 
was  elected : — 

Supervisor — John  Ingold,  Jr. 

Clerk — Henry  Becker. 

Assessors — Jacob  Becker,  Jacob  Kneiskern, 
Peter  Swart,  Casper  Crounse,  Hendricus 
Schaefifer. 

Commissioners  of  Highways — David  Stern- 
bergh,  Peter  Swart,  John  Enders. 

Collector — William  Mann. 

Commissioners  of  Schools — George  Tiffany, 
Jacob  Gebhard  and  James  Brown. 

Overseers  of  Poor — Hendricus  Schaefifer, 
Henry  Weaver. 

Poundmaster — Johannes  I.  Lawyer. 

Constables — Richard  Green,  Jacob  Smith, 
William  Schoolcraft. 

Fence  Viewers — Marcus  Shafer,  Jacob  Sid- 
nick  (Sidney),  Peter  Ball,  Peter  Enders. 

At  the  town  meeting  in  May,  1804,  it  was 

Resolved,  That  every  crow  killed,  six  cents 
if  Braught  to  the  town  Clark  and  the  Town 
Clark  cuts  ofif  the  head  and  gives  a  certificate. 

The  earliest  records  of  the  town  that  are  ac- 
cessible, bear  the  date  of  1789,  when  nearly 
the  whole  of  the  present  County  of  Schoharie 
was  in  one  district  or  town,  belonging  to  Al- 
bany county.  We  find  Marcus  Bellinger  was 
supervisor,  and  Johannes  Dietz  acting  town 
clerk.  A  book  was  kept  according  to  the 
statutes,  in  which  was  registered  the  births  of 
illegitimate  children,  and  the  marks  that  each 
farmer  placed  upon  their  cattle,  sheep  and  hogs, 
which  was  necessary,  as  they  were  turned  in  the 
forest  during  the  summer  months,  and  enabled 
each  owner  to  identify  his  property  without 
trouble.  The  illegitimate  children  were  prin- 
cipally those  of  slaves,  and  in  registering,  both 
cattle  and  infants  were  mixed  up  promiscuously, 
as  follows : — 

"  The  mark  of  John  Jost  Werner  is  as  fol- 
lows to  his  neat  cattle,  sheep  and  swine  to- 
wit A  hole  through  the  right  ear  &  the  left 

ear  cropt 

John  Jost  Werner. 

Recordidthe  28th  day  of  March  r799 

Henry  Becker,  Town  Clark." 


38o 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


"  Schoharie,  Nov.  9th,  1799. 

"  This  is  to  certify  that  there  is  a  child  born 
on  the  Twenty-fourth  day  of  September  Last  of 
A  Negroe  woman,  a  slave,  her  name  is  Felora 
&  the  child  is  a  Male  Child  &  named  Jack  or 
John,  the  woman  now  belonging  to  the  sub- 
scriber Marcus  Bellinger  or  his 
wife  Christina." 
Schoharie,  March  12,  1796. 

"  The  following  is  the  mark  of  Tobias  Swart  of 
his  horn  cattle. — The  ends  of  both  ears  Cut  off 
and  then  slits  cut  in  both  ears  allso. 

"Recorded  the  12th  day  of  March  as  above 
written,  Tobias  Swart." 

Following  the  above  is : — 

"Broke  into  my  inclosure   the  first  day  of 

June  1800  a  large  Read  ox  with  a  white  face 

and  a  white  spot  on  his  left  fore  sholder  and 

also  his  left  ear  cut  of  and  a  slit  in  the  left  ear. 

Jacob  Becker,  Jr." 

In  another  book  we  find  the  following  in  re- 
gard to  the  school  money  : — 

"  We  the  subscribers  forming  a  board  of  Su- 
pervisors for  the  city  and  county  of  Albany  held 
by  adjournment  at  the  City  hall  of  the  said  city 
Do  hereby  certify,  pursuant  to  an  act  of  the 
legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York,  en- 
titled an  act  for  the  encouragement  of 
Schools  passed  the  9th  day  of  April  1795 — 
that  there  is  alloted  by  the  said  board  the  sum 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds — eleven  shil- 
lings and  eight  pence — farthing  to  the  town  of 
Schohary  For  the  uses  and  purposes  expressed 
in  said  act. 

Given  under  our  hands  and  Seals 
this  Seventh  Day  of  July  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  One  Thousand 
seven  hundred  and  ninety-five. 
James  V.  Ranselaer, 
'    Jacob  Wachstrason, 
Garet  Abeel, 
Marcus  Bellinger, 
Jacob  Winne, 
Nath  Ogden, 
Leonard  Brouks, 
Peter  West, 
Arie  Lagrange, 

T.  DUANE, 

HvAL  Cory." 


The  above  sum  was  the  last  drawn  from 
Albany  county  for  the  support  of  Schoharie 
schools. 

Much  to  the  discredit  of  the  several  towns, 
the  records  of  this  town  have  been  kept  in  much 
better  taste  and  care  than  any  other,  and  enable 
us  to  present  the  officials  to  date. 

Supervisors. 

767 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
768 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
769 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
770 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
771 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
772 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
773 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
774 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
775 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
776 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
777 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
778 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
779— Marcus  Bellinger. 
780 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
781 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
782 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
783 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
784 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
785 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
786 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
787 — Marcus  Belhnger. 
788 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
789 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
790 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
791 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
792 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
793 — Marcus  BeUinger. 
794 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
795 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
796 — Marcus  Bellinger. 
797— John  Ingold,  Jr. 
798 — John  Ingold,  Jr. 
799 — John  Ingold,  Jr. 
800 — John  Ingold,  Jr. 
801 — Peter  Swart. 
802 — Henry  Becker. 
803 — John  Ingold. 
804 — Henry  Becker. 
805 — Henry  Becker. 
806 — Silas  Tompson. 
807 — John  Ingold. 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


381 


1808— Peter  Swarf. 

1858— Treat  Durand. 

1809 — Peter  Swart. 

1859 — Ralph  Brewster. 

1810 — Peter  Swart. 

i860 — Elijah  Lawyer. 

1811— Peter  Swart. 

1861 — Elijah  Lawyer. 

181 2 — William  Dietz. 

1862— William  Winter. 

1813— Peter  Swart. 

1863— WiUiam  Winter. 

1814 — Henry  Becker. 

f864— WiUiam  Winter. 

18 1 5 — Gideon  Wilber. 

1865— Peter  S.  Swart. 

1816— Peter  W.  Mann. 

1866— William  Winter. 

1817 — Peter  W.  Mann. 

1867 — Elijah  Lawyer. 

1818— Peter  W.  Mann. 

1868— James  0.  Williams. 

1819 — Peter  W.  Mann. 

1869 — James  0.  Williams. 

1820— Henry  W.  Starin. 

1870 — Francisco  Wood. 

182 1 — Joseph  Hunting. 

187 1 — John  W.  Larkin. 

1822 — Joseph  Hunting. 

1872 — ^John  G.  Caryl. 

1823 — Jacob  W.  Mann. 

1873 — John  G.  Caryl. 

1824 — Jacob  W.  Mann. 

1874 — John  W.  Larkin. 

1825 — Jacob  W.  Mann. 

1875 — John  W.  Larkin. 

1826 — John  Swart. 

1876 — William  B.  Murphy. 

1827 — John  Swart. 

1877 — Ralph  Brewster. 

1828 — John  Swart. 

1878 — Ralph  Brewster. 

1829 — John  Swart. 

1879 — John  W.  Larkin. 

1830 — Henry  Hamilton. 

1880 — Hiram  Schoolcraft. 

1 83 1 — Henry  Hamilton. 

1 88 1 — Jacob  Rickard, 

1832 — Henry  Hamilton. 

1882 — Hiram  Schoolcraft. 

1833 — Henry  Hamilton. 

Town  Clerks. 

1834 — Charles  Goodyear. 

1835— Charles  Goodyear. 

1789 — Johannes  Dietz. 

T-1 ««    ■r\ia4--. 

1836- 

1837- 
1838- 
1839- 

1840- 

I84I- 
1842- 

1843- 
1844- 

1845- 

T846- 

1847- 
1848- 
1849- 
1850- 
1851- 
1852- 

1853- 
1854- 

1855- 
1856- 

1857- 


-Charles  Goodyear. 
-John  C.  Wright. 
-Henry  Hamilton, 
-John  S.  Brown. 
-John  S.  Brown. 
-John  S.  Brown. 
-Hiram  Walden. 
-Hiram  Walden. 
-Daniel  Larkin. 
-Charles  Knox. 
-John  Griggs. 
—David  Dietz. 
—Jacob  Vroman. 
-Jacob  Vroman. 
-Jacob  Vroman. 
-Albiness  Hess. 
-Albiness  Hess. 
—Albiness  Hess. 
—Albiness  Hess. 
—Jonas  Kilmer. 
-David  Dietz. 
-Gideon  Schaeffer. 


1790- 
1791- 
1792- 

T793- 
1794- 

1795- 
1796- 

1797- 
1798- 
1799- 
1800- 
1801- 
1802- 
1803- 
1804- 
180S- 
1806- 
1807- 
1808- 
1809- 
1810- 
1811- 


-Johannes  Dietz. 
-Abram  A.  Becker. 
-Storm  A.  Becker. 
-Josias  Swart. 
-Josias  Swart. 
-Peter  Borst. 
-Henry  Becker. 
-Henry  Becker. 
-Henry  Becker. 
-Henry  Lawyer. 
-Henry  Lawyer. 
-Peter  Vroman. 
-Peter  Vroman. 
-William  Dietz. 
-WiUiam  Dietz. 
-Peter  W.  Mann. 
-Peter  W.  Mann. 
-Peter  W.  Mann. 
-Peter  W.  Mann. 
-Peter  Vroman. 
-Philip  Stembergh. 


382 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


181 2— W.  W.  Enders. 
1813— Philip  Dietz. 
1 814 — Peter  W.  Mann. 
1815 — Peter  W.  Mann. 
1&16 — John  Lawyer. 
181 7 — John  Lawyer. 
1818 — John  Lawyer. 
1 81 9 — William  Mann. 
1820 — John  Budd. 
1 82 1 — John  W.  Mann. 
1822 — John  W.  Mann. 
1823 — John  Budd. 
1824 — ^John  Budd. 
1825 — John  Budd. 
1826— Peter  S.  Swart. 
1827 — Peter  S.  Swart. 
1828— Peter  S.  Swart. 
1829— Peter  S.  Swart. 
1830 — David  Dietz. 
183 1 — David  Dietz. 
1832 — David  Dietz. 
1833 — David  Dietz. 
1834 — David  Dietz. 
1835 — ^Jeptha  R.  Simnis. 
1836 — Jeptha  R.  Simms. 
1837 — Jeptha  R.  Simms. 
1838 — Jacob  G.  Mann. 
1839 — Jacob  H.  Smith. 
1840 — Gideon  W.  Eaton. 
1841 — Moses  Young. 
1842 — Moses  Young. 
1843 — ^James  France. 
1844 — Albiness  Hess. 
1845 — Amasa  Gibbs. 
1846 — Cornelius  VanDyck. 
1847— S.  P.  Swart. 
1848— S.  P.  Swart. 
1849-S.  P.  Swart. 
1850—8.  P.  Swart. 
1851— S.  P.  Swart. 
1852— S.  P.  Swart. 
1853— S.  P.  Swart. 
1854— S.  P.  Swart. 
1855— Philip  Deyo. 
1856 — Sylvan  us  Sweet. 
1857 — Loring  .Andrew. 
1858— S.  P.  Sweet 
1859— S.  P.  Sweet. 
i860— James  A.  Bouck. 
i86t — James  A.  Bouck. 


1862 — Julius  Rowley. 
1863 — Julius  Rowley. 
1864 — Julius  Rowley. 
1865 — Cornelius  Bailey. 
1866 — Cornelius  Bailey. 
1867— William  O.  Root. 
1868— William  O.  Root. 
1869 — ^John  Sweet. 
1870 — Philip  Deyo. 
187 1 — John  Sweet. 
1872 — John  Sweet. 
1873 — Philip  Deyo. 
1874 — John  Sweet. 
1875 — Philip  Deyo. 
1876— Philip  Deyo. 
1877 — Jacob  E.  Mann. 
1878— Jacob  E.  Mann. 
1879 — Jacob  E.  Mann. 
1880 — Jacob  E.  Mann. 
1 88 1 — Jacob  E.  Mann. 
1882— H.  R.  Brown. 

Justices  of  the  Peace. 

Marcus  Bellinger,  1794. 
Lawrence  Schoolcraft,  1797. 
William  Monger,  1797. 
Cornelius  Seabury,  1797. 
Peter  Swart,  1797. 
Ralph  R.  Phelps,  1799. 
Jacob  Schoolcraft,  i8oo. 
Henry  Becker,  1802. 
Silas  Tompson,  1803. 
Abraham  Sternbergh,  1804. 
David  Ball,  1805. 
Harmonus  Bouck,  1809. 
John  G.  Watson,  1809. 
Jabez  W.  Throop,  181 1. 
Isaac  Barber,  18 15. 
Olney  Briggs,  18 17. 
Daniel  Larkins,  1817  to  1828. 
Jeremiah  D.  Tompson,  182 1. 
John  I.  Dominick,  1821  to  1825. 
John  Lawyer,  1822  to  1827. 
Alexander  Crookshanks,   1822. 
W.  L.  Candee,  1824. 
John  Swart,  1828. 
Ezra  Gallup,*  1828  to  183 1. 
James  Burnet,  1828  to  1831. 


*  The  first  elected  on  regular  ticket. 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


383 


Daniel  Larkin,  1833. 
Olaff  H.  Williams,  1837. 
David  Miles,  1838. 
John  I.  Dominick,  1839. 
Asahel  Billings,  1840. 
Ezra  Gallup,  1841. 
John  Gebhard,  Jr.,  1842. 
Charles  R.  Gorden,  1843. 
James  B.  McMasters,  1846. 
Ralph  Brewster,  1847. 
Ezra  Nethaway,  1847. 
George  Weston  house,  1848. 
Elijah  Dickinson,  1849. 
Jacob  A.  Crounse,  1850. 
Peter  Mann,  1850. 
A.  B.  F.  Pond,  1851. 

Peter  Mix,  (to  fill  vacancy)  1852  to   1853. 
Christopher  Wetsel,  r8s2. 
Henry  Wilsey,  1854. 
Joseph  Williams,   1855. 
Ralph  Brewster,  (to  fill  vacancy)  1855. 
Daniel  Larkin,  (to  fill  vacancy)  1856. 
'  John  Gebhard,  1857. 
Ralph  Brewster,  1858. 
J.  O.  Williams,  185910  1863. 
Peter  Nethaway,  i860  to  1864. 
JohnF.  Shafer,  1861  to  1865. 
Ralph  Brewster,  1862  to  1866.. 
William  B.  Murphy,  1865  to  1869. 
Smith  W.  Haskins,   (to  fill  vacancy)   1865. 
John  D.  Wilsey,  1866. 


Peter  A.  Loucks,  (short  term)  1866. 
Smith  W.  Haskins,  1867. 
G.  G.  Mann,  1868. 
John  F.  Shafer,  1870. 
Jacob  Enders,  1871  to  1874. 
William  H.  Barton,  1872  to  1880. 
M.  L.  F.  Bachman,  1876  to  1880. 
Otis  Guffin,  1879. 
Jesse  W.  Smith,  1880. 

Boundaries. 
The  original  bounds  only,  are   on  file,  and 
from  them  Esperance  and  Wright  have  been 
taken. 

A  final  act  passed  April  12,  1813,  for  the 
division  "of  the  counties  of  this  State  into 
towns,"  thus  defines  the  town  then  formed : — 

"  And  all  that  part  of  the  County  of  Schoharie, 
beginning  at  a  point  in  the  west  bounds  of 
the  county  of  Albany,  two  miles  southerly  of  the 
place  where  Fox's  creek  intersects  said  west 
bounds,  thence  westerly  to  the  place  where 
Weaver's  Stony  creek  originally  emptied  itself 
into  the  Schoharie  creek,  and  thence  westerly  to 
the  place  where  the  Cobleskill  road  crosses  the 
Punch  Kill,  thence  with  a  straight  line  to  a 
point  in  the  north  bounds  of  the  county  five 
miles  westerly  of  Schoharie  creek,  thence  along 
the  bounds  of  the  county  easterly  and  southerly 
to  the  place  of  beginning,  shall  be  and  continue 
a  town  by  the  name  of  Schoharie.'' 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES. 


HOH.  STEPHEH   L.  MAYHAM. 


Stephen  L.  Mayham  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Blenheim  on  the  8th  day  of  October,  1 828.  His 
father,  John  Mayham,  was  of  Irish  origin,  his 
parents  having  emigrated  to  this  country  from 
Ireland  and  settled  in  Troy  about  1790.  His 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Betsey  Fergu- 
son, was  of  Scotch  descent. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  third  son  of 


a  family  of  thirteen  children,  and  was  reared 
upon  a  farm,  where  he  was  taught  those  lessons 
of  industry  which  have  made  their  impress  upon 
his  life  and  laid  the  foundation  of  the  success 
that  he  has  since  achieved.  His  early  education 
consisted  of  a  term  of  two  or  three  months  in  a 
district  school,  during  the  winter  sessions,  the 
balance   of  the   year  being   devoted  to  farm 


384. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


labor,  together  with  one  or  two  years  of  evening 
instruction  by  a  competent  person  employed  by 
his  father  as  a  family  teacher  in  the  home  upon 
the  farm. 


When  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  com- 
menced teaching  in  a  district  school  in  the 
winter,  and  continued  his  labors  upon  the  farm, 
in   the    summer,    besides    attending   a    select 


school  a  short  time  in  the  autumn  months.  In 
that  way  he  acquired  a  fair  English  education. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years,  he  entered  the 
law  office  of  Samuel  W.  Jackson,  since  a  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  but  then  practicing  law 
at  Gilboa.  After  reading  law  one  year  in  Mr. 
Jackson's  office,  he  went  to  Ithaca,  Tompkins 
county,  and  there  entered  the  office  of  Love  & 
Freer,  where  he  remained  until  1847,  when  he 


was  admitted  to  practice  in  all  the  courts  of 
New  York  State. 

After  remaining  another  year  in  the  office  of 
his  preceptors  at  Ithaca,  he  returned  to  his 
native  County  and  located  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  Although  remote  from  the  county- 
seat,  and  in  a  community  affording  but.  a  small 
amount  of  litigation,  he  soon  succeeded  in 
establishing  a  good  country  practice,  and  ac- 


TOWN  OF  SCHOHARIE. 


38s 


quired  a  favorable  rank  among  the  members  of 
the  Bar  in  the  County. 

Mr.  Mayham  was  elected  superintendent  of 
schools  two  years,  and  supervisor  of  his  town 
for  three  successive  years,  the  last  time  without 
opposition.  In  1859  he  was  elected  District 
Attorney  of  Schoharie  County  for  a  term  of 
three  years,  and  so  satisfactorily  discharged  the 
duties  of  that  office,  that  without  effort  or 
solicitation  on  his  part,  he  was  elected  as 
Member  of  the  Assembly  from  his  County,  and 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  that  office  January 
I,  1863,  his  official  term  as  District  Attorney 
having  expired  December  31,  1862. 

In  1866,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Demo- 
cratic party  for  the  Senate  in  the  15th  Senato- 
rial district,  against  Charles  Stanford  of  Schen- 
ectady, by  whom  he  was  defeated.  In  1868, 
he  was  elected  in  the  14th  Congressional  Dis- 
trict, consisting  of  Albany  and  Schoharie  coun- 
ties, to  the  41st  United  States  Congress,  during 
which  session  he  served  as  one  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  private  land  claims  and  the  expenditures 
of  the  State  and  Postoffice  department. 

In  1878  Mr.  Mayham  was  elected  to  the  45th 
Congress  from  the  counties  of  Schoharie,  Greene 
and  Ulster,  comprising  the  13th  district  and 
served  on  the  Committee  for  the  District  of 
Columbia,  as  Chairman  sub-committee  of  Ways 
and  Means,  and  on  the  Committee  of  Expendi- 
tures of  the  State  department,  etc. 

He  was  also,  at  one  time.  President  of  the 
Schoharie  Valley  Railroad,  and  for  the  last  eight 
years  has  been  president  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion of  the  village  of  Schoharie,  where  he  is  now 
residing,  and  devoting  his  time  to  the  practice 
of  law,  in  partnership  with  his  son. 

Mr.  Mayham  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Julia  Martin,  a  grand-daughter  of  General  Free- 
gift  Patchin  of  Revolutionary  fame,  who  was 
largely  identified  with  incidents  of  that  war  in 
Schoharie  County.  To  them  were  born  seven 
children,  four  of  whom  are  now  living. 


PETER  S.  SWART,  M.  D. 


Thfe  subject  of  this  brief  memoir  was  a  son  of 
General  Bartholomew  Swart,  of  Schoharie,  and 
was  born  July  15,  1801.  His  early  life  was 
spent  upon  his  father's  farm  near  the  village  of 
Schoharie,  and  he  was  educated  at  the  village 
school. 

About  the  year  1820  or  1822,  he  began  read- 
ing medicine  with  Doctor  Cornelius  VanDyck, 
and  subsequently  read  with  Doctor  March, 
of  Albany.  In  1824,  he  was  graduated  from 
the  medical  college  of  that  city,  and  soon  there- 
after commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
Schoharie. 

Dr.  Swart  was  twice  married ;  his  first  wife  was 
Maria  Snyder,  of  Schoharie,  to  whom  he  was 
married  in  1824;  and  his  second  wife  was  Eva 
Eliza  Michaels,  with  whom  he  was  united  in 
marriage  in  1869.  The  latter  was  a  daughter 
of  the  late  William  G.  and  Maria  Lawyer  Mi- 
chaels. She  is  an  intelligent  and  estimable  lady, 
and  is  still  residing  in  the  village  of  Schoharie. 
Both  of  the  Doctor's  wives  were  great-great- 
grand-daughters  of  Johannes  Lawyer,  the  first  of 


386 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  family  bearing  that  name,  'who  came  to 
America,  from  Durlech  near  the  Rhine,  in 
1717. 

Dr.  Swart  was  also  a  descendant  of  Johannes 
Lawyer,  his  mother  being  a  daughter  of  the  great 
landholder  of  that  name.  The  Doctor  was  County 
treasurer  of  Schoharie  County  for  two  succes- 
sive terms,  and  also  treasurer  of  the  village  of 
Schoharie,  several  times.  In  politics  he  was  a 
Democrat.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
Church. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

History  of  the  Town  of  Cobleskill. 

Geological  Formations — Historical  Inter- 
est— Origin  of  Cobleskill — Traditions — 
First  Settlement  —  Brown's  Mill  and 
Stream — Omen  of  Danger — Devastation 
of  the  Valley  After  the  Battle — Flight 
of  the  Shafer  and  Brown  Families — 
Cobleskill  Militia — Whipping  Tories — 
Building  a  FoR;r — Invasion  by  Indians  and 
ToRifes  —  Taking  Prisoners  —  Escape  of 
Lawrence  Lawyer— First  School  house — 

Lambert  Lawyer  —  Jacob  L.  Lawyer  

Mrs.  J.  L.  Lawyer — Courter  Mansion — 
Charles  Courter  —  Death  of  Lambert 
Lawyer — Sale  of  the  House  and  Farm 
—  Augustus    C.    Smith  —  Hotels    and 

Inns  —  Commercial      Hotel  Early 

Merchants  —  Lutheran     Church 

Reformed  Dutch  Church  —  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  —  Roman 
Catholic  Church  — Old  Families— Mrs. 
BoRST— The  Schaeffer  or  Shafer  Family 
—Van  Dresser  Farm— Richtmyer  Fami- 
ly —  Captain  Brown  —  Henry  Shafer— 

Berner   Settlement — Doctor   Werner 

Bernerville  —  Its  Business   Interest  — 


Cary's  Mill — Kilmer  Settlement — Wet- 
SEL  Family— Brayman's  Mill— Howe's  Cave 
—PuNCHKiLL— Scenery  on  the  Road  West 
— Mineral  Springs — Paul  Shank — Meth- 
odist Church  of  Mineral  Springs — Law- 
yersville — First  Settlers-^Angle  Family 
— Young  Family  —  General  Dana — His 
Life — John  Redington — William  Elman- 
DORF — Jared  Goodyear — Isaac  H.  Tiffany 
— Thomas  Lawyer  —  Jedediah  Miller — 
Doctor  Shepherd  —  Shutts  Family  — 
Thomas  Smith — Henry  Smith — J.  H.  Ram- 
sey —  William  H.  Young  —  Cemetery — 
Wakeman  Family — Reformed  Church — 
Lutheran  Church — Early  Merchants — 
Physicians — Legal  Fraternity — Past  and 
Present — Manufacturing  Interest — Ma- 
sonic Society — Good  Templars — G.  A.  R. 
Post  —  National  Bank  —  Formation 
of  the  Town — First  Officers — Super- 
visors— Efforts  to  Remove  the  Court 
House — Boundaries. 

THE  town  of  Cobleskill  possesses  peculiar 
attractions,  particularly  to  the  Geologist 
and  Historian.  The  greater  part  is  underlaid 
with  limestone,  in  which  is  detected  the  various 
changes  that  nature  has  made  through  countless 
ages,  and  presents  fossiliferous  strata  that  are 
well  worthy  the  researches  of  the  enquiring 
student. 

The  mighty  changes  nature  has  wrought 
through  the  far  back  centuries  have  left  im- 
mense fissures  in  these  rocks  that  are  the  won- 
der and  admiration  of  the  world. 

Within  their  dark  recesses  are  found  the  most 
beautiful  stalactitical  formations  which  the  drip- 
ping waters  of  ages  have  slowly  and  tastefully 
arranged  by  percolation  through  the  rock 
above,  as  well  as  other  mineral  deposits  pecu- 
liar to  such  caverns,  all  of  which  are  worthy  the 
attention  of  the  student,  and  have  attracted 
such  from  all  parts  of  the  educated  world. 

The  historical  interest  that  clusters  along  the 
Cobleskill  is  deep  and  of  such  a  nature  as  to  ex- 
cite one's  sympathy  and  patriotism.      Here  was 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


387 


a  border  settlement,  during  the  struggle  for 
liberty — of  staunch  patriots,  whose  valor  and 
stability,  under  the  most  withering  circum- 
stances, have  but  few  equals  and  no  superiors. 
Along  the  valley,  devastation  and  death,  by  the 
hand  of  ruthless  Tories  and  Indians — rudely 
swept,  and  blighted  the  hopes  and  aspirations 
of  many  happy  firesides — saturated  the  soil  with 
patriots'  blood,  and  laid  the  beautiful  and  pros- 
pering vale  in  waste ! 

Here,  too,  many  scenes  and  incidents  of 
other  times  occurred  that  are  of  interest,  which 
we  will  from  time  to  time  notice  as  we  unroll 
the  scroll  upon  which  the  past  has  written  with 
a  truthful  pen. 

The  name  of  the  stream,  town  and  village,  at 
present  is  written  Cobleskill.  From  what  orig- 
inated the  word  and  its  meaning  is  not  definitely 
known. 

Many  traditionary  tales  are  told  by  the  oldest 
families  and  documents  as  to  its  origin,  but  the 
one  that  has  been  given  credence,  is  from  the 
late  Judge  Brown,  as  stated  in  his  pamphlet  his- 
tory of  Schoharie  pubUshed  in  1823. 

He  says : — 

"So  called  after  the  name  of  a  man  who 
cleared  a  spot  at  the  outlet  under  the  pretence 
of  building  a  mill  thereon,  but  was  never  brought 
about,  but  by  the  Indians  was  called  Ots-ga- 
vaw-ge." 

Author  Simms  visited  the  Judge  a  short  time 
before  he  died  and  was  told  by  him  "  he  had 
been  there  to  mill."  It  is  very  doubtful  to  us 
that  a  mill  was  built  where  conjectured. 

There  was  a  small  mill  built  by  John  Peter 
Kneiskern  upon  a  rivulet,  as  we  mentioned  in 
the  Esperance  chapter,  near  William  Shout's 
work  kitchen  about  the  year  1740,  and  it  was 
in  use  up  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  and 
was  no  doubt  burned  by  Colonel  Johnson  and 
Brant,  October  17,  1780.  We  think  as  memory 
carried  the  Judge  back  upon  Mr.  Simms'  visit, 
he  being  very  aged  and  somewhat  in  his  dotage, 
the  Kneiskern  mill  was  the  one  he  visited  and 
that  he  was  correct  when  he  wrote  his  pamphlet 
history.  The  man  that  received  the  credit  of 
building  that  mill,  and  others  in  the  Schoharie 
district,  was  Jacob  Kobell. 

The  Schaeffer  tradition  is  to  the  effect  that 


the  cows  of  the  first  settlers  were  pastured  along 
the  creek  and  one  or  more  of  each  herd  having 
a  bell  attached  to  the  neck,  for  the  purpose  of 
finding  them,  led  the  settlers  to  give  the  stream 
the  name  of  Cow-bell  A7//— kill  meaning  creek. 

Another  family  states  that  owing  to  the  bed 
of  the  creek  in  many  places  being  covered  with 
round  stone,  it  was  called  Cobble  Kill.  While 
the  late  John  G.  Young,  whose  ancestors  came 
at  an  early  day  said  "  I  was  informed  by  my 
grandfather  and  other  old  settlers,  that  there 
Uved  an  old  Indian  near  the  West  Kill  junc- 
tion, whom  the  people  called  Cobus,  and  they 
gave  his  name  to  the  stream."  Turning  now 
from  tradition,  we  will  glance  over  old  docu- 
ments that  speak  plainly  and  bear  strongly 
towards  Mr.  Young's  idea,  and  then  leave  our 
readers  to  draw  their  conclusions. 

The  oldest  writing  that  we  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  examining  that  alludes  to  the  stream 
bears  the  date  of  1728  and  uses  the  creek  as  a 
boundary  and  calls  it  Cobus.  A  royal  land 
grant  now  in  the  possession  of  Tiffany  Lawyer, 
bearing  date  of  1753,  also  speaks  of  the  stream 
as  Cobus  "or  as  the  Indians  call  it  Ots-ha-le-ga'' 
and  still  at  a  later  date  when  the  boundaries  of 
the  town  were  described  in  1801  by  act  of  the 
Legislature,  we  read  Cobuskill  and  the  town  re- 
ceiving the  name  of  Cobelskill.  Thus  we  see 
the  original  name  of  the  stream  was  Cobus  kill 
while  the  town  and  village  has  borne  the  name 
of  Cobels  and  Cobleskill.  It  was  formerly 
thought  that  the  West  Kill  was  the  main  stream 
instead  of  being  a  tributary. 

Johannes  Schaeffer  of  Ulster  county,  pur- 
chased six  hundred  acres  east  of  the  present 
village,  in  1749,  and  in  the  year  following,  his 
son  John,  and  Peter  his  nephew,  settled  upon  it. 
At  the  same  time  Jacob  Borst  settled  upon  the 
south  side  of  the  creek,  opposite  the  Schaeffer 
brothers.  John  built  a  log  house  where  Mrs. 
Peter  Lawyer's  fine  residence  now  stands,  and 
Peter  built  to  the  west,  across  the  brook,  near 
where  Charles  Hamilton  now  resides.  Johannes 
Schaeffer  was  a  large  land  holder  as  will  be  seen 
by  many  of  the  old  titles,  and  whether  he  was 
a  relative  of  the  Schoharie  Schaeffers  or  not  we 
are  unable  to  tell.  In  after  years,  they  became 
connected  by  the  daughter  of  Peter  marrying 


388 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Christian  H.  Schaeffer,  the  father  of  the  present 
Gideon,  Martin  L.  Jacob  H.  and  Mrs.  Russell. 

John  was  long  known  as  Hans  Schaeffer,  and 
built  the  Mrs.  Lawyer  mansion  for  an  inn, 
about  the  year  1815,  and  for  many  years  was  a 
respected  "host." 

The  orthoepy  of  the  family  name  is  Schaeffer 
but  that  branch  of  the  family  found  in  and 
around  Cobleskill  have  changed  it  to  Shafer 
and  Shaver. 

In  1752  Jacob  Borst  and  Johannes  Lawyer, 
2d,  of  Schoharie  purchased  the  lands  to  the 
west  of  Schaeffer's  and  Borst's,  upon  which  the 
village  now  stands  and  an  addition  was  made 
to  the  settlement  from  Schoharie  and  Middle- 
burgh — They  were  Lawrence  Lawyer,  son  of 
Jacob  Frederick  Lawyer,  ist,  John  Bouck, 
George  Ferster  and  John  Frimire. 

About  the  year  1765  Christian  Brown,  brother 
of  the  late  Judge  Brown,  settled  upon  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  James  Becker,  and  built  a 
saw  and  grist-mill,  which  was  the  only  one  west 
of  Schoharie  creek. 

It  was  a  small  affair  as  most  of  the  mills  were 
of  that  day  in  the  border  settlements,  merely 
cracking  the  grain,  leaving  the  flour  and  bran 
to  be  separated  by  the  ingenious  matron.  A 
bolt  was  placed  in  the  mill  after  the  Revolution 
but  being  ignorant  of  conveyers  to  carry  the 
grinding  from  the  stone  to  the  bolt,  it  was  car- 
ried in  a  basket  and  fed  from  a  hopper.  Indian 
corn  and  wheat  were  the  chief  products  of  the 
soil,  the  former  being  used  chiefly  for  subsistence 
from  the  fact  that  it  was  easily  prepared. 

Brown's  Millyia.%  placed  nearly  opposite  Mr. 
Becker's  residence  upon  the  south  side  of  the 
stream  that  issues  from  a  fissure  in  the  rock 
after  following  a  hidden  path  for  several  miles. 

Several  streams  in  the  town  of  Carlisle  flow 
in  the  fissures,  so  abundantly  found  in  the  hme 
rock  strata,  and  it  is  believed  that  all  of  them, 
with  but  one  exception,  unite  in  emerging  at 
this  place.  The  prominent  feeder  is  a  swampy 
pond  lying  to  the  west  of  Carhsle  village,  known 
as  "  Shank's  Pond."  The  water  enters  a  crevice 
in  the  rock  upon  the  east  bank,  over  which  is 
placed  a  saw-mill,  and  runs  beneath  hills  and 
valleys  the  distance  of  nearly  two  miles  and  ap- 
pears above  ground,  upon  the   lands  of  William 


Brown.  Being  utilized  here  again  by  another 
mill,  it  passes  on  one-fourth  of  a  mile,  and 
again  seeks  its  underground  course,  to  emerge 
as  before  stated  at  Becker's. 

This  may  be  called  the  main  stream  and  is 
fed  during  the  fall  and  spring  months,  by  another 
swamp  lying  south  of  Carlisle  village  upon  the 
farms  of  Henry  I.  Ottman  and  Jabob  H.  Kneis- 
kern,  known  as  the  "  Cranberry  swamp."  This 
underground  tributary  joins  the  one  before  men- 
tioned, before  it  emerges  at  Brown's  mill,  as  a 
succession  of  indentures  may  be  traced  upon 
the  surface  beneath  which  the  water  flows. 
Still  another  swamp  upon  the  north  side  of 
"  Owelus  Sowlus"  or  Karker's  mountain  upon 
the  lands  of  Adam  Lawyer,  during  high  water 
seasons  is  drained  of  its  surplus  by  a  similar 
fissure,  and  helps  swell  the  volume  that  here 
bubbles  up  from  the  rock-bound  cavern. 

During  the  Revolution,  the  people  of  the  val- 
ley were  continually  on  the  alert  for  Indian  in- 
vasions, and  kept  scouts  out  along  the  border 
to  watch  for  their  appearance  and  the  move- 
ments of  the  Tories,  and  when  they  were  de- 
tected lurking  around,  the  women  and  children 
were  sent  to  the  lower  fort  at  Schoharie  or  the 
middle  at  Middleburgh,much  depending  upon  the 
location  of  relatives,  with  whom  they  could  visit. 
Household  valuables  were  also  removed  there 
for  safe  keeping,  if  not  buried  beneath  leaves 
or  brush  in  the  forest  or  secreted  in  hollow 
trees. 

A  family  tradition  says  that  Christian  Brown 
returned  to  his  farm,  after  removing  his  family 
to  the  lower  fort,  to  thresh  some  grain,  and  while 
busily  engaged  a  bird  flew  in  and  perched  itself 
upon  his  shoulder.  Thinking  nothing  of  the 
affair  he  continued  threshing  and  the  same  bird 
repeated  the  act  again  and  again,  as  if  warning 
him  of  an  impending  danger.  Like  all  the 
sturdy  Germans,  Brown  was  imbued  with  super- 
stitious omens  and  fears,  and  upon  the  bird's 
last  appearance  his  fears  were  aroused,  and  upon 
reconnoitering  through  the  chinks  of  the  log 
barn,  he  saw  a  squad  of  Indians  cautiously 
skulking  along  a  brush  fence,  running  at  the 
edge  of  the  woods  along  the  side  hill  to  the 
south.  Being  a  Captain  in  the  militia  service 
his  capture  or  scalp  was  a  tempting  trophy  for 
the  redskins  to  present  to  their  king  as  a  mark 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


389 


of  prowess  and  loyalty.     The  Captain  slyly  re- 
treated and  returned  to  the  fort. 

It  was  here  the  wedding  took  place,  during 
the  war,  between  Captain  Brown's  raan  and 
maid  servant,  while  Brown  and  family  were  at 
the  lower  fort.  The  frequent  invasions  of  the 
Indians  required  a  company  to  be  formed  in 
the  valley,  of  which  Brown  was  Captain.  They 
were  held  for  duty  regardless  of  any  individual 
interest  in  agricultural  or  mechanical  labors. 

Protection  was  the  watch-word,  and  from  the 
battle  fought  by  them  in  1778  to  the  close  of 
the  struggle,  they  were  kept  in  arms,  and  if  upon 
foreign  duty,  others  filled  their  places.  It  was 
at  a  time  when  the  soldiers  were  quartered  here 
that  author  Simms  says  a  wedding  was  cele- 
brated. Pork,  beans,  and  sour-krout  were  the 
viands  and  undoubtedly  the  "  marriage  bells " 
rang  as  merrily  as  if  all  the  extravagances  of 
modern  weddings  were  indulged  in.  The  militia 
were  the  invited  guests  and  it  was  a  gala  day 
for  the  weary  and  hunted  yeomen  whose  lives 
were  but  seasons  of  hardships  and  privations. 

The  first  hostile  invasion  in  the  valley  was  on 
the  1st  day  of  June,  1778,- under  the  command 
of  the  Mohawk  chieftain.  Brant.  His  force  was 
estimated  to  number  about  four  hundred  Tories 
and  Indians,  but  probably  it  did  not  number 
more  than  half  of  that.  The  Indians  were  prin- 
cipally the  Aquago's  of  the  Susquehanna,  as 
blood-thirsty  and  revengeful  a  race  as  could  be 
found. 

The  battle  being  fought  in  the  present  terri- 
tory of  Richmondville,  we  have  there  given  a  full 
account  of  the  transaction,  and  shall  refer  now 
only  to  such  incidents  as  occurred  upon  that 
day  within  the  present  limits  of  the  town.  After 
the. retreat  was  made  by  the  patriots,  and  while 
the  enemy  were  engaged  at  the  Warner  house, 
a  messenger  was  dispatched  on  horseback  down 
the  valley  to  apprise  the  inhabitants  of  their 
danger  of  being  slain  or  captured.  Lawrence 
Lawyer's  house  was  the  first  from  the  west,  and 
stood  upon  the  south  side  of  the  stream 
between  it  and  the  present  residence  of  Peter 
Tingue.  Lawyer  was  in  the  engagement,  and 
fled  with  the  remaining  militia  to  the  fort, 
and  on  coming  to  his  house  found  his  family 
had  been  apprised  of  the  defeat  and  had  fled. 
Mrs.    Lawyer   was   three   days   in    the   woods 


secreted,  not  knowing  the  fate  of  her  husband, 
or  what  to  do  with  herself.  She  finally  returned 
to  her  home,  but  found  nothing  left  but  ashes  ; 
house  and  out-buildings  gone,  and  devastation 
on  every  hand.  The  dwelling  of  George  Ferster, 
which  stood  where  the  Courter  house  now 
stands,  that  of  John  Bouck,  John  Schell,  John 
King,  Adam  and.  Jacob  Shafer,  all  within  the 
immediate  neighborhood,  were  but  smoking 
ruins,  and  their  occupants  refugees  in  the 
cheerless  forest.  She,  with  others,  broken- 
hearted, fled  to  the  lower  fort,  and  arrived  there 
on  the  fourth  day.  Farther  down  the  valley 
lived  Henry  Shafer,  (the  late  Judge,)  where  his 
grandson,  George  Shafer,  now  resides,  and  the 
Borst  family  near  by,  also  John  and  Peter 
Shafer,  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek. 

For  reasons  unknown,  the  enemy  did  not 
move  down  to  them,  and  they  were  the  only 
buildings  left  standing  from  Zea's,  above  War- 
ner's, to  the  school-house  east  of  the  village, 
except  the  latter,  and  a  log  house  of  Warner's. 

Flight  of  the  Shafer  and  Brown  Families* — 
The  messenger  apprised  the  women  and  chil- 
dren of  Peter  and  John  Shafer's  families,  who, 
in  company  with  an  aged  German  schoolmaster 
by  the  name  of  Paughoer,  fled  to  Captain 
Brown's  house,  and  taking  Mrs.  Brown  and 
children  with  them,  entered  the  forest  to  reach 
the  fort.  Without  doubt,  the  messenger 
exaggerated  the  result  of  the  conflict  and  the 
proximity  of  the  savages.  As  these  families  were 
so  frightened,  they  did  not  know  which  way  to 
direct  their  course,  although  they  had  traveled 
over  the  ground  many  times.  They  became 
lost  and  lay  beneath  a  hemlock  tree  over  night. 

The  night  being  cold  and  the  children  timid 
a  fire  was  built  at  a  late  hour  and  around  it 
they  knelt,  while  the  teacher,  with  hushed 
voice,  invoked  the  protection  of  the  Friend  of 
the  troubled  and  helpless.  As  soon  as  dayHght 
appeared,  they  started,  and  near  noon  arrived 
at  "  Sidney's  "  on  the  Schoharie  creek  and  were 
taken  by  him  in  a  lumber  wagon  to  the  fort, 
where  they  found  their  husbands  and  fathers, 
they  having  arrived  the  evening  previous. 

*  From  Mrs.  John  J.  Borst,  daughter  of  Jeremiah 
Brown. 


39° 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Captain  Brown  and  Henry  Shafer  (late  Judge) 
were  running  together  in  the  retreat,  and  were 
followed  by  a  squad  of  Indians,  that  were  anx- 
ious to  obtain  as  \aluable  a  prize  as  Captain 
Brown,  whose  scalp  would  bring  eight,  and 
body,  alive,  delivered  at  Niagara,  twenty  "cur- 
rent dollars  of  British  money."  As  they  were 
climbing  over  a  brush  fence  Shafer  was  shot  in 
the  thigh,  which  paralyzed  his  hmb  so  as  to  make 
it  impossible  for  him  to  proceed.  Brown  turned 
to  assist  him,  but  the  Indians  being  very  near, 
Shafer  told  him  "  to  run  and  not  stop  for  him." 
The  Captain  bounded  in  the  thicket  and  eluded 
his  pursuers  and  reached  the  fort  early  in  the 
evening,  expecting  Shafer  to  have  been  killed. 
As  the  Indians  jumped  over  the  fence  they  did 
so  close  by  Shafer,  and  he  said  two  of  them 
looked  him  in  the  eye,  but  passed  on  to  capture 
Brown,  expecting,  no  doubt,  to  return  and  take 
his  scalp. 

The  Judge,  as  he  was  familiarly  known  for 
many  years  after,  was  a  rather  tall,  muscular 
man,  with  the  nerve  of  a  Spartan,  and  he 
crawled,  rolled  and  tumbled  along,  to  the 
thicket  near,  and  secreted  himself  until  danger 
passed. 

J.  R.  Simms  says  of  Shafer  in  his  excellent 
"  History  of  Schoharie  and  Border  Wars  : " — 

"  He  directed  his  steps  toward  Schoharie,  and 
on  the  way,  fell  in  with  Peter  Snyder,  his 
brother-in-law.  They  traveled  together  nearly 
to  Punchkill,  when  Shafer,  too  weak  to  proceed, 
concealed  himself  and  requested  his  comrade  to 
inform  his  friends  at  the  fort  where  he  might  be 
found,  desiring  them  to  come  after  him.  His 
fellow  traveler  went  to  the  fort,  but  instead  of 
doing  the  errand  as  desired  by  his  wounded 
relative,  he  reported  him  dead.  Shafer  tarried 
beneath  a  shelving  rock  until  Monday  morning, 
when  by  great  exertion,  he  arrived  at  the  house 
of  a  friend  in  Kneiskern's  dorf.  As  he  was 
much  exhausted,  he  was  prudently  fed  gruel 
until  he  revived,  when  he  was  taken  to  the  fort 
and  cured  of  his  wound." 

The  company  that  was  formed  in  the  valley 
early  in  the  war  was  called  the  Cobleskill  militia, 
and  was  not  attached  to  the  regiment  of  the 
Schoharie  and  Duanesburgh  district  as  a  com- 
pany, yet  each  of  the  members  were  enrolled 


upon  that  "muster  roll,"  as  will  be  seen  by  con- 
sulting Chapter  III  of  this  work.  The  most  of 
the  company  belonged  to  the  present  territory 
of  Cobleskill,  and  consisted  of  nearly  thirty 
members.  Only  twenty  of  them,  however,  were 
engaged  in  the  conflict  of  June  rst. 


They  were  as  follows  : — 

Christian  Brown, 

Captain. 

Jacob  Borst, 

Lieutenant. 

Nicholas  Warner, 

Ensign. 

George  Warner,  Jr., 

Private. 

John  Frimire, 

do 

George  Frimire, 

do 

Jacob  Frimire, 

do 

John  Shafer, 

do 

John  Zea, 

do 

Leonard  King, 

do 

Johannes  Bouck,  Jr., 

do 

John  Schell, 

do 

Martinus  Ferster,  (Fester)         do 

George  Ferster,  "               do 

John  Ferster,  "               do 

Henry  Shafer,  do 

Lawrence  Lawyer,  do 

Jacob  Shafer,  do 

Peter  Shafer,  do 

William  Snyder,  do 

Those  that  were  killed  in  the  engagement  and 
at  the  Warner  house  were : — 
John  Zea, 
Jacob  Frimire, 
Jacob  Shafer, 
John  Ferster, 
Martinus  Ferster. 

Leonard  King,  Peter  and  Henry  Shafer  were 
wounded,  and  according  to  author  Simms  "  the 
whole  number  killed,  including  Captain  Patrick 
and  his  men,  was  about  twenty-two,  five  or  six 
of  his  men  were  also  wounded  and  two  were 
made  prisoners.'' 

Having  written  the  name  of  John  Schell,  we 
cannot  pass  on,  but  relate  an  incident  in  the 
life  of  the  firm  old  patriot  that  has  not  been  told 
in  print. 

After  the  close  of  the  Revolution  the  old  sol- 
diers were  venomous  towards  the  Tories,  and 
whenever  an  opportunity  offered  they  handled 
them  unmercifully. 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


391 


While  attending  a  horse-race  at  Lambert 
Lawyer's,  two  Tories  from  the  "  Rhinebeck  set- 
tlement," whose  record  of  brutality  was  bad, 
drank  to  excess  and  while  under  the  influence  of 
liquor  boasted  of  some  heinous  crime  during 
the  war,  and  ended  by  hurrahing  for  King 
George. 

Schell's  ire  was  aroused,  and  procuring  a 
rope  and  a  "  black  snake  "  whip,  he  tied  the  two 
together,  by  their  necks,  and  led  them  to  the 
hitching  post,  and  whipped  their  coats  off  their 
backs.  Giving  them  a  resting  spell,  he  drove 
the  pair  through  the  streets,  as  cattle,  taking 
particular  pains  to  remind  them  of  his  presence 
by  an  occasional  stroke.  He  filled  their  pockets 
with  small  stone  and  compelled  them  to  rattle 
the  same,  and  cry  out,  "  King's  money  !  King's 
money ! "  as  an  offset  to  the  derisive  act  of 
filling  the  mangled  soldiers'  mouths  with  Con- 
tinental money,  at  the  Warner  house !  As 
night  drew  near,  he  hitched  them  again  to  the 
post  and  gave  them  another  severe  chastise- 
ment, and  let  them  go,  declaring  to  them  if  they 
ever  boasted  of  their  crimes  again  he  would  kill 
them.  It  seems  singular  that  many  of  the  old 
Tories  often  boasted  of  committing  crimes 
in  which  there  was  no  truth,  at  least,  so  far  as 
their  having  any  complicity  in  them,  except  the 
principle  of  assent. 

Building  of  a  Fort. — Nothing  of  any  impor- 
tance occurred  in  the  valley  after  the  battle,  till 
the  spring  of  1781,  except  the  building  of 
houses  and  an  occasional  fright  by  the  appear- 
ance of  Tories  and  Indians  in  the  neighbor- 
hoods that  sympathized  with  them  in  the  cause, 
as  reported  by  the  vigilant  scouts. 

The  lower  and  middle  forts  being  too  small 
to  accommodate  the  settlers  of  the  surrounding 
country,  many  of  the  women  and  children  were 
taken  to  the  "Camps"  upon  the  Hudson, 
where  nearly  all  of  them  had  relatives,  with 
whom  they  could  visit  and  be  safe  from  the 
savage  enemy ;  owing  also  to  the  distance  the 
settlers  of  this  section  were  compelled  to  travel 
daily,  for  protection,  when  invasions  were 
threatened,  beside,  the  hospitaHty  of  private 
famihes  becoming  wearied  in  quartering  soldiers, 
the  citizens  applied  to  the  committee  of  safety 


for  the  building  of  a  block-house  at  some  point 
in  the  valley. 

Captain  DeBoise,  of  the  regular  service,  being 
stationed  at  the  lower  fort,  was  ordered  to 
superintend  its  structure,  which  was  commenced 
in  the  spring  of  1781,  and  finished  before  the 
harvest,  by  the  aid  of  soldiers  and  citizens.  It 
was  built  nearly  opposite  the  residence  of 
Charles  Hamilton,  and  was  of  sufficient  capacity 
to  accommodate  the  settlers  in  itself,  without 
their  being  compelled  to  build  tents  or  huts 
within  the  pickets,  as  at  Schoharie,  for  the  com- 
fort of  those  that  resorted  to  it,  Its  shape  and 
construction  is  not  known,  more  than  that  a 
cupola  or  observatory  was  built,  from  which  the 
vallev  could  be  seen  for  a  long  distance. 

The  house  of  Peter  Shafer  stood  where  Ham- 
ilton's now  stands  and  was  enclosed  in  the 
pickets.  A  moat  surrounded  the  whole  in 
which  the  water  of  the  brook  running  near,  was 
turned  and  from  which  the  garrison  was  sup- 
plied. The  brook  was  much  larger  than  at  the 
present  time  from  the  fact  the  one  running 
through  the  western  part  of  the  village  upon 
which  Harder's  shops  are  built,  made  a  turn 
near  the  residence  of  Mathew  Burhans  and  ran 
east  past  Virgil  Kling's  into  the  channel  of 
the  brook  now  seen.  Lambert  Lawyer  changed 
the  course  of  the  stream  when  he  first  settled 
upon  the  Courter  place,  for  mill  purpose. 

Here  the  militia  were  stationed  and  obtained 
their  supplies  from  the  people  gratuitously 
and  we  may  imagine  hved  upon  the  "  fat  of  the 
land."  The  henroosts  and  granaries  of  the 
Tories  of  "  Rhinebeck  "  were  often  visited  by 
the  soldiers  in  their  scouting  expeditions  and 
their  "donations"  thankfully  and  most  agree- 
ably received.  Nothing  of  a  warlike  character 
occurred  here  until  the  fall  of  1781. 

Invasion  of  1781 — As  has  been  intimated  the 
Cobleskill  mihtia  and  citizens  that  remained  in 
Fort  DeBoise  obtained  many  of  their  supplies 
from  the  Tories  of  New  Rhinebeck.  They 
said  in  substance : — "  If  your  party  destroy  our 
crops  and  other  means  of  subsistence,  we  will 
live  upon  you." 

After  thus  helping  themselves  to  their  pro- 
ductions the  Tories  became  greatly  incensed 
and  concluded  to  follow  the  adage  of  "diamond 


392 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


cut  diamond"  and  devastate  the  valley;  con- 
sequently in  the  latter  part  of  September  1781 
a  party  of  Indians  from  the  Mohawk  appeared 
in  the  Karker  neighborhood  and  were  joined  by 
a  number  of  the  Tories  to  carry  out  their  de- 
signs. 

The  leader  was  from  "New  Rhinebeck"  and 
full  of  vengeance  as  he  had  been  stripped  of  his 
cattle  by  Willet  and  hunted  by. the  Cobleskill 
scouts.  They  crept  slyly  to  the  valley  unper- 
ceived  and  began  the  work  of  devastation  in 
burning  Lawrence  Lawyer's,  John  Bouck's, 
George  Ferster's  and  John  King's  house,that  had 
been  rudely  rebuilt  after  the  invasion  of  1778. 
They  passed  down  the  valley  and  kept  at  too 
great  distance  from  the  fort  to  enable  the  few 
that  were  within  it,  to  fire  upon  them  with 
effect.  They  passed  round  to  Judge  Shafer's 
buildings,  and  applied  the  torch  to  the  house, 
after  plundering  it  of  such  goods  as  they  could 
carry  conveniently.  They  burned  his  log  barn 
and  stacks,  and  passed  on  to  the  Borst  place 
below.  That  family  was  at  the  middle  fort. 
The  party  here  put  up  for  the  night,  and  held  a 
pow-wow  over  their  success.  Mrs.  Judge  Shafer 
was  in  the  fort,  we  are  informed  by  Mrs.  David 
Shank,  a  daughter,  and  saw  the  flames  rising 
from  her  house.  She  went  alone  and  ex- 
tinguished them,  but  the  barn  and  stacks 
were  laid  in  ashes.  As  she  was  returning  to  the 
fort  she  said  the  burning  of  property  up  the  val- 
ley was  a  sad  and  discouraging  sight. 

Abram  Bouck,  then  a  lad,  was  at  home  and 
was  captured  as  he  was  starting  to  return  to  the 
fort.  George  Frimire  and  brother  John  were  at 
Ferster's  and  in  making  an  attempt  to  escape, 
George  was  killed  and  scalped — John  it  was 
thought  was  a  willing  prisoner  as  he  had  fol- 
lowed the  invaders  of  Vronian's  Land  to  Canada 
the  previous  year,  but  stoutly  denied  the  charge. 
George  Ferster  was  also  taken  and  rudely  dealt 
with. 

Early  the  following  morning  the  invaders  burnt 
the  Borst  buildings  that  sheltered  them  through 
the  night  and  retraced  their  steps  up  the  valley. 
They  burnt  Judge  Shafer's  house  and  drove  his 
few  cattle  along,  together  with  others  they  could 
collect,  in  all  about  thirty  head.  Every  build- 
ing from  Lawrence  Lawyer's  to  the  Borst  place 
was  burnt,  except  the  fort  and    Peter  Shafer's 


(enclosed  within  the  pickets)  and  Hans  Shafer's, 
that  stood  where  Mrs.  Peter  Lawyer's  fine  resi- 
dence now  stands. 

Hans  lost  nothing.  His  reticence  throughout 
the  struggle  after  the  battle  of  1778  was  con- 
sidered suspicious,  and  caused  the  patriots  to 
keep  a  watch  over  his  movements. 

The  Ferster  and  Frimire  families  seemed  to 
be  the  most  unfortunate  of  any  in  the  valley 
during  the  war.  The  former  was  stripped  of  all 
its  male  members,  upon  the  capture  of  George 
the  father,  at  this  invasion,  and  the  massacre  of 
John  and  Martinus,  the  sons,  in  the  conflict  of 
1778.  John  Frimire  and  his  second  son,  Jacob, 
were  killed  in  that  memorable  battle.  One  son 
fled  to  Canada  with  Zea  as  related  in  Chapter 
XVIII,  while  George  and  John  were  taken  pris- 
oners at  this  time.  From  those  two  famiHes 
came  the  brightest  examples  of  unselfish  heroism 
and  patriotic  sacrifice  that  are  to  be  found  in 
the  annals  of  our  country. 

The  enemy  passed  up  to  the  present  village 
where  the  New  Rhinebeck  party  separated  from 
the  Indians  and  skulked  to  their  homes.  That 
night  they  had  a  meeting  at  one  of  the  clan's 
houses  and  two  buxom  Tory  daughters  enliv- 
ened the  occasion  by  playing  upon  fifes,  while 
the  Tories  themselves  refreshed  their  weary 
bodies  by  drinking  Ferster's  potato  whiskey. 

There  could  not  have  been  many  men  in  the 
little  fort  at  the  time,  as  it  seems  if  there  had 
been,  an  effort  would  have  been  made  to  check 
the  savages'  progress. 

Undoubtedly  the  men  were  off  upon  duty  as 
scouts,  or  in  the  Schoharie  valley  assisting  their 
brethren  in  their  fall  work.  Our  Tory  informant 
says  "  they  watched  their  chance  and  did  good 
service.''  Thus  it  was  as  the  white-capped 
cloud  suddenly  arises  in  a  clear  sky,  changing 
sunlight  to  darkness  and  bringing  hail  and  Na- 
ture's other  destructives,  so  those  monsters 
"  watched  their  chance  "  and  when  all  seemed 
quiet  and  secure,  they  pounced  upon  unpro- 
tected settlements,  and  with  the  torch  laid  them 
in  ashes  and  bathed  the  ruins  with  brothers' 
blood. 

Lawrence  Lawyer  was  on  his  way  from  Scho- 
harie the  afternoon  the  buildings  were  burned, 
and  when  near  the  present  hamlet  of  Punch- 
kill,  he  came  suddenly  upon  three  Indians,  who 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


393 


were  driving  a  few  head  of  cattle,  but  they  not 
seeing  him,  he  crouched  down  by  the  side  of  a 
log  and  they  passed  on  without  noticing  him, 
although  they  were  within  a  few  feet  of  him. 
Quite  a  number  of  cattle  were  driven  from  the 
valley  by  the  invaders  at  this  time. 

Lawrence  died  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
nine  years  and  ten  months. 

First  and  Later  School  Houses. — While  we 
are  dwelling  upon  the  incidents  connected  with 
this  neighborhood,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  refer 
to  the  first  school  house  in  the  town. 

An  old  man  whose  head  is  silvered  by  the  re- 
flection of  eighty.seven  years,  well  spent,  and 
whose  father  and  mother  learned  to  read  and 
write  High  Dutch  correctly  within  its  rude 
walls,  pointed  out  the  little  knoll  upon  the 
north  side  of  the  road,  east  of  M.  W.  Ream's 
residence,  and  east  of  the  gate- way,  near  the 
willow  tree,  as  the  spot  upon  which  the  first 
school  house  was  built.  It  was  a  log  building, 
and  for  the  want  of  a  "  creaking  door,"  a  large 
blanket  was  pinned  up  in  winter,  under  which 
the  pupils  were  forced  to  crawl  in  going  in  and 
out.  A  small  hole  was  made  upon  the  south 
side  for  a  window,  over  which  the  teacher's 
cloak  was  hung  to  keep  out  the  wind.  A  large 
hole  in  the  roof  allowed  the  smoke  to  escape 
from  the  fireplace  and  through  which  light  was 
admitted  to  enable  the  scholars  to  study.  The 
teacher  was  a  Mr.  Paughoer,  to  whom  we  re- 
ferred in  the  flight  of  the  Brown  and  Shafer 
famihes,  and  who  taught  as  early  as  1770.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  a  frame  building  was 
erected  upon  the  same  spot,  in  which  many  of 
the  oldest  inhabitants,  now  living,  well  remem- 
ber attending  school.  Two  buildings  for  that 
purpose  have  been  erected  and  abandoned 
since,  before  the  one  at  present  in  use  was 
built ;  each  exhibiting  the  degree  of  prosperity 
and  pride  the  people  possessed.  The  present 
one  marks  the  progress  of  the  day  and  the  deep 
interest  taken  by  the  citizens  of  the  village  in 
the  cause  of  education. 

We  have  before  us  the  report  of  J.  H.  Sals- 
bury,  Superintendent  of  Common  Schools,  made 
in  1845,  in  which  he  says,  in  referring  to  new 
school  houses : — 


"That  of  Cobleskill,  (the  third  one  built  in  the 
district)  is  a  splendid  building,  reflecting  credit 
upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  district,  and  par- 
ticularly upon  Messrs.  C.  Courier,  Thomas 
Smith,  D.  Lawyer,  M.  Swart  and  others,  by 
whose  voluntary  subscriptions  a  sum  sufficient 
was  raised  to  rear  it.  It  has  two  rooms,  with  a 
portico  in  front,  and  a  beautiful  cupola  upon  it, 
and  for  comfort,  convenience  and  elegance,  it 
is  perhaps  surpassed  by  few,  if  any,  in  the 
State." 

Upon  the  building  of  the  present  one,  the 
former  was  abandoned,  and  was  used  for  many 
years  as  the  Index  printing  office,  and  of  late  as 
Dean's  Marble  Works. 

Upon  the  building  of  the  railroad,  the  village 
gave  promise  of  becoming  a  thrifty  business 
center,  and  there  was  an  influx  of  settlers,  which 
required  more  commodious  school  rooms. 

In  1867,  the  present  brick  structure  was 
built,  and  the  schools  soon  adopted  a  graded 
course,  which  has  now  become  equal  to  any 
school  in  Central  New  York,  having  three  de- 
partments— Primary,  Intermediate  and  Aca- 
demic— with  an  attendance  of  four  hundred 
students. 

The  present  Board  of  Education  of  the 
village  is  Charles  H.  Shaver,  President;  James 
W.  Lawyer  and  Albert  Baker,  whose  design  is 
"  to  furnish  to  the  youth  a  school  equal  to  any 
of  its  kind  in  the  State,  and  to  afford  to  all  who 
desire  it,  an  opportunity  to  be  fitted  for  college, 
for  business,  for  teaching,  and,  above  all,  for  the 
practical  duties  of  life." 

Additional  Settlers. — Immediately  after  the 
Revolution  closed,  measures  were  taken  to  re- 
build, and  other  settlers,  principally  from  Scho- 
harie and  Middleburgh,  made  a  choice  of  land 
near,  and  by  the  year  1800,  the  present  Hmitsof 
the  town  were  entirely  taken  up,  except  those 
lands  lying  upon  the  precipitous  hills,  which 
were  considered  of  Uttle  value.  Prominent 
among  the  new  settlers  was  Lambert  Lawyer,  a 
son  of  Johannes  Lawyer,  2d,  of  Schoharie,  who 
purchased  in  1752  the  land  upon  which'  the 
village  stands.  Lambert  settled  in  the  log  house 
rebuilt  by  Ferster,  and  in  which  the  latter  kept 
an  inn  after  he  was  released.  The  old  house 
was  built  of  logs,  and  stood  where   the   court 


394 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


house  now  stands.  Lawyer  built  on  a  frame 
addition,  and  continued  the  business  up  to  the 
year  1802,  when  the  house  was  burnt.  There 
being  quite  an  amount  of  travel  of  families 
from  the  Eastern  States,  to  Otsego  and  other 
western  counties,  beside  a  good  local  trade,  he 
built  the  present  house,  which  was  the  largest  in 
this  section.  The  building  was  erected  the  same 
year,  (1802).  The  road  ran  upon  the  south  of 
the  house  at  that  time.  The  house  was  for  many 
years  the  town  house,  where  the  hardy  yeomen 
met  to  transact  official  business,  hold  law-suits, 
etc. 

Here  it  was  voted  as  late  as  1802,  "  That 
stocks  be  built  at  the  expense  of  the  town," 
which  appears  as  if  they  had  "  unwary  ones  "  in 
those  "  good  old  times,"  as  now. 

Among  the  town  records  we  find  that  in  1820, 
"by  a  vote  at  Lambert  Lawyer's,  the  paupers  of 
the  town  of  Cobleskill  shall  be  sold  at  auction 
annually,  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  May,  when 
the  licenses  will  be  granted  to  retailers  of  spirit- 
uous liquors." 

Lambert  growing  old,  and  very  wealthy,  for 
those  days,  wished  to  retire  from  the  business, 
so  in  18 1 5  he  built  a  brick  house  where  the 
Hotel  Augustan  now  stands,  into  which  he 
moved  with  his  son  David  S.,  while  another  son, 
Jacob  L.,  took  possession  of  the  inn,  and  con- 
tinued the  business  many  years.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  War  of  181 2,  in  Captain  Kellogg's 
Company,  and  in  November,  1828,  was  elected 
Sheriff  of  the  County.     He  died  July  30,  1850. 

Mrs.  Jacob  L.  Lawyer,  is  still  living  at  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-five.  She  was  a  Dries- 
bach,  of  Schoharie,  and  when  she  came  to 
Cobleskill  the  first  time,  there  were  but  few 
houses,  and  the  surrounding  farms  were  nearly 
covered  with  heavy  timber.  Her  father  came 
from  Pennsylvania  in  company  with  Jabez 
Kromer,  and  after  a  short  stay  in  Albany,  they 
came  to  Schoharie.  The  former  located  at  that 
village  as  a  mechanic,  and  the  latter  settled  in 
Cobleskill  as  a  physician,  in  1793,  both  being 
progenitors  of  the  families  now  Hving  in  the 
County  bearing  those  names. 

Jacob  L.  Lawyer  sold  the  property  to  John 
P.  Bellinger,  and  Peter  Van  Patten,  father  of 
the  late  Abram   Van   Patten,    continued    the 


hotel  business  to  the  year  1839,  when  Charles 
Courier  purchased  the  property.  Upon  the 
building  of  the  turnpike  in  18 10,  the  back  of 
the  house  was  made  the  front,  and  upon  Mr, 
Courter  purchasing  the  property  he  removed 
the  horse-sheds,  and  upon  the  ground  they 
occupied,  he  built  a  store,  in  which  he  kept  a 
general  assortment  of  merchandise  up  to  the 
year  1864,  when  he  sold  his  stock  to  Simeon 
Deyo,  who  was  also  in  trade  in  the  "  Watson 
house,"  or  present  "Kilts  Hotel."  Mr.  Deyo 
consolidated  the  two  stores,  and  had  the  sole 
control  of  the  trade  in  the  village.  Mr.  Deyo 
was  a  practical  business  man,  with  a  host  of 
friends,  and  did  as  large  a  business  here  as  he 
had  done  in  Schoharie  village,  for  eighteen  years 
in  succession.  He  closed  his  mercantile  affairs 
in  1864,  and  purchased  the  "Mineral  Springs," 
where  we  will  again  refer  to  him,  in  dwelling 
upon  incidents  and  facts  relating  to  that  place. 

Charles   Courter*   was  born  in  the  town  of 
Schoharie  on  the  4th  of  June,  1808. 

After  the  death  of  Lambert  Lawyer,  which 
occurred  in  1832,  David  S.  came  in  full  pos- 
session of  the  brick  house  property,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years  he  sold  the  same  to  Mar- 
cus Stern  bergh.  It  was  kept  as  a  hotel  by  him 
for  a  long  series  of  years,  when  LeRoy  Eldredge, 
of  Sharon,  purchased  it,  who  in  turn  sold  to  A. 
C.  Smith,  in  1867.  Perhaps  it  may  be  inter- 
esting to  state  that  the  property  was  sold  by 
David  S.  Lawyer,  for  a  trifle  over  six  thousand 
•dollars,  while  the  consideration  for  the  same 
between  Smith  and  Eldredge  was  twenty-one 
thousand  dollars,  showing  a  gain  of  over  four- 
teen thousand  dollars,  which  must  be  placed  to 
the  credit  of  the  railroad.  Mr.  Smith  repaired 
the  house  at  great  expense,  and  made  it  as 
inviting  to  guests  as  any  in  the  County. 

Increase  of  business  required  another  exten- 
sion, and  many  conveniences  within,  but 
through  a  conflagration  that  originated  in  the 
hotel  stables  in  1873,  the  whole  was  laid  in 
ashes,  together  with  all  the  buildings  to  the  east 
as  far  as  School  street.  In  the  two  years  follow- 
ing Mr.  Smith  built  the  structure  now  standing 
as  Hotel  Augustan,  upon  the  ground  occupied 
by  the  old  buildings. 

*  See  steel  portrait  and  biography  at  the  close  of  this 
chapter. 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


395 


It  is  a  large  three-story  brick  building,  with 
well  ventilated  and  spacious  rooms,  capable  of 
accommodating  one  hundred  guests  without 
inconvenient  compactness.  To  it,  has  flocked, 
each  heated  term,  many  from  different  cities, 
to  enjoy  its  hospitality  and  the  beautiful  scenery 
surrounding  it.  Scarcely  had  Mr.  Smith  fin- 
ished and  furnished  the  building  to  his  satis- 
faction, when  he  was  stricken  by  disease.  He 
died  November  14,  1877,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
nine. 

Augustus  C.  Smith  was  a  very  genial  and  en- 
ergetic business  man.  He  conceived  the  rapid 
growth  of  the  village  would  ensure  safety  in 
making  the  heavy  expenditure  of  building  such 
an  edifice,  and  had  he  lived,  undoubtedly  by  his 
enterprise  and  perseverance,  he  would  have  en- 
joyed the  realization  of  his  plans.  He  was  a 
successful  school  teacher  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  was  elected  school  commissioner  over  the 
western  district  in  the  autumn  of  1856.  Mr. 
Smith  ever  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  cause  of 
education,  and  in  entering  upon  the  duties  of 
the  office,  he  threw  his  whole  energies  in  the 
work  and  awakened  an  interest  throughout  the 
district,  that  caused  the  schools  to  advance  from 
the  lethargy  in  which  they  were  found.  He  was 
re-elected  as  his  term  of  office  closed,  and 
throughout  his  official  career  performed  his  duties 
with  such  faithfulness,  as  to  ensure  it  was  not  as 
much  for  the  emoluments  of  the  office,he  worked, 
as  to  meet  the  interest  he  felt  in  educational 
matters. 

As  we  are  dwelling  upon  hotels  and  hotel 
proprietors,  perhaps  we  may  with  propriety  refer 
to  others  that  were  in  past  days  and  then  come 
down  to  others  that  are  now  existing  in  the  vil- 
lage. In  olden  times  an  inn  was  considered  as 
indispensable  as  the  highway,  as  by  the  town 
records  we  find  in  1800,  and  for  many  years  fol- 
lowing, nine  persons  were  licensed  to  "keep an 
inn,"  in  the  town,  and  "who  appear  to  be  of 
good  moral  characters,  and  are  of  sufficient 
abilities,  each  to  keep  a  publick  Inn  or  Tavern, 
and  that  each  of  them  has  accommodations  to 
entertain  travelers." 

Undoubtedly  owing  to  the  rush  of  business 
the  board  considered  it  "  necessary  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  travelers  that  a  tavern  be  kept 
at  their  several  places  of  abode  in  the  said  town 


of  Cobleskill."     The  nine  that  received  hcenses 
were : — 

Lambert  Lawyer, 
Peter  Bouck, 
William  Snyder, 
Nicholas  Rouse, 
Jacob  Newton, 
Nicholas  Smith, 
William  Baker, 
Caleb  Lamb, 
Lambert  Shafer. 

The  town  being  much  larger  in  area  at  that 
time  than  now,  there  were  but  four  of  the  nine 
in  the  present  territory  —  Lawyer,  Bouck, 
Shafer  and  Rouse. 

Peter  Bouck  kept  were  Martinus  Swart  now 
resides ;  Shafer  upon  the  VanDresser  farm. 
Rouse  near  Punchkill,  and  Lawyer  as  before 
shown. 

Coming  down  to  a  later  date  (1810)  Dr.  Ja- 
bez  Kromer  opened  his  house  (which  stood 
where  Kennedy's  wagon  shop  now  stands)  as 
an  inn.  The  building  was  burned  about  the 
year  1830,  and  the  jiresent  wagon  shop  soon 
after  erected.  John  Foland  succeeded  Kromer 
as  host.  He  was  father  of  the  late  John  and 
present  Peter  Foland,  whose  reputation  as  land- 
lords are  too  well  known  by  the  traveling  public 
to  need  an  introduction  here.  The  house  passed 
into  several  hands  from  time  to  time,  and  in  its 
last  days  as  a  hotel  was  known  as  the  "  Nisbeth 
House. 

In  1842  Abraham  L.  Lawyer  purchased  the 
building  now  known  as  the  United  States,  and 
changed  it  from  a  store  (for  which  it  was  in- 
tended,) to  a  hotel  by  building  an  addition. 

Martin  Watson,  son-in-law  of  Lawyer,  took 
possession  and  continued  the  business  to  the  year 
1852,  when  he  removed  to  Albany  and  gave 
place  to  others.  Since  that  date  the  house  has 
been  occupied  as  a  store  and  hotel,  Simeon 
Deyo  being  the  last  to  occupy  it  as  a  store-house. 

From  1864  to  1868  several  diff'erent  "land- 
lords" held  forth,  but  in  the  latter  year  Levi 
Kilts  purchased  the  property  and  still  remains 
the  proprietor.  During  the  present  season  the 
building  has  received  an  extensive  addition 
which  makes  a  great  contrast  from  its  appearance 
forty  years  ago,  when  it  was  a  small  store,  and 


39^ 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


the  present  time.  Across  the  street  from  the 
United  States  Hotel  stood  for  many  years  a  long 
building  with  the  gable  towards  the  street,  which 
from  time  to  time  was  used  for  various  purposes. 
Abram  Van  Patten  rebuilt  the  house  and  for 
several  years  enjoyed  a  lucrative  patronage. 
His  genial  countenance  and  unbounded  hospi- 
tality drew  a  host  of  friends  around  him,  who 
deeply  regretted  his  untimely  end. 

Mr.  Van  Patten  fell  from  a  wagon  at  some 
distance  from  home  and  when  found  life  was 
extinct.     The  house  was  managed  by  his  family 

awhile,  who  was  followed  by Benedict  to 

the  present  year,  when  Jefferson  Eldridge  be- 
came the  occupant,  and  remodeled  the  estab- 
lishment in  appearance  and  convenience. 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  railroad  to  this 
place,  James  Blodgett  erected  the  present  Com- 
mercial Hotel,  near  the  station,  as  the  Blodgett 
House,  for  the  convenience  and  comfort  of 
commercial  travelers.  The  fall  of  1866  found 
it  completed  under  the  management  of  the 
builder,  who  was  followed  by  several  different 
firms  and  of  late  by  Morgan  Lewis,  son-in-law 
of  A.  C.  Smith  and  former  proprietor  of  the 
Hotel  Augustan.  The  house  has  accommoda- 
tions for  one  hundred  guests.  Besides  the  in- 
creasing patronage  of  the  traveling  public  this 
house  has  become  a  favorite  summer  resort. 
The  village  being  so  pleasantly  situated,  in  a 
fertile  and  interesting  valley,  free  from  malaria 
and  accessible  to  all  parts,  many  whose  custom 
it  has  been  to  pass  the  heated  term  at  the  fash- 
ionable watering  places,  find  it  more  beneficial 
to  health  to  pass  their  summers  here  in  quiet, 
and  each  season  finds  their  numbers  increased. 

Early  Merchants. — Who  was  the  first  mer- 
chant in  the  place,  it  is  indeed  hard  to  tell,  but 
we  are  led  to  believe  one  Staats,  who  was  here 
in  1790.  Josias  Kellogg  was  here  as  eaHy  as 
1800,  and  was  connected  in  after  years  with 
Curtis  Thorp. 

The  Lawyer  family  were  the  most  wealthy  of 
any  in  the  Schoharie  settlements,  and  were 
engaged  in  nearly  every  enterprise  in  which 
money  was  to  be  made,  and  undoubtedly 
through  them  the  first  settlers  were  supplied 
with  such  goods  as  they  required.     The  wants 


of  the  settlers  as  we  have  before  mentioned 
were  few — the  chief  being  rum  and  tobacco — 
aside  from  their  wearing  apparel  and  eatables, 
which  they  manufactured  and  grew  themselves. 

After  Kellogg  and  Thorp  came  John  Peter 
Bellinger.  Upon  the  ground  now  occupied  by 
the  United  States  Hotel  stood  a  building  which 
was  occupied  as  a  store  during  the  20's,  by 
Jacob  Slingerlandj  the  building  was  burned  and 
rebuilt  by  Han  Yery  Bouck,  and  he  or  his 
brother  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in 
partnership  with  Jerome  Kromer.  Mr.  Bellinger 
was  in  trade  part  of  the  time  with  Jonas  Bouck. 
Charles  Courter  came  in  1837,  and  formed  a 
copartnership  with  Minard  Harder,  in  1855, 
and  continued  the  connection  until  the  spring 
of  i860,  when  the  business  reverted  to  Mr. 
Courter.  During  those  years,  Martin  Watson, 
A.  B.  Larkin  and  J..  M.  Falkner,  were  engaged 
in  trade,  the  latter  two,  after  those  dates. 

Simeon  Deyo  being  established  in  the  ''Wat- 
son house,''  purchased  Charles  Courter's  goods 
and  interest,  and  became  the  only  merchant  in 
the  village  for  some  time,  as  we  before  stated. 
There  may  have  been  other  merchants  of  short 
residence  here  from  time  to  time,  of  whom  we 
have  not  made  mention,  but  we  have  given  the 
leading  tradesmen  up  to  the  year  1S62.  Long 
years  before  the  latter  date,  the  chief  station  for 
trading  was  at  Lawyersville,  and  still  later, 
Bernerville.  We  will  here  state  that  the  busi- 
ness portion  of  the  village  for.  many  years  was 
clustered  around  the  present  United  States 
Hotel. 

Alonzo  Ferguson  was  the  pioneer  hardware 
merchant  of  the  place,  and  commenced  the 
business  in  1851.  He  was  followed  by  C. 
H.  Shaver  in  1854,  who  still  is  in  trade. 

Mr.  Ferguson  removed  to  Otsego  county,  and 
upon  the  commencement  of  the  Rebellion,  he  en- 
listed and  served  through  the  war  as  Colonel  of 
the  7  2d  Regiment  of  Volunteers. 

In  1879,  he  returned  to  the  village,  and  again 
engaged  in  trade,  having  purchased  the  stock  of 
goods  of  Charles  Hamilton,  who  had  been  in 
the  trade  nearly  two  years.  The  three  gentle- 
men alluded  to  are  the  only  merchants  ever  en- 
gaged exclusively  in  the  hardware  trade  in  the 
village. 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


397 


Morris  Cohn  removed  from  South  Valley  in 
1864,  and  engaged  the  most  extensively  in  the 
dry  goods  trade,  and  still  remains  as  the  largest 
dealer  in  the  County.  Jacob  H.  Diefendorf, 
also  commenced  at  nearly  the  same  time,  and 
after  a  few  years  closed.  In  1872,  Martin  Borst 
and  Edgar  S.  Ryder,  formed  a  co-partnership  in 
the  dry  goods  and  clothing  trade,  and  the  firm 
became  in  1878,  Ryder  &  Ostrom,  Borst  having 
retired  and  George  D.  Ostrom  succeeding  him. 
The  same  year  the  firm  again  changed  by  the 
retirement  of  Ostrom,  and  connection  of  R.  T. 
Lefevre,  making  the  principals  "  Ryder  &  Le- 
fevre.'' 

The  first   general   druggist  of  the  town  was 

Rowland,    who   commenced  in    1865, 

and  was  succeeded  by  Jonas  Dillenbeck,  in 
1867,  who  is  still  in  business,  having  of  late 
taken  an  associate,  and  the  firm  is  known  as 
Rowe  &  Dillenbeck.  The  conflagration  of  1873 
burnt  Mr.  Dillenbeck's  large  and  well  stocked 
establishment,  but  it  was  immediately  rebuilt, 
and  still  retains  the  reputation  of  a  first-class 
house,  which  was  early  won.  Several  other  firms 
have  "come  and  gone"  since  Mr.  Dillenbeck 
embarked  in  the  business,  and  at  present  but 
one  other  is  in  the  trade.  Hogan  &  Borst  com- 
menced in  1879,  and  still  continue  with  the  con- 
fidence of  the  public.  Doctor  Ezra  Lawyer,  in 
connection  with  his  practice,  was  a  favorite 
druggist  for  a  few  years  up  to  1879,  when 
he  retired  from  the  business.  To  chronicle 
all  the  business  men  of  the  town,  and  the 
changes  they  have  made  from  time  to  time, 
would  be  an  endless  task,  and  by  not  going 
over  the  whole  field,  we  are  confident  we  will 
not  be  accused  of  favoritism.  We  have  only 
intended,  in  writing  the  foregoing  necessarily 
brief  sketch,  to  notice  the  pioneers  in  each 
branch,  but  in  our  retrospect,  we  find  we  have 
missed  Henry  Smith,  who  built  and  furnished 
with  goods,  the  house  standing  near  the  old 
school  house,  and  in  which  William  T.  Moak 
was  clerk,  in  the  years  1853  and  1854.  The 
basement  was  occupied  in  1865  by  "Lon" 
Harder,  as  a  grocery,  which  he  removed  to  the 
building  now  occupied  by  the  druggists  Hogan 
&  Borst.  "  Lon  "  built  the  store  in  1867,  and 
created  quite  an  excitement  by  his  prize  "  Tea 
Sales,"  in  which   he  disposed  of  thousands  of 


pounds  of  tea,  and  brought  together  crowds  of 
hundreds  of  people,  to  witness  the  distribution 
of  the  prizes. 

James  W.  Lawyer  was  the  pioneer  in  the  ex- 
clusive grocery  trade,  and  was  followed  by  Alonzo 
Harder.  Daniel  J.  Dow  removed  from  Sharon 
Hollow,  and  engaged  in  that  business,  and  since 
then,  G.  R.  Culver,  John  J.  Dickerson,  and  J. 
M.  Dean,  as  Dickerson  &  Dean,  who  were  suc- 
ceeded by  Decker  &  Wright,  Martin  D.  Borst, 
and  James  Herrick,  have  established  flattering 
trades,  who,  with  D.  J.  Dow,  make  a  specialty 
of  crockery,  in  addition  to  groceries. 

Lawrence  Lawyer's  House  and  Family. — 
When  Lawrence  Lawyer  settled  here,  about  the 
year  1770,  he  built  a  house  near  the  creek  a 
little  to  the  north  of  Peter  Tingue's  present  res- 
idence. The  road  ran  south  of  Lambert  Law- 
yer's to  that  house  and  from  thence  northwest 
to  Adam  Shaver's,  now  Madison  Shaver's,  and 
then  west  to  William  Snyder's  inn,  now  occupied 
by  Sylvester  McDonald.  Lawyer  was  twice 
burned  out  during  the  war,  and  in  18 10  built  a 
large  mansion  upon  the  hill  west  of  the  village. 
It  was  in  after  years  occupied  by  his  son,  Abram 
L.,  who  was  followed  by  Nicholas  Russell,  and 
still  later  by  Peter  Coburn,  in  whose  possession 
it  was  when  burned. 

Lawrence  had  two  sons,  John  L.  and  Abram 
L.  The  former,  father  of  the  present  James  W. 
Lawyer,  was  killed  by  a  log  rolling  upon  him. 
Abram  became  a  very  useful  and  influential 
man.  He  represented  the  town  in  the  board  of 
Supervisors  in  1823,  1824,  1825,  and  1829,  and 
was  sent  to  the  Legislature  in  1830,  and  again 
in  1 85 1.  The  years  1835,  1836,  1837,  and 
1838  found  him  in  the  State  Senate,  which  po- 
sition he  filled  with  commendable  efficiency,  as 
repeated  elections  prove.  He  died  at  his  resi- 
dence on  the  fifteenth  of  December,  1853,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-two. 

Mr.  I^awyer  married  a  daughter  of  Peter 
Bouck,  and  his  daughter  (Mrs.  Harvey  Watson, 
of  Esperance,)  is  the  only  surviving  member  of 
the  family. 

Churches. — From  the  first  settlement  of  the 
valley,  in  1750  to  1764,  the  people  were  desti- 
tute of  a  house  of  worship.  Peter  N.  Sommers, 
of  the  Lutheran    Church    of    Schoharie,  and 


398 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Dominie  Schuyler,  of  the  High  Dutch  Re- 
formed, together  with  missionaries,  occasionally 
performed  divine  services  in  houses  and  barns. 
When  not  thus  provided,  the  people  either 
walked  to  Schoharie  or  near  the  present  Metho- 
dist Centre  Church  in  Seward,  where  stood 
a  rude  log  building  in  which  meetings  were  held 
quite  frequently.  During  the  Revolution,  they 
were  careful  in  venturing  upon  the  usual  paths 
to  Seward,  as  the  settlers  of  that  section  were 


principally  Tories,  in  whom  they  had  but  little 
confidence. 

After  peace  was  proclaimed,  the  Rhinebeck 
Church  was  built  by  the  combined  efforts  of  the 
people  of  Dorlach,  Rhinebeck  and  Cobleskill 
and  both  societies,  Lutheran  and  Reformed, 
worshipped  in  the  building  up  1o  the  year  1800. 
The  Lutherans  of  Cobleskill  became  dissatisfied 
with  the  management  of  the  church  property, 
and  being  able  to  erect  a  church  of  their  own. 


The  Old  Brick  (Lutheran)  Church. 


they  did  so  in  1794.  An  efl^ort  was  made  by 
them  to  obtain  a  division  of  the  farm,  but  not 
being  successful,  the  matter  was  dropped  until 
1808,  when  they  obtained  fifty-  acres  as  their 
portion.  The  building,  for  those  days,  was  a 
fine  one  and,  being  of  brick,  it  was  known  and 
referred  to  as  the  "Brick  Church,"  for  many 
years  after,  by  the  people  of  the  surrounding 
country.  The  building  became  too  small  for 
the  congregation  and  a  new  one  was  erected  in 
the  year  1868,  at  a  cost,  together  with  the  fur- 
niture, of  thirty-six  thousand  dollars,  that  will 
compare  favorably  with  any  in  the  country. 


The  old  one  was  cleared  away  in  1869,  and 
upon  the  ground  occupied  by  it,  and  the  old 
grave-yard,  the  brick  block  known  as  the  "Rus- 
sell Block,"  now  stands.  The  store  of  Martin 
Borst  occupied  the  old  site.  It  is  sacrilege'^T 
destroy  every  such  relic  of  the  past  merely  for 
the  financial  gain  that  is  reaped  out  of  the  small 
plats  upon  which  they  were  placed. 

The  founder  of  this  organization  was  the  Rev. 
F.  H.  Quitman,  and  in  gleaning  from  the  re- 
cords we  are  enabled  to  give  the  following  facts 
relating  to  the  church,  and  in  our  labors  were 
assisted   materially   by  Mr.  Archibald   Kilmer, 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


399 


whose  interest,  with  others,  became  excited  in 
behalf  of  the  "  old  land  mark." 

In  September,  1793,  Lambert  Lawyer  gave 
to  the  organization  one  acre  of  ground  for 
building  purposes,  and  during  the  following 
winter  and  summer  the  edifice  was  erected.  At 
what  time  the  first  meeting  was  held  to  organ- 
ize the  society  as  a  separate  church,  we  are  un- 
able to  tell,  but  by  consulting  the  New  Rhine- 
beck  papers  should  judge  that  part  of  the  pro- 
ceedings were  performed  in  the  early  part  of 
that  month  (September).  We  find  Nicholas 
Warner  and  Henry  Shafer  (late  Judge)  were  the 
first  Wardens,  and  Lawrence  Lawyer,  Henry 
Shafer,  David  Bouck,  Johannes  Bouck,  George 
Mann  and  Peter  Shafer  the  first  Trustees,  while 
Henry  Shafer  acted  as  Clerk.  From  the  books 
We  find  the  organization  spoken  of  as  "  The 
Lutheran  Dutch  Church,  called  'Zion  of 
Cobleskill.' " 

The  builders  of  the  edifice  were  : — 
Henry  Shafer, 
Adam  Shafer, 
Peter  Shafer, 
John  Shafer, 
David  Bouck, 
Lawrence  Lawyer, 
Lambert  Lawyer, 
George  Warner, 
Nicholas  Warner, 
David  Zeh, 
Peter  Mann, 
John  Bouck, 
George  Warner, 
all  wealthy  men,  not  only  for  that,  but  our  own 
day,  as  farmers ;  and  being  situated  in  a  rapidly 
growing  community,  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by 
the  best  preachers  of  the  day. 

As  we  have  stated  Rev.  Frederick  Quitman 
founded  the  church  and  was  the  first  pastor 
from  1794  to  1800,  and  Anthony  T.  Braun 
(Brown)  from  1800  to  1805,  yet  they  were  also 
preachers  at  Schoharie;  Rev.  Mr.  Braun  from 
1791  to  1795,  and  Rev.  Quitman  from  1795  to 
1799,  when  Rev.  Mr.  Braun  again  officiated 
from  1799  to  1805.  Those  two  men  followed 
in  the  footsteps  of  P.  N.  Sommers,  and  like  him 
preached  at  Beaverwyck,  Stone  Arabia,  Green- 
bush,  and  to  scattering  congregations  within  a 


circuit  of  forty  miles,  but  unlike  him  in  doing 
the  work  double  handed. 

These  men  were  succeeded  by  one  of  the  no- 
blest men  that  adorned  the  church,  Augustus 
Wackenhager,  who  began  his  ministry  at  Scho- 
harie and  here  in  1805  and  ended  them  in  1816. 
He  was  the  first  President  of  the  County  Bible 
Society  and  on  its  semi-centennial  anniversary 
at  Schoharie  in  October,  1863,  the  Society  voted 
him  a  Bible,  as  a  mark  of  their  honor  and  affec- 
tion. Upon  the  receipt  of  the  token,  at  Cler- 
mont, he  wrote  a  touching  letter  of  acknowl- 
edgement, that  well  deserves  a  place  upon  the 
minutes  of  that  Society.  Though  four  score 
years  had  passed  over  his  venerable  head,  yet 
in  that  epistle  the  earnestness,  energy  and  men- 
tal powers  of  the  man  could  be  at  once  seen 
and  felt. 

John  Molther  followed  in  1816  and  remained 
to  the  year  1819,  when  George  A.  Lintnercarae 
and  officiated  till  the  year  1834.  At  that  date 
this  organization  became  a  separate  parish  un- 
der the  pastorate  of  W.  H.  Watson,  who  re- 
mained until  the  year  1841,  when  James  Lefler 
followed  till  1 844,  and  officiated  also  at 
Middleburgh.  Rev.  J.  Fenner  came  that 
year  and  was  succeeded  in  1846  by  A.  L. 
Bridgman,  who  came  only  to  fill  a  vacancy  and 
was  relieved  by  Rev.  M.  J.  Stover,  who  remained 
till  1 85 1,  when  S.  Curtis  came.  The  year  1855 
brought  P.  A.  Stroble,  and  1858  Henry  Keller, 
who  is  the  only  one  of  the  long  list  of  pastors 
that  permanently  settled  in  the  village.  His 
pastorate  ended  in  1861,  and  L  S.  Porter  fol- 
lowed him  and  remained  till  1867,  when  A.  P. 
Ludden  filled  his  place  to  be  relieved  by  C.  P. 
Whitecar  in  1873.  Mr.  Whitecar  remained  but 
one  year  and  removed  to  Middleburgh  where 
he  labored  till  1876.  S.  Stall  followed  Mr. 
Whitecar  in  1874  and  closed  his  pastoral  duties 
here  in  1877,  when  G.  W.  Hemperly,  the  present 
pastor,  was  called.  One  fact  we  will  here  state 
in  connection  with  this  church  that  is  of  deep 
interest  in  its  history  :— 

Rev.  Walter  Gunn,  the  first  missionary  from 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  the  United 
States  to  heathen  lands,  was  a  resident  of 
Carlisle,  and  while  but  a  young  man  was  awak- 
ened to  a  deep  sense  of  his  duty  to  God  and 


400 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


man  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  but  a  short  time 
after  his  conversion  expressed  a  strong  desire  to 
enter  the  missionary  field. 

Being  too  poor  to  prepare  himself  for  the 
work,  he  applied  to  the  pastor  of  the  Schoharie 
Lutheran  church  for  advice  in  the  matter,  who 
could  give  but  little  encouragement,  yet  with 
that  earnest  resolution  that  characterized  all  of 
Dr.  Lintner's  works,  the  matter  was  brought  be- 
fore several  members  of  the  Hartwick  Synod. 
Dr.  Lintner  in  his  memoir  of  Mr.  Gunn  says  : — 

"  At  the  meeting  of  that  body,  at  Cobleskill, 
in  the  year  1837,  it  so  happened,  or  rather  it 
was  directed  in  the  providence  of  God  that  sev- 
eral wives  of  clergymen  belonging  to  the  Synod 
accompanied  their  husbands  to  the  meeting. 
During  the  session  of  the  Synod  Mrs.  Nancy 
Schafer,  wife  of  Colonel  Schafer,  of  Cobleskill,  in- 
vited the  ministers'  wives  to  spend  an  afternoon 
at  her  home.  Here  they  met  without  any  pre- 
concerted arrangements  and  had  a  season  of 
prayer,  while  their  husbands  were  engaged  in 
the  deliberations  of  the  Synod.  The  ladies 
present  at  this  meeting  were  Mrs.  Crounse,  Mrs. 
Senderling,  Mrs.  Lintner  and  Mrs.  Schafer. 
After  prayer  it  was  proposed  to  educate  Mr. 
Gunn  for  a  foreign  missionary.'' 

"  Each  pledged  herself  for  a  definite  sum  and 
agreed  tci  work  among  the  ladies  of  their  re- 
spective neighborhoods  and  solicit  their  aid. 

"  This  gave  rise  to  the  Female  Association  of 
Hartwick  Synod  for  the  Education  of  Foreign 
Missionaries.  This  meeting  was  the  germ  of 
the  foreign  missionary  spirit,  which  went  ~  forth 
through  the  Hartwick  Synod  to  other  Synods 
and  subsequently  led  to  the  establishment  of 
our  foreign  mission." 

Reformed  Church. — There  being  several 
families  located  at  and  near  the  village  that 
held  to  the  Calvinistic  doctrine,  a  building  was 
erected  in  18 19  for  public  worship.  The  pulpit 
was  supplied  principally  from  the  Reformed 
Church  of  Schoharie  and  Middleburgh.  There 
never  was  a  resident  pastor  connected  with  this 
church,  and  through  some  mismanagement  or 
disagreement  upon  doctrines,  the  society  was 
disorganized  and  the  church  property  sold. 
The  building  at  present  is  occupied  by  the  post- 


office,  and  James  W.  Lawyer's  grocery.  The 
last  deacon  of  this  church  was  the  late  Isaac 
Ottrnan. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church. — The  early 
records  of  this  church  were  not  kept,  but  by 
the  assistance  of  Mr.  Minard  Harder,  we  are 
enabled  to  give  an  accurate  history  of  the  same, 
as  taken  from  papers  relating  to  it  in  his  pos- 
session. In  the  summer  of  1853,  meetings 
were  held  for  the  first  time,  in  the  residence  of 
John  Schermerhorn,  by  circuit  preachers,  and 
the  year  following  the  present  edifice  was  built, 
and  dedicated  about  the  month  of  October  of 
that  year.  The  Sunday-school  was  held  in  the 
rear  part  of  the  present  residence  of  William  C. 
Ottman,  in  a  room  arranged  by  Josiah  L. 
Hawes,  for  a  select  school.  Elisha  Watson  was 
preacher  in  charge  during  1853,  and  we  find 
Charles  M.  Anderson  was  an  assistant,  and 
Truman  Seymour,  presiding  elder.  In  1854 
Arunah  Lyon  was  preacher,  and  Andrew  Heath 
acted  as  colleague.  During  those  two  years 
this  charge  was  in  the  Seward  and  Cobleskill 
circuit.  In  1855  and  1857,  it  was  in  the 
Cobleskill  circuit,  which  included  Bernerville, 
Punchkill,  Greenbush,  Grovenor's  Corners, 
Mineral  Springs,  Petersburgh,  Bramanville  and 
Cobleskill,  and  consisted  of  eight  classes. 

In  185s  Andrew  Heath  was  preacher,  and 
Stillman  B.  Gough,  associate. 

In  1856  Joseph  Conner  was  preacher,  and 
Joseph  Cope,  son-in-law  of  David  Shank,  asso- 
ciate. 

In  1857  the  same  clergymen  were  reappointed 
and  served. 

These  were  the  last  pastoral  duties  performed 
by  Mr.  Conner,  as  his  health  failed.  He  settled 
at  Warnerville  and  died  soon  after  with  con- 
sumption. 

In  1858  the  circuit  included  Richraondville, 
and  was  called  "The  Cobleskill  and  Rich- 
mondville  Circuit."  During  that  year  S.  S.  Ford 
was  preacher  in  charge,  with  D.  W.  Gould,  asso- 
ciate.    The  year  1859  was  supplied  by  the  same. 

The  pastors  in  1861  were  Alvin  Robbins  and 
William  J.  Sands;  in  r862,  A.  Hall  and  F.  T. 
Hanna;  in  1863,  A.  D.  Heaxt;  and  in  1864 
and  1865,  Aaron  Hall. 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


401 


In  the  latter  year,  Grovenor's  Corners,  Ber- 
nerville  and  Cobleskill  were  set  off  as  a  separate 
circuit. 

In  1866,  Abel  Ford  filled  the  pulpit,  followed 
in  1866-1868,  by  D.  W.  Gates;  in  1868-1871, 
by  Homer  L.  Grant;  in  1871-1873,  by  R.  H. 
Robinson;  in  1873-1876,  by  T.  Dwight  Walk- 
er; in  1876-1878,  by  W.  H.  L.  Starks;  in 
1878-1879,  by  Milton  Tater;  and  in  1879,  by 
J.  S.  Bridgford,  at  the  present  time  officiating. 
In  1867,  Grovenor's  Corners  was  taken  from 
the  circuit. 

This  church   was   made    a    "station"    and 
separate  from  any  other,  with  the  exception  of 
Bernerville,  that  was  retained  a  few  years  after. 
The  present  officers  are  : — 
Trustees : — 

Reuben  Harder, 
W.  H.  Hawes, 
Elmer  France, 
George  D.  Harder, 
Francis  France. 
Stewards : — 

Minard  Harder, 
Louis  Hess, 
John  VanVoris, 
George  D.  Harder, 
Abram  Gorden. 

Leaders  : — 

M.  S.  Decker, 

S.  Wright, 

C.  P.  Boarne, 

C.  H.  Shaver, 

Chester  Barner. 
The   Sabbath  school   has    175    officers  and 
teachers  with  Louis  Hess  as  superintendent. 

St.  Paul's  Roman  Catholic  Church. — This 
church  was  organized  in  1870  by  Rev.  T.  W. 
Reilly,  with  a  membership  of  seventy-five.  The 
edifice  is  a  substantial  brick  structure,  and  was 
built  the  same  year  at  a  cost  of  eight  thousand 
dollars. 

The  following  pastors  have  officiated : — 

Rev.  T.  W.  Reilly, 

Rev. Muldoon, 

Rev.  E.  Philips, 

Rev.  John  Brosenen  at  present  officiat- 
ing and  resident. 


To  return  to  the  old  families  of  the  valley  we 
find  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution  they  had  in- 
creased in  numbers,  and  in  a  few  years,  each 
had  settled  down  to  fill  up  the  interstices  between 
distant  neighbors. 

Jacob  Borst  the  elder  had  passed  away  leav- 
ing Joseph,  Jacob,  Jr.,  and  Yost  in  his  stead. 
The  former  two,  by  their  energy  and  faithful- 
ness in  the  cause  of  liberty,  enrolled  their  names 
upon  Freedom's  column  as  true  and  tried  pa- 
triots. Jacob  was  employed  chiefly  as  scout  and 
braved  many  dangers  from  which  others  shrank. 
In  the  fall  of  1780,  he  in  company  with  others 
were  taken  prisoners  at  Moak's  Hollow,  and 
driven  to  Canada.  He  was  harshly  treated  and 
held  until  the  war  closed,  when  he  returned  to 
his  home,  but^was  soon  confined  by  consump- 
tion, which  he  contracted  through  exposure  and 
soon  after  died.  Joseph  retained  the  old  farm 
and  his  children  were  Peter,  Christian,  Henry, 
John  J.,  and  Maria,  (Mrs.  Abram  Brown).  They 
too,  with  the  father,  grew  old  and  died,  leaving 
a  record  however,  of  being  worthy  children  of  a 
worthy  parent. 

The  widow  of  John  J.  Borst  is  still  living  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three,  with  all  the 
vivacity  of  many  at  fifty.  Mrs.  Borst  was  "a 
daughter  of  the  late  Jeremiah  Brown,  who  was 
one  of  Captain  Brown's  children  that  fled  with 
the  school-master.  Thus  we  find  running  through 
her  veins,  the  true  blood  of  Revolutionary  pa- 
triotism, such  as  has  caused  volumes  of  brilliant 
pages  to  be  written  and  to  be  admired  through 
all  coming  time. 

Yost  or  Christian  was  too  young  during  the 
war  to  take  a  part.  He  was  the  grandfather  of 
Josiah  Borst,  the  present  resident  of  the  village. 

Peter  Schaeffer  had  but  one  child  who,  we 
before  stated,  married  Christian  Schaeffer  of 
Schoharie. 

John  Schaeffer  reared  a  large  family  of  boys, 
and  one  daughter,  she  being  Eva,  the  wife  of 
Jeremiah  Brown,  and  mother  of  the  present  Mrs. 
John  J.  Borst.  John  or  Hans  Schaeffer  took  out 
a  license  in  1804  as  an  innkeeper,  which  busi- 
ness he  followed  to  his  death,  in  conjunction 
with  the  farm.  He  was  followed  by  his  son 
Peter,  who  was  long  known  as  Colonel  Peter, 
being  honored  with  a  commission  in  the  State 
militia,  under  the  old  miUtary  law. 


402 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


The  oldest  son,  Henry,  was  located  upon  the 
farm  now  owned  by  John  Wieting  and  built  a 
small  grist-mill  upon  the  south  side  of  the 
knoll  east  of  the  house.  It  was  called  the 
"Corn  cracker"  and  many  of  the  old  citizens 
of  the  town  well  remember  visiting  the  same. 
The  second'son,  David,  settled  upon  the  farm, 
and  built  the  large  yellow  house  that  was  re- 
cently torn  down,  so  long  owned  and  occupied 
by  WiUiam  Walker. 

Mr.  Walker's  firm  opposition  to  bonding 
the  town  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna railroad  can  but  be  fresh  in  the 
minds  of  the  people  of  the  town.  He  fought 
the  project  long  and  bravely  but  the  bonds 
were  given  and  caused  as  he  predicted  "trouble 
and  anxiety."  Mr.  Walker  removed  from  Grov- 
enor's  Corners  to  this  farm. 

Lambert  Shafer,  another  son  settled  upon  the 
farm  now  owned  by  the  Van  Dresser  Brothers. 
Here  he  kept  an  inn  which  was  for  many  years 
a  rendezvous  for  the  neighboring  farmers  to  in- 
dulge in  horse  racing.  The  race  course  was 
from  the  house,  west  to  the  turn  of  the  road  and 
upon  it  many  of  the  wheat  fed  horses  displayed 
their  speed  regardless  of  the  day  of  the  week  or 
state  of  the  weather.  The  present  residence  is 
the  one  then  used  and  in  which  were  witnessed 
many  sports  peculiar,  we  may  say,  only  to  those 
days.  Here  one  Michael  Haenig  formerly  a 
Hessian  soldier  and  taken  prisoner  at  Saratoga 
being  rather  full  of  "  flip "  and  troublesome 
"nog"'  hurrahed  for  King  George,  upon  some 
occasion,  when  a  lusty  yeoman  caught  him  up 
and  threw  him  in  the  fire-place  swearing  he 
should  be  burnt  up.  Peter,  father  of  Milton 
Borst,  being  present,  caught  the  poor  fellow 
and  dragged  him  out,  but  not  soon  enough  to 
save  him  a  severe  scorching. 

The  farm  was  purchased  by  Abram  and  Will- 
iam Shutts  two  brothers  who  occupied  it  for 
many  years  and  sold  to  John  Van  Dresser  and 
is  now  successfully  managed  by  his  sons  Jacob 
and  Henry  under  the  title  of  Van  Dresser 
Brothers,  Mr.  Van  Dresser  having  died  in 
1880. 

Richtmyer  Family. — Joining  the  Van  Dres- 
ser farm  is  found  one  of  Schoharie's  oldest  fam- 
ilies and  in  whose  veins,  ran  staunch,  patriotic 


blood.  Conradt  and  William  Richtmyer  set- 
tled here  in  1791 — the  latter  upon  the  south, 
and  the  former  upon  the  north  side  of  the 
woods.  The  two  brothers  first  located  upon 
the  west  side  of  Karker  mountain  opposite  of 
Joseph  and  Solomon  D.  Karker's — as  black- 
smiths soon  after  the  Revolution,  but  not  being 
successful  they  changed  to  this  neighborhood 
where  each  grew  old  and  died  full  of  honor  as 
exemplary  citizens,  conscientious  christians 
and  successful  farmers.  They  were  sons  of 
Chris  John  Richtmyer,  of  Middleburgh,  who 
was  a  spy  through  the  war  and  comrade  of  the 
famous  Tim  Murphy. 

Joining  the  Richtmyer's  upon  the  south, 
where  Bradley  Wetsel  now  resides,  Abram 
Bouck  settled  -at  the  close  of  the  Revolution. 
He  was  taken  prisoner  in  the  fall  of  1781  but 
escaped  and  to  the  day  of  his  death  was  venom- 
ous towards  Indians  and  Tories.  He  carried 
one  gun  through  the  war  and  gave  it  at  last  to 
George  Becker,  of  Carlisle,  who  christened  the 
relic  "  Old  Abr'm  Bouck." 

Mr.  Bouck  was  a  son  of  John  Bouck  who 
settled  where  Martinus  Swart  now  resides.  The 
old  gentleman  was  succeeded  on  the  place  by 
another  son  Peter,  who  kept  an  inn  in  the  com- 
mencement of  the  century.  Peter  married 
Maria  Hynds  who  was  taken  by  Adam  Crysler 
and  a  squad  of  seven  Indians  in  Dorlach  upon 
the  4th  of  July,  1780,  as  will  be  seen  by  consult- 
ing "  Seward." 

Abram  Bouck  lived  to  a  good  old  age  and 
by  frugality  and  industry  accumulated  a  fine 
property. 

Captain  Christian  Brown  died  soon  after 
the  war  closed.  His  children  were  Jeremiah, 
William,  Christian,  John  Jost,  Eva,  (Mrs.  David 
Barner)  and  Christina  (Mrs.  David  Becker,  of 
Fox's  creek).  They  too  have  passed  away  as 
long  years  have  intervened  since  they  fled  with 
their  mother  through  the  forest  to  escape  the 
vengeance  of  an  unprincipled  foe. 

Henry  Shafer  settled  upon  the  farm  now  oc- 
cupied by  his  grandson,  George  Shafer,  some 
time  before  the  Revolution,  but  not  as  early  as 
the  other  Shafer  families,  and  was  the  youngest 
brother  of  John  Shafer.'    He  became  a  prom- 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


403 


inent  man  in  the  County,  being  appointed  As- 
sistant Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  in 
1796,  and  represented  the  district  in  the  Assem- 
bly in  1806,  1807  and  1808,  besides  being  Su- 
pervisor of  the  town  twelve  terms,  viz: — 1802, 
1803,  1804,  1805,  1806,  1807,  1808,  1809,  1810, 
181 1,  and  in  1814,  1820,  1830,  1831.  He  was 
also  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  many  years,  all  of 
which  official  duties  he  performed  creditably  to 
himself  as  a  self-made  man  under  adverse  circum- 
stances, and  acceptably  to  his  constituents.  As 
we  have  before  mentioned,  the  German  Dutch 
invariably  had  in  each  of  their  settlements,  one 
to  whom  they  would  look  up  as  the  business 
man.  He  was  to  take  their  cares  of  business 
upon  himself,  and  whatever  he  considered  best 
to  be  done,  was  done,  and  Shafer,  possessing  in 
a  degree,  the  characteristics  required — honesty 
and  abiUty,  was  the  chosen  leader.  There 
were  many  living  within  the  town  during  his  day, 
superior  in  ability,  but  they  were  of  different 
blood,  and  had  not  the  confidence  of  the  Ger- 
man element.  The  Judge  was  followed  in  the 
people's  confidence,  by  General  Thomas  Law- 
yer, and  it  is  doubtful  if  the  town  will  ever 
claim  two  men  again,  that  were  more  highly 
esteemed  by  the  people  of  the  County,  than  the 
Judge  and  General  Lawyer. 

Mr.  Shafer  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
George,  Peter,  Mrs.  Samuel  Ward,  and  Mrs. 
John  Brown.  He  died  on  the  15th  of  April, 
1839,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two  years. 

Many  of  the  grandchildren  are  residents  of 
the  town,  and  highly  respected  citizens,  prom- 
inent among  whom  are  William  and  George 
Shafer  and  William  Brown. 

Mrs.  Shafer  was  a  daughter  of  George  War- 
ner, Sr.,  and  performed  many  hazardous  acts 
during  the  struggle.  Previous  to  the  erection 
of  Fort  DeBoise,  she  collected  such  eatables  and 
other  comforts  as  the  citizens  of  Cobleskill  could 
donate  for  the  garrison  at  Schoharie,  and  car- 
ried them  on  horse-back  alone,  without  guide 
or  guard. 

While  on  the  way  at  a  certain  time,  with  a 
plentiful  supply,  she  came  across  a  squad  of  In- 
dians, who  were  roasting  a  pig  near  the  present 
residence  of  Mathew  Bice. 

Assuming  friendship  and  courage,  she  drew 
her  horse  up  to  the   party,   and   asked  one  of 


them  to  cut  a  whip,  as  her  horse  was  lazy.  He 
complied  with  her  order,  and  she  passed  on  her 
"way  rejoicing."  Three  different  times  she  ran 
from  the  Fort  to  extinguish  the  flames  the  In- 
dian torch  had  lighted  against  the  side  of  her 
log  home.     (Mrs.  David  Shank.') 

Berner  Settlement. 

In  the  orchard  near  Dr.  Werner's  residence 
stand  two  tomb-stones  that  mark  the  graves  of 
Joseph  Berner  and  his  wife,  the  first  settlers  of 
the  place.  Mr.  Berner  was  born  in  1755  and  set- 
tled upon  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
Peter  Myers,  and  was  soon  followed  by  his 
brother  George.  A  permanent  settlement  was 
not  made  until  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  as 
frequent  invasions  of  the  enemy  made  it  hazard- 
ous, being  quite  a  distance  from  others.  Mrs. 
Berner  was  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Borst,  and  sister 
of  Joseph  and  Lieutenant  Jacob.  Berner  built 
a  grist-mill  about  the  year  1789,  where  Dr. 
Werner's  barn  now  stands,  and  a  few  years  after 
removed  it  to  the  site  of  the  old  paper-mill. 
His  son,  David  I.,  became  the  possessor  and 
built  a  larger  mill  where  the  present  Quacken- 
boss  mill  now  stands,  which  was  burned.  In 
the  year  1810  Joseph  Berner  placed  the  first 
burr  stone  in  his  mill  that  was  used  upon  the 
Cobleskill,  it  being  removed  from  Alexander 
Boyd's  mill  in  Middleburgh,  to  give  room  for  a 
larger  one,  which  the  increasing  grain  crop  of 
that  section  demanded.  The  early  built  mills 
were  very  small,  containing  but  one  run  of  stone, 
that  being  either  a  common  sand-stone  or  a 
"Sopus,"  scarcely  over  two  feet  in  diameter. 
Fall  and  spring  freshets  made  it  necessary  to 
rebuild  several  times  within  a  few  years,  but  not 
being  particular  about  the  architectural  beauty 
of  the  structures,  the  losses  were  not  considered 
heavy.  Mr.  Berner  was  fortunate  in  escaping 
from  the  Indians  in  the  winter  of  1782,  as  re- 
lated by  author  Simms  and  verified  by  Jeremiah 
Berner,  the  only  son  of  the  old  patriot  at  pres- 
ent living,  he  having  arrived  at  the  age  of  eighty, 
in  full  possession  of  his  mental,  as  well  as  physi- 
cal faculties. 

"  On  the  nth  of  December,  1782,  Nicholas 
Warner  and  Joseph  Berner  went  from  the  Scho- 
harie fort  to  the  Warner  farm  to  obtain  a  sleigh. 


404 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


When  Warner  and  Berner  were  fastening  one 
sled  to  the  other,  one  of  the  horses  broke  loose 
and  ran  into  the  woods,  and  while  they  were 
recovering  the  animal  the  enemy  arrived.  Catch- 
ing the  horse  they  fastened  the  team  to  the  sled 
and  in  driving  past  the  house  they  discovered 
the  Indians,  three  of  whom  attempted  to  take 
them.  Two  of  the  Indians  fired  upon  them,  the 
third  reserving  his  fire. 

"  The  horses  ran  partly  over  a  log  and  the 
hindermost  sleigh,  not  running  true,  struck  a 
sappling  and  drew  the  box  off  and  Warner  un- 
der it.  Berner,  having  the  reins,  was  drawn 
over  the  box  and  remained  upon  the  sleigh  bot- 
tom. The  Indian  that  reserved  his  fire  ad- 
vanced with  steady  aim  upon  Warner,  who  seeing 
it  was  useless  to  undertake  to  regain  the  sleigh, 
he  told  Berner  to  secure  his  own  flight  and  leave 
him  to  his  fate.  Berner  drove  to  Schoharie, 
while  Nicholas  and  his  father  were  driven  in 
captivity." 

Dr.  Philip  Werner,  to  whom  belonged  the 
old  mill  site,  for  many  years  the  only  physician 
of  the  place,  is  of  the  same  family  that  reside  at 
Warnerville,  in  fact  of  the  whole  County,  as 
they  are  descendants  of  four  brothers  that  came 
.from  Germany,  at  different  times,  the  last  about 
the  year  1760.  The  great-grandfather  of  the 
Doctor  was  Christopher,  a  brother  of  George, 
to  whom  we  just  referred  as  being  taken 
prisoner.  This  branch  of  the  family  retain  the 
original  name  Werner,  while  others  give  to  'V" 
the  German  sound  of  the  English  "a,"  and 
wrote  it  so.  The  Doctor's  family  settled  at 
Beaver  Dam,  in  Albany  county,  where  a  large 
settlement  of  Germans  was  made  at  an  early 
day.  He  came  to  this  place  in  1846,  and 
retained  a  practice  to  the  year  i88i,  when  he 
removed  to  Washington,  D.  C.  His  son,  Edgar 
S.,  is  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Monthly  Voice, 
a  periodical  printed  in  Albany,  devoted  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  human  voice,  and  which 
meets  with  a  success  beyond  the  expectation  of 
its  energetic  editor. 

Bernerville. 

This  little  hamlet  has  been  for  many  years 
quite  an  important  one  to  the  surrounding 
country,  owing  to  the  different  mills  that  have 


been  constructed  from  time  to  time.  The 
Quackenbush  grist-mill  has  been  a  substantial 
enterprise  for  a  great  many  years,  from  the  fact 
that  its  water  privilege  is  one  of  the  best  found 
in  the  country,  enabling  the  mill  to  run  in  dry 
seasons  long  after  many  others  have  been 
obliged  to  cease.  The  machinery  is  of  the 
best  and  produces  the  choicest  brands  of  flour, 
which  reputation  it  has  always  enjoyed. 

Farther  down,  upon  the  Cobleskill,  Isaac 
Riley  built  a  fulling-mill,  about  the  year  18 14, 
and  superintended  the  same  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1823,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  his  brother-in-law,  Milo  Bradley. 

Mr.  Bradley  removed  to  Richmondville,  and 
was  followed  here  by  Azariah  Riley,  who  suc- 
cessfully carried  on  the  business  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1880.  Mr.  Riley  was  a 
thorough  business  man,  and  after  several  years' 
connection  with  the  mill  accumulated  a  fine 
property.  In  his  death,  the  town  lost  one  of  its 
best  men,  and  the  neighborhood  a  substantial 
member. 

Beside  the  two  mills  alluded  to,  a  paper-mill 
was  in  operation  for  a  number  of  years,  but  it 
was  burned,  and  no  efforts  have  been  made  to 
rebuild. 

James  Gale  &•  Sons,  have  for  several  years 
manufactured  revolving  horse-rakes,  chairs, 
wagon  felloes,  and  other  wooden  merchandise, 
besides  running  a  clover  mill. 

Being  a  business  center  for  the  farmers  of  the 
vicinity,  a  store  was  opened  by  John  Berner, 
about  the  year  1825,  and  was  followed  by  Law- 
rence Becker,  in  1830,  Jacob  Russell  andjehiel 
Larkin,  in  1835,  and  Clark  B.  Griggs  after. 

It  was  subsequently  managed  from  1847  to 
1 85 T,  as  a  "Company  store,"  the  "company" 
being  farmers  and  mechanics  hving  near.  The 
idea  was  to  lessen  the  cost  of  goods  to  the  stock- 
holders, they  having  the  privilege  of  obtaining 
such  articles  as  they  wished  to  purchase,  at  cost 
price. 

An  agent  or  manager  was  chosen  by  the  Com- 
pany at  a  salary,  and  for  all  goods  bought  by 
those  who  were  not  stockholders,  a  profit  was 
realized,  which  it  was  thought  would  pay  the 
running  expenses  of  the  concern.  There  were 
several  like  institutions  throughout  the  country, 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


405 


but  all  of  them  proved  failures,  and  causes  of 
litigation.  The  one  at  this  place  went  down 
after  the  experience  of  four  short  years,  and  the 
building  remained  idle  for  a  long  time. ..  John 
J,  Berner  built  a  distillery  upon  Peter  Myer's 
present  place  in  1830.  The  bridge  was  built  in 
1832. 

Union  Church. — The  church  at  this  place 
was  built  by  different  denominations,  in  1845 
and  1846.  The  pulpit  is  regularly  suppUed  by 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  and  Free  Methodist. 
The  pastorate  in  past  years  has  been  in  con- 
nection with  other  churches,  particularly  Cobles- 
kill  and  Mineral  Springs,  but  what  years  with 
each,  we  are  unable  to  learn.  We  stated  it  was 
built  as  a  Union  Church,  but  find  the  deed  of 
the  lot  says  it  is  to  be  privileged  first  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  society,  and  when  the  pul- 
pit is  not  supplied  by  a  minister  of  that  society 
in  good  standing,  it  was  to  be  privileged  to 
other  denominations. 

Passing  down  the  stream,  we  come  to  Cary's 
Mill  which  was  built  in  1 8 1 6  by  Nelson  Eckerson, 
and  at  present  is  owned  by  John  Cary.  The  Eck- 
erson family  early  settled  near  and  have  been 
from  the  first  settlement  of  the  Schoharie  valley, 
especially  during  the  Revolution,  one  of  the 
head  families  of  the  County.  The  early  fathers 
were  intimately  connected  with  the  Reformed 
churches  of  Schoharie  and  Middleburgh,and  were 
the  substantial  supporters  of  those  organizations. 
Thomas  Eckerson  a  nephew  of  Major  Thomas 
Eckerson,  of  Middleburgh,  settled  after  the  Revo- 
lution, upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Alex- 
ander Hays.  He  held  a  commission  as  Major 
after  that  war,  and  was  a  very  sagacious  and 
energetic  man.  He  early  enrolled  himself  in 
the  Colonial  cause  and  was  the  miller  of  the 
present  Stevens  mill,  near  the  lower  fort,  during 
the  Revolution.  He  was  a  son  of  John  Ecker- 
son, and  nephew  of  Thomas,  Jr.,  the  major 
under  Colonel  Peter  Vroman,  of  the  i8th  regi- 
ment. 

This  Thomas,  had  seven  children  who  were  as 
follows : — 

John, 

Nicholas, 

William, 

Cornelius, 


Agline,  (Mrs.  Nicholas  Snyder,) 
Maria,  (Mrs.  John  Dykman,) 
Catherine,  (Mrs.  Henry  H.  Aker.) 

The  names  Ecker,  Eckerson  and  Aker  are  often 
confounded  as  one,  but  it  is  a  mistake ;  while  the 
first  two  are  one,  the  latter  is  an  entirely  different 
family.  The  changes  through  which  the  former 
name  has  passed,  with  a  general  history  of  the 
family  may  be  seen  by  consulting  the  chapter 
upon  Middleburgh. 

Kilmer  Settlement. — In  the  year  1799,  John 
Kilmer  and  his  two  sons,  George  and  John, 
came  from  Clermont,  Columbia  county,  and 
settled  where  John  Kilmer,  Jr.,  now  resides; 
The  whole  territory  throughout  this  neighbor- 
hood was  a  dense  wilderness,  withihe  exception 
of  small  flats  cleared  by  Joseph  Berner,  Major 
Eckerson,  and  James  Vielie  (now  George 
Young.) 

The  original  family  name  was  Kilmore,  but 
since  the  family  immigrated  from  the  Old  Coun- 
try it  has  been  known  as  Kilmer. 

The  father  died  and  left  his  two  sons  in  his 
stead,  whose  children  too,  have  nearly  passed 
away,  leaving  honorable  records  as  energetic 
and  useful  citizens.  Those  of  George,  were 
John,  Jeremiah,  Joshua,  David,  Mrs.  Jesse  Pat- 
rick, Christina  and  Nancy,  wives  of  David  I. 
Berner. 

Those  of  John  were  Peter,  Jonas,  John,  Jr., 
David,  Thomas,  Mrs.  T.  J.  Myres,.  Mrs.  Jacob 
Zimmer  and  Mrs.  John  Werth. 

John  Kilmore  is  still  living  upon  the  old 
homestead,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three,  in  full 
possession  of  his  faculties,  and  we  are  indebted 
to  his  retentive  memory  for  many  facts  that 
would  have  been  lost  and  which  are  of  interest. 

About  the  year  181 1,  there  came  to  this  neigh- 
borhood, John  Jost  Werth,  from  Schoharie,  who 
settled  upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by  his  son- 
in-law,  Tobias  Bouck. 

Mr.  Werth  was  the  grandson  of  the  first  resi- 
dent practicing  physician  and  surgeon  in  Scho- 
harie County,  and  son  of  Dr.  Johannes  Werth, 
who  succeeded  his  father  in  the  profession  and 
practiced  a  short  time  before,  and  during  the 
Revolution.  A  few  of  the  old  gentleman's  in- 
struments are  retained  by  the  descendants,  and 
in  comparing  them  with  those  of  the  present 


4o6 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


day,  we  can  see  but  few  things  present  a  greater 
improvement  than  surgical  instruments. 

Mr.  Bouck  was  appointed  Under  Sheriff  by 
John  S.  Brown,  in  1842.  During  his  official 
term  the  famous  Anti-Rent  war  occurred  in  the 
south  part  of  the  County,  referred  to  in  Chap- 
ter IV,  of  this  work.  Upon  the  expiration  of 
Sheriff  Brown's  term  of  office,  in  1845, 
Mr.  Bouck  was  elected  to  the  position  which 
he  filled  creditably  to  himself  and  economically 
to  the  County.  He  represented  the  County  in 
the  Legislature  in  i8s7i  being  elected  from  the 
town  of  Schoharie,  where  he  made  his  home  for 
many  years. 

The  family  now  known  as  Wetsel  early 
settled  in  this  section,  and  are  a  branch  of  the 
Wessels  who  came  from  Holland  about  the  year 
1655  or  1660.  There  were  three  brothers,  and 
the  descendants  of  one  settled  upon  the  Mohawk, 
one  in  Columbia  county,  and  one  in  the  Scho- 
harie valley,  at  a  much  later  date.  How  or  why 
the  name  was  changed  to  Wetsel  we  are  unable 
to  say,  unless  it  came  through  the  old  German 
pronunciation,  as  in  many  other  cases.  The 
change  has  been  of  such  long  standing,  it  is  im- 
possible to  convince  many  branches  that  a 
change  was  made,  and  even  that  the  family  were 
the  true,  or  Holland  Dutch. 

John  W.  Brayman,  of  the  Scotch  Patent, 
established  a  fulHng-mill  about  the  year  1830, 
and  carried  on  quite  an  extensive  business  for 
many  years.  He  built  the  present  building  now 
occupied  by  George  Casper  as  a  cider-mill,  and 
being  the  business  man  of  the  little  hamlet,  it 
received  the  name  of  Brayman's  Mills,  by  which 
it  is  at  present  known. 

But  few  fulling-mills  are  to  be  found  in  the 
County  now,  where  thirty  years  ago  there  were 
many.  We  find  Brayman's  mill  turned  to 
other  uses.  Mr.  Casper  is  extensively  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  cider,  making  from  fifteen 
hundred  to  two  thousand  barrels  annually. 
When  we  consider  the  numberless  smaller  mills 
that  surround  it,  each  making  a  few  hundred 
barrels  yearly,  we  can  have  a  faint  idea  at 
least,  of  the  amount  of  cider  manufactured  in 
the  County. 

The  hamlet  being  closely  connected  with 
Howe's  Cave,  around  which  has  sprung  up  quite 
a  settlement,  the  citizens  of  the  two  places  and 


surrounding  neighborhood,  erected  a  fine  Re- 
formed Church  in  the  season  of  1875.  It  was 
in  fact  a  removal  of  the  Reformed  Church  of 
Schoharie  Mountain,  or  Punchkill.  The  society 
was  formed  in  1808,  and  the  church  supplied  by 
the  Schoharie  Reformed  Church  up  to  the  year 
1834,  when  James  E.  Quaw  was  called  and 
preached  that  and  the  year  following.  He  was 
succeeded  as  follows : — 

Paul  Weidman,  1836  to  1846. 

J.  M.  Scribner,  1847  to  1848. 

R.  Wells,  (in  connection  with  Schoharie,) 
from  1848  to  1855. 

E.  Vedder,  1855  to  and  including  1863. 

From  the  latter  to  1872,  no  regular  appoint- 
ments were  made. 

J.  Markle,  1872  to  1875. 

A.  C.  Millspaugh,  1876  to  1878. 

W.  D.  Buckelew,  1879,  and  present. 

This  church  was  originally  the  "High  and 
Low  Dutch  Reformed,"  and  the  first  celebraition 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  in  February,  1809. 
Ehjah  Dickinson  was  the  first  clerk,  and  held 
the  office  for  a  long  term  of  years.  The  first 
records  are  not  to  be  found,  consequently  the 
first  officers  cannot  be  given. 

The  present  ones  (1882)  are: — 

Elders : — 

Tunis  Swart, 

George  Casper, 

Theodore  Owen. 

Deacons  : — 

Martin  Collins, 
John  King. 
Peter  Rockefellow, 
Alexander  Hayes. 

Rev.  Buckelew,  within  the  past  year,  has  been 
active  in  organizing  a  society  at  Central  Bridge, 
and  in  building  an  edifice  in  which  to  worship, 
in  connection  with  this  church,  and  through  his 
energy  and  earnestness  in  the  cause,  has  been 
successful  in  the  accomplishment  of  his  aim. 

Following  the  stream  down  one-half  mile  and 
looking  upon  the  side  of  the  rock-bound  hill, 
amid  the  cHcking  of  the  workman's  hammer 
strokes, — the  rumbling  of  machinery  reducing 
the   rock   to   dust,  and   the  puffing   clattering 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


407 


steam-cars,  is  safely  ensconced  the  entrance  of 
the  celebratd  Howe's  Cave. 

Howe's  Cave. 

This  recess  of  darkness  and  wonders  was  dis- 
covered by  Lester  Howe,  a  farmer  living  near, 
in  the  year  1842.  In  regard  to  its  discovery 
we  will  here  copy  an  article  that  was  published 
in  the  New  York  Tribune  in  August  of  that 
year  by  one  of  the  first  visitors  that  traversed 
its  aisles,  whose  initials  were  E.  G.  S. 


He  says : — 

"  It  may  be  well  before  going  any  farther,  to 
give  some  account  of  the  discovery  of  this 
cavern.  Since  the  early  settlement  of  this  part 
of  the  country,  it  has  been  known  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  vicinity,  that  there  was  a  spot 
somewhere  along  the  ledge  of  the  rocks  on  the 
side  of  the  mountain  north  of  the  stream,  from 
which  issued  a  strong  current  of  cold  air — so 
strong  indeed  that  in  summer  it  chilled  the 
hunter  as  he  passed  near  it.     It  was  familiarly 


The  Cave  House. 


called  the  "  blowing  rock,"  and  no  person  ever 
ventured  to  remove  the  underbrush  and  rubbish 
that  obscured  the  entrance, .  lest  probably  some 
hobgoblin  or  wild  beast  should  pounce  upon 
him  as  legal  prey.  Mr.  Howe,  who  has  recently 
removed  into  the  neighborhood,  accidentally 
heard  some  intimation  of  its  existence  in  May 
last,  and  with  commendable  curiosity  immedi- 
ately determined  to  visit  it,  and  set  out  alone 
without  delay  for  that  purpose.  He  found  the 
fact  as  stated,  and  upon  removing  the  under- 
brush he  discovered  a  spring,  some  four  feet 
square,  from  which  proceeded  a  current  of  cold 
air,  plainly  to  be  felt  at  the  distance  of  several 
rods.     Satisfied  that  there  was  a  cave  of  some 


extent,  he  returned  next  day  with  a  friend  and 
entered  it  by  the  aid  of  lights  to  a  great  depth. 
He  renewed  his  visits  from  time  to  time,  pro- 
ceeding a  little  farther  each  time,  until  about 
the  iSth  ult,  when,  after  penetrating  to  the 
distance  of  a  mile,  his  passage  was  interrupted  by 
a  lake  of  water.  Since  then  he  has  transported 
materials,  built  a  boat,  crossed  the  water,  and 
explored  the  Cave  to  the  extent  oijive  miles  by 
measurement,  and  the  end  is  not  yet.  How 
much  farther  it  extends  is  unknown." 

Mr  Howe's  financial  condition  was  such  as  to 
debar  him  from  opening  the  discovery  to  the 
visiting  world  with  that  display  of  advertising 
etc.,  which  is  necessary  to  an  immediate  success 


4o8 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


at  the  present  time,  and  it  was  long  weary  years 
before  its  wonders  were  advertised  and  the 
cavern  made  easy  of  access  by  blasting  and  re- 
moving debris,  that  for  ages  had  been  crum- 
bhng  from  the  ceiling  through  the  action  of 
frost  and  water  at  and  near  the  entrance.  The 
proprietor  built  a  hotel  near  and  at  a  later  date 
extended  the  same  over  the  entrance  which  was 
burned  the  19th  of  January  1872.  The  year 
following,  the  present  gothic  structure  was 
erected  and  owing  to  the  increase  of  patronage 
it  became  necessary  to  make  large  additions  to 
it  in  the  winter  of  1880  and  1881.  Great  im- 
provements have  been  made  without  and  with- 
in for  the  convenience,  comfort  and  safety  of 
visitors. 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  such  caverns  are 
caused  by  convulsive  upheavals  that  occurred 
in  the  far  back  unhistoried  centuries,  making 
fisures  in  the  rocks,  through  which  streams  of 
water  pass  and  slowly  wear  them  deeper  and 
broader,  by  dissolving  the  carbonate  of  lime  of 
which  the  rock  is  chiefly  composed.  In  enter- 
ing we  find  no  signs  of  upheaval  in  displace- 
ment of  strata  or  dip  of  rock,  but  the  most 
peaceful  regularity.  The  side  chambers  issuing 
from  the  ceiling,  the  "  rotunda,"  and  various 
other  sections  of  the  cave,  present  evidences  of 
the  wateris  work,  in  their  smooth  rounded  form 
as  "  pot  holes,''  so  often  found  in  the  rock  bed 
of  many  rivers.  As  like  scenes  in  nature  pro- 
duce unUke  thoughts  and  feelings  to  different 
beholders,  so  also  this  dark  aisle  may  exert  differ- 
ent impressions  upon  different  minds.  The 
mighty  Niagara  awakens  in  some  an  in  describable 
awe,-  while  to  others  it  is  but  a  water-fall,  pos- 
sessing a  certain  beauty,  but  without  grandeur 
or  greatness.  A  visit  to  this  cavern  may  give 
to  such  the  "same  impression.  As  we  stand 
within  these  massive  walls,  deep  down  in  Nature's 
vaults,  in  impenetrable  gloom,  we  cannot  but 
feel  the  silent  majesty  of  the  works  of  God ! 
When  we  trace  the  lines  of  far-back  centuries, 
written  so  plainly  upon  each  atom,  and  vainly 
attempt  to  count  the  ages  that  have  preceded 
ages,  and  rolled  their  events  within  this  lower 
world,  as  memoirs  of  their  creation,  we  exclaim, 
"  Thou  ART  Infinite  ! "  Here  are  above,  below 
and  all  around,  the  evidences  of  such  power. 
Our  mind  is  lost  in  wonder,  and  the  soul  cries 


aloud,  "  Yea,  Lord;  Thou  art  mighty  !  "  This 
unfamiliar  beauty,  and  the  order  of  these  forma- 
tions, humbles  our  genius  to  acknowledge  that 
Thou  art  also  Wisdom  ! 

The  entrance  to  the  cave  is  guarded  by  ma- 
sonry that  we  approach  with  gloomy  forebod- 
ings, but  which  are  soon  dispelled  by  the  inhala- 
tion of  cool  oxygen,  that  seems  to  exhilarate  the 
lungs  and  awakens  a  lively  curiosity  to  peer 
deeper  into  the  walls  of  darkness.  The  ripphng 
of  crystal  waters  and  musical  sounds  of  distant 
water-falls,  the  now  low  and  then  lofty  arches 
that  overhang  the  foot-path,  and  faint  sparkle  of 
dim  crystals  and  calcareous  formations  as  the 
light  approaches,  lulls  all  fear  of  danger  and 
creates  an  eagerness  for  discovery  that  makes 
us  forget  the  fatigue  that  similar  efforts  would 
cause  in  explorations  among  familiar  objects  in 
the  outside  world. 

One  of  the  first  attractions  is  "  Musical  Hall," 
where  a  whisper  is  reverberated  with  musical, 
and  at  first,  pleasant  effect.  Any  tone  of  voice 
is  sent  through  the  darkness  with  such  distinct- 
ness and  grandeur  of  action  or  vibration  that 
one  is  silenced,  so  to  speak,  with  reverence  and 
humility.  We  stand  appalled  at  the  reverbera- 
tion of  sound  and  anxiously  pass  on,  that  the 
tell-tale  walls  of  Musical  Hall  might  not 
waft  an  irreverent  word  or  thought  beyond 
their  dim  confines. 

In  passing  along,  each  step  awakens  deeper 
interest,  and  must  especially  to  the  geological 
student,  afford  double  pleasure.  The  visitor  is 
soon  confronted  by  a  small  sheet  of  water  that 
is  formed  by  loose  rocks  that  have  dammed  the 
stream  that  has  followed  its  "  hidden  path  "  and 
assisted  to  form  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world. 

This  is  Stygian  lake,  to  us  inaptly  called  as  its 
calm,  pure  sparkling  water  is  in  too  great  contrast 
to  the  seething  fumes  of  the  Ancients'  fabled 
Styx.  As  the  faint  light  overpowers  the  darkness 
that  here  crowds  upon  us,  and  reveals  the  sta- 
lactitical  formations,  that  interest  which  we  have 
felt  before,  is  turned  to  solemn  awe  and  won- 
der. Here,  above  we  find  pendent  from  the 
ceiling  stalactites  of  every  conceivable  pattern, 
each  differing  in  size  and  form.  From  each  one 
a  pearly  drop  of  water  is  gathering  to  fall  below 
and  give  place  to  another,  and  which  has  thus 
for   ages  been  slowly  and   silently  forming,  to 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


409 


beautifully  and  artistically  adorn  as  '  Prentice ' 
says  these 

"  dim  and  awful  aisles, 
Shut  from  the  blue  and  breezy  dome  of  heaven." 

Beyond  upon  a  lower  ceiling  they  are  found 
with  less  attraction,  as  nearness  robs  them  of 
their  beauty.     But  a  few  more   strokes  of  the 


oar  reaches  an  elevated  arch  that  again  carries 
the  mind  to  the  far  back  centuries,  and  we  can 
but  ponder  upon  the  extent  of  time  that  these 
larger  specimens  of  Nature's  handiwork  has 
been  forming.  Here  imitations  of  animate  crea- 
tures are  found,  such  as  birds,  beasts,  branches 
of  trees  and  a  calcareous  pile  called  Lot's  wife. 


Crystal  Lake,  Howe's  Cave. 


She  is  represented  as  arrested  upon  the  instant 
of  her  enjoying  the  last  and  forbidden  retrospect 
of  the  doomed  city  of  Sodom. 

The  rough  and  rugged  rocks  of  tTie  Rocky 
mountains  must  be  mounted  to  enable  the  stu- 
dent to  study  and  the  adventurer  to  claim  a 
conquest.  The  hammer  of  the  geologist  is 
here  allowed  to  click  at  his  strokes  in  quest  of 
aragonite,  and  from  the  lofty  pile^beneath 
which  the  rippling  water  rushes — side  chambers 
can  be  entered  that  are  within  themselves 
equally  as  curious  and  wonderful  as  the  main 
cavern. 

Descending  to  the  brook  again  we  push  on 


through  spacious  rooms  and  the  "  winding  way" 
and  we  emerge  into  a  circular  room  whose  dome- 
like roof  is,  the  guide  will  tell  you,  beyond  the 
fiery  rocket's  reach.  Within  this  space  we  are 
bade  to  extinguish  the  lights  and  sit  in  silence. 
What  the  light  of  the  sun  is  to  the  taper,  this 
darkness  is  compared  with  the  darkness  of 
the  outer  world.  It  is  darkness  profound;  and 
when  the  torch  is  again  lighted  its  feeble  rays 
are  greatfuUy  appreciated.  And  thus  we  go  on 
and  on  in  narrow  defiles  and  broad  openings — 
beneath  low  ceilings  and  again  lofty  arches  un- 
til passages  diverge  to  narrow  crevices — all  filled 
with  beauty  and  grandeur  that  are  indescrib- 


410 


mSTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


able.  Throughout  are  side  openings  that  lead 
to  other  aisles— perhaps  of  greater  length  and 
equal  beauty  but  not  more  impressive.  The 
rushing  of  the  waters,  the  thunders  of  distant 
waterfalls  that  send  their  reverberations  through 
these  apartments— the  grand  majesty  of  the 
rocks  and  inpenetrable  darkness,  all  unite  with 
the  sermons  so  plainly  written  upon  the  whole 
that  "  God  only  is  great"  and  to  bow  the  soul 
in  reverential  awe ! 

In  returning  over  the  ground  we  find  the 
"  Chapel"  was  not  noticed  which  is  one  of  the 
interesting  features  of  the  cave.  It  is  so  called 
from  a  beautiful  combination  of  stalactites  fall- 
ing over  a  projecting  rock  at  one  extremity  of 
the  room  and  resembles  an  altar  with  its  fringe 
and  drapery. — Above  is  an  opening  in  the  roof 
of  immense  height  and  from  its  edge  are  in- 
numerable stalactites  whose  beauty  can  be  ap- 
preciated only  by  a  visit,  and  the  aid  of  the  gas- 
light that  illuminates  the  cavern  as  far  as  the 
lake.  Here  many  have  retired  to  celebrate 
their  bridal  nuptials  to  give  romance  perhaps  to 
imagined  tragical  scenes. 

As  we  emerge  from  the  cavern,  how  welcome 
is  the  light  of  day  and  as  we  gaze  upon  the 
beautiful  scene  around,  the  words  of  Prentice 
receive  an  echo  from  the  heart  when  he  says: — 

' '  How  oft  we  gaze 
With  awe  and  admiration  on  the  new 
And  unfamiliar,  but  pass  coldly  by 
The  lovelier  and  the  mightier  !    Wonderful 
Is  the  lone  world  of  darkness  and  of  gloom, 
But  far  more  wonderful  yon  outer  world, 
Lit  by  the  glorious  sun.     These  arches  swell 
Sublime  in  lone  and  dim  magnificence. 
But  how  sublimer  God's  blue  canopy 
Beleagued  with  his  burning  cherubim, 
Keeping  their  watch  eternal. 

PUNCHKILL. 

In  crossing  the  Cobleskill  from  "  Howe's 
Cave,"  to  the  hillside,  we  soon  come  to  the 
small  hamlet  that  bears  the  humble  name  of 
Punchkill.  The  small  rivulet  that  passes  down 
the  steep  bank,  and  which,  through  ages,  has 
worn  a  deep  ravine  to  givewildness  to  the  scene, 
was  named  Punchkill,  as  historian  Simms  tells 
us,  by  Johannes  Lawyer,  while  surveying,  from 
the  fact  that  the  party  indulged  in  a  draught  of 
whiskey-punch  upon  its  bank. 


The  hamlet  was  long  known  as  "Schoharie 
Mountain,"  and  "  East  Cobleskill,"  but,  as  if  to 
retain  the  remembrance  of  the  potent  punch, 
those  names  have  long  since  been  dropped,  and 
Punchkill  "  unanimously  adopted." 

An  inn  being  erected  here  upon  the  building 
of  the  Loonenburgh  Turnpike  through  the  place 
in  1808,  and  a  church  the  same  year,  an  effort 
was  made  to  found  a  village,  but  met  with  poor 
success.  At  one  time  it  was  a  busy  hamlet,  but 
when  the  railroad  was  constructed  in  the  valley 
below,  it  received  a  paralytic  stroke,  like  all 
other  hamlets  along  the  line  situated  as  this, 
from  which  it  will  never  revive. 

The  first  church  built  here  was  the  "  Re- 
formed," and  stood  near  the  present  Methodist 
site.  After  the  "fathers"  of  this  neighborhood 
worshipped  within  its  plain  walls  forty  years,  they 
built  the  edifice  to  the  west,  and  dedicated  the 
same  on  the  27th  of  December,  1848.  Upon 
building  the  new  church  at  Bray  man  ville,  as  we 
have  noticed,  the  Christian  denomination  pur- 
chased the  Second  Reformed  church  building, 
and  now  occupy  it,  its  pastorate  being  in  con- 
nection with  Warnerville  and  Richmondville. 

The  Methodist  Church  was  connected  in  pas- 
torate with  the  Cobleskill  Methodist  church,  up 
to  the  year  1866,  it  being  the  fifth  class  in  the 
circuit  of  eight.  A  list  of  the  pastors  oflSciating 
previous  to  that  date,  can  be  seen  by  consulting 
the  list  of  pastors  of  the  Cobleskill  church,  and 
of  late  years  those  of  Mineral  Springs.  The 
present  edifice  was  built  in  1846. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  century,  the  highway 
passing  through  this  place  from  Cobleskill  to 
Schoharie,  was  obstructed  by  gates  and  bars 
wherever  the  road  crossed  a  farm  line,  as  was 
n  early  every  road  throughout  the  country.  Upon 
the  passage  of  the  legislative  bill,  authorizing 
the  building  of  the  Schoharie  bridge,  petitions 
were  circulated  among  the  townsmen  for  signa- 
tures, praying  to  the  Road  Commissioners  to 
open  the  road  "  to  the  free  and  unobstructed 
travel  of  the  publick." 

The  owners  of  the  land  refused  to  acceed  to 
any  demands,  and  openly  prevented  many  from 
traveling  over  their  lands,  which  awakened  such 
a  feeling  against  them,  that  a  score  or  more  of 
the   townspeople  appeared   before  the   Grand 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


411 


Jury,  with  Jared  Goodyear  at  their  head,  and 
obtained  bills  of  indictment  against  them  for 
"  obstructing  the  highway  with  gates  and  bars." 

The  people  were  successful  through  Jedediah 
Miller,  to  sustain  their  charges,  on  the  ground 
that  the  road  had  been  in  use  as  a  public  high- 
way, for  over  twenty  years,  without  molestation. 
This  occurred  about  the  year  181 1. 

In  passing  along  to  the  west  towards  "  Min- 
eral Springs,"  the  visitor  is  charmed  with  the 
picturesque  view  that  presents  itself  in  looking 
up  and  down  the  valley.  Here  is  a  scene  that 
is  worthy  the  attention  of  both  the  lover  of 
nature  and  of  art.  As  the  warm  sunshine  has  a 
soft  refreshing  influence  upon  the  earth  after 
summer  showers,  so  this  scene  refreshes  and  in- 
vigorates the  spirit  of  adoration  and  wonder, 
that  fills  us  in  beholding  the  grandeur  and  bold- 
ness of  the  hills  that  surround  it,  and  in  travers- 
ing the  winding  aisles  of  the  cave,  and  listening 
to  the  thunderings  of  its  waterfalls,  deep  down 
in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  It  seems  to  be  more 
of  a  panorama,  upon  which  art,  guided  by  the 
hand  of  the  Omnipotent,  has  pictured  nature  in 
beauty  and  peace,  without  marks  of  a  revenge- 
ful power,  upheaving  formations  to  give  grand- 
eur, as  if  in  contrast  to  the  scene  around  it. 

Along  this  road,  it  being  then  but  a  path,  the 
early  settlers  of  the  Cobleskill  cautiously  and 
wearily  traversed  daily  to  and  from  their  homes, 
to  elude  the  wily  savage  and  revengeful  Tory, 
during  the  days  that  tried  men's  souls.  How 
often  did  those  troubled  ones,  while  on  their 
weary  march,  look  back  and  forward  to  catch  the 
last  or  first  glimpse  of  their  homes^  to  assure 
themselves  they  had  such.  And  with  what  feeling 
of  anguish  they  must  have  looked  back  on  their 
flight  on  the  second  day  of  June,  1778,  and  seen 
the  maddening  flame  lap  up  their  labors  of  years, 
and  heard  the  demoniac  shriek  of  their  savage 
victors,  over  the  mangled  corpses  of  fathers^  sons 
and  brothers ! 

Mineral  Springs. 

This  little  hamlet  was  for  many  years 
known  as  France's  Corners,  after  Jacob 
France,  an  early  settler.  He  was  a  son  of 
Sebastian  France,  of  Turlah,  an  honest  man, 
and  true  patriot,  who  long  since  passed  the  sad 
ordeal  of  death,  leaving  a  large  family  to  per- 


petuate the  name  and  profit  by  his  worthy 
example.  The  waters  of  the  spring  being 
utilized  for  medicinal  purposes  by  Mr.  Simeon 
Deyo  in  1867,  at  great  expense,  the  name  of 
the  hamlet  was  changed  to  give  eclat  to  the 
surroundings.  Mr.  Deyo  did  much  to  bring 
these  waters  to  the  notice  of  the  public,  but  it 
was  at  a  time  when  the  country  was  laboring 
under  the  pains  of  civil  war,  and  only  old  estab- 
lished watering  places  were  patronized,  and  they 
but  sparely.  Of  late  years,  the  Cobleskill  val- 
ley has  become  a  familiar  haunt  for  city  pleasure 
seekers,  of  quiet  temperament,  and  if  the 
accommodations  that  Mr.  Deyo  furnished  were 
standing  they  could  but  be  profitably  utihzed. 

Betsey  or  Elizabeth,  the  daughter  of  Sebas- 
tian France,  and  sister  of  Jacob,  whom  we 
noticed,  was  the  companion  of  Miss  Catharine 
Merckley  the  day  she  was  assassinated  in  1780, 
in  Turlah.  She  married  Paul  Shank,  who 
settled  here  and  reared  a  large  family.  She 
died  on  the  27  th  of  October,  1846,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-eight  years.  Paul  Shank  was  a  soldier 
under  Cornwallis,  and  upon  that  General's 
surrendering  his  sword,  Mr.  Shank  drifted  to 
Watervhet  and  learned  the  tailor's  trade.  The 
France  family  living  there  at  the  time,  he 
became  acquainted  with  Elizabeth  and-  married 
her  at  the  close  of  the  War,  and  settled  upon  the 
farm  now  occupied  by  David  Kromer,  and 
worked  at  his  trade.  The  children  were  as 
follows : — 

John, 

Sebastian, 

David, 

Mrs.  John  Frazier, 

Mrs.  Jacob  France,  Jr., 

Mrs.  Peter  France, 

Mrs.  Henry  Fox. 

David  is  the  only  son  hving,  and  is  in  his  eighty- 
first  year  of  age.  He  has  been  for  many  years 
one  of  the  chief  supporters  of  the  Methodist 
church,  and  an  energetic  business  man.  To  him 
we  are  indebted  for  information  in  regard  to  the 
Methodist  Church  of  Mineral  Springs  and 
Punchkill,  whose  records  are  but  scraps,  and  not 
accessible. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Mineral 
Springs. — The  first   meeting  for    organization 


412 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


was  held  October  28,  1844,  and  Samuel  N. 
Wilber,  David  Borst,  John  Shank,  David  Shank, 
Daniel  Shafer,  Henry  P.  Shafer,  and  Harvey 
France,  were  elected  trustees  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  at  France's  Corners. 

The  church  edifice  was  built  in  the  latter  part 
of  that  year  and  the  early  part  of  1845,  ^^^ 
dedicated  in  May  of  the  latter  year.  It  was 
built  during  the  pastorate  of  Revs.  Pomeroy  and 
Warner,  but  dedicated  under  that ,  of  Revs. 
Amos  Osborn  and  Absalom  Mosher,  their  fol- 
lowers, who  officiated  in  1846  and  1847.  The 
successive  pastors  have  been  as  follows : — 

Amos  Osborn  and  Samuel  Covil,  1847- 1848. 

Joel  Squires  and  Z.  Hurd,  1 848-1 849. 

Joel  Squires  and  WiUiam  H.  Tiffany,  1849- 

1850. 
J.  Giddings  and  William  Diefendorf,  1850- 

1851. 
Elisha  Watson  and  Charles  Anderson,  1851- 

1852. 
Elisha  Watson  and  Diefendorf,  1852-1853. 
A.  Lyon  and  Andrew  Heath,  1853-1854. 
Andrew  Heath  and  S.  B.  Gough,  1854-1855. 
Joseph  Conner  and  Joseph  Cope,  1855-1857. 
David  Gould  and  S.  S.  Ford,  1858-1859. 
Alvin  Robbins  and  William  J.  Sands.  1860- 

1861. 
Hall  and  Hanna,  1 862-1 863. 
A.  D.  Heath,  1864-1865. 
Hiram  Harris  and  Eli  Baker,  1 865-1 866. 
Eh  Baker,  1867. 

Henry  Wright,  1868-1869-1870. 
William  Earl,  1871-1872. 
Jarvis  Devol,  1873-1874. 
WiUiam  M.  Stanley,  1875. 
D.  McShell,  1876. 
Alfred  Eaton,  1877-187 8. 
J.  J.  Austin,  1879;  the  present  pastor. 
The  present  officers  are : — 
Trustees: — 

Harvey  France, 
Lester  France, 
Jameson  Cheesbro. 
Stewards : — 

Harmon  Robinson, 
Nelson  France, 
Christian  Bouck. 


Recording  Steward  : — 

Nelson  France. 
Leaders  : — 

Harvey  France, 
Jameson  Cheesbro. 

Lawyersville. 

In  the  spring  of  1760  there  came  a  number  of 
families  from  Rhinebeck  upon  the  Hudson,  and 
settled  to  the  north  and  northwest  of  this  hamlet, 
taking  up  lands  that  were  then  owned  by  Jurian 
Young,  a  resident  of  Albany  county.  The  set- 
tlement was  called  New  Rhinebeck,  and  a  few, 
only,  of  the  farms  then  taken,  at  present  he  in 
the  town  of  Cobleskill,  but  principally  in  Seward 
and  Carlisle.  The  farm  now  belonging  to  the 
Engle  Brothers  is  the  principal  one  (at  that  time 
settled)  in  this  neighborhood,  and  upon  it  John 
Conrad  Engle  and  Johannes  Yunk  (now  Young) 
settled,  the  latter  taking  the  north  and  the 
former  the  south  part  of  the  farm. 

Young  was  a  cousin  of  Peter  Young,  the  first 
settler  of  Carlisle,  and  his  children  were  Benja- 
min, Ephraim,  Gideon,  Jonathan,  Ehas,  David 
and  Margaret,  (Mrs.  Abram  Teater.) 

Engle  and  Young  were  brothers-in-law,  Engle 
having  married  Eva  Maria,  a  sister  of  Young. 
The  farm  was  occupied  by  the  two  families  un- 
til the  year  1801,  when  Gideon  Young,  the  son, 
being  in  possession  sold  to  Engle  and  removed 
to  the  present  territory  of  Carlisle.  From  the 
two  famihes  that  settled  here  has  sprang  the  in- 
numerable families  of  Engle  and  Young  that  are 
to  be  found  throughout  the  western  part  of  the 
County  and  a  vast  army  in  the  Western  States. 

Engle's  children  were : — 

Anna,  (Mrs.  Hoffman,  who  was  killed 
with  her  husband  Michael  Hoffman, 
in  Turlah,  by  the  Indians  on  the  loth 
of  July,  1780). 

Mathias, 

Anna  Caroline, 

Kathrina,  (Mrs.  Tunis  Kneiskern,) 

John  William, 

Eva, 

John, 

EUzabeth, 

Jergon, 

Margaret,  (Mrs.  Jacob  Strobeck). 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


413 


The  daughter  Catharine,  or  Kathrina,  was  at 
the  house  of  Michael  Hoffman,  in  Seward,  when 
the  Indians  approached  to  murder  the  family. 
She  fled  to  the  woods  and  from  her  concealment 
saw  the  double  murder  committed.  Being 
frightened  in  the  extreme,  she  fled  through  the 
forest,  she  knew  not  whither,  and  emerged  upon 
the  flats  at  Central  Bridge.  A  few  men  work- 
ing in  the  field  saw  her  running  as  if  a  lunatic, 
and  giving  chase  caught  her,  .but  her  fright  was 
so  great  it  was  some  time  before  they  could  calm 
her  excitement  to  glean  the  facts  of  the  cause 
of  her  fright.  The  distance  she  ran  was  at  least 
ten  miles,  through  an  unbroken  and  trackless 
forest.  It  was  one  of  the  many  acts  of  endur- 
ance, as  well  as  providential  escapes  from  ruth- 
less murderers  that  the  patriots  of  the  Revolu- 
tion were  forced  to  experience  in  their  struggle 
for  liberty  and  independence.  During  their  excit- 
ing lives  that  so  often  threatened  to  terminate 
in  bloody  tragedy,  the  hand  of  Providence 
frequently  warded  off  the  invader's  blow  and 
changed  appalling  scenes  to  pleasing  romance. 

In  after  years,  when  the  deep  forest's  still- 
ness was  no  longer  broken  by  the  stealthy  war- 
rior's whoop;  and  venomous  hate  that  had  satu- 
rated Schoharie's  soil  alike  with  Patriot's  and 
Tory's  blood,  was  bound  by  the  joyful  procla- 
mation of  peace  to  brotherly  privileges  and 
Christian  acts,  Teunis  Kneiskern,  of  Kneis- 
kern's  dorf,  one  of  the  young  lady's  captors  in 
her  fright,  did  a  "  wooing  go  "  to  the  house  of 
Conradt  Engle,  and  claimed  his  captive  as  a 
bride.  Long  years  of  faithful,  domestic  service 
did  she  render  to  her  husband,  and  reared  a 
family  whose  pleasure  it  is  to  recount,  in  their 
old  age,  the  story  of  their  mother's  escape  from 
death.  Teunis  favored  the  cause  of  the  Crown, 
with  his  brother  Peter,  of  Carlisle,  while  his 
brothers  Jacob  and  William  were  true  and  faith- 
ful advocates  of  freedom.  The  latter  was  taken 
prisoner  at  Myndert's  (Moak's  Hollow)  by  a 
band  of  Indians  in  the  fall  of  1780,  and  made 
his  escape  from  Rebel  Island  by  lashing  two 
brandy  kegs  together  and  floating  to  the  main 
land.  During  the  war  the  Engle  and  Young 
families  with  many  others  sought  safety  at  the 
Camps.  The  male  portion  occasionallyreturned 
to  care  for  their  personal  effects. 

The  lands   of  this  neighborhood  are   com- 


prised in  a  Royal  Grant  bearing  date  1730,  by 
some  people  designated  as  New  Dorlach  patent 
and  were  chiefly  owned  by  Johannes  Lawyer, 
second,  of  Schoharie,  and  given  by  him,  to  Jo- 
hannes, the  third,  (in  land  succession)  as  stated 
in  Chapter  IV. 

After  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  General 
James  Dana  of  Connecticut,  settled  to  the  south 
of  Engle's,  upon  lands  now  owned  by  Gilbert 
Dana,  and  was  followed  shortly  by  John  Red- 
ington  another  Revolutionary  soldier  and  sev- 
eral others  from  the  Eastern  States,  of  whom  we 
will  make  mention  hereafter,  as  their  lives  were 
useful  and  exemplary  ones,  and  added  much  of 
interest  to  the  history  of  our  County. 

The  new  settlement  here  formed  and  of 
which  the  pleasant  hamlet  of  Lawyersville  is  the 
nucleus,  being  principally  made  up  of  Eastern 
patriots,  it  bore  the  name  of  New  Boston  for 
many  years. 

Another  name  was  applied  to  the  place  in 
after  years  by  many,  which  may  still  be  heard 
from  the  old  people.  It  being  upon  the  Royal 
Patent  granted  to  Goldbrow  and  Banyar  and 
others,  in  1752,  and  which  lay  wholly  in  the  old 
town  of  Cobleskill,  this  place  was  designated  as 
the  Patent  and  Cobleskill  Patent,  as  well  as  by 
its  present  name  Lawyersville. 

There  not  being  any  Revolutionary  incidents 
connected  with  this  neighborhood  more  than  the 
part  taken  by  the  heroes  that  settled  here  we 
will  review  their  hves  to  which  are  justly  due, 
our  honor  and  veneration. 

James  Dana  was  born  in  Ashford,  Connecti- 
cut, on  the  roth  of  October,  1732,  O.  S,  and 
was  a  meritorious  officer  in  the  struggle  for  lib- 
erty. Isaac  Hall  Tiffany,  a  legal  gentleman, 
living  here,  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement, 
and  a  neighbor  of  General  Dana,  left  a  manu- 
script relating  to  Dana's  life,  and  dictated  by 
him,  of  which  we  were  fortunate  to  procure  a 
copy.     It  reads  as  follows : — 

"  He  appears  to  have  commenced  his  military 
career  among  the  provincial  troops  under  Sir 
William  Johnson.  He  assisted  in  building  the 
fort  at  Lake  George,  and  was  at  the  battle  of 
Lake  Champlain,  when  the  fortification  was 
attacked  by  the  French,  and  General  Johnson 
wounded. 


414 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


"  At  the  commencement  of  the  Revolution, 
he  was  a  captain  in  Cotonel  Storrs'  regiment  in 
General  Putnam's  brigade  of  Connecticut 
militia.  He  arrived  at  the  American  camp  at 
Cambridge  where  General  Ward  commanded 
immediately  after  the  affair  at  Lexington. 

"  He  was  among  the  troops  ordered  to  throw 
up  a  breast-work  on  Bunker  Hill.  A  half- 
moon  fortification  of  facines  and  dirt  was 
erected  during  the  night. 

"  Colonel  Prescott  was  the  engineer  and  re- 
quested Dana's  Orderly-Sergeant  to  assist  in 
laying  out  the  fortification. 

"  When  the  second  division  of  500  troops 
landed,  they  marched  up  Maiden  river  to  gain 
the  rear  of  the  American  fortification.  This 
movement  was  perceived  by  Captain  Dana  and 
communicated  to  General  Putnam.  By  his  orders 
500  of  the  Connecticut  troops  were  marched 
down  and  took  up  their  position  and  formed 
two  deep  behind  a  fence.  Captain  (afterwards 
Colonel)  Knowlton  commanded  this  detach- 
ment. 

"Dana  was  second  in  command.  Putnam  in 
giving  his  orders,  said  to  these  officers,  'Do 
you  remember  my  orders  at  Ticonderoga  ?'  '  Yes,' 
was  the  reply.  '  You  told  us  not  to  fire  until  we 
could  see  the  whites  of  the  enemy's  eyes.'  '  Well ' 
said  Putnam,  '  I  give  the  same  orders  now.' 
The  BritisTi  advanced  with  muffled  drums  and 
soft  fifes  and  the  officers  and  soldiers  got  over 
the  fence,  south  of  the  American  lines.  Cap- 
tain Dana  was  posted  in  the  center,  towards 
which  the  British  column  was  advancing.  The 
order  was  '  Death  to  any  man  who  fired  before 
Captain  Dana.'  When  the  column  was  eight 
rods  distant,  Dana  ordered  the  rear  rank  down 
flat ;  at  this  word  the  British  officer  faced  about 
and  ordered  the  column  to  deploy  from  the 
center.  At  that  instant  Captain  Dana,  Lieu- 
tenant Grosvenor  and  Orderly-Sergeant  Fuller 
fired  and  the  British  commanding  officer  (sup- 
posed to  be  Major  Pitcairn)  fell  mortally 
wounded.  The  British  troops  broke  and  re- 
treated, formed  and  advanced  again — which 
probably  occupied  thirty  minutes.  When  they 
arrived  at  the  fence  againthey  fired;  Lieutenant 
Grosvenor  was  wounded  in  the  hand  and  a  bul-  ■ 
let  also  passed  through  a  rail  and  lodged  in  his 
shirt,  flatted  and  harmless  !     Captain  Knowl- 


ton's  musket  barrel  was  broken  off  by  a  cannon 
ball  and  a  like  ball  struck  a  rail  against  Dana's 
breast  which  knocked  him  down  breathless. 
He  however  recovered  and  remained  until  the 
line  was  ordered  off. 

"  When  he  arrived  at  his  quarters  he  was 
confined  to  his  room  and  unable  to  dress  or  un- 
dress himself  for  several  days.  The  first  counter- 
sign given  by  General  Washington  after  the 
battle  of  Bunker.  Hill  was  '  Knowlton '  and 
the  parole  '  Dana.'  In  July  after,  an  oration 
was  delivered  by  Dr.  Leonard,  Washington's 
chaplain. 

"After  the  oration  and  declaration  had  been 
pronounced,  an  Aid  of  General  Washington  ad- 
vanced from  the  headquarters  bearing  the  Amer- 
ican standard,  with  an  order  from  the  General, 
directed  to  Captain  Dana  to  receive  it  and  carry 
it  three  times  around  the  front  or  interior  circle 
of  the  array ;  furthermore,  that  in  so  doing  he 
must  not  let  the  colors  fall,  as  it  would  be  con- 
sidered as  ominous  of  the  fall  of  America.  The 
Captain  declined,  fearful  of  his  ability  to  per- 
form this  duty  in  a  proper  manner.  The  Aid 
returned  to  headquarters  with  the  apology,  but 
soon  came  back  with  General  Putnam,  who,  in 
his  familiar  way,  clapped  Captain  Dana  upon 
the  shoulder  and  said,  '  God  curse  it,  Dana,  you 
look  like  a  white  man  ;  take  the  colors  and  clear 
away.'  The  army  immediately  opened  a  pas- 
sage to  the  right  and  left  for  his  excellency, 
General  Washington,  and  the  other  officers. 
The  next  day  the  General  in  his  orders  ex- 
pressed the  most  flattering  approbation  of  the 
manner  in  which  Captain  Dana  had  performed 
the  ceremony  of  displaying  the  flag.  Captain 
Dana  was  six  feet  and  one  inch  in  height,  noble 
and  commanding  in  his  appearance,  but  modest 
aud  retiring  in  his  manners.  He  was  frequently 
offered  promotion  in  the  army,  but  uniformly 
declined.  The  celebrated  General  Eaton,  after- 
wards so  distinguished  in  the  war  with  Tripoli, 
was,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  his  waiter  and  secre- 
tary. He  was  put  under  Captain  Dana  at  the 
request  of  his  father.  After  the  close  of  the 
Revolution  Dana  removed  to  Cobleskill,  where 
he  occupied  a  small  log  house  till  his  death. 

"  Notwithstanding  his  humble  circumstances, 
the  Legislature  of  New  York,  in  consequence  of 
his  meritorious  services  in  the  Revolution,  ap- 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


415 


pointed  him  Brigadier-General,  being  the  first 
who  held  that  office  in  the  County  of  Scho- 
harie." 

General  Dana's  log  cabin  stood  at  the  bend 
in  the  road  between  Barney  Ottman's  and  Abram 
Shutts'  residences,  on  the  east  side  of  the  road, 
where  he  died  on  the  i6th  of  October,  1817,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-five. 

His  children  were  :— 

Joseph, 

William, 

Thomas, 

Alvin, 

Mrs.  Anna  Gairie, 

Mrs.  Nancy  Brigham, 

Mrs.  Sophia  Scripter, 

Mrs.  EUzabeth  Butler, 

Polly. 

But  few  of  the  grand-children  are  living  in  the 
vicinity. 

John  Redington. — Soon  after  Dana's  settle- 
ment, came  John  Redington,  a  private  in  the 
Revolution,  and  settled  where  Jared  Van  Wag- 
oner now  resides.  Redington  was  principally 
in  the  service  around  Boston,  and  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  British  near  Horse  Neck  and 
placed  in  the  loathsome  "Sugar  House,"  in 
New  York,  where  he  remained  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  and  was  forced,  as  thousands  of  others 
who  were  incarcerated  there,  to  endure  the 
greatest  amount  of  suffering ;  but  possessing  an 
iron  constitution  he  lived  through  the  whole,, 
and  a  few  years  after  peace  was  proclaimed,  set- 
tled at  this  place.  He  washonored  with  a  Cap- 
tain's commission  for  his  faithful  services,  suffer- 
ings and  patriotism  through  the  war,  by  Gov- 
ernor Lewis,  and  was  an  efficient  officer. 

The  Captain,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  was 
a  business  man,  and  held  several  offices  of  trust 
in  the  old  town  of  Cobleskill,  and  in  the  year 
181 2  represented  his  district  in  the  State  Legis- 
lature. He  kept  an  inn  for  many  years,  but 
becoming  involved  in  a  land  speculation,  he 
was  forced  to  part  with  his  pioneer  home,  and 
upon  doing  so  built  the  house  where  Peter 
Diefendorf  now  resides,  in  1811,  and  where  he 
died  on  the  12th  of  April,  1830,  in  his  seventy- 
fourth  year.     Upon  the  death  of  Washington  in 


1799,  Dana  and  Redington  held  a  funeral 
service  at  the  house  of  the  latter,  under  the 
order  of  Free  Masonry,  which  was,  perhaps,  as 
imposing  a  ceremony  as  was  ever  witnessed  in 
this  part  of  the  State.  The  two  heroes  were 
the  chief  mourners,  and  the  high  appreciation 
in  which  they  held  the  sainfed  General  and 
President  for  his  virtues  and  patriotism,  dictated 
a  sincere  observance  of  the  country's  irreparable 
loss.  The  coffin  was  placed  upon  a  bier,  used 
in  those  days  to  carry  the  dead,  and  a  heavy 
pall  thrown  over  the  whole,  upon  which  were 
strewn  flowers  and  evergreens  by  the  immense 
throng  of  country-folk  who  assembled  to  assist 
in  the  ceremonies. 

While  Dana  and  Redington  undoubtedly 
were  the  only  ones  that  were  immediately  under 
Washington's  command  that  assembled  here 
upon  the  occasion,  yet  hundreds  of  the  plain, 
sturdy  sons  of  the  soil  and  workshops  of  old 
Schoharie,  whose  daily  lives  had  been  vicis- 
situdes of  danger  and  privations  in  the  cause  of 
Freedom,  felt  the  loss,  and  united  in  mingling 
their  tears,  and  made  the  occasion  solemn  and 
imposing. 

Captain  Redington  was  instrumental  in  the 
building  of  the  Reformed  church  at  this  place  in 

1800,  and  was  an  active  and  consistent  mem- 
ber. Whatever  position  he  occupied,  he  proved 
himself  a  practical,  energetic  and  thorough 
business  man  and  useful  citizen.  His  children 
were  as  follows : — 

John  Redington,  Jr,, 

Mariam,  (Mrs.  James  Blodgett,) 

Joseph  A., 

CorneUa,  (Mrs.  Abram  Shutts,) 

Elizabeth  S.,  (Mrs.  Simeon  Edison,) 

Julia  M.,  (Mrs.  John  C.  Furguson,) 

Laura  A. 

Dana  and  Redington  lie  within  a  few  feet  of 
each  other,  in  the  quiet  cemetery  here,  and  but 
a  trifle  beyondthis,  a  neighbor  and  hero  of  1812. 

William  Elmandorf,  though  a  plain,  awkward 
type  of  a  stout  yeoman,  was  an  unflinching  pa- 
triot, and  was  the  first  to  step  forth  when  the 
bugle  of  war  was  heard,  to  defend  our  frontiers 
from  the  invasion  of  our  English  foes  in  181 2. 
The   late  Dr.  Sylvanus  Palmer,  a  son-in-law  of 


4i6 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Elmandorf,  left  a  manuscript  of  the  Major's 
life  which  we  will  here  insert,  and  which  un- 
doubtedly is  the  only  true  knowledge  that  can  be 
obtained  of  the  veteran's  military  career. 

"This  veteran  of  the  War  of  1812  is  under- 
stood to  have  been  born  in  Sharon,  Connecti- 
cut, on  the  2 2d  of  February,  17—.  From  a 
blot  on  the  last  figure  of  the  family  record,  the 
year  is  unknown,  but  is  supposed  to  have  been 
about  1769  or  r77o.  He  worked  at  the  car- 
penter and  joiner's  trade  with  an  elder  brother 
in  New  York,  as  early  as  his  sixteenth  year.  With 
that  brother  he  immigrated  to  Lawyersville  in 
1795,  when,  excepting  an  early  sojourn  of  a  year 
or  two  at  Poor  Town  on  the  West  Kill,  and  a 
later  one  of  a  similar  length  at  Huntersland,  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  a  long  hfe. 

"  Here  he  bought  a  few  acres  of  land  to  which 
he  afterwards  added  a  farm,  being  a  gore  left 
out  of,  or  oveilooked  in  all  previous  surveys, 
and  therefore,  still  the  property  of  the  State. 
After  some  years  of  delay  his  petition  for  a 
grant  of  this  gore,  backed  by  his  friend,  the 
late  William  C.  Bouck,  then  in  the  Legislature, 
was  granted  on  paying  incidental  expenses  only. 
At  Lawyersville  he  changed  his  occupation  for 
that  of  a  wagon  maker,  in  which  he  excelled  all 
others  in  workmanship.  Between  his  trade, 
farm  and  saw-mill  his  time  was  fully  occupied 
until  June,  181 2,  when  war  was  declared  against 
Great  Britain,  and  the  artillery  in  which  he  was 
First  Lieutenant,  being  ordered  to  drill  in 
Sharon,  (Beekman's  Corners.) 

"  Captain  Josias  Kellogg  being  in  command, 
Lieutenant  Elmandorf  proposed  that  the  whole 
company  should  enhst.  As  the  Captain  de- 
clined. Lieutenant  Elmandorf,  with  the  music 
(having  first  enrolled  his  own  name)  marched 
around  the  grounds,  at  the  head  of  those  he  had 
persuaded  to  enlist.  The  number  increased  at 
each  circuit,  till  most,  or  all,  including  Captain 
Kellogg  had  joined  him  and  all  soon  after 
marched  to  the  lines  and  joined  the  regiment 
under  Colonel  Forsyth. 

"As  little  is  said  of  Lieutenant  Elmandorf 's 
life  in  camp,  we  pass  that  over  until  we  come 
to  the  skirmish  at  Ogdensburgh  on  the  2 2d  of 
February,  18x3. 

"  The  British  forces  lay  at  Prescott,  in  Can- 
ada, diagonally  across  the  St.  Lawrence  river. 


They   moved  upon   Ogdensburgh  early  in  the 
morning. 

"At  this  criticaljuncture  Captain  Kellogg  was 
invisible.  There  being  no  time  for  red  tape. 
Lieutenant  Elmandorf  mustered  his  men  and 
flew  to  their  gun  which  they  found  disabled  by 
one  of  the  trunions  having  been  knocked  off 
during  the  previous  night,  whether  by  home 
treachery  or  British  powder  was  never  known. 
The  gun  was  soon  put  in  order  and  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  enemy  and  the  aim  directed  by 
Lieutenant  Elmandorf  who  mounted  another 
gun  to  witness  the  enemy's  movements.  He  al- 
ways spoke  with  great  satisfaction  of  the  execu- 
tion of  his  piece  and  of  the  regular  and  frequent 
occasions  he  gave  the  red-coats  to  fill  up  their 
depleted  ranks  but  still  they  came,  nobody 
else  making  any  effectual  resistance.  Few 
seemed  in  the  sudden  panic  to  realize  for  what 
they  were  there  placed.  After  a  number  of 
spirited  rounds,  each  scattering  legs,  arms  and 
owners  over  the  bloody  ice,  they  suddenly  saw 
a  larger  force  had  crossed  directly  in  front  of 
the  village  and  now  coming  around  in  the  rear 
and  must  in  five  minutes  more  have  made  pris- 
oners of  the  only  defenders  of  Ogdensburgh, 
who  were  brought  between  two  now  rapidly 
closing  columns  of  the  foe.  Further  resistance 
being  useless,  they  now  retreated  in  good  order 
up  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  pursued  by  the 
enemy  including  Indians.  Lieutenant  Elman- 
dorf ran  back  and  spiked  the  guns  and  upon 
finishing  his  task  ran  in  front  of  the  enemy 
whose  balls  were  whistling  from  every  side  past 
him,  but  providentially  escaped. 

"Owing  to  privations  and  hardships,  Lieu- 
tenant Elmandorf  was  taken  down  with  the 
epidemic  that  raged  to  such  an  extent  in  the 
army,  and  he  was  allowed  to  return  to  his  home. 

"  When  some  years  after  the  war,  an  organiza- 
tion of  the  Veterans  of  18 12  was  effected,  with 
the  late  Gen.  John  S.  Van  Rensselaer,  as  com- 
mander-in-chief, Lieutenant  Elmandorf  was 
raised  to  the  rank  of  Major.  He  lived  a  long 
and  useful  life,  respected  as  an  honest  man,  a 
kind  parent,  and  a  marked  patriot.  He  died 
the  2 2d  of  February,  1869,  aged  ninety-six." 

fared  Goodyear. — Near  the  resting  places  of 
the  veterans  of  the  two  wars  that  established  and 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


417 


vindicated  the  best  government  the  world  has 
ever  known,  lies  another  Eastern  man,  a  descend- 
ant of  the  pilgrim  band  who,  at  an  early  day, 
settled  here,  and  added  one  more  resident  to 
New  Boston.  Jared  Goodyear  was  from  Con- 
necticut, and  after  traveling  to  the  western  part 
of  the  State  with  an  ox  team,  and  not  finding  a 
locality  that  suited  his  mind  as  well  as  this,  here- 
traced  his  steps  and  located  near  the  residence 
of  his  grandson,  Jared  VanWagenen.  After 
years  of  patient,  unremitting  labor,  he  procured 
means  enough  to  purchase  in  18 lo,  the  farm  of 
John  Redington,  and  here  reared  a  large,  intel- 
ligent and  useful  family,  whose  lives  were  blessed 
exceedingly,  but  who  have  nearly  passed  away. 
The  most  prominent  of  them  was  Charles  Good- 
year, who  was  early  fitted  for  the  Bar,  and  who 
settled  at  Schoharie  village  in  1827,  and  held 
a  lucrative  position  for  many  years. 

He  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  1840,  and 
Representative  in  Congress  in  1845,  1847,  1865, 
and  1867.  In  February,  1848,  the  Governor 
and  Senate  appointed  him  First  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas,  which  office  he  held 
for  five  years.  When  the  Schoharie  County 
Bank  was  organized  (1852),  he  was  chosen 
president  of  the  organization,  and  held  the  po- 
sition to  the  year  1868,  when  he  removed  to 
Charlotteville,  Va.  He  was  again  appointed  to 
the  Judicial  bench  in  his  new  home,  and  was 
tendered  another  term,  but  declined.  He  died, 
lamented  by  a  large  circle  of  social  and  political 
friends,  on  the  9th  of  April,  1876,  in  the  seventy- 
second  year  of  his  age. 

Isaac  Hall  Tiffany. — About  the  year  1798, 
Isaac  Hall  Tiffany,  after  finishing  his  legal 
studies  in  the  office  of  Aaron  Burr,  of  New 
York  City,  and  his  brother,  George  Tiffany,  of 
Schoharie  village,  settled  in  Cobleskill  village, 
and  made  his  home  at  the  house  of  Lambert 
Lawyer.  Mr.  Tiffany  was  from  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College, 
and  was  unquestionably  the  best  scholar  to  be 
found  in  Schoharie  County  at  that  time.  The 
residents  of  New  Boston  being  Yankees,  and 
those  of  Cobleskill  village,  German  Dutch,  it 
was  natural  for  congenial  spirits  to  settle  together, 
consequently  Mr.  Tiffany  removed  to  this  settle- 
ment in  1800.     Here  he  gained  a  large  practice. 


and  was  highly  appreciated .  by  the  people  in 
general,  and  remained  until  the  year  1810,  or 
181 1,  when  he  removed  to  Esperance,  which  was 
fast  becoming  the  most  progressive  place  within 
the  County,  jt  being  upon  the  Great  Western 
turnpike,  the  thoroughfare  of  the  day.  While 
there,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  Judges  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas,  which  position  he  held 
about  twenty  years,  but  owing  to  his  retiring 
disposition,  officiated  but  few  times  upon  the 
bench.  He  became  deeply  interested  in  the 
breeding  of  fine  wool  sheep,  which  proved  dis- 
astrous to  him,  financially,  although  fortunate 
to  the  farmers  throughout  the  country,  in  im- 
proving the  grade  of  sheep.  Esperance  failing 
to  continue  in  her  progressive  march,  through 
the  building  of  the  Erie  Canal,  which  drew 
away  the  products  of  the  western  counties  from 
the  turnpike,  Tiffany  once  more  removed  and 
established  an  office  at  Fultonville,  Montgom- 
ery county,  where  he  died  at  the  good  age  of 
eighty,  on  the  25th  of  February,  1859.  Mr. 
Tiffany  was  tall  and  slim,  of  dark  complexion, 
high  carriage,  ever  looking  straight  ahead,  but 
scrutinizing  in  the  extreme.  A  perfect  man  in 
principle,  and  gentlemanly  in  manners.  A 
philosophic  reasoner,  eloquent  speaker,  and 
ready  debater.  His  principles  of  etiquette  and 
tidiness  caused  him  to  appear  to  many  eccen- 
tric. He  was  never  married,  and  tradition  says 
that  a  strong  love  existed  in  his  heart  for  Theo- 
dosia,  the  daughter  of  Aaron  Burr,  in  whose 
office  he  studied.  However  that  was,  the 
strange  fate  of  that  lady  made  a  solemn  im- 
pression upon  the  heart  of  Tiffany.  The  sister 
of  Tiffany  married  Thomas  Lawyer. 

Dr.  Jesse  Shepherd. — We  cannot  leave  this 
pleasant  time-honored  ville,  without  noticing 
another  Yankee,  who  came  here  about  the  year 
1800,  from  PlainfieU,  Connecticut,  as  he  was 
one  of  the  first  regular  read  physicians  in  the 
town,  and  for  many  years  a  prominent  business 
man.  Perhaps  the  County  has  not  contained  a 
more  skillful  practitioner,  until  later  years,  than 
Doctor  Jesse  Shepherd.  His  ability  as  a  natural 
scholar,  was  conceded,  and  gave  him  precedence 
in  society,  while  his  ready  flow  of  wit  made  him 
a  pleasing  companion,  and  a  host  of  friends. 

Being  somewhat  versed  in  law,  he  was  fre- 


4i8 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


quently  engaged  in  Justice's  Courts,  and  gave 
to  the  people  an  immense  amount  of  amuse- 
ment in  his  arguments.  He  made  himself 
famous  throughout  a  broad  extent  of  territory, 
as  a  wit,  and  his  expressions  are  still  referred  to 
and  repeated  as  examples  of  the  most  cutting 
sarcasm.  The  Doctor  was  a  zealous  politician, 
and  was  placed  upon  the  bench  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  in  1804,  by  Governor  Morgan 
Lewis,  but  how  long  he  held  the  office  we  are 
unable  to  say,  as  the  records  are  incomplete 
during  Governor  Morgan's  term  of  office.  He 
married  a  sister  of  Henry  Hamilton,  and  the 
fruits  of  the  union,  that  are  now  Uving,  are 
Mrs.  Thomas  Smith,  Thomas,  Sidney,  Clarence, 
John,  Edward  and  George.  He  passed  away  at 
the  age  of  fifty-eight,  in  the  year  1832,  and  was 
buried  by  the  Masonic  Order,  in  the  Lawyers- 
ville  cemetery,  where  his  ashes  still  He  with  those 
of  his  early  friends  and  neighbors. 

Hon.  Thomas  Smith. — Among  the  many  well 
educated  and  energetic  men  that  settled  at 
Lawyersville  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  cent- 
ury was  Thomas  Smith.  He  was  of  English 
ancestry  and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Westerlo, 
Albany  county,  on  the  isth  of  April,  1804. 
After  attending  the  district  school  of  the  neigh- 
borhood and  Greenville  Academy,  he  wandered 
off  to  Connecticut  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen 
and  engaged  in  teaching  school,  receiving  his 
certificate  of  qualification  from  the  District 
Court,  attested  by  its  seal.  A  few  years  after 
we  find  he  entered  the  Military  Academy,  at 
West  Point,  as  a  Cadet;  The  most  prominent 
among  the  pupils  at  that  time  were  Jefferson 
Davis  and  Professor  Church,  the  latter  remaining 
in  the  institution  his  life-time,  as  Professor  of 
Mathematics.  Military  life  not  being  suited  to 
the  taste  of  young  Smith,  he  withdrew  from  the 
school  and  removed  with  his  parents  to  West- 
ford,  Otsego  county,  N.  Y.,  from  whence  he 
located  at  Lawyersville  as  a  teacher,  and  em- 
ployed his  time  not  occupied  by  such  duties,  in 
reading  law  in  the  office  of  Jedediah  Miller. 

After  being  "  admitted  "  to  all  the  Courts,  he 
married  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Jesse  Shepherd  and 
settled  within  the  hamlet  and  began  his  active 
life  as  a  lawyer  and  politician,  removing  how- 
ever, in  the  course  of  a  few  years  to  the  village 


of  Cobleskill.  The  young  lawyer  soon  entered 
the  political  field  as  an  ardent  Whig,  and  be- 
came the  leader  of  the  party  in  the  County. 
There  being  an  overwhelming  Democratic  ma- 
jority to  overcome,  in  both  town  and  County, 
Mr.  Smith  could  not  expect  success,  much  less 
official  honors.  However,  he  appHed  himself  to 
the  work,  and  the  year  1839  found  him  in  the 
Board  of  Supervisors.  Upon  the  election  of 
Governor  Seward,  the  year  following,  he  was 
honored  with  the  appointment  of  Surrogate, 
which  office  he  filled  four  years,  with  such  credit 
to  himself  as  to  gain  many  friends,  who  ehcited 
an  anxiety  for  his  further  promotion.  In  1846 
he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  in  the  interest 
of  the  removal  of  the  Court  House  site  to 
Cobleskill,  and  re-elected  the  year  following. 
He  made  a  lively  canvass  in  1848  for  Represent- 
ative in  Congress  from  Schoharie  and  Otsego,  but 
was  defeated  by  a  very  small  majority  for  the 
district.  He  was  also  nominated  by  the  Whigs 
of  Schoharie  and  Delaware  for  State  Senator, 
we  think  in  1849,  but  was  again  defeated  by  a 
greatly  reduced  majority.  It  will  be  seen  he 
was  highly  honored  by  his  party,  and  as  a  leader 
was  a  hard  worker  and  sagacious  to  gain  the 
positions  and  bring  about  such  results  in  the 
various  canvasses  in  which  he  was  engaged, 
when  such  extreme  odds  were  against  him.  "As 
a  lawyer,"  says  a  contemporary  of  Mr.  Smith, 
"starting  with  a  finished  education  and  man- 
ners, well  grounded  in  all  the  branches  of  ele- 
mentary law,  with  a  growing  practice  and  stu- 
dious application,  he  gained  a  standing  at  the 
Schoharie  County  Bar  second  to  none,  and  in  the 
argument  of  causes  before  a  Court  in  Banc  he 
was  equally  strong  among  strong  men." 

He  was  a  gentleman  of  fine  appearance,  un- 
affected in  manner,  of  medium  height,  erect  and 
well  formed,  a  full  developed  head  that  early  in 
Ufe  was  covered  with  snow-white  hair,  which 
gave  to  him  the  appearance  of  a  man  much 
older.  He  died  in  Albany  on  the  6th  day  of 
December,  1861,  and  was  interred  in  the  family 
plot  in  the  Cobleskill  cemetery. 

Of  Mr.  Smith's  family  the  most  prominent  is 
Honorable  Henry  Smith. 

Hon.  Henry  Smith  was  bom  at  Lawyersville 
on  the  14th  of  March  1829.     He  early  enjoyed 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


419 


the  fellowship  of  the  legal  gentlemen  found  at 
the  ville  and  the  benefits  arising  from  the  cir- 
culating library,  long  sustained  by  the  neigh- 
borhood. Beyond  such  facilities  to  improve  his 
mind,  the  village  schools  and  the  Esperance 
academy  alone  furnished  means  to  prepare  him 
for  the  prominent  and  active  life  he  has  passed. 
When  but  a  lad  he  was  engaged  in  the  city  of 
Detroit  as  clerk  in  a  hardware  house  but  that 
not  being  congenial  to  his  tastes,  he  returned 
home  and  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  law 
in  his  father's  office. 

Such  was  his  rapid  progress  that  he  was 
ready  for  an  examination  nearly  two  years  be- 
fore reaching  the  age  the  law  required  the  ap- 
plicant to  attain,  to  receive  a  license — which 
time  was  employed  in  the  office  and  occasion- 
ally trying  causes  in  Justice  courts  where  he 
early  proved  himself  adapted  to  the  profession 
agreeable  to  his  genius.  After  Mr.  Smith  was 
admitted  he  soon  rose  to  the  front  rank  in  the 
County  as  a  pleader  at  the  Bar,  as  his  oratorical 
powers  are  above  the  general  and  his  ingenious 
reasoning  captivating.  He  removed  to  Albany 
and  formed  a  co-partnership  with  "Bancroft  & 
Moak"  one  of  the  leading  legal  firms  of  the  city 
and  became  prominent  as  a  criminal  lawyer  and 
has  been  engaged  in  many  such  cases,  that  have 
enlisted  the  world's  attention  within  the  last  fif- 
teen years,  beside  other  State  and  National 
causes  in  which  the  best  talent  of  the  day  was 
retained. 

In  1872  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Assembly 
from  Albany  City  and  was  chosen  Speaker.  The 
session  was  marked  as  one  in  which  partisan 
spirit  predominated  and  the  cause  of  the  people 
was  little  heeded — making  the  position  Mr.  Sm.ith 
occupied  anything  but  pleasant  and  unusually, 
onerous.  Yet  through  his  affability  and  preci- 
sion, he  passed  through  the  ordeal  with  dignity 
and  received  high  encomiums  as  an  able  officer 
from  the  honorable  body  over  which  he  presided. 

Hon.  Joseph  H.  Ramsey  was  a  student  of 
Miller's,  whose  indefatigable  energy  displayed  in 
the  building  of  the  Susquehanna  Railroad  gave 
to  him  renown,  as  a  legislator  and  persevering 
worker. 

Mr.  Ramsey  was  very  successful  in  his  legal 
business  at  this  place  and  formed  a  co-partner- 


ship with  his  tutor,  Jedediah  Miller,  afterwards 
with  Joshua  M.  Donaldson  and  still  later  with  his 
student  the  late  William  H.  Young.  In  1855  he 
represented  the  County  in  the  Legislature,  and 
in  1856  and  1857,  was  State  Senator  from  this 
District.  He  removed  to  Albany  and  represented 
the  14th  District  in  the  Senate  in  i860,  1861, 
1862  and  1863,  and  occupied  the  position  of 
President  of  the  Susquehanna  Railroad  Com- 
pany for  several  years.  Mr.  Ramsey  is  still  liv- 
ing at  Albany,  and  is  deeply  interested  in  the 
proposed  "  West  Shore  Railroad"  of  which  com- 
pany he  has  been  President.  Also'  long  and 
closely  connected  with  Mr.  Ramsey  at  this 
place  was  William  H.  Young. 

William  H.  Young  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Young 
now  of  Carlisle,  and  was  born  in  Cobleskill. 
Being  unfortunate  in  the  use  of  one  of  his  limbs, 
under  great  disadvantages  he  fitted  himself  for 
the  legal  profession,  which  he  entered  in  the 
office  of  Mr.  Ramsey,  with  whom  as  before 
stated  he  formed  a  co-partnership. 

"  Billy"  as  he  was  familiarly  called  possessed 
a  quick,  perceptive  mind,  and  also  a  large  heart, 
that  won  for  him  a  host  of  warm  friends,  and 
added  much  to  the  firm's  success.  For  several 
years  the  court's  calendar  noticed  but  few  cases 
in  which  the  firm  was  not  employed.  Mr. 
Young  was  elected  District  Attorney  in  1862, 
and  was  re-elected  in  1 865,  which  was  the  only 
office  with  which  he  was  honored,  as  his  sudden 
and  untimely  death  debarred  his  friends  from 
conferring  upon  him  the  election  of  Senator,  as 
anticipated.  Soon  after  the  removal  of  Mr. 
Ramsey  to  Albany,  Mr.  Young  removed  to 
Cobleskill  village  where  he  identified  himself 
with  the  progression  of  the  village  and  its  busi- 
ness interest,  in  behalf  of  which  his  generous 
labors  and  purse  were  not  withheld.  On  the 
25th  of  August,  1874,  in  the  bloom  of  his  man- 
hood and  legal  success,  he  suddenly  passed 
away,  at  the  age  of  forty-five,  deeply  lamented 
by  the  community  and  the  legal  fraternity.  It 
was  said  of  him  by  the  local  press  "  in  the  pub- 
lic walks  of  life,  whether  in  an  official  or  pro- 
fessional transaction  or  character,  his  position 
was  openly,  squarely  and  manfully  taken  and 
maintained,  for  he  cordially  spurned  every  sem- 
blance of  unworthy  compromise,  and  abhorred 
a  spirit  of  truckhng  policy  in  barter  for  princi- 


42  o 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


pies  he  deemed  right,  for  the  mere  purposes  of  a 
temporary  advantage. 

Shutts  Family. — In  1805,  Abram  Shutts 
moved  from  Columbia  county,  New  York,  and 
settled  upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by  his  son, 
Abram,  and  reared  four  sons — John  C,  Henry, 
Abram,  and  WiUiam,  each  of  whom  followed 
agricultural  pursuits,  with  the  exception  of 
Henry,  who  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at 
Lawyersville  with  the  late  Charles  Courter,  as 
before  stated,  and  at  Sharon  Hill,  with  Abram 
A.  Kneiskern  of  Carlisle,  in  1839.  He  was 
endowed  with  a  literary  mind,  and  is  one  of  the 
leading  miscellany  writers  of  the  day.  The 
productions  of  his  pen  have  been  voluminous, 
and  published  by  many  of  the  leading  periodi- 
cals of  high  standing,  instead  of  book  form, 
with  the  exception  of  a  pamphlet  of  forty-two 
pages — the  first  and  second  edition,  of  which 
appeared  in  1857  and  1859,  entitled  "Tobac- 
co,— a  satire  by  a  Non-Sucker,"  excusing  the 
the  latter  assumed  incognito  thus  : — 

We  call  the  subjects  of  the  Realm  of  Rum 
"  Suckers  " — are  not  those  of  Tobaccodom 
As  much  so  ?     Does  not  each  respective  tribe 
Alike  in  its  peculiar  way  "  imbibe  ?  " 

The  laconic  preface   exhibits  the    author's 
generosity  of  ideas,  as  he  says : — 

' '  This  work  the  author  here  inscribes  in  brief, 
To  all  who  love  and  all  who  loathe  the  Leaf." 

Mr.  Shutts'  writings  are  marked,  as  fluently 
written,  precision,  weight  of  thought  and  honest 
aim  and  expression.  He  married  Mary  Ann 
H.  Dodd,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  1855,  and  the 
union  proved  to  be  congenial  to  both,  as  she 
was  of  rare  literary  taste  and  ability.  Of  her 
Caroline  May,  in  her  "  Female  Poets,"  says  : 

"  Mary  Ann  Hanmer  Dodd  was  bom  at 
Hartford,  Conn.,  in  1813,  and  educated  alter- 
nately at  Weathersfield,  and  in  her  native  town.  • 
Her  productions  first  appeared  in  the  Heme- 
ihenean,  a  magazine  conducted  by  the  students 
of  Washington  College,  Hartford.  Since  that 
time  she  has  been  a  frequent  contributor  to  the 
Ladies  Repository  and  the  Rose  of  Sharon,  an 
annual  edited  by  the  late  Mrs.  Mayo.  She 
possesses  a  poetical  sensibiUty  and  the  power 
of  deducing  moral  lessons  from  the  changes  of 
life."  ^ 


R.  W.  Griswold,  in  his  "Female  Poets  of 
America,"  makes  mention  of  several  of  Mrs. 
Shutts'  productions  "  as  of  rare  excellence/'  as 
"  The  Mourner,"  "  The  Dreamer,"  and  "Burns." 

The  writer's  attention  was  particularly  at- 
tracted by  "  Charity,"  "  Brighter  Hours,"  and 
"  In  Life's  Young  Morn,"  from  her  work  pub- 
lished in  1844,  as  efforts  of  literary  excellence. 
Mrs.  Shutts  was  a  lady  of  culture,  modest  and 
unassuming,  and  drew  around  her  a  large  circle 
of  friends,  particularly  those  of  literary  taste. 
She  died  near  Albany  City  on  the  i8th  of 
January,  1878,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four. 

But  few  places  of  even  greater  size  can  pro- 
duce a  better  record  than  this  little  ville.  It 
has  seemed  to  be  the  scholar's  home,  where 
logic  has  shed  its  classic  rays  on  unpretending 
worth,  and  produced  men  that  were  a  host 
within  themselves.  While  we  of  another  school 
from  them,  under  the  light  of  brilliant  literary 
advantages,  take  pride  in  boasting  of  our  supe- 
riority in  exigent  times,  yet  when  we  calmly 
look  back  upon  such  men  as  have  graced  the 
legal  profession  from  this  place,  we  cannot  but 
acknowledge  their  superiority,  and  when  we 
look  upon  their  legislative  career  we  cannot  but 
admire  their  candor  and  integrity.  Their  op- 
portunities to  become  corrupt  were  as  good  as 
to-day,  but  they  did  not  give  way  to  the  tempta- 
tions ;  they  based  their  acts  upon  honor  as  men, 
and  when  they  were  laid  down  in  their  narrow 
homes,  that  honor  remained,  unstained,  irre- 
proachable. 

We  cannot  leave  this  quiet  cemetery",  in  all 
its  rusticity,  without  a  thrill  of  veneration  for 
the  illustrious  that  lie  here  so  silently,  and 
have  left  such  lasting  and  honorable  impressions 
of  their  "  once  having  been."  Here  the  war- 
rior, statesman,  philosopher,  and  peasant  lie 
side  by  side,  noble  by  acts  in  life— generous  by 
example,  in  death.  Wave  after  wave  of  earth's 
changing  scenes  may  obliterate  much  that  man 
has  built  and  fostered,  yet  well  spent  and  useful 
lives  like  theirs,  remain  and  shine  with  brighter 
luster  as  the  foaming  spray  of  less  honorable 
ones,  dash  against  their  worthy  records. 

The  house  so  long  occupied  by  General  Law- 
yer, was  built  in  1810,  bySethB.  Wakeman,  the 
father  of  the  present  owner  and  occupant. 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


421 


Mr.  Wakerriati  came  from  Connecticut  about 
the  year  1796,  as  a  carpenter  and  joiner.  His 
first  work  within  the  County,  was  in  the  build- 
ing of  Judge  Beekman's  palatial  residence.  In 
1802,  while  at  work  upon  that  building,  Lam- 
bert Lawyer  was  burned  out,  and  called  upon 
Mr.  Wakeman  to  build  the  present  Courter 
mansion. 

In  1808  he  built  that  of  Lawrence  Lawyer, 
and  in  1810  and  i8ii,the  General  Lawyer  and 
John  Redington  houses.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  methodical  men  found  in  the  country,  and 
none  was  respected  more.  He  kept  a  diary  from 
his  boyhood,  and  to  it  we  have  been  indebted 
for  many  dates  and  transactions,  that  could  not 
have  been  obtained  with  accuracy  without  it. 
His  children,  Horace,  Alonzo  and  Horatio,  were 
tutored  in  conformity  with  his  ideas  of  duty  and 
order,  and  are  the  brightest  examples  of  manly 
integrity  and  systematic  business  men. 

A  public  library  was  sustained  at  this  little 
hamlet  at  a  very  early  day,  and  we  believe  it  was 
the  only  one  in  the  County.  The  school  found 
here  was  in  a  prosperous  condition,  with  a  well 
educated  teacher  as  early  as  1800  ;  and  in  look- 
ing over  the  sketches  of  the  lives  of  the  settlers, 
which  we  have  not  intended  to  overdraw,  we 
can  imagine  Lawyersville  to  have  been  a  "  green 
spot,"  in  a  new  country.  To  say  that  the  set- 
tlers were  free  from  taint — that  their  characters 
as  Moralists  and  Pietists,  were  without  blemish, 
would  be  exaggeration.  But  in  knowing  "  to 
err  is  human,"  and  that  they  were  men  of  action 
— brain  action — and  were  useful  in  propagating 
sound,  intellectual,  political  and  social  princi- 
ples, we  can  well  afford  to  draw  the  folds  of  the 
curtain  of  Charity  over  their  faults,  and  look 
with  respect  and  pride  upon  the  bright  pages 
their  lives  have  written. ' 

The  Reformed  Church  standing  here,  was 
founded  in  New  Rhinebeck,  in  1788.  Upon  the 
records  we  find  in  German  : — ■ 

"  In  the  year  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ,  1788,  was  by  the  Grace  of  God  here  at 
Durlach  and  Rhinebeck,  founded  a  High  Ger- 
man Reformed  Church  by  the  Reverend  F.  C. ' 
L.  Droffel  (m)eflle),  of  Schoharie.  The  fol- 
lowing officers  were  ordained : — 


Peter  Young, 
Philip  Karker, 
Abram  Mereness, 
Martin  us  Vrooman, 
Conrad  Eker, 
William  Heintz,  (Hynds,) 
Johannes  Engle, 
Hendrick  Adams.'' 

The  settlers  of  Rhinebeck,  belonging  to  this 
society,  worshipped  in  the  present  Rhinebeck 
church,  with  the  Lutherans,  until  an  edifice  was 
built  at  this  place  in  1800,  which  stood  a  few 
yards  to  the  south.  The  Society  intended  to 
build  upon  the  present  Winne  farm,  which  was 
given  by  Johannes  Lawyer  for  that  purpose,  but 
as  the  citizens  of  Dorlach  built  the  present  Re- 
formed church  in  1795,  and  quite  a  settlement 
was  anticipated  here,  the  Rhinebeck  branch  de- 
cided to  build  as  they  did,  and  formed  a  legal 
organization  in  1797,  as  required  by  law. 

The  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  first 
administered  to  this  branch  on  the  21st  of 
August,  1796.  The  first  settled  minister  of 
the  united  congregation  of  Dorlach  and  Rhine- 
beck was  Rev.  Christian  Bork,  of  the  city  of 
Berlin,  and  was  ordained  in  Albany  on  the  2d 
of  March,  1796.  Those  that  have  followed  are 
as  follows : — 

M.  Gasple, 

Isaac  Labagh,  (1805,) 

Nicholas  Jones, 

Isaac  Labagh,  (recalled  in  1821,) 

B.  Bassler, 

William  Lockhead, 

Cyriel  Spaulding, 

E.  S.  Hammond, 

D.  B.  Hall, 

H.  A.  Raymond, 

J.  H.  Van  Wort, 

J.  Markle, 

G.  A.  Reis, 

WiUiam  P.  Davis,  present  pastor. 

Upon  the  record  in  the  clerk's  office,  at  Scho- 
harie, we  found  the  following : — 

"Whereas  by  virtue  of  an  act  entitled  'An 
Act  making  such  alterations  in  the  Act  for  In- 
corporating Religious  Societies'  as  to  render 
the   same   more  Convenient  to   the  Reformed 


42  2 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Protestant    Dutch    Congregation    passed    7th 
March,    1788. 

"We,  the  subscribers,  Christian  Bork,  Minister, 
Johannes  Young,  Joshua  Cook,  Salah  Jackson, 
John  M.  Brown,  Elders,  and  William  Brown,  Jo- 
hannes Kerger,  Sylvanus  Parkinson,  Deacons,  of 
the  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church  or  Con- 
gregation, formed  and  estabUshed  at  Rhinebeck, 
in  the  county  of  Schoharie,  having  assembled 
together  at  Rhinebeck  in  the  county  aforesaid 
on  this  20th  day  of  April,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  One  Thousand  Seven  hundred  and  nine- 
ty-Seven, by  virtue  of  said  act,  do  by  these  pres- 
ence Certify  that  the  trustees  of  the  said  church 
or  Congregation,  and  their  Successors  in  office, 
forever  as  a  body  corporate,  shall  be  called,  dis- 
tinguished, and  known  by  the  Name,  Style  and 
Title  of  the  Minister,  Elders  and  Deacons  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of  Rhinebeck, 
in  the  county  of  Schoharie.  In  Witness  where- 
of we  the  said  Minister,  Elders  and  Deacons 
have  hereunto  set  our  hands  and  seals  this 
day  and  year  last  above  written. 
Signed  Sealed  and  DeUv- 
ered  in  the  presence  of 
Nicholas  Kerger, 
Peter  Bork, 

Christian  Bork, 

Minister. 
Johannes  Young, 
Joshua  Cook, 
Salah  Jackson, 
J.  M.  Brown, 

Elders. 
William  Brown, 
Johannes  Kerger, 
Sylvanus  Parkinson, 
Deacons. 

Lutheran  Church. — The  Lutheran  church  at 
this  place,  as  well  as  the  one  at  Gardnersville, 
is  a  moniiment  of  the  labors  of  Rev.  Philip 
Wieting.  During  his  pastorate  of  many  long 
years  in  the  old  Rhinebeck  church,  many  of  his 
flock  lived  in  this  neighborhood,  and  upon 
abandoning  the  old  church  and  building  the  one 
at  Gardnersville,  the  distance  compelled  the 
charge  to  divide,  and  erect  a  house  of  worship 
here  in  1849.     Both  churches  were  supplied  by 


the  same  pastor  during  the  life  of  Mr.  Wieting, 
but  for  the  last  eleven  years  the  Rev.  Marcus 
Kling  has  officiated  in  connection  with  Little 
York. 

Mr.  Kling  is  at  present  the  veteran  Lutheran 
minister  of  this  section,  having  preached  for  the 
term  of  thirty-three  years.  He  was  bom  in  the 
town  of  Sharon,  on  the  6th  day  of  January,  1820. 
He  entered  the  Hartwick  Seminary  in  1842  and 
received  his  license  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  July, 
1848.  His  first  charge  was  Argusville,  Little 
York  and  Centre  Valley,  and  he  held  the  same 
without  interruption  for  eighteen  years  and  nine 
months.  These  churches,  upon  the  commence- 
ment of  Mr.  Kling's  pastoral  duties,  were  strug- 
gling weakly,  but  through  his  earnest  labors 
they  became  strong  and  active,  and  are  firm 
monuments  of  his  work  under  the  help  of  Prov- 
idence. The  Lutheran  church  of  Johnstown, 
Fulton  county,  gave  him  a  call  to  which  he  re- 
sponded in  July,  1867,  and  remained  two  years 
and  eight  months,  when,  there  being  a  vacancy 
at  Lawyersville  and  Little  York,  he  returned  to 
a  portion  of  his  early  field  of  labor.  Eleven 
years  he  has  successfully  officiated  in  the  latter 
two  churches,  making  as  before  mentioned  thir- 
ty-three years  of  ministry.  But  few  pastors 
draw  around  them  more  confiding  flocks  than 
Mr.  Kling.  His  earnest  sermons,  persevering 
labor,  and  watchful  care  over  the  spiritual  inter- 
ests of  his  charge,  awakened  a  confidence  that 
but  few  are  fortunate  to  gain. 

During  the  interval  from  Rev.  Wieting's  res- 
ignation, (1868)  to  the  commencement  of  Mr. 
Kling's  pastorate,  this  pulpit  was  supplied  by 
Rev.  P.  H.  Turner,  in  1869,  Chauncey  Diefen- 
dorf  and  N.  Daniels. 

Early  Merchants. — The  first  general  store  of 
merchandise  at  Lawyersville  was  kept  by  George 
W.  Porter,  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  soon  after 
Sprague  &  Dana,  of  Esperance,  followed.  Peter 
Osterhout,  of  Schoharie,  Goodyear  &  Frisbee, 
Courter  &  Shutts,  Herrick  &  Redington,  George 
Goodyear,  Abram  Osterhout,  Gilbert  Kneiskern, 
and  J.  Van  Wagenen,  successively  followed. 
At  times  there  were  two  and  three  stores,  each 
doing  a  lively  business,  while  the  present  Cobles- 
kill  village  was  dormant,  or  inactive. 

Undoubtedly  the  first  practical  physician  in 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


423 


the  town  of  Cobleskill  was  Jabez  Kromer,  of 
Pennsylvania,  who  came  in  1793,  and  estab- 
lished a  practice  but  did  not  obtain  a  license  for 
several  years  after.  Others  of  a  school  of  quacks, 
from  time  to  time  had  stopped  for  a  while  to 
attend  to  the  ills  of  the  settlers,  by  "talking" 
the  disease  away,  the  patient  swallowing 
charmed  minerals  or  drinking  gallons  of  syrups 
made  from  the  medicinal  roots  and  herbs  with 
which  the  forests  abounded — the  latter  being 
the  only  practical  method  and  undoubtedly  one 
they  as  little  understood. 

Dr.  Shepherd,  as  we  have  already  noticed 
followed  Dr.  Kromer  about  the  year  1798  or 
1799. 

Dr.  Patrick  Gannon  removed  from  Columbia 
county  in  1815,  in  company  with  his  father-in- 
.law  William  Huddleston  who  was  assassinated 
in  1818,  while  performing  his  official  duties  and 
whose  remains  Ue  in  the  cemetery  at  Law- 
yersville.  Dr.  Gannon  settled  upon  the  farm 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  ex-Judge  Wilham 
C.  Lament  and  practiced  until  the  year  1830, 
when  he  removed  to  Albany  City  where  he  died 
in  February,  1851,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 

Contemporary  with  Dr.  Gannon's  first  years 
of  practice  was  Dr.  Cornell  who  practiced  till 
the  year  1830  when  he  settled  in  the  Western 
States.  Dr.  Cornell  occupied  a  small  yellow 
house,  still  standing  nearly  opposite  of  Harder's 
machine  shops  and  commanded  an  extensive 
practice. 

Dr.  Daniel  H.  Kibbe  immediately  after  fin- 
ishing his  studies  with  Dr.  Greene  of  Esper- 
ance,  settled  at  Lawyersville  and  enjoyed  the 
confidence  of  a  large  section  of  the  country,  but 
his  health  became  too  much  impaired  by  falling 
from  a  horse,  to  allow  him  to  endure  the  expos- 
ures his  profession  required  him  to  meet.  The 
Doctor  married  a  daughter  of  General  Thomas 
Lawyer.  He  died  after  a  lingering  illness  on 
the  8th  of  January,  1850. 

Dr.  Rowley,  of  Warnerville,  (at  the  same 
time  Kibbe  practiced)  also  claimed  a  lucrative 
patronage,  as  did  Dr.  Lorin  Thompson  who 
was  a  resident  of  the  village.  Mr.  Thompson 
was  a  student  of  Dr.  Delos  White,  of  Cherry 
Valley  and  removed  from  Carlisle  in  1835,  and 
remained  here  until  his  death  which  occurred 


in  1846.  Dr.  John  H.  Benham  was  a  co-part- 
ner with  Dr.  Thompson  a  short  time.  He  re- 
moved to  the  city  of  Hudson  in  1847,  where 
he  still  resides.  The  vacancy  made  by  the 
death  of  Dr.  Thompson  was  immediately  filled 
by  Dr.  John  J.  FHnt,  a  student  of  White  andgrad- 
uate  of  the  Albany  Medical  College.  After  a 
practice  of  six  years  Dr.  Flint  removed  to  Fort 
Edward  leaving  his  fellow  student  at  college, 
David  Frasier,  alone  in  the  field.  Dr.  Frasier, 
at  present  practicing  physician  of  the  Allopathic 
school,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Richmondville 
(then  Cobleskill)  November  23,  1819.  He  en- 
tered the  office  of  Dr.  C.  VanDyck  in  1844,  and 
that  of  Swart  &  Crounse  in  1845. 

He  graduated  at  Albany  in  1847,  and  settled 
at  this  place,  where  he  still  holds  a  lucrative 
practice.  Beside  his  professional  duties  he  has 
been  called  upon  at  various  times  to  perform 
official  duties,  to  which  his  constituents  have 
given  him  encomiums  of  credit,  such  as  only 
careful  and  earnest  offices  receive.  He  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  Board  of  Supervisors  in 
the  years  1867,  1868  and  1869. 

Michael  G.  Delany,  a  nephew  and  student  of 
Dr.  Gannon,  settled  at  Lawyersville,  but  did 
not  practice  medicine.  He  entered  the  United 
States  Navy  in  1830,  and  remained  in  service 
for  many  years.  He  removed  to  and  died  in 
Geneva. 

Augustus  Lawyer,  son  of  General  Thomas 
Lawyer,  studied  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Henry 
Greene,  of  Esperance,  and  entered  the  United 
States  Navy  in  1838.  He  circumnavigated  the 
globe  in  the  "  Brandywine,"  under  Commodore 
Parker.  During  the  Mexican  war,  under  Com- 
modores Conner  and  Perry,  he  acted  as  sur- 
geon, and  was  in  several  engagements,  and 
received  creditable  commendations  for  his  skill 
in  surgery. 

Lemuel  Cross,  contemporary  with  Dr.  David 
Frasier,  from  1861,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Sharon,  and  for  several  years  was  a  successful 
school  teacher.  He  entered  the  office  of  Dr.' 
Leonard  Hawkins,  of  Newport,  and  after  that' 
of  Dr.  Amenzo  White,  of  Cherry  Valley,  for  the 
study  of  medicine,  and  graduated  in  1856  from 
the  Albany  Medical  College.  He  practiced  a 
portion  of  the  year  following  at  Canajoharie 


424 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


and  then  became  connected  with  Dr.  Gleason 
as  an  assistant  in  surgery,  with  whom  he  trav- 
eled two  years.  In  1861,  he  located  at  Cobles- 
kill  village.  In  the  beginning  of  the  war  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Morgan  examining 
surgeon  for  the  draft,  and  in  1879  to  the  same 
position  by  the  United  States  Commissioner  of 
Pensions,  for  the  counties  of  Schoharie,  Otsego 
and  Delaware. 

Dr.  Valentine  Cornell  removed  from  Rich- 
mond ville  in  1874,  and  settled  here  as  an  AUo- 
pathist,  but  being  a  victim  to  consumption,  he 
died  in  March,  1877. 

Dr.  Ezra  Lawyer  was  born  in  Carlisle,  in 
August,  1826,  and  studied  in  the  office  of  Dr. 
Isaac  May  ham,  of  that  town.  He  graduated 
in  November,  1854,  at  the  Castleton  Medical 
College,  and  settled  in  Broome  county,  N.  Y., 
and  removed  to  Cobleskill  in  1874.  In  con- 
nection with  his  practice,  he  engaged  in  drugs 
and  medicines  in  1876,  and  discontinued  the 
same  in  1880,  to  give  more  attention  to 
practice,  in  which  he  is  successful. 

Dr.  Charles  K.  Frasier,  son  of  Dr.  David 
Frasier,  studied  in  the  office  of  the  late  Dr.  J. 
H.  Armsley,  of  Albany,  and  graduated  at  the 
Albany  Medical  College  in  1874.  He  immedi- 
ately settled  here,  and  is  flattered  by  a  lucrative 
practice. 

Dr.  C.  Durant  Welsh,  of  the  Homeopathic 
school,  settled  in  the  village  in  1880,  and  Dr. 
Allen,  of  the  Eclectic  school,  at  LawyersviJle, 
and  was  followed  by  Dr.  W.  Tyler  Miller,  an 
AUopathist,  the  same  year. 

As  has  already  been  stated,  Isaac  Hall  Tiffany 
was  the  first  professional  lawyer  m  the  town,  and 
was  followed  by  General  Thomas  I^awyer,  Jede- 
diah  Miller,  Thomas  Smith,  Demosthenes 
Lawyer,  Joshua  M.  Donaldson,  Henry  Smith, 
Joseph  H.  Ramsey,  Josiah  L.  Hawes,  Jeremiah 
Fox,  and  William  H.  Young,  as  principals,  and 
those  that  now  reside  here,  a  sketch  of  whom 
may  be  found  in  Chapter  VI.  Of  those  we 
have  here  particularly  mentioned,  all,  with  the 
exception  of  Smith,  Ramsey  and  Hawes,  have 
passed  to  the  Bar  of  the  Eternal  court.  While 
the  three  stand  as  links  to  bind  the  past  with 
the  present,  and  the  old  school  with  the  new, 
they  well  represent  the  qualities  that  their  tutors 


possessed,  such  as  energy,  studious  application 
to  professional  duties,  and  professional  integrity. 
The  legal  critic  would  be  at  a  loss  to  find  bet- 
ter talent,  in  a  country  town,  than  those  men 
possessed  that  have,  passed  away.  They  were  a 
host  within  themselves,  upon  whom  the  Bar  of 
to-day  can  look  back  and  find  worthy  examples 
to  follow  in  the  practice  of  their  duties  as  ad- 
vocates of  honor  and  justice.  Their  struggles 
under  adverse  circumstances  in  preparing  them- 
selves for  the  important  duties  they  so  success- 
fully performed,  are  also  worthy  examples  for 
the  youth  of  our  country  similarly  situated,  to 
follow,  in  the  intricate  and  discouraging  labors 
against  poverty's  pressing  burdens. 

The  first  regular  manufactory  of  the  town, 
outside  of  flour  and  lumber  by  the  numerous 
small  mills  that  were  early  built,  of  which  we 
have  any  knowledge,  was  a  hattery  by  one 
Miller,  estabhshed  about  the  year  1810. 

Joseph  Betts  was  a  journeyman  in  the  factory, 
and  upon  his  settling  above  Lawyersville,  and 
launching  out  in  a  business  manner.  Miller's 
works  at  this  place  were  abandoned.  S.  Tap- 
ping revived  the  works  a  few  years  after,  but  did 
not  continue  them  long.  Benjamin  Barton  set- 
tled upon  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Martin  and 
Chester  Berner,  sometime  previous  to  1820,  and 
manufactured  the  well-known  "Barton  Grain 
Cradle,''  an  implement  of  his  own  invention, 
and  said  to  surpass  all  others.  He  manufac- 
tured it  up  to  the  year  1825,  when  he  removed. 

The  cradle  is  made  at  the  present  time,  only 
by  Christian  Bouck,  of  Mineral  Springs,  and  is 
still  known  as  the  "  Barton." 

Besides  the  grist-mills  already  mentioned, 
one  was  built  immediately  after  the  Revolution, 
by  David  Bouck,  a  short  distance  to  the  east  of 
South  Grand  street  bridge,  and  was  succeeded 
in  1830,  by  the  present  mill  owned  by  Milton 
Borst.  Alexander  Boyd,  of  Middleburgh,  built 
the  structure,  and  brought  the  present  "  flour  run" 
from  his  mill  at  that  place.  The  property  was 
owned  at  one  time  by  George  Goodyear,  and 
was  for  a  long  time  called  the  "  Goodyear  mill." 
Mr.  Borst,  the  present  proprietor,  was  for  many 
years  the  owner  of  the  "  Scribner  mill,"  of  Mid- 
dleburgh, previous  to  his  removal  here. 

The  first  agriculturalmanufactory  inthe  town 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


425 


of  which  any  knowledge  can  be  gleaned,  was 
carried  on  by  Jacob  Shafer  upon  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  "  Boss"  Hilts.  He  manufac- 
tured a  two-handled  plow,  which  was  considered 
by  most  people  a  humbug.  They  have  been  des- 
cribed to  us  as  long,  awkward  implements,  yet 
they  did  good  service  for  those  who  could  be  in- 
duced to  use  them.  Shafer  spent  quite  a  prop- 
erty in  the  project,  and  persisting  in  the  busi- 
ness he  was  called  "  crazy  Jake,"  by  which  name 
he  was  known  to  the  day  of  his  death.  Soon 
after,  a  firm  bearing  the  name  of  "Bouck  & 
Butler"  made  a  specialty  of  straw  cutters, 
worked  by  a  lever.  An  occasional  one  maybe 
found  in  the  County  at  the  present  time  after  a 
usage  of  over  forty  years. 

Empire  Agricultural  Works. — The  next  estab- 
lishment  of  any   note  was  the    "  Empire  Agri- 
cultural Works."     Reuben  and  Minard  Harder 
purchased   the   foundry  and   small  agricultural 
works  of  David  Anthony,  erected  by  the  latter 
gentleman  about  the  year  1850.     Before  we  go 
farther  we  cannot  in  justice  to  genius,  pass  by 
Mr.  Anthony,  without  giving  notice  of  his  supe- 
rior qualities  as  a  mechanic.     He  was  a  native 
of  Sharon,  and  before  locating  at  this  village  was 
engaged  in  a  foundry  at  Moak's  Hollow  [1847] 
where  he   struggled  with  his  genius  in  a  small 
way  and  laid  plans  for  an  extensive  business  at 
this  place.     At  Cobleskill  he  manufactured,  in 
connection  with  the  foundry,  horse-powers  and 
other  implements  of  his  own  invention,  but  was 
in  such  circumstances  as  not  to  engage  largely 
therein.      He  was  looked  upon  by  prominent 
mechanics  throughout  the  country  as  a  superior- 
Messrs.  Harder  purchased  Mr.  Anthony's  inter- 
est in  May,   1859,  and   at   once   enlarged   the 
buildings  and  increased  the  facilities  to  manu- 
facture agricultural  implements,  making  horse- 
powers  and   threshers  a  specialty.      In   April, 
1870,  Reuben's  interest  was  purchased   by  Mi- 
nard, under  whose  management   the   establish- 
ment has  been  and  is  still  conducted.     While 
other  firms  in  like  business  have  and  are  manu- 
facturing  a   greater  variety  of  machines,    this 
firm  have  confined  themselves  largely  to  railway 
horse-powers  and   threshers  of  their  own,    and 
Mr.  Anthony's  inventions  and  patents,  and  none 
other,   claiming   superiority  over  others   in  the 


saving  of  power,  ease  of  draught,"durability  and 
saving  of  grain. 

At  the  time  these  machines  were  first  manu- 
factured they  were  almost  entirely  unknown 
outside  of  the  County,  cut  now  they  are  in  use 
throughout  the  United  States  and  portions  of 
Europe.  The  "  Fearless"  as  these  machines  are 
called  were  awarded  a  medal  and  diploma  of 
merit  at  the  "  World's  Fair"  in  1876,  as  by  re- 
port, which  says  "  For  special  features  in  the 
tread-power,  to  secure  light  running  and  mini- 
mum friction.  Also  for  the  ingenious  form  of 
straw  shakers,  which  ensure  the  proper  agitation 
to  separate  the  grain  from  the  straw."  Two 
gold  medals  were  also  awarded  to  the  Harder's 
by  the  New  York  State  Agricultural  Society, 
and  hke  emblems  of  merit  received  from  other 
sources  too  numerous  to  mention. 

The  establishment  is  an  honor  to  the  County 
and  we  feel  justly  proud  of  the  genius  that  in- 
vented these  machines^  together  with  those  that, 
have  worked  them  up  to  world  renown,  in  a  sys- 
tematic and  energetic  business  way.  They  are 
neither  of  foreign  birth  but  germs  that  sprang 
from  the  farm  and  the  rude  district  schgols  of 
our  own  County. 

In  1872,  John  H.  Overpaugh  and  Charles 
Courter  purchased  the  sash  and  blind  factory  of 
Alexander  and  WilHam  H.  McHensh  &  Co., 
who  had  been  engaged  in  the  business  a  few 
years,  being  the  first  firm  making  a  specialty  of 
those  articles  in  the  town.  Improved  machinery 
was  procured  to  facilitate  manufacture,  and 
heavy  purchases  of  lumber  for  building  purposes 
made,  to  which  has  been  added  from  year  to 
year,  as  increased  demand  has  required,  all  the 
necessary  machinery  and  stock  for  a  first-class 
factory  and  lumber  yard.  The  firm  received  a 
check  in  business  affairs  through  a  conflagra- 
tion in  1877,  that  burnt  the  building  and  de- 
stroyed the  machinery,  entailing  a  loss  of  sev- 
eral thousand  dollars.  The  buildings  are  com- 
modious and  the  machinery  first-class,  consisting 
of  various  saws,  powerful  planers  and  jointers 
driven  by  a  forty-horse  power  engine. 

A  co-partnership  was  formed  between  John 
VanVoris  and  H.  Harder,  of  Eminence,  in  No- 
vember, 1880,  for  the  production  of  flagging, 
curb  and  mantle  stones,  from  the  quarries  of 


426 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Fulton,  which  bids  fair  to  become  an  extensive 
business. 

Peter  Feek,  son  of  John  Feek,  of  Gallupville, 
commenced  the  manufacture  of  carriages  exten- 
sively in  1870,  and  was  succeeded  by  James 
Kennedy  the  year  following.  In  1872  John 
Feek  took  possession  of  the  buildings  near  the 
fair-grounds'and  manufactured  alone  until  1873, 
when  Thompson  Perrine  became  connected, 
who  is  now  the  sole  proprietor.  These  firms 
have  made  a  specialty  of  hght  buggies,  carriages 
and  cutters,  and  during  their  existence  have 
made  them  by  the  hundred.  Beside  supplying 
the  increasing  home  demand,  large  shipments 
have  been  made  yearly  to  distant  parts,  and 
their  superior  workmanship  and  style  of  finish 
make  an  increased  demand,  that  can  but  require 
an  extension  of  facilities. 

William  H.  and  N.  B.  Davis,  of  Quaker  Street, 
N.  Y.,  came  to  the  village  in  April,  1 880,  and 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes. 
They  employ  from  ten  to  fifteen  workmen,  and 
make  a  specialty  of  kid  and  calf  goods,  that  find 
a  ready  market. 

Cobleskill  Lodge,  No.  394,  A.  F.  and  A.  M., 
was  organized  at  Summit  and  removed  to  Rich- 
mondville,  and  soon  after  it  was  wafted  to 
Cobleskill.  It  was  chartered  on  the  24th  of 
June,  1856,  and  the  name  changed,  as  at  present, 
in  June,  1862. 

The  first  officers  of  the  organization  were : — 
Isaac  Mann,  W.  M. 
Seymour  Bough  ton,  Sr.,  S.  W. 
Edward  Kinnicutt,  J.  W. 

It  numbers  at  the  present  time  about  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  members  and  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition. 

The  present  officers  are : — 
S.  J.  Thatcher,  W.  M. 
John  M.  Dean,  S.  W. 
William  Farqher,  J.  W. 
Jeremiah  Borst,  Treas. 
Clarence  Fox,  Sec. 
Henry  Bellenger,  S.  D. 
Irving  E.  Ottraan,  J.  D. 

Rescue  Lodge,  No.  209,  L  O.  G.  T.  of  Cables- 
kill  ^n^  organized  on  the  23d  of  March,  1880. 


The  charter  officers  of  the  society  were : — 

R.  T.  Lafevre,  W.  C.  T. 
Ida  Fuller,  .W.  V.  T. 
Reuben  Harder,  W.  C. 
L.  L.  Griggs,  W.  S. 
Mrs.  Wm.  H.  Weeks,  W.  A.  S. 
Elmer  France,  W.  F.  S. 
Elnora  J.  Beare,  W.  T. 
John  Mack,  Jr.,  W.  M. 
Mrs.  W.  C.  Shafer,  W.  D.  M. 
Anna  Hyser,  W.  E.  G. 
Charles  France,  W.  O.  G. 
Maggie  E.  Kling,  W.  R.  H.  S. 
Libbie  Overpaugh,  W.  L.  H.  S. 
Jerome  Niles,  P.  W.  C.  T. 

The  order  numbers  one  hundred  and  eight 
members,  and  has  one  of  the  finest  rooms  of 
any  society  in  the  County,  which  are  also  occu- 
pied by  the 

Anchor  Temple,  No.  44,  of  Juvenile  Templars. 
The  following  are  the  chartered  officers : — 

Rev.  J.  S.  Bridgford,  C.  T. 
Mary  Hurst,  V.  T. 
A.  J.  Niles,  R.  S. 
Jay  Cady,  P.  C.  T. 
*  Edward  Borst,  T.  S. 
Rose  Hallenbeck,  T. 
Chartered  January  13,  1881. 

Post  Snyder  G.  A.  R. — This  Post  was  formed 
in  1868,  and  named  in  honor  of  Lieutenant 
George  W.  Snyder,  of  Sumter  memory.  The 
object  of  the  order,  as  copied  from  the  "order 
card  "  is : — 

1.  To  preserve  and  strengthen  those  kind  and 
fraternal  feelings  which  bind  together  the  sol- 
diers, sailors  and  marines,  who  united  to  sup- 
press the  late  Rebellion,  and  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  and  history  of  the  dead. 

2.  To  assist  such  former  comrades  in  arms  as 
need  help  and  protection ;  and  to  extend  need- 
ful aid  to  the  widows  and  orphans  of  those  who 
have  fallen. 

3.  To  maintain  true  allegiance  to  the  U.  S. 
of  America,  based  upon  pajamount  respect  for 
and  fidelity  to  the  National  constitution  and  laws  • 
discountenance  whatever  tends  to  weaken  loyalty, 
invites  insurrection,  treason,  or  rebellion,  or  in 
any  manner  impairs  the  efficiency  and  perraa- 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


427 


nency  of  our  free  institutions ;  and  to  encourage 
the  spread  of  universal  liberty,  equal  rights  and 
justice  to  all  men. 

"The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  is  an  or- 
ganization purely  patriotic,  social  and  charita- 
ble." 

The  charter  officers  of  this  lodge  were :  — 

C.  E.  Foote,  Com. 

Charles  Hamilton,  S.  V. 

M.  D.  Lewis,  Jr.,  V.  C. 

Eugene  Coffin,  O.  D. 

J.  M.  Esmy,  Q.  M. 

John  S.  Collett,  Adj. 

Peter  E.  -Borst,  O.  G. 

Walter  Dingman,  Chaplain. 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Cobleskill  was 
organized  February  8,  1864,  with  a  capital 
of  sixty  thousand  dollars,  under  the  following 
Board  of  Directors  : — 

C.  Courter, 

C.  H.  Shaver, 

Alonzo  Wakeman, 

Jonathan  R.  Herrick, 

Minard  Harder, 

Stanton  Courter. 

Charles  Courter,  President. 

Stanton  Courter,  Cashier. 

The  capital  has  been  increased  to  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars. 

The  present  Board  of  Directors  are : 

J.  R.  Herrick, 

C.  H.  Shaver, 
Alonzo  Wakeman, 
Abraham  Sternbergh, 
James  Becker. 

The  officers  of  1882  are : — 
J.  R.  Herrick,  President. 

D.  C.  Dow,  Cashier. 
Archibald  Kilmer,  Teller. 

The  village  of  Cobleskill  was  incorporated  by 
Legislative  act  passed  April  3,  1868,  with  the 
following  officers  as  Trustees: — 

Charles  Courter, 

William  B.  Calkins, 

David  Frasier, 

Charles  H.  Shaver, 

William  H.  Young, 

Henry  Smith. 


A  meeting  was  held  on  the  17  th  of  April,  of 
that  year,  when  the  following  were  elected  offi- 
cers : — 

Charles  Courter,  President. 

S.  J.  Thatcher,  Clerk. 

J.  S.  Finder,  Police  Justice. 

William  Shafer,  Treasurer. 

David  Lawyer,  Collector. 

James  F.  Blodgett,  Street  Commissioner. 

John  A.  Segar,  Police. 

Anson  R.  Bell,  Police. 

Alonzo  Douglass,  Police. 

The  town  of  Cobleskill  was  formed  at  the 
same  time  as  the  County,  but  the  limits  were 
not  defined  until  1801.  The  first  town  meeting 
was  held  in  May,  T795,  when  the  ballots  were 
deposited  in  a  hat  for  the  following  officers: — 

Supervisor : — 

John  Shaver. 
Clerk  : — 

Jacob  I.  Cuyler. 
Assessors  : — 

David  Zea,  David  Schuyler,  John  Reding- 
ton,    Mathew  Young,   Henry  Shafer. 
Commissioners  of  Highways : — 

George  Wright,  George  Warner,  Ephraim 
Young. 
Overseers  of  the  Poor : — 

Christian  Brown,  Peter  Shafer. 
Collectors : — 

William  Brown,  Jacob  Bouck. 
Commissioners  of  Schools  : — 

John  Punk,  Sylvester  Nash,  David  Schuy- 


ler. 


Supervisors. 


The  following  is  a  list  of  the  supervisors,  with 
the  date  of  their  elections : — 


1797- 
1798- 
1799- 
1800- 
1801- 
1802- 
1803- 
1804- 
1805- 
1806- 
1807- 


-John  H.  Shaver. 
-John  H.  Shaver. 
-John  H.  Shaver. 
-William  Ferris. 
-William  Ferris. 
-Henry  Shafer. 
-Henry  Shafer. 
-Henry  Shafer. 
-Henry  Shafer. 
-Henry  Shafer. 
-Henry  Shafer. 


428 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


1808 — Henry  Shafer. 
1809 — Henry  Shafer. 
18 to — Henry  Shafer. 
181 1 — Henry  Shafer. 
1 81 2 — George  Mann. 
18 13 — George  Mann. 
1814 — Henry  Shafer. 
1 8 15— Peter  W.  Snyder. 
1816 — Philip  Van  Sternbergh. 

1817 — Philip  Van  Sternbergh. 

1818 — Philip  Van  Sternbergh. 

1819 — Philip  Van  Sternbergh. 

1820 — Henry  Shafer. 

182 1 — Jonas  Westover,  Jr. 

1822 — Jonas  Westover,  Jr. 

1823 — Abram  L.  Lawyer. 

1824 — Abram  L.  Lawyer. 

1825 — Abram  L.  Lawyer. 

1826 — John  P.  BelHnger. 

1827 — John  P.  Bellinger. 

1828— John  P.  Bellinger. 

1829 — Abram  L.  Lawyer. 

1830 — Henry  Shafer. 

1831— Henry  Shafer. 

1832— John  P.  Bellinger. 

1833— John  P.  Bellinger. 

1834— Thomas  Lawyer. 

1835— Peter  W.  Snyder. 

1836— Peter  W.  Snyder. 

1837— John  H.  Mumford. 

1838— John  H.  Mumford. 

1839 — Thomas  Smith. 

1840 — Thomas  Smith. 

1841 — Charles  Courter. 

1842 — Charles  Courter. 
1843— Jacob  Russell. 
1844 — ^John  Westover. 
1845 — John  Westover. 
1846 — David  W.  Lawyer. 
1847— Philip  Mann. 
1848 — Philip  Mann. 
1849 — John  Brown. 
1850 — John  Brown. 
1851— Daniel  Kilmer. 
1852— Abram  A.  Osterhout. 
1853 — Abram  A.  Osterhout. 
1854— Daniel  Shafer. 
185  s— Daniel  Shafer, 
1856— H.  L.  Russell. 
1857— Charles  H.  Shaver. 


1858 — Marcus  Sternbergh. 

1859 — Teunis  Slingerland. 

i860 — Asaph  Roberts. 

1 86 1 — Harmon  Becker. 

1862 — Harmon  Becker. 

1863 — ^John  Brown. 

1864 — John  Herron. 

1865 — Daniel  Shafer. 

1866— Daniel  Shafer. 

1867 — David  Frasier. 

1868 — David  Frasier. 

1869 — David  Frasier. 
1870 — Theodore  Owen. 
187 1 — Charles  Ryder. 
1872 — Charles  Ryder. 
1873 — David  B.  Lawyer. 
1874 — John  J.  Dickinson. 
1875 — ^John  J.  Dickinson. 
1876 — Peter  Lawyer. 
1877 — Peter  Lawyer.* 
1878 — David  B.  Lawyer. f 
1879 — Peter  Tingue. 
1880— William  Shafer. 
1881— William  Shafer. 
1882— William  Shafer. 

In  1846  when  the  County  Court  House  was 
burned,  the  inhabitants  of  Cobleskill  took  active 
measures  to  remove  the  site  to  the  village  of  Cob- 
leskill, and  elected  Hon.  Thomas  Smith  to  the 
Legislature  to  engineer  a  bill  through  the  House 
to  that  effect.     He  was   unsuccessful  and  the 
new  building  was  placed  on  the  old  site.    Upon 
the  burning  of  the  building  in   1870,  renewed 
effjrts  were  made  to  accomplish  the  removal 
The  grounds  upon  which  the  Hotel  Augustan 
stands,  were  then  strewn  with  the  debris  of  the 
conflagration  of  that  year  and  the  citizens  of 
the  village  agreed  to  donate  that  as  a  site  and 
also  erect  a  court  house  at  their  own  expense, 
without  incurring  any  upon  the  County.     The 
provisions  of  the  statutes  were  such  as  to  make 
a  removal,  yet  the  citizens  of  Schoharie  village 
to  ensure  the  buildings  being  placed  there  made 
a  like   offer  of  building   without   cost  to   the 
County  and  the  Board  of  Supervisors  voted  to 
accept  their  proposals.     Being  thus  foiled  two 
times  in  an  attempt   to  make  Cobleskill  the 


*  Deceased. 


f  Elected  at  special  election. 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


429 


county-seat,  differences  arose  in  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  and  the  citizens  of  the  several  towns 
in  the  year  1881,  on  the  equahzation  of  towns, 
in  which  Schoharie  and  Esperance  were  the 
aggrieved  parties.  Another  effort  was  made  in 
that  year  to  remove  the  site  to  Cobleskill  and 
Middltburgh.  A  preamble  and  resolution  was 
read  before  the  board  by  William  Shafer,  the 
Supervisor  of  Cobleskill,  which  was  as  follows  : — 

Whereas,  In  the  opinion  and  judgment  of 
the  Supervisors  of  the  several  towns  composing 
the  County  of  Schoharie,  hereby  expressed  at 
the  annual  meeting  and  session  of  the  "  Board  of 
Supervisors  of  Schoharie  County,"  for  the  year 
1881,  that  the  public  convenience,  and  best  in- 
terests of  a  large  majority  of  the  citizens,  and 
particularly  of  taxpayers  of  said  County,  and  of 
the  various  towns  of  said  County,  will  be  best 
promoted  and  secured  by  a  change  of  the  pres- 
ent site  and  location  of  the  County  Court 
House,  County  Judge  and  Surrogate's  Office, 
County  Clerk's  Office,  and  of  the  Common  Jail 
of  said  County,  from  the  village  and  town  of 
Schoharie,  elsewhere,  therefore. 

Resolved,  That  under  the  provisions,  and  in 
the  proper  exercise  of  the  power  conferred  and 
vested  in  Boards  of  Supervisors  by  the  provis- 
ions of  Sections  one,  two  and  five,  of  Chapter 
482^  of  the  Laws  of  1875,  entitled  "An  act  to 
confer  on  Boards  of  Supervisors  further  power 
of  local  legislation  and  administration,  and  to 
regulate  the  compensation  of  Supervisors,  passed 
June  5th,  1875,  the  present  site  and  location  of 
the  County  buildings  of  the  County  of  Scho- 
harie, being  the  County  Court  House,  County 
Judge  and  Surrogate's  Office,  County  Clerk's 
Office,  and  the  Common  Jail  of  Schoharie 
County  is  hereby  removed  from  the  village  and 
town  of  Schoharie,  in  the  County  of  Schoharie. 

Resolved,  That  the  village  of  Middleburgh, 
in  the  town  of  Middleburgh,  and  the  village  of 
Cobleskill,  in  the  town  of  Cobleskill,  in  said 
County  of  Schoharie,  be,  and  the  same  are  here- 
by fixed,  designated,  and  established  as  half- 
shire  towns  in  said  County  of  Schoharie,  for  the 
location  and  site  of  the  County  buildings  of  the 
County  of  Schoharie,  being  a  County  Court 
House,  a  County  Judge  and  Surrogate's  Office, 


County  Clerk's  Office,  and  a  Common  Jail  for 
the  use  of  the  County  of  Schoharie. 

Resolved.^  That  the  present  County  buildings, 
known  as  the  County  Court  House,  in  which  is 
located  and  fixed  the  office  of  County  Jude;e 
and  Surrogate,  and  the  office  of  the  County 
Clerk,  together  with  the  Common  Jail  of  Scho- 
harie County,  with  all  the  material  composing 
the  same,  and  all  the  fixtures,  furniture  and 
property  therein  belonging  to  said  County,  may 
be  taken  and  removed  from  the  village  and 
town  of  Schoharie,  into  the  village  and  town  of 
Middleburgh,  there  to  be  re-erected  and  re- 
constructed into  such  buildings,  and  used  there- 
in for  the  use  of  the  County  of  Schoharie,  but 
without  charge,  cost  or  expense  to  said  County 
of  Schoharie,  or  any  of  the  towns  of  said 
County,  or  of  the  tax-payers  therein,  except 
such  sums  as  shall  be  voluntarily  contributed 
therefor. 

Resolved,  That  the  citizens  of  the  village  and 
town  of  Cobleskill,  Schoharie  County,  are  here- 
by authorized  and  empowered  to  erect  and  con- 
struct suitable  and  proper  buildings  to  be  used 
and  appropriated  to  the  free  use  of  the  County 
of  Schoharie  as  a  County  Court  House,  a  County 
Judge  and  Surrogate's  Office,  a  County  Clerk's 
Office,  and  a  Common  Jail  for  the  County  of 
Schoharie,  upon  the  express  condition  that  the 
same  shall  be  without  cost,  charge  or  expense 
to  said  County,  or  of  any  of  the  towns  of  said 
County,  or  of  the  tax-payers  of  said  town  or 
county,  except  such  sums  as  shall  be  volun- 
tarily contributed  by  them  therefor. 

Resolved,  That  for  the  purpose  of  carrying 
into  effect  the  object  and  intention  of  the  fore- 
going resolution,  Wilham  Shafer,  of  Cobleskill, 
Hadley  Snyder, of  Middleburgh,  Henry  C.  Lyker, 
of  Sharon,  Marcus  Zeh,  of  Fulton,  and  Moses 
S.  Wilcox,  of  Jefferson,  be  and  they  are  hereby 
authorized,  appointed  and  empowered  a  com- 
mittee to  serve  without  expense  to  the  County 
of  Schoharie  for  such  purpose. 

Resolved,  That  Hon.  Addison  P.  Jones  as 
Senator  elect,  and  Hon.  Edwin  D.  Hager,  as 
Member  of  Assembly  elect  in  the  Legislature  of 
1882,  be,  and  they  each  are  hereby  earnestly, 
yet  respectfully  requested  and   solicited,  by  all 


43° 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


proper  methods  and  means  of  legislation,  to 
favor  and  procure  the  passage  of  all  needed  and 
appropriate  laws,  if  any  are  required,  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  full  force  and  eifect  to  the 
provisions,  object  and  intent  of  the  foregoing 
preamble  and  resolutions. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  of  this  Board  be, 
and  he  is  hereby  directed  to  prepare  and  furnish 
to  our  Senator  and  Member  of  the  Assembly 
elect,  a  certified  copy  of  the  foregoing  preamble 
and  resolutions. 

The  resolution  was  passed  by  twelve  voting  for 
and  three  against,  the  latter  being  the  repre- 
sentatives of  Schoharie,  Esperance  and  Wright. 

The  matter  was  to  be  left  to  the  people,  at 
the  ensuing  town  meetings,  but  Middleburgh 
through  a  town  meeting  of  her  citizens,  refused 
to  raise  the  required  amount  to  remove  the 
building  and  the  matter  dropped  entirely,  and 
was  chaffed  by  electors  in  general  as  being  fool- 
ish and  illegal. 

In     1 8 13    the    Legislature     described     the 
boundaries   of  the   town   as   follows:  — 


"And  all  that  part  of  said  county  of  Schoharie 
bounded  by  a  line  beginning  at  the  north-west 
corner  of  the  town  of  Jefferson,  and  running 
thence    northerly    along   the    bounds    of    the 
county  until  it   intersects  a  line   described  in 
the    following    manner,    viz: — Running    from 
the  westerly   corner   of  the  dwelling  house  of 
John  Reddington  in  a  direct  line  to  the  west- 
erly corner  of  the  dwelling  house  now  or  late 
of  Peter  Bogardus,  thence  in  a  straight  line  to 
the  northerly  corner  of  the  dwelling  house  now 
or  late  of  Joseph  Webb,  thence  in  a  direct  Une 
to  the  westerly  corner  of  the  dwelling  house  now 
or  late  of  Nicholas  Smith,  thence  southwesterly 
to  the  nearest  point  in  the  division  line  between 
the  counties  of  Schoharie  and  Otsego,  thence 
northeasterly   along  the  line  so  intersected   to 
the  southwest  corner  of  the  town  of  Carlisle, 
thence  along  the  south  bounds  of  Carlisle  to  the 
west  line  of  the  town  of  Schoharie,  thence  along 
the  west  line  of  the  town  of  Schoharie  and  Mid- 
dleburgh to  the  north  bounds  of  the  town  of 
Jefferson,    and   thence   along   the    said    north 
bounds  to  the  place  of  beginning,  shall  be  and 
continue  a  town  by  the  name  of  Cobelskill. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 


JUDGE  CHARLETS   HOLMES. 


The  subject  of  this  brief  sketch  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Fulton,  Schoharie  County,  N.  Y., 
March  26,  1826,  then  being  the  third,  but 
only  surviving  child  of  the  late  Hanpah  and 
James  Holmes,  Jr.  His  paternal  grandfather, 
James  Holmes,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and 
a  soldier  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution, 
after  the  termination  of  which,  he  married 
Miss  Mercy  Hunt,  also  a  native  of  that  State. 
About  the  year  1801  they  settled  near  the  loca- 
tion of  the  Union  church,  on  what  is  still  known' 
as  "  Sapbush  Hill,"  in  the  immediate  neighbor-, 
hood  of  which  Judge  Holmes  was  born  and 
passed  his  childhood  years.  His  maternal  an- 
cestors, John  Spickerman,  and  Mary,  his  wife, 
(whose  maiden  name  was  Decker,)  were  natives 
of  Columbia  county,  in  this  State,  and  among 
the  early  settlers  of  that  part  of  Fulton  known 
as  "  Rossman  Hill,"  near  which  many  of  their 
descendants  still  reside. 

His  grandfather  Spickerman  was  also  a  sol- 
dier in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  his  father  a 
soldier  in  the  War  of  18 12-1 815,  which  may  in 
some  degree  account  for  the  martial  spirit  and 
passion  for  military  excitement  and  display, 
which  was  a  prominent  characteristic  of  his 
younger  days.  At  the  early  age  of  nineteen 
years  he  was  elected  and  duly  commissioned  as 


Captain  of  a  militia  company  by  Governor  Silas 
Wright^and  continued  to  serve  as  such  until  the 
re-org^nization  of  the  military  system  of  the 
.  State.  ',  He  was  afterwards  selected,  commis- 
sioned, and  for  several  years  served  as  Quarter- 
Master  of  the  loSth  Regiment  of  the  "National 
Guard  of  the  State  of  New  York,"  on  the  staff  of 
Colonels  Wakefield  and  Ferguson,  and  until  the 
Regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service,  by  a  re- 
duction of  the  National  Guard. 

His  father  died  in  1837,  leaving  him  as  the 
eldest  of  six  surviving  children,  under  the  super- 
vision of  his  excellent  widowed  mother,  to  assist 
in  caring  for  and  looking  after  their  welfare,  and 
the  management  of  a  small  farm,  left  to  them 
for  support. 

In  early  life  he  evinced  an  earnest  desire  and 
ambition  for  the  acquisition  of  general  knowl- 
edge, and  more  especially  for  the  profession  in 
which  he  afterwards  became  an  active  member, 
until  his  promotion  to  the  Bench,  in  his  native 
County.  Being  left  an  orphan  at  the  early  age 
of  eleven  years  without  patrimony  or  the  means 
or  facilities  for  obtaining  a  better,  or  more  lib- 
eral education,  he  was  compelled  to  content 
himself  with  self-improvement  and  the  poor  ad- 
vantages afforded  by  the  common  school  of  the 
neighborhood  in  which  his  early  life  was  passed. 


432 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


This  was  his  Alma  Mater,  except  for  one  term 
in  the  "Jefferson  Academy,"  and  another  in 
a  "Select  School"  at  Richmondville,  in  his  na- 
tive County,  where  he  sought  to  improve  and 
add  to  the  little  store  of  coveted  knowledge, 
acquired  by  him  under  so  many  adverse  and 
discouraging   circumstances. 

In  1846,  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Baird,  of 
Richmondville,  daughter  of  Jacob,  and  Lydia 
Baird,  nee  Phillips.  Of  the  fruit  of  such  union, 
five  children  still  survive,  the  youngest,  Welling- 
ton J.,  having  died  when  a  little  more  than  two 
years  of  age.  Of  the  remaining  children,  the 
eldest,  Demosthenes  L.  Holmes  now  resides  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  being  married,  and  an 
Assistant  Deputy  of  the  County  Clerk,  which 
position  he  has  satisfactorily  tilled,  for  more  than 
five  years.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was 
Carluta  E.  Coy,  of  New  York  City.  The  second, 
Lewis  C.  Holmes,  an  attorney  and  counselor 
at  law,  is  present  clerk  in  the  Surrogate  Court 
of  Schoharie  County,  and  resides  in  Cobleskill 
village,  where  he  married  his  wife.  Miss  Helen 
Courter.  The  next,  was  their  only  daughter, 
Mary  Adelaide,  who  married  Dr.  James  E.  Allen, 
of  Schenectady,  (now  deceased)  the  issue  of 
such  marriage  being  the  .only  surviving  grand- 
child, Addie  Emerson  Allen,  a  sprightly,  favor- 
ite pet  of  all  who  know  her,  now  being  in  the 
fifth  year  of  her  age,  and  residing  with  her 
mother,  at  the  parental  home  in  Cobleskill  vil- 
lage. The  nextis  their  son  Charles  H.  Holmes, 
who  is  also  an  attorney  and  counselor  at  law, 
residing  and  practicing  his  profession  in  Cobles- 
kill, where  he  married  Miss  Hattie  Ottman- 
The  remaining,  and  youngest  surviving  child, 
Lyman  S.  Holmes,  has  also  chosen  the  profes- 
sion of  his  father,  is  unmarried,  and  a  member  of 
the  law  firm  of  "  Thorne  &  Holmes"  at  Mid- 
dleburgh,  Schoharie  County,  as  successors  of 
"Sanford  &  Thorne." 

Judge  Holmes  began  the  study  of  his  pro- 
fession, subsequent  to  his  marriage,  at  Cobles- 


kill village.  He  entered  the  law  ofifice  of  the 
late  Demosthenes  Lawyer,  then  County  Judge, 
and  ex-officio  Surrogate  of  Schoharie  County,  in 
January,  1849,  ^"'^  ^^^  admitted  as  an  attorney 
Bjnd  counselor  at  law,  in  September,  1852. 

It  was  during  the  period  of  his  clerkship  in 
the  ofifice  of  his  preceptor.  Judge  Lawyer,  while  a 
student,  enjoying  the  advantages  derived  from 
his  varied  experience  in  the  formal  proceedings 
and  practical  administration  of  the  laws  as  ap- 
plicable to  Surrogate  Courts,  that  he  became  so 
eminently  fitted  for  the  correct  and  careful  dis- 
charge of  the  difficult  and  responsible  duties  in- 
volved in  this  most  important  branch  of  our  ju- 
dicial system. 

In  November,  1855,  ^^  was  elected  Member 
of  Assembly  from  Schoharie  County,  and  al- 
though less  than  thirty  years  of  age,  when  he 
took  his  seat,  he  soon  became  an  active  and 
efficient  member  of  that  branch  of  the  Legisla- 
ture. He  was  exceedingly  popular  among  his 
associates,  and  acquitted  himself  with  great 
credit,  in  the  successful  management,  and  in 
procuring  the  passage  through  the  Assembly  of 
the  Albany  &  Susquehanna  Railroad  town  bond- 
ing bill.  Although  with  a  single  exception,  he 
was  the  youngest  member  of  the  House,  he  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  Judiciary  Committee, 
served  on  several  special  committees,  and  near 
the  close  of  the  session,  without  his  previous 
knowledge  or  solicitation,  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  "  Select  Committee,"  to  perfect 
and  forward  all  bills  and  measures,  meriting 
and  deserving  special  legislative  action. 

After  the  close  of  his  legislative  term,  he 
resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Cobles- 
kill village,  in  the  various  courts  of  this  State, 
and  upon  his  subsequent  admission  to  practice 
as  attorney  and  as  counselor  in  the  Circuit 
and  District  Courts  of  the  United  States,  formed 
a  special  partnership  with  the  late  William  H. 
Young,   of   Cobleskill,  in  bankruptcy  cases. 

In    the   fall   of  187 1,    he   was   unanimously 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


433 


nominated  by  the  Democrats  of  Schoharie 
County,  for  the  office  of  County  Judge,  who  in 
this  County  is  also  ex-officio  the  Surrogate  of 
the  County,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  by 
his  full  party  majority.  In  the  fall  of  1877,  he 
was  unanimously  renominated  to  the  same 
position,  and  at  the  RepuhUcan  County  Con- 
vention held  a  few  days  subsequent  to  his  re- 
nomination,  a  commendatory  resolution  of 
approval  of  his  official  course  was  adopted, 
accompanied  by  a  resolution  not  to  make  any 
nomination  for  that  position — which  resulted  in 
his  unanimous  re-election,  by  a  vote  largely  in 
excess  of  the  vote  polled  by  his  party  at  that 
election. 

Politically,  Judge  Holmes  has  always  been 
recognized  at  home  and  abroad,  as  one  of  the 
most  firm  and  reliable  members  of  the  class  of 
politicians  who  enjoy  and  rejoice  in  the  proud 
appellation  of  "Schoharie  Democrats." 

Prior  to  his  election  to  his  present  judicial 
position,  he  was  an  earnest,  active,  local  poli- 
tician, was  frequently  a  delegate  to  County  and 
State  Conventions ;  was  for  over  ten  years 
chairman  of  the  County  committee,  and  in 
1881,  was  without  his  desire,  elected  a  member 
of  the  Democratic  State  Committee,  and  by 
that  body  made  a  member  of  its  executive 
committee. 

Personally,  he  is  known  as  frank  and  out- 
spoken in  respect  to  all  issues  in  which  he  feels 
and  takes  an  interest,  or  becomes  interested, 
either  for  himself  or  his  friends,  apparently 
being  more  zealous  in  serving  others,  than  in 
doing  for  himself  He  is  bold  and  fearless  in 
waging  his  contests,  is  never  influenced  by 
motives  of  poUcy  alone,  to  court  or  receive 
public  approval  from  superior  numbers,  against 
his  sense  of  justice  and  right,  in  a  war  against 
injustice  and  wrong.  He  is  apparently  most 
happy  in  serving  the  indigent,  oppressed,  and 
defenceless,  against  the  cupidity  and  rapacity  of 
the  covetous  and  avaricious,  whose  greed  is  for 


gold.  In  short,  he  abhors  and  detests  every 
one  whose  sycophantic  servility  makes  them 
time-servers  for  personal  preferment,  or  advan- 
tage, and  turns  with  disgust  and  disdain  from 
the  hypocritical  pretenders,  who  would  sacrifice 
principle  and  betray  friends,  to  accompUsh  per- 
sonal ends,  and  gain  a  temporary  local  popu- 
larity. 

Socially,  he  is  among  the  number  who  delight 
in  contributing  to  the  happiness  and  pleasure 
of  all,  instead  of  striving  to  monopolize  all  the 
homage  and  attentions  that  by  the  self-conceited 
are  exacted  as  their  exclusive  privileges  and 
prerogatives.  To  his  friends,  he  is  ever  faithful 
and  sincerely  devoted,  as  well  in  adversity  as  in 
prosperity,  and  never  fails  to  face  his  foes.  He 
never  displays  a  flag  of  truce  while  the  contest 
is  waged  against  him,  or  the  friends,  or  cause 
for  which  he  has  enlisted.  And  finally,  he  has 
never  yet  been  known  to  forsake  a  friend,  or 
forget  an  enemy. 


JEDEDIAH  MILLER. 

Jedediah  Miller  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mid- 
dleborough,  Plymouth  county,  Mass.,  on  the 
1 6th  day  of  June,  1782,  and  was  a  descendant 
in  the  line  of  his  mother,  (who  was  a  Howland,) 
of  the  Pilgrims  who  landed  from  the  May- 
flower. 

Mr.  Miller  was  a  classmate  of  Daniel  Web- 
ster in  Dartmouth  college,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  August,  1805.  With  the  intention  of 
beginning  an  active  life,  he  started  in  May,  1 806, 
for  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  then  considered  a  far  oflf 
Western  town.  Reaching  Schoharie  village, 
and  desiring  to  visit  an  old  college  associate, 
Isaac  Hall  Tiffany,  he  set  out  for  Lawyersville. 
Arriving  at  the  river  west  of  the  village,  he  was 
rowed  across  the  stream  by  a  negress  and  found 


434 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


the  road  leading  to  Cobleskill  obstructed  by 
gates  and  bars,  which  undoubtedly  gave  to  him 
a  poor  impression  of  the  liberality  of  the 
people    and   of    the   freedom    vouchsafed    to 


travelers,  and  which  led  him  in  after  years  to 
procure  a  reprimand  from  the  Grand  Jury.  He 
arrived  at  Lawyersville  in  the  month  of  May, 
and  intended  to  spend  but  a  few  days  with  Judge 


Tiffany,  and  then  continue  his  journey.  Tiffany 
and  Miller  were  in  college  together,  the  former 
being  a  senior  and  the  latter  a  freshman,  and 
a  strong  attachment  had  arisen  up  between 
them  that  did  not  lessen  as  long  as  they  lived. 
Mr.  Miller  was  induced  to  forego  his  journey 
and  take  charge  of  the  school  and  commenced 
the  study  of  law  with  Judge  Tiffany.  He  was 
admitted  to  practice  in  1809,  and  at  once  rose 
to  the  front  rank  in  his  profession,  particularly 
as  an  advocate.  He  possessed  talents  of  a  high 
order,  and  during  his  long  residence  in  the 
County,  although  a  Yankee,  he  had  a  strong 


hold  in  the  confidence  of  the  Germans  as  well 
as  the  entire  community.  In  1819  and  1820, 
he  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  as  a  Clintonian 
Democrat,  at  that  time  called  'Republican,' 
and  earnestly  advocated  internal  improvements 
by  taxation,  under  strict  rules  of  economy,  and 
gave  an  exhibition  of  his  broad  ideas  of  govern- 
ment and  its  destined  resources,  in  several 
speeches  before  those  bodies.  He  was  elected 
again  in  1832  by  the  Whig  party,  and  in  1838, 
when  the  formation  of  the  town  of  Seward  was 
in  controversy,  he  became  a  candidate  for  this 
same  position   and   was  successful   in  his  elec- 


W^'t.<^^ 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


435 


tion,  but  was  unable  to  get  his  "  Seward  bill " 
passed,  as  his  home  opponents  crowded  numer- 
ous petitions  before  the  body  to  defeat  him,  yet 
having  set  out  to  carry  his  point,  he  did  so  in 
the  course  of  time,  and  gave  to  the  territory  its 
present  name  in  honor  of  the  then  acting  Gov- 
ernor. 

Mr.  Miller  avoided  political  preferment  and 
enjoyed  himself  most  in  the  tranquility  of 
his  home.  Of  him,  Mr.  J.  H.  Ramsey  says: — 
"  Mr.  Miller  in  his  social  habits  was  in  some 
respects  eccentric,  but  he  possessed  a  peculiar 
charm  in  conversation  and  his  varied  and 
extensive  knowledge,  made  him  a  very  instruc- 
tive and  agreeable  companion.  He  was  a  warm- 
hearted and  enduring  friend  and  always  tem- 
perate and  economical  in  his  habits.  In  public 
affairs  he  exhibited  a  lively  interest  to  the  last. 
Although  weak  and  feeble  he  made  frequent 
enquiries  as  to  public  matters,  and  when  told  a 
short  time  before  his  death,  the  prospect  was 
that  the  Southern  Rebellion  would  be  put  down 
and  the  Union  preserved,  he  exclaimed  with  deep 
emotion,   '  God  be  praised  I  can  die  in  peace.' 

"  He  had  his  eccentricities,  which  to  some 
may  have  appeared  to  be  faults,  while  on  the 
other  hand,  he  possessed  many  virtues  and  ex- 
traordinary powers  of  mind.  Take  him  all  in 
all  as  was  said  of  him  by  an  intimate  friend  writ- 
ing his  obituary 

'  We  ne'er  shall  look  upon  his  like  again.'  " 

Upon  the  tombstone  is  inscribed  "  The  old 
man  eloquent."  At  the  time  of  this  writing  it  is 
not  known  that  he  has  a  living  descendant  or 
relative  by  the  ties  of  consanguinity. 


HOH.  JOSEPH  H.  RAMSEY. 

Of  the  many  students  of  Jedediah  Miller,  the 
most  prominent  is  the  Hon.  Joseph  H.  Ramsey, 
of  Albany.     Mr.  Ramsey  being  so  closely  iden- 


tified with  the  building  of  the  Susquehanna  Rail- 
road, in  which  he  exhibited  the  business  tact 
and  indomitable  perseverance  of  one  reared  in 
the  manipulations  of  public  enterprises,  we  can- 
not give  a  concise  account  of  his  career  without 
referring  at  some  length  to,  and  giving  a  minute 
history  of  the  Railroad,  or  rather,  the  strug- 
gles of  the  friends  of  the  road  in  building  the 
same. 

In  doing  so  the  writer  would  have  preferred 
to  have  entered  the  same  in  Chapter  IV,  of 
this  work,  but  at  the  time  of  compiling  that 
portion,  it  wis  thought  that  space  could  not  be 
given  to  the  details  of  the  enterprise,  and  there- 
fore the  simple  outhnes  of  it  were  recorded. 

Joseph  Henry  Ramsey  was  born  on  the  2gth  of 
January,  1816,  in  the  town  of  Sharon,  of  German 
and  English  descent.  He  studied  law  with 
Jedediah  Miller  and  was  admitted  to  practice 
in  all  the  courts  of  the  State  in  1840.  He  com- 
menced practice  and  continued  in  the  office  of 
Mr.  Miller  for  several  years  and  succeeded  to 
his  practice.  After  that  Mr.  Ramsey  established 
an  office  of  his  own  at  Lawyersville  and  con- 
tinued the  practice  of  law  and  in  business  con- 
nected with  the  building  of  the  Albany  &  Sus- 
quehanna railroad  until  he  removed  to  Albany 
City  in  1863.  In  the  fall  of  1854,  he  was  elect- 
ed from  the  Northern,  and  Wilkinson  Wilsey 
from  the  Southern  Assembly  District  of  the 
county,  as  Whigs  and  served  during  the  session 
of  1855,  the  last  year  Schoharie  was  represented 
in  the  Assembly  by  two  members. 

He  was  a  delegate  from  Schoharie  to'  the 
Whig  State  convention  in  the  fall  of  1855,  ^-nd 
a  member  also  of  the  joint  convention  com- 
posed of  the  members  of  the  Whig  convention 
and  a  State  convention  of  free-soil  Democrats 
which  formed  the  Republican  party  in  this  State. 
This  was  followed  by  his  election  to  the  State 
Senate  the  same  year  as  a  Republican  from  the 
17th  Senatorial  District  comprising  the  counties 
of  Schoharie  and  Delaware. 


436 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


The  election  of  Mr.  Ramsey  by  a  constitu- 
ency, a  majority  of  whom  were  politically  op- 
posed to  him,  was  to  quite  an  extent  owing  to 
the  strong  feeling  of  a  portion  of  his  constituents 
in  the  success  of  the  railroad,  of  which  he  was 
an  ardent  advocate  and  they  expected  he  would 
succeed  in  obtaining  necessary  Legislation  to 
promote  its  success.  It  was  not  strange  that 
such  a  feeling  should  exist,  as  the  region  to  be 
penetrated  by  the  road  was  known  as  the  "  Se- 
questered region  " — having  no  outlet — either  by 
water  navigation  or  rail,  nothing  but  the  old 
wagon  roads.  In  this  connection  we  will  state 
that  the  Albany  &  Susquehanna  Railroad  com- 
pany was  first  organized  in  1852,  and  individual 
stock  subscribed  along  the  line  and  at  Albany 
to  more  than  a  million  dollars.  An  act  was 
also  passed  the  same  year  authorizing  the  city 
of  Albany  to  loan  the  company,  on  -certain  con- 
ditions another  million  dollars  of  its  bonds.  In 
the  summer  of  1853,  a  contract  was  made  by 
the  company  with  Morris,  Miller,  Baker  &  Co. 
then  supposed  to  be  the  strong  parties — finan- 
cially, to  build  the  entire  road,  the  railroad 
company  agreeing  to  turn  over  to  the  contrac- 
tors the  avails  of  the  individual  subscriptions 
and  the  city  bonds,  as  the  work  progressed  and 
the  balance  to  complete  the  road  in  the  bonds 
of  the  company. 

The  work  was  commenced  in  the  spring  of 
1853,  at  different  points  in  Albany,  Schoharie, 
Otsego  and  Broome  counties  and  progressed 
for  a  few  months,  when  an  unexpected  revul- 
sion occurred  in  railroad  affairs,  rendering  it 
difficult,  if  not  impossible  to  negotiate  railroad 
bonds  to  the  extent  required  to  complete  the 
road.  This  caused  the  contractors  to  suspend 
the  work,  and  it  then  became  evident,  unless 
some  way  could  be  devised  to  increase  the  stock 
basis  of  the  company, 'the  project  must  fail,  as 
it  was  not  possible  to  compel  contractors  to 
perform  a  work  of  such  magnitude  in  such 
times.     It  was  at  this  crisis,  that  Mr.  Ramsey 


was  called  in  to  consult  with  the  directors  as  to 
what  course  to  pursue — take  measures  to  wind 
up  the  affairs  of  the  company  and  abandon  the 
project  as  a  failure,  or  devise  some  means  of 
increasing  the  stock  basis  or  capital  of  the 
company  and. keep  the  project  alive  until  there 
was  a  change  of  times.  Although  Mr.  Ramsey 
had  before  taken  part  in  meetings  held  to  ob- 
tain individual  subscriptions  and  was  one  of  the 
original  subscribers  to  the  articles  of  associa- 
tion, he  had  not  been  identified  with  the  com- 
pany as  an  officer  or  director.  It  was  suggested 
that  town  subscriptions  had  been  used  with  suc- 
cess in  several  cases,  and  as  it  was  believed  im- 
possible at  that  time  to  obtain  further  individual 
subscriptions  to  the  extent  required,  Mr. 
Ramsey  was  urged  to  examine  the  matter  and 
ascertain  the  prospect  of  raising  means  by  the 
use  of  town  bonds.  He  consented  and  after 
examination  ascertained  that  other  roads  had 
built  with  the  aid  of  such  bonds  and  made  a 
success ;  while  on  the  other  hand  in  many 
other  cases,  attempts  had  been  made  to  use 
them  which  had  resulted  in  failure.  This  ren- 
dered the  expedient  doubtful,  and  several  of 
the  directors  thought  the  risk  too  great  to  make 
the  experiment.  After  some  conflict  and  con- 
siderable deliberation,  the  directors  rather  than 
have  the  project  fail  and  as  a  last  resort,  resolved 
to  apply  to  the  Legislature  for  a  law  authorizing 
the  towns  to  subscribe  to  the  stock  and  issue 
their  bonds  in  payment,  and  in  that  way  ascer- 
tain whether  the  people  of  the  towns  were  dis- 
posed to  aid  or  not.  Mr.  Ramsey  was  then 
made  a  candidate  for  the  Assembly  and  after- 
wards for  the  Senate  and  elected  as  stated. 

He  prepared  and  introduced  a  bill  in  the 
Assembly  for  that  purpose,  when  it  was  discov- 
ered there  was  strong  and  active  opposition  to 
it  in  Albany.  Many  of  those  who  had  sub- 
scribed to  the  stock  had  lost  confidence  in  the 
enterprise,  owing  more  than  anything  else  to 
the  failure  of  the  Northern  road,  mostly  built 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


437 


by  Albany  capital,  and  to  save  paying  their 
subscriptions  and  the  city  from  the  issue  of 
its  bonds,  wanted  the  project  defeated. 

The  bill  however  passed  the  Assembly  that 
year,  but  was  defeated  in  the  Senate  by  the 
determined  opposition  of  the  citizens  of  Albany, 
except  that  portion  of  the  act  extending  the  time 
to  complete  the  road.  The  next  year,  Mr.  Ram- 
sey having  in  the  meantime  been  elected  to  the 
Senate,  introduced  the  bill  in  that  body,  and 
after  encountering  a  vigorous  opposition  from 
the  same  source,  it  finally  passed  both  branches 
of  the  House  and  became  a  law,  although  the 
opponents  followed  the  bill  into  Governor  King's 
chamber,  who  after  hearing  them  without  hearing 
the  other  side,  signed  the  bill  in  their  presence. 

The  law  was  not,  however,  in  form  to  make  it 
entirely  practical,  as  the  original  bill  had  been 
amended  to  require  the  consent  in  writing, 
before  a  subscription  could  be  made,  of  two- 
thirds  of  the  tax-payers,  representing  two-thirds 
of  the  taxable  property  of  the  town,  which  in 
several  towns  was  difficult  to  obtain.  The  next 
session,  1857,  the  act  was  amended  as  originally 
drafted,  which  required  the  consent  of  only  a 
majority.  Several  of  the  towns  in  the  mean- 
time had  subscribed  under  the  two-thirds  act, 
and  with  the  subscriptions  obtained  under 
the  act  as  amended,  another  million  of  dollars 
was  added  to  the  stock  basis  of  the  company. 
The  consent  of  the  taxpayers  in  the  several 
towns  was  not  obtained  without  considerable 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  friends  of  the  road. 
Many  honestly  opposed  the  subscriptions  as 
wrong  in.  principle,  and  believed  the  project 
would  be  a  failure  with  them. 

After  spending  considerable  time  in  holding 
meetings  along  the  line,  and  of  personal 
exertions  in  the  several  towns  in  obtain- 
ing subscriptions,  Mr.  Ramsey  was  elected 
a  director,  and  made  Vice-President  of  the 
company  in  1858.  In  consequence  of  the 
opposition,  several  of  the  towns  in  Schoharie, 


and  one  in  Otsego,  commenced  legal  proceed- 
ings and  obtained  temporary  injunctions  to  pre- 
vent the  towns  from  issuing  their  bonds  on  the 
ground,  among  others,  that  the  law  was  uncon- 
stitutional. These,  with  other  actions  com- 
menced by  the  company  to  collect  individual 
subscriptions,  continued  litigation  for  several 
years,  and  several  of  the  cases  were  taken  to 
the  Court  of  Appeals.  The  company  finally 
succeeded  in  all  the  litigations.  It  became 
apparent  that  if  a  portion  of  the  line  could  be 
put  in  operation  it  would  materially  strengthen 
the  company,  and  in  the  end  ensure  the  com- 
pletion of  the  road.  With  that  view,  the  work 
of  grading  between  Albany  and  Schoharie  was 
let,  and  -  the  individual  subscriptions  as  far  as 
they  could  be  collected,  were  used  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  stockholders  of  Otsego  and  further 
west,  objected  to  paying  until  the  work  was 
resumed  in  that  vicinity — which,  with  the 
Albany  opposition  and  other  obstacles,  delayed 
the  work  until  the  validity  of  the  town  subscrip- 
tions were  settled,  when  an  arrangement  was 
made  by  which  ten  per  cent,  of  the  town  sub- 
scriptions in  Otsego,  and  all  of  the  Schoharie 
towns,  were  to  be  applied  to  the  opening  of 
the  road  from  Albany  to  Schoharie  creek. 

While  the  struggle  was  going  on,  the  people 
along  the  line  became  impressed  with  the  idea, 
that  they  were  then  and  had  been  for  a  long 
time,  taxed  for  the  State  Canals  and  for  aid  to 
the  Erie  and  other  roads  in  different  parts  of  the 
State,  and  that  it  would  be  just  and  right  for  the 
State  to  aid  the  "sequestered  region"  in  return. 
This  sentiment  became  so  strong  that  petitions 
were  numerously  signed  and  presented  to  the 
Legislature  of  1859,  for  State  aid.  The  justice 
and  equity  of  the  case  appealed  with  such  force 
to  that  body,  that  upon  the  first  application,  a 
bill  passed  both  branches  appropriating  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars  to  complete  that 
portion  of  the  road  between  Albany  and  Scho- 
harie.    That  bill  was  vetoed  by  Governor  Mor- 


438 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


gan,    and  failed   to  become  a  law.     That  led 
again  to  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Ramsey  in  the 
fall  of  1859,  for  Senator,  in  the  then  14th  Sena- 
torial District,   comprising  the  counties  of  his 
old  district,  with  Schenectady  added.     He  was 
elected  by  a  decided  majority,  and  at  the  next 
session  of  i860,  presented  another  bill  appro- 
priating one  million  of  dollars,  to  be  paid  in 
installments  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars  each,  as  the  work  progressed,  until  the 
road  was  completed  to  Binghamton.     This  bill 
also  passed  the  Legislature,  and  failed  to  be- 
come   a   law    by   another    veto    of  Governor 
Morgan.      At   the    next   session   of  1861,  Mr. 
Ramsey   presented   another  bill  cutting   down 
the  amount  to  half  a  million  of  dollars,  for  that 
portion  of  the  road  between  Albany  and  On- 
eonta,    supposing    that    would  make   it   more 
acceptable  to  the  Governor.      This  also  passed 
the  Legislature,  and  was  again  vetoed  by  Gov- 
ernor Morgan.     Mr.  Ramsey  was  again  nomi- 
nated and  elected  for  the   third   time   to  the 
Senate  in  the  fall  of  1861,  and  at  the  session  of 
1862  presented  another  bill  and  the  Legislature 
passed  it,  appropriating  the   same  amount  of 
the   year   previous,  but  it  received  the  fourth 
and  last  veto  of  Governor  Morgan.     In  each 
year  the  bills  were  passed  over  the  veto  and 
defeated  in  the  Assembly  by  executive  influence. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  Gov.  Seymour  was 
elected,  and  at  the  next  session,  in  1863,  Mr. 
Ramsey  presented  a  bill  appropriating  the  same 
amount,  and  for  the  same  portion  of  the  road 
that    Gov.    Morgan,    the    two   years   previous, 
vetoed.     The  bill  was  again  promptly  passed 
and  as  promptly  signed  by  Gov.  Seymour,  and 
became  a  law,  and  thus  in  part  was  the  "seques- 
tered  region  "  remunerated  for  taxes  paid  for 
improvements  before  that  time  in  other  parts 
of  the  State. 

That  appropriation  imparted  new  life  and 
vigor  to  the  enterprise,  so  that  the  road  was 
opened  for  business  to  Schoharie  Creek  in  Sep- 


tember of  the  same  year.  In  the  meantime  Mr. 
E.  P.  Prentice,  an  elderly  gentleman  of  Albany, 
held  the  office  of  President  of  the  company, 
while  most  of  the  labor  of  the  position  de- 
volved upon  Mr.  Ramsey.  That  or  some  other 
cause  induced  Mr.  Prentice  to  resign  early  in  the 
spring  of  1864,  the  Presidency,  against  the  earn- 
est protest  of  Mr.  Ramsey  and  others.  The 
place  remained  vacant  several  months,  the 
duties  being  performed  by  the  Vice-President, 
when  Mr.  Ramsey  finally  consented,  and  he  was 
unanimously  elected  President  of  the  Company. 

About  this  time  an  important  negotiation  was 
concluded  with  the  late  Daniel  Drew,  of  New 
York,  by  which  he  agreed  to  take  one  milUon 
dollars  of  the  first  bonds  of  the  company.     The 
work  beyond  Schoharie  was  continued  as  fast  as 
practicable,  the  war  having  occasioned  an  infla- 
tion of  the  currency,  and  prices  of  labor  and  mate- 
rial had  largely  advanced.    Common  labor,  which 
had  been  from  eighty  cents  to  a  dollar,  in  the 
construction  of  the  road  to  Schoharie,  had  in- 
creased from  one  dollar  and  a  half  to  two  dollars 
per   day,   and  iron   with  other  material   about 
double  the  former  cost.     This  made  it  neces- 
sary to  proceed  with  great  caution  and  economy, 
notwithstanding  the  promise  of  State  aid  and  the 
negotiation  of  the  one  million  dollars,  company 
bonds.     The  heavy  and  expensive  work  through 
Schoharie  created  delay,  so  that  the  road  was 
not  put  in  operation  to  Oneonta  until  the  sum- 
mer of  1865.     The  balance  of  the  road  to  Bing- 
hamton,  about  sixty  miles,  included  a  tunnel 
of  2260  feet  in  length,  and  other  heavy  work 
in  Broome  county.     With  the  increase  in  cost 
of  labor  and  materials  there  remained  much  less 
means  to  complete  the  road  than  the  Company 
had  calculated  upon. 

An  application  was  therefore  made  to  the 
Legislature  of  1866  for  the  remaining  half  mill- 
ion of  dollars,  included  in  the  second  bill,  to  aid 
in  completing  the  road.  The  Legislature  again 
admitted  the  justice  of  the  bill  and  promptly 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


439 


passed   it,  appropriating   the  amount   for   that 
purpose. 

Another  veto  was  interposed,  however,  by 
Governor  Fenton,  and  the  bill  failed.  The  next 
year,  at  the  session  of  1867,  the  application  was 
renewed  for  an  appropriation  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  that  portion  of 
the  road  between  Oneonta  and  Harpersville, 
with  the  understanding  that  at  the  next  session, 
(1868)  another  application  would  be  made  for 
the  balance,  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 

This  bill  was  signed  by  Gov.  Fenton,  and  it 
was  understood  that  he  would  sign  another  bill 
fora  Uke  amount  to  complete  the  road,  the  next 
session,  if  passed  by  the  Legislature. 

The  bill  for  the  last  installment  promptly 
passed,  but  to  the  surprise  of  its  friends,  was 
vetoed,  again,  by  Gov.  Fenton. 

This  was  a  great  disappointment,  the  Company 
believing  there  was  no  doubt  the  remaining 
appropriation  would  be  made  by  the  next  ses- 
sion, the  balance  of  the  work  was  let  to  complete 
the  road  to  Binghamton.  This  made  it  neces- 
sary to  raise  the  money  in  some  other  way,  and 
they  were  obliged  to  submit  to  a  large  sacrifice 
on  their  own  bonds  for  that  purpose.  The  price 
of  common  labor  still  increased  from  two  dollars 
to  two  and  one  half  per  day,  and  made  the  work 
very  expensive,  and  the  company  was  compelled 
to  increase  the  pay  of  the  contractors.  After 
encountering  many  obstacles  and  with  great 
exertion,  the  company  opened  the  road  to  Bing- 
hamton in  January  1869. 

It  was  ascertained  a  short  tinje  after  that  event 
that  the  Erie  road  managers  desired  to  make  it 
an  appendage  to  that  road,  and  that  efforts 
were  being  made  by  Jay  Gould,  James  Fisk,  Jr., 
and  their  associates  to  purchase  a  majority  of 
the  stock.  In  this  attempt  they  failed,  but 
claimed  they  had  a  majority  and  without  wait- 
ing for  an  election,  commenced  an  action  and 
obtained  an  order  from  the  late  Judge  Barnard, 
of  New  York,   suspending   Mr.   Ramsey  from 


acting  as  President,  with  a  view  of  obtaining 
the  possession  of  the  road  before  the  time  of  the 
election  of  directors.  The  effect  of  the  order 
was  a  virtual  transfer  of  the  road  and  property 
of  the  Company  to  Gould  and  Fisk,  without 
giving  the  Company  or  Mr.  Ramsey  an  oi)por- 
tunity  to  defend.  The  late  Judge  Peckham,  of 
Albany,  made  another  order  modifying  the  order 
of  Barnard,  so  as  to  give  the  defendants  an  op- 
portunity of  being  heard.  Judge  Peckham's 
order  was  disregarded,  and  an  attempt  was 
made  by  Gould  and  Fisk  to  take  possession  of 
the  road  by  force,  and  for  that  purpose  Fisk  ap- 
peared at  Albany  with  men  and  attempted  to 
enter  and  take  possession  of  the  office  of  the 
President  and  other  offices  of  the  Company,  but 
was  resisted  and  obliged  to  retreat.  The  plan  of 
operation  was  then  changed,  and  the  Erie  forces, 
comprising  from  1,500  to  2,000  employes, 
from  different  parts  of  the  Erie  road,  were 
ordered  to  take  forcible  possession  of  the  road, 
commencing  at  the  Binghamton  end.  This 
move  on  their  part  created  intense  excitement 
at  Albany  and  along  the  line,  and  even  extended 
throughout  the  State.  Car  loads  of  excited  men 
volunteered  to  prevent  the  outrage,  and  a  civil 
war  was  threatened.  The  forces  met  near  the 
tunnel,  seventeen  miles  from  Binghamton,  and 
Gould  attempted  to  run  an  Erie  locomotive  to 
Albany  with  employes  of  the  Erie  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  depots  along  the  road.  He  was 
prevented  by  Mr.  Robert  C.  Blackall,  master 
mechanic  of  the  A.  &  S.,  and  his  men,  and  the 
Erie  engine  captured.  The  engine  was  sent  to 
Albany  and  the  Erie  employes  in  charge  were 
parolled  by  Mr.  Blackall. 

The  forces  on  each  side  having  congregated 
at  and  near  the  tunnel,  were  in  a  threatening 
attitude  and  liable  to  come  in  collision  at  any 
moment.  At  this  time  an  arrangement  was 
made  to  place  the  road  and  the  property  of  the 
company  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  and  an  ac- 
tion was  commenced  in  the  name  of  the  people 


44° 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


of  the  State  by  the  Attorney-General  to  settle 
the  question,  by  an  election  of  directors  by  the 
stock- holders,  and  thus  determine  the  rights  of 
the  parties  to  the  possession  of  the  road. 

An  election  was  held  at  the  time  of  the  an- 
nual meeting  for  that  purpose,  at  the  Company's 
office,  in  Albany,  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  Sep- 
tember, 1870.  Near  the  time  for  organizing 
the  meeting  and  opening  the  polls,  Mr.  Ramsey, 
as  President,  and  Mr.  Phelps,  as  Treasurer  and 
Secretary,  were  enjoined  by  another  order  of 
Judge  Barnard  from  taking  any  part  in  the  elec- 
tion. The  Gould  and  Fisk  party  had  in  attend- 
ance a  crowd  of  workmen  and  other  persons, 
with  a  proxy  of  one  share  each  to  fill  up  the 
room  and  prevent  the  regular  election  from  be- 
ing held.  In  this  they  failed,  the  regular  elec- 
tion was  held,  and  the  regular  inspectors  de- 
clared the  Ramsey  electors,  as  they  were  called, 
duly  elected  by  those  holding  a  decided  majority 
of  the  stock.  The  Gould  party  also  held  an 
election,  and  claimed  to  have  elected  their 
ticket,  headed  by  Walter  Church,  of  Albany. 

The  place  of  trial  in  the  action  commenced 
by  the  Attorney-General,  was  in  the  Seventh 
Judicial  District,  the  main  issue  being,  which 
set  of  directors  had  been  duly  elected  and  en- 
titled to  the  possession  of  the  road.  The  case 
came  on  to  be  tried  before  Hon.  E.  Darwin 
Smith,  one  of  the  Supreme  Court  Judges,  in  the 
city  of  Rochester,  in  November  of  the  same 
year.  The  trial  continued  over  two  weeks  and 
the  latter  part  of  December  following,  Judge 
Smith  decided  in  favor  of  the  Ramsey  directors, 
that  their  election  was  legal  and  valid,  and  that 
of  the  Church  directors  was  illegal,  fraudulent 
and  void. 

That  decision  restored  the  possession  of  the 
Ramsey  directors  and  the  Receiver,  Robert 
Lenox  Banks,  was  discharged,  and  they  went 
into  possession  of  the  road  again  the  first  of 
January,  187 1. 

The    difficulty    created   an    uneasy   state  of 


feeling  among  the  stockholders,  and  a  fear  of 
farther  troubles,  which  led  to  a  proposition  on 
the  part  of  the  Delaware  &  Hudson  Canal 
Company,  to  lease  the  road.  The  proposal  was 
accepted  and  the  lease  was  executed  in  March 
following  by  the  Albany  &  Susquehanna  Com- 
pany, by  which  the  stockholders  of  that  Company 
were  to  receive  seven  per  cent,  in  semi-annual 
dividends  on  their  stock,  and  the  Canal  Com- 
pany assume  the  payment  of  the  principal  and 
interest  of  the  bonded  debt  of  the  leased  road ; 
the  case  being  in  effect,  a  sale  of  the  road  and 
its  franchises  to  the  Canal  Company.  Mr. 
Ramsey  and  others  of  the  directors,  would  have 
preferred  not  to  lease  the  road,  but  to  have 
kept  it,  independent  of  any  coal  or  other  Com- 
pany, dealing  liberally  with  all  of  them,  with  a 
view  of  concentrating  upon  the  line  the  largest 
amount  of  business,  and  having  the  people  along 
the  line  reap  the  benefit  of  the  competition 
among  the  different  coal  companies,  instead  of 
being  controlled  by  one  Company.  The  stock- 
holders were  nearly,  or  quite  unanimous  in 
favor  of  the  lease,  and  the  road  went  into  the 
control  and  possession  of  the  Delaware  &  Hud- 
son Canal  Company,  and  has  been  operated  by 
it  since.  After  the  lease,  Mr.  Coe  F.  Young, 
the  general  manager  of  the  Canal  Company, 
was  elected  President  of  the  road,  in  place  of 
Mr.  Ramsey. 

As  a  financial  success  up  to  the  time  of  this 
writing,  there  are  but  few  roads  in  the  State  that 
have  been  more  fortunate.  The  stockholders 
have  never  been  sold  out.  The  towns  that  have 
sold  their  stock,  realized  a  par  value  for  it,  and 
the  stock  is  now  quoted  in  New  York,  as  high 
as  thirty-five  per  cent,  premium. 

In  the  mean  time,  Mr.  Ramsey  was  elected 
Vice-President  of  the  Albany  Iron  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  and  after  the  death  of  Hon. 
Erastus  Corning,  was  elected  President  in  his 
stead,  and  remained  in  that  position  during  the 
building  of  the  furnaces  belonging  to  the  Com- 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


441 


pany  in  Albany  City,  and  after  that  resigned. 
He  was  also  President  of  and  assisted  in  the 
organization  of  the  New  York  &  Albany  Rail- 
road Company,  and  is  President  of  the  Howe's 
Cave  Association,  in  the  manufacture  of  cement, 
hme  and  brick.  In  public  life,  Mr.  Ramsey  was 
also  nominated  as  a  candidate  for  Congress  in 
1866,  in  the  then  Albany  and  Schoharie  dis- 
trict. He  received  a  majority  of  about  eight 
hundred  in  Albany,  and  was  defeated  by  a  large 
majority  against  him  in  Schoharie. 

He  was  a  delegate  from  Albany  to  the  Re- 
publican State  Convention,  in  the  years  1871, 
1872  and  1873,  ^nd  also  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican State  Committee,  and  was  most  active 
in  the  proceedings  to  impeach  Judge  Barnard, 
who  made  the  order  in  favor  of  Gould  and  Fisk, 
in  the  controversy  referred  to  previously.  For 
the  orders  in  that  case,  and  others  of  similar 
character.  Judge  Barnard  was  tried ,  by  the 
Senate  and  impeached,  and  prohiyj^d  from 
holding  any  office  under  the  civil  Government. 
He  has  since  died. 

Mr.  Ramsey  removed  to  Albany,  in  1863, 
which  was  rendered  necessary  in  consequence 
of  his  railroad  duties,  but  usually  spends  the 
summer  months  at  Howe's  Cave,  in  Schoharie, 
and  in  several  respects  prefers  to  consider  that 
his  residence,  as  well  as  the  County  of  his  birth. 


THOMAS   LAWYER. 

Thomas  Lawyer  was  a  grandson  of  Jacob 
Frederick  Lawyer,  of  the  "Beller  place"  near 
Schoharie  village,  son  of  Johannes  Lawyer,  (the 
third  large  land-holder.)  Of  General  Lawyer 
we  will  copy  an  article  written  by  one  of  the 
younger  members  of  the  County  bar,  after  his 
death  which  occurred  at  Lawyersville  on  the 
21st  of  May,  1868: — 


"  The  deceased,  during  the  course  of  the  long 
and  honorable  life  just  closed,  had  occupied  so 
many  places  of  pubHc  trust  and  responsibility, 
had  gained  such  a  hold  upon  the  affections  and 
memories  of  the  present  generation,  that  it  is 
deemed  fit  and  appropriate  that  something  more 
than  a  simple  mention  of  his  death,  is  due  to 
his  memory. 

"  It  is  only  regretted,  that  to  one  of  his  pro- 
fessional and  official  contemporaries,  or  to  some 
person  more  familiar  with  the  public  life  and 
services  of  the  deceased  and  more  competent 
to  express  in  an  appropriate  manner  his  many 
virtues  and  noble  characteristics,  has  not  been 
confided  this  delicate,  yet  pleasant  duty.  A 
plain,  simple  presentation  of  some  of  the  many 
good  .things  that  could  truthfully  be  said  of  him, 
is  all  that  will  be  attempted,  or  can  be  given  in 
this  article., 

"The. subject  of  this  memoir  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Schoharie)  iri  the  County  of  Schoharie, 
N.  Y.j  on  the  14th  day  of  October,  1785, 
on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  John  G.  Geb- 
^ard.  His  ancestors  emigrated  to  this  country 
from  Germany,  and  were  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  the  Schoharie  valley.  After  receiving 
a  liberal  education  for  the  period  in  which  his 
early  life  was  spent,  he  commenced  the  study 
of  law  in  the  office  of  George  Tiffany,  at 
Schoharie,  who  subsequently  removed  to  Canada. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  he  was  duly 
licensed  to  practice  as  an  Attorney,  and  located 
at  Lawyersville,  which  bears  his  name,  succeed- 
ing the  late  Isaac  Hall  Tiffany,  then  a  promi- 
nent lawyer.  He  was  subsequently  licensed  as 
Counselor  of  the  Supreme, Court,  as  Counselor 
and  Solicitor  in  Chancery,  and  in  the  U.  S.  Court 
for  the  Northern  District  of  New  York. 

He  loved  the  profession  he  had  chosen,  was 
an  honorable,  accompUshed  and  successful  prac- 
titioner, established  and  continued  a  successful 
and  lucrative  practice  in  his  profession  until  the 
adoption  of  the  "  Code"  in  this  State.     He  then 


442 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


retired  to  private  life,  and  the  quiet  enjoyment  of 
the  ample  fortune  he  had  accumulated,  beloved, 
respected  and  revered  by  all  who  knew  him,  as 
"  an  honest  man,  the  noblest  work  of  God." 

"  He  held  the  office  of  Loan  Commissioner 
in  this  County  for  several  years,  and  a  commis- 
sion as  Brigadier-General  in  the  militia  of  this 
State,  by  which  title  he  was  ever  after  so  famil- 
iarly known.     He  was  twice  elected  a  Member 
of  the  Assembly  from  this    County,  serving  his 
first  term  under  the  First    Constitution  of  this 
State,  in  the  39th  session  of  the  Legislature  in 
1816,  during  the    administration  of   Governor 
Daniel  D.  Tompkins.     The  late  lamented  ex- 
Governor   William  C.  Bouck,  his  kinsman  and 
intimate  personal  and  political  friend  then  serv- 
ing his  third  term,  and  Peter  A.  Hilton  then 
serving  his  second  term  in  the  Assembly,  were 
his  colleagues.     It   has  been  often  remarked  of 
General  Lawyer,  that    he  was  emphatically  "  a 
business  member  of  the  House" — that  he  never 
seemed  anxious  to  establish  a  reputation  by  a 
simple  display  of  powers  of  oratory,  thus  often 
vexing  the  ear  of  his  associates  with  ill-timed, 
tedious  and  unnecessary  debate.     He  preferred, 
without  ostentation,  in  his  usually  quiet  and  un- 
obtrusive manner,  to  so  discharge  the  responsi- 
ble duties  of  his  position,  as  to  merit  the  appro- 
bation of  his  associates  and  constituents,  as  an 
active,  practical,  useful  legislator.     Instead  of 
seeking  to  fill  the  public  eye  by  greater  display, 
thus  gaining  an  ephemeral   distinction,  by  win- 
ning the  applause  of  his  Ustening  auditors,  or 
from  the  editors  and  readers  of  the  journals  of 
the  day,  he  seemed  only  ambitious  by  the  exer- 
cise of  a  manly  firmness,  patriotic  courage,  and 
integrity  of  purpose,  to  serve  his  country  and 
his  party  in  the  enactment  of  wise  and  salutary 
laws.     How  well  he  succeeded,  and  how  wisely 
he  acted  in  choosing  the  proper  and  direct  path 
to  higher  honors,  future  personal  distinction  and 
political  preferment,  is  evidenced  by  his  further 
triumphant  march  in  his  political  career. 


"At  the  next  general  election  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  15th  Congress,  from  the  13th 
District  of  this  State  as  organized  under  the 
Act  of  June  10,  1812,  composed  of  the  coun- 
ties of  Schenectady  and  Schoharie.  He  served 
from  March  4,  181 7,  to  March  3,  1819,  dur- 
ing the  first  two  years  of  the  term  of  James 
Monroe  as  President,  and  Daniel  D.  Tompkins 
as  Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 

"As  a  Member  of  Congress  he  maintained  and 
enhanced  the  previous  enviable  reputation  he 
had  gained  as  a  Member  of  the  Legislature  of 
his  State,  always  promptly  performing  his  duties 
with  fidelity  to  his  country,  and  party,  thus 
meriting  and  receiving  the  approval,  confidence 
and  gratitude  of  his  constituents.  Here,  as  in 
the  lower  walks  of  his  legislative  life,  he  mani- 
fested those  quahties  that  enabled  him  to  ren- 
der to  his  country  a  service  if  not  of  the  most 
brilliant  kind,  at  least  of  no  secondary  im- 
portance. 

"Under  the  second  Constitution  of  this  State, 
he  was  appointed  District  Attorney  of  this 
County,  February  4,  1822,  holding  the  office 
until  October  11,  1831,  when  the  late  Jacob 
Houck,  Jr.,  succeeded  him. 

"During  this  period  occurred  the  exciting 
political  contest  for  President  of  the  United 
States  for  the  tenth  Presidential  term,  in  which 
Andrew  Jackson,  John  Quincy  Adams,  WiUiam 
H.  Crawford  and  Henry  Clay  were  the  can- 
didates. General  Lawyer  was  appointed  by 
the  Legislature  of  this  State,  November  11, 
1824,  the  Presidential  Elector  for  the  12th 
Congressional  District  of  this  State,  as  organized 
under  the  Act  of  April  17,  1822,  composed  of 
the  counties  of  Schenectady  and  Schoharie  ;  (it 
will  be  remembered  that  no  choice  was  eifected 
by  the  people,  and  Mr.  Adams  was  subse- 
quently chosen  by  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives at  its  next  session.)  He  was  again  elected 
as  Member  of  Assembly  from  this  County  in  the 
fall  of  1845,  under  the  second  Constitution,  and 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


443 


served  during  the  70th  Session  in  1846,  with 
the  late  Hon.  Thomas  Smith,  as  his  colleague. 
At  the  close  of  this  hi.s  last  official  term,  full 
of  honors  and  years  of  official  distinction,  so 
cheerfully  awarded  him  by  his  neighbors  and 
those  who  knew,  and  appreciated  him  so  well, 
he  retired  to  private  life. 

"  How  fitting  and  appropriate,  that  his  official 
career  should  seem  to  terminate  in  point  of  rank 
and  distinction  where  it  first  began.     General 
Lawyer  never  became  giddy,  and  vain  in  the 
possession  of  places  of  high  honor  and  distinc- 
tion,   of  great   public  trust  and  responsibility. 
He  seemed  by  nature  just  fitted  and  equal  to 
the   duties  and  various  positions  to  which  he 
attained,  but  never  felt  himself  above  them.    It 
can  in  truth  be  said  of  him,    that   during  his 
entire  official  life,  by  his  strict  adherence  to  a 
resolute  purpose  to  pursue  the  right,  the  self- 
imposed  restraints  of  a  high  regard  for  personal 
honor,  at  the  close  of  each  of  the  several  official 
terms  he  so  well  and  ably  filled,  he  laid  aside 
his  robes  unsoiled  by  a  single  act  that  tended  to 
destroy  either  his  own  self-respect  or  the  respect 
of  others   for  him.     He  seemed  to  possess  a 
soul  that  would  have  sickened  under  a  sense  of 
personal,  professional  or  official  dishonor,  and 
to  have  acted  upon  the  important  principle  that 
'duty  and  fidelity  in  a  public  servant  make  up 
an  important  portion  of  a  nation's  wealth.'     In 
public  life,    in  his   official   intercourse,  in   his 
business  and  social  relations,  he  was  firm  with- 
out  obstinacy,  prompt   without   undue   haste, 
self-confident    without    arrogance,    influencing 
others  because  he  had  learned  to  govern  him- 
self, and  neither  doing  nor  countenancing  an 
intentional   wrong.      Of  him   it  may    well  be 
Said : — 

'  His  life  was  gentle — and  the  elements 

So  mixed  in  him,  that  nature  might  stand  up 

And  say  to  all  the  world — this  was  a  man. ' 

"But  it  was  not  in  his  official  and  professional 
life  alone  that  his  virtues  were  seen  and  appre- 


ciated. In  his  social  and  business  intercourse 
with  those  around  him,  in  the  home  circle, 
everywhere,  those  eminent  qualities,  that  uni- 
form urbanity,  that  dignity  of  manner  and 
gentlemanly  bearing  that  ever  characterizes  the 
true  gentleman  at  heart,  were  pre-eminently  his 
own.     In  brief  he  was  truly  possessed 

'  With  all  good  grace  to  grace  a  gentleman.' 

"  His  funeral  obsequies  were  attended  at  the 
church  at  Lawyersville,  on  Sunday,  the  24th 
inst.,  by  a  large  circle  of  mourning  friends, 
members  of  the  Bar,  and  citizens  generally  from 
his  own,  and  adjoining  towns.  The  solemn  and 
impressive  services  were  conducted  by  Reverend 
H.  A.  Raymond,  of  Cohoes,  and  Reverend  J. 
VanWoert,  of  Lawyersville,  both  of  whom  bore 
willing  testimony  to  the  Christian  virtues,  and 
bright  hopes  expressed  by  our  deceased  friend, 
in  reference  to  his  future  state.  This  clearly 
shows  that  in  reviewing  a  long  well  spent  and 
active  hfe,  he  has  not  forgotten  that 

'  The  path  of  glory  leads  but  to  the  grave, 
That  there  all  human  efforts  end. ' 

"  Thus  has  passed  away  a  good  man,  one  who 
has  witnessed  the  varied  scenes  of  tranquility 
and  excitement  in  our  history  as  agnation  from 
its  earliest  date  to  the  present  hour. 

"It  seems  by  his  death,  the  last  connecting 
link  that  bound  us  to  our  past  history  and  past 
generations,  has  been  broken.  He  had  lived  to 
follow  to  the  tomb  his  wife,  and  several  of  his 
children,  who  died  in  the  prime  of  life.  He  had 
survived  by  many  years,  most  of  his  poUtical 
and  professional  contemporaries.  He  had  lived 
beyond  man's  common  lot,  had  enjoyed  much 
more  than  ordinary  honors,  still  the  poignant 
grief  caused  by  his  death,  will  only  give  place 
to  silent  sorrow,  as  tlie  mind  recalls  the  virtues 
of  General  Thomas  Lawyer.  His  memory  will 
live  in  the  grateful  recollection  of  all  who  knew 
him,  though  his  noble  spirit  has  passed  to  the 
land  of  shadows. 


444 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


'  He  sat,  as  sets  the  morning  star,  which  goes 
Not  down,  behind  the  darlcened  west,  nor  hides 
Obscure  amidst  tire  tempest  of  the  sky, 
But  melts  away  into  the  light  of  Heaven.'  " 

General  Lawyer's  pastor,  Reverend  J.  Van- 
Woert,  said  of  him  : — 

"He  was  a  diligent  student  of  the  Bible; 
his  scrap-books  he  filled  with  religious  extracts, 
and  many  passages  are  marked  by  him  in  his 
favored  religious  books. 

"In  his  public  and  professional  duties,  and  in 
his  private  hfe,  he  seems  to  have  imbibed  the 
truth  of  a  verse  he  had  written  in  the  fly-leaf  of 
his  Bible  dictionary  : — 

"  Our  lives  are  rivers  gliding  free 
To  that  unfathomed,  boundless  sea, 
The  silent  grave. 
Thither  all  earthly  pomp  and  boast, 
Roll  to  be  swallowed  up  and  lost 
In  one  dark  wave.'' 

Since  the  year  1839,  the  old  Lawyer  place  has 
been  the  property  of  Charles  Courter,  who  for 
many  years  was  the  leading  business  man  of 
the  town. 


CHARLES  COURTER. 

Charles  Courter  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Schoharie  of  poor,  yet  respectable  parents,  on 
the  4th  of  June,  1808.  His  educational  advan- 
tages were  only  such  as  the  village  school  pre- 
sented, but  possessing  a  quick  perception  he 
soon  fitted  himself  for  general  business  and  en- 
tered the  store  of  Freeman  Stanton  of  Middle- 
burgh,  in  1823.  No  better  tutor  could  young 
Courter  have  been  placed  under  than  Freeman 
Stanton,  as  he  was  a  very  sagacious  business 
man — yet  most  honorable  in  his  dealings.  Mr. 
Stanton's  trade  was  very  large  and  consequently 
brought  Mr.  Courter  in  contact  with  a  large 
circle  of  the  best  citizens  of  the  County — among 


whom  were  many  of  the  first  business  men.  Be- 
ing thus  brought  before  the  people,  the  youth 
would  naturally  assume  the  prerogatives  of  a 
business  man,  and  study  the  general  principles 
of  trade.  Such  was  the  case,  and  in  after  years 
Peter  Osterhout  placed  him  in  a  store  at  Law- 
yersville  over  which  he  presided  as  manager,  and 
gave  proof  of  that  business  tact  that  in  after 
years  made  him  so  useful  and  successful.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  years  he  formed  a  co-part- 
nership with  Henry  Shutts  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  Lawyersville  and  continued  the  same 
to  the  year  T837  when  he  removed  to  Cobles- 
kill  village  and  engaged  in  business  in  the 
Lambert  Lawyer  brick  house. 

In  the  interim  he  married  Helen  Lawyer 
daughter  of  General  Lawyer,  and  thus  became 
connected  with  one  of  the  leading  famiUes  of 
the  County.  The  business  relations  of  Mr. 
Courter  and  Mr.  Shutts  were  the  most  pleasing 
and  instituted  a  friendship  that  was  highly 
prized  by  those  gentlemen,  and  guarded  with 
jealous  care.  In  1839,  Mr.  Courter  purchased 
the  Lawyer  mansion  and  built  a  store-house 
upon  the  ground  formerly  occupied  by  the  barn 
and  horse  sheds  connected  with  the  hotel,  and 
continued  the  business  wholly  or  in  part  up  to 
the  year  1864.  He  was  one  of  the  leading 
spirits  in  the  conception  and  construction  of  the 
Albany  &  Susquehanna  railroad,  as  in  it  he  saw 
the  future  prosperity  of  his  adopted  town  and 
village.  He  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  di- 
rectors of  the  road  and  was  the  most  active  in 
its  completion.  Gaining  that  object  he  turned 
his  attention  to  the  village  and  aroused  an  en- 
thusiasm among  the  business  men  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  place  and  in  a  few  years 
changed  it  from  a  quiet  hamlet  to  an  ener- 
getic mart  and  business  center.  The  large 
West  brick  block,  National  bank  and  costly  Luth- 
eran church— beside  many  substantial  residences, 
are  monuments  of  his  energy  and  pride,  and 
bespeak  the  liberality  of  the  man  in  his  manner 


^j;^       Z^^^^^^^^:^^^ 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


445 


of  doing  business.  While  Mr.  Courter  was  a 
staunch  Democrat  in  politics,  and  possessed  the 
ability  to  grace  any  position,  yet  he  held  but  few- 
places  of  official  trust,  from  the  fact  he  did  not 
court  position,  and  was  too  closely  attached  to 
business  to  enter  the  political  field.  However, 
he  represented  the  town  upon  the  Board  of  Su- 
pervisors in  1 841  and  was  re-elected  the  year 
following,  after  repeated  declinations  to  run.  In 
1868,  he  was  placed  upon  the  Democratic  Elect- 
oral ticket  which  received  the  largest  majority 
the  County  ever  gave  in  a  Presidential  contest. 

Mr.  Courter  became  extensively  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  lumber  in  the  State  of 
Florida  and  connected  with  other  heavy  enter- 
prises elsewhere,  which  required  such  active 
mental  and  physical  labor  as  but  few  can  ac- 
complish— but  in  him,  was  found  those  qualities 
that  enabled  him  to  meet  every  requirement  with 
the  greatest  promptness. 

Upon  one  of  his  business  journeys  he  became 
exposed  and  in  reaching  home,  he  was  confined 
by  an  attack  of  pneumonia  which  closed  his 
active  life  on  the  ist  day  of  January,  1879. 


JAMES  TAKHER. 

James  Tanner  was  born  at  Richraondville, 
Schoharie  County,  N.  Y.,  April  4,  1844. 

His  early  life  was  spent  on  a  farm,  where  he 
received  the  usual  privileges  of  education  fur- 
nished country  boys  in  the  district  school. 

When  the  war  broke  out  he  was  engaged  in 
teaching,  and  though  but  a  lad,  he  resigned  his 
position  and  enlisted  in  the  87th  New  York 
Volunteers,  Company  C,  as  a  private  soldier, 
being  at  the  time  but  seventeen  years  and  six 
months  of  age.  Shortly  after  his  enlistment,  he 
was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Corporal,  which 
was  but  the  assurance  of  further  promotion  had 
not  his  soldier's  career  been  brought  suddenly  to 
an  end,  by  the  terrible  disaster  which  befell  him. 


The  87th  New  York  was  hurried  to  the  front, 
and  was  soon  engaged  in  the  conflicts  of  the 
ever  memorable  Peninsular  campaign. 

Being  attached  to  Kearney's  Division,  Cor- 
poral Tanner  participated  in  most  of  the  battles 
which  marked  the  advance  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  including  Williamsburgh,  Fair  Oaks, 
the  siege  of  Yorktown,  the  Seven  days  battle  in 
front  of  Richmond  and  Malvern  Hill.  After  leav- 
ing the  Peninsula,  the  Regiment  fought  at  War- 
rentown,  Bristow  Station,  and  Manassas  Junc- 
tion, in  all  of  which  battles  Tanner  took  part. 

The  next  battle  was  his  last  with  the  regiment, 
for  there  followed  his  terrible  fight  for  hfe. 

When  his  regiment  marched  to  the  second 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  he  was  in  his  place,  ready, 
as  he  had  ever  been,  to  do  the  work  assigned 
him.  It  was  in  this  battle  that  he  received  the 
terrible  injuries  that  resulted  in  the  loss  of  both 
his  legs.  His  regiment  occupied  a  position  on 
the  extreme  right  of  the  line,  with  Stonewall 
Jackson's  corps  lying  in  front. 

While  -undergoing  a  terriffic  shelling  from  the 
enemy,  by  order  of  General  John  C.  Robinson, 
the  men  were  lying  down.  While  in  this  posi- 
tion, a  piece  of  a  shell  struck  his  hmbs,  com- 
pletely severing  the  right  limb  at  the  ankle,  and 
so  shattering  the  left  limb  as  to  make  amputa- 
tion necessary. 

He  was  picked  up  by  some  of  his  comrades, 
and  carried  to  a  piece  of  timber  near  by,  where 
the  surgeons  were  at  work.  There,  he  said  he 
lost  consciousness,  but  when  he  recovered  it, 
found  that  both  of  his  limbs  were  off,  having 
been  amputated  four  inches  below  the  knee. 

Meantime  the  Union  lines  had  been  broken, 
and  the  army  was  retreating. 

Hurriedly  picking  him  up.  Tanner's  comrades 
sought  to  make  good  their  escape,  but  were  com- 
pelled to  leave  him  at  a  farnn-house,  in  order  to 
prevent  their  own  capture. 

There  he  fell  into  the  Rebels  hands,  and  for 


446 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


ten  days,  lay  in   the  door-yard  with  six  others, 
who  had  lost  either  a  leg  or  an  arm. 

At  the  end  of  the  ten  days,  he  was  paroled, 
and  taken  in  an  ambulance  to  Fairfax  Seminary 
Hospital,  near  Alexandria,  Virginia. 

After  remaining  here  four  weeks,  his  brother 
found  him,  and  took  him  back  to  his  old  home 
in  Schoharie  County.  By  the  next  spring  he 
was  able  to  get  about  on  a  pair  of  artificial  legs, 
and  soon  after  was  appointed  to  the  position  of 
Deputy  Doorkeeper  in  the  Assembly. 

He  was  subsequently  appointed  to  various 
positions  under  the  Legislature,  and  then  went 
to  Washington,  as  a  clerk  in  the  War  Depart- 
ment, under  Secretary  Stanton. 

On  the  night  of  President  Lincoln's  assassin- 
ation, he  was  employed  to  take  notes  of  the  first 
official  evidence  of  the  assassination,  and  at- 
tempt upon  the  life  of  Secretary  Seward.  He 
was  among  the  number  who  stood  at  the  bed- 
side of  Mr.  Lincoln  when  he  died. 

Resigning  the  position  he  held  under  Secre- 
tary Stanton,  he  returned  to  Richmondville, 
Schoharie  County  N.  Y.  and  entered  the  law 
office  of  Judge  William  C.  Lamont  in  the  spring 
of  1 866.  He  remained  in  the  office  of  Judge 
Lamont  until  admitted  to  the  bar. 

In  1 866,  he  married  Miss  M.  L.  White,  daugh- 
ter of  Alfred  C.  White,  of  Jefferson,  Schoharie 
County,  N.  Y.  To  them  there  have  been  born 
four  beautiful  children— two  daughters  and  two 

sons. 

In  the  spring  of  1869,  soon  after  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  Mr.  Tanner  was  appointed  to 
a  position  in  the  New  York  Custom  House, 
and  immediately  took  up  his  residence  in  the 
city  of  Brooklyn. 

In  the  Custom  House,  he  rose  on  competi- 
tive examination  until  he  became  Deputy  Col- 
lector, in  which  office  he  served  four  years  un- 
der General  Chester  A.  Arthur. 

In  187 1,  he  was  the  Republican  nominee  for 
the   Assembly   in    the  4th   district   of    Kings 


county,  and  though  it  was  conceded  that  he 
ran  far  ahead  of  his  ticket,  and  was  really 
elected,  he  was  deprived  of  his  seat  by  the 
enormous  frauds  of  that  year,  which  have  be- 
come part  of  political  history  of  the  city  of 
Brooklyn — frauds  which  were  only  possible  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  there  was  no  registry  law 
that  year.  In  1876,  Mr.  Tanner  was  the  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  Register  of  Kings  county  and 
was  defeated  by  less  than  2,000  votes  though 
the  Democratic  majority  that  year  in  the  County 
was  19,000. 

In  November,  1877,  Mr.  Tanner  was  nomi- 
nated by  Mayor  Schroeder,  and  confirmed  by 
the  Board  of  Aldermen,  to  the  responsible 
position  of  Collector  of  Taxes  for  the  city  of 
Brooklyn.  Upon  the  expiration  of  his  first 
term,  although  the  mayoralty  had  in  the  mean- 
time passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Democracy, 
he  was  nominated  and  confirmed  by  the  entire 
vote  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  with  one  excep- 
tion. He  instituted  many  reforms  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  office,  extending  greater 
facilities  to  the  tax-payers,  and  at  the  same 
time  reduced  the  expenses  of  the  office  one- 
half  Under  his  regime  the  first  day's  collec- 
tions on  a  new  levy  has  grown  from  $300,000 
to  $2,000,000.  On  the  induction  into  office, 
January  i,  1882,  of  Hon.  Seth  Low  as  Mayor 
of  Brooklyn,  he  appointed  Mr.  'I'anner  as  col- 
lector for  the  third  term,  and  his  action  met 
with  the  hearty  approval  of  all  classes. 

While  in  the  office  of  collector  he  has  not  for- 
gotten the  claims  of  the  soldier,  for  the  records 
of  the  office  show  that  during  his  term  as  col- 
lector there  have  been  in  his  office  twenty-two 
veteran  soldiers  whose  aggregate  salaries  have 
amounted  to  $80,000.  Thus  he  is  always  when 
opportunities  offer,  reaching  out  in  a  substan- 
tial manner  to  the  aid  of  the  ex-soldier.  This 
spirit  ever  manifesting  itself  has  given  him 
great  popularity  among  the  soldiers  of  the  State. 
For  years  Corporal  Tanner  has  been  a  mem- 


TOWN  OF  COBLESKILL. 


447 


ber  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  seeking 
in  every  way  possible  to  advance  its  interest. 
Repeatedly  his  comrades  had  felt  how  great 
was  the  value  of  the  advice  which  he  gave,  and 
for  long  had  looked  upon  him  as  a  leader  whose 
judgment  was  sound  and  whose  heart  was  true. 
Consequently  in  1876,  he  was  elected  to  the 
position  of  Commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  Department  of  New  York.  He 
came  in  command  at  a  time  when  the  members 
of  the  Grand  Army  were  discouraged  because 
of  the  failure  of  the  attempt  to  make  provisions 
for  the  poor  and  homeless  ex-soldiers  in  the 
State.  It  had  long  been  felt  that  New  York 
had  neglected  to  provide  for  the  wants  of  many 
of  her  maimed  and  helpless  soldiers.  Some 
futile  attempts  had  been  made  to  secure  relief 
but  nothing  substantial  had  as  yet  been  done. 

When  he  assumed  command  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  Department  of  New  York, 
there  was  as  yet  no  home  provided  for  the 
maimed  and  homeless  soldiers  of  the  State. 
While  other  States  had  provided  for  their  home- 
less soldiers.  New  York  had  failed,  as  yet,  to 
make  any  provisions. 

Several  attempts  had  been  made  to  erect  a 
home,  but  each  attempt  had  failed.  The  out- 
look was  discouraging,  it  was  an  herculean  task 
to  attempt  a  work  which  had  repeatedly  failed, 
and  around  which,  because  of  previous  failures 
there  had  gathered  much  of  prejudice. 

But  realizing  the  fact  that  the  alms-houses  of 
the  State  were  filled  with  crippled  soldiers,  and 
believing  that  by  persistent  and  untiring  effort, 
and  a  proper  putting  of  the  facts  before  the  people 
especially  the  soldier  element,  a  better  result 
could  be  secured,  he  resolved  to  undertake  the 
work.  He  traversed  the  State  from  one  end 
to  the  other.  He  made  public  and  private 
appeals  in  the  interest  of  the  soldiers'  home. 
He  fired  the  hearts  of  many  truly  patriotic  and 
benevolent  men;  and  at  last  poured  an  ava- 
lanch  of  petitions  upon  the  Legislature  of  the 


State.  As  the  result  of  his  never  yielding  efforts 
there  was  erected  at  Bath,  Steuben  county,  N. 
Y.  at  a  cost  of  $80,000  a  magnificent  building 
known  as  "  The  Soldiers'  Home "  where  the 
crippled  defenders  of  the  country  most  truly 
find  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  a  home. 

The  building  is  capable  of  accommodating 
six  hundred  men,  and  throughout  the  State  the 
soldiers  speak  of  it  not  only  as  a  soldiers'  home, 
but  as  Tanner's  monument.  It  was  truly  a 
grand  and  noble  work,  and  it  was  grandly  done. 
And  while  through  the  struggle  to  accomplish  it, 
many  noble-hearted  men  gathered  about  the  en- 
terprise, still  the  buildings  in  their  strength  and 
patriotic  philanthropy  stand  as  a  testimony  to  the 
burning  zeal  and  untiring  effort  of  the  crippled 
soldier,  Tanner. 

At  the  present  time  Mr.  Tanner  is  Collector 
of  taxes  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  to  which  office 
he  has  been  appointed  for  the  third  term,  thus 
voicing  the  confidence  in  him  of  the  great  city 
where  he  lives. 

He  is  a  man  of  marked  ability,  being  a  public 
speaker  of  unusual  eloquence  and  power ;  his 
voice  not  only  being  heard  upon  the  poUtical 
stump,  but  often  upon  the  lecture  platform. 

He  enjoys  the  confidence  of  a  large  circle  of 
friends,  and  without  doubt  has  a  bright  and 
promising  future  before  him. 


REY.  PHILIP  WIETIKG. 
Mr.  Wieting  was  born  in  Minden,  Montgom- 
ery county,  N.  Y.,  September  23,  1800,  and 
entered  the  ministry  in  1825,  at  Le  Roy,  Jeffer- 
son county,  N.  Y.,  from  whence  he  removed 
to  New  Rhinebeck  in  1828,  to  officiate  over 
that  church  and  Dorlach,  which  position  he 
held  for  forty  years,  and  brought  them  from  a 
"  fading  "  shadow  to  their  present  high  standard 
by  his  untiring  labors  and  fervent  godliness. 
Upon  the  division  of  the  Synod,  Mr.  Wie- 
ting and  his  followers  claimed  the  Rhinebeck 


448 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


church  property,  while  the  Dorlach  charge,  which 

^    held  to  the  old  Synod,  commenced  litigatirn  to 

/etain  it.    After  many  years  of  legal  dispute  the 

courts  decided  against  the  new  school's  (Franck- 


ean  Evangelic  Lutheran  Synod)  rightto  the  prop- 
erty  and  Mr.  Wieting  and  flock  found  them- 
selves destitute  of  a  house  of  worship.  Meas- 
ures were  immediately  taken,  and  in  1849  the 


church  of  Gardnersville  was  dedicated  but  the 
building  was  burned  soon  after — supposed  to 
have  been  the  work  of  an  incendiary.  Not  daunt- 
ed the  present  one  soon  took  its  place  in  which 
the  greatest  effoits,  in  the  cause  of  the  Master,  of 
Mr.  Wieting's  life  were  witnessed.  The  con- 
gregation was  large — covering  a  wide  extent  of 
territory,  and  it  became  necessary  to  build  a 
branch  at  Lawyersville,  which  was  done  in 
the  latter  part  of  1849,  and  dedicated  in  Febru- 
ary, 1850. 

Mr.  Wieting  preached  his  valedictory  sermon 
on  the  I  St  day  of  October,  1868 — the  fortieth 
anniversary  of  his  pastorate  over  his  charge,  in 
which  he  said  "  The  aggregate  of  money  raised 
by  these  two  churches  during  my  ministry  is 
$35,000,  or  an  average  of  $800  a  year."      His 


last  sermon  was  preached  in  the  new  brick 
Lutheran  church  at  Cobleskill  on  the  18th 
day  of  July,  1869.  The  fruits  of  his  ministry  in 
the  sparsely  settled  section  in  which  he  was 
placed  was,  "received  to  membership,  1,250; 
baptized,  1,300  ;  marriages  solemnized,  800,  and 
1,700  funerals  attended."  "  Fifteen  of  his  spir- 
itual children,"  says  his  memoir,  "entered  or  are 
about  to  enter  the  ministerial  calUng." 

On  the  7th  of  September,  1869,  Mr.  Wieting 
died  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  and  was 
buried  in  the  "  Slate  Hill  Cemetery  "  by  a  large 
concourse  of  friends,  by  whom  he  was  dearly 
loved.  His  biographer  says,  which  is  true,  also 
of  his  whole  life  in  all  relations — "the  secret 
of  his  successful  ministry  was,  Earnestness, 
Fidelity  and  Perseverance." 


APPEN  DIX. 


By  repeated  solicitations  from  many  of  those 
who  have  given  assistance  and  encouragement 
in  the  pubKcation  of  this  work,  the  author  was 
induced  for  the  purpose  of  gratifying  many 
friends'  desires,  to  condense  material  elsewhere 
and  give  place  to  the  centennial  ceremonies 
that  occurred  within  the  County. 

By  so  doing  may  they  be  preserved  until 
another   cen-tury  rolls   round.     May  then  a  re- 


currence of  the  spirit  of  honor  and  patriotism 
which  led  to  such  observances,  be  aroused  in 
the  breasts  of  our  children's  children,  to  again 
animate  "  Love  of  Country,"  through  her  early 
struggles,  for  a  further  lease  of  Liberty  and  In- 
dependence, and  thus  transmit  from  one  cent- 
ury to  another,  our  national  pride  and  honor, 
through  the  silent  workings  of  reverential  hearts 
and  not  by  martial  power. 


4S0 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


'  '  ATVHE  purpose  of  this  publication*  is  to  per- 
I  petuate  the  formal  part  of  the  ceremonies 
which  occurred  at  Schoharie  on  the  ninety-sixth 
anniversary  of  the  capture  of  Major  Andre,  and 
also  to  record  in  an  enduring  form  a  brief  state- 
ment of  the  manner  in  which  the  people  of  Scho- 
harie county  and  the  surrounding  country  re- 
sponded to  the  suggestion,  that  the  grave  of 
David  Williams,  one  of  Andre's  captors,  should 
be  permanently  honored  by  a  monument  wor- 
thy of  the  historic  act  with  which  his  name  is 
associated. 

"  The  following  extract  is  taken  from  a  de- 
scription, in  the  local  press,  of  the  celebration 
which  occuired  at  Schoharie  on  the  23d  day  of 
September,  1S76  : 

"  Saturday  dawned  cloudy  and  cool,  but  not 
threatening.  The  streets  were  dry  bu(  not  dusty, 
and  the  committee-men  in  purple  ribbons  and 
white  ribbons  were  busily  performing  the  vari- 
ous duties  assigned  to  them  before  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  People  were  coming  in  from 
every  quarter  at  that  early  hour,  and  no  one 
seemed  to  think  that  Old  Probabilities,  who  an- 
nounced rain,  knew  any  thing  about  the  weather. 
The  cars  from  either  direction  were  crowded  in- 
side, and  even  on  their  roofs. 

"  At  10  A.  M.  the  steady  stream  of  incoming 
people  was  augmented  by  the  arrival  of  the  ex- 
cursion trains  from  Albany  and  Troy,  and  the 
day  was  fairly  begun.  The  Committee  of  Re- 
ception was  on  hand  at  the  depot  with  carriages 
for  the  orator  and  notables,  and  mounted  mar- 
shals were  also  in  attendance.  As  soon  as  the 
train  stopped,  our  visitors  from  Albany  and 
Troy  disembarked.  First  came  the  Albany 
Zouave  Cadets,  Co.  A,  roth  Regiment,  in  com- 
mand of  Captain  John  H.  Reynolds,  and  headed 
by  Austin's  Band ;  then  came  the  carriages  with 
Hon.  Charles  Holmes,  president  of  the  day ;  the 
the  orator  of  the  day,  Grenville  Tremain,  Esq., 
of  Albany ;  the  poet  of  the  day,  Alfred  B.  Street, 
of  Albany;    Daniel    Knower,  Ralph  Brewster, 

*  The  following  pages- are  taken  from  the  published 
proceedings  of  the  Ceremonies  at  the  Laying  of  the 
Corner-Stone  of  David  Williams  Monument,  at  Scho- 
harie, September  23,  1876. 


commissioners;  several  descendants  of  David 
Williams  ;  Senator  W.  C.  Lamont;  J.  R.  Simms, 
historian,  of  Schoharie  County ;  Hon.  S.  L.  May- 
ham,  N.  La  F.  Bachman,  Esq.,  Hon.  S.  H. 
Sweet,  of  Albany,  Colonel  C.  C.  Kromer,  Prof. 
S.  Sias,  Charles  Courter,  Esq.,  A.  A.  Hunt, 
Esq.,  Hon.  John  Westover,  and  Dr.  W.  T.  La- 
mont and  many  others. 

"  The  line  of  march  was  up  Knower  avenue 
to  Bridge  street,  down  Bridge  street  to  Main 
street,  down  Main  street  to  the  Old  Stone  Fort, 
where  the  exercises  of  laying  the  corner-stone 
were  to  take  place.  When  the. head  of  the  line 
reached  the  Stone  Fort,  the  road  was  full  of 
carriages  the  entire  mile  between  it  and  the  vil- 
lage, and  others  were  still  coming,  and  the  side- 
walks were  crowded  the  entire  distance  with 
people  on  their  way  to  the  Fort.  Only  about 
one-half  of  the  people  could  get  inside  the 
grounds  and  in  the  street  which  passes  by  the 
grounds  surrounding  the  Stone  Fort,  and  these 
were  estimated  by  competent  judges  to  number 
five  thousand.  We  do  not  doubt  that  there  were 
ten  thousand  people  in  the  village  that  day.  As 
soon  as  possible  order  was  restored,  and  Hon. 
Charles  Holmes,  president  of  the  day,  announced 
the  following  programme  : — 

Singing   of  Whittier's  Hymn  by  the  Schoharie 
Musical  Association. 

Prayer  by  Rev.  William  H.  Handy. 

Singing  of  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner"  by 
the  Schoharie  Musical  Association. 

Oration  by  Grenville  Tremain,  of  Albany. 

Music  by  Doring's   Band. 

Poem,  written  by  Alfred  B.  Street,  of  Albany, 

and   read  by  N.  La  F.  Bachman,  Esq.,  of 

Schoharie. 

Singing  of  "America"  by  the  Schoharie  Musi- 
cal Association. 

Historical  Address  by  Dr.  KNOWER,of  Schoharie. 

Music  by  Austin's  Band. 


ORATION 


GcREKYIL.L.E    TREMAIH. 


Mr.  President  and  Fellow-Citizens — In 
that  temple  of  silence  and  reconciliation  where 
the  enmities  of  twenty  generations  lie  buried,  in 
the  tender  and  solemn  gloom  of  that  venerable 
abbey  wherein  is  gathered  the  honored  dust  of 
England's  bravest  and  best,  surrounded  by 
"  royal  sarcophagus  and  carved  shrine,  and  by 
fading  banners  which  tell  of  the  knights  of 
former  time ;  where  the  Chathams  and  Mans- 
fields  repose,  and  where  orators  and  poets  he," 
is  a  conspicuous  monument,  bearing  this  inscrip- 
tion : — 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Major  John 
Andre,  who,  raised  by  his  merit  at  an  early 

PERIOD  of  his  life  TO  THE  RANK  OF  AdjUTANT- 

General  OF  the  British  forces  in  America, 
and  employed  in  an  important  but  hazard- 
ous enterprise,  fell  a  sacrifice  to  his  zeal 
for  his  king  and  country." 

By  command  of  England's  king,  George 
the  Third,  was  this  monument  raised  in  West- 
minster Abbey.  The  sculptor,  true  to  the 
historical  fact,  has  pictured  and  perpetuated  the 
singular  sense  of  pain  and  grief  entertained  by 
those  who  were  the  foes  of  him  whose  name  is 
thus  prominently  carved  in  this  temple  of  fame. 
Contemplating,  as  it  were,  with  bowed  head  this 
rare  homage  of  a  great  nation  to  her  dead,  the 
spectator  is  moved  to  inquire  more  minutely  in- 
to the  events  of  this  life  so  grandly  immortaUzed. 


What  has  won  so  much  in  a  career  of  only 
twenty  nine  years  ?  In  this  sacred  mausoleum 
of  England's  mighty  dead,  where. 

Through  long-drawn  aisle  and  fretted  vault. 
sweep  memories  of  those  who  have  enriched  the 
language,  ennobled  the  human  intellect,  elevated 
humanity,  or  perpetuated  in  immortal  verse  the 
emotions  and  passions  of  men,  on  every  side  are 
names,  the  very  utterance  of  which  is  an  era,  an 
army,  an  anthem,  an  empire.  To  associate  with 
these  mighty  dead,  how  incalculable  the  honor  ! 
How  indelible  the  record  here  engraven  !  How 
immortal  the  fame  here  perpetuated! 

And  yet  this  man  thus  wept  by  his  foes  and 
immortalized  by  his  country,  was  an  enemy  to 
American  liberty,  a  foe  to  republicanism,  whose 
death  was  ignoble,  and  whose  ashes  reposed  for 
forty  years  under  the  free  soil  of  our  own  land, 
marked  only  by  a  tree  whose  fruit  never  blos- 
somed. That  monument  to  the  memory  of 
John  Andre  would  never  have  been  raised,  no 
such  inscription  would  ever  have  been  wxitten, 
and  that  grim  irony  would  not  have  marred  the 
greatness  of  Westminster  Abbey,  but  for  the 
critical  act,  the  crucial  conduct  and  the  incor- 
ruptible honor  of  him  whose  name  is  upon  every 
lip  and  in  every  heart  here  to-day. 

The  minute  details  of  the  story  and  the  life 
that  are  brought  to  mind  by  the  ceremonies  of 
this  day  will  be  wrought  out  by  another  and 


452 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


more  competent  hand.  The  expression  of  the 
thoughts  and  emotions  suggested  by  the  ac- 
cepted facts  connected  with  the  memorable 
event  of  September  23,  1780,  and  a  mere  out- 
line of  the  occurrence,  are  more  appropriately 
within  the  province  of  the  duty  assigned  to  me. 
In  the  contemplation  of  the  performance  of  that 
duty  I  am  sustained,  buoyed  and  strengthened 
by  a  belief  in  the  leniency  of  judgment  and  the 
charitable  consideration  of  those  whom  I  ad- 
dress. 

To  us,  living  when  the  nation's  life  has 
spanned  a  century,  when  her  greatness  and  her 
power  are  recognized  in  every  clime  and  upon 
every  sea,  when  the  rich  blessings  of  civil  and 
religious  Uberty  accompany  every  heart-throb 
and  every  breath — to  us  the  page  that  records 
the  fidelity  and  the  transcendent  honor  of  David 
WiUiams,  John  Paulding  and  Isaac  Van  Wart, 
is  serried  with  lines  of  the  deepest  interest,  and 
glorious  with  letters  that  can  never  fade. 

We  open  to-day  the  book  that  perpetuates 
the  history  of  Revolutionary  times,  that  tells 
how  our  country  was  baptized  with  fire  and 
blood;  how,  through  toils,  and  labors,  and 
sacrifices,  and  sorrows,  and  prayers,  this  last 
hope  of  Repubhcanism  arose;  and  we  know 
that  the  "red  rain  of  her  slaughtered  sires  has 
but  watered  the  earth  for  the  harvest  of  their 
gallant  sons."  We  turn  to  the  chapter  black, 
ened  by  the  only  traitor  that  disgraced  the 
Revolutionary  period,  to  find  that  his  treachery 
was  defeated  and  the  infant  nation  saved  by 
the  providential  presence  and  the  memorable 
act  of  him  to  whom  we  this  day  erect  with 
pageant  and  with  pride,  this  monumental  tribute. 

That  Andre's  was  an  important  but  hazardous 
enterprise  is  now  more  fully  appreciated  than 
even  when  the  stirring  events  of  that  period 
were  being  enacted — nay,  than  during  the  first 
half  century  of  the  nation's  life.  The  true 
nature  of  that  enterprise  as  well,  thanks  to  the 
unerring  adjustment  of  time,  has  become  fixed 


and  certain  wherever  intelligence  and  judicial 
•fairness  prevail  over  passion  or  sentimentality. 
I  would  not  if  I  could,  and  certainly  I  could  not 
if  I  would,  mar  the  charm  of  that  picture  which 
the  character  and  personality  of  Major  Andre 
presents.  Dissociated  from  the  terrible  con- 
sequences which  would  have  resulted  from  a 
successful  termination  of  that  enterprise,  and 
independent  of  the  attempt  made  in  certain 
quarters  in  England  to  cast  a  shade  upon  the 
spotless  character  of  Washington,  we  cannot 
contemplate  the  fate  of  Andre,  without  emotions 
of  the  profoundest  pity.  Wherever  loyalty  and 
valor  are  respected,  wherever  steadfastness  and 
manly  devotion  are  admired,  wherever  youth, 
ambition,  intelligence  and  beauty  combined, 
command  interest  and  win  affection,  there  will 
the  character  of  Major  Andre  be  cordially  and 
truly  appreciated.  But  these  very  qualities  of 
heart  and  mind  were  the  underlying  causes  of 
his  connection  with  the  enterprise.  Considered 
with  all  the  surrounding  circumstances,  how- 
ever, I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that,  in 
comparison  with  the  high  noon  glory  that  sur- 
rounds the  distinguished  service,  lofty  firmness 
and  untarnished  honor  of  our  own  Nathan 
Hale,  the  conduct  of  Andre  pales  into  a  glim- 
mering twilight.  He  who  by  corruption  and 
bribery  seeks  profit  and  renown,  has  no  place 
beside  him  who  for  love  of  liberty,  considers  his 
•  own  single  hfe  but  an  insignificant  offering  upon 
the  altar  of  his  country. 

The  method  of  Andre's  death  was  an  insep- 
arable accompaniment  of  the  act  and  of  the 
offense.  The  laws  of  war  and  of  nations  have 
inexorably  imposed  the  penalty,  and  its  infamy 
cannot  be  lessened  in  the  world's  estimation  by 
the  fact  that  his  brother  was  invested  with  the 
honors  of  knighthood.  Vattel,  the  great  ex- 
positor of  the  laws  of  nations  and  of  war,  while 
he  recognizes  such  enterprises  as  not  contrary 
to  the  external  law  of  nations,  denies  that  they 
are  just  and  compatible  with  the  laws  of  a  pure 


APPENDIX. 


453 


conscience,  and  says:  "Seducing  a  subject  to 
betray  his  country ;  suborning  a  traitor  to  set 
fire  to  a  magazine ;  practicing  on  the  fideUty  of 
a  Governor — enticing  him,  persuading  him  to 
deUver  up  a  place,  is  prompting  such  persons  to 
commit  detestable  crimes.  Is  it  honest  to  in- 
cite our  most  inveterate  enemy  to  be  guilty  of 
a  crime  ?  *  *  *  It  is  a  different  thing 
merely  to  accept  the  offers  of  a  traitor,  but  when 
we  know  ourselves  able  to  succeed  without  the 
assistance  of  traitors,  it  is  noble  to  reject  their 
offers  with  detestation.'' 

At  this  distance  of  time,  then,  we  view  the 
act  of  Andre  with  that  calmness  and  repose  of 
judgment  that  does  not  err,  and  which  is  not 
warped  by 

"  Titles  blown  from  adulation." 

This  is  the  darker  side  of  the  picture  essential 
to  its  completeness;  but  there  are  lighter 
shades  to  attract  the  eye  and  warm  the  heart. 
Let  us  examine  them. 

Stand  with  me  upon  the  historic  spot,  hard 
by  Tarrytown,    in    the  county  of  Westchester, 
where  the  dark  blow  that  was  aimed  at  the  life 
of  the    young   Nation    was    arrested.     There 
the    zealous     Andre    sees    visions    of    future 
glory    and    honor,    kingliest    rewards,    within 
his    very    grasp.      There,    as    he    rides  along 
his  solitary  path  beyond  the  American  lines  and 
on  the  very  verge  of  safety,  he  knows  that  his 
heel  is  upon  the  throat  of  American   freedom 
and   independence.       Within    sight    the   great 
artery  of  trade  and  commerce  flows  majestic  to 
the  sea,  unconscious  that  on  this  hapless  morn- 
ing of  September  21,  1780,  its  bosom  is  vexed 
by  the  Vulture  ladened  with  the  fate  of  nations 
and  of  centuries.     The  giant  mountains,  senti- 
nels of  the  centuries,  stand  and  see  the  begin- 
ning and  the  tragic  ending  of  the  hellish  plot 
which  includes  the  destinies  of  the  Nation,  and 
the  sacrifice  of  the  precious  life   upon   which 
those  destinies  hang.     Standing  at  this  point  of 
observation,  the   magnitude   of  the   service  of 


David  Williams  is  more  fully  seen,  is  more  fully 
comprehended.  In  the  rusty  garb  of  a  reduced 
gentleman,  the  soUtary  horseman,  as  he  ap- 
proaches, is  now  the  central  figure  of  our  view. 
And  who  is  he  ?  Major  John  Andre,  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  British  forces  in  America.  He 
has  left  the  "  Mercuries  reclining  upon  bales  of 
goods,  and  the  Genii  playing  with  pens,  ink  and 
paper."  Mercantile  glories  crowd  no  longer  up- 
on his  fancy.  An  "impertinent consciousness" 
has  whispered  in  his  ear  that  he  is  not  of  the 
right  stuff  for  a  merchant,  and  the  picture  of  his 
beautiful  and  beloved  Honora  has  lost  the  taUs- 
manic  power  to  enlighten  toil  and  inspire  in- 
dustry. Accomplished  in  the  lighter  graces  of 
music,  poetry  and  painting,  graceful  and  cultured 
in  literary  expression,  fired  with  a  zeal  for 
glory, 

"  Yearning  for  the  large  excitement  that  the  coming 

years  would  yield, 
Eager-hearted  as  a  boy,  when  first  he  leaves  his  father's 

field," 

he  has  turned  his  glowing  nature  toward  the  pro- 
fession of  his  heart.  In  the  words  of  his  biog- 
rapher, few  men  were  more  capable  than  he  of 
winning  a  soldier's  reward.  A  prisoner  at  the 
surrender  of  St.  Johns,  we  see  him  clinging  to 
the  picture  his  own  hand  had  painted  of  the 
loved  Honora ;  promoted  for  merit  and  fidelity 
to  a  position  far  above  his  years  and  experience, 
winning  the  confidence  and  affection  of  his 
chief.  Sir  Henry  CHnton,  he  is  now  commis- 
sioned for  a  service  of  which  the  King  of  Eng- 
land did  not  hesitate  to  say  that  "  the  public 
never  can  be  compensated  for  the  vast  advan- 
tages which  must  have  followed  from  the  success 
of  his  plan." 

Up  to  that  critical  moment,  nine  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  23d  of  September,  there  had 
been  no  special  lack  of  discretion  on  Andre's 
part.  He  had  been  borne  along  by  fates  that 
were  propitious,  so  far  as  human  ken  could  see, 
though  in  fact   perils  were   approaching  from 


454 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


sources  called  accidental,  perils  which  to  him 
were  entirely  unforseen.  For  more  than  a  year 
he  had,  without  exposure  or  suspicion,  conduct- 
ed a  clandestine  correspondent  with  the  traitor 
Arnold.  The  treason  had  been  hidden  under  the 
phrases  of  the  mercantile  profession.  Arnold, 
under  the  feigned  name  of  "Gustavus,"  had 
communicated  much  valuable,  and  often  highly 
important  information  to  Andre,  whom  he  ad- 
dressed as  John  Anderson.  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
the  commander  of  the  British  forces,  had  soon 
suspected  the  true  rank  and  person  of  Gustavus. 
Several  attempts  at  a  personal  interview  had  mis- 
carried, but  the  infidelity  of  Arnold  had  never 
been  suspected.  He  had  by  importunity  at  last 
succeeded  in  obtaining  from  Washington  com- 
mand of  West  Point,  without  causing  the  slight- 
est shade  of  suspicion  to  cross  the  sagacious 
mind  of  that  watchful  commander.  There  his 
plottings  were  renewed.  Even  the  overture 
which  had  come  in  response  to  his  communi- 
cations, and  borne  by  the  ominous  Vulture  up 
the  Hudson  to  within  fourteen  miles  of  Arnold's 
quarters,  near  West  Point,  had  been  shown  to 
Washington  in  the  presence  of  LaFayette,  with 
a  brazen  boldness  that  extinguished  all  doubts 
of  Arnold's  honor.  "  I  had  no  more  suspicion 
of  Arnold  than  1  had  of  myself,"  said  the  chief 
in  relating  this.  On  the  20th,  Andre  had  board- 
ed the  Vulture  in  the  highest  spirits,  confident 
of  success.  The  details  of  that  midnight  voy- 
age of  twelve  miles,  from  King's  Ferry  to  Teller's 
Point,  and  back  from  the  Vulture  to  Long  Clove, 
are  known  to  all.  With  oars  carefully  muffled 
in  sheep-skins,  the  flag-boat,  so  called,  beneath 
a  serene  and  clear  sky,  approached  in  silence  the 
place  of  meeting,  where  the  arch-traitor  was  hid 
among  the  firs. 

From  this  point  occur  a  series  of  trivial  cir- 
cumstances, insignificant  in  themselves,  but  yet 
big  with  fate.  The  refusal  of  the  boatman  to 
return  to  the  Vulture  that  night,  necessitated 
the  journey  to  the  Smith  house,  some  three  or 


four  miles  distant,  the  consequent  disguise  as- 
sumed by  Andre  to  escape  detection  during  the 
return  by  land,  and  as  well  the  possession  of  the 
papers  found  under  Andre's  stockings,  which  led 
his  captors  to  the  knowledge  of  his  true  char- 
acter. Without  that  disguise  and  without  those 
papers,  while  the  conspiracy  might  not  have 
been  defeated,  the  life  of  Andre  would  have 
been  saved.  But  the  memorable  act  of  Colonel 
Livingston  is  still  more  remarkable.  At  day- 
break, on  the  morning  of  the  2 2d,  the  Vulture 
still  Ungered  with  impudent  audacity  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  American  fortifications.  Her 
presence  had  so  outraged  the  spirit  of  Livings- 
ton and  the  troops  that  he  had  applied,  but 
without  success,  to  Arnold  for  two  heavy  guns. 
Nothing  daunted  by  the  treasonable  refusal  of 
Arnold,  he  had  carried  a  four-pounder  to  Gal- 
lows Point,  a  lesser  promontory  of  Teller's,  and 
with  but  a  scant  supply  of  powder,  he  com- 
menced so  active  a  cannonading  upon  her  that 
she  was  obliged  to  drop  down  the  river  beyond 
range.  In  this  manner  all  means  of  access  to 
her  by  water  was  cut  ofi"  from  Andre.  But  for 
the  American  grit  and  perseverance  of  Livings- 
ton, Andre  would  doubtless  have  found  some 
means  of  again  boarding  the  Vulture,  carrying 
with  him  the  instruments  fgr  the  destruction  of 
West  Point  and  her  dependencies.  Upon  such 
apparently  trivial  and  accidental  incidents  does 
the  fate  of  nations  frequently  depend. 

From  the  window  of  Smith's  house,  Andre  saw 
with  impatience  the  Vulture  withdraw,  but  he 
knew  not  that  she  carried  with  her  all  his  hopes 
of  future  glory  and  renown.  All  that  morning 
after  Arnold's  departure,  which  occurred  at  ten 
o'clock,  he  chafed  with  impatience  to  depart. 
But  the  jealous,  prying,  gossip-loving  guide,  in 
whose  care  Andre  had  been  left,  proved  too 
timid,  weak  and  procrastinating  for  the  part  as- 
signed him.  Toward  the  last  of  that  ill-omened 
Friday,  the  return*  was  begun,  with  Andre's 
spirits  sunk  deep  in  gloom  and  sadness.     And 


APPENDIX. 


455 


well  might  they  be.  The  bargain  had  been 
made  by  which,  for  gold,  an  officer,  high  in  the 
esteem  of  Washington,  had  sold  his  birth-right 
and  his  honor.  During  that  long  night  he  had 
been  breathing  the  foul  atmosphere  where  trea- 
son was  hatched,  had  been  looking  into  a  face 
wrinkled  with  perfidy,  into  the  blood-shot  eyes 
of  a  debauched  and  worthless  traitor.  And  he, 
the  soul  of  honor,  "  the  pet  of  the  British  army," 
had  been  bartering  with  devilish  coolness  for 
the  soul  of  a  fellow-man.  Involved  in  that  mid- 
night conference  were  the  lives  of  men  who  had 
never  done  him  injury,  and  the  happiness  of  in- 
nocent women  and  children  who  had  never 
crossed  his  path.  He,  the  hero,  who  had  been 
fired  by  a  desire  to  win  renown  by  heroic  bravery 
and  distinguished  service  for  his  country,  was 
skulking  inside  the  enemy's  lines  like  a  common 
thief  in  disguise,  the  companion  of  a  petty  tool 
and  his  negro,  and  with  his  stockings  stufifed 
with  an  ill-gotten  booty,  bought  with  the  price 
of  another's  dishonor.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
his  mind  settled  into  gloomy  forebodings  ? 

He  crossed  King's  Ferry  at  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  Haverstraw  bay  and  took  his  way, 
under  the  dictation  of  his  over-cautious  com- 
panion, northward,  to  disarm  suspicion.  Here 
another  trivial  circumstance  interposed  itself 
with  unerring  fatality.  Smith,  the  willing  tool 
of  Arnold,  insisted  upon  remaining  over  night 
on  the  way.  Fatal  error !  In  the  darkness  and 
silence  of  that  night,  there  were  hidden  forces 
at  work,  which  would  block  the  morrow's  path 
with  a  wall  more  impregnable  than  Fort  Put- 
nam. The  honor  and  incorruptibility  of  David 
Williams  was  a  part  of  its  masonry. 

All  night  the  restless  Andre  tossed  upon  an 
uneasy  bed,  side  by  side  with  the  miserable 
creature  whose  easy  virtue  had  yielded  to  the 
persuasions  of  Arnold.  Is  it  wonderful  that  both 
should  have  been  robbed  of  sleep?  Is  it 
strange  that  at  daylight  and  without  breakfast 
they  should  hasten  on  in  the  path  that  was  to 


lead  Andre  to  the  feet  of  his  sovereign,  to  receive 
a  grateful  country's  homage  and  reward  ? 

And  now  we  approach  the  place  and  the  act 
in  commemoration  of  which,  by  the  tardy  favor 
and  justice  of  our  State,  we  are  assembled  here 
to-day. 

The  three  captors  of  Major  Andre,  whose 
names  have  become  renowned,  would  in  all 
likelihood  have  remained  unknown  to  future  gen- 
erations, had  Smith,  as  he  agreed,  accompanied 
Andre  to  White  Plains,  below  Tarrytown.  But 
yielding  to  his  pusillanimons  fears,  he  refused  to 
go  further  than  Pines  Bridge. 

From  this  point,  then,  our  solitary  horseman 
approaches  the  place  where  we  stand.  To  the 
west  of  the  road  was  the  river ;  to  the  east,  the 
Greenburgh  Hills,  in  whose  bosom  lies  the 
world-renowned  vale  of  Sleepy  Hollow,  with  its 
old  church  founded  by  the  Philipse  family,  and 
the  ancient  bell  with  its  legend,  Deus  pro  nobis, 
quis  contra  nos.  In  front  of  him  as  he  passes,  a  few 
rough  logs  laid  side  by  side,  furnish  a  passage 
over  a  rivulet,  which  rises  in  the  neighboring 
swamp  and  finds  its  way  westward  into  those 
broad  waters  of  the  Hudson  known  as  the  Tap- 
pan  Zee. 

Here  on  the  south  and  west  side  of  the  path, 
concealed  among  the  bushes,  are  David  Wil- 
liams, the  eldest  of  the  party  (he  being  about 
twenty-two  years  old),  John  Paulding  and 
Isaac  Van  Wart,  yeomen.  Not  freeholders  un- 
der the  rank  of  gentlemen,  but  American  citi- 
zens of  humble  birth,  two  of  whom  had  already 
risked  their  lives  in  the  service  of  their  country 
and  in  the  cause  of  the  colonies,  against  whom 
the  breath  of  slander  from  sentimental  or  com- 
passionate lips,  had  not  yet  breathed  a  shade  of 
suspicion;  representatives  of  that  "Peasant 
patriotism  of  America — the  conquering  power 
of  the  revolution — the  essential  element  then, 
as  now,  and  evermore,  of  American  greatness 
and  American  freedom  ! " 

Springing  to  their  feet,  with  presented  mus- 


45  6 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


kets,  they  bid  the  stranger  stand  and  announce 
his  destination.  Surely  the  darling  of  the  Brit- 
ish army,  who,  by  sagacity,  prudence  and  brav- 
ery, has  been  elevated  to  the  rank  of  Adjutant- 
General  of  the  British  forces  in  America,  is  pos- 
sessed of  sufficient  caution  to  disarm  this  bris- 
tling trio !  Not  so.  Although  armed  with 
Arnold's  pass  to  guard  him  against  the  only  real 
enemies  he  has  cause  to  fear,  and  which  has 
already  put  to  sleep  the  awakened  suspicions 
of  the  wary  Captain  Boyd,  some  over-ruling 
Providence  leads  him  to  make  that  fatal  answer, 
"  My  lads,  I  hope  you  belong  to  our  party." 
The  reply  comes  quick,  "  What  party  is  that  ?  " 
"  The  lower  party,"  he  answered.  "  We  do," 
is  the  reply.  "  Thank  God,  I  am  once  more 
among  friends,"  he  cried,  deceived  by  the  rude 
simplicity  of  the  men,  and  recognizing  a  British 
militia  coat  upon  Paulding's  back,  a  coat  in 
which  (in  lieu  of  his  own,  of  which  he  had  been 
despoiled,)  Paulding  had  escaped  from  the 
enemy,  in  whose  hands  he  had  fallen  some  five 
or  six  days  before  the  capture  of  Andre.  "  I 
am  glad  to  see  you,  I  am  a  British  officer ;  I 
have  been  up  in  the  country  on  particular  busi- 
ness, and  I  hope  you  wont  detain  me  a  minute," 
confidently  continued  Andre. 

The  long  agony  was  over !  That  mine  which 
had  been  set  for  the  overthrow  of  the  citadel 
of  American  freedom  and  independence,  whose 
train  it  had  taken  months  to  lay,  was  now  ex- 
posed and  harmless,  unless 

"  The  jingling  of  the  guinea 

That  helps  the  hurt  that  honor  feels," 

can  successfully  assail  the  virtue  of  Williams, 
Van  Wart  and  Paulding.  This  vast  assemblage, 
these  ceremonies,  the  projected  monument  over 
the  remains  of  David  Williams,  but  above  all 
that  waving  symbol  of  the  power  and  greatness 
of  this  nation,  tell  with  unmistakable  and  an 
answerable  emphasis  of  the  incorruptible  in- 
tegrity of  these  simple  rustic  men. 

The  State  of  New  York  has  honored  herself 


by  making  the  appropriation  necessary  to  com- 
mence this  monument  over  the  remains  of  the 
only  one  of  that  immortal  three,  whose  grave 
remains  to  this  day  unhonored.  In  1827,  the 
city  of  New  York  erected  a  monument  over  the 
remains  of  Paulding  near  Peekskill,  bearing 
this  significant  inscription  : — 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  23d  of  September, 
1780,  accompanied  by  two  young  farmers  of 
the  county  of  Westchester  (whose  names  will 
one  day  be  recorded  on  their  own  deserved 
monuments)  he  intercepted  the  British  spy, 
Andre.  Poor  himself,  he  disdained  to  acquire 
wealth  by  the  sacrifice  of  his  country.  Reject- 
ing the  temptation  of  great  rewards,  he  con- 
veyed his  prisoner  to  the  American  camp  ;  and 
by  this  act  of  noble  self-denial  the  treason  of 
Arnold  was  detected,  the  designs  of  the  enemy 
baffled.  West  Point  and  the  American  army 
saved,  and  these  United  States,  now,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  free  and  independent,  rescued 
from  most  imminent  peril." 

At  Greenburgh,  near  Tarry  town,  on  the  spot 
where  the  remains  of  Isaac  Van  Wart  lie 
buried,  the  citizens  of  the  vicinity  erected,  in 
1829,  a  suitable  monument,  with  the  following 
inscription  engraven  thereon  : — 

"  Fidelity.  On  the  23d  of  September,  1780, 
Isaac  Van  Wart,  accompanied  by  John  Pauld- 
ing and  David  Williams,  all  farmers  of  the 
county  of  Westchester,  intercepted  Major 
Andre  on  his  return  from  the  American  lines  in 
the  character  of  a  spy ;  and,  notwithstanding 
the  large  bribes  offered  them  for  his  release, 
nobly  disdained  to  sacrifice  their  country  for 
gold,  secured  and  carried  him  to  the  command- 
ing officer  of  the  district,  whereby  the  dangerous 
and  traitorous  conspiracy  of  Arnold  was  brought 
to  Hght,  the  insidious  designs  of  the  enemy 
baffled,  the  American  army  saved,  and  our 
beloved  country  free." 

On  the  memorable  site  where  the  capture 
occurred,  the  young  men  of  Westchester  county, 


APPENDIX. 


457 


in  1853,  built  a  cenotaph  in  honor  of  the  cap- 
tors. How  appropriate,  then,  that  in  this 
beautiful  valley  and  in  this  County,  where  the 
survivor  of  the  three  hved  for  twenty-six  years, 
and  where  he  died  and  was  buried,  there  should 
rise  an  enduring  mark  of  the  gratitude  and 
appreciation  of  this  people! 

It  does  not  become  the  time  nor  the  occasion 
to  enter  upon  any  extended  discussion  of  the 
mooted  questions  surrounding  the  purposes  and 
motives  of  Andre's  captors.  It  is  too  late  a  day 
to  reverse  the  judgment  of  George  Washington 
and  Alexander  Hamilton,  of  Congress  and  the 
Legislature  of  this  State,  all  pronounced  at  the 
time.  Besides  the  united  testimony  of  a  host 
of  their  neighbors  and  acquaintances,  the  sworn 
statement  of  Paulding  and  Van  Wart,  and  the 
solemn  asseverations  of  Williams,  seven  months 
before  his  death  in  1831,  all  unite  in  bearing 
down,  with  an  unanswerable  weight  of  testi- 
mony, the  eleventh-hour  statement  of  Colonel 
Tallmadge  thirty-seven  years  after  the  capture. 
To  all  this  we  may  add  the  critical  analysis,  by 
Henry  J.  Raymond,  of  the  whole  testimony  bear- 
ing on  the  subject.  That  acute  publicist  dis- 
missed the  slander  to  the  reprobation  it  de- 
serves, and  the  almost  universal  judgment  of 
the  American  people  confirms  the  verdict.  For 
myself,  I  may  be  permitted  to  add,  that  in  my 
judgment,  when  examined  with  fairness,  and 
attested  by  the  rules  of  common  sense  and  com- 
mon justice,  every  candid  mind  must  inevitably 
conclude  that  the  overwhelming  balance  of 
proof  is  upon  the  side  of  the  incorruptible  hon- 
esty and  purity  of  their  motives.  Nothing  more 
reliable  than  rumor  and  suspicion  arising  from 
statements  made  solely  by  Andre,  stand  upon 
the  other  side,  statements,  it  must  never  be  for- 
gotten, which  sprang  from  a  heart  sorely  de- 
jected, chagrined  and  mortified  by  his  own  lack 
of  common  prudence;  made,  too,  at  a  time 
when  his  mind,  sunk  beneath  a  weight  of  woe 
almost  incalculable,  was  seeking  for  rehef  in  the 


contemplation  of  what  might  have  been.  It  is 
our  duty  to  guard  the  reputation  of  these  hum- 
ble patriots  against  this  misty  testimony  rising 
out  of  such  a  cauldron  of  self-interest.  It  must 
always  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  British  would 
not  concede  that  true  virtue  was  a  feature  of 
character  belonging  to  Americans  ;  and  Andre, 
fresh  from  a  field  where  he  had  witnessed  the 
debased  character  of  a  high  officer,  was  in  no 
condition  of  mind  to  stem  the  tide  of  opinion 
that  flowed  within  the  English  lines.  The  virtue 
of  these  men,  under  such  circumstances,  could 
not  be,  and  evidently  was  not  comprehended. 
In  the  words  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Fleury, 
written  from  Newport,  on  the  5th  of  October, 
1780  : —  "  How  great,  compared  to  Arnold,  are 
those  peasants  who  refused  the  bribe  of  Andre. 
Let  this  be  remembered  in  favor  of  the  poor." 

I  may  be  permitted  to  express  the  hope,  that 
somewhere  upon  this  projected  monument  to 
David  Williams  will  appear  these  notable  words 
of  Washington  in  his  letter  to  the  President  of 
Congress:  "The  party  that  took  Major  Andre 
*  *  acted  in  such  a  manner  as  does  them  the 
highest  honor,  and  proves  them  to  be  men  of 
great  virtue,  *  *  their  conduct  gives  them 
a  just  claim  to  the  thanks  of  their  country." 

Perhaps  the  true  nature  of  this  conduct  is 
more  eloquently  and  luminously  told  in  the 
words  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  in  the  Laurens 
letter,  where  he  says  :  "  Arnold's  conduct  and 
that  of  the  captors  of  Andre,  form  a  striking 
contrast.  He  tempted  them  with  the  offisr  of 
his  watch,  his  horse  and  any  sum  of  money  that 
they  should  name.  They  rejected  his  offer  with 
indignation,  and  the  gold  that  could  seduce  a 
man,  high  in  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his 
country,  who  had  the  remembrance  of  past  ex- 
ploits, the  motives  of  present  reputation  and 
future  glory  to  prop  his  integrity,  had  no  charms 
for  these  simple  peasants  leaning  on  their  vir- 
tue and  an  honest  sense  of  their  duty.  While 
Arnold  is  handed  down  with  execration,  poster- 


458 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


ity  will  repeat  with  reverence  the  names  of  Van 
Wart,  Paulding  and  Williams  !  " 

I  owe  it  to  the  occasion,  to  you  and  to  myself, 
to  present  some  considerations  in  support  of  the 
constantly  recurring  thought,  throughout  this 
discourse,  of  the  grave  importance  of  Arnold's 
plot.  I  have  already  alluded  to  the  estimate  of 
its  advantages  to  the  British  government  pro- 
nounced by  King  George  the  Third.  From  the 
abundant  materials  furnished  by  those  in  the 
English  service  at  the  time,  I  will  only  add  the 
following  from  the  memoirs  of  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton, commander  of  the  British  forces  in  New 
York.  In  speaking  of  the  arrest  of  Andre,  he 
says:  "  I  was  exceedingly  shocked,  as  may  be 
supposed,  by  this  very  unexpected  accident, 
which  not  only  ruined  a  most  important  project 
which  had  all  the  appearance  of  being  in  a 
happy  train  of  success,  but  involved  in  danger 
and  distress  a  confidential  friend  for  whom  I 
had  deservedly  the  warmest  esteem." 

Creasy,  in  his  "  Decisive  Battles  of  the  World," 
has  succinctly  described  the  great  and  pivotal 
victory  of  the  Americans  at  Saratoga,  on  the 
7th  of  October,  1777.  He  has  conclusively 
shown  the  plan  of  operations  which  the  English 
attempted  in  that  year,  and  which  the  battle  of 
Saratoga  defeated.  The  English  had  a  consider- 
able force  in  Canada,  which  had  been  re-enforced 
for  the  purpose  of  striking  a  vigorous  and  crush- 
ing blow  against  the  Colonies.  It  was  intended 
that  the  force  thus  collected  should  march  south- 
ward by  the  line  of  the  lakes  and  thence  along 
the  banks  of  the  Hudson  river.  The  British 
army  in  New  York  was  to  make  a  simultaneous 
movement  northward  up  the  line  of  the  Hudson, 
and  the  two  expeditions  were  to  meet  at  Albany. 
In  this  manner  all  communications  between  the 
Colonial  army  in  New  England,  and  the  princi- 
pal army  under  Washington,  which  was  watch- 
ing over  Pennsylvania  and  the  South,  would  be 
cut  off.  The  army  from  Canada  was  under 
command  of  Burgoyne,  and  that  in  New  York 


under  Sir  Henry  Clinton.  The  plan  was  ably 
formed,  and  was  defeated  only  by  the  consum- 
mate skill  of  General  Gates,  and  the  unprece- 
dented bravery  of  his  men  at  Saratoga,  aided  by 
the  delay  caused  by  the  fortifications  on  the 
lower  Hudson,  the  key  of  which  was  West 
Point,  which  fortification  hindered  the  prompt 
co-operation  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  with  Bur- 
goyne. Clinton,  in  fact,  reached  Kingston, 
where,  hearing  of  Burgoyne's  surrender,  he 
burned  the  place  and  returned  to  New  York. 

What  the  capture  of  West  Point  would  have 
been  to  the  British,  will  be  more  fully  appreciated 
by  an  illustration  familiar  to  all.  It  will  be  re- 
membered how  the  country  was  stirred  to  its 
very  center,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1863,  by  the 
glorious  tidings  that  Vicksburg  had  fallen,  and 
that  "  the  great  Mississippi  swept  un vexed  to 
the  sea."  What  that  meant  was  soon  known. 
Surrounded,  like  West  Point,  with  fortifications, 
redoubts  and  bastion  ed  forts,  it  held  within  its 
iron  grasp  the  control  of  the  great  Mississippi. 
When  it  fell,  that  great  artery  through  which 
ran  the  life-blood  of  the  Southern  Confederacy, 
was  absolutely  within  the  power  of  the  Federal 
army.  The  Rebellion  had  been  cut  in  twain.  In 
the  language  of  Sherman,  "  the  reduction  of 
Vicksburg  made  the  destruction  of  the  Re- 
bellion certain."  What  Vicksburg  and  her  de- 
pendencies were  to  the  Mississippi  in  1863, 
West  Point  and  her  dependencies  were  to  the 
Hudson  in   1780. 

What  had  been  lost  at  Saratoga  by  open 
force,  would  have  been  regained,  had  West 
Point  and  its  dependencies  fallen  by  means  of 
the  secret  plottings  of  Arnold.  "  This  was  the 
great  object  of  British  and  American  solicitude," 
says  Irving,  in  speaking  of  West  Point,  "  on  the 
possession  of  which  was  supposed  by  many  to 
hinge  the  fortunes  of  the  war."  And  again  he 
says,  "  the  immediate  result  of  this  surrender, 
it  was  anticipated,  would  be  the  defeat  of  the 
combined  attempt  upon  New  York,  and  its  ulti- 


APPENDIX. 


459 


mate  effect  might  be  the  dismemberment  of  the 
Union  and  the  dislocation  of  the  whole  Ameri- 
can scheme  of  warfare."  From  the  mass  of 
American  testimony  at  hand,  the  following  ad- 
ditional proofs  are  selected  :  LaFayette  wrote 
to  his  wife,  October  8th  :  "A  frightful  conspiracy 
has  been  planned  by  the  celebrated  Arnold  ;  he 
sold  to  the  Enghsh  the  fort  of  West  Point  which 
was  under  his  command,  and  consequently  the 
whole  navigation  of  the  North  river." 

General  Greene  issued  a  general  order  on 
the  26th  of  October,  from  which  the  following 
is  taken  : — 

"  Treason,  of  the  blackest  dye,  was  yesterday 
discovered.  General  Arnold,  who  commanded 
at  West  Point — ^lostto  every  sentiment  of  honor, 
of  private  and  public  obligation — -was  about  to 
deliver  up  that  important  post  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy.  Such  an  event  must  have  given  the 
American  cause  a  deadly  wound,  if  not  a  fatal 
stab.  Happily  this  treason  has  been  timely  dis- 
covered to  prevent  the  fatal  misfortune.  The 
providential  train  of  circumstances  which  led  to 
it  affords  the  most  convincing  proof  that  the 
hberties  of  America  are  the  object  of  divine 
protection.  At  the  same  time,  though  the  trea- 
son is  to  be  regretted,  the  General  cannot  help 
congratulating  the  army  on  the  happy  discovery. 
Our  enemies,  despairing  of  carrying  their  point 
by  force,  are  practicing  every  base  art  to  effect 
by  bribery  and  corruption,  what  they  cannot  ac- 
complish in  a  manly  way.  Great  honor  is  due 
to  the  American  army  that  this  is  the  first  in- 
stance of  the  kind,  where  many  were  to  be  ex- 
pected from  the  nature  of  the  dispute;  and 
nothing  is  so  bright  an  ornament  in  the  charac- 
ter of  the  American  soldiers,  as  their  having 
been  proof  against  all  the  arts  and  seductions  of 
an  insidious  enemy.  *  *  *  His  Excellency 
the  commander-in-chief  has  arrived  at  West 
Point  from  Hartford,  and  is  no  doubt  taking 
proper  measures  to  unravel  fully  so  hellish  a 
plot." 


It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  had  the  "  hell- 
ish plot"  succeeded,  it  would  have  involved  the 
captivity  of  Washington  himself  The  following 
remarkable  letter  of  Governor  William  Living- 
ston tQ  General  Washington  so  entirely  ex- 
presses the  emotions  of  the  hour, that  it  is  inserted 
in  full. 

"Trenton,  7th  October,  1780. 
Dear  Sir — I  most  heartily  congratulate  your 
Excellency  on  the  timely  discovery  of  General 
Arnold's  treasonable  plot  to  captivate  your 
person  and  deliver  up  West  Point  to  the  enemy, 
of  which  the  loss  of  the  former,  had  his  infernal 
machinations  succeeded,  would  have  been  more 
regretted  by  America  than  of  the  latter.  The 
remarkable  disposition  of  Providence  to  frus- 
trate the  diabolical  conspiracy,  will  inspire  every 
virtuous  American  with  sincere  gratitude  to  the 
Great  Arbiter  of  all  events ;  and  I  hope  that 
no  true  Whig  among  us  will  ever  forget  the 
memorable  era  when  we  were,  by  the  peculiar 
guardianship  of  Heaven,  rescued  from  the  very 
brink  of  destruction. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be 
your  very  obedient  servant, 

"  William  Livingston." 

Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  with  pomp  and 
circumstance,  and  with  grateful  hearts,  we  as- 
semble to  perpetuate  with  enduring  granite, 
here  under  the  broad  sky,  and  upon  the 
free  acres  of  our  beloved  country,  that  tran- 
scendent act  and  that  renowned  virtue  of  these 
captors  of  Andre ! 

Though  neglected,  he  whose  ashes  lie  buried 
here,  was  not  absolutely  forgotten  by  his  coun- 
try, and  it  is  proper  that  allusion  should  be 
made  to  the  rewards  which  a  grateful  country 
has  bestowed  upon  him. 

By  authority  of  Congress,  in  1780,  a  silver 
medal  bearing  the  inscription  of  "  Fidelity," 
and  the  legend  "  Vincit  Amor  Patrice,"  was 
presented  to  each  of  the  captors,  and  at  the 


460 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


same  time  an  annuity  was  authorized  to  be 
paid  to  each,  of  $200  in  specie.  In  addition, 
Congress  granted  to  each  the  privilege  of  locat- 
ing any  confiscated  lands  in  the  county  of  West- 
chester to  the  amount  of  $1,250,  or  of  receiving 
that  sum  in  cash.  The  Legislature  of  the  State 
of  New  York  granted  to  each  a  farm,  reciting  in 
the  act  as  a  consideration  "their  virtue  in 
refusing  a  large  sum  offered  to  them  by  Major 
Andre  as  a  bribe  to  permit  him  to  escape."  In 
the  fall  of  1830,  the  corporation  of  the  city  of 
New  York  invited  David  WiUiams  (the  survivor 
of  the  three),  by  special  messenger  to  be  present 
in  that  city  at  the  celebration  of  the  French 
Revolution.  He  was  drawn,  with  other  heroes 
of  1776,  in  a  carriage  at  the  head  of  the  pro- 
cession and  attracted  much  attention.  He 
was  presented  with  a  silver  cup  at  one  of  the 
schools,  and  at  another  with  a  silver  headed 
cane,  the  stem  of  which  was  made  out  of  a 
chevaux-de-frise  used  near  West  Point  during 
the  Revolution.  His  widow  obtained  a  con- 
tinuation of  his  pension,  which  ceased  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  Forty-five  years  ago,  amid 
a  concourse  of  honoring  friends  and  country- 
men, he  was  buried  at  Livingstonville,  in  this 
County.  His  remains  have  been  removed  by 
the  consent  of  his  descendants  to  this  place. 

Here  in  this  locality,  made  memorable  by  the 
ruinous  invasion  of  Johnson  about  the  time 
when  the  events  we  have  described  were  trans- 
piring near  Tarrytown — here  near  the  place 
where  the  "  peeled  log  "  of  the  enemy  left  its 
mark  upon  the  old  Dutch  church — here  where 
brave  men  and  braver  women  stood  with  un- 
daunted courage  in  the  midst  of  conflagration, 
ruin  and  death — where  the  red  men  showed  no 
mercy,  and  where  patriots  never  flinched — let 
his  ashes  lie.     Not  in  the  midst  of  royal  sar- 


cophagi or  carved  shrin.es,  but  surrounded  by 
the  veneration  of  untold  generations  of  freeborn 
Americans ;  not  wholly  unhonored,  as  hereto- 
fore, but  graced  and  adorned  with  a  permanent 
token  of  our  remembrance  and  esteem.  For 
at  last,  thanks  to  the  interest  and  sense  of  jus- 
tice of  many  good  men  and  true,  the  Legislature 
of  the  State,  by  making  an  appropriation  for 
the  monument,  has  removed  the  stain  which 
the  neglect  of  forty-five  years  had  fastened 
upon  us. 

Standing  where  we  do  to-day,  as  it  were  upon 
the  apex  of  a  pyramid,  we  look  back  over  the 
way  the  nation  has  so  grandly  trod.  In  the  be- 
ginning we  perceive  the  toiling  multitudes,  who» 
regardless  of  personal  sacrifice,  conscious  of  their 
own  rectitude  and  relying  upon  the  favor  of 
God,  wrought  out  the  greatest  empire  of  free- 
dom the  world  has  ever  seen.  In  that  great 
work,  so  full  of  the  richest  blessings  for  us  and 
for  our  children,  let  it  be  remembered,  that  the 
part  performed  by  the  humblest,  was  often  as 
important  as  that  of  the  greatest.  The  cause 
of  the  colonies  was  near  to  the  hearts  of  the 
people.  That  was  the  security  of  the  nation 
then,  and  it  cannot  endure  without  it  now. 

Oh  !  if  the  young  men  of  our  time  would 
glow  with  a  healthy  pride  of  race  ;  if  they  would 
kindle  with  the  inspiration  of  patriotism;  if  they 
would  find  annals  wealthier  in  enduring  lesson, 
and  bright  with  the  radiance  of  a  holier  virtue 
than  ever  Rome  embraced  or  Sparta  knew,  let 
them  read  their  own  land's  history.  Then  may 
we  be  hopeful  for  the  future.  Then  may  the 
story  we  rehearse  here  to-day  be  borne  to  future 
ages  along  with  the  growing  grandeur  of  this 
mighty  nation  which  was  built  upon  the  devo- 
tion, and  will  be  sustained  by  the  bright  ex- 
ample of  the  Revolutionary  patriots. 


APPENDIX. 


461 


POEM, 

BY  ALFRED  B.  STREET. 


What  fires  the  human  heart  with  noblest  flame, 
And   fills,  with   grandest   swell,  the  trump    of 

fame — 
Strengthens  the   sinews,    war's    dread  arms  to 

wield — 
Scorns  the  red  horrors  of  the  battlefield — 
Tunes  to  triumphant  song  the  failing  breath, 
And  sheds  live  brilliance  on  the  brow  of  death  ? 
'Tis  love  of  country  !  mystic  fire  from  Heaven  I 
To  light  our  race  up  stateliest  heights  'tis  given  ; 
To  guard  man's  home — make  that  his  holiest 

shrine 
Where  his  soul's  love  grows  purest,  most  divine ; 
Where  dear  domestic  virtues  safely  bloom, 
And  joy's  rich  rainbows  deck  griefs  transient 

gloom ; 
At  whose  bright  hearth  is  changeless  summer 

found 
Heightening  to  pleasure  daily  duty's  round ; 
Where  humble  wishes  sweet  enjoyments  shed 
Like  violets  fragrant  in  their  lowly  bed. 
Not  this  alone  !  beyond  the  narrow  span 
Of  single  souls,  it  rivets  man  to  man ; 
Links  in  one  circling  chain   the  stretched  out- 
hand, 
And  makes  one  fireside  of  the  whole  broad  land. 

Thus  home  meets  home   though  mountains  rise 

between. 
And    winter   storms   beat   backward    summer 

sheen  ; 
O'er  the  wide  river,  through  the  forest,  all 
That  most  repels,  on  runs  the  living  wall. 
Against  which,   should  its  faithful  strength  re- 
main. 
The  world  shall  hurl  its  angriest  waves  in  vain. 


It  turns  the  rocks  to  roses,  stormiest  skies 
To  loveliest  calm  ;  where  cloudy  crags  arise 
The  anointed  eye  views  plains   knee-deep  in 

flowers  ; 
The  ear  in  dumb  wastes,  hears  melodious  bowers. 

Deem  we  the  Esquimaux,  though  brutish,  sees 
Heavens  that  but  frown   and  waters   that  but 

freeze  ! 
Think  we  the  Arab,  though  untaught,  surveys 
Sands  that  but   burn  and  sunbeams  that  but 

blaze ! 
No  !     In  that  frown  the  cold  dwarfed  shape  per- 
ceives 
Summer's   soft   gold   poured   out    on-  emerald 

leaves ; 
His  wooden  streak,  wild  plunging,  ripples  smooth 
O'er  glassy  seas  that  undulate  to  soothe ; 
And  the  fierce  roamer  of  the  ocean  gray 
Treads  velvet  grass,  feels  sweet  the  pleasant  ray. 
Till  one  oasis  smiles  along  his  songful  way. 
Grand  love  of  Country  !  from  the  earliest  time 
Our  race  has  deemed  its  glory  most  sublime. 
To  its  proud  praise  the  lyre  has  loftiest  rung. 
Eloquence  woke  the  music  of  its  tongue ; 
A  Hector's  deed  filled  Homer's  breast  with  fire. 
And  when  shall  patriot  Scipio's  fame  expire  ? 
Though  Rome's  dread  Eagle  darkened  earth  at 

will. 
Thy  name,  Caractacus,  shines  brightly  still ! 
Planting  his  foot  upon  his  native  sod 
He  fought ;  though  made  a  slave  to  Caesar's  rod. 
His  big  heart  burst  its  chains,  and  up  he  towered,. 

a  god ! 
And  thus  with  wiUing  minds  we  meet  to  lay 
Our  gifts  on  a  loved  patriot's  shrine  to-day. 


462 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Not  fortune's  favorite  he — his  humble  sail 
Felt  but  the  shock  of  penury's  ceaseless  gale ; 
Never  he  knew  the  rose,  but  felt  the  thorn ; 
His   pathway   led   through   chill    neglect   and 

scorn ; 
Yet,  though  man  glanced  on  him  disdainful  eyes, 
God  had  built  up  his  nature  for  the  skies ; 
His   heart   was   mighty,  though   his   path   was 

low — 
Man  made  the  cloud — God  tinged  it  with  his 

bow. 

And  thus  it  is ;  the  humble  lifted  up ; 
The  pearl  oft  decks  the  lowest  of  the  cup. 
Fame  doffs  aside  the  Sovereign  of  a  day 
To    make  a  Shakespeare    King   with    endless 

sway; 
Genius,  from  wealth  and  titled  grandeur,  turns 
To  touch  as  with  live  flame  the  tongue  of  Burns. 

And  thus  though  Williams'  eye  but  saw  the  rim 
Of  the  low  valley,  where  alone  for  him 
Life's  pathway  upward  led,  his  mental  sight 
Flashed  with   the  Eagle's   from  the  mountain 

height ; 
And  when  the  bribe  was  proffered,  off  he  turned. 
And  with  a  scornful  wrath  the  base  temptation 

spurned. 

Well,  well  for  us,  worth,  honor  were  not  sold 
By  this  high  patriot  heart  for  British  gold ! 
Treason  had  woven  his  most  cunning  coil 
Around  our  land,  its  liberty  the  spoil; 
The  British  Lion  stood  with  hungry  gloat 
To  flesh  his  fangs  within  the  victim's  throat ; 
And  had  the  glittering  bribe  its  errand  wrought, 
Treason  had  found  the  victory  he  sought. 
And  the  fierce  Lion  fastened  in  his  spring 
Our  Eagle's  glazing  eye,  and  drooping,  dying 
wing. 

Oh,  Treason,  foulest  demon  earth  has  seen, 
Darkening   ev'n   darkness   with    his    midnight 
mien ! 


How  oft  his  spell  has  fettered  Freedom's  brand ! 
And,  for  a  smiling,  left  a  blighted  land  ! 
In  vain  has  Liberty  uprisen; — unbound 
Her  glorious  folds  to  call  her  sons  around ! 
In  vain  the  crag  has  burst  out  into  hordes, 
Trees  into  lances,  thickets  into  swords  ! 

In  vain  the  cataract's  white  has  turned  to  red, 
And  the  wind's  murmuring  to  the  war-cry  dread ! 
The  dingle's  sylvan  stillness,  where  the  bird 
Sprang  to  its  wing  if  but  a  leaflet  stirred, 
Changed  to  the  tramp  of  steeds,  the  clang  of 

arms, 
The  grassy  music  to  War's  wild  alarms ! 
In  vain,  in  vain,  the  blood  in  vain  that  ran 
While  the  soul  soaring  lifted  up  the  man ! 
In  vain  has  Liberty  with  reverent  head 
Heaped  to  one  altar  all  her  sainted  dead, 
And  kneehng  there   fought  sword  in  hand,  till 

down 
Her  foes  have  fallen,  and  she  but  grasped  her 

crown ! 

Like  a  fell  serpent  Treason  low  has  crept 
In  patriot  garb,  till  oft  disguise  he  swept 
Striking  his  blow  with  such  sure  aim,  his  cry 
Of  triumph  drowned  his  victim's  dying  sigh. 
Oh  mountain  peaks,  where  clouds  were  cannon- 
smoke  ! 
Oh    glens,    whose    green   light    battle-banners 

broke  ! 
Oh  waves,  whose   tossings   broadside-thunders 

crushed ! 
Oh  skies,  whose  tempests  strife's  wild   tumults 
hushed ! 

All  spots  where  man  for  native  land  has  fought. 
Have   ye   not   seen   how   Treason's  curse  has 

wrought  ? 
How  the  broad  front  that  Freedom  reared  to  foe. 
Has  felt  base  Treason  creeping  from  below. 
Close  twining  round  herself  and  sons  till  she 
A  grand  Laocoon  has  died  to  Treachery.? 


APPENDIX. 


463 


But  pseans  to  brave  Williams,  and  the  two, 
Van  Wart  and  Paulding !  no  such  fate  we  rue. 
Song   to   the  Three !    our   whole   broad   land 

should  raise 
One   sounding  anthem  to  their  patriot  praise  ! 
For  had  base  Arnold's  treason  won,  we  now 
Perchance,  instead  of  jewels  on  our  brow. 
Jewels  of  freedom,  with  our  doom  content, 
Under  some  kingly  bondage  might  have  bent. 
Native  or  foreign  ;  or  like  those  wild  seas 
Of  tropic  States,  have   surged  to  every  breeze. 
Dashing  in  endless  strife — for  freedom  here. 
And  here,   for   kings,  until  some  ruthless  spear 
The  war  had  ended,  and  a  waste  of  graves 
Upheld  a  Despot's  throne,  and  ours  a  land  of 

slaves. 

Now — hail  the  sight ! — a  realm  of  glorious  pride 
Touching  earth's  mightiest  oceans  either  side  ! 
Pine  meeting  Palm  in  garlands  round  her  head, 
Starred  States,  striped  climates  o'er  her  banner 

spread, 
Great  Washington  diffused  ;  his  spirit  grand 
Incarnate  in  the  person  of  our  land  ! 
In  this  green  valley  where  war  wildest'  reigned. 
Where  life's  red  current  every  harvest   stained. 
Where   peace  contrasting,    now   the   brightest 

glows. 


And  place  of  battle's  thistle,  smiles  the  rose, 
Where  builds   the   bird  within   the   shattered 

shell. 
Plumped  with   soft   moss,  that  slew  where'er  it 

fell, 
Where  the  blue  violet  yields  the  skull  its  eye, 
Instead  of  strife's  close  ranks,  upstands  the  rye. 
Where  waves  the  wheat  whence  savage  plumage 

flashed, 
And  oft  avenging  Murphy's  rifle  crashed 
By  this   Stone  Fort  that   once  threw  back  the 

tide 
Of  conflict  as  its  surges  smote  its  side. 
This  day  our  patriot's  ashes  we  consign 
To  his   loved  earth  henceforth  a  sacred  shrine. 
Round  which  to  latest  years  our  grateful  hearts 

shall  twine. 

Now  on  this  flowering  of  our  Century  Tree, 
Apotheosis  of  our  history. 
This  famed  Centennial,  it  is  passing  well 
Of  patriot  hearts  and  patriot  deeds  to  tell. 
That   they   in   memory's   grasp   should   firmly 

cling 
As  gold  in  quartz,  or  pearls  in  shells,  and  fling 
Like  stars,  a  lustre  o'er  our  Nation's  way, 
Till  Time's  grand  sun  shall  set,  and  dawns  Eter- 
nal Day. 


464 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


HISTORICAL  ADDRESS, 


BY  DR.  DANIEL  KNOWER. 


This  large  concourse  of  people,  this  fine 
mihtary  display,  the  presence  of  these  dis- 
tinguished persons,  and  the  attendance  of  so 
many  ladies  to  grace  the  occasion,  show  that 
the  recollection  of  patriotic  deeds  does  not  die 
out  in  the  hearts  of  a  free  people.  David 
Williams,  one  of  the  captors  of  Major  Andre, 
in  honor  of  whose  memory  we  are  assembled 
here  to-day,  was  born  in  Tarrytown,  West- 
chester county,  in  this  State,  October  21,  1754. 
He  entered  the  Revolutionary  army  in  1775,  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  ;  fought  under  Montgomery 
at  the  battle  of  St.  Johns  and  Quebec;  and 
continued  in  the  regular  patriot  services  until 
1779.  The  capture  of  Major  Andre  occurred 
on  the  23d  of  September,  1780,  ninety-six  years 
ago  to-day. 

David  WilHams  was  the  eldest  of  the  three 
captors— he  being  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
and  John  Paulding  and  Isaac  Van  Wart,  his 
compatriots,  being  about  twenty  years  old.  The 
following  is  Williams'  account  of  the  capture, 
as  related  to  Judge  Tiffany,  at  his  home  in  this 
County,  February  13,  i8r7  : — 

"  The  three  [mihtiamen]  were  seated  besidp 
the  road  in  the  bushes,  amusing  themselves  at 
cards,  when  their  attention  was  arrested  by  the 
galloping  of  a  horse.  On  approaching  the  road 
they  saw  a  gentleman  riding  toward  them, 
seated  on  a  large  brown  horse,  which  was  after- 
ward observed  to  have  marked  on  the  near 
shoulder  the  initials  U.  C.  A.     The  rider  was  a 


light,  trim-built  man,  about  five  feet  seven 
inches  in  height,  with  a  bold  military  counte- 
nance and  dark  eyes,  and  was  dressed  in  a  tall 
beaver  hat,  surtout,  crimson  coat,  with  panta- 
loons and  vest  of  nankeen.  As  he  neared 
them,  the  three  cocked  their  muskets  and 
aimed  at  the  rider,  who  immediately  checked 
his  horse."         ****** 

[Here  Mr.  Knower  narrated  the  conversation 
held  between  the  captors  and  Andre,  as  pub- 
hshed  on  pages  136  and  137  of  this  work,  and 
thus  concluded :— ] 

The  circumstances  of  the  capture  as  narrated 
in  the  testimony  of  Paulding  and  WiUiams, 
given  at  the  trial  of  Smith  eleven  days  after  the 
capture,  and  written  down  by  the  Judge  Advocate 
at  the  time,  is  substantially  the  same.  Williams 
in  his  testimony  there  says :  "  He  said  he  would 
give  us  any  quantity  of  dry  goods,  or  any  sum 
of  money,  and  bring  it  to  any  place  that  we 
might  pitch  upon,  so  that  we  might  get  it.  Mr. 
Paulding  answered.  No,  if  you  should  give  us 
10,000  guineas  you  should  not  stir  one  step." 

The  importance  of  the  capture  of  Andre  can 
never  be  too  highly  estimated.  The  plan  for 
cutting  the  Colonies  in  two  on  the  Hne  of  the 
Hudson  and  Lake  Champlain  had  been  foiled 
by  the  capture  of  Burgoyne.  The  possession 
of  West  Point  would  have  given  a  successful 
opportunity  for  prosecuting  the  same  design. 
No  wonder  that  Washington  burst  into  tears 
when  he  learned  of  the  treason  of  Arnold.    He 


APPENDIX. 


465 


very  well  knew  what  had  been  our  danger,  and 
how  narrow  had  been  our  escape.  Washington 
wrote  to  Congress,  September  28,  1780 — three 
days  after  the  capture— saying :  "  I  do  not 
know  the  party  that  took  Major  Andre,  but  it  is 
said  that  it  consisted  of  only  a  few  militia,  who 
acted  in  such  a  manner  upon  the  occasion  as 
does  them  the  highest  honor,  and  proves  them 
of  great  virtue.  As  soon  as  I  know  their  names 
I  shall  take  pleasure  in  transmitting  them  to 
Congress.,"  Again,  October  7,  1780,  he  writes 
Congress,  transmitting  the  findings  of  the  Court, 
which  had  tried  Andre,  and  in  his  letter  he  says  : 
"  I  have  now  the  pleasure  to  communicate  the 
names  of  those  persons  who  captured  Major 
Andre,  and  who  refused  to  release  him,  not- 
withstanding the  most  earnest  importunities  and 
assurances  of  a  liberal  reward  on  his  part.  Their 
names  are  John  Paulding,  David  Williams  and 
Isaac  Van  Wart.''  Alexander  Hamilton,  writing 
in  1780,  of  the  affair,  says:  "Andre  tempted 
their  integrity  with  the  offer  of  his  watch,  his 
horse,  and  any  sum  of  money  they  should  name. 
They  rejected  his  offer  with  disdain." 

Congress  gave  each  of  them  $1,250,  or  the 
same  value  in  confiscated  lands  in  Westchester 
county,  a  pension  of  $200,  and  a  silver  medal. 
The  medals  were  presented  to  the  captors  by 
General  Washington,  at  a  dinner  to  which  he 
invited  them  while  the  army  was  encamped  near 
Ver  Planck's  Point ;  the  one  presented  to  David 
Williams  being  now  in  possession  of  his  oldest 
grandson,  William  C.  Williams,  of  this  County.* 

David  Williams  was  married  to  Miss  Benedict, 
of  Westchester  county,  by  whom  he  had  one 
son  named  David,  who  has  seven  children  liv- 
ing, four  in  this  County,  two  in  Iowa,  and  one 
in  Virginia,  who  are  worthy  descendants  in  honor 
and  integrity  of  the  Revolutionary  patriot.  He 
moved  to  this  County  in  1806,  and  died  August 

*It  has  since  been  placed  in  the  State  Library  at 
Albany. 


2,  1831,  aged  seventy-seven,  and  was  buried  at 
Livingstonville,  with  military  honors,  where  his 
remains  reposed  for  forty-five  years,  and  until 
the  4th  of  March,  1876,  when  they  were  re- 
moved to  the  cemetery  at  Rensselaerville. 
On  the  igth  of  July,  they  were  removed  to  the 
Stone  Fort  in  Schoharie,  to  which  destination 
they  were  escorted  by  a  large  procession,  headed 
by  the  American  flag,  and  amid  martial  music. 
All  places  of  business  were  closed ;  the  bells 
tolled,  and  the  cannon  at  the  Fort  fired  a  salute 
as  his  coffin,  wrapped  in  the  American  flag,  was 
deposited  near  his  present  resting  place. 

On  the  ist  of  May,  1876,  the  Governor 
signed  the  following  bill  introduced  by  Senator 
Lament,  it  having  passed  both  Houses  : 

"  For  erecting  a  suitable  monument  in  the 
cemetery  grounds  of  the  revolutionary  Stone  Fort 
at  Schoharie  Court  House,  to  commemorate 
the  virtues  and  memory  of  David  Williams,  one 
of  the  captors  of  Major  Andre,  the  sum  of  two 
thousand  dollars,  to  be  expended  under  the 
supervision  of  Daniel  Knower,  Ralph  Brewster, 
supervisor  of  the  town  of  Schoharie,  and  Charles 
Holmes,  county  judge  of  Schoharie  county,  who 
are  hereby  appointed  a  commission  for  that 
purpose,  and  who  are  hereby  authorized  to 
remove  the  remains  of  the  said  David  Will- 
iams from  their  present  burial  in  the  cemetery 
at  Rensselaerville,  to  such  cemetery  at  Schoharie 
Court  House,  upon  first  obtaining  the  con- 
sent thereto,  in  writing,  of  a  majority  of  the 
descendants  of  said  Williams,  and  upon  furnish- 
ing proof  thereof  to  the  comptroller ;  but  in 
case  such  consent  in  writing  for  said  removal 
shall  not  be  obtained,  and  proof  thereof  fur- 
nished the  comptroller  within  two  months  from 
the  passage  of  this  act,  then  the  above  appro- 
priation shall  be  expended  by  a  commission, 
consisting  of  the  comptroller  of  the  State, 
Erastus  D.  Palmer,  and  the  President  of  the 
Rensselaerville  Cemetery  Association,    for  the 


466 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


erection  of  the   monument  in  the  Rensselaer- 
ville  cemetery.'' 

Paulding  is  buried  near  Peekskill,  and  a 
monument  was  erected  over  his  remains  by  the 
corporation  of  the  city  of  New  York  in  1827. 
Near  Tarrytown  the  remains  of  Isaac  Van  Wart 
are  honored  by  a  monument  erected  by  the 
county  of  Westchester.  And  now  in  this  cen- 
tennial year  has  the  State  of  New  York  recog- 
nized by  its  Legislature  and  Governor,  this  most 
important  event  in  our  Revolutionary  history; 
an  event  which  occurred  within  its  borders,  and 
in  which  three  of  her  sons  had  the  honor,  by 
their  disinterested  patriotism  and  love  of  coun- 
try, to  save  our  country  in  that  important  crisis 
of  our  Revolutionary  history.  General  Wash- 
ington wrote  to  the  President  of  Congress,  Octo- 
ber 7,  1780,  two  weeks  after  the  capture: — 
"  Their  conduct  merits  our  warmest  esteem ; 
and  I  beg  leave  to  add  that  I  think  the  public 
would  do  well  to  allow  them  a  handsome  gra- 
tuity. They  have  prevented  in  all  probability 
our  suffering  one  of  the  severest  strokes  that 
could  have  been  meditated  against  us."  Yet 
this  one  of  the  most  disinterested  acts  of  patri- 
otism and  love  of  country  recorded  in  history, 
strange  to  say,  has  been  attacked  and  the  mo- 
tives of  the  actors  impugned. 

A  bill  passed  Congress  some  years  since  ap- 
propriating $20,000  for  erecting  a  monument  to 
them,  but  did  not  reach,  or  was  defeated  in  the 
Senate.  The  patriotism  of  these  men  has  been 
impugned  by  members  of  Congress.  This  bill 
was  likewise  opposed  in  the  State  Senate  by  a 
senator  from  New  York  City  on  the  same 
grounds.     In  the  language  of  the  poet, 

' '  He  who  ascends  to  mountain  tops  must  find 

The  loftiest  hills  clad  in  snow  ; 
He  who  surpasses  and  excels  mankind 

Must  see  and  feel  their  hate  below." 

Williams  lived  to  be  seventy-seven  years  old 
and  died  fifty-two  years  after  the  event  occurred. 
Isaac  Van  Wart  lived  to  the  age  of  sixty-nine 


and  died  forty-nine  years  after  the  event,  and 
John  Paulding  reached  the  age  of  sixty,  dying 
forty  years  after  the  capture.  All  three  during 
these  long  years  bore  unimpeachable  charac- 
ters for  honor  and  integrity,  which  would  not 
have  been  possible  if  they  had  been  marauders 
and  freebooters  as  represented  by  those  who 
impugned  their  motives. 

Williams,  previous  to  this  event,  had  served 
four  years  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  and 
Paulding,  only  three  days  previous  to  the  cap- 
ture, had  made  his  escape  from  the  Sugar 
House  British  prison  in  New  York.  These 
facts  indicate  beyond  all  doubt  on  which  side 
their  feelings  were. 

Andre  has  a  monument  erected  in  Westmin- 
ster Abbey,  which  is  the  highest  honor  that  can 
be  conferred  on  the  remains  of  any  person  in 
England.  His  remains  were  removed  from  this 
country  in  a  coffin  mounted  with  gold.  His 
brother  was  created  a  Knight,  in  honor  of  his 
services  in  this  affair,  by  the  King  of  England. 

What  were  the  services  Andre  rendered  to 
England,  compared  with  the  services  these  three 
disinterested  patriots  rendered  to  this  country  ? 
Let  it  not  always  be  said  that  Republics  are  un- 
grateful. Even  the  motives  of  the  men  who 
commenced  the  Revolution  by  throwing  the 
tea  overboard  in  Boston  harbor,  and  the  motives 
of  those  who  fought  the  battles  of  Bunker  Hill 
and  Lexington  were  attacked.  It  has  been 
said  that  their  grievances  from  Great  Britain 
did  not  justify  a  resort  to  such  measures.  These 
men  knew  that  if  they  yielded  one  point 
guaranteed  to  them  in  the  liberal  charters  that 
had  been  granted  to  the  Colonies,  as  an  induce- 
ment for  them  to  emigrate  to  this  country  when 
a  wilderness,  that  America  would  become  a 
second  Ireland,  and  all  the  rights  guaranteed  to 
them  in  their  charters  would  be  crushed  out. 
If  I  have  any  pride  of  ancestry,  it  is  in  being 
descended  from  the  men  who  took  part  in  the 


APPENDIX. 


467 


glorious  events  where  the  caonon  first  thundered 
in  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

Your  commissioners  propose  to  make  an 
appeal  to  any  county,  city,  association,  literary 
club  or  individual,  who  may  subscribe  not  less 
than  $200  or  more  than  $1,800,  in  addition  to 
the  $2,000  appropriated  by  the  State,  and  to 
have  the  names  of  the  subscribers  inscribed  on 
one  of  the  faces  of  the  monument  or  on  a 
marble  tablet  to  be  erected  in  the  Fort,  as  the 
artists  who  may  design  the  monument  may 
think  most  appropriate.  It  is  proposed  to  appoint 
one  or  more  of  the  most  distinguished  artists  and 
sculptors  in  the  State  to  design  the  monument 
and  make  it  a  work  of  art  appropriate  to  the 
event. 

We  are  now  one  hundred  years  old  as  a  nation. 
Our  material  prosperity  and  growth  is  unparal- 
leled in  history.  For  the  sake  of  the  future 
and  the  perpetuity  of  our  free  institutions,  we 
should  cultivate  sentiments  that  will  inspire  in 
the  youth  a  strong  love  of  country.  What 
more  appropriate  occasion  than  the  present  to 


erect  here  a  work  of  art,  which  will  call  attention 
for  all  time  to  the  disinterested  patriotism  of  these 
three  men  who  saved  our  country  in  the  Revo- 
lution ?     It  was  such  men  among  our  common 
soldiers  that  enabled  the  country  to  produce 
a  Washington.     The  people,  the   source   and 
fountain  of  political  power,  must  be  kept  pure 
and    patriotic    if  we   wish    to  perpetuate    our 
republican  form  of  government.     The  more  we 
learn  from  the  men  of  the  Revolution,  and  the 
more  strictly  we  adhere  to  the  great  principles 
inaugurated  in  our  government  by  its  founders, 
the  better  for  the  future  of  our  country.     Al- 
though   the  disinterested    patriotism    of  these 
three  men  has  conferred  its  benefits  on  a  great 
nation  of  44,000,000  of  people,  yet  the  Empire 
State  of  New  York  enjoys  the  honor  of  having 
had  the  event  occur  within  its  own  borders.     I 
feel  that  her  sons  and  daughters  will  respond  to 
an  appeal  for  the  erection  of  a  work  of  art,  in 
this  beautiful  valley  of  Schoharie,  beside  this 
Revolutionary  Fort,  that  will  do  justice  to  this 
important  event,  and  in  which  we  all  may  take 
a  just  pride. 


WHEN  it  became  known  that  General  Wash- 
ington was  firm,  not  interceding  in  behalf  of 
Andre  and  releasing  him  in  exchange  for  prom- 
inent officers  and  citizens  held  by  the  British, 
nor  suspending  the  usual  custom  of  hanging  a 
spy  and  adopting  some  other  mode  that  was 
considered  more  honorable  to  his  rank  and  sta- 
tion,— the  British  and  Tory  element  at  once  be- 
gan a  series  of  vituperations  against  Washing- 
ton through  the  Tory  press  and  both  private 
and  public  written  missives.  Their  greatest  ac- 
cusation against  the  patriot  was  his  being  a 
hard-hearted  and  obstinate  tyrant  whom  the 
patriots  were  cautioned  to  trust  no  longer,  as  he 
would  be  as  unmerciful  to  their  liberties,  if  the 


patriots'  cause  should  succeed,  as  he  was  in  an- 
swering the  last  request  of  a  dying  soldier  and 
gentleman.  Soon  after  the  execution,  the  same 
press  and  other  sources  began  to  speculate  upon 
the  motives  of  the  faithful  three  in  deHvering 
Andre  to  the  Continental  powers.  When  it  was 
ascertained  that  the  three  were  but  common 
yeomen  and  thus  faithfully  performed  a  duty 
that  transcended  in  politic  as  well  as  manly 
principle  any  that  their  scion  of  royalty  had 
performed — although  long  pampered  by  oppor- 
tunities and  superior  discipline  —  the  allied 
enemies  of  our  cause  at  once  began  to  stigma- 
tize the  lives  and  conduct  of  the  captors.  They 
accused  them  of  being  low  in  morals,  recreant 


468 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


in  duty,  and  above  all,  made  the  charge  that 
Andre  could  have  purchased  his  freedom  if  he 
had  had  enough  money  with  him.  From  that 
day  to  the  present,  the  same  charges  have  been 
re-iterated,  it  seems  periodically  through  the 
press  of  our  country — by  this  and  that  one,  here 
and  there,  and  as  often  received  its  share  of 
conversational  notice  and  died  away.  The  facts 
of  the  whole  transaction  were  given  before  the 
scrutinizing  military  court  before  the  execution 
of  Andre  and  he  failed  to  contradict  a  single 
assertion.  The  fact  of  his  offering  the  three 
10,000  guineas  to  release  him  was  there  brought 
out.  If  they  did  not,  desire  to  release  him  and 
still  willingly  accepted  the  promised  money,  they 
could  have  held  him  until  the  amount  was  de- 
livered or  any  other  sum  they  might  have 
named,  as  gold  was  secondary  to  the  British 
when  West  Point  was  in  the  scales.  The  mili- 
tary court  investigated  the  whole  and  trans- 
mitted it  to  Congress  who  weighed  the  matter 
well  and  pronounced  the  three- — such  as  they 
were,  "true  patriots"  and  voted  them  a  sum 
for  their  fidelity.  Before  that  careful  and  able 
body  was  another  epistle,  from  one  who  knew 
well  the  whole  transaction.  It  was  Washing- 
ton's letter  speaking  in  the  highest  praise  of 
the  three. 

It  is  pleasing  to  all  who  are  sensitive  to  such 
base  charges  against  those  whose  acts  have  made 
American  history  so  full  of  examples  of  heroic 
principle,  that  all  the  charges  have  emanated 
from  untrustworthy  sources  as  sensational 
newspaper  correspondents,  who  for  lack 
of  matter  willingly  rake  over  the  embers  of 
hatred  and  suspicion  to  find  material  for  a 
shadow  of  a  theme,  and  from  those  in  whose 
bosoms,  as  then,  still  rankles  the  dislike  to  re- 
publican institutions  and  the  bold  spirits  that 
dare  maintain,  by  life  and  fortunes,  the  "  inalien- 
able rights''  of  man,  which  the  grand  old  Decla- 
ration of  Independence  vouchsafed,  and  the 
blood,  treasures,  and  untold  privations  of  true 


patriots  purchased.  But  a  few  years  since,  in 
October,  1880,  a  writer,  claiming  unjustly  the 
name  of  Williams,  also  to  be  a  grandson  of 
David  Williams,  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Detroit 
Free  Press  impugning  the  motives  of  the  patriot 
in  the  capture  of  Andre,  which  caused  several 
communications  between  historical  scholars  and 
revived  the  old  charges.  The  comments  of  the 
Press  letter  were  as  follows  : — 

L.  K.  Wilhams  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  a  grand- 
son of  David  Williams  one  of  the  captors  of 
Major  Andre,  writes  to  the  Free  Press  an  ex- 
ceedingly interesting  letter  about  Andre's  cap- 
ture that  corroborates  a  charge  once  made,  that 
his  captors  were  not  the  very  purest  sort  of 
patriots.  The  following  is  Mr.  Williams'  let- 
ter:— 

"  I  have  cut  from  yesterday's  issue  of  the  Syr- 
acuse Evening  Herald  the  following  paragraph: 
The  Detroit  Free  Press  says :  '  The  three  men 
who  captured  Andre  were  playing  cards  in  the 
bushes  as  he  rode  up.  Had  they  not  come 
there  to  play  cards  he  would  have  escaped  and 
our  country  been  lost.  I.et  us  take  the  right 
bower  of  hearts  for  our  national  ensign.' 

"  Being  familiar  with  the  fact  that  those  three 
men  were  playmg  cards  I  will  say  a  few  words 
more  about  it.  My  grandmother,  the  wife  of 
David  Wilhams,  died  in  Cayuga  county,  this 
State,  about  thirty  years  ago.  I  have  hstened 
to  her  stories  many  a  night  about  the  old  Rev- 
olutionary war  and  among  others  she  would  tell 
all  about  Andre  and  his  captors. 

"She  seemed  to  know  Paulding  and  Van 
Wart  personally.  She  said  that  the  three  were 
playing  cards,  and  that  their  business  in  the 
bush  was  a  sort  of  guerrilla  expedition,  watching 
whom  they  might  devour,  and  according  to  her 
belief,  they  cared  but  Httle  whether  their  cap- 
tives were  friends  or  foes.  It  was  plunder  that 
they  were  after,  and  if  Andre  had  had  a  little 
money  he  could  have  passed  on. 

"  Wilhams  and  Van    Wart   would   have  let 


APPENDIX. 


469 


him  pass,  on  his  promise  to  send  any  amount 
of  money.  After  he  got  the  two  willing,  he 
became  a  little  saucy  with  Paulding,  and  here 
is  where  he  missed  his  figure.  It  seemed 
that  Paulding  was  the  leader,  and  he  got  mad 
and  was  ready  to  ^ght  the  whole  three,  and 
even  told  Andre  to  come  out  and  fight  him, 
and  if  he  proved  the  best  man  he  could  then 
pass  along.  Andre  had  only  a  few  dollars  and 
a  nice  watch  with  him,  which  could  not  well  be 
divided  with  the  party,  and  they  concluded  to 
take  him  to  the  American  camp,  as  he  told 
them  if  he  could  see  Arnold  he  would  satisfy 
them  well,  but  when  they  got  to  the  American 
camp  they  found  different  men  from  cow-boys 
to  deal  with.  They  found  Arnold,  but  he  im- 
mediately left  for  the  Vulture,  in  the  river. 

"  These  are  facts  which  history  does  not  give 
in  this  light.  It  is  forty  or  fifty  years  ago  that 
old  Granny  told  us  about  this  transaction  and 
about  laying  in  the  scrubwood,  in  the  Mohawk 
river,  when  Schenectady  was  burning." 

"  L.  K.  Williams." 

Such  base  libel  upon  integrity  and  fidelity  has 
often  appeared,  with  no  better  foundation. 
The  writer  assumes  to  be  a  grandson  of  David 
Williams,  whose  name  and  character  stand  in 
history  as  the  brightest.  This  assumed  grand- 
son, unasked,  stoops  to  belittle  the  family  name," 
the  bright  character  and  fame  of  his  grand- 
father, by  throwing  mud  upon  it !  If  the 
charges  were  true,  and  L.  K.  Williams  was  a 
grandson,  he  has  truly  inherited  the  low  prin 
ciples  he  wishes  to  be  understood,  David  Will- 
iams possessed,  and  those  principles  actuated 
the  foregoing  letter.  But  let  us  see  how  far 
facts  prove  L.  K.  Williams  to  be  what  he 
assumes.  The  letter  was  brought  to  the  notice 
of  the  New  York  State  Librarian,  who  drew  the 
attention  of  Dr.  D.  Knower  of  Schoharie,  chair- 
man of  the  "  Williams  Monument  Commission- 
ers."    Dr.  Knower  immediately  indited  the  fol- 


lowing to  the  Free  Press,  but  did  not  receive 
notice  by  publication  : — 

"  Schoharie,  Dec.  30, 1880. 
"Dear  Sir.— Our  State  Librarian,  D.  H.  A. 
Homes,  at  Albany,  called  my  attention  to  an  arti- 
cle from  your  paper,  of  October  23,  1880,  in  re- 
lation to  the  captors  of  Major  Andre.  He  was 
desirous  I  should  reply  to  it.  The  article  was  dated 
at  Syracuse,  and  signed  L.  K.  Williams,  who 
claimed  to  be  a  grandson  of  the  captor ;  that 
he  had  listened  to  the  stories  of  his  grandmother 
about  the  Revolution,  and  this  event ;  that  she 
was  personally  acquainted  with  Paulding  and 
VanWart,  and  corroborated  the  charge  that 
those  captors  were  not  actuated  by  patriotic 
motives;  *  *  *  that  she  died  about 
thirty  years  ago,  and  was  buried  in  Cayuga 
county. 

"I  am  personally  acquainted  with  all  the  grand- 
children of  David  Williams,  and  with  his  only 
son's  widow,  their  mother. 

"  David  WilKams  was  married  to  Miss  Bene- 
dict, of  Westchester  county,  N.  Y.  They  moved 
to  this  County  in  1806,  and  had  but  one  child, 
a  son,  named  David.  This  son  married  a  Miss 
Hess,  who  is  now,  at  the  age  of  eighty,  living  in 
this  County.  They  had  seven  children,  three 
sons  and  four  daughters.  The  sons  are  William 
C,  Daniel,  (who  resides  in  this  County),  and 
Myron,  of  Marion  county,  Iowa,  who  are  the 
only  grandchildren  of  the  captor.  So  it  is  not 
true  that  L.  K.  Williams  is  a  grandson  nor  is  it 
true  that  the  wife  of  David  Williams,  whom  he 
falsely  claims  to  be  his  grandmother,  is  buried 
in  Cayuga  county.  They  were  both  buried  at 
Livingstonville,  in  this  County,  and  as  a  Com- 
missioner of  the  State,  under  authority  of  the 
Comptroller,  I  had  their  remains  exhumed  and 
removed  to  the  grounds  of  the  Stone  Fort  at 
this  place,  where  they  now  repose  under  a  monu- 
ment erected  by  the  State  of  New  York.  There 
unfortunately  have  been  among  our  historians. 


47° 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


controversies  for  nearly  one  hundred  years,  in 
relation  to  the  purity  of  the  motives  of  those 
captors.  From  a  thorough  investigation  of  the 
subject,  I  have  no  doubt  of  the  disinterested 
patriotism  of  those  three  men,  and  the  inestim- 
able benefit  they  conferred  on  our  country,  no 
one  can  question.  They  may  be  said  to  have 
saved  it  in  the  very  crisis  of  the  Revolution,  and 
I  am  satisfied  that  those  attacks  on  the  purity  of 
their  motives  have  no  more  foundation  than  the 
untruthful  statements  of  your  correspondent 
signed  L.  K.  Williams.  While  the  State  of  New 
York  may  take  a  just  pride  in  having  had  that 
event  occur  within  her  borders,  it  has  conferred 
its^benefit  on  this  great  nation  of  50,000,000  of 
people.  Our  Republican  form  of  Government 
cannot  be  perpetuated  alone  by  politicians.  It 
must  have  for  its  foundation  the  love  of  country, 
the  inspiration  derived  from  the  patriotic  senti- 
ments of  the  people,  which  the  honoring  and 


cherishing  of    those  Revolutionary  events  are 
well  calculated  to  cultivate." 

"Daniel  Knower." 
'  The  writer  has  been  assured  by  aged  people 
who  were  well  acquainted  with  Mrs  David 
Williams  that  she  always  lived  within  the  County 
after  the  family  removed  here,  and  therefore 
was  never  a  resident  of  Cayuga  county.  It  will 
thus  be  seen  that  L.  K.  Williams'  statement  is 
untrue  and  that  if  his  grandmother  ever  related 
such  statements  to  him  as  the  wife  of  David 
Wilhams  she  was  an  imposter  and  in  weighing 
the  assertion  that  she  witnessed  the  burning  of 
Schenectady  (1690)  and  died  about  thirty  years 
ago  (1850)  we  are  led  to  believe  such  was  her 
standing,  and  that  she  was  a  remarkable  woman 
to  retain  her  memory  so  "vividly ''  at  the  age 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  years !  Still,  such 
charges  by  such  people  often  receive  credence 
as  "  facts  untold  by  history  !  " 


Names  of  Citizens 

WHO  ASSISTED  AND  CONTRIBUTED  TOWARD  THE  PUBLICATION  OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE 

COUNTY,  WITH  PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


BROOME. 

Alray  Arnold  T.,  p  o  Franklinton,  farmer,  born  in  Albany- 
county,  December  30,  1820,  settled  in  county  in 
1831  :  wife  Lucy  Brazee  of  county,  born  in  1824, 
married  in  1842  ;  children  six— Erastus  C,  William, 
Asa,  Arnold,  Ellsworth,  and  Alonzo.  Parents  John 
and  Anna  Almy. 

Ai-mlin  John  S.,  p  o  Franklinton,  farmer,  200  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1840  ;  wife  Mary  A.  Frasier,  born  in  1846, 
married  in  February,  1867,  died  February  6,  3871; 
second  wife  Jennie  FulliuKton,  of  county,  married 
in  1874;  children  one— Leonard.  Parents  Henry 
and  Margaret  (Wainright)  Armlin  of  county, 
(irandfatber  John  Armlin  was  one  of  the  first  sett- 
lers in  the  town  of  Broome. 

Borthwick  Robert,  p  o  Livingstonville,  born  in  county,  in 
1798;  wife  Anna  Bushnell,  of  county,  born  in  1802, 
married  in  1822,  died  in  1880,  children  four,  three 
daughters  and  one  son—Arthur  B.,  who  was  born 
in  1858,  married  Libbie  Hummell,  of  Delaware 
county,  in  1869,  children  one — Carrie.  Parents 
George  and  Nancy  Borthwick. 

Borthwick  William,  p  o  Hunter's  Land,  farmer,  born  in 
county,  in  1825,  has  been  collector  and  justice  ef 
peace;  wife  Maria,  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Sally 
Russell,  married  in  1846,  children  three— James 
M.,  born  in  1849.  Rev.  M.  W.,  in  1850,  and  Alice  in 
1857.  Parents  James  and  Belinda  Borthwick,  the 
former  was  the  first  white  child  born  on  "Scott's 
Patent,"  born  July  18,  1794,  died  February  19, 
1880,  and  the  latter  died  in  1878,  aged  80  years. 
Grandfather  George  Borthwick  born  in  Scotland, 
settled  in  county  in  1773,  died  in  1851. 

Borthwick  Alexander,  p  o  Livingstonville,  farmer,  127  acres, 
born  in  county  in  1812;  wife  Ann  M.,  daughter  of 
Alexander  and  Villette  Borthwick,  born  in  1809, 
married  in  1853.  Father  Geor^'e  Borthwick,  born 
in  Scotland.  Grandfather  James  B.  Borthwick 
lived  in  Middleburgh  during  the  Revolution,  died 
in  1821,  aged  87  years. 

Brayman  William  H.,  p  o  Livingstonville,  farmer,  156  acres, 
born  in  county  in  1841,  has  been  justice  of  peace; 
wifeAlzinia,  daughter  of  Rev.  Lorenand  Charlotte 
Cole,  married  in  October,  1862;  children  five— 
Irvin  L.,  Agnes,  Otis,  Charlotte,  and  Fred.  Parents 
Benjamin  and  Nancy  Brayman. 

Brayman  Benjamin,  p  o  Livingstonville,  born  in  county  in 
1807,  has  held  several  town  offices;  wife  Nancy 
Borthwick,  of  county,  born  in  December,  1816,  mar- 
ried in  1834,  children  nine.  Father  William  Bray- 
man, born  in  Duchess  county,  came  to  county  in 
1794,  died  August  17,  1856,  aged  90  years;  wife  Re- 
becca Delimater,  born  in  Columbia  county,  died 
in  February,  1837,  aged  70  years. 

Brayman  Dr.  Edgar  E,  P  o  Livingstonville,  physician,  born 
in  county  in  1856,  was  graduated  from  New  York 
Medical  College  in  1880;  wife  Alice  D.  Rivenburgh, 
of  countyj  married  in  l&IS.  children  three. 

Brayman  A.,  p  o  Livingstonville,  born  in  county  in  1850, 
manufacturer  and  dealer  in  furniture  and  under- 
taking, firm  of  Benjamin  &  Brayman,  com- 
menced business  in  1880;  wife  Emma  C.  Campbell, 
of  county,  married  in  1872, 


Brezee  Abraham,  p  o  Franklinton.  proprietor  of  steam  saw 
mill,  born  in  county  in  1834;  wife  Helen  M.  Sorn- 
borger,  of  county,  married  in  i866,  children  two- 
Cora  and  Henry.  Planing  mill  was  built  in  1867, 
run  by  steam,  15  horse  power.  Also  has  cabinet 
rooms  and  cider-mil.  Parents  John  and  Livina 
Brezee. 

Coucbman  David,  p  o  Livingstonville,  farmer,  born  in  Al- 
bany county,  in  1837';  wife  Lydia  Haskin,  of  coun- 
ty, married  in  1859,  children  one— Harriet  E., 
born  in  1860,  died  in  1876.  Parents  David  and 
Catharine  Couchman,  of  Albany  county,  Obediah 
and  Elizabeth  (Bull)  Haskin,  of  county,  parents  of 
Lydia,  the  former  bora  in  1804,  and  the  latter  in 
1802,  married  in  1824. 

Ellis  George  W.,  p  o  Livingstonville,  farmer,  born  in  coun- 
ty, in  1829,  has  been  supervisor;  wife  Harriet  C. 
Drake,  of  Albany  county,  born  in  1830,  married 
December,  1,  1850;  children  seven— Elbert,  JoBe- 
phene,  Irving,  Georgiana,  Grosvenor,  Omar,  and 
Lillian.  Parents,  Rasselas  and  Margaret  M.  Ellis, 
the  former  of  county  and  the  latter  of  Albany 
county, 

Gifford  Luther  H.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  born  in  Albany 
county,  in  1844,  settled  in  county,  in  1859;  wife 
Mary,  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Priscilla  Miller, 
born  in  1843,  married  in  1862;  children  nine— six 
sons  and  three  daughters.  Father  David  Gifford 
was  born  in  Albany  county,  in  1812,  came  to  coun- 
ty in  1859;  wife  Permelia  Kelsey,  born  in  Oneida 
county  in  1826,  married  in  1841. 

Hagadorn  Stephen,  p  o  Livingstonville,  farmer,  born  in 
county  in  1815;  wife  Hannah  Baldwin,  of  Greene 
county,  born  in  1822,  married  in  1847,  children 
two — Betsey  and  Elsworth.  Father  Charles  Haga- 
dorn born  in  Columbia  county  in  1780,  came  to 
county  in  1810;  wife  Mary  Taylor,  of  Greene 
county,  married  in  1820,  children  twelve,  living 
six. 

Haskin  W,  Titus,  p  o  Potter's  Hollow,  Albany  county,  far- 
mer, 200  acres,  born  in  county  in  1830,  has  been 
assessor;  wife  Phebe  E  Hagadorn,  married  in 
1862,  children  six — four  sons,  and  two  daughters. 
Parents  Obediah  and  Elizabeth  Haskin.  Grand- 
parents Moses  and  Hannah  Haskin  were  born  in 
Duchess  county,  settled  in  county  in  1800. 

Haskin  Joseph,  p  o  Potter's  Hollow,  farmer,  130  acres, 
bom  in  county  in  18ii6;  wife  fluldah  S.  Palmer, 
born  in  county  1839,  married  in  186'i,  children  one, 
an  adopted  son— Charles,  born  in  1879.  Parents 
Orpheus  and  Phebe  (Tibbetts)  Haskin,  the  former 
of  Duchess  and  the  latter  of  Schoharie  county. 

Houftailling  David,  p  o  Franklinton,  farmer,  94  acres,  born 
in  county  in  182;i;  wife  Clarinda  Porter,  born  in 
county  in  1816,  married  in  1846,  children  six — 
Chauncey,  John  W.,  Harmon,  William  L,,  Cathar- 
ine E,  and  Rosette.  Chauncey  Houftaling  born 
in  1853,  wife  Irena  Armlin,  married  in  1673,  chil- 
dren one. 

KnifEen  Alfred,  p  o  Franklinton,  farmer,  100  acres,  born 
May  4,  1826;  wife  Elizabeth  Moore,  born  in  county 
in  1832,  married  in  1849;  children  three.  Parents 
Schubel  and  Margaret  Kniffen. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Lamont  Peter,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1833,  wife  Esther,  daughter  of  Ostrandeand  Eliza- 
beth Simpson,  of  Ulster  county,  married  in  Octo- 
ber, 1858,  children  two.  Parents  Major  and  Maria 
Matice  Lamont,  of  county. 

Losee  Myron  A.,  po  Livingstunville,  general  merchant,  born 
in  Greene  county,  in  184U,  settled  in  county  in 
1861,  has  been  postmaster  and  supervisor;  wife 
Mary  J.  Mace,  born  in  county,  married  in  1863, 
children  two— Eva,  and  Mary  Mace.  Father 
Samuel  Losee  of  Greene  county,  commenced  the 
mercantile  business  in  1870,  and  erected  present 
store  at  that  time. 

Maoe  Hirara  L.,  p  o  Livingstonville,  farmer  and  retired  car- 
penter and  builder,  born  in  county  in  1824;  wife 
Margaret  A.  Austin,  of  Greene  county,  born  in 
I83t),  married  in  1844,  children  four.  Father  Hi- 
ram Mace  boru  in  Duchess  county  in  1790,  came 
to  county  in  1791,  died  in  1873,  wile  Clarissa  Wor- 
den,  of  Duchess  county,  born  in  1793,  married  in 
1812;  children  ten,  living  six.  Grandfather  Joseph 
Mace,  born  in  Duchess  county,  s-  ttied  in  county 
in  1791;  wife  Mary  Gillette,  of  Connecticut. 

Miller  Jacob  B.,  p  o  Frauklinton,  farmer,  160  acres,  born  in 
Albany  county,  in  1829,  settled  in  county  in  1846; 
wife  Emily  J  ,  daughter  oC  Palmer  and  Eleanor 
Lord,  born  in.  county  in  1830,  married  in  1855, 
children  two— Frances  I.,  and  Mayhain  L. 

Palmer  Cornell,  p  o  Hunters'  Land,  farmer  and  proprietor 
of  stone  quarry,  furnishing  curbing  and  flagging 
for  market,  boru  in  Schoharie  in  1837;  wife  Mary 
Pausley,  of  county,  married  in  1849,  died  in  1864. 
children  four— Ophelia,  Asa,  Rosa,  and  Albert; 
second  wife  Mary  Hager,  married  in  1867.  Father 
Moses  Palmt  r,  born  in  Duchess  county,  served  in 
the  war  of  1812;  wife  Sarah  Palmer,  born  in  Rhode 
Island.  Grandfather  Samuel  Palmer,  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  war  five  years. 

Porter  Daniel,  p  o  Breakabeen,  120  acres,  born  in  county 
March  14,  1818;  wife  Julia  A.  Griswotd,  of  Rensse- 
laer county,  born  in  1820,  married  in  1840,  chil- 
dren seven— Orren,  Orson,  Richard  H.,  Omar, 
Helen  M.,  Mary,  and  Lucinda.  Omar  married 
Biancy  Campbell,  of  county,  in  1880.  Parents 
William  and  Hannah  (Wilcox)  Porter  of  county. 

Phelps  Newton,  p  o  Potter's  Hollow,  Albany  county,  farmer, 
127^  acres,  born  in  county,  in  1825,  has  been  jus- 
tice of  peace;  wife  Jane  Goodfellow,  of  county, 
married  in  1858,  died  in  1878.  Part-nts  Cyrus  and 
Olive  Smith  Phelps,  of  Connecticut. 

Russell  Reuben,  p  o  Potier's  Hollow,  tarmer,  112  acres; 
born  in  Albany  county  in  1820,  settled  in  county 
in  1850;  wife  Julia  Ann  Hulbert,  born  ia  county  in 
1816,  married  in  1855,  children  one— an  adopted 
son— Omar.  Parents,  Allen  and  Mary  Russell,  of 
Albany  county,  formerly  of  Connecticut. 

Rugg  George  S.,  p  o  Pranklinton,  born  in  Albany  county  in 
1843,  settled  in  county  in  1868,  has  been  assessor; 
wife  Diana  G.  Brezee,  born  in  Vermont,  married 
in  1864,  children  two— Homer  and  Priscilla.  Pa- 
rents, Daniel  and  Caroline  Rugg,  of  Greene  county. 

Smith  Hiram  L.,  p  o  Potter's  Hollow,  tarmer,  born  in  Al- 
bany county  in  1832;  settled  in  county  in  1856,  has 
been  overseer  of  poor;  wife  Althina,  daughter  of 
David  and  RoenaNickerson,  of  county. 

Turner  Harry  C,  p  o  Hunters'  Land,  farmer,  135  acres,  born 
in  county  in  1841,  has  been  assessor;  wife  Zilpha, 
daughter  of  William  and  Minna  Porter,  of  couuty, 
born  in  1850,  married  in  1871.  Father  Caleb  Turner 
was  born  in  Connecticut;  wife  Olive  Taylor,  of 
Schoharie  county. 

Wilsey  Witkeson,  merchant  and  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1812,  died  April  6,  1875,  was  member  of  assembly, 
and  supervisor;  wife  Mary  E.  Prior,  of  Greene, 
born  in  l82<i.  married  January  15,  1868,  children 
seven  by  first  wife.  Jabez  Prior,  father  of  Mary 
E.,  born  in  Greenfield,  Hartford  county,  Con- 
necticut, came  to  county  in  1824;  died  January  17, 
1880;  wife  Betsey  Prior  died  May  14,  1874. 

"Wilsie  George  W.,  p  o  Potter's  Hollow,  farmer,  born  in 
county  in  1844,  has  been  assessor;  wife  Ann  Pal- 
mer, born  in  county  in  1843;  married  in  1865;  chil- 
dren two— Hattie  P.,  and  Verge  E.  Father  An- 
drew Wilsie  born  in  Duchess  county  in  1799,  died 
in  l871;  wife  Eleanor  Hay  born  in  county  in  1805, 
married  in  1825,  children  nine. 


BLENHEIM. 

Badgley  John,  born  in  Coeymans,  Albany  county,  October 
9, 1787,  settled  in  county  in  1811;  wife  E.  Bellar,  of 
Albany  county;  one  child— Stephen  G.,  who  mar- 
ried M.  F.  Perry,  of  Gilboa,  and  lives  in  North 
Blenheim. 


Badgley  S.  W.,  p  o  Blenheim. 

Baldwin  J.  R.,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  203  acres,  born 
in  South  Worcester,  Otsego  county,  December  31, 
1823,  settled  in  county,  October  20,  1835,  has  been 
justice  of  peace  and  overseer  of  poor;  wife  Rachel 
Barnum,  of  Delaware  county,  married  December 
23,  3842;  children  three-James  W.,  Ira  B.,  and  A, 
D.  V.  Predius,  father  of  J.  R.  died  August  18, 
1856,  in  Delaware  county. 

Champlin  Giles  S.,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  430  acres, 
born  in  Blenheim  February  7,  1813,  has  besn  jus- 
tice of  peace  and  supervisor ;  wife  Catharine  J, 
Wallace,  of  Duchess  county;  children  six— Lucin- 
da. J.  Perry,  Jane,  Henry,  Emma,  Giles  S.,  Jr. 
Father  of  Giles  S.,  Jeffrey  W.,  moved  to  county 
from  Rhode  Island. 

Cbamplin  J.  Parry,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  137  acres, 
born  in  Blenheim  October  19,  1842,  hasbeen  justice 
of  peace;  wife  Elizabeth  Hubbell,  married  Novem- 
ber 20,  1867;  children  four— Minnie  F.,  Burton  G., 
J.  Raymond,  H.  Norman. 

Clark  J.  A,,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  255  acres,  born  in 
Rhode  Island  March  10,  1819,  settled  in  county  in 
1828;  wife  Catharine  Vandervort;  children  eight — 
Almon  W.,  Alzada,  Linden.  Le  Grand,  Le  Grange, 
(the  latter  two  twins,)  Fremont  F.,  John  Jr..  and 
IdaM. 

Cornell  J.  M.,  p  o  Eminence,  farmer,  200  acres,  born  in 
Blenheim  November  14,  1812,  has  been  assessor 
and  justice  of  peace;  wife  Eliza  A.  Vandusen,  of 
Albany  county,  married  September  13,  1834;  chil- 
dren four  living— Daniel,  Mary  A.,  Catharine, 
Jane. 

Granby  William  M.,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  500  acres, 
born  in  Blenheim  January  28,  1797,  has  been  lieu- 
tenant in  artillery,  commissioner  of  schools,  and 
overseer  of  poor:  wife  Susan  Badgley,  of  Albany 

county,  married  February  18,  1819;  children  five 

Alexander,  William,  George,  Jane,  and  Eleanor. 

Granby  George,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  400  acres,  born 
in  Blenheim  October  15,  1831,  has  been  supervisor 
and  commissioner  of  highways. 

Hager  William  S.,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  75  acres, 
born  in  MiddleDurgh  October  16,  1S42;  wife  May  C. 
Kniskern,  of  Blenheim. 

Hager  John,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  300  acres,  born  in 
Blenheim  April  4,  1827,  has  been  justice  of 
peace  and  supervisor;  wife  Julia  A.  Shafer,  of 
Middleburgh;  children  three  -Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried P.  W.  Carl,  of  Blenheim;  Anna,  who  married 
Daniel  H.  Sitzer,  of  Blenheim;  and  David. 

Hager  D.  W.  C,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  born  in  Blen- 
heim July  7,  1813,  has  been  county  superintendent 
of  poor,  assessor,  and  commissioner  of  highways; 
first  wife  Naomi  A.  Hager;  children  three— Emily 
A.,  Caroline  B.,  and  O.  H.  P  :  second  wife  Caroline 
H.  Fink,  Father,  Simon,  was  son  of  Jacob  Hager, 
who  died  in  1796,  aged  S3  years,  and  was  buried  in 
.in  the  cemetery  in  Fulton. 

Hager  E.  D.,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  general  dealer,  born  in 
Middleburgh  May  31,  1847,  has  been  supervisor; 
wife  Nellie  E.  Beckwith,  of  Massachusetts,  married 
November  16,  1876:  children  one— Eugene  Beck- 
with. Father,  Daniel  J.  Hager,  was  born  in  Scho- 
harie. 

Haverly  Ira  H.,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer  and  merchant, 
166  acres,  born  in  Middleburgh  May  11,  1822;  wife 
Mary  E.  Furman,  of  Middleburgh;  children  six- 
George  B  ,  Elmer  C,  Rosetta,  Almira  L,  Alice,  and 
Frederick.  Ira  H.  Haverly  is  dealer  in  dry  goods, 
groceries,  boots  and  shoes,  hats,  caps,  crockery, 
glassware,  notions,  and  clothing,  and  produce  is 
taken  in  exchange  for  goods. 

Haverly  Seneca,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  manufacturer  of  lum- 
ber, 138  acres,  born  in  Middleburgh  April  21,  1833; 
wife  Sophia  C.  West,  of  Albany  county;  children 
four— Laura  A.,  West,  DeWitt  C,  and  Almeda. 
Seneca  Haverly  manufactures  shingles,  circular 
saws  and  mouldings.  He  keeps  lumber  on  hand 
for  sale,  also  broom  handles  and  all  kinds  of  lathe 
work. 

Haverly  David  M.,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  miller  and  lumber 
dealer,  150  acres,  born  in  Middleburgh  March  24, 
1833;  wife  Rebecca  A.  Van  Auken,  married  Decem- 
ber 23, 1863;  children  six— Loren.  Laura,  Ellis,  Ed- 
ward, Jacob,  and  Elizabeth.  David  M.  Haverly 
bought  out  the  interest  of  Seneca  in  the  mill  in 
1875.  The  mill  contains  three  runs  of  stone  and 
has  a  steady  water  power  supplied  by  dam  and 
race  from  Schoharie  creek. 

Kingsley  Edwin,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  80  acres,  born 
in  Blenheim  April  11, 18?3,  has  been  town  clerk  and 
supervisor;  wife  Jane  Granby,  of  Blenheim,  mar- 
ried in  October,  1856;  children  one — Ashley  G, 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


Kling  Nicholas  H.,  p  o  North  BleBheim,  farmer.  300  acres, 
born  in  Sharon  January  IJ,  1815,  has  been  commia- 
sioner  of  highways  and  superiotendent  of  schools; 
first  wife  Ann  E.  Keyser,  married  June  9,  1847; 
children  three— David,  Madison,  and  Arthur; 
second  wife  Miranda  Sherman,  married  February 
12,  1867. 

Near  Samuel,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  400  acres,  born 
in  Summit  July  14,  1816,  has  been  supervisor;  wife 
Mary  A.  Smith,  of  Otsego  county,  married  iu  De- 
cember, 1845;  children  nine— hannah  M.,  Helen  J., 
who  married  George  W.  Conro,  of  Richmondville; 
S.  H.,  Adelbert  M,  Adolphus  P.,  Parlie  E^  Mary 
A.,  who  married  George  K.  Wormer,  of  Fulton; 
Aliema  T.,  and  i^  mma. 

Parslow  Alonzo,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  merchant,  owns  25 
acres  land  and  the  Blenheim  House,  born  in  Blen- 
heim July  3,  1811,  has  been  town  clerk  and  post- 
master; wife  Julia  A.  Martin,  of  Blenheim,  married 
October  22,  1865;  children  seven — Freegitt  N.,  Bar- 
na  A.,  George,  Eugene,  Jessie,  Hoyt.  and  Harry. 
Father,  Henry  Parslow,  was  born  in  Fulton. 

Peaslee  Clyde  O.,  p  o  South  Jefferson,  farmer,  176  acres, 
born  in  (lenheim  January  15,  1858;  wife  Hattie  E. 
Clark,  of  Blenheim,  married  July  9,  1879. 

Peaslee  N.  S.,  po  JJorth  Blenheim,  farmer  and  dairyman, 
193  &'  res,  has  been  town  clerk  and  supervisor; 
wife  Ruth  Conklin.  of  Albany  county,  married 
March  13,  1842;  children  two,  one  living— Fannie 
B.,  who  married  W.  S.  Jones,  of  Westerlo,  Albany 
county,  and  has  one  child.  Fred  P. 

Peaslee  Thomas,  born  in  Connecticut  October  16.  1782,  set- 
tled in  county  in  1807  died  December  13,  1857;  wife 
Eunice  Babcock.  of  "Westerlo,  Albany  county, 
married  about  1804  ;  children  seven,  three  now 
living— T.  S.,  J.  B.,  and  N.  S.  Thomas  Peaslee  is 
buried  in  the  Peaslee  cemetery  on  the  farm  of  N. 
S,  Peaslee. 

Peaslee  T.  S.,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  farmer,  290  acres,  born 
in  "Westerlo,  Albany  county,  June  21,  1806,  settled 
in  county  in  St  ptember,  1807,  has  been  town  super- 
intendent of  schools;  wife  Mehaley  Curtis,  of 
Schenectady  county,  married  September  12,  1830; 
children  ten,  living  two— Isaac  and  Thomas,  the 
former  of  whom  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Dr.  John  Cornwall,  of  Gilboa,  and  has  three  chil- 
dren—Amy,  Ina,  aLd  Howard. 

Shafer  Jacob  L,,  p  o  BreaUabeen,  farmer,  400  acres,  born  in 
Blenheim,  February  37,  1815,  has  been  assessor 
three  years;  wife  Christina  Zeh;  children  living, 
nine— Gideon.  Jane  Ann,  Catharine,  Albert,  Joseph, 
Walter.  Mary,  William,  and  Edward.  Father, 
Gerrit  Shafer,  was  born  on  farm  now  occupied  by 
Jacob  L. 

Sternbergh  M.  B  ,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  school  teacher,  born 
in  Schoharie  July  25,  1852;  wife  Lee t a  A.  Winnie, 
married  October  26,  1877. 

Vroman  John  B.,  p  o  Mine  Kill  Falls,  farmer,  300  acres,  born 
in  Blenheim  December  18,  1818,  has  been  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  justice  of  peace,  postmaster; 
wife  MariaWelch.of  Poughkeepsie, married  May  20, 
1840;  children  eight -William  H.,  John  W.,  who 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  James  A., 
Julia  A,,  Phoebe  J.,  Charles  L.,  Jesse  P.,  and  Maria 
L.  Father,  James  P.  Vroman  moved  from  Albany 
county.- 

Vroman  Josiah  H.,  p  o  North  Blenheim,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, has  practiced  thirty-four  years,  born  in  Ful- 
ton October  3,  1818,  has  been  town  superintendent 
of  schools  and  overseer  of  the  poor;  wife  Ann  Eve 
Richtmyer,  of  Middleburgh,  married  in  October, 
1838;  children  five— Gitty  M.,  who  married  David 
Hayes,  of  Albany;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Philo  D. 
Sweet,  of  Jefferson;  Harmon  B.;  Albert  L.,  who 
married  Miss  Mayo,  of  Broome  county;  and  Alice 
I.,  wife  of  A.  V.  Baldwin,  of  Blenheim. 

Wood  John  ,  p  o  South  Jefferson,   farmer,  200  acres,   born 

■    in  Blenheim  January  3.   1830    has  been  assessor; 

wife  Maria  Curtis,    of  Blenheim,  married  May  9, 

1857:  children  three— Ethel,  Nellie,  and  Bradley  C. 


CONESVILLE. 

Brainerd  Zachariab,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer  and  mechanic, 
300  acres,  born  in  Durham,  Greene  county,  Sep- 
tember 22,  1805,  settled  in  county  in  1808,  has  been 
highway  commissioner;  wife  Percis  Warren,  of 
Greene  county,  married  in  1831;  children  nine, 
living  six— Jason  P.. .  Phoebe,  Judson  B.,  Esther 
F.,  Jerome  C,  and  Victoria  0. 

Case  John  C,  p  o  Conesville,  farmer  and  lumberman,  born 
in  Conesville  August  21,  1837,  has  been  constable; 
wife  Mary  E.  Van  Steenburg,  of  Ulster  county, 
married  November  28  1860;  children  four— Lillian 
M.,  George  F.,  Willie  W.,  and  Xura. 


Case  Elisha,  p  o  Conesville,  farmer,  64  acres,  born  in 
Broome  July  17,  1803,  has  been  school  commission- 
er, assessor,  constable,  and  justice  of  peace;  wife 
Betsey  Fink,  of  Blenheim,  married  October  24, 
1832;  children  living  two— John  C.  and  Mary  L. 

Cole  Loren  P.,  p  o  Gilboa,  farmer.  300  acres,  born  in  Ver- 
mont May  27,  1808,  settled  in  county  in  1815,  has 
been  highway  commissioner,  inspector  of  schools, 
supervisor  and  town  superintendent,  was  ordained 
a  minister  of  the  old  school  Baptist  church  October 
13, 1855,  and  the  house  in  which  he  preached  is  still 
standing  in  Gilboa;  first  wife  Phoebe  M.  Pierce,  of 
Greene  county,  married  May  9,  1835;  children  one 
— Phoebe  A. ;  second  wife  Chnrlotte  Weed,  of  Mid- 
dUsBX,  Conn.,  married  April  4,  1838;  children  nine, 
living  six— Alzina,  Pluma,  Juliette,  lantha,  Loren 
P.,  Jr.,  and  Charlotte. 

Couchraan  Peter,  p  o  Conesville,  was  formerly  a  farmer, 
disposed  of  240  acres,  born  in  Broome  July  28, 
1833,  has  been  supervisor  and  member  of  assembly; 
first  wife  Mary  B.  Bloodgood,  married  January  8, 
1862;  children  four— Alma  A.,  Hattie.  Ella,  and  Es- 
tella;  second  wife  Mary  S.  Mayhan,  married  April 
6,  1878. 

Dingman  Robert,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  miller  and  lumber  manu- 
facturer, 100  acres,  born  in  Conesville  January  23, 
1841,  has  been  constable,  collector,  and  justice  of 
peace;  wife  Frances  Richmond,  of  Conesville, 
married  in  3^61:  children  five— Irene,  Arthur,  Ed- 
ward, May,  and  Howard.  The  grist-mill  contains 
two  runs  of  stone,  is  connected  with  a  cider  aud 
saw  mill,  about  half  a  mile  from  Manor  Kill. 

Elliott  David  S.,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer,  165  acres,  born  in 
Albany  county  March  21,  1832,  settled  in  1813,  has 
been  assessor;  wife  Amanda  Fox,  of  Conesville, 
married  September  14,  1862. 

Freese  Roswell,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer,  200  acres,  born  in 
Broome  June  25,  1827,  has  been  commissioner  of 
highways.:  wife  Delia  Shoemaker,  of  Conesville,, 
married  June  27,  1849;  children  eight,  living  four — 
Rosaltha  E . ,  wife  of  William  D.  Hinman,  of  Greene 
county,  Charles  A,,  Velma  J.,  and  Ella  M. 

Gaylord  O.  P.,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer,  200  acres,  born  in 
Conesville,  June  13,  1849;  wife  Callie  M.  Case,  of 
Conesville,  married  September  10,  1H72. 

Gaylord  George  E.,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer  and  cattle  dealer, 
120  acres,  born  in  Conesville  June  9,  1846;  wife 
Rose  A.  Brandon,  of  Conesville,  married  October 
23,  1S73. 

Hitchcock  Stephen  J.,  p  o  Conesville,  farmer,  270  acres, 
born  in  Durham,  Greene  county.  May  14,  1814, 
settled  in  county  in  1833,  has  been  poormaster, 
justice  of  peace  and  supervisor;  first  wife  Hannah 
J.  Stryker,  of  Gilboa,  married  July  30,  1837;  chil- 
dren five— Cordelia  M.,  Peter  V.,  who  married 
Cornelia  E.  R-ichtmyer,  Thomas  M.,  living  with 
Cordelia  M.  in  Steele  county,  Minn.,  Sarah  A  .  and 
Stephens.,  who  lives  in  Monroe  county;  second 
wife  Sarah  J.  Richtmyer,  of  Conesville,  married 
December  6,  1854 ;  children  one— John  K.,  who  mar- 
ried Ella  M..  daughter  of  N.Sutton. 

Kingsley  Benoni  A.,  p  o  Conesville,  farmer  and  fire  insur- 
ance agent,  115  acres,  born  in  Gilboa  August  28, 
1829,  has  been  constable  and  collector. 

Layman  Peter  A.,  p  o  West  Conesville,  farmer,  134  acres, 
born  in  Conesville  February  24.  1829,  has  been  as- 
sessor; wife  Amelia  Brand,  of  Conesville,  married 
October  6,  1861;  children  four-Edith,  Ella,  Ed- 
ward A  ,  and  Winnifred.  Father,  Benjamin,  born 
in  Conesville,  died  in  1848,  was  son  of  Jeremiah 
Layman,  an  old  settler  who  died  in  1856. 

McGarry  John  W.,  p  o  Conesville,  farmer,  207  acres,  born  in 
Conesville  December  29,  1829,  has  been  town  clerk; 
wife  Margaret  A.  Young,  of  Ulster  county,  married 
June  27,  1848;  children  three,  living  two— Alice, 
born  February  18,  1850,  and  Daniel  T.,  born  April 
£6,  1855. 

Morse  E.  W.,  p  o  West  Conesville,  farmer,  240  acres,  born  in 
Middletown,  Delaware  county,  April  9,  1853,  set- 
tled in  county  March  7,  1867,  has  been  justice  of 
peace;  wife  Melissa  M.  Sanford,  of  Middletown, 
married  January  15, 1878. 

Patrie  A.  W.,  p  o  Conesville,  farmer,  born  in  Conesville 
October  30,  1831,  has  been  assessor  aud  supervisor; 
wife  Celia  C.  Conine,  of  Prattsville,  married  No- 
vember 23,  1858;  children  one— Helen  M.,  born  Oc- 
tober 25,  1859,  and  married  Alonzo  P.  Crosber,  of 
Conesville. ! 

Phelps  Wallace,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer,  wagon-maker,  and 
grocer,  150  acres,  born  iu  Conesville  April  26, 1837» 
has  been  collector  and  postmaster. 

Phelps  RoUa,  p  o  Conesville,  farmer,  225  acres,  born  iu 
Conesville  March  29,  1808;  wife  Catharine  Patrie, 
of  Conesville,  married  December  5, 1833;  children 
eleven,  living  eight— Naomi,  Canilda  C,  Wallace^ 
Harriet,  Marcus,  Belton,  Bryant,  and  Isabel  G. 


IV 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Richtmyer  William  E. ,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer,  surveyor 
and  civil  engineer,  170  acres,  born  iu  Conesville 
October  31,  1812,  has  been  justice  of  peace,  notary 
public,  and  census  enumerator;  wife  SevinaBeck- 
er,  of  Wright,  married  April  6, 1842;  children  eight, 
living  three — Dewitt,  Nancy,  and  Frank. 
Scoville  Elijah  M..  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer,  200  acres,  born  in 
Conesville  September  12,  ISIB;  first  wife  Melissa  C. 
Wheeler,  of  Durham;  children  three— Celia  S., 
Alice,  and  Melissa  C;  second  wife  Caroline  Hal- 
stead,  of  Albany  county,  married  October  7,  1859. 
Grandfather,  Amasa  Scoville,  settled  in  county 
about  17()5. 
Stevens  Levi  F.,  p  o  Gilboa,  farmer,  140  acres,  born  in 
Conesville  December  23,  1809,  has  been  collector, 
assessor,  and  highway  commissioner;  wife  Tbirza 
Sage,  of  Conesville,  born  March  20,  1805,  married 
February  22,  1830;  children  seven,  living  two- 
David  S..  who  married  Deborah,  daughter  of  Mo- 
bray  H.  Hammond,  and  Emory,  who  married  Em- 
ma, daughter  of  William  Miller;  children  four — 
Ward  B.,  Walter  A.,  Linnie  D.,  and  Ralph. 
Stevens  Emory,  p  o  Gilboa. 

Sutton  A.  N.,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer,  265  acres,  born  in 
Conesville  November  9,  1829;  wife  Natalie  Thorp,  of 
Conesville,  married  September  27,  1864;  children 
four,  living  two— Ella  M.,  wife  of  John  Hitchcock, 
and  Minnie  E. 
Thompson  Abram,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer  80  acres,  born  in 
Conesville  September  8,  18i2,  has  been  collector; 
wife  Mary  E.  Mosier,  of  Albany  county,  married 
September5,  1856,  died  in  1874;  children  five,  living 
three— Elenora,  wife  of  John  Kane,  of  Conesville, 
Mary  A.,  and  Luella. 
Thorpe  Douglass  B.,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer,  450  acres,  born 
in  Conesville  March  9,  1832,  has  been  supervisor; 
wife  Catherine  H.  Ingraham,  of  Durham,  Greene 
county,  married  November  16,  1853;  children  two 
—George  N,,  born  June  6,  1856,  and  William  E., 
born  November  15.  1869.  Mr.  Thorpe  was  the  only 
Republican  supervisor  elected  from  Conesville 
in  twenty-five  years. 
Van  Dyke  George,  p  o  Manor  Kill,  farmer  and  stock  dealer, 
1100  acres,  born  in  Conesville  April  5,  1843,  has 
been  supervisor;  wife  Esther  Wiltsey,  of  Broome, 
married  October  10,  1868;  children  four — Easland, 
Franz,  Grace,  and  Blanche. 


CARLISLE. 


Angle  P.  A.,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Allen  Haivey,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Arnold  Joseph  H.,  p  o  Argusville,  proprietor  ef  Arnold 
House,  owns  60  acres  land,  born  in  Newport,  Her- 
kimer county  September  21,  1824,  settled  in  county 
September  ^8,  18()8,  has  been  highway  commis- 
sioner, and  school  collector;  wife  Maria  D.  Gran- 
tier;  children  one;  first  wife,  Sophionia  Phillips 
of  Fulton  county.  Father  Richard  Arnold,  a  na- 
tive of  JRhode  Island. 

Becker  P.  B  ,  p  o  Grovenor's  Corners. 

Becker  P.  W.,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Becker  C.  D.,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Bellinger  Harvey,  p  o  Argusville,  merchant,  born  iu  Sharon 
July  18.  1849,  settled  in  village  in  1875,  wife  An- 
nette Kniskern,  married  in  i873;  children  two — 
May  and  Charlie.    Father  William  H.  Bellinger. 

Best  George  J.  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  owner  and  proprietor  of 
Empire  House,  5  acres,  born  in  town  October  90, 
1820,  has  been  town  superintendent  of  schools; 
wife  Isabelle,  daughter  of  Frederick  Posson,  of 
town,  married  in  1856.  Father  Jacob  G.  is  son  of 
George  Best,  a  native  of  Columbia  county,  and 
one  of  earliest  settlers  of  the  town,  owned  abcut 
fourteen  hundred  acres  of  land. 

Burhans  George  B.,  p  o  Carlisle  Centre. 

Bradt  Andrew,  p  o  Grovenor's  Corners. 

Burns  Jeremiah,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Brown  Severenus,  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Brown  William  S.,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Brown  D.  S.,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Brown  Harrison,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Brown  R.  W..  p  oLawyersville. 
V  Coldclough  William,  p  o  Carlisle. 
>^Crocker  Lewis  G.,  p  o  Sloansville. 

Cass  William,  p  o  Carlisle,  farmer.  180  acres,  born  on  pres- 
ent farm  December  19, 1809,  has  been  assessor;  wife 
Sarah  Ann  Gordon  ;  second  wife  Phoebe  Gordon; 
children  nine.  Father  Matthew  Cass  was  first  set- 
tler on  same  farm. 


Coonrad  Adam,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer,  218  acres;  born  in 
Brunswick,  R^nBselaer  county  March  1,  lou4,  set- 
tled in  county  in   1855;  wife  Margaret    AJpauRh, 
daughter  of  John  A.pauph,  married  Maylo,  18ay; 
children  living  nine.    Father  John  Coonrad  died 
aged  84  years. 
Clapp  John,  p  o  Argusville,  blacksmith,  owns  house  and  lot, 
born  in  Wirtenburgh,  August  36.  1833,  settled  iu 
county  in  1853;    wife  Maria  Collins,   married  in 
1851,     children  three— Minerva   Neville,    Charlie, 
and  Edgar. 
Doty  Wiliiam  I.,  p  o  Sloansville. 
Duelly  G.  B,,  p  o  Carlisle. 
Estes,  G.  D.,  p  o  Sloansville. 
Fero  Isaac,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Fritcher  David,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  180  acres,  born 
in  town  June  14,  18(i6,  has  been  commissioner  of 
highways;    wife   Chloe    Parmeley,   of    Cobleskill, 
married  in  1825;  children  one— Peter  G.,  who  has 
two  sons  and  three  daughters.    Father  Coniad 
Fritcher  one  of  early  settlers  of  town. 
Gordon  John  A.,  p  o  Argusville. 
Grosvenor  Niram,  p  o  Grovenor's  Corners. 
Gardinier  Martin  I. ,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer,  109  acres,  born 
in  Sharon,  September  1,  1815;  wife  Sarah  A.  Coons, 
married  in   1841;    children  living    one— Jacob  E, 
Father  Jacob  M,  Gardinier. 
Hansen  N.,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Hodge  Orville,  p  o  Argusville,  retired  merchant,  138  acres, 
born  in  Canajoharie,  Montgomery  county,  July  18, 
1822   settled  in  county  in  1845,  has  been  postmas- 
ter;   wife  Marietta,   daughter  of  Aaron  Malick, 
married  In  January^  1850.  children  three — Annette 
Taylor,  Lester  A.,  and  Leland.    Father  Abraham 
Ho4ge-  a  native  of  Montgomery  county. 
Hurst  William  H  ,  p  o  Sloansville. 
Hyney  Stephen,  p  o  Argusville. 
Karker  Sifroit  R. ,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Karker  Abram  B.,  p  o  Carlisle,  teacher  and  farmer,  120  acres, 
born  in  town  on  the  Judge  Brown  homestead, 
April  15,  1827,  has  been  inspector  of  election;  wife 
Ruth  E.  Falk,  married  in  1859 ;  children  four — 
Alice,  Charles  W.,  Anna,  and  Edna.  Father  Solo- 
mon Karker.  ' 
Kniskern  George,  p  o  Carlisle,  farmer,  106  acres,  born  in 
town  April  26,  18I8,  settled  on  present  farm  in 
1855,  has  been  assessor  and  collector;  first  wife 
Sarah  Becker;  second,  Eliza  Brown;  children  one, 
Louisa  Tiliapaugh.  Parents  Peter  and  Mary 
Kniskern. 
Kilts  Jacob  L.,  p  o  Sharon. 

Lawyer  Adam  H.,  p  o.  Carlisle,  farmer,  92  acres,  born  on 
present  farm  June  4,  1820,  has  been  assessor,  col- 
lector, and  inspector  of  election;  wife  Julia  Ding- 
man,  married  in  1847,  children  living  sit.  Father 
Adam,  son  of  Johannes  Lawyer,  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Schoharie. 
McCann  M.,  p  o  Argusville. 

Neville  Theodore  J.,  p  o  Argusville,  teacher,  10  acres,  born 
in  Sharon  June  16,  1853.  settled  in  village  in  1875, 
has  been  justice  ol  peace;  wife  Minerva  Copp, 
married  in  1874;  children  one— Earl  J.    Parents 
John  and  Julia  Neville. 
Osterhout  Stanton,  p  o  Lawyersville,  farmer,  84  acres,  born 
in  town  May  20,  1852,    has  been  commissioner  of 
highways;   wife  Josephine  Hilsinger,  married  in 
1870,  children  three— Orson,  Elvie,  and  an  infant. 
Father  A.  Osterhout. 
Osterhout  Irving,  p  o  Lawyerville. 
Ottman  George,  p  o  Carlisle  Centre. 

Osterhout  Jacob  A.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  391  acres,  born 
on  present  farm  June  11,  1823;  wife  Betsey  Knis- 
kern, married  in  1846,  children  living  six.    Father 
Abram  Osterhout  was  first  settler  on  farm, 
Osterhout  George  J.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  99  acres,  born 
in  Seward,  July  31, 1844,  settled  on  farm  in  1864, 
has  been  collector;  wife  Sarah  M.  Myers,  of  Scho- 
harie, married  in   1863;  children  two — Abbie,  and 
Ruth.    Parents  Abraham  and  Sarah  Osterhout. 
Ottman  Henry  I.,  p  o  Carlisle,   farmer,   185  acres,  born  on 
present   farm   April  29,    J869;  wife  Kellie  Brown, 
granddaughter  of  Judge  Brown,  married  in  1832; 
children  eleven.    Father  George,  son  of  Christian 
Ottman,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  county. 
Prosser  Charles  J.,  p  o  Carlisle. 
Roscoe  R.  J.,  p  o  Carlisle. 
Roscoe  John  M.,  p  o  Carlisle. 
Roberts  Charles  D.,  p  o  Lawyersville. 
Scott  Isaac  F.,  p  o  Grovenor's  Corners 
Schuyler  J.  S.,  p  o  Grovenor's  Corners. 

Shafer  Sylvester,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer,  born  in  Cobleskill, 
December  3l,  1836;  settled  in  town  in  1876;  wife 
Mary  A  Phinisey,  married  December  25, 1849;  chil- 
dren eight.    Parents  David  and  Maria  Shafer. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


Smith  Asa,  p  o  Carlisle,  farmer,  19S  acres,  born  in  Herki- 
mer county,  December  7,  1807,  settled  in  county  in 
1865;  wife  Margaret,  daughter  of  Cornelius  Brew- 
er, married  in  1840,  children  four--Carrie,  Ellen, 
Willie,  and  Malvin.  Parents  William  and  Cathar- 
ine Smith. 

Snyder  George  B.,  p  o  Carlisle,  farmer,  186  acres,  born  in 
town  October  la,  1830,  settled  on  farm  in  18.58,  has 
been  excise  commissioner  and  collector;  wife 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Mathias  Eniskero,  married 
in  1853;  children  three— Oscar.  Charles,  and  Wil- 
liam. Parents  David  L.  and  Margaret  (Robinson) 
Snyder. 

Skinner  F.  D.,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Spore  James  H.,  p  o  Sharon,  shoemaker  and  farmer.  16  acres, 
born  in  Montgomery  county  July  18,  1826,  settled 
in  county  In  1846,  has  been  overseer  of  the  poor; 
wife  Margaret,  daughter  of  Calvin  Morris,  married 
in  1847;  children  one — Lyman  J. 

Staley  H.  J.,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Tillapaugh  George,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Vanalstine  John  L.,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer,  145  acres,  born 
in  Sharon,  January  23, 1818,  settled  on  farm  in 
1866;  wife  Katie,  daughter  of  John  Collins,  married 
November  2",  1834;  children  living  five— Lyman  L., 
Ephraim,  Helena,  Maria,  and  Esther  Ann. 

Wakeman  Horace,  p  o  Lawyersville. 

Young  M.,  p  o  Carlisle. 

Young  George,  p  o  Carlisle. 


COBLESKILL. 


Bellinger  George  W.,  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Becker  James,  p  o  Cobleskill,  dairy  farmer,  and  operator 
of  saw-mill,  160  acres,  born  in  county  in  1810;  wife 
Sally  A.  Overpaugh,  of  county,  married  in  1845; 
children  five. 

Blodget  James  F..  po  Cobleskill,  retired  builder  and  farmer, 
born  in  Esperance,  in  1816;  wife  Clarissa  Beding- 
ton,  of  county,  married  in  1837,  died  in  1861 ;  chil- 
dren two;  second  wife  Mrs.  Maria  Borst  Shaw,  of 
Cobleskill,  married  in  1863.  Father,  Rufus  Blodget, 
came  from  Connecticut  before  1800. 

Borst  A.  B.,  general  furniture  dealer,  born  in  county  in 
1844,  commenced  business  in  1874,  giving  employ- 
ment to  four  persons. 

Brown  William,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1880;  wife  Irene  Moore,  of  county,  born  in  1836, 
married  in  1853;  children  six. 

Bouck  Tobias,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer  and  retired  hotel  pro- 
prietor, 170  acres,  born  in  county  in  1806,  has  been 
sheriff  and  member  of  assembly;  wife  Eliza  Worth, 
of  county,  born  in  1810,  married  in  1830;  children 
five,  living  four — James  A.,  John  M.,  Catharine  B., 
and  S.  Hagar. 

Brown  W.  Jersey,  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Burnett  Oswell,  p  o  Cobleskill,  photographer  and  copyist, 
born  in  county  in  3846,  enlisted  in  August,  1862,  ia 
134th  Infantry  for  one  year,  was  discharged,  en- 
listed again  in  September,  1863,  and  remained 
through  war:  wife  Louisa  Dibble,  of  county,  mar- 
ried in  1868;  children  four.  Firm  in  photography 
is  Burnett  &  Pangburn.  John  H.  Pangburn,  of 
county  born  in  1852;  wife  Loisa  Loucks,  of  county, 
married  in  1877;  children  one. 

Casper  John,  p  o  East  Cobleskill,  farmer  and  stock  raiser, 
born  in  county  in  1833,  has  been  collector  and  com- 
missioner; wife  Caroline  Brower,  of  county,  mar- 
ried December  5,  1857;  children  one— Charles  D. 
Peter  Casper  born  in  county  in  1801,  died  in  1668; 
wife  Margaret  Herar,  of  county,  born  in  1804,  mar- 
ried in  1821 ;  children  six— Maria.  George,  Christina, 
John,  Nancy,  and  Peter  H.  Great-grandfather 
born  in  Germany  in  1762,  settled  in  county  about 
1775. 

Casper  F.  L  ,  p  o  Howe's  Cave,  furniture  manufacturer, 
born  in  Cobleskill  in  1857;  wife  Bella  Becker,  of 
county,  married  in  1879.  Father,  George  Casper, 
of  Schoharie,  born  in  1824;  wife  Emeline  Berner,  of 
Otsego  county,  born  in  1825,  married  in  1848;  chil- 
dren four. 
Coffln  Eugene,  p  o  Cobleskill.  „     ,    , 

Chambers  D.,  p  o  Carlisle  Centre,  farmer,  born  in  Carlisle 
in  1837;  wife  Catharine  M.,  daughter  of  C.  C.  Rioht- 
myer,  born  in  1835,  married  in  1860;  children  one- 
Florence. 
Cohn  M.,  p  0  Cobleskill,  merchant  and  general  dealer  m 
ready-made  clothing,  boots  and  shoes,  etc. 


Coburn  Sarah  J.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  120  acres  Peter 
Coburn,  born  in  Scotland  in  1817.  settled  in  county 
m  1858,  died  in  1869:  wife  Sarah  J.  Whitbeck,  born 
in  Albany  county  in  1828,  married  in  1843;  children 
three. 
Cross  James,  Jr.,  p  o  Barnerville,  farmer,  375  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1817;  wife  Eliza  Beaver,  of  county,  born 
in  1828,  married  in  1843;  children  five  Father 
James  Cross,  born  in  Duchess  county  in  1783,' 
came  to  county  in  1805,  died  in  1859;  wife  Sally  Ab- 
bott, born  in  Massachusetts  in  July,  1777  married 
April  10, 1810,  died  in  1843;  children  three. 
Courier  Helen  Mrs.,  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Dana  Gilbert  W.,  p  o  Lawyersville,  farmer,  140  acres,  born 
in  1825,  has  been  assessor;  wife  Clara  H.  Nichols, 
of  Schoharie,  married  in  December,  1846-  children 
five. 
Dibble  David  A.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  75  acres,  born  in 
county  in  18.55;  wife  Elizabeth  Dibble,  of  county, 
married  in  1877.    Father,  Archibald  Dibble,  born 
in  1812:  wife  Ruth  Cook,  of  county,  born  in  1817, 
married  in  1841;  children  four. 
Diefendorf  Peter,  p  o  Lawyersville,  farmer,  80  acres,  born  in 
Schoharie  in  1820;  wife  Eliza  M.  Shutts,  of  Scho- 
harie, died  in  August.  1865;  children  three;  second 
wife  Dorcas  Garlock,  married  in  1866,  died  in  1868; 
third  wife  Kate  Van  Bramer,  of  Columbia  county, 
married  in  1870.    Father.  George  Diefendorf,  ol 
county,  born  in  1800;  wife  Elizabeth  Ottman,  of 
county,  born  in  1800,  died  in  July,  1880;  children 
fourteen,  living  twelve. 
Dow  Dewitt  C,  p  o  Cobleskill. 
Ferguson  Alonzo,  p  o  Cobleskill.  dealer  in  general  hardware, 

stoves,  tin  and  farming  implements. 
Fox  Luther  T.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  dental  surgeon. 
Foote  C.  E.,  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Foland  George,  p  o  Warnerville,  farmer  and  assessor,  born 
in  county  in  1837,  has  been  assessor  seven  years; 
wife  Christina  Mann,  of  county,  born  in  1839,  mar- 
ried in  1860,  died  in  1863;  children  one;  second 
wife  Susan  Dutoher,  of  county,  born  in  1840,  mar- 
ried in  1868.  Father,  Henry  Foland,  of  Columbia 
county,  born  in  1796,  came  to  county  about  1800, 
died  in  1881;  wife  Margaret  Springer,  of  county, 
born  in  1803,  died  in  1866. 
Fuller  John  E.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  proprietor  of  livery  and  sale 
stable,  born  in  county  in  1866;  wife  Anna  Guleck, 
of  Schuyler  county,  married  in  1879;  children  one 
— William.  William  Schuyler,  born  in  Montgomery 
county,  came  to  county  in  1878. 
Frazier  C.  K.,  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Gale  James,  p  o  Barnerville,  chair  and  rake  manufacturer, 
and  general  worker  in  wood  and  machine  shop, 
owns  mill  and  homestead,  born  in  Schenectady 
county  in  1818,  settled  in  county  in  1836; 
wife  Hannah  Biley,  of  Schoharie,  born  in 
1818,  married  in  January,  1840;  children  two 
—Isaac  Riley,  born  in  1810,  and  James  G.,  bom 
in  1843.  Father,  Isaac  Riley,  born  in  Connecticut 
in  1783,  came  to  county  about  1800,  died  In  1823; 
wife  Loraine  Bradley,  of  Otsego  county,  died  in 
1850;  children  six. 
Guernsey  George  W.,  p  o  East  Cobleskill,  farmer  and  school 
teacher,  125  acres,  born  in  county  in  1839;  wife 
Samantha  Cole,  of  county,  born  in  1845,  married  in 
1868;  children  four— Loren  C,  born  in  1869,  Roscoe, 
in  1871,  Elma,  in  1874,  and  Valetta,  in  1877.  Father, 
John  Guernsey,  of  Middleburgh. 
Gernsey  Chester,  p  o  East  Cobleskill,  farmer,  114  acres,  born 
in  Middleburgh  in  1842;  wife  Pleutchera  Sherwood, 
of  Broome  county,  married  in  1861,  died  in  1869; 
children  one— Wilson;  second  wife  Margaret  Sut- 
phen,  of  Albany  county,  married  in  1871,  children 
five— Mathias,  Myrtle,  Emery  and  Emma  (twins) 
and  Charles.  Father,  William,  son  of  James 
Guernsey,  an  old  settler  in  county. 
Graham  M.  G.,  p  o  Cobleskill, 

Hager  George  H.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  95  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1841;  wife  Priscilla  Pace,    married  in 
1869. 
Harder  Minard,  p  o  Cobleskill,  manufacturer  of  horse  power 

threshinf^  and  sawing  machines. 
Head  John,  p  o  Cobleskill  Centre,  general  blacksmith  and 
repairer,  born  in  Carlisle  in  1H:J],  195  acres;  wife 
Luna  Smith,   of  county,  married  in  1853,  died  in 
1860;  children  three— Montraville,    born   in    1856, 
George,  in  1858,  and  Albert,  in  1860;  second  wife 
Margaret  Smith,  of  county,  married  in  1861;  chil- 
dren one— Luna  Smith,  born  in  1863. 
Hess  Louis,  p  o  Cobleskill,  photographer. 
Holmes  Judge  Charles,  p  o  Cobleskill,  lawyer  and  counselor, 
born  in  county  March  26,  1826,  has  been  judge  of 
county. 
Hogan  &  Borst,  general  druggists,  and  dealers  in  paints, 
oils,  glass,  and  fancy  goods,  commenced  business 
as  a  firm  in  1879;  Reed  Hogan  born  in  county  in 
1854;  Charles  C.  Borst  born  in  county  in  1854. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Hoose  John,  p  o  Barnerville,  blacksmith  and  farmer,  27 
acres,  born  in  Albany  county  in  1795,  settled  in 
county  in  1813;  wife  Sally  Wilsey,  born  in  county, 
in  1798,  married  in  1816,  died  in  1877;  children  seven 
—Anna,  born  in  1822,  John  F.,  in  1824,  David,  in 
1826,  Jane,  in  1829,  Peter,  in  1832,  Rosanna,  in  183 », 
and  Catharine,  in  1838.  William  Coonly  bom  in 
Cobleskill  in  1823;  wife  Jane  Hoose,  married  in 
1867.  Father,  Jacob  Hoose,  born  in  Columbia 
county  about  1740,  came  to  county  in  1819,  died  in 
1822,  was  private  in  the  Revolution. 
Button  J.  H.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  108  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1840;  wife  Nancy  SafEord,  of  county, 
married  in  1861;  children  one. 
Lawyer  Schuyler,  p  o  CoDleskill,  shoemaker. 
Lawyer  Tiffany,  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Lawyer  Peter,  farmer,  180  acres,  born  in  county  September 
29,  1832,  died  in  1878,  has  held  several  town  offices; 
wife  Sarah  A.  Borst,  married  in  1865;  children  six. 
Lawyer  Dr.  Augustus  F.,  physician  in  the  naval  service, 
born  in  county  in  1807.    Thomas  Lawyer  lived  at 
LawyersviUe,  and  was  a  lawyer. 
Lawyer  David,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,   born  in  county  in 
1834;    wife  Elizabeth  M.  Van  Valkenburg,  married 
in  1866;  children  one— Elmer  H.    Father,  Augustus 
Lawyer.      William   Van   Valkenburg,    father     of 
Elizabeth,  born  in  Massachusetts,  came  to  county, 
died  in  1872,  aged  85  years;  wife  Reuecca  Youngs, 
of  Schoharie:  children  five. 
Loucka  Peter,  p  o  Cobleskill.  retired  farmer,  born  in  Sharon 
in  1802,  has  been  assessor  and  overseer  of  poor; 
wife  Catharine  Snyder,  of  county,  born  in  1805, 
married  January  4,   1825;  children  two— Lavina, 
and  Christina.     Father,  John  G.  Loucks,  born  in 
Ulster  county  in  1772,  came  to  county  in  1806,  died 
in  1856. 
Mcintosh  W.  H.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  dealer  in  gents'  furnishing 
goods  and  merchant  tailor,  born  in  New  York, 
settled  in  county  in  1867;  wife  Catharine  A.  Put- 
nam, of  Montgomery    county,  married    in   1844; 
children  two. 
Moeller  Henry  Austin,  p  o  Cobleskill,    dealer  in  general 
groceries,    born   in   county   in  1844;   wife  A.   E, 
Thatcher,  of  Connecticut,  married  in   January, 
1866;  children  two. 
Ottman  Barney,  p  o  LawyersviUe,  farmer  and  miller,  95 
acres,  born  in  county  in  1820;  wife  Almira  Biley, 
of  county,  born  in  1820,  married  in  1842;  children 
three.    Jacob  Ottman  was  born  in  county. 
Overpaugh  John  H.,  proprietor  of  sash  and  blind  factory 
and  general  lumber  yard,  owns  four  residences, 
homestead  and  14  acres  land,  born  in  county  in 
1818;  wife  Mary  C.  Snyder,  of  Rensselaer  county, 
married  in  1848;  children  five,  living  three. 
Pindar  J.  S.  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Quackenbush  Frederick,  p  o  Cobleskill,  retired  miller  and 
farmer,  50  acres,  bora  in  Albany  county  in  1817, 
settled  in  county  in  1866;  wife  Sarah  Kilts,   of 
county,  born  in  1821,  married  in  1857. 
Ramsey  Charles  H,  p  o  Howe's  Cave. 

Richtmyer  Robert,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  97  acres,  born  in 
Schoharie  September  16, 1835,  has  been  overseer  of 
poor  and  inspector  of  elections;  .wife  Nancy  Bur- 
hans,  of  county,  married  in  i860,  died  October  23, 
1864;childrenene;8econd  wife  Nancy  A.  £arker,  of 
county,  married  in  1871.  t'ather,  ChristianW. Richt- 
myer, of  county,  born  in  1802,  died  December  23, 
1880;  wife  Catharine  Moore,  of  Columbia  county, 
born  in  1804,  died  in  1870;  children  two— William 
M.  and  Robert. 
Richtmyer  Christian  C,  p  o  Carlisle  Centre,  farmer,  110 
acres,  born  in  Cobleskill  in  1803;  wife  Cornelia 
Slingerland,  of  Albany  county,  bom  in  1800,  mar- 
ried in  1830,  children  two— Catharine,  born  in  1839, 
died  in  1854.  Father^  Conrad  Richtmyer,  born  in 
county  in  1776,  died  in  1862;  wife  Margaret  Sals- 
burgh,  bom  in  Albany  county  in  1778,  died  in  1868; 
children  ten,  living  two.  Grandfather  was  boru 
in  Albany  county  and  engaged  in  the  Revolution. 
Richtmyer  Jacob,  p  o  Cobleskill.  farmer,  115  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1829;  wife  Henrietta  Shaffer,  born  in 
county  in  1835,  married  in  1860;  children  one— Mary 
E.,  born  in  1865.  Father,  William  C.  Richtmyer, 
born  in  county  in  1798;  wife  Catharine  Wetsell,  of 
county,  born  in  1800,  married  in  1821;  children 
four— Jacob,  Margaret,  Amenzo,  and  Mary  C. 
Christopher  Wetsell,  father  of  Catharine,  born  in 
Rensselaer  county,  settled  at  Howe's  Cave  about 
1790. 
Rockefeller  M.  L.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  135  acres,  born  in 
Columbia  county  in  1824,  settled  in  county  in  1830; 
wife  Henrietta  Roberts,  of  county,  married  in  1851 ; 
children  two. 


Rose  Anson,  farmer,  108  acres,  born  in  Rensselaer  county  ib 
1831,  settled  in  county  in  1854;  wife  Catharine 
Shank,  born  January  11,  1825,  married  in  1855; 
children  three— Franklin,  Ella,  and  Charles.  Se- 
bastian Shank,  born  in  Albany  county  in  17fl0,  died 
in  1876;  wife  Mary  Shaver,  of  county,  born  in  1796, 
married  in  1814;  children  six,  living  four— Gilbert, 
bom  July  11,  1816,  Frances,  April  25.  1818,  Cathar- 
ine, January  11.  1825,  and  Margaret,  January  "iy 
1827.  Mrs.  Shank  has  eleven  great-grandchildren. 
Ryder  &  Lefevre,  p  o  Cobleskill,  dealers  in  domestic  and  im* 
ported  goods,  ready-made  clothing,  boots,  shoes, 
hats, caps,  and  a  full  assortment  ot  Yankee  notions. 
Schermerhorn  R.  T.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  dealer  in  general  gro- 
ceries, born  in  county  in  1841:  wife  Margaret 
Mickle,  of  county,  married  in  1865;  children  two. 
J.  S.  Schermerhorn,  born  in  county  in  1815,  died  in 
1877. 
Shafer  Daniel  G.,  p  o  Cobleskill.  farmer.  100  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1842;  wife  Mary  J.  Van  Valkenburg,  of 
county,  married  in  1868;  children  two.  Daniel 
Shafer,  born  in  county  in  1816,  died  in  1866;  wife 
Maria  Earner,  born  in  county  in  1815,  married  in 
1834,  died  in  1S80;  children  two— Daniel  G.  and 
Nancy. 
Shutts  A.,  p  o  LawyersviUe.  farmer,  110  acres,  born  in  coun- 
ty in  18:30;  wife  Emeline  R.  Walker,  of  county, 
married  In  1846,  died  in  1858;  children  three;  second. 
wife  Cornelia  Redington,  of  county,  married  in 
1860;  children  three. 
Smith  Thomas  S.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  dealer  in  monuments  and 
building  stone,  born  in  county  in  1852,  commenced 
business  in  Spptember,  18aO,  previously  engaged  in 
same  business  in  Fulton  county. 
Van  Dresser  J.  W.  &  H.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmers  and  pro- 
prietors of  cheese  factory,  175  acres.  J.  W.  born 
in  1837;  wife  Helen  Roberts,  of  county,  married  in 
1860;  children  two.  Henry  Van  Dresser  born  in 
1839;  wife  Emma  Becker,  of  county,  married  in 
1872.  Father,  John  I.  Van  Dresser,  born  in  county 
in  1803,  died  in  1880. 
Van  Schaick  John,  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Van  Waganen  Jared,  p  o  LawyersviUe,  farmer  and  sheep 
raiser,  260  acres,  born  in  Schoharie  in  1835;  wife 
Loraine  McNeill,  of  county,  born  in  1839,  married 
in  1857;  children  two.  Father,  Ryuear  Van  Wag- 
anen. 
Waldron  Edwin,  p  o  Cobleskill,  proprietor  of  foundry  and 
machine  shop,  where  general  custom  and  order 
work  is  executed  promptly. 
Wakeman  Horace,  p  o  LawyersviUe,  farmer,  122  acres,  born 
in  county  in  1807;  wife  Jcannotte  F.  Becker,  of 
Schenectady  county,  born  in  1808,  married  in  1831; 
.  children  two. 
Wakeman  A.,  p  o  LawyersviUe,  farmer,  230  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1810;  wife  Mary  Odell,  of  Fairfield  conn- 
ty,  Conn.,  born  in  1815,  married  in  1837;  children 
four.  Horatio  Wakeman,  born  in  county  in  1813. 
Father,  Seth  B.  Wakeman,  of  Fairfield  county. 
Conn. 
Walker  J.  Jackson,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  80  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1831;  wife  Catharine  Van  Dresser,  of 
county,  born  in  1831,  married  in  1854;  children 
two.  B'atber,  William  Walker,  of  Greene  county* 
born  in  1793,  died  in  1867;  wife  Harriet  Kuton,  of 
Westchester  county,  born  in  1801,  married  in  1830, 
died  in  1879. 
Welch  Dr.  Clark  D.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  physician  and  surgeon, 
born  in  Albany  county,  settled  in  county  in  1877, 
was  graduated  from  the  New  York  Homeopathic 
Medical  College. 
Wieting  John  C,  p  o  Cobleskill.  farmer,  150  acres,  born  in 
Seward  in  1830;  wife  Mary  A.  Sexton,  of  Seward, 
born  in  1834,  married  in  1857 ;  children  two.  Father, 
Philip  P.  Wieting,  born  in  county  in  1800,  came  to 
county  in  1829,  died  in  1879 ;  wife  Catharine  Boshart, 
of  Lewis  county,  married  in  1828,  died  in  1876; 
children  three. 


ESPER.\NCE. 


Anderson  J.  K.,  p  o  Esperance. 

Paumes  George,  farmer,  120  acres,  horn  in  Al  bany  county 
settled  in  county  in  1826,  died  March  15, 1880,  has 
been  assessor  and  justice  of  peace;  wife  Rachel 
Stoneman  of  Albany  county,  married  in  1816;  chil- 
dren SBTen,  living  six. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


Blenis  Lewis  P.,  p  o  Sloansville,  farmer  and  retired  notion 
dealer,  72  acres,  born  in  Greene  county  in  1831,  set- 
tled in  county  in  1853;  -wife  Eunice  Kimble,   of 
county,  married  in  1857;  children  four— George  K., 
William  C,  Charles  E.,  and  Frederick  F. 
Bowles  Joseph  L,  farmer,  born  in  Rhode  Island  in  1812,  set' 
tied  in  county  in  1825.  died  March  31,  1876;  wife 
Mary  Phelps,  of  county,  born  in  1832,  married  in 
1870,  children  one— Nannie  Phelps.     Gains  Phelps, 
father  of  Mary,  born  in  Connecticut  in  1785,  set- 
tled in  county  in  180%  died  in  1869;  wife  Susan  B. 
Phelps,  bora  in  Rhode  Island  in  1792,  married  in 
1819,  died  in  1866. 
Brazee  Avery,  born  in  county  in  1843;  wife  Amanda  Wiuney 
of  Albany  county,  married  in  1866,  died  in  1871; 
children    two — second    wife    Emma    Burnett,  of 
Montgomery    county,    married  in    1872.      Father 
Frederick  Brazee  a  M.  E.  clergyman,  died  in  1872. 
Briggs  George  B.,  p  o  Esperanee,  general  druggist  and  pre- 
scriptionist,  born  in  ISchenectady  county  in  1843, 
settled  in  county  in  1846;  wife  Rachel  Conover, 
married  in  1864. 
Brumley  Albert,  p  o  Esperanee,  dealer  in  feed  and  seeds, 
born  in  Montgomery  county  in  1837,   settled  in 
county  in  1864,  has  been  assessor  and  justice  of  the 
peace;  wife  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Robert  Wells 
of  Montgomery  county,   married  in  1859.    Father 
T.  R.  Brumley,  of  Montgomery  county. 
Clark  William  S.,  p  o   Sloansville,  attorney  and  counselor, 
born  in  county  in  1826,  has  been  member  of  legis- 
ture.     Father  William  Clark,  of  Albany  county, 
born  January  10,  1781,   settled  in  county  in  1813, 
died  June  18,  1849. 
Conover  William  H.,  p  o  Esperanee,  farmer.  170  acres,  born 
in  county  in  December,  1848;  wife  Victoria  Foote  of 
Schenectady,  born  in  1854,  married  in  1871,  children 
four— Sherman,  Maud,  Frank,  and  Floyd  C.  Father 
William  Conover  born  in  Montgomery  in  county 
1817,  came  to  county  in  1837,  died  in   1866;  wife 
Pamelia  Wells  born  in  Montgomery  county  in  1818, 
married  in  1837,  children  seven. 
Crandall  Edward,  p  o  Sloansville,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1830;  wife  Eunice  Kimble  of  Montgomery  county, 
married  im  1853,  children  three— fearah.  E.,  Anna 
K.,  and  Eliza. 
Denison  Edwin,  p  o  Esperanee,   farmer,  80  acres,  born  in 
Albany  county,   settled   in  county  in  1855;    wife 
Sarah  Gleason.  of  Saratoga  county,  married  in 
1853. 
Dewey  Jerome,  p  o  Sloansville,  farmer,  born  in  county  m 
181b;  wife  Eliza  Hoag  born  in  Duchess  county  in 
1822,  married  In  1845.    Father   Ira  Dewey  born  in 
Enfield,    Connecticut,    in    1787,    came    to    county 
in  1803,  died  in  1859,  wagon  and  carriage  manu- 
facturer. 
Dewey  Franklin,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  farmer,  75  acres,  born 
in  county  in  182-',  has  held  several  town  offices; 
wife  Catharine  Young,  of  Schoharie  county,  mar- 
ried in  1850,  died  In  1867;  children  two-Mary  A. 
and  Sarah  L.;  second  wife  Emily  Young  married  in 
1868;  children  one. 
Dopp  Charles,  p  o  Sloansville. 

Dorn  John,  p  o  Esperanee,  farmer,  40  acres,  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  in  1816,  settled  in  county  in  1836; 
wife  Abigail  Dean,  born  in  county  in  1821,  married 
in  1839,  died  January  14,  1844,  children  two— Wil- 
liaHiE,,and  Robert;  second  wife  Jane  Dean,  of 
county  married  in  March,  1845. 
Dorn  William  E.,  p  o  Esperanee,  farmer,  175  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1840,  has  been  town  clerk  and  overseer 
of  poor;  wife  Elizabeth  Devoe,  of  county,  born  in 
1836,  manied  in  1860;  children  eleven— Lillie  A. 
Jacob,  John,  Grant,  Minnie  D.,  William  E.  Jr., 
Mead,  Mary  J.,  Ralph,  Rosooe  C,  and  Charles  R. 
Dwellv  Jerome,  p  o  Sloansville,  farmer  and  stock  dealer, 
100  acres,  born  in  county  in  1848;  wife  Augusta 
Quick,  married  November  3,  1880.  _ 

Dwelly  John  H  ,  p  o  Sloansville,  carriage  and  sleigh  manu- 
facturer  and  blacksmith,  born  in  county  in  1822, 
has  been  assessor;  wifeAdaline  Crocker,  born  in 
county  in  1822,  married  in  1846;  children  five- 
Oscar,  Edwin,  Alida,  Emma,  and  Helen. 
Enders  David,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  farmer,  200  acres,  born  m 
county  in  1849;  wife  Mary  Gallup,  of  county,  mar- 
ried in  1873;  children  one— Peter  I.  Father  Peter 
I  Enders,  of  county,  born  in  1798;  wife  Catharme 
Putnam,  of  Montgomery  county:  children  six.  ^ 
Enders  Jacob  P  ,  farmer,  born  in  county  in  J792,  died  in 
1866-  wife  Eve,  daughter  of  Jacob  Kniskern,  of 
county,  born  in  1798,  married  in  1818;  children  nine. 
Father  Peter  Enders.  ^ .  ^  . 

Enders  Peter,  po  Sloansville,  farmer  23b  acres  born  m 
county  in  1828:  wife  Cornelia  Van  Vechten,  of 
county,  born  in  1828,  married  in.l849;  children  four. 
Page,  John,  Eva,  and  Maggie. 


Enders  David,  p  o  Sloansville,  retired  farmer,  born  in  coun- 
ty in  1833,  has  been  railroad  commissioner;  wife 
Emma  W.,  daughter  of  O.  H.  Williams,  married  in 
1870:  children  one— Nancy.  Father  Jacob  P.  En- 
ders. 

Pethers  D.  L.,  p  o  Esperanee. 

Fisher  Jacob,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  farmer,  268  acres,  born  in 
Albany  county  in  18(.'4,  settled  in  county  in  18"0, 
has  been  justice  of  peace;  wife  Sophia  Shell,  of 
cuunty  born  in  1804,  married  in  1826.  children 
five. 

Fuller  Thomas  E.,  p  o  Sloansville,  retired  farmer  and  car- 
penter, 157  acres,  born  in  Schoharie  in  1812;  wife 
Elizabeth  Davis  born  in  county  in  1815,  married  in 
1832;  children  one-Mary  E.,  born  in  1849.  Father 
Samuel  D.  Fuller,  of  Hartford  Co.,  Connecticut, 
born  in  1778,  came  to  county  in  1805.  died  in  1813. 

Gallup  D.  R.,p  0  Sloansville,  dealer  in  general  merchandise, 
dry-goods,  crockery,  groceries,  clothing,  farming 
implements  and  seed;  is  postmaster  at  Sloans- 
ville. 

Hogan  Isaac,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  retired  merchant,  carpen- 
ter and  builder,  owns  homestead,  born  in  Albany 
county  in  1810,  settled  in  county  in  1844;  wife  Mary 
A.  Finch,  of  Greene  county,  born  in  1811,  married 
in  1831;  children  twelve,  and  grandchildren  forty- 
one. 

Houck  Jacob  H.,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  farmer  126  acres,  born 
in  county  April  20,  1827;  wife  Diana  Kelmer,  ot 
county,  married  m  1856;  children  three— 3IinnieK., 
Maggie  E.  and  Mary. 

Hunter  Adam,  po  Esperanee,  general  marble  and  granite 
dealer,  firm  of  Hunter  &  Swan,  born  in  Scotland, 
in  1844,  settled  in  county  in  1872;  wife  Kate  Max- 
well, of  Schenectady  county,  married  in  1869;  chil- 
dren three.  Robert  Swan  born  in  England,  settled 
in  county  in  1876. 

Jones  James,  p  o  Sloansville.  farmer,  rented  farm  of  130 
acres,  born  in  Ireland,  in  1821,  settled  in  county  in 
1866;  wife  Nancy  M.  Swart,  born  in  county  inlS29, 
married  in  1847;  children  seven. 

Kimball  George  K.,  p  o  Sloansville, farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1839,  has  held  several  town  offices;  wife  Emma 
Montague  of  county,  born  in  1845,  married  in  1874. 
Father  Elijah  Kimble  was  born  In  Montgomer.y 
county  in  1802,  settled  in  county  in  1818,  died  ^u 
1876,  wagon  manufacturer  and  farmer. 

Larkin  Philip  G.,  farmer,  250  acres,  born  in  county  in  1804, 
died  in  18^0;  wife  Eliza  F.  daughter  of  Peter  Mann 
of  county,  born  in  1824,  married  in  1851;  children 
five.    Father  John  Larkin. 

Larkin  Solomon,  p  o  Lawyersville,  farmer  and  broome  manu- 
facturer, born  in  county  in  1844,  has  bean  asses- 
sor; wife  Emma  Wakeman,  married  in  1863;  chil- 
dren one— Charles  W. 

Larkin  Jehiel,  p  o  Sloansville,  retired  merchant,  born  in 
county  in  18n6,  has  been  supervisor;  wife  Julia 
Boyd  of  county,  born  in  1811;  married  ia  1836. 
Father  John  Larkin. 

Liddle  John,  p  o  Esperanee,  retired  farmer,  born  in  County 
in  1803,  settled  in  county  in  in  1869;  wife  Margaret- 
Mcintosh,  of  Schenectady  county,  born  in  1810, 
married  in  May,  1828. 

Mason  A.  J.,  p  o  Sloansville. 

Messenger  Storrs,  p  o  Esperanee,  general  jeweler  and  sil- 
versmith, born  in  Connecticut,  October  18,  1799; 
settled  in  county  in  1817,  has  been  supervisor  and 
postmaster;  wife  Fannie  D  LeVergne  of  county, 
married  in  1823 ;  child  ren  three— Sarah,  George,  and 
Frances.  Father  Joel  Messenger  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts, in  1760,  settled  in  county  in  1817,  died  in 
1850. 

Moore  G.  W.,  p  o  Sloansville,  farmer,  60  acres,  born  in  coun- 
ty in  1837,  has  been  overseer  of  poor;  wife  Lucy 
Payne,  of  Otsego  county,  born  in  1836,  married  in 
1857;  children  four. 

McDuffie  William  J.,  p  o  Esperanee,  merchant,  born  in  Es- 
peranee, in  1843,  has  been  justice  of  peace;  wife 
Alice  D.  Currie,  of  county,  married  in  1873.  Father 
Duncan  McDuffie.  Grandfather  Angus  McDuffie, 
an  early  settler  from  Scotland. 

McMaster  William,  p  o  Sloansville,  farmer,  108  acres,  born 
in  county  in  1826;  wife  Amanda  Bromley,  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  married  in  1853;  children  three — 
Mary,  Frances,  and  Carrie.  Father  Robert  Mc- 
Master born  in  Montgomery  county,  in  1789,  came 
to  county  in  1805,  died  November,  1876. 

Montaney  John  T.,  p  o  Esperanee,  farmer,  80  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1836,  was  soldier  during  the  last  war, 
enlisted  in  Company  I,  142d  N.  Y.  Vole.  last  call 
and  remained  in  service  until  end  of  the  war,  was 
wounded  and  draws  a  pension;  wife  Alvira  Jones, 
born  in  Schenectady  county  in  1835,  married  in 
1868;  children  one— Charles. 


VIU 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Montaney  "William  C  ,  p  o  Esperance,  farmer,  66  acres,  born 
in  county  in  1S08;  wife  Rachel  Rockwell,  of  Mont- 
gmery  county,  born  in  1812,  married  in  1830;  chil- 
dren five— Cinderilla,  Sarah,  R.  James,  John  T., 
and  Hiram.  Father  James  Montaney  born  in  New 
Jersey,  settled  incoumy  in  1800. 

Rockwell  Charles  F.,  p  o  Esperance,  farmer,  110  acres,  born 
in  oounty  in  1856;  wife  Carrie  EraTid,  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  born  in  1861,  married  in  1879. 
Father  Rufus  Rockwell  born  in  1815;  wife  Han- 
nah McDuffie,  born  in  ISlT,  married  in  1835;  chil- 
dren six. 

Severson  George  H.,  p  o  Sloansville,  farmer,  and  boot  and 
shoe  manufacturer,  63  acres,  born  in  county  in 
1818,  was  elected  assessor;  wife  Elizabeth  McMas- 
ter,  of  county,  born  January  31,  1821,  married  Oc- 
tober 17,  1841;  children  one— Lucy  A  born  in  1852. 
Father  John  Severson  born  August  26,  118.5,  is  a 
retired  farmer  living  near  Central  Bridge. 

Severson  John,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  retired  farmer,  born  in 
Albany  county,  August  26,  1785;  wife  Margaret 
VanWormer,  of  Albany  county,  born  in  1788,  mar- 
ried in  1812,  died  in  1872;  children  nine,  living  six. 

Saverson  Peter,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  farmer,  and  boot  and 
'^  shoe  manufacturer,  30  acres,  born  in  county  April 

5,  1825;  wife  Elizabeth  Enders,  of  county,  born  in 
1826,  married  in  1863,  and  died;  children  one- 
Edgar;  second  wife  Mary  Wilsey,  of  county,  mar- 
rind  March,  1880.  Parents  John  and  Margaret 
Seversou. 

Sherburu  Henry,  p  o  Esperance,  magnetic  ani  electric  phy- 
sician, born  in  ychenectady,  in  1817.  settled  in 
county  in  1841;  wife  A.  L.  Wood,  of  Schenectady 
county,  born  in  1^16,  married  in  1838;  children  one, 
Rosanna,  and  one  adopted  child — Sarah  McCol- 
lum.  Dr  John  Wood,  father  of  A.  L.  Wood,  was 
born  iaRhode  Island,  settled  in  Schenectady  coun- 
ty about  1800,  and  died  in  1855,  was  a  prominent 
physician  for  many  years  in  Schenectady  and  Scho- 
harie counties. 

Silvernail  Miss  Ann  Maria,  p  o  Esperance,  born  in  county  in 
1N25,  sister  Miss  Jane  E  Silvernail,  of  county,  born 
in  1852,  and  they  together  own  80  acres  land.  Fath- 
er Conrad  Silvernail  was  born  in  Columbia  county 
ia  IS '1,  came  to  county  in  1827,  died  in  1876;  wife 
Caroline  Link  born  in  Columbia  county  in  1800, 
married  in  1823,  died  in  18DI;  children  six,  living 
four. 

Shout  William  F.,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  farmer,  born  in  coun- 
ty in  If^is.  has  been  assessor;  wife  Christina  M. 
Houck,  married  in  1867. 

Slingerland  Aaron,  p  o  Sloansville,  farmer,  200  acres,  horn 
in  Cobleskill  in  \b'2'^>;  wife  Sarah  SafEord,  of  county, 
married  in  1853;  children  two— Nora,  and  Charles 
G.  Father  Isaac  A.  Slingerland.  Grandfather 
Aaron  W.  Slingerland. 

Stevens  Mark  W.,  p  o  Sloansville,  born  in  Columbia  county 
March  11,  ls2-l,  settled  in  county  in  1833,  has  been 
justice,  supervisor,  and  assessor;  wife  Mary  A. 
Bero,  of  Albany;  children  two— Lucy  E.,  and 
Phelps,  who  died  June  8,  1869. 

Storrs  Messenger,  p  o  Esperance. 

Tubbs  Jesse  A.,  po  Esperance,  farmer,  19  acres,  born  in 
Charleston,  Montgomery  county,  in  1810,  settled  in 
county  fn  1828,  has  bet-n  assessor,  supervisor,  jus- 
tice, and  overseer  of  the  poor;  wife  Mrs.  Mary  Mc- 
Duffie Cole,  of  county ;  married  in  1831;  children 
two— Joseph  N.  and  George  L. 

Vannatta  William  L.,  p  o  Esperance,  farmer,  SO  acres,  born 
in  Charleston,  Montgomery  county  in  1818,  settled 
in  county  in  1826;  wife  Caroline  Brand,  born  in 
Montgomery  county,  in  1820,  mariied  in  1842.  Fath- 
er Henry  Vannatta. 

VanDerveer  Fitch  C,   p  o  Sloansville,   farmer,   197  acres, 

born  in  Montgomery   county  ia  1822,   settled  in 

county  in  1851;  wife  Ann  Crocker,  born  .in  county 

in  18a^;  married  in  1847.  children  three— Norman 

s^  S.,  Harlow  B..  and  Allen  W. 

VanVechten  James,  p  o  Esperance,  farmer,  230  acres,  born 
in  Rensselaer  county  in  1831,  settled  in  county  in 
1832,  has  been  justice,  R.  R.  commissioner,  and  su- 
pervisor; wife  Sophia  Dietz,  of  county,  born  in 
1834,  married  in  1853;  children  three— John  P., 
Isaac  C,  and  Lizzie  May. 

VanZandt  Peter  M.,  p  o  Grover's  Corners,  farmer,  98  acres, 
born  in  county  in  1817.  has  been  excise  commis- 
sioner; wife  Catharine  Baumes,  of  county,  born  in 
1819,  married  in  1851 ;  children  one— George  A. 

Vunk  Samuel,  p  o  Sloansville,  carpenter  and  builder,  owns 
homestead,  born  in  Montgomery  county  in  1838, 
settled  in  cnuutyin  1856;  wife  Miralda  Montana, 
of  county,  born  in  1847,  married  in  3860,  died  in 
1878. 

Vines  J.  E.,  p  o  Esperance. 
Vink  Daniel,  p  o  Sloansville. 


FULTON. 

Akeley  Edgar,  p  o  West  Fulton,  mason,  born  in  Green9 
county  in  1840,  settled  iu  county  in  1847,  has  beea 

i'ustice  of  peace  and  postmaster;  wife  Mary  L. 
Celley,  born  in  Otsego  county  in  1846,  married  in 
1865;  children  three.  Parents,  James  and  Sally  J. 
(Shutts)  Akeley,  of  Greene  county. 

Akeley  Frank,  p  o  West  Fulton,  general  merchant,  born  in 
Schoharie  county  in  1851,  has  been  deputy  post- 
master; wife  Elmira  Zeh,  married  in  lc!8I.  Frank 
is  the  son  of  James  and  Sally  (Shutts)  Akeley,  and 
commenced  business  in  1877. 

Akeley  John  S.,  p  o  West  Fulton,  physician,  born  in  Greene 
county  in  1845,  settled  in  county  in  1849,  was  grad- 
uated from  Philadelphia  Medical  College  and  com- 
menced practice  in  18i3;  wife  A Igenora,  daughter 
of  Franklin  and  Delia  A.  PhaneufE,  married  in  1869; 
children  one— Maud. 

Arralin  Daniel,  p  o  Breakabeen. 

Becker  William  G,  p  o  Fultonham,  farmer,  born  in  Scho- 
harie county  in  1824,  has  been  town  clerk;  wife 
Sophia  Zeh,  born  in  1823.  married  in  1813;  children 
three— Delia  N.,  born  in  1844,  George  H.,  in  1847, 
and  Mary  L.,  in  1860.  Father.  Garret,  was  son  of 
William  H.  Becker.  Grandfather.  Henry  Becker, 
was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  his  father  came 
from  Germany. 

Bergh  Washington,  p  o  Breakabeen,  retired  merchant  and 
farmer,  born  in  county  in  1817,  has  held  various 
town  offices,  among  them  that  of  supei-visor;  wife 
Sophia  Weidman,  born  in  Albany  county  in  I8l8; 
one  child— Catharine.  Parents,  Philip  and  Cath- 
arine E.  Bergh,  the  former  a  son  of  Abraham 
Bergh,  whose  tather  came  from  Germany  and  set- 
tled in  county  previous  to  the  Revolution. 

Bergh  Benjamin,  p  o  Breakabeen,  farmer,  100  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1833;  wife  Malinda  Rickard,  married  in 
1859;  children  six — Abraham  J.,  John  R.,  Katy, 
Luveria,  Julia,  Maggie, 

Bergh  David,  p  o  Breakabeen,  born  in  county  in  1824,  died 
in  1865;  wife  Sophia  Mann,  born  in  county  in  1824, 
married  in  1845;  children  three- Oscar  D.,  Sidney, 
Harriet.    Parents,  Philip  and  Catharine  Bergh. 

Bice  Minard  R.,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer  and  hop  grower, 
born  in  county  in  1846;  wife  Delia  Pitcher,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  L.  and  Maria  Pitcher,  born  in  1850, 
married  in  1867;  children  two— Grant  L.  and  Effie 
M.    Parents.  David  aiid  Susan  Bice. 

Best  William  G.,  p  o  Fultonham,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1844,  has  been  town  collector;  wife  Frances  E. 
Baker,  born  in  county  in  1846,  married  in  1866; 
children  two— Orvil,  and  Anna  Augusta.  Parents, 
Charles  and  Eliza  Best. 

Best  Charles,  p  o  Fultonham,  farmer  and  retired  mercbani, 
born  in  county  in  1831;  wife  Charity,  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Catharine  (Zeh)  Mattice,  marrien  July  3, 
1865;  children  four— Scotr,  born  in  1871,  Howard, 
in  1874;  Lotta  May,  in  1875,  and  Charles,  in  1878. 

Borst  Peter  H.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  farmer,  born  in 
county  in  1813;  wife  Nancy  Efner.  died  and  left  six 
children;  second  wife  Ann  E.  Vroman,  born  in 
1809,  married  in  1876.  Parents,  Henry  H.  and 
Margaret  (Cole)  Borst, 

Bouck  Georgpi  P.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  born  in  county 
in  1836.  Father,  Bartholomew  Bouck,  born  in 
1779,  died  iu  1855.  Mother,  Elizabeth  Mattice, 
born  in  1799,  died  in  1854;  children  seven. 

Bouck  Charles,  p  o  Fultonham,  retired  farmer,  700  acres, 
born  in  county  in  1829,  has  been  member  of  as- 
sembly and  supervisor;  wife  Juliet  Best,  born  in 
county  in  1837,  married  in  1859;  children  four. 
Parents,  ex-Governor  and  Catharine  (Lawyer) 
Bouck;  children  eleven,  seven  now  living. 

Bunn  Edwin  H.,  ^  o  West  Fulton,  farmer,  110  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1838:  wife  Cynthia  Mead,  died  in  1865: 
second  wife  Emma  Van  Natter,  of  county,  married 
in  1867;  children  two-Ettie  M,,  Mary  M.  Father, 
William  Bunn,  of  Montgomery  county. 

Chase  Charles  H..  p  o  Mineral  Springs,  farmer  and  hop 
grower,  80  acres,  born  in  county  in  1832;  wife  Mary 
J.Teller,  born  in  1839.  married  in  I860;  children 
two  John  and  Emma.  Parents,  John  M.  and 
Catharine  Chase,  of  county.  Cornelius  Teller. 
Father  of  Mary  J,,  born  in  county  in  1805;  wife  La- 
vina  Vroman,  born  in  county  in  ]8i.;6,  married  in 
1825;  children  eleven,  seven  now  living. 

Cook  Charlep,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1831;  wife  Maria  O.  Bailey,  born  in  county  in  1837 
married  in  1857;  children  ten,  four  living- Olive 
M.,  Clyde  C,  Louise  Adelle,  Flora  M.  Parents, 
Joseph  and  Polly  Cook,  who  settled  in  county 
from  Connecticut  in  1792. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


IX 


Finegan  Michael,  p  o  West  Pulton,  general  blacksmith,  born 
in  Ireland  in  1828,  settled  in  county  August  28, 
1849;  wife  Ann  West,  born  in  county  in  1834,  mar- 
ried in  18S5;  children  six.  Parents,  Patrick  and 
Ga'harine  (Taff)- Finegan,  of  Irelaad. 

Foland  Martin  L.,  p  o  Breakabeen,  farmer  and  hop  grower, 
born  in  county  in  1836;  wife  Jane  Whitbeck,  born 
in  county  in  1836,  married  in  1858;  children  eight. 
Parents,  Henry  and  Maria  Foland,  the  former  a 
son  of  Martin  Foland,  who  was  born  in  Duchess 
county  and  settled  in  Schoharie  county  before 
1800. 

Freemyer  William  H.,  p  o  Breakabeen,  farmer,  350  acres, 
born  in  county  in  1831,  has  been  supervisor  and 
assessor;  wife  Emma,  daughter  of  John  D.  and 
Gertrude  Wilsey,  of  county,  born  in  1840,  married 
in  1872;  children  two— Frank  and  John.  Parents, 
John  and  Catharine  (Bartholomew)  Freemyer,  the 
former  born  in  1785,  died  in  1876,  and  the  latter 
.  born  in  1793,  married  in  1809;  children  ten,  flv» 
now  living.  Grandfather,  Johannes  Freemyer, 
whose  father  was  one  of  early  German  settlers  of 
county,  was  born  in  county  in  1743,  died  in  April, 
1835;  wife  Dorothea  Bouck,  was  born  in  county  in 
1751. 

Getter  Harvey,  p  o  West  Fulton,  general  blacksmith,  born 
in  county  in  1846;  wife  Elizabeth  Mattice,  married 
in  1868;  children  two — Mary  and  Charles.  Parents, 
David  and  Harriet  Efner  Getter. 

Getter  Henry  C,  p  o  Fultonham. 

Getter  David,  p  o  Fultonham,  general  blacksmith,  born  in 
county  in  1810;  wife  Harriet  Efner,  born  in  county 
in  1815,  married  in  1835;  children  three — Jerome, 
born  October  7,  1838;  Harvey,  November  16, 1846; 
Henry,  June  16,  1853. 

Goft  Robert,  p  o  Breakabeen,  retired  farmer,  born  in  Al- 
bany county  in  1808,  settled  In  county  in  1854;  wife 
Eleanor  Mosher,  born  in  Columbia  county  in  1813, 
married  in  18.37;  children  three— Helen  E.,  born  in 
1840,  Susan  in  1842,  died  in  1878,  and  Martha  E., 
born  in  1850.  Parents,  Robert  and  Mehitabel 
GofE,  of  Rhode  Island. 

Ham  Philip  W.,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer  and  miller,  born  in 
county  in  1845;  wi'e  Luanna  Gorse,  born  in  1845, 
married  in  1874;  children  two— Lulu  and  Lavenie. 
Philip  purchased  mill  in  1789,  three  story,  44  by  42, 
and  engine  room,  three  run  of  stone,  for  flout  and 
feed,  also  a  saw  and  planing  mill.  Parents,  Jere- 
miah and  Sarah  Ham- 

Hannay  Hamilton  F.,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer  and  agent 
for  agricultural  implements,  born  in  county  in 
1837  has  been  justice  of  peace;  wife  Naomi  Saf- 
ford'  born  in  county  in  1835,  married  in  1859;  chil- 
dren eight.  Parents,  Andrew  A.  and  Betsy 
(Wiley)  Hannay.  of  Albany  county,  settled  in  coun- 
ty about  1830. 

Havne>i  Peter  S..  p  o  Fulton,  farmer  and  broom  manutac- 

Haynes  ^^^^^^"^^^^  j^  g„„„t'y  ;„  1823;  wife  Margaret  Eiok- 
ard  born  in  1826,  married  in  1843;  children  four, 
three  sons  and  one  daughter.  Parents,  Peter  and 
Nancy  Haynes,  of  county,  and  the  former  a  son  of 
Jacob  and  Maria  Haynes;  Sons  of  Peter  S.  are- 
Emmet,  born  in  1843,  (married  Helen  Vroman,  in 
1863;  children  three)  John  R.,  born  in  1855,  and 
George  B.,  in  186I. 

Hiltz  Gideon  G.,  p  o  Breakabeen,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 

iiutz  wae°n  ur.^g  .^  ^^^^^  ^.^^  Elizabeth  Zeh,  born  in  1813, 
married  in  1831;  children  seven.  Parents,  George 
and  Sophia  Zeh  Hiltz  Parents  of  Mrs.  Hiltz,  Geo. 
and  Jane  Bartholomew  Zeh,  the  former  the  son  of 
Joseph  and  Christina  Zeh,  both  of  Schoharie. 

Hollidav  William  E.,  p  0  Fultonham,  farmer  and  hop  grower, 

HolUday  ""'^^"'^ '  ^j.  jq  1815,  has  been  commissioner  of 
SLTways  Parents,  William  and  Amy  Holliday, 
the  former  born  in  Westchester  county  and  the 
latter  i?lohohari6  county.  Wife  of  William  Mar- 
garet, daughter  of  William  and  Margaret  Brom- 
maghin,  of  Albany  county,  married  in  1839;  chil- 
dren five. 

Hilts  David,  P  o  Breakabeen. 

Holmes  William,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer,  200  acres,  born 

Holmes  W"^»^^jJ„  n.  J.,  in  1789,  settled  m  county  in  1800 
has  held  several  town  ofBcea;  wife  Mary  Goos,  of 
Rphnharie  county,  born  in  1796,  married  m  1812; 
fwidrin  eigh"  Uving  six-Bossman,  Harvey,  Sally 
Ann  Mary,  Susan,^ John.  Parents,  James  and 
Mercy  Holmes,  of  New  Jersey. 

_  „ „  „  Rrfiftkabeen.  farmer  and  hop  grower, 

Keyser  Barney    P  o  Break^been,^  ^  ^^^^^^^  tofnin  1840, 

married  in  187U  children  two-Adelbert  and  Floyd. 
Parents  Jacob  and  Laney  Keyser,  both  born  m 
froi!  the  latter  of  whom;  died  .in  1856,  and  the 
former  in  1880. 


Lawyer  Moses,  p  o  Fultonham,  physician,  born  in  county  in 
1801,  died  in  1854;  wife  Elizabetli,  daughter  of  Cor- 
nelius apd  Eve  Vroman,  born  May  24, 1803.  married 
October  22.  1823;  children  four,  two  now  living- 
Valentine  M ,  born  in  1824,  and  Angeline,  born  in 
1839.    Parents,  Jacob,  and  Nancy  Lawyer. 

Lawyer  Philip  Bergh,  p  0  Fultonham,  farmer,  born  in  coun- 
ty in  18^3,  has  been  assessor  for  eighteen  years; 
wife  Mercy  J.,  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Lucy  A. 
Deitz,  born  in  county  in  1829,  married  in  1851,  died 
November  17,  1867;  children  two— William  G.  and 
Eittie  S.  Father,  Jacob  J.  Lawyer,  and  mother, 
Nancy  Spraker,  is  now  living,  having  been  one 
hundred  years  of  age  December,  1880. 

Lawyer  Valentine  M.,  p  o  Fultonham,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, born  in  county  in  1824;  wife  Catharine, 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Susan  Murphy,  born  in  1827, 
married  in  1847;  children  three— Geoige  M.,  born 
in  1849,  Henry  D.,  in  1853,  and  Edwin  V.,  in  1856. 
Parents  of  Valentine,  Moses  and  Elizabeth  Law- 
yer. (Jacob  Murphy,  born  October  14,  1799,  died 
April  10,  1858;  wife  Susan  Vroman,  born  September 
24,  1800,  died  January  9,  1856;  children  three- 
Catharine;  Mary  M.  born  in  1830;  Henry  born  in 
1833. 

Mabey  George,  p  o  West  Pulton,  farmer,  born  in  Delaware 
county  in  1820,  settled  in  county  in  1830;  wife 
Catharine  Rappelyea,  born  in  Schoharie  county  in 
1820,  married  in  1844.  died  in  1845;  one  child;  sec- 
ond wife,  Elizabeth  Wilson,  died  in  1850;  children 
two;  third  wife  Mary  Rowland,  of  Lowville,  N.  Y., 
married  in  1851.  Parents,  Isaac  and  Rhoda  Web- 
ster Mabey. 

McNeil  Walter,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer,  and  pastor  of 
Baptist  church;  wife  Permellia  Bckerson,  of  coun- 
ty married  in  1854;  children  four.  Parents, 
Samuel  and  Thankful  McNeil,  the  former  from 
Vermont,  and  the  latter  from  Schoharie  county. 

Mann  Almerian,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer,  born  in  Albany 
county  in  1827,  settled  in  county  in  1836;  wife  Han- 
nah Chapman,  born  in  1831,  married  in  1851;  chil- 
dren thirteen,  living  twelve— Jacob  J.,  Theron, 
Rosa,  Lillie,  Julia,  Josiah,  Alice,  Charles,  Welling- 
ton, Irving,  Hattie,  and  Burr.  Parents,  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  Mann. 

Mann  Josiah,  p  o  Fultonham,  farmer,  born  in  Albany  county 
in  1826;  wife  Dinah  Mattice,  born  in  1833,  married 
in  1851 ;  two  adopted  children— Charles  and  Malin. 
da.  Parents,  Thomas  J.  and  Elizabeth  (Weldman) 
Mann. 

Mann  John  H.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  65  acres,  born  in 
Schoharie  in  1819,  has  been  supervisor  and  town 
superintendent;  wife  Maria,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Catharine  (Vroman)  Barnard,  born  in  1818, 
married  In  1810;  children  four,  two  living— John  B., 
and  Wealthy  A.,  the  former  born  in  1^5;  .wife 
Marv  Reeves,  born  in  1849,  married  in  1865.  Par- 
ents of  John  H.,  Peter  W.  and  Nancy  Mann  of 
Schoharie  county. 

Mattice  Adam  L.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  born  in  county 
In  1803,  has  held  several  town  offlces,  among  them 
that  of  assessor;  wife  Dinah  Mattice,  born  in  1807, 
married  in  1824;  children  four— Lawrence.  Garret, 
Elizabeth,  Dinah.  Parents,  Lawrence  and  Maria 
(Brown)  Mattice.  Grandfather,  Conrad  Mattice, 
was  born  in  Germany  and  settled  in  the  county 
prior  to  the  Revolution,  in  which  he  took  an  active 
part. 

Mattice  Henry  W.,  p  0  Middleburgh,  farmer,  130  acres,  born 
Mattice  nenry         ji^  has  been  overseer   of  the  poor 

ten  years;  wife  Eve  Hanes,  bom  in  1819,  married 
in  1840;  children  nine.  Parents,  Henry  jnd  Eliza- 
beth Mattice,  the  former  a  son  of  Conrad. 

Mavhan  John  S.,  p  o  Breakabeen,  general  merchant  born 
Mayhan  •'°'^°  "^^Pj^  iggg^  ^as  been  school  commissioner; 
wifeMina  Choate,  born  in  1847,  married  in  1866 
died  in  1871;  second  wife  Mary  C,  daughter  of 
Jacob  W.  and  Susan  (Bergh)  Zeh.  was  born  m  1847, 
married  in  1877.  Parents  John  and  Susan  May- 
han. 

Mitchell  William  H.,  p  o  Fultonham,  farmer,  born  in  county 
Mitchell  v*""|^  j^^^  ^gia  offlee  of  assessor  and  others; 
wife  E  mira  Bice,  born  in  1840,  married  m  1859; 
rhildrentwo-Prank  R.  and  Charles p.  Parents 
Samueland  Polly  (Smith)  Mitchell,,  the  former  of 
Duchess,  and  the  latter  of  Schoharie  county.  Mr. 
Mitchell's  present  residence  and  farm  was  for- 
merly one  of  the  most  prominent  Tory  headquar- 
ters and  was  once  confiscated. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Murphy  Peter,  p  o  Fultonham,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1804,  has  been  supervisor  and  poormaster;  wife 
Catharine,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Elizabeth  Borst, 
married  in  1837;  children  nine,  seven  liviug. 
Father,  Timothy  Murphy,  born  in  Virginia  in  1756, 
came  to  couuty  as  soldier  of  the  Bevolution,  died 
in  June,  1818,  aged  sixty-two  years;  wife  Margaret 
Feek,  of  Schoharie  county,  married  before  the 
close  of  the  war^  died  in  1807;  children  nine,  three 
now  living. 

Nelson  Stephen,  p  o  Breakabeen,  merchant,  born  in  Greene 
county  in  1813,  settled  in  county  in  1841,  has  been 
postmaster;  wife  Betsey  Ann  Jones,  married  in 
1843,  died  in  1855;  children  four;  second  wife  Eliza 
0.  Bergb,  married  in  1856;  children  two. 

Beese  John,  p  oWest  Fulton,  farmer  and  hop  grower,  107 
acres,  born  in  Germany  in  1828,  settled  in  county 
in  18-15;  wife  Catharine  Sparbeck,  born  in  1838, 
married  in  1861;  children  three— Andrew,  Sanford, 
Charles.  Parents,  Andrew  and  Barbara  Reese, 
born  in  Germany,  came  to  this  country  in  1845,  he 
died  in  1874,  and  the  latter  is  still  living  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years. 

Reynolds  John  A.,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer,  born  in  Albany 
county  in  1839,  settled  in  county  in  1854;  wife 
Phebe,  daughter  of  Christopher  and  Delaney  Ross- 
man,  born  in  1839,  married  in  1863;  children  four — 
Delaney,  George,  Lillian,  Irving.  Parents,  Elipha- 
let  and  Hannah  Reynolds,  of  Albany  county. 

Reynolds  Edward,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer,  born  in  Albany 
county  in  1842,  settled  in  county  in  1854;  wife 
Ophelia  Holmes,  born  in  1850,  married  in  18tj6; 
children  three— Carrie  E  ,  Morris,  Elr'-y.  Father, 
Eliphalet  Reynolds. 

Rickard  John,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1844;  wife  Cornelia  C.  Haynes,  born  in  1846,  married 
in  1865;  children  two.  George  Rickard,  brother  of 
John  and  David,  was  born  in  county  in  1846. 
Parents,  Joun  and  Lydia  (Bellinger)  Rickard,  the 
former  born  in  1800  and  the  latter  in  18u8.  The 
great-grandparents  of  John  were  born  In  Ger- 
many and  settled  in  county  in  1750. 

Rickard  David  H,,  p  o  ^iddleburgb,  farmer,  born  in  county 
in  1836;  wife  Wealthy  Ann  Mattice,  born  in  1838, 
married  in  1859;  children  four. 

Rossman  William,  p  o  West  Fulton,  hotel  proprietor,  born 
in  county  in  1830;  wife  Lucinda  Reynolds,  born  in 
1836,  married  in  1856;  children  three.  Parents, 
Christopher  and  Laney  Rossman. 

Rossman  Benjamin,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer,  185  acres, 
born  in  county  in  1831;  wife  Lutinda  Spencer, 
born  in  county  in  1839,  married  in  1856;  children 
six.    Parents,  Reuben  and  Polly  Rossman. 

Shaffer  Joseph  A,  p  o  Breakabeen,  farmer,  born  in  county 
in  1853;  wife  Celia  A.  Keyser,  born  in  1855,  married 
in  1876;  children  one.  Parents  Christiana  and  Jacob 
L.  Shafer. 

Shaler  John  H.  W.,  p  o  West  Pulton,  farmer  80  acres,  born 
in  county  in  I8l3,  nas  been  school  superintendent 
and  teacher  many  years;  wife  Polly  A.,  daughter 
of  Charles  and  Polly  Dayton,  of  Connecticut,  born 
in  Delaware  county  in  1813,  married  in  1836;  chil- 
dren four,  one  living — Allep  born  in  1849.  Parents 
Ruf  us  Shaler,  born  in  1764,  came  to  county  in  1805, 
died  in  1861,  and  Hannah  (Cole)  Shaler,  born  in 
1775,  married  in  1796,  died  in  1833. 

Shaver  Moses,  p  o  West  Bulton,  farmer,  87>^  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1827,  has  been  town  collector;  wife 
Louise  Robbins,  born  in  1834,  married  in  1854;  chil- 
dren six— Phebe  born  in  1864,  Alice  in  1866,  George 
in  1869,  Joseph  in  1871,  Frank  in  1874,  and  Emma  in 
1877.  Parents,  George  and  Jane  (Mulford)  Shaver. 
Parents  of  Mrs.  Shaver,  John  and  Phebe  Robbins, 
settled  in  county  in  1817. 

Silliman  David,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer,  and  retired  M.  E. 
clergyman,  born  in  Delaware  county,  in  1828,  set- 
tled in  1868,  wife  Elizabeth  Evans,  of  Michigan, 
married  in  1858,  died  in  1859;  one  child;  second  wife 
L.  C.  Dayton,  of  Delaware  county,  married  in 
1867,  children  three. 

Spickerman  Orson,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer,  born  in  Kulton, 
in  1845,  has  been  supervisor  and  justice  uf  peace; 
wife  Huldah  Rossman,  born  in  1846,  married  In 
1869.  Orson  enlisted  in  44th  N.  Y.  Regiment,  Co. 
D,  in  1861  and  served  two  years. 

Spickerman  George,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer,  born  in  county 
In  18-M,  has  been  assessor  and  supervisor;  wife 
Nancy  M  Adams,  married  in  1848;  children  seven — 
Rozella,  JohOf  Herman,  Myron,  Seth  A.,  Bomellia, 
Jane.  Parents,  John  and  Mary  Felter  Spicker- 
man, the  former  of  whom  settled  in  county  in 
1820,  was  a  member  of  assembly  and  justice  of  the 
peace. 


Stewart  Frederick,  p  o  Fultonham,  born  in  Connecticut  in 
1795,  settled  in  county  about  1800,  died  April  5, 
1876;  wife  Electa  Hubbard,  born  in  1800;  married 
November  10,  1823,  died  June  26,  1844;  children 
Richard  A.,  born  July  3,  ]83(i,  Harriet  P  ,  in  1841, 
Robert  in  18:35,  Lorenzo  in  1833,  Abigail  in  1832. 

VanVoris  George,  p  o  West  Fulton,  fHrmer.  and  apiarist, 
born  in  Albany  county  in  1822,  settled  in  county 
in  1832,  has  held  many  town  offices;  wife  Phebe 
Fancher,  born  in  Albany  county  in  1821,  married  in 
1843,  died  in  1858;  children  ten,  seven  now  living; 
second  wife  Nancy  Morey.  born  in  Schoharie  coun- 
ty in  18-^4,  married  in  1860.  Parents  of  George, 
Joseph  born  in  Long  Island,  and  Hannah  (Hicks) 
Van  voris  born  in  Schoharie  county,  both  moved 
to  county  in  1832,  and  died  there. 

VanVoris  Walter,  p  o  West  Fulton,  general  merchant,  born 
in  county  in  1849;  wife  Sarah  Baker,  married  In 
1872;  one  child— Libbie.  Parents,  Gt.orge  and 
Phebe  VanVoris. 

Vroman  David  J.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  born  in  county 
in  1819.  has  been  supervisor  and  overseer  of  poor; 
wife  Minerva  Lake,  born  in  Greene  county  in 
1818,  married  in  1842;  children  five— Mary,  Wil- 
liam, Anna,  Charlotte  B.,  Sarah  L.  Parents  of 
Mrs.  Vroman,  Reuben  and  Polly  J.  Lake.  Parents 
of  David,  John  D.,  and  Christianna  Vroman.  Old 
homestead  oi  which  David  owns  a  portion,  was 
purchased  by  his  grand-father,  Samuel  Vroman  in 
1711. 

VromanHenryD.,po  Middleburgh.  farmer,  35  acres,  born 
in  county  in  18ii6,  has  held  several  town  offices; 
wife  Charity,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
Mattice,  born  in  1817,  married  in  July,  1836.  Parents 
David  and  Maria  Rickard  Vroman. 

Vroman  Charles  W.,  p  o  Fultonham,  farmer,  and  broom 
manufacturer  87  acres,  born  in  Schoharie  in  1855, 
was  elected  commissioner  in  1878;  wife  Anna  Almy, 
born  in  Greene  county  in  1859;  married  in  1877; 
one  daughter— Flora  born  in  1878. 

Vroman  George  A.,  p  o  Fultonham,  farmer,  born  in  county 
in  1849;  wife  Christianna  Bellinger,  born  in  couuty 
in  ly-"3,  married  in  1871;  children  three— Laura 
born  in  1773;  Maggie  in  1875;  Emmot  in  1880.  Pa- 
rents Ephraim  B.  and  Sarah  Vroman,  of  Schoharie. 

Vroman  Harmon  J.,  p  o  Fultonham,  farmer,  born  in  Scho- 
harie county  in  1803,  has  been  assessor  and  com- 
missioner. Parents  Josiah  E.  and  Catharine  Deitz, 
daughter  of  Captain  Peter  Deitz,  of  Revolutionary 
fame.  Grandlather  Ephraim  Vroman  with  his  two 
sons  were  taken  prisoners  by  the  Tories  and  In- 
dians, taken  to  Canada  and  exchanged  the  next 
year  for  theii  own  captives. 

Wainwright  George  P.,  p  o  Franklinton,  farmer  and  hop 
grower,  400  acres,  born  in  county  in  1832;  wife 
Mary  R.  Mattice,  married  in  1851 ;  children  two.  Pa- 
rents of  George  P.,  were  George,born  in  1785,died  in 
1876,  aged  ninety-one.  and  Eva  (Moon)  Wainwright 
born  in  17fc3,  and  married  in  1779.  Her  grandfather 
Paul  Moon  was  born  in  Duchess  county,nnd  settled 
in  County  alter  close  of  war;  he  was  a  soldier 
during  the  entire  war  and  died  in  l844,  aged  98. 

White  John  F.,  p  o  Breakabeen,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1828,  has  been  commissioner  of  highways;  wife 
Nancy  E.  Woodward,  born  in  county  in  1837,  mar- 
ried in  1860;  childrentwo— Ella  M.  and  Charles  E 
Parents  Enoch  and  Cornelia  (Cole)  White,  the 
former  horn  in  Schenectady  county  in  1789,  came 
to  county  in  1800,  died  in  1842,  and  the  latter  born 
1794,  married  in  1810,  died  in  1876;  children  ten- 
five  living. 

White  Moses,  p  o  Breakabeen,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1813,  has  been  overseer  of  poor  two  terms.  Father 
Enoch  While. 

Wormer  John,  p  o  Breakabeen,  dealer  and  grower  of  hops 
545  acres,  born  in  Middleburgh  in  1821;  wife  Mary' 
daughter  of  Enoch  and  Cornelia  White,  born  in 
1821,  married  in  1851;  children  four— George  K 
Romaette,  Ira,  Elizabeth.  Parents  John  and 
Maria  (Henry)  Wormer,  born  in  Albany  county 
settled  in  county  in  1805. 

Zeh  David,  p  o  Breakabeen,  farmer,  120  acres,  born  in  county 
in  1836;  wife  Elizabeth  Kniffer,  born  in  county 
married  in  1867;  one  child— Alfred. 
Zeh  Elias,  p  o  Breakabeen.  miller,  born  in  county  in  1839- 
wife  Julia  A.  D.  Barton,  born  in  1840,  married  in 
1860,  died  in  1880;  children  five— Eiias,  runs  the 
flour  and  custom  mill  which  is  located  on  Keysers 
creek,  at  Breakabeen,  and  owned  by  Washington 
Bergh.  * 

Zeh  Marcus,  p  o  Breakabeen,  farmer,  born  in  county  in  1829 
has  been  supervisor;  wife  Jennie  Hilrz,  born  in. 
couuty  in  1849,  married  in  1873:  children  three 
Parents,  Marcus  and  Anna  (Bartholemew)  Zeh 
born  in  county.  Grandfather  Tost  Zeh,  was  one 
of  prominent  farmers  of  his  day. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


GILBOA. 

Bailey  O.  C,  p  o  South  Jefferson,  farmer,  93  acres,  born   in 
Jefferson,  March  23,  1828;  wife  Ellen  Armstrong,  of 
Jefferson,  married  October  30,  1851;  children  one — 
Hattie  L.,  who  married  Lynn  Hallock,  of  Middle- 
field,  Otsego  county.    Cornelius  Bailey  came  to 
county  in  1805. 
Baldwin  A.  G.,  p  o  Gilboa,  farmer,  376  acres,  bom  in  Green- 
ville, December  11, 1827,  settled  in  county  in  March, 
1837,  has  been  justice  or  peace  and  supervisor:  wife 
Charlotte  E.  Stryker,  ot  Conesville,  married  May 
2,  1856;  children  five— Carrie  E.,  Minnie  E.,  George 
S.,  Lewis  A,,  and  Grace  A. 
Brewster  Horace  E  ,p  o  Stamtord,  farmer,  born  in  Gilboa, 
January  9, 1837,  was  assessor  one  year  and  resigned. 
Brewster  David  E.,  p  o  Stamford,  dairy  farmer,  has  a  farm 
of  203  acres,  of  which  Horace  E.  owns  half  ;  first 
wife  Nellie  VanValkenburg;  second  wife  E'izabeth 
Jones,  married  November  15,  1875;  children  one — 
William  H. 
Case  Daniel,  p  o  Broome  Centre,  farmer,  406  acres,  born  in 
Gilboa,  July  17, 1817,  has  been  overseer  of  the  poor; 
wife  Betsey  Chichester,  of  Gilboa,  married  in  1850, 
died  February  19,  1875;  children  one — James  M. 
Case   James  M.,  p  o  Broome    Centre,  merchant,  dealer  in 
groceries,  dry-goods,  boots  and  shoes,  glassware, 
and  crockery,  also  purchases  produce,  postofBce 
is   in  store,  and    Mr.  Case  is  deputy  postmaster, 
born  in  Gilboa;  wifo  Hattie  Hawver,  ol  Conesville. 
Clark  John  H.,  p  o  South  Gilboa,  farmer  110  acres,  born  in 
Gilboa,  May  26, 1844;  wife  May  G.  Moore,  of  Moores- 
ville.  married  June  80,  1866;  children  five— Minnie 
M.,  Irvin  D.,  William,  Emma  C,  and  Joseph  A. 
Cook  George  T.,  p  o  South  Gilboa,  farmer,  120  acres,  born  in 
Uoxbury,  Delaware    county,  January  15,  1827,  set- 
tled in  county  in  1837,  has  been  highway  commis- 
sioner; wife  Mariette  Simonson,  of  Roxbury,  mar- 
ried December  11,  1860;  children  two— J.  C.  born 
March  16,  1862,  and  BurtM.,  born  March  23,  1864. 
Father  Joseph  Cook  of  Gilboa,  was   born  in  1799, 
died  March  11,  1869. 
Colby  Thomas,  p  o  Grand  Gorge,  Delaware  county,  dairy 
farmer,  350  acres,  born  in  Delaware  county,  March 
23, 1833,  settled  in  county  in  September,  18B5,  has 
been  assessor  three  years;  married,  has  one  child- 
Thomas  Colby. 
Cornell  Simon,  p  o  South  Jefferson,  farmer,  50  acres,  born 
in  Gilboa,  in  1829;  wife  May  A.  McNeal,  of  Carlisle; 
children  two— Jesse  M.  and  Orville. 
Crowell  C  A.,  p  o  South  Jefferson,  farmer.  111  acres,  born  in 
Gilboa,  January  23.  18-30,  has  been  justice  ot  peace 
and  notary  public;    first  wife.  Jane  Snyder,    of 
Conesville;  children  two— Ella  who  married  Charles 
Gardner  of  Giboa.  and  Jennie;  second  wife,  Ade- 
laide Brown,  of  Greenville;  children  one— Victoria. 
Darling  John  S.,  p  o  Gilboa,  farmer,  106  acres,  raised  5,152 
pounds  hops  from  three  acres  land,  born  in  Blen- 
heim, July  4,  1837;  wife  Maria  Long,  of  Conesville; 
children  two— Mattie,  and  Minnie  K. 
EUerson  Daniel,  p  o  Gilboa,  farmer,  120  acre?,  born  in  Gilboa 
December  12, 1825;  wife  Violetta  Sanford,  ot  Blen- 
heim no   children  living.    Grandfather  the  cele- 
brated David  EUersoD,  settled  the  farm  owned  by 
David,  and  is  buried  near  it  but  no  tombstone 
marks  the  grave. 

Tfrasar  Cornelius,  p  o  Gilboa,  farmer,  300  acres,  born  in  Gil- 
FraserOome  ^^^  P  ^j,^^  j^^  igpg       „«  Adeline  EPlmt,  of 

Delaware  county,  married  December  21,  1828;  chil- 
dren four  living— Louisa  A.,  Edward  A.,  Mary  I., 
and  Helen  A.    Benoni  Fraser  was  in  the  Bevolu- 
tion, 
Rastines  W    B.  C,  p  o  South  Jefferson,  farmer,  72  acres, 
Hastmgs^«^  in  Jefferson,  April  7,  1819,  has  been  overseer 
of  poor  and  assessor;  wife  Aurelia  Johnson,  ol 
Summit,    married   April  .2,.  1849;   children  flve- 
Martha  A.,  Mary  A.,  Wilham  J.,  Frank  C,  and 
Luther. 
Hoaeland  John,  harness  maker  and  farmer,  150  acres,  born 
Hoagland  Jonn        j,  1,^^54  1759^  and  died,  was  consta- 

ble and  collector;  wife  Phebe  Hall,  pt  Gilboa,  mar- 
ried May  12, 1815;  children  twelve,  living  six. 
Hoaeland  John,  deceased,  born  in  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  in 

Eoagland  G.  S.,  p  o  Gilboa. 

T  ana  Perrv  D  o  South  Gilboa,  dealer  in  dry-goods  and  gro- 
Lane  P«r^y._.P  »  »°^„  j^  gjnJ^,  February  25, 1827,  h"  been 
postmaster;  wife  Roxana  Simonson,  married  Octo- 
ber 15,  1877:  children  one— Inez. 


Leonard  D.  M.,  p  0  Broome  Centre,  physician  and  surgeon, 
owns  400  acres,  born  in  Roxbury,  Delaware  county 
August  37, 1857,  settled  in  county  January  1, 1858; 
first  wife  dead;  children  four — Emma  R.,  Francis 
A.,  Ursula .!.,  and  Rudolph  R.    b^econd  wife;  Em- 
ma J.  McHench,  of  Gilboa,  married  January  1, 
1879. 
Mackey  James  G.,  p  o  Broome  Centre,    farmer,  160  acres, 
born  in  Broome,  March  7,  1812;  wife  Catharine 
Broome,  married  April 8, 1838;  children  six  living — 
James  A.,  Mary.  Rose,  Helen,  Naomi,  and  Frank  B. 
Mackey  S.  D.,  p  o  Gilboa,  farmer,  250  acres,  born  in  Gilboa, 
October  25,  1819,  has  been  town  clerk,  poormaster, 
and  supervisor;  wife  Jane  Shutts,  of  Greene  coun- 
ty, married  August  13,  1843;  children  two — Edgar, 
died  May  1,  1872,  and  Reed  born  Februaiy  10,  1854. 
Edgar     married     Georgianna    Wiltsie;    children 
three — Wiltsie,  Ward  J,,  and  Frederick  K. 
Mattice  Jacob  H.,  p  0  Breakabeen,  farmer,  with  20  acres  of 
hops,  600  acres  land,  born  in  Gilboa,  April  23,  1810. 
has  been  overseer  ot  poor,  and  collector;   wife 
Mary  Fox.  ot  Gilboa;  children  six  living — John, 
Jacob  M.,  Henry  M.,  Eatie^A.,  Mandane,  and  Rich- 
ard P.    Father  Lawrence  Mattice,  ot  Middlebur^h, 
was  son  of  a  German, who  was  born  on  the  Atlantic. 
More  Liberty  P.,  p  o  Stamford,  farmer,  105  acrea,  born  in 
Andes,  Delaware  county,  February  8,  1841,  settled 
in  county  December  1, 1865,  was  assessor:  wife. 
Ruth  A.  VanDyke,  of  Roxbury,  married  February 
7,  1863;  childrenlivingfour— William  P.,  George  L., 
Clyde,  and  Rosetta. 
Poppino  D.  M.,  p  o  Stamford,  farmer  250  acres,  born  in  Gil- 
boa, December  31,  1829,  has  been  assessor;  wife 
Betsey  Ferris,  of  Roxbury,  Delaware  county,  mar- 
ried October  23, 1855;  children  three— Willis  F.  born 
July  26, 1856;  Otis  J.  born  July  15, 1858;  and  Nellie 
born  April  18,  1869. 
Reed  Luraan,  p  o  Gilboa.  dealer  in  general  merchandise, 
owns  700  acres,  born  in  Blenheim,  October  10, 1818, 
has  been  eupervisor  and   member  ot  assembly; 
wife  Marietta,  daughter  of  Dr.  Enapp,  of  Blen- 
heim, married  June  13,  1844;  children  seven— Susan 
K.,  Martha  J  ,  Helen  I.,  Hattie  B.,  Colba,  A.  K  and 
H.  L.    Father  Colba  Reed  came  from  Vermont  in 
1810,  and  was  first  supervisor  of  Gilboa  in  1848. 
Richtmyer  John  H.,  p  o  Gilboa,  farmer,  160  acres,  born  in 
Conesville,  February  16,  1815,  has  been  assessor; 
wife  Lany  A.  Patrie,  of  Conesville,  married  Sep- 
tember 27,1837;  children  three— Mariette  (deceased) 
Frank,  born  September    25,   1840,  married    Delia 
Powell,  of  Koxbury,  and  Alvin  born  December  25, 
1843,  married  Sarah    Street,    ot   Gilboa;  children 
one— Eugene  S.    Great-grandfather  Uriah  Richt- 
myer was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Conesville. 
Ruliffson  Calvert  I ,  p  o  South  Gilboa,  farmer.  130  acres, 
born  in  Gilboa,  October  9,  1834;  wife  Mary  John- 
son, ot  Gilboa.  married  January  16, 1861;  children 
one — Edward  J. 
Selleck  Ezra  B.,  p  o  Broome  Centre,  farmer,  174  acres,  born 
in  Broome,  August  31. 1818;  first  wife  M.  B.  Butler; 
second  Abigail  Losey;  third,  Helena  Lee;  children 
four— MerillaB.,  Milton  J.,  StephenL.,and  Rachel. 
Father  Milton  Selleck,was  from  Salisbury,  Connec- 
ticut; wife  Hannah  Mackey. 
Shew  John  H.,  p  o  Gilboa,  farmer,  368  acres,  born  in  Gilboa, 
November  29, 1811,  has  been  assessor,  commission- 
er of  highways,  overseer  of  poor,  and  justice  of  the 
Seace ;  wife  Sallie  P.  Morris,  of  Blenheim,  married 
ovember  29,  1835;  children  two— James  H.,  and 
Rev.  John  T. ;  wife  of  James  H.,  Eliza  C.  VanDu- 
'  sen;  children   six— Emmett,    Emma  I.,  John   T., 
Minnie  and  Mina,  (twins)  and  Ethel.    Rev.  John 
T.,  was  ordained  Methodist  minister,  and  preached 
in  (jreene  county  three  years,  in  Delaware  county 
three  years,  and  Greene  county  again,  two  years, 
and  died  July  15, 1879;  first  wife  Elizabeth  Conrow; 
second  wife  Deborah  E.  VanDusen;  ehildren  liv- 
ing, three— Hattie  May,  Ella  E.,  and  Sarah  D. 
Shaler  Rufus,  deceased,  born  in  Haddam,  Connecticut,  set- 
tled in  county  in  1808;  wife  Hannah  Cole,  of  Had- 
dam; children  seven— Henry,  of  Ontario;  Lucina; 
Benjamin  C,  of  Gilboa;  Nathan  T. ;  John,  of  Ful- 
ton; H.  W.  ;and  Jeremiah.    Rufus  was  manufac- 
turer of  Shaler's  Arctic  Creamery,  and  dealer  in 
Mayhew's    steam    churn   meter,   butter    salting 
scale,  and  best  butter  worker. 
Shaler  George  C,  p  o  Gilboa. 

Southard  Smith,  p  o  Gilboa,  farmer,  200  acres,  born  in  Wes- 
terlo,  Albany  county,  June  26,  1818,  settled  in  coun- 
ty April  1, 1863,  has  been  assessor  three  years;  first 
wife,  Jerusha  Shutts;  children  two— Garaelia  and 
Rosella;  second  wife,  Maria  Traver;  children  two — 
Dewitt  and  Ellery  S. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Sowles  E.  A,,  p  o  South  Gilboa,  farmer,  106  acres,  born  in 
Gilboa,  April  14,  1819,  has  been  trustee  of  schools ; 
wife  Mary  Burns;  children  four— Roma  who  mar- 
ried Thomas  Mayhau;  Sarah;  Ella;  and  Hattie: 

Zeh  Philip  J,,  p  o  Gilboa. 

Zelie  David,  p  o  Gilboa,  merchant,  owns  several  village  lots, 
dealer  in  all  kinds  of  merchandise,  business  estab- 
lished in  1866,  produce  taken  in  exchange  for 
Roods,  born  in  Fulton,  December  28, 1824,  has  been 
commissioner  of  highways  and  notary  public;  first 
wife  Melissa  Gray,  njarried  June  5,  1850;  children 
one— Charles  Second  wife,  Adeline  Richtmyer; 
married  October  1,  1863;  children  four,  living 
thr-e— Nellie  W.,  Floyd  M.,  and  Josiah.  Father 
Peter  P.  Zelie,  born  in  Middleburgh. 


JEFFERSON. 


Allen  Avery  H.,  p  o  North  Harpersfield,  farmer,  190  acres, 
born  in  Connecticut  Novembers,  1800,  settled  in 
county  in  1810,  has  been  highway  commissioner 
six  years;  wife  Polly  Disbrow,  of  Vermont,  mar- 
ried in  January,  1828,  died  January  30,  1875;  chil- 
dren four— Almon  J.,  Eunice  A.,  Mary  Ann,  and 
Avery.  Father,  Amos  Allen,  settled  near  Middle- 
burgh in  1810. 

Armstrong  Lucius,  p  o  Jefferson,  farmer  and  drover,  4 
acres,  born  in  Jefferson  September  13,  1834,  has 
been  overseer  of  poor;  wife  Sarah  A.,  daughter  of 
Nahum  and  Esther  (Mann)  Danforth,  of  Jefferson, 
married  February  21,  1849.  Parents,  Jacob  and 
Catherine  (Carl)  Armstrong,  the  former  of  whom 
settled  in  town  about  1823.  Grandfather,  John 
Armstrong,  was  stolen  from  his  bed  in  Germany, 
when  only  sixteen  years  of  age  and  forced  into 
service  by  the  British,  but  deserted  and  joined 
Washington's  army  near  New  York,  and  served  as 
his  waiter  three  years. 

Avery  Ben  H.,  p  o  Jefferson,  dealer  in  general  merchandise, 
and  owner  of  town  hall,  born  in  Jefferson.  Father, 
Beriah  Avery  of  this  town,  was  son  of  John  Avery 
of  Connecticut. 

Barnum  Joseph,  p  o  North  Harpersfield,  dairy  farmer,  120 
acres,  born  in  Jefferson  on  present  farm,  June  25, 
1836,  has  been  justice  of  peace;  wife  Naomi  A., 
daughter  of  Adam'and  Electa  Kniskera,  of  Blen- 
heim, marripd  November  25,  1857.  Parents,  Ira 
and  Sally  E.  (Dart)  Barnum,  the  former  settled  in 
town  about  1832.      Grandfather,  Amos  Barnum. 

Clark  A.  W.,  p  o  Jefferson,  dental  surgeon,  owns  40  acres  of 
land,  born  in  Blenheim  August  20,  1844,  settled  in 
village  in  1865,  has  been  town  clerk  and  notary 
public;  wife  Sarah  A.  Phincle,  of  Jefferson,  mar- 
ried September  5.  1865;  one  son— A.  Lamancha. 
Parents,  John  A.  and  Catharine  Clark. 

Danforth  George  W.,  p  o  Jefferson,  farmer  and  assessor,  200 
acres,  born  on  present  farm  February  4,  1832;  wife 
Martha,  daughter  of  Russel  Baird,  of  town,  mar- 
ried in  1860;  children  six,  living.  Father,  Nahum 
Danforth,  settled  on  same  farm.  Mother,  Esther, 
daughter  of  Levi  Mann. 

Dart  Ezra,  p  o  Jefferson,  dairy  farmer,  84  acres,  born  in 
Jefferson  December  29, 1828;  wife  Ann  M.^aughter 
of  Ezra  and  Polly  Woodward,  married  December 
24,  1848;  children  two— Lydia  Moxley,  and  Eli  M. 
Parents,  William  and  Hannah  Dart,  the  former  a 
son  of  William,  and  was  one  of  first  settlers  in 
town  about  1808. 

Dyckman  George  A.,  p  o  Jefferson,  hop  and  dairy  farmer, 
134  acres,  bom  in  Schoharie  June  10,  1835,  settled 
in  town  in  1837;  wife  Sarah,  daughter  of  Aaron  and 
Phebe  Tyler,  married  October  3,  1866;  children 
five.  Parents,  Michael  and  Prudence  Dyckman, 
the  former  a  son  of  Jacob  Dyckman,  one  of  first 
settlers  in  Schoharie. 

Gallup  Silas,  p  o  Jefferson,  hop  and  dairy  farmer,  170  acres, 
born  in  Jefferson  October  3,  1819,  settled  on 
present  farm  in  1864,  has  been  justice  of  peace 
fifteen  years;  first  wife  Caroline  ConkliDGf;  children 
eight;  second  wife  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Parmelia 
and  Rachel  Judd,  of  Summit,  married  March  1, 
1859;  children  two.  Parents,  Nathan  and  Par- 
melia Gallup,  the  former  a  son  of  Nathan  Gallup 
who  settled  in  town  about  18U5. 


Gallup  Winthrop  D.,  p  o  Summit,  dairy  farmer,  150  acr^s, 
born  in  Jefferson  January  17,  1841,  settled  on 
present  farm  in  1848;  wife  Permelia,  daughter  of 
Aaron  and  Mary  Rifenbark,  of  Summit,  married 
January  31,  1868.  Parents,  Elan  and  Nancy  (Dyer) 
Gallup,  the  former  a  son  of  Levi,  a  sou  of  Nathan 
Gallup. 

Grant  Jeremiah,  p  o  Jefferson,  farmer,  102  acres,  born  in 
Delaware  county  Octooer  18.  1826,  settled  in 
county  March  2\  1852,  has  been  inspector  of 
elections;  wife  Mary,  daughter  of  Obadiah  and 
Mary  Ruland,  married  January  15,  1850;  children 
two— Viola  Vaughn,  and  Roscoe.  Parents.  Donald 
and  Sarah  Ann  Grant,  of  Delaware  county. 

Havens  Robert  G.,  p  o  Jefferson,  physician  and  surgeon, 
born  in  Albany  February  7, 1837,  settled  in  county 
in  1840,  has  been  assemblyman  and  coroner, 
studied  medicine  with  Drs.  Armsby  and  March, 
and  attended  lectures  at  the  Albany  Medical  Col- 
lege from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1874.  Com- 
menced practice  in  Jefferson  in  1865;  wife  Lily  R., 
daughter  of  John  J.  and  Eveline  Jarvis,  married 
September  6, 1864;  children  five. 

Hubbard  Oscar  C,  p  o  Jefferson,  proprietor  of  Jefferson 
House,  owns  4  acres,  born  in  Deerfield,  Mass.,  May 
18,  1848,  settled  in  county  in  1849;  wife  Lavlnia, 
daughter  of  Lemuel  Eggleston,  married  in  1868; 
children  four.  Parents,  Lucius  and  Jerusha  Hub- 
bard, the  former  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and 
the  latter  of  Maryland. 

Jones  H.  V.,  p  o  Jefferson,  printer. 

Kennedy  William,  p  o  Stamford,  Delaware  county,  farmer, 
250  acres,  born  in  Stamford  June  11,  1840,  settled 
in  county  in  1859,  has  been  assessor  and  inspector 
of  elections;  wife  Olive  D  ,  daughter  cf  k.  G.  Day- 
ton, married  September  25.  1865;  children  three — 
Cora  M.,  Roy  D.,  Nellie  D.  Parents,  Alexander 
and  Agnes  Ksnnedy,  came  from  Scotland  about 
1836. 

Maynard  Henry  N,,  p  o  Stanford,  dairy  farmer,  255  acres, 
born  in  Harpersfield,  Delaware  county,  August  22, 
1820,  settled  in  county  in  1842;  wife  Eloursae, 
daughter  of  William  and  Irena  Judd,  married 
February  28.  1842;  children  six,  living  one— Arthur, 
born  July  28,  1855;  wife  Libbie  Hilts,  of  Fulton, 
born  June  19,  1868.  Parents,  Coley  and  Eleanor 
Maynard. 

Merchant  Charles  W.,  p  o  Jefferson,  dairy  farmer,  130 
acres,  born  in  Jefferson  August  13,  1831,  has  been 
excise  commissioner  four  years;  wife  Caroline, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Betsy  (Minor)  Conklin, 
married  in  December,  1856.  Parents,  Joel  and  As- 
ennath  (Hubbard)  Merchant,  the  former  a  son  of 
one  of  first  settlers  of  town. 

Stanley  Joseph  R.,  p  o  Jefferson,  furniture  dealer,  born  in 
Harpersfield,  Delaware  county,  January  -21,  1836, 
settled  in  county  in  1848,  and  in  Jefferson  in  1867; 
enlisted  in  Company  E,  Third  New  York  Cavalry, 
March  27,  1863,  and  was  mustered  out  March  29, 
1865;  wife  Kate  Stevens,  of  Jefferson,  married 
April  16, 1865;  children  one,  adopted— Allie  Niles. 

Stewart  John,  p  o  South  Jefferson,  farmer  and  assessor,  200 
acres,  born  in  Gilboa  March  14,  1838,  settled  on 
farm  in  1842;  wife  Mary  J.  Curtis,  of  Blenheim, 
married  January  14,  1861;  children  four— Frank 
R.,  Willie,  Charles,  and  Delma.  Father,  Elijah 
Stewart,  a  native  of  Washington  county. 

Twitchell  Ezra,  p  o  Jefferson,  merchant,  born  in  Jefferson 
November  5,  1844,  commenced  business  in  1867,  has 
been  supervisor:  wife  Abbie.  daughter  of  Chancey 
and  Lucy  Minor,  married  February  5,  1865.  Par- 
ents, Ira  and  Emraa  Twitchell,  the  former  a  son  of 
Harrison,  who  came  from  Connecticut  about  1838. 

Vaughn  Heman,  p  o  Summit,  farmer  and  local  preacher,  275 
acres,  born  in  Jefferson  September  9,  1818,  settled 
on  present  farm  in  1840;  wife  Abigail,  daughter  of 
Nathan  and  Permelia  Gallup,  of  Jefferson,  mar- 
ried February  5,  1840;  children  four— Permelia, 
Nathan,  John  W.,  and  Herbert  D.  Father,  Samuel 
Vaughn,  was  son  of  one  of  first  settlers  of  town. 

Vaughn  John  W.,  p  o  Summit,  hop  and  dairy  farmer,  140 
acres,  born  in  Jefferson  May  24,  1852,  has  been 
town  clerk  and  justice  of  peace;  wife  Mary  A., 
daughter  of  William  and  Catherine  Stanley,  of 
Jefferson,  married  June  20,  1874;  children  two- 
Charles  and  Nellie.    Father,  Heman  Vaughn. 

White  George  C,  p  o  Jefferson,  farmer,  136  acres,  born  on 
present  farm  May  18,  1852,  has  been  in  the  tax 
collector's  oflSce  in  Brooklyn,  and  the  custom 
house  in  New  York;  wife  Mary  N.,  daughter  of 
Samuel  H.  and  Susie  Clay,  of  East  Albany,  mar- 
ried February  10, 1874:  children  living,  two— Alfred 
S.,  and  Irene.  Parents,  Alfred  S.  and  Julia  Ann 
(Snyder)  White,  the  former  a  son  of  Benjamin,  a 
resident  of  the  town. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


XllI 


Wilcox  M.  S.,  p  o  JefEerson,  lawyer,  owns  824  acres,  born  in 
Harpersfield,  Delaware  counfy^  in  1836,  settled  in 
county  in  3865;  wife  Lydia  Gr.,  daughter  of  Ezra  G. 
and  Ruih  iGaylord)  Beard,  of  JefEerson,  married 
Decpmber  31,  1860;  children  three— one  son,  two 
daughters.  Parents,  Alonzo  B.  and  Hannah  (Swift) 
"Wilcox,  the  former  a  son  of  Samuel  Wilcox,  one 
of  first  settlers  of  Harpersfield. 


MIDDLEBURGH. 


Albro  Wm.  H.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  born  in  Middleburgh  in 
1840,  has  been  school  commissioner;  wi(e  Elizabeth 
Dodge,  of  county,  married  October  3],  IStiT;  chil; 
dren  two — Arthur  D.,  and  Grace.  Father  Benjamin 
Albro,  born  in  Albany  county.  December  25,  1802, 
came  to  c-ounty  in  1836;  wife  Mary  E.  Bassler,  of 
Albany  county,  born  in  1817,  married  in  1837,  chil- 
dren three— William  H.,  Amanda,  and  Mary. 

Alger  Jesse  H..  p  o  Middleburgh,  lumberman  and  farmer, 
born  in  county  in  1818;  wite  Maria  Lawton,bornin 
182:2,  married  in  i8:Hy;  children  nine.  Father  Jared 
Alger,  born  in  Saratoga  county,  in  1182,  came  to 
county  in  1810,  died  in  1867. 

Atchinson  E.  D.,  p  o  Middleburgh.  proprietor  of  Atcbinson 
House,  12  acres,  boru  in  county  in  3812,  purchased" 
hotel  in  )86'2,  has  been  town  clerk  and  overseer  of 
poor;  wife  Anna  Maria  Mills,  married  in  1839;  chil- 
dren one— George  S.,  born  in  1839.  Father  Aaron 
Atchinson,  of  Massachusetts,  settled  in  county, 
where  he  died. 

Babcock  Daniel,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  born  in  county 
December  23,  1837;  wife  Almina  Williams,  of  Alba- 
ny county,  born  in  1835,  married  in  1855;  children 
five— Jessie,  born  in  1857,  Dnra,  in  1859.  Mary  E.,  in 
1861,  Ellas,  in  1863,  and  Ralph  B.,  1866.  Parents 
Walter  and  Elizabeth  Babcock. 

Babcock  Walter,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  born  in  Wright 
in  1803;  wife  Elizabeth  Zimmer,  of  coupty,  born  in 
1808,  married  in  IS:.'?;  children  seven,  three  daugh- 
ters and  four  sons. 

Badgley  Jerome  B.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  geneiraldrug  and  hard- 
ware dealer,  born  in  Schenectady  county  in  1835, 
settled  in  county  in  l84ii;  wife  Mary  C.  Manning, 
of  county,  married  in  1865;  children  one — Claude 
M.  Father  Gnorge  B.  Badeley,"  of  Schenectady 
county,  came  to  county  in  1840,  died  in  September, 
1876,  was  post-maeter. 

Barkman  Daniel,  p  o  Hunter's  Land,  retired  farmer,  born  in 
Rensselaer  county,  in  1803,  settled  in  county  in 
]8l5.basbeen  justice  of  peace  thirty-six  years;  wife 
Submit  Schofelt,  of  county,  born  in  1814,  married 
in  1834,  died  in  1857;  children  two— Sarah  J.,  born 
in  18.^8,  and  Ellen,  born  in  1844;  second  wifeAman- 
da  Schofelt,  married  in  1859.  Newman  Dings,  of 
county,  born  in  1843;  wife  Ellen  Barkman,  married 
in  1869;  children  two. 

Bassler  Wellington  E.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  general  merchant, 
born  in  Mid.lleburgh  in  1848;  wife  Alida  Manning, 
of  county,  born  in  1853,  married  in  1874.  Father 
David  Bassler,  born  in  county  in  1822,  retired  mer- 
chant; wife  Augusta  Tibbetts,  born  in  county  in 
1827,  married  in  l847. 

Becker  James  B.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  harness  manufacturer 
and  dealer,  born  in  Albany  county  in  1855,  settled 
in  county  in  1861,  purchased  entire  stock  from  G. 
M.  Frisbie  in  1874  and  has  carried  on  a  successful 
trade  since;  wife  Alice  Barton,  of  county,  born  in 
1858,  married  in  1877;  children  two.  Mrs.  Becker 
deals  in  all  kinds  of  Millinery  goods  at  her  place 
on  Wells  Avenue. 

Becker  John,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  ISO  acres,  born  in 
county  January  29,  1819;  wife  Rebecca,  daughter 
of  Jeremiah  Bo'rst,  born  in  1818,  married  in  1860; 
children  seven.  Father  Storm  S.  Becker  of  Hol- 
land, settled  in  county  and  served  in  the  Revolu- 
tion. 
Becker  William  P.,  born  in  county  in  1808,  died  in  1880;  wife 
Martraret  Crounce,  of  Albany  county,  born  in  1826, 
married  in  1866;  cfildren  one— Adam.  Father  of 
Mrs  Becker,  Rev.  Adam  Crounce,  of  county,  born 
in  1797,  died  in  1865. 
Barney  &  Dennison,  p  o  Middleburgh. 


Becker  Bartholomew,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  1,200  acres^ 
born  in  county  in  1839,  was  the  first  school  superin- 
tendent; wife  Pluma  Cole  of  eounty,  born  in  1843, 
married  May  18,  1864;  children  three— Lonett,  born 
in  1865,  Rosetta  in  1872,  and  Urminda  in  1874. 
Father  of  Mrs.  Becker,  Elder  L.  P.  Cole  of  Ver- 
mont, came  to  county  in  1816;  wife  Charlotte  Weed 
of  county,  born  In  1811,  married  in  1833. 

Becker  Joseph,  Jr.,  p  o  Middleburgh.  general  grocer  and 
dealer  in  boots  and  shoes,  born  in  Fulton  in  1840, 
has  been  justice  of  peace  and  assessor;  wife  Mary 
E.  Mallery  of  couity,  born  in  1848,  married  De- 
cember 6,  1868;  children  one — Gracie,  born  October 
25,  1870.  Father  Joseph  Becker,  born  in  county  in 
1798,  died  in  1869;  wife  Christina  Zeh,  of  county, 
married  in  1806;  children  thirteen,  living  nine. 

Beekman  D.,  p  o  Middleburgh.  president  of  National  bank 
and  farmer, born  in  Sharon  in  1840;  wife  Elizabeth 
Riehtmyer,  of  county,  married  in  1859;  children 
two— Dow  and  Willie  G.  Father  Nicholas  Beek- 
man, born  in  Sharon  in  1790,  was  member  of  assem- 
bly in  :841,  died  January  13,1874;  wife  Elida  Becker 
of  county,  died  in  1872;  children  six. 

Bellinger  David,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  160  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1818.  Brothers  John  I.,  born  in  1823  and 
William  J.,  born  in  1830.  Father  John  M.  Bellin- 
ger, of  county,  born  in  1790,  died  in  lt-75;  wife  Miss 
Schell,  of  county;  children  four.  Grandfather 
Marcus  Bellinger,  was  born  on  samefarm;  children 
nine,  of  whom  now  only  ono  is  living— Peter,  who 
is  over  80  years  of  age.  Miss  Eve  Bellinger  was  born 
in  county  in  1796,  and  died  February  1,  1881. 

Bellinger  George,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  157  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1841,  has  been  assessor;  wife  Christina 
Sidney,  of  county,  born  in  1847,  married  in  1866, 
children  five.   Father  John  M.  Bellinger,  of  county. 

Borst  George  E..  p  o  Middleburgh.  harness  maker,  born  in 
Middleburgh,  January  27,  1846,  purchased  business 
from  Mr.  Hinman  in  1870,  and  employs  five  hands; 
wife  Alice  G.  Dayton,  married  June  8, 1870;  children 
four. 

Borst  Harvey,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  375  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1852:  wife  Isabella  Tuitle,  of  New  York 
city,  married  in  1876,  Brother  Joseph  Borst,  of 
county,  born  in  1850;  wife  Lelinda  Bellinger,  of 
county,  married  in  1873.  Father  Peter  B.  Borst, 
of  Fulton. 

Borst  Henry,  p  o  Middleburgh,  80  acres,  born  in  Middle- 
burgh in  1841;  wife  Mary  Noxon,  of  county,  mar- 
ried in  1863;  children  four.  Father  Peter  Borst. 
Grandparents  Henry  and  Margaret  Borst. 

Borst  William,  p  o  Middleburgh.  miller,  born  in  county  in 
1838;  wife  Margaret  Bouck,  married  in  1858;  chil- 
dren four.    Parents,  Peter  and  Eliza  Borst. 

Borst  Peter,  p  o  Middleburgh,  member  of  firm  of  Borst 
Bro's.,  born  in  1855;  wife  ^ancy  Rockfeller,  of 
county,  born  in  1855,  married  in  1877.  children  two. 
The  brothers  built  mill  in  1877,  it  is  three  stories, 
38  by  55  feer,  has  four  run  of  stone,  an  unlimited 
capacity,  and  does  general  shipping  and  custom 
work. 

Blodgett  Hiram  A.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  post-master  and  dealer 
in  books  and  stationery,  born  in  county  in  1838, 
enlisted  in  Co.  I,  No.  76,  N.  Y.  and  was  first  lieu- 
tenant of  company;  wife  Mary  E.  Dyckman,  of 
county,  married  in  3876;  children  one— Louis. 
Father  John  Blodgett. 

Bouck  Sylvester,  p  o  Middleburgh,  210  acres,  born  in  county 
in  1845;  wife  Rozella  Cook,  of  county,  married  in 
1880.  Father  Joseph  T.  Bouck,  was  born  in  1810, 
died  in  1878;  children  six— Henry  V.,  Peter  B.^ 
Nancy,  John  J.,  George  J.,  and  Sylvester. 

Bouck  Thomas  W.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer  and  justice  of 
peace,  bom  in  county  in  1824;  wife  Rebecca  Zeh,  of 
county,  born  in  1823,  married  in  1871:  children  six. 
Parents  Thomas  and  Nancy  Bouck. 

Bouck  David  D.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  133  acres,  b-^rn  in  county 
in  1811;  wife  Catharine,  daughter  of  Peter  Loncks,^ 
born  in  1817,  married  in  1836;  children  two— Eliza- 
beth, born  in  1839,  and  Martin  L.,  born  in  1845. 
Parents  David  C.  and  Elizabeth  Riehtmyer  Bouck.. 

Bouck  Thomas  I.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  farmer,  56  acres, 
born  in  county  in  1805;  wife  Maria  Bouck,  daughter 
of  John  C,  married  in  1827,  died  in  1842;  second 
wife  Nancy  Mattice,  married  in  1844,  died  in  1862; 
third  wife  Eliza  Hagar,  married  in  1864.  Father 
Jacob  Bouck,  born  in  county  in  3772,  died  in  1811. 
Grandfather  Thomas,  was  the  son  of  Nicholas 
Bouck,  who  settled  in  county  from  Germany  at  an 
early  day. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


ClQw  Nicholas  D.,  p  o  East  Coblesklll,  retired  farmer  and 
cloth  dresser,  born  In  Greene  county  in  1818,  set- 
tled in  county  in  1819;  wife  Julia  Ann  Eckerson,  of 
county,  born  in  1823,  married  in  1844.  Parents 
Lawrence  and  Elizabeth  Clow. 

Cornell  John  H.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh. 

Cook  Peleg  Jr.,  farmer,  174  acres,  born  in  county  in  18S2, 
and  died;  wife  Eliza  A.  Bassler,  p  o Hunter's  Land, 
born  in  county  in  1833,  married  in  1866:  children 
three— Minnie,  born  in  1864,  Lillie,  in  1867,  and  El- 
mer P.,  in  1871.  Father  Peleg  Cook,  was  an  early 
settler  and  purchased  present  farm.  Father  of 
Mrs  Cook,  Henry  A.  Bassler,  born  in  Albany  coun- 
ty; wife  Mary  Saddlemire,  born  in  Albany  county 
in  1797,  married  in  1816;  children  seven. 

Corwin  John,  p  o  Mlddleburgh. 

Dantorth  Dr.  Volney,  physician  and  surgeon,  born  in  Mld- 
dleburgh in  1811,  died  February  14, 1880,  was  super- 
visor; wife  Caroline  Bouck,  of  Middleburgn,  born 
in  1832,  married  in  1842;  children  four,  daughters. 
Father  Thomas  P.  Danforth. 

Davis  James  W.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  proprietor  of  custom 
flour,  saw,  lath,  shingle  and  plaster  mills,  born  in 
Montgomery  county  in  1833,  settled  in  county  in 
1858;  wife  Melissa  Conover,  of  Montgomery  county, 
married  in  1859 ;  children  six.  The  mills  are  located 
on  Schoharie  creek,  two  and  one-half  miles  from 
Mlddleburgh. 

Decker  Jerome,  p  o  Hunter's  Land,  farmer  and  schoo  1  teach- 
er, owns  an  extensive  flajging-stone  quarry,  born 
in  county  In  1846;  wife  Catharine  Turner,  of  Al- 
bany county,  born  in  1844,  married  in  1879.  Brother 
Ethan  Decker,  born  in  county  in  1858;  wife  Eliza- 
beth Shultz,  of  Albany  county,  married  in  1878. 
Father  Aaron  Decker,  of  county. 

Dexter  James,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  ilour,  grain,  and  seed  ship- 
ping merchant,  born  in  county  in  1830;  wife  Joanna 
Warner,  of  county,  married  in  1853;  children  six. 
Father  E,  M.  Dexter,  of  Albany  county. 

Dunn  'William,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  merchant  tailor,  born  in 
Montgomery  county  in  1842.  settled  in  county  in 
1849;  wife  Kate  Soribner,  of  Mlddleburgh,  married 
March  S7,  1ST8.  Father  Michael  Dunn,  of  Ireland, 
settled  in  county  in  1849,  died  in  1874. 

Durham  Frank  J.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  general  dealer  in 
stoves,  tinware,  and  sheet-iron,  born  in  Mlddle- 
burgh in  1856;  wife  Jennie  Lawton,  of  county, 
married  in  18^9.  Father,  Daniel  C.  Durham,  of 
county. 

Dodge  George  W.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh. 

Engle  W.  H.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  lawyer,  born  in  Albany 
county  in  1718,  settled  in  county  in  184.3,  has  been 
district  attorney  and  division  revenue  collector; 
wife  Almira  "W.  Latbrop,  of  county,  married  in 
1845;  children  four.  Father,  Christopher  Engle, 
of  Albany  county. 

Fox  Louis,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  manufacturer  of  straw  paper, 
born  in  county  in  1835;  wife  Elizabeth  Wilber,  of 
county,  married  in  1858;  children  five.  Father, 
William  Fox,  of  Summit. 

Freemyer  A.  J.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  owner  and  jiroprietor  of 
Freemyer  House,  born  in  county  in  1836,  pur- 
chased hotel  from  Abram  Snyder  in  1866;  wife 
Mary  C.  Shafer,  married  in  1854;  children  two — 
Margaret  F.,  and  William  S.  The  ancestors  of 
Mr.  Freemyer  were  the  oldest  and  most  prominent 
settlers  of  county. 

Frisbie  G.  M.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  general  merchant. 

Gernsey  M.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  dealer  in  general  merchan- 
dise, born  in  Mlddleburgh  in  1826,  commenced 
business  in  1873;  wife  AlidaC,  daughter  of  Garrett 
W.  Becker,  born  in  Fulton  in  1830,  married  in  184'?; 
children  seven,  daughters.  Father,  William  Gern 
sey,  born  in  county  in  18C5;  wife  Ferona  C.  Corn- 
stock,  born  in  Connecticut  in  1809. 

Guernsey  James  J.,  p  o  East  Cobleskill,  farmer,  born  in  coun- 
ty in  1818;  wife  Adaline  Schermerhorn,  of  county, 
born  in  1825,  married  in  1844;  children  six  Father, 
Elisba  Guernsey,  of  county.  Earner  Aker,  born 
in  county  in  1847,  104  acres;  wife  Daisy  Guernsey, 
of  county,  born  in  1860,  married  in  1877;  children 
one. 

Guernsey  Ezra,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  farmer  130  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1833;  wife  Louise  Smith,  of  county,  born 
in  1834,  married  in  1856;  children  two — George  D., 
and  Effie  J.    Parents,  John  and  Eva  Guernsey, 

Guernsey  John,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  150  acres,  born  in  county 
in  18C7;  wife  Eva  Hoese.  of  county,  born  in  1813, 
married  in  1830,  died  in  1853;  children  ten;  second 
wife  Juliet  Netherway,  of  county,  married  in  1854; 
children  four,  Father,  Elisba  Guernsey,  born  in 
Connecticut  in  1770,  came  with  his  father,  Nathan- 
iel Guernsey,  and  settled  in  county  in  1785,  where 
the  latter  died  in  1830,  aged  ninety-flve  years,  and 
the  former  in  1842. 


Hanes  Freeman  S.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  farmer  and  moving 
machine  agent,  265  acres,  born  in  Fulton  in  1828; 
wife  Caroline  Eedick,  of  Mlddleburgh,  born  in  1837; 
married  in  1867.  Father,  Peter  Hanes,  born  in 
Fulton  in  1795,  died  in  1839;  wife  Nancy  Lawyer,  o£ 
Mlddleburgh,  born  in  1792,  died  in  1870;  children 
ten,  living  six.  Peter  Bedick,  of  Canada,  settled 
in  county  in  1825,  died  in  1841;  wife  Eva  Lawyer, 
of  Mlddleburgh,  born  in  1801,  married  in  1846, 
children  living,  one. 

Herron  Peter,  p  o  Cobleskill,  born  in  county  May  23,  1807; 
wife  Susannah  Hechman,  of  Hamilton  county,born 
February  24,  1813,  married  July  13,  18.11;  children 
seven — five  sons  and  two  daughters.  Father  Wil- 
liam, was  son  of  John  Herron,  who  was  born  in 
Scotland,  and  settled  in  county  at  an  early  day.  ~ 

Hubbell  Alva,  retired  gentleman,  born  in  Albany  county  in 
1798,  died  in  1875;  wife  Rhoda  A.  Boughton,  of  Al- 
bany county,  married  in  1873.  Father  of  Mrs. 
Hubbell,  Baldwin  Boughton,  born  in  Albany  county 
in  1797,  died  in  1849;  wife  Maria  Susannah  Alma, 
of  Albany  county,  born  June  24,  1804,  married  in 
1823;  children  living,  eight. 

Humphrey  Phillip,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  farmer,  and  justice  of 
peace,  born  in  Albany  county  in  1829,  settled  in 
county  in  1856;  wife  Sarah  E.  Nelson,  of  Albany 
county,  married  in  1850;  children  one — Arlington. 

Hutchings  S.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  dealer  in  hardware,  stoves, 
tin,  and  house  furnishing  goods,  240  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1840;  wife  Charity  Scutt,  of  county,  born 
in  1842,  married  in  1861.  Father  Morgan  Hutchings 
born  in  Columbia  county,  in  1803.  settled  in  county 
in  1836,  died  in  1868,  was  a  miller  and  farmer. 

Hyde  David  R.,  farmer,  born  in  Canterbury,  Connecticut, 
October  31,  1822,  settled  in  county  in  1863;  wife 
Louise  Becker,  of  county,  born  in  county  in  1829, 
married  in  1846;  children  two— Frederick  R.,  and 
George  B.  Father  David  Hyde,  of  Connecticut. 
Father  of  Mrs.  Hyde,  Jacob  Becker,  born  in  county 
October  3, 1791,  died  in  1862;  wife  Catharine,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  Borst,  born  in  1790,  married  in  1810, 
died  in  1858;  children  ten,  living  five. 

Kennedy  William  A.,p  o  Mlddleburgh, carpenter  and  builder 
born  in  county  in  1830;  wife  "Lavina  Bouck,  of 
county,  married  in  1863;  children  one — Willie  C. 
Father  Alexander  Kennedy,  born  in  county  'n  1806 
died  in  1831. 

Kinney  John,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  broom  manufactur;  r,  50 
acres,  born  in  Ireland,  in  1834,  settled  in  county, 
in  1847,  erected  factory  in  1865,  two  stories  high,  18 
by  24  feet,  producing  from  twelve  to  sixteen  dozen 
brooms  per  year;  wife  Elizabeth  McKinstry,  of 
Ireland,  born  in  1832,  married  in  1857;  children 
four— Amelia,  Lizzie,  Emmett  R.,  and  Charles  N. 

Knitfen  John  B.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  farmer,  and  hop  grower 
1C6  acres,  born  in  Albany  county  in  1835,  settled  in 
county  in  1843;  wife  Tabitha  Wormer,  of  county 
born  in  18.35,  married  in  1856;  children  eight.  Fath- 
er John  Kniflen,  of  Albany  county,  died  in  1847 
aged  53  years.  ' 

Kniffen  Erskine,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  farmer,  120  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1868;  wife  Flora  Hill,  of  Albany  county 
married  in  1878.    Father  John  B.  Kniffen.  ' 

Knisken  B.  V.,  p  o  Mlddleburgh,  farmer,  born  in  county  ii* 
1825;  wife  Sarah,  daughter  of  Freeman  Stanton, 
married  in  May,  1862;  children  one — Alice.  Father 
Joseph  Knisken,  born  in  county,  March  23,  1801 
died  August  9,  1874;  wife  Gertrude  Vroman,  of 
county,  born  May  38,  1804,  married  January  15, 
1831,  died  August  9,  1874;  children  eight,  six  sons 
and  two  daughters.  Freeman  Stanton,  born  in 
Montgomery  county,  March  11,  1797,  came  to  coun- 
ty in  1818;  wife  Maria,  daughter  of  Judge  Abra- 
ham Lawyer,  born  in  county,  April  3,  1798,  mar- 
ried August  3,1820,  died  July  3, 1880;  children  seven, 
three  sons  and  four  daughters. 

Lampman  John  P.,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  150  acres,  born 
in  county  in  1826;  wife  Maria  Woodford,  of  county 
married  in  1847,  died  in  1863;  children  three;  sec- 
ond wife  Sarah  Bornt,  of  Otsego  county,  married 
in  1865.  Father,  Philip  Lampman,  of  Greene  coun- 
ty, settled  in  county  in  1818,  died  in  1873. 

Lawton  Peter,  p  o  Middleburgbj^  farmer,  118  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1826;  wife  Emily  Boomhan,  of  county, 
born  in  1828,  married  in  1850;  children  seven. 
Father,  Peleg  Lawton,  born  in  Connecticut, 
settled  in  county  in  1800,  and  served  in  war  of 
1813. 

Lawyer  Andrew,  p  o  Middleburgh,  blacksmith,  and  farmer, 
30  acres,  born  in  county  in  1839;  wife  Cornelia  E. 
Sleighter,  of  county,  born  in  1833,  married  in  1853: 
children  eleven. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


Lawyer  Jacob  H.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  94  acres,  born  in  county 
in  1836;  wife  Rosanna  Oliver,  of  county,  married  in 
1856,  died  in  1871;  children  six;  second  wife  Miss 
M.  Oliver,  married  in  1878;  children  three.  Father, 
David,  son  of  Andrew  Lawyer. 

Lawyer  Dr.  James,  po  Middleburgh,  physician  and  surgeon, 
born  in  Middleburgh  in  1840,  was  graduated  from 
the  Allopathic  University  of  New  York  City  in 
1863,  practiced  there  three  years,  settled  in  Mid- 
dleburgh in  1866;  wife  Eliza  Irwin,  of  New  York, 
married  in  1863,  died  July  26,  1880;  children  one— 
a  son.    Father,  George  Lawyer,  of  Schoharie, 

Leroy  John  H.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  merchant,  farmer, 
carpenter  and  builder,  born  in  Middleburgh  in 
1842  ;  wife,  Melissa  Orr.  of  Greene  county,  mar- 
ried March  8,  1871.  Father,  Richard  Leroy.  born 
in  Montgomery  county,  came  to  county  in  1840. 

Lewis  Benjamin  F.,  p  o  Middleburgh.  farmer,  born  in  Chau- 
tauqua county  in  183.3,  settled  in  county  in  186S  ; 
wife.  Lavina  M.,  daughter  of  Martinus  Tice,  born 
in  1833.  married  in  1858;  children,  three.  Father 
John  Lewis,  of  Chautauqua  county.  Parents  of 
Mrs.  Lewis  were  descendants  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  county. 

Loucks  Henry  J.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  farmer,  50  acres, 
born  in  Middlebursh  in  1801  ;  wife,  Ruth  Nether- 
way,  married  in  1827,  died  March  19, 1865  ;  children 
four — Jeremiah,  born  in  18'M  ;  Thomas,  born  in 
1836  ;  Margaret,  born  in  1839,  died  in  1867;  and 
Maria  C,  born  in  1843  ;  second  wife,  Sophia  Scher- 
merhoro,  of  county,  married  in  November,  1865, 
died  September  17,  1S69  ;  third  wife,  Eva  Richt- 
myer,  of  county,  married  March  21,  1870.  Father, 
Jeremiah  Loucks,  Jr.  Thomas  Loucks  married 
Sophia  Rickard,  born  in  county  in  1842,  married  in 
1859 ;  children,  seven. 

MaComber  Merrit.  p  o  Hunter's  Land,  justice  of  peace  and 
farmer,  130  acres,  born  in  county  in  1846  ;  wife. 
Marsh  Snyder,  of  county,  married  in  1869.  children 
two— Edna  and  Cl;nton.  Father  Resolved,  son  of 
Rescomb  Macomber,  who  was  born  in  Massachu- 
setts, settled  in  Hunter's  Land  before  1800. 

Manning  H.  F.,  p  o  Middleburgh.  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1827  ;  wife,  Maria  Beekinan,  born  m  1833,  married 
in  1862;  children,  one— Alida,  born  in  1853. 

Martin  Adam,  p  o  Middleburgh,  executor. 

Mattice  Joseph,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer  and  hop  grower, 
625  acres,  born  in  county  June  26,  1823  ;  wife,  Eliz- 
abeth Bouck,daughter  of  Bartholomew,  married  in 
1870,  children,  three— Catharine,  Peter,  and  Zelma. 
Father,  Peter  Mattice,  born  in  county  in  1784,  died 
In  1861 ;  children,  twelve,  living  nine. 

Mitchell  Walter  E.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  banker,  born  in  county 
in  1852  ;  wife,  Celia  R.  Robinson,  of  Otsego  county, 
married  in  1879.  Father,  Peter  H.  Mitchell,  born 
in  county. 

Pinder  Peter  N.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  born  in  Middle- 
burgh in  1824.  Father  Edward  Pinder  born  in 
county  in  1802,  died  in  1864. 

Pos=on  Lewis  W.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  200  acres,  born 
in  county  in  1834  ;  wife  Miss  Hill,  of  county,  mar- 
ried in  1856,  died  in  1868;  children  three;  second 
wife  Elizabeth  Weidman,  of  county,  married  in 
1871 ;  children  three.    Father  Peter  W.  Posson. 

Posson  Peter  W,,  p  o  Middleburgh,  born  in  county  October 
3  1798-  wife  Polly,  daughter  of  Captain  Philip 
Bartholomew,  born  in  1804,  married  in  1823;  chil- 
dren nine — three  sons  and  six  daughters.  Grand- 
father Mr.  Posson,  born  in  Germany,  settled  in 
cc""ty  b-'foro  t^"  Revolution  Philip  Bartholo- 
meV  and  brother  John,  came  to  this  country  with 
Gouorii,lLaitt.H.Uo,  SbiVid  in  the  Revolution,  and 
alterwards  settled  in  Schoharie  county. 

Richtmver  Barney  W.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  carpenter, 

"'""^"'^  lelcres,  born  in  Middleburgh  in  1817;  wife  Mary 
A  Bouok,  of  county,  born  in  1827,  married  in  1845. 
Father  Christian  Richtmyer. 

■Rickard  Charles  V.,p  o  Hunter's  Land,miller,born  in  county 
in  1834;  wife  Hattie  Crosby,  of  county,  married  m 
1877-  children  three.  Brother  John  J.,  born  in 
1861 '  Father  John  Vf.  Rickard  of  county.  The 
mill'now  conducted  by  Rickard  Brothers,  was  re- 
built in  1865,  by  David  Ding,  purchased  in  1872,  by 
John  W.  Rickard,  who  run  it  six  years,  and  then 
taken  by  Rickard  Bros.  It  is  known  as  one  otthe 
best  custom  flouring  mills  in  the  county,  and  is 
located  on  Little  Schoharie  creek. 

Rickard  Albert,  p  o  Middleburgh,  175  acres,  born  m  county 
in  1833  has  been  excise  commissioner;  wife  Helen 
Bouck  of  county,  married  in  1860;  children  three. 
Parents  Peter  and  Nancy  Rickard,  of  county. 
Grandfather  George  Rickard  of  county. 


Kivenburgh  L.  S.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  torn  in  Albany  county 
in  1830,  settled  in  county  in  1849;  wife  Frances  M. 
Scutt,  of  county,  married  in  1870 ;  children  one- 
Marvin.  Firm  of  Scutt  &  Rivenburgh,  dealers  in 
ready  made  clothing. 

Rorick  W.  H.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer  and  hop  grower, 
30  acres,  born  in  Schoharie,  December7, 18&;  wife 
Ellen  Lawyer  of  Middleburgh,  mairied  September 
13,  1843;  children  four. 

Rossman  Dr.  J.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  physician  and  surgeon, 
born  in  Fulton  in  1847,  was  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Philadelphia,  commenced  practicing 
in  Middleburgh  in  1868:  wife  Mary  Bouck,  of  coun- 
ty, born  in  1848,  married  in  1868,  died  in  1877; 
children  three. 

Rouck  'William  H  ,  p  o  Middleburgh,  30  acres,  born  in  county 
in  1822;  wife  Ellen  Lawyer,  of  county,  born  in  1825, 
married  in  1844;  children  four— Marcus  B  ,  Lizzie 
M.,  Alexander  B.,  and  Dow  V.  Grandparents  set- 
tled in  county  during  the  French  and  English  war, 
and  were  noted  for  their  remarkable  age. 

Schermerhorn  Frank  D.,  p  o  Middleburgh.  general  grocer, 
born  in  county  in  1842;  wife  Christina  Becker,  of 
county,  married  February  1. 1868,  Father 'WiUiam 
H.  Schermerhorn. 

Scribner  John  M.,  born  in  Vermont  in  1805,  settled  in  county 
in  1837,  was  graduated  from  Union  College  in  1833, 
New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  in  1837,  and  died  December 
20,  1880;  wife  Anna  Swait,  p  o  Middleburgh,  born 
in  county  in  1807,  married  in  1837;  children  three — 
John  M.,  born  in  1839,  Margaret  I.,  and  Eate  M., 
now  Mrs.  Dunn. 

Seeley  Lyman,  p  o  Middleburgh,  gate  tender,  born  in  Con- 
necticut July  3,  1794,  settled  in  county  in  1850;  wife 
Elizabeth  Whitney  of  county,  born  in  1806,  married 
in  1828,  died  in  1874. 

Sheldon  Carr,  p  o  Middleburgh,  carpenter  and  builder,  born 
in  Albany  county  in  1825,  settled  in  county  in  1856; 
wife  Cornelia  R.  West,  born  in  Albany  county  in 
1833,  married  in  1852;  children  four— Hattie  B., 
Theodore  C.,  Anna  B.,  and  Jennie  C.  Father  Mil- 
ton Sheldon,  of  Albany  county,  settled  in  county, 
died  April  10, 1881;  wife  Harriet  Simpson,  born  in 
180J,  married  in  1823,  died  in  1880.  Lucius  West, 
father  of  Mrs.  Sheldon,  born  in  Albany  county  in 
1804,  settled  in  county  in  1874,  died  in  1880;  wife 
MalindaTownsend,  of  Albany  county,  born  in  1817. 

Simkins  George,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  185  acres,  born 
in  Albany  county  in  1837,  settled  in  county  in  same 
year;  wife  Anna  M.  Shoefelt,  of  county,  born  in 
i840,  married  in  1859;  children  nine.  Father  Nel- 
son Simkins,  of  Lewis  county,  settled  in  county 
in  1837,  died  in  1878. 

Smith  Amos  M.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  wagon  manufacturer, 
born  in  county  in  1819;  wife  Lucy  M.  Heriick,  of 
county,  born  in  1823,  married  in  1840;  children 
three— George  W.,  born  in  1841,  Charles  C.  in  1845, 
and  Anna  M.  in  1843.  The  sons  enlisted  at  the  first 
call  in  1861,  served  through  the  Rebellion  and  were 
discharged  at  close  of  war.  Father  Zedediah  Smith, 
born  in  Connecticut  in  1791,  died  in  Schoharie 
county  in  1836. 

Snyder  Adam,  Jr.,  p  o  Hunter's  Land,  merchant  and  black- 
smith, born  in  France  in  1831,  settled  in  county  in 
1840,  senior  member  of  the  firm  A.  Snyder  &  Sons, 
general  merchants,  dealing  in  dry  goods,  groceries, 
hardware,  also  carrying  on  general  blacksmithing, 
repairing  clocks  and  watches,  and  agent  for  the 
Meadow  King  Mower  and  the  Gregg  Rake. 

Snyder  Dr.  Hadley,  p  o  Middleburgh.  dental  surgeon,  born 
in  Herkimer  county  in  1831,  settled  in  county  in 
1851,  has  been  supervisor;  wife  Cornelia  Irwin,  of 
county,  born  in  1S39,  married  in  1858;  children  one 
—Florence  I.  Father  Dr.  Abraham  Snyder,  of 
Herkimer  county,  died  in  1854,  was  one  of  the 
prominent  physicians  of  county. 

Snvder  Abraham,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  gentleman,  born 
in  Middleburgh  December 4,  1818;  wife  Marietta 
Longenhalt,  of  Otsego  county,  born  February  28, 
1821,  married  in  September,  1846.  Father  Nicholas 
Snyder,  of  county,  farmer,  died  in  1842  aged  64 
years;  wife  Ann  Ackerson,  of  county,  died  in  1879 
aged  80  years;  children  living  six. 

Soner  John,  p  o  Middleburgh,  general  cabinet  and  furniture 
dealer  and  undertaker,  born  in  Germany  in  1836, 
settled  in  county  in  1852,  commenced  business  in 
1865,  has  been  town  clerk ;  wife  Nancy  Richtmyer, 
of  county,  married  in  1872;  children  two— Lizzie, 
and  J.  Elliott. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


stalker  Jonathan,  p  o  Middleburgh.  farmer,  70  acres,  born 
in  Albany  county  in  1826,  settled  in  county  in  1845; 
■wife  Amanda  Worrick,  of  county,  born  In  1830, 
married  In  1849;  children  three,  sons.  Father  Wil- 
liam Iritalker,  of  Albany  county. 

Stanton  Abraham  L.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  gentleman, 
born  in  Middleburgh  in  18*};  wife  Sabina  M., 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Charity  liouck,  born  in 
1821,  married  in  1845,  died  in  186(1;  children  three- 
William  B.,  Howard  M  ,  and  Freeman  J.  Parents 
Freeman  and  Maria  Lawyer  Stanton. 

Straub  Frank  X.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  barber,  born  in  Germany 
in  1847,  settled  in  county  in  186s;  wife  Ennverett 
Gurnsey,  born  in  county,  married  in  1869;  children 
three.    Father  Michael  Straub. 

Swart  P.  Z.,  farmer,  born  in  Middleburgh  in  1818,  died  in 
August,  1879;  wife  Kuth  N.  Manning,  of  county, 
born  in  1814,  married  in  1840;  children  two,  living 
one— Hezekiah  M. .  born  in  1841 ;  wife  Lottie  Benton, 
of  Kensselaer  county,  born  in  1845,  married  in  1867; 
ohildrnn  four— Fannie  B..  Maggie,  George  P.,  and 
Perry  Z.  Father  Peter  Swart,  born  and  died  in 
county.  Grandfather  Cornelius,  son  of  Thomas  I. 
Swart,  who  settled  in  county  during  the  Revo- 
lution. 

Thome  W.  E.,  p  o  Middleburgh. 

Turner  Amos,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  200  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1835  ;  wife  Bhoda  Mickle,  of  county, 
born  in  1841.  married  in  1860;  children  two.  Father, 
tTames  Turner,  of  county,  born  in  1795,  died  in 
1863  ;  wife  Salinda  Loyd,  of  Albany  county,  born 
in  1801,  married  in  1820,  died  in  1879.  Grandfather 
James  Turner,  of  Connecticut. 

Turner  Loren,  p  o  Middleburgh,  75  acres,  born  in  county  in 
1834  ;  wife  Almira  Barber,  daughter  of  Joshua,  mar- 
ried in  1860;  children  two.    Father  James  Turner. 

YanAuken  Edward,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  farmer  and 
harness-maker,  160  acres,  born  in  Albany  county  in 
lnl3.  settled  in  countv  in  1831 ;  wife  Maria  Bouok, 
of  county,  bom  in  1816,  married  in  1835;  children 
seven, 

VanBuren  John,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  115  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1854.  Father  Daniel  VanBuren,  of  Al- 
bany county,  born  in  1803,  csmeto  county  in  1844, 
died  in  1800  ;  wife  Rebecca  VanZandt,  of  Albany 
county,  died  in  1843;  children  four  ;  second  wife 
Catharine  Wormer,  of  county,  born  in  1813,  mar- 
ried in  1852;  children  two— John  and  Mary. 

VanVolkenburg  E.  P.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  born  in 
Greene  county,  in  1842  ;  wife  Hattie  M.  VanVolken- 
bnrg,married  in  1865;  children  four — Hartie,  Iretus, 
Willie  and  Samufl  J.  Tilden.  Father  Nelson  Van- 
Volkenburg, of  Greene  county. 

Vroman  Jacob,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  136  acres,  born  in 
Middleburgh  in  1849  ;  wife  Rebecca  Mattice,  of 
county,  born  in  1853,  married  in  1874:  children  four. 
Father  Daniel  D.  Vroman,  born  in  Otsego  county 
in  1807,  died  in  1868. 

Vroman  H.  A.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer  and  retired  mer- 
chant, born  in  Fulton  in  1828  ;  wife  Mary  Vroman 
of  county,  married  in  1860;  children  three.  Father 
Ephraim  Vroman. 

Vroman  Dow  F..  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  60  acres,  bornin 
county  in  1831,  has  been  collector  of  town;  wife 
Margaret,  daughter  of  H  Smith,  born  in  1835,  mar- 
ried in  1854,  children  nine.  Tunis  Vroman  settled 
on  the  place  now  called  Vromansland,  in  1713,  own- 
ing 1100  acres. 

Watson  Chancey,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  merchant,  200 
acres,  born  in  Middleburgh  in  1816,  has  been  Jus- 
tice of  Peace  ;  wife  Harriet  A,  Tyler,  of  county, 
married  in  1843  ;  children  three— Fr^-nces  Caroline, 
Arthur  E.,  and  Helen  E.  Father  Harvey  Watson, 
of  Albany  oounty. 

Wells  Dr.  H.  D.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  physician  and'  surgeon, 
born  in  Middleburgh  in  1829  ;  wife  Margaret  Sny- 
der, of  Herkimer  county,  married  in  18^.  Father 
Samuel  D.  Wells,  physician  and  surgeon,  bom  in 
Middletown,  Connecticut,  in  1794,  settled  In  coun- 
ty in  1820,  died  in  1870. 

Wheeler  John  D.,  physician  and  surgeon,  born  in  county  in 
18.33,  died  in  1879,  was  supervisor  ;  wife  Axie  A. 
Griggs,  of  county,  born  in  1838,  married  in  1858; 
children  two— Delia  M.,  and  George  B.    k 

White  Charles  A.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  gentleman,  bom 
in  Albany  county  in  1841,  settled  In  county  in  1846  ; 
wi'e  Jennie  Bouck,  of  county,  born  in  1846,  mar- 
ried in  1870;  children  two.  Father  settled  in  coun- 
ty In  1841,  and  died  there. 


Williams  Osee,  p  o  Middleburgh,  125  acres,  born  in  oounty 
in  1835;  wife  Delia  Thorn,  of  county,  died  in  1870, 
children  one — Casey ;  second  wife,  Elizabeth 
Thorn,  married  in  1871.  Father  David  Williams,  of 
county. 

Winegar  Beuben  S.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer,  born  in  coun- 
ty in  1840  ;  wife  JosepheneEfEner,  of  county,  born 
in  1851,  married  in  1871;  children  one— Chancey  W, 
Father  Eliakin  Winegar,  bora  in  Otsego  county  in 
1812,  settled  in  county  in  183.3  ;  wife  Eliza  Hadom, 
of  Columbia  county,  married  in  1837  ;  children 
three. 

Tanson  David,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  farmer,  80  acres, 
born  in  county,  February  26,  1798.  Niece  Elizabeth 
M.  Mattice.  daughter  of  Lawrence,  was  bom  in 
oounty  in  1820.  Father  John  Yanson,  born  in  county 
in  1754,  died  January  24,  18.36;  wife  Margaret  Yan- 
son, of  county,  died  in  1851;  children  eight,  living 
one — David. 

Young  J.  E.,  p  o  Middleburgh. 

Zeh  David,  p  o  Middleburgh,  farmer.  70  acres,  born  in  Mid- 
dleburgh in  1817,  nasheld  several  town  offices;  wife 
Lany  Ann,  daughter  of  Philip  Bird,  of  county, 
married  in  1838;  children  two— George,  and  Mar- 
vin.   Father  George  Zeh,  of  county. 

Zeh  John,  p  o  Middleburgh,  keeper  of  poor-house,  born  in 
county  in  I860;  wife  Martha  W,  Pitcher  of  county, 
married  in  1880. 


RICHMONDVILLE. 


Atkins  Jeremiah  K.,  p  o  Biohmondville.  farmer,  110  acres, 
born  in  Ulster  county,  September  8, 1804,  settled  in 
county  in  1806;  first  wife  Gettie  Moot;  second, Eliz- 
-  abeth  Babcock;  children  three— Dr.  Edward  li., 
Warren  J  ,  and  Mary.  Father  Edward  Atkins,  was 
one  of  early  settlers. 

Babcock  Nathan,  p  o  Warnerville,  retired  farmer,  103  acres, 
born  in  Albany  oounty,  June  22,  1814,  settled  in 
county  in  1867,  has  been  assessor;  wife  Lois  A. 
Thurber,  of  Westford,  Otsego  county,  married  in 
1842;  children  two— Jackson,  and  George.  Parents 
Robert  and  Sally  Babcock. 

Biret  John  C,  p  o  Biohmondville,  blacksmith,  born  in  Bava- 
ria, October  22,  1841,  settled  in  county  in  1n52; 
wife  Sarah  C,  Gould,  married  in  1867;  children  five. 
Parents  John  Henry  and  Catharine  M.  Biret. 

Boies  E.Willard,  p  o  Warnerville.  physician  and  surgeon. 
Read  medicine  with  father.  Dr.  Eli  Boies,  attended 
lectures  in  Albany  Medical  College,  and  Castleton 
Medical  College,  of  Vermont,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1855.  owns  220  acres  land,  born  in 
Jefferson,  June  7,  1830,  settled  in  village  April  13, 
1854,  has  been  justice  of  peace,  justice  of  sessions, 
and  member  of  Republican  county  committee; 
wife  Margaret  E.  Kniskern,  married  March  5, 1858; 
children  three, 

Boorn  Lester  G.,  p  o  Biohmondville,  manufacturer  of  a 
clothes  dryer,  owns  )^  acre  land,  born  in  Decatur, 
Otsego  county.  November  5, 182tt,  settled  in  county 
in  1841,  has  been  railroad  commissioner;  wife  Su- 
san Hitchcock,  of  Westchester  county,  married 
March  23.  1838;  children  three— Albert  L.,  John  B., 
and  Amos  F. 

Bradley  Milo  N  ,  p  o  Richmordville,  manufacturer,  born  in 
Richmondville,  April  15,  1845;  wife  Lois,  daughter 
•f  John  Rossman,  of  town,  married  in  1868.  Father 
Milo  Bradley,  came  from  Otsego  county,  com- 
menced business  at  Barneyville  about  1814,  was 
son  of  Azariah  Bradley,  of  Connecticut, 

Burneson  James  N..  p  o  Richmondville,  proprietor  of  West- 
over  House,  born  in  Worcester,  Otsego  county, 
February  12,  1826,  has  been  deputy  sheriff,  town 
clerk,  and  assessor;  wife  Jerusha  E.  Douglass,  of 
Montgomery  county,  married  September  17,  1854; 
children  four — Irvine  J.,  Robert  Arthur,  G.  Wil- 
lard,  and  Sarah  E.    Father  Andrew  Burneson, 

Butler  Samuel,  p  o  Richmondville,  farmer  330  acres,  born  on 
present  farm  July  14, 1830.  has  been  supervisor  and 
assessor;  wife  Cynthia  Lacy,  of  Greene  county, 
married  in  1851 ;  children  six.  Father  Moses,  son 
of  Samuel  Butler,  who  settled  and  died  on  same 
farm. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


xvn 


Chase  Jared,  p  o  Warnerville,  farmpr  and  physician  and 
surgeon,  48  acres,  born  in  Otsego  county  in  1817, 
settled  in  county  and  commenced  practice  of 
medicine  in  Seward,  in  1847.  and  settled  in  War- 
nerville in  1854.  has  been  supervisor;  first  wife 
Matilda  Langley,  of  Otsego  county;  second  wife 
Sarah  Perkins,  of  Massachusetts;  children  living 
two— George  W  ,  and  J.  Alberto.  Parents  Jared 
and  Harriet  Chase. 
Conro  George  W.,p  o  Richmondville,  farmer,  107  acres,  born 
in  Summit.  December  2, 1847.  i-ettled  on  present 
farm  in  1872;  wife  Ellen  J  ,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Near,  married  in  1871 ;  children  two — Lula  M.,  and 
Willis  A.    Parents  Peter  and  Esther  M.  Conro. 

Couchman  Page  B.,  p  o  Blchmondvillp,  manufacturer  of  ag- 
ricultural implements,  born  in  Broome,  March  16, 
1853,  settled  in  town  in  February  1880.  Father 
Hiram  was  son  of  Philip  and  grandson  of  Henry 
Couchman,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  county. 

Couchman  Wesley,  p  o  Richmondville,  manufacturer  of  ag- 
ricultural implements,  born  in  Margarettville, 
Delaware  county,  August  25,  1853.  settled  in  town 
in  April.  1881.  Father  Mllo,  son  of  Henry  Couch- 
man. 

DeGrafC  William  S.,  p  o  Richmondville.  farmer,  born  in 
Schenectady  county  March  5, 1814,  settled  in  coun- 
ty in  1815,  wife  Maria,  dauvhter  of  Thomas  Wright, 
of  Sharon,  married  December  9,  ^8■^5;  children  liv- 
ing, five.    Father  Nicholas  DeGrafE 

DeGtaff  John  N.,  p  o  Richmondville,  county  superintendent 
of  poor,  '  wns  123  acres,  born  in  Richmondville 
July  20,  1818:  wife  Jane  Bates  of  town,  married  in 
January,  1836;  children  one — LucindaA.  Zeh.  Fath- 
er Nicholas  DeGrafE. 

Dennis  John  H.,  p  o  Richmondville,  farmer,  80  acres,  born 
in  Jeff-'rson.  October  13,  1816,  Sf-ttled  in  town  in 
1817;  wife  Mary  Zeh.  married  March  2S.  1840;  chil- 
dren two — Nancy  and  Mary  E.  Mother  Hannah 
Dennis. 

Dox  Gilbert  M..  p  o  Eiohmondville,  farmer,  150  acres,  born 
in  Richmondville  on  present  farm.  January  24, 
1822,  has  been  justice  twenty  years,  and  assessor; 
wife  Sarah  A.  Atkins,  married  in  1814;  children 
living,  three.  Father.  Michael  Dox.  settled  on 
farm  about  1815,  one  of  first  settlers  in  town. 

Dox  Luther,  p  o  Richmondville,  farmer  and  saw-mill  pro- 
prietor, 81  acres,  born  on  present  farm  in  18:36,  has 
been  highway  commissioner  and  constable;  wife 
Melissa  Spaulding.  married  in  1858;  children  two — 
Sylvia  A.  and  Verda  M.  Father,  David,  son  of 
Michael  Dox.  Farm  has  been  in  Jamlly  about  sixty 
years. 

Felter  Abram  H.,  p  o  Richmondville,  farmer  and  lumber- 
man, 71  acres,  born  in  North  Blenheim  November 
6,  18:14.  settled  in  town  in  1859.  has  been  overst-er 
of  poor  and  highway  commissioner:  wife  Isabel 
Shelmidine,  of  Jefferson,  married  July  4,  1866; 
children  four.    Father,  Matthew  Felter. 

Foland  Philip  0.,-p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer,  280  acres,  born  on 
present  farm  February  15,  1830,  has  been  highway 
commissioner;  wife  Sarah  E.  Ostrander,  married 
in  1853;  children  one— Alice.  Father.  Henry,  was 
son  of  Philip  Folaiid,  the  first  settler  on  farm. 

Fox  Jeremiah,  p  o  Richmondville,  hop,  grain,  and  dairy 
farnter,  104  acres,  born  in  Summit  May  30,  1834, 
settled  in  town  April  1,  1866;  wife  Lovila  Snook; 
second  wife  Celestia  Dibble;  children  three— Allie, 
Satie,  and  Effie.     Parents,  George  and  Sarah  Fox. 

Fox  J    Anele,  p  o  Richmondville,  farmer,  84  acres,  born  In 

■     Richmondville  October  11.    1817;    wife    Rebecca, 

dauehter  of  Joshua  Cross,  married  in  1849;  children 

three— Eliza  M,    Lucia,   and  Willis  G.     Father, 

John  Fox,  settled  in  town  about  1793. 

Krazier  George  L.,  p  o  Richmondville,  farmer  53  acres,  born 

urazier  "^^"^^^^^^'^^  ,^^^  February  16,  1823.  has  heen  asses- 
sor and  commissioner;  wife  Catharine  Zeh.  of 
town,  married  in  1850;  children  one-Hattie. 
Parents,  John  and  Laney  Frasier. 

Frasier  A  D.  p  o  Richmondville.  dealer  in  general  mer- 
chanaise.  born  in  town  July  3',  1844,  has  been 
town  clerk;  wife  Alida  s^heldon,  of  town,  married 
in  1872;  children  two— Claude  H.  and  Edith  A. 
Father,  Hiram  Frazier,  has  been  in  business 
twenty-eight  years. 

Gale  Henry  S..  p  o  Warnerville,  physician  and  surgeon, 

Oale  aen^ry^^  in'^Rlchmond  county  January  18,  1849,  read 
medicine  with  Dr.  J.  N.  Spencer,  commenced  prac- 
tice in  1866.  attended  lectures  at  the  University  of 
Philadelphia,  in  1868  and  1873  settled  in  county  in 
Fulton  in  1871,  and  commencd  practice  of  medi- 
cine in  Warnerville  in  April  1881;  "ifB  Cpiia  New- 
man, born  in  1853,  married  August  26,  1870;  chil- 
dren four. 


Gordon  Julius  B.,  p  o  Richmondville,  farmer,  115  acres, 
born  in  town  September  30,  1841;  wife  Caroline, 
daughter  of  Hiram  Borst,  of  Cobleskill.  married  in 
1870.    Father,  Phoenix  C,  son  of  David  Gordon. 

Hartwell  Gibson,  p  o  Richmondville,  farmer  and  retired 
merchant,  born  in  Otsego  county  December  28, 
1817,  settled  in  county  in  1845,  has  been  supervisor, 
assessor  and  collector;  wife  Elvira  Johnson,  of 
Otsego  county;  second  wife  Sophrona  Johnson,  of 
Schoharie  county;  children  living,  two — Emma 
and  Carrie  Chambers.  Parents,  Joseph  and  Betsey 
Hartwell. 

Hartwell  Sophrona.  p  o  Richmondville,  owns  51  acres,  born 
in  Summit  November  4,  183^^  settled  in  town  in 
February,  1859;  first  husband  James  M.  Johnson, 
married  December  18, 1849;  second  husband  Gibson 
Hartwell,  of  Otsego  county,  married  December 
25,  1874;  children  living,  two — Mary  L.  Morgan  and 
Atiella  Johnson. 

Holmes  Harvey,  p  o  Richmondville,  farmer,  220  acres,  born 
in  Fulton  December  8,  1820,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1841;  wife  Hannah  B.,  daughter  of  Jere- 
miah Cross,  marrindin  1840;  children  two — Austin 
C.  and  William  S.  Father,  William  Holmes,  one 
of  first  settlers  of  Fulton. 

Holmes  William  J ,  p  o  Cobleskill.  farmer,  300  acres,  born  in 
Fulton  March  13,  1830,  settled  in  town  in  1854,  has 
been  collector,  highway  commissioner  and  excise 
commissioner;  wife  Marcia  J.  Patriage,  of  Esper- 
ance,  married  in  1855;  children  s^ven.  Parents, 
James  and  Hannah  S  Holmes,  the  former  of  Scho- 
harie, and  the  latter  of  Columbia  county. 

Harroway  James,  p  o  Richmondville,  station  and  express 
agent.  400  acres-,  born  in  Richmondville,  August  30, 
1820,  has  been  supervisor,  presidential  elector  and 
railroad  commissioner;  wife  Maria,  daughter  of 
Jithn  Warner,  married  in  November,  1843;  children 
three— Elias  J..  Melvin  W.,  and  Elizaoeth  Ostran- 
der. Father  Ellas  Harroway,  of  Connecticut,  set- 
tled in  town  in  April,  1820. 

Holmes  John,  p  o  Richmondville,  dealer  in  general  mer- 
chandise, born  in  Fulton,  October  6,  18.36,  settled 
in  town  in  1875,  has  been  overseer  of  poor  two 
years;  wife  Jane  A.  Drew,  of  Rensselaer  county, 
married  in  1^57;  children  living  two— Rosa,  and 
John  D.  Father  William  was  son  of  James  H-olmes 
a  native  of  New  Jersey. 

Isham  Charles,  p  o  West  Richmondville,  sawmill  proprie- 
tor, and  farmer,  160  acres,  born  in  Seward,  Octo- 
ber 14.  18:^4.  settled  in  town  in  1836,  is  postmaster; 
wife  Mary,  daughter  of  John  Foster,  of  Richmond- 
ville, married  in  1S53;  children  two— Mary  and 
Frances.  Father  Benjamin  Isbam  of  Connecticut, 
settled  in  town  about  1812,  and  was  son  of  John 
Isham. 

Jones  Rev.  LeGrand,  p  o  Richmondville,  pastor  of  M.  E. 
church,  born  in  Fultonville,  Montgomery  county, 
November  27,  1845,  settled  in  county  in  same  year, 
enlisted  in  Company  I,  134th  Regt  N.  T.  Vols.,  as 
private,  was  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant,  com- 
menced preaching  at  Quaker  St..  in  1873,  ordained 
Elder  in  1876,  and  came  to  present  charge  in  18B0; 
wife  Martha  Brazee,  of  Franklinton,  married  March 
18,  1866;  children  two. 

Jones  George,  p  o  West  Riohmondville,  farmer  88  acres, 
born  in  Fulton,  September  12,  1840,  settled  in  town 
in  April,  1873,  has  been  justice  of  peace:  wife  Carrie, 
daughter  of  Chauncey  Beard,  of  Jefferson,  mar- 
ried July  4, 1867;  children  one- Chaunoey.  Father 
Stephen  S  Jones,  of  Albany  county,  one  of  first 
settlers  in  Fulton,  grandfather  George  Rossman, 
also  an  early  settler  in  Fulton. 

Joslyn  Daniel  R.,  p.  o  Richmondville,  farmer  126  acres,  born 
in  Albany  eounty,  September  4,  iSiO.  settled  in 
county  in  1834,  has  been  highway  commissioner  of 
town-  wife  Abigail  N.,  daughter  of  Edward  and 
Susan  Kinnioutt,  married  November  29.  1843; 
children  living,  six.  Parents  Richard  atd  Marga- 
ret Joslyn. 

Kling  Francis,  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer  and  owner  of  stone 
quarry,  136  acres,  born  in  Sharon,  December  25, 
1818  settled  on  present  farm  in  1851,  has  been  over- 
sei-r  of  poor;  wife  Mary  E,  Poland,  married  in 
1842 ;  children  three— Margaret,  Harriet,  and 
George  H.    Father  John  G.  Kling. 

LaMont  William  T  .  p  o  Richmondville,  dealer  in  flour,  feed, 
and  groceries,  born  in  Charlottville,  Novembers?, 
1830  settled  in  town  in  1859,  has  been  supervisor; 
wife  Mary  Rogers,  of  Massachusetts,  daughter  of 
Rev  Aaron  Rogers  of  the  N.  T.  Conference,  mar- 
ried in  September,  1859;  children  three— Ella, 
Wilbur  F,,  and  W.  Stanley,  father  Thomas  W., 
was  son  of  William  LaMont,  Jr. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Mann  Henry,  Jr.,  p  o  Warnerville,  resident,  54  acres,  born  in 
Warnerville,  February  SO,  1803,  has  been  sherifE; 
■wife  Ann  Eliza  Mann,  ot  town,  married  in  18S2: 
children  one— Helen  M.  Segar.  Father  Peter  G. 
Mann,  was  one  of  early  settlers  in  town. 

Mann  George  L.,  p  o  Warnerville,  farmer,  213  acres,  born  on 
present  farm,  August  6,  1839;  has  been  collector 
and  overseer  of  poor-  wife  Nancy  Catharine, 
daughter  of  Abram  D.  Lawyer,  married  in  Janu- 
ary, 1853;  children  living  two— Celia  and  Veda. 
Father  Henry  Mann,  settled  on  farm  at  an  early 
day. 

Mann  Jam^s  H.,  p  o  Riohmondville,  farmer,  born  in  Rich- 
mondviile.  Father  Peter  H.  Mann,  was  son  of 
John  Mann,  one  of  first  settlers  of  town. 

Mann  George  H  .  p  o  Ricbmondville,  farmer  and  saw-mill 
proprietor,  62  acres,  born  On  present  farm  March 
30.  1822;  wife  Lovina  Mucky,  of  Blenheim,  married 
in  1844;  children  one.  AIvilzo.     Father  John  Mann. 

Mann  Egbert,  p  o  Richmoudville,  commercial  agent,  born  in 
Ricbmondville,  November  12,  1837;  wife  Amelia 
Lawyer,  married  in  February,  1863;  children  one 
Alida.  Father  Abraham  was  son  of  Colonel  Peter 
G.  Mana. 

Mann  Isaac,  p  o  Riohmondville,  civil  engineer  and  surveyor, 
born  in  RichmondviUe,  April  13,  1815,  has  been 
Superintendent  of  schools,  inspector  of  elections, 
overseer  of  poor,  highway  commissioner,  and  no- 
tary public;  wife  Elizabeth  Atkins,  married  Jan- 
uary 27,  1842;  children  living  five.  Father  Colonel 
Peter  G.  Mann. 

Mann  Tobias,  p  o  Ricbmondville,  farmer,  130  acres,  born  in 
Ricbmondville.  October  2,  1818,  has  been  super- 
visor; wife  Juliana  Pitcher,  of  Middleburgh,  mar- 
ried May  30.  1838,  children  threp— Sylvester  N., 
Philip,  and  Nancy  E.  Bartlett.  Father  Philip,  son 
of  George  Mann. 

McDonald  Sylvester,  p  o  Warnerville,  farmer  and  assessor, 
14(i  acres;  born  in  RichmondviUe,  March  20,1825, 
settled  on  farm  in  I86"i;  wife  Louisa  Gorse,  of  Ful- 
ton, married  October -2,  1850,  children  two— Willis 
and  Arthur.  Father  Robert  was  son  of  John  Mc- 
Donald, who  came  to  town  June  1,  1799,  and  died 
there. 

Mickel  Tobias,  p  o  Warnerville,  farmer  and  saw-mill  propie- 
tor,  248  acre?,  born  in  Cobleskill.  July  7, 1829.  set- 
tled on  present  farm  in  18 18;  wife  Amelia  Waldorf, 
of  town;  children  five  Parents  George  and  Cath- 
arine Mickel.  Grandfathers  Andrew  Mickel  and 
Philip  Foland,  were  early  settlers  in  Richmond- 
viUe. 

Moore  John  E.,  p  o  RichmondviUe,  farmer,  50  acres,  born  in 
Chester,  Hamden  county,  Mass.,  in  1809,  settled  in 
county  March  18.  1817,  has  been  census  enumera- 
tor, justice  of  sessions,  and  inspector  of  schools; 
wife  Mary  Draper,  of  town,  married  March  27,  1834; 
children  living,  three— Oliver  A.,  Celia  B.  Cole,  and 
Elizabeth  Eellogg. 

Moot  Fred.,  po  RichmondviUe,  farmer.  207  acres,  born  in 
Summit,  April  15.  1831,  settled  in  town  in  1856,  has 
been  bupervisor;  wife  Mary  Kider,  of  Summit. 
married  in  1855.  Father  Henry  Moot,  was  son  of 
Frederick,  one  of  first  settlers  of  Summit. 

Moot  James  H.,  p  o  RichmondviUe,  hop  grower  and  grain 
farmer,  156  acres,  born  in  Summit,  March  21,  1638, 
settled  on  present  farm  in  1868;  wife  Catharine 
Whart(m.  of  Summit,  married  in  1850;  children 
three,  living  two— Silas  H.,  Flora  A.,  and  Albert, 
(deceased)     Father  Henry  Moot. 

Olendgrf  Alfred  M.,  p  o  RichmondviUe,  owner  of  planing 
mil]  and  sash  and  blind  factory,  born  in  Otsego 
county  in  1822,  settled  in  county  in  1863,  owns  129 
acres  land;  wife  Alice  Rogers,  married  in  1862; 
children  five— Florence  E.,  JuUa  M.,  Margaret  E., 
Carrie,  and  Edith.    Father  Jacob  01«ndorf. 

Olmstead  J.  B.,  p  o  RichmondviUe,  editor  Democrat. 

Ostrander  George  W.,  p  o  RichmondviUe,  dealer  in  drugs 
and  hardware,  born  in  Summit,  October  26,  1837, 
settled  in  town  in  1851;  wife  Libbie,  daughter  of 
James  Harroway,  married  November  28,  1867. 
Father  Levi,  was  son  of  Hubbard  Ostrander,  who 
settled  in  county  about  18.0. 

Ostrom  Joshua  T..  p  o  RichmondviUe,  farmer,  75  acres,  born 
in  Albany  county,  February  10,  1804,  settled  in 
county  in  1820,  has  been  highway  commissioner; 
wife  Polly  M.  Fuller,  married  January  10.  1827, 
died  February  6, 1870;  chUdren  living,  four— George 
L.,  EUjah  T ,  Warren  W.,  and  Adelaide  Babcock. 
Parents  John  and  Sarah  (Tompkins)  Ostrom. 

Paul  Rev.  J.  S.,  p  o  Ricbmondville,  pastor  of  Lutheran 
church,  born  in  Easton.  Pa.,  November  9,  1847 
set' led  in  county  August  22,  1877,  licensed  to 
preach  in  June.  1876^  and  ordained  in  June,  1877, 
educated  at  Hartwick  Seminary,  Otsego  county; 
wife  Carrie  Reimel,  of  Johnsville,  Pa.,born  July  29 
1854,  married  March  16,  1872. 


Poason  Henry,  p  o  Warnerville,  farmer,  90  acres,  born  in 
Wright,  October  11,  1812,  settled  in  town  in  1870; 
first  wife  Janette  Forsyth;  second  wife  Rosanna 
Young:  third  wife  Aceneth  Crippen;  children  five. 
Father,  Peter,  was  son  of  Peter  Pusson^  of  Rhine- 
beck. 

Rockefeller  William,  p  o  RichmondviUe,  speculator  and 
farmer,  50  acres,  born  la  Germantown,  Columbia 
county,  in  1811,  settled  in  county  in  1813;  wife 
Eliza  Foland,  of  CobleskiU,  born  in  1808,  married 
in  1830;  children  living,  one— Catharine  C.  Reigbt- 
myer.  Parents,  John  and  Sally  Rockefeller,  of 
Germantown. 

Rogers  Benjamin  C,  p  o  Ricbmondville,  farmer  and  horti- 
culturist, 21  acres,  born  in  Richmond  May  1, 1834, 
settled  in  village  in  1855,  has  been  justice;  firsc 
wife  Mary  Pixley:  second  wife  Cornelia  Fuller; 
children  three— Joseph  E.,  George  W.  and  Mary  L. 
Father,  Elisha  F.  Rogers. 

Shafer  Peter  M  ,  p  o  Warnerville,  drover  and  cattle  dealer, 
born  in  village  July  20,  1819,  has  been  overseer  of 

£oor,  assessor,  and  excise  commissioner;  wife 
ydia  Van  Dreeser;  second  wife  Hannah  E.  Houck ; 
children  living,  seven.  Parents,  David  and  Eva 
Shafer. 

Shafer  Henry  A.,  p  o  Warnerville,  farmer,  287  acres,  born  on 
present  farm  May  30, 1804;  wife  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Joe  Shafer,  married, in  1839;  children 
living,  eight.  Father,  Henry  Shafer,  Jr.,  was  first 
settler  on  farm  in  1797, 

Shafer  Gideon  N.,  p  o  Bichmondville,  blacksmith  and 
farmer,  87  acres,  born  in  town  February  4,  1836, 
settled  on  farm  in  1857;  wife  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Peter  Haverly,  of  Albany  county,  married  in 
1856;  children  three— Sanford  G.,  Emanuel,  and 
Nela  M,    Father,  Henry  A.  Shafer. 

Sheldon  Philip  W.,  p  o  Bichmondville.  insurance  agents 
born  in  Seward  September  1,  1&33,  settled  in  town 
in  1848;  wife  Anna  C,  daughter  of  Stephen  Osborn, 
married  February  13,  1863.  Father.  William,  son 
of  John  Sheldon,  who  came  from  Schenectady. 

Slater  Erastus  W.,  p  o  Bichmondville,  farmer,  5  acres, 
born  in  Schoharie  April  6,  1829,  settled  in  town  in 
1831,  has  been  assessor;  wife  Hannah  Nipe,  mar- 
ried in  1851;  children  three- Ellen,  Mary,  and 
Thomas.    Parents,  William  and  Hannah  Slater. 

Smith  Emonds  W  ,  p  o  Bichmondville,  commercial  agent. 
born  in  Wilton,  Maine.  May  2,  1853,  settled  in 
county  September  11, 1880;  wife  Ettie,  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Sally  Boughton,  married  in  1874;  chil- 
dren two— Spencer  E.,  and  Freddie  J.  Father, 
WUUam  B.  Smith. 

Smith  Andrew,  p  o  West  RichmondviUe,  farmer,  180  acres, 
born  in  Bichmondville  in  1817;  wife  Lucinda 
Mosier,  of  Schenectady  county,  married  in  1844; 
children  one— John  A.  Father,  John  Smith,  native 
of  Albany,  was  soldier  in  war  of  1812,  and  first 
settler  on  farm. 

Snyder  Edward  L  ,  p  o  Bichmondville,  attorney  and  coun- 
selor, born  in  Columbia  county  June  19,  1^39, 
settled  in  county  January  6,  1869,  has  been  justice 
of  peace  and  justice  of  sessions,  was  graduated  at 
Onion  College  in  1861,  and  admitted  to  practice 
May  5,  1864;  wife  Estella  Decker,  married  Novem- 
ber 12,  1867;  children  one— Byron  W. 

Spencer  Nirum,  p  o  West  Fulton,  farmer  and  painter,  born 
in  town  February  18,  1841, has  been  town  clerk  end 
collector;  wife  Albina  C.  Fellows,  married  in  1865; 
children  five  Parents,  Ambrose  and  Hannah 
Spencer.  Farm  has  been  in  family  about  forty- 
five  years. 

Stevens  Ambrose  B  ,  p  o  Bichmondville,  machinist,  born  in 
Durham,  Greene  county,  in  1837,  settled  in  county 
in  1842;  wife  Martha  A.  Ballard,  ot  WiUiamstown, 
Oswego  county,  married  in  1861;  children  one, 
adopted— Matie  L.  Father,  Obediah  Stevens,  of 
Duchess  county. 

Siitphen  Michael,  p  o  Ricbmondville,  farmer,  110  acres,  born 
in  Seward  July  8,  1836,  settled  in  town  in  1849;  wife 
Emeline  Bechmire,  married  in  1847;  children  nine. 
Father,  Joseph,  son  of  Bicbard  Sutphen,  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution. 

Swain  John  I.,  p  o  Bichmondville,  farmer,  70  acres,  born  in 
Greenbush  July  8,  1828,  settled  in  county  in  1835, 
has  been  assessor;  wife  Jane  Van  Alstine.  Par- 
ents, Isaac  and  Hannah  Swain. 

Tanner  James,  p  o  N  o.  362  Ninth  street,  Brooklyn,  tax  col- 
lector of  Brooklyn,  born  in  RichmondviUe  April 
4,  1344,  read  law  with  Judge  William  C.  LaMont  in 
1866,  was  admitted  in  1869,  elected  commander  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  was  deputy  col- 
lector of  port  of  New  York.  Soldiers  Home  at 
Bath  was  built  through  his  instrumentality.  Wife 
Meroah  White,  married  November  17,  1866;  chil- 
dren four. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


Terrel  Stepnen  A.,  p  o  West  Richmondville,  hop  and  dairy 
farmer,  born  ioRichmondvillo  September  12,  1845; 
wife  Florence  J.  Smith,  of  town,  married  in  July, 
1869;  children  one— Edith  L.  Parents,  Samuel  E. 
and  Julia  A.  Terrel. 

Van  Patten  Nicholas  H.,  p  o  Richmondville,  hop  and  dairy 
farmer,  118  acres,  born  in  Ri»  hmondvllle  October 
8,  1838;  wife  Selina  Marson,  of  Summit,  married 
January  12,  18f>2;  children  seven.  Parents,  James 
and  Sar9.h  Van  Patten,  the  former  a  native  of  Al- 
btiny  county,  was  one  of  early  settlers  of  town  in 
1833. 

Walker  James  H..  p  o  Cobleskill,  farmer  and  wagon  manufac- 
turer, 80  acres,  born  in  present  town  May  30,  1841; 
wife  Jemima  Clute,  of  Saratoga  county,  married  in 
18t)5;  children  six.  Parents,  Samuel  and  RhodaM. 
Walker. 

Warner  Sylvester,  p  o  Warnerville,  farmer  and  saw-mill 
proprietor,  160  acres,  born  on  present  farm  Janu- 
ary 2ti,  1844;  wife  Adaline  Hollenbeck,  of  Gilboa, 
married  March  27,  1869;  children  one— Marcus  D., 
b-orn  January  4,  1870.  Father,  Jacob  D.,  sou  of 
David  Warner. 

Warner  James,  p  o  Warnerville,  farmer  and  owner  of  saw- 
mill with  Sylvester,  100  acres,  born  in  town  April 
3,  1831,  has  been  supervisor;  wife  Adaline  Becker, 
01  Wright,  married  January  23,  1862;  children  one 
— Kittle.     Parents  Marcus  and  Katie  Warner. 

Warner  Tobias  B.,  p  o  Richmondville,  photographer,  born 
in  Richmondville  October  11,  1827,  settled  in  vil- 
lage in  1865;  wile  Lizzie  Palmer,  of  Albany  county, 
married  January  9,  1859;  children  one — Arthur  T. 
Father,  Peter,  was  son  of  G-eorge  Warner,  the  first 
settler  of  town. 

Warner  Tobias  L.,  p  o  Warnerville,  farmer,  born  in  town 
June  27,  1830,  was  first  excise  commissioner  of 
town;  wife  Jennie  Mann,  married  in  October, 
1855;  children  one— Kate  H.  Father,  Jacob  D., 
son  of  David,  the  son  ol  George  Warner. 

Westover  Hon.  John,  p  o  Richmondville,  farmer  and  dealer 
in  real  estate,  600  acres,  born  In  Berkshire  county 
Massachusetts.  July  8,  1797,  settled  in  county  in 
1808,  has  been  justice,  member  ot  assembly,  super- 
visor, and  judge  of  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  also 
president  of  Bank  of  Richmondville;  wife  Cathar- 
ine Miles,  of  Schoharie,  married  in  1832. 

Woods  Henry,  p  o  Richmondville,  machinist,  of  firm  of 
Stevens  &  Woods,  born  in  Gilboa,  was  highway 
commissioner  in  1864.  and  built  the  iron  bridge 
then;  wife  Nancy,  daughter  of  Henry  Warner,  of 
town,  married  in  i851.     Father,  William  Woods. 

Zeh  Thomas  W.,  p  o  Richmondville,  butcher,  born  in  Rich- 
mondville August  19,  1829,  has  been  town  cltrk; 
wife  Calphurnia  Groat,  married  m  January,  1854; 
children  living,  two— Thomas  and  Maggie.  Father, 
Chrisjohn,  was  son  of  David  Zeh,  the  Revolutionary 
soldier. 

Zeh  Thomas  W.,  po  Richmondville,  dealer  in  boots,  shoes, 
and  groceries,  bofn  in  Richmondville  March  26, 
1830,  has  been  supervisor,  county  clf-rk,  and  jus- 
tice of  the  peace;  wife  Lucinda  A.  DeGraff,  mar- 
ried in  1856;  children  three— Jennie*,  John,  and 
Bonnie.     Father,  John,  son  of  David  Zeh. 


SEWARD. 

Borst  Smith,  p  o  Seward. 
Bruce  E.  O.,  p  o  Hyndsville,  physician. 
Defandorf  L.  M  ,  p  o  Hyndsville,  farmer. 
Empie  Benjamin,  p  o  Sharon. 
Empie  P,  G.,  p  o  Hyndsville,  farmer. 
Eldredge  Edward  G.,  p  o  Sharon  Hill. 
France  Gilbert  G.,  p  o  Seward. 
France  William  G.,  p  o  Seward. 
Hallenbeck  Abram  H.,  p  o  Hyndsville. 
Hagadoru  James,  p  o  Seward. 
Houck  W.,  p  o  Hyndsville. 
Hynds  O.,  p  o  Hyndsville. 
Klock  Sylvester,  p  o  Hyndsville. 
Kromer  Harrison,  p  o  Cobleskill. 
Lain  Isaac  W.,  p  o  Seward. 


Letts  Chester,  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Loucks  Henry,  p  o  Sharon  Hill. 

Markle  Lawyer  S.,  p  o  Hyndsville,  hotel  proprietor.. 

Marcley  David,  p  o  Hyndsville. 

Marcley  Frederick,  p  o  Hyndsville. 

Marcley  William  H.,  p  o  Hyndsville. 

Mosher  Edgar,  p  o  Hyndsville. 

Murcley  Tobias,  p  o  CoblesHll. 

Myers  John  A.,  p  o  Hyndsville. 

Olmsted  Albert,  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Osterhout  D.  H.,  p  o  Cobleskill. 

Ottman  B.  E.,  p  o  Seward. 

Ottman  P.,  p  o  Lawyersville. 

Preston  J,  E.,  p  o  Seward,  station  agent. 

Rowley  A.  W.,  p  o  Hyndsville. 

Sexton  Hiram,  p  o  Hyndsville. 

Smith  Andrew,  p  o  Seward. 

Strail  Henry,  p  o  Seward, 

Vandewerker  David,  p  o  Seward. 

Van  Dusen  Charles,  p  o  Seward  Station. 

Warner  Henry  A,  p  o  Seward,  miller. 

Winf gard  Albert,  p  o  Seward,  miller. 

Wright  Bros.,  p  o  Seward  Valley. 

Young  Adam,  p  o  Hyndsville. 

Young  Peter,  p  o  Lawyersville. 

Young  Menzo,  farmer. 


SCHOHARIE. 


Bailey  Charles,  p  o  Schoharie. 

Barley  Martin  D.,  p  o  Schoharie. 

Barton  Theodore,  p  o  Shutter's  Corners,  farmer  and  stock 
dealer,  7U0  acres,  born  in  Washington,  Duchess 
county,  October  4, 1795.  settled  in  county  February 
12,  t8l8,  has  been  sheriff,  supervisor,  and  assessor; 
wife  Rebecca  Germon,  of  Stanford,  born  in  1798, 
married  in  1818;  children  four— Josiah,  bom  in 
1823,  Mary  A  ,  in  1831,  Lucretia  in  1833,  and  Emmett, 
in  1842. 

Becker  Myron  H.,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  general  merchant, 
owns  store,  born  in  fech'  harie  county  in  ltf54.  estab- 
lished in  business  at  Central  Bridge  iu  1878;  wife 
Lydia  Blooiningdale,  of  Albany  county,  married 
in  1877. 

Bellinger  Alexander,  p  o  East  Cobleskill,  farmer,  116  acres, 
born  in  county  in  1828;  wife  Dolly  Livingston, 
^  married   in  1857;  children  five.    Father  John  N. 

Bellinger,  of  Middleburgh,  born  in  1789,  died  in 
1874,  farmer;  wife  Maria  Schell,  of  county,  died  in 
1833;  children  six.  Grandfather  was  a -Revolu- 
tiooary  soldier. 

Bergh  Peter  S ,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer  and  merchant,  born 
in  county  in  18'^2,  has  been  assessor,  and  railroad 
commissioner;  wife  Amelia  Dietz.  of  county,  mar- 
ried in  18T0.  Father  David  Bergh,  born  in  1795, 
died  in  August,  1879,  farmer.  Grandfather  Abra- 
ham Bergh,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 

Bombeck  John,  p  o  Central  Bridge. 

Bouck  David  I.,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer,  175  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1842,  has  been  commissioner;  wife  Delia 
M.  Kilmer,  born  in  1846,  married  September  5, 
1^65;  children  one— John  D.,  born  in  1866.  Father 
John  D.  Bouck,  born  in  Middleburgh,  in  1812,  died 
February  12,  1855;  wife  Maria  E.  Angel,  born  in 
1815,  died  in  1880;  children  three. 

Brown  Albert,  p  o  Schoharie,  dealer  in  hajr  and  straw,  born 
in  Albany  county  in  1822,  settled  in  county  in  1847: 
wife  Fidelia  T.  North,  of  Delaware  county,  married 
in  I84;i:  children  three— Helen  T.,  Henry  A.,  and 
Sarah  B. 

Borst  John,  p  o  Schoharie  C.  H. 

Case  D,  E,.  p  o  Schoharie,  dealer  in  furniture,  and  under- 
taker, born  in  county  in  1833  ;  wife  Mary  Jane 
Mulford,  married  in  1854,  died  in  1876;  children 
one— Jennie  N.;  second  wife  Charlott  Mayham, 
married  in  1676. 


HISTOHY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Clark  Peter  S.,  p  o  Sohoharie.  postmaster,  born  in  Scho- 
harie January  26,  1843,  owns  house  and  lot;  wife 
Annie  M.  Crounse  of  Schoharie,  married  May  15, 
1866;  children  four. 

Couch  Charles, 'p  o  Schoharie,  farmer  and  agent,  born  in 
Schoharie  in  18  5. 

Couch  Smith  6.,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer  200  acres,  born  in 
Duchess  county,  in  1811,  settled  in  county  in  1841; 
wife  Annie  Southerland,  married  in  18'^6;  children 
one — Charles.  Mrs.  Lydia  A.  Eaton,  born  in  coun- 
ty in  1833,  married  in  1864;  children  two— Lee,  and 
Sarah  M.  Maria  Couch  born  in  Duchess  countyin 
1815,  came  to  county  in  1839,  retired. 

Deyo  Philip,  p  o  Schoharie,  photographer,  born  in  Scho- 
harie in  1827,  has  been  loan  commissioner  and  town 
clerk;  wife  Sarah  Brown,  of  Albany  county,  mar- 
ried in  1850;  children  one— Charles  A.  Father 
John  Deyo,  born  in  Ducbess  county  in  1790,  came 
to  county  in  1812,  died  in  1852,  tailor;  wife  Cath- 
arine Shafer.  of  county,  married  in  1812,  died  in 
1877,  aged  84  years. 

Dietz  Paul,  mason  and  builder,  born  in  Albany  countyin 
May  1813,  settled  in  county  in  1831,  died  June  15, 
1880,  owned  homestead;  wife  Catharine  Best,  of 
Schoharie,  born  in  1818,  married  in  1849.  Her 
father  David  Best,  born  January  10,  1789,  died 
January  10,  1836;  wife  Lana  Dietz  of  Schoharie, 
born  in  1791,  died  Fruary  10,  1871;  children  living 
four. 

Driesbeck  Jacob,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer  80  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1829;  wife  Nancy  Woodcock  of  county, 
married  in  1853;  children  seven.  Father  Adam 
Driesbeck  of  Schoharie,  born  in  1798,  died  in  1874; 
wife  Rebecca  Sternbergh,  of  county,  born  in  1803, 
married  in  1819,  died  in  1875;  children  two. 

Durand  Treat,  p  o  Remington,  Jasper  county,  Ind. 

Farq aba  Arthur  H.,  p  o  Schoharie,  dealer  in  general  furni- 
ture and  undertaking  goods,  born  in  Albany  coun- 
ty in  1840,  settled  in  county  in  1861;  wife  Marcia 
Bergen,  of  county,  married  in  1866,  died  in  1875; 
children  three;  second  wife  Ida  May  Schoolcraft, 
of  county,  married  in  1878.  Business  firm  of  Far- 
quha  &  Case. 

Ferris  H.  W.,  p  o  Schoharie,  proprietor  of  Parrott  House, 
born  in  Carlisle  in  1840,  has  been  trustee  of  corpo- 
ration; wife  Maggie  P.  Browne,  of  Scotland,  mar- 
ried in  1867. 

Fisher  Albert  L,,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  dealer  in  stoves  and 
general  house  furnishing  goods,  commenced  busi- 
ness in  1866,  born  in  Schoharie  in  1838,  has  been 
postmaster;  wife  Vermaiia  A.  Enders,  married  in 
1866,  died  in  1876;  children  four;  second  wife  Hat- 
tie  E  Knickerbocker,  of  Monroe  county,  married 
in  1880. 

Guernsey  Matthew,  p  o  Howe's  Cave. 

Grant  John  B  ,  p  o  Schoharie,  lawyer,  356  acres,  born  in  Gil- 
boa  December  28.  1845;  wife  Augusta  K  Grant,  of 
Gilboa,  married  September  10,  1870;  children  two. 

Guernsey  Hiram,  p  o  East  Cobleskill.farmer  and  hop  grower, 
120  acres,  born  in  Schoharie  countyin  lH4*;wife 
Mary  A.  Van  Wie,  of  county,  married  in  1870;  chil- 
dren six — Flora  L.,  Leonard,  Franklin,  Ruby,  Ru- 
pert, and  Arthur.    Father,  John  Guernsey. 

Guernsey  Giles  P.,  p  o  Howe's  Cave,  farmer,  84  acres,  born 
in  Middleburgh  in  1848;  wife  Charlotte  Cole,  of 
Schoharie,  married  in  1876;  children  three— Vel- 
more,  Virgil,  and  Leah.    Father,  John  Guernsey. 

Hays  Arthur,  p  o  Schoharie,  merchant,  born  April  13,  1848; 
wife  Aurelia  Rickert,  of  Schoharie,  married  Janu- 
ary 14.  1874. 

HoUenbeck  Nicholas,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer,  180  acres,  born 
in  county  in  1816,  has  been  assessor;  wife  Hannah 
West,  of  county,  born  in  1823.  married  in  1840;  chil- 
dren three— Helen,  Sophia  C,  and  Martha.  Father, 
Jacob  HoUenbeck.  of  Albany  county,  born  in  1785, 
di«d  in  1877,  farmer;  children  seven.  Qrandfath-  r, 
Nicholas  HoUenbeck,  settled  in  Middleburgh  from 
Albany  county  at  an  early  day. 

Hunt  A.  A,,  p  o  Schoharie. 

Kilmor  Thomas  J  ,  p  o  Schoharie,  physician,  born  in  Scho- 
harie in  1^3;  wife  Mina  Eilmor,  married  in  1651; 
children  four.  Father,  Daniel  Kilmor,  born  in  1800, 
died  in  1861. 

Eilmor  Jonas,  p  o  Schoharie,  retired  farmer,  born  in  Colum- 
bia county  in  1795,  settled  in  county  in  1803, 
has  been  supervisor:  wife  Nancy  Miller,  of 
county,  married  in  1816,  died  in  1840,  children  nine; 
second  wife  Polly  Woodworth,  born  in  Albany- 
county  in  1801,  married  in  1842,  died  July  10.  1877; 
children  one.  Father,  John  Kilmor,  of  Columbia 
county,  settled  in  county  in  1803,  farmer;  wife 
Polly  Sipperly,  of  Columbia  county. 


Kromer  C.  C,  p  o  Schoharie. 

Larkin  John,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  farmer,  180  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1827;  wife  Nancy  Enders,  of  county,  born 
in  1839,  married  in  1859;  children  four.  Father, 
Daniel  Larkin,  of  Rhode  Island,  born  in  1790,  came 
to  county  in  1796,  died  in  1868,  held  office  of  sherifE 
and  elector  for  president. 

Lawyer  John  W.,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer  and  superintendent 
of  public  works,  70  acres,  born  in  Herkimer  county 
in  1825,  has  been  deputy  sheriff  and  railroad  com- 
missioner ;  wife  Mary  E.  Snyder,  of  county  born 
in  1887,  married  in  1856;  children  two— Ella  R.,  and 
Phillip  S.    Father,  Nicholas  Lawyer,  farmer. 

Lawyer  George,  p  o  Schoharie,  retired  farmer,  born  in 
Schoharie  in  1807,  has  been  assessor;  wife  Catha- 
rine Vroman,  of  Fulton,  born  in  1807,  married  in 
1838;  children  five— James  born  in  1841,  Charles  in 
1843,  Anna  m  1845,  Emma  in  1847,  and  Mary  born  in 
1849.  Father  Jacob  I.  Lawyer  born  in  county  in 
1773,  died  January  16, 1834;  wife  Mrs,  Nancy  Sprak- 
er,  of  Montgomery  county,  born  December  15, 
1780,  married  in  1799;  children  nine,  living  four. 
Grandfather  Jacob  Lawyer  of  Revolutionary  days. 

Livingston  Lester  F.,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer  112  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1854;  wife  Amelia  M.  Rich,  of  Schoharie, 
married  in  1876;  children  one- Eugene  R.  Father 
Benjamin  Livingston. 

Loucks  Peter  A.,  p  o  Schoharie,  carpenter  and  builder,  bom 
in  Schob&rie  in  1SI8.  has  been  assessor;  wife  Nan- 
cy M.  Saffer  ot  county,  married  September  4  1844, 
children  six.  Father  Henry  Loucks,  born  in  Mont-  . 
gomery  county  in  1795,  cametoccunty  in  1814,  died 
in  1859;  wife  Katy,  daughter  of  Jacob  Snyder  of 
county. 

Mayham  S.  L.  and  F.  M.,  p  o  Schoharie. 

Mann  Ephraim  J,,  p  o  Schoharie,  general  custom  miller,  and 
proprietor  of  feed  and  cider  mill,  born  in  Vermont 
in  1817,  settled  in  county  in  1826;  wife  Sophia  Angle 
of  Albany  county,  married  in  1844;  children  two- 
Ida  and  Edward  V.  Father  Thomas  Mann,  was 
born  in  Vermont,  came  to  county  in  1860,  died  in 
1877. 

Mann  Peter  J.,  p  o  Middleburgh,  retired  farmer,  born  in 
county  in  1812;  wife  Catharine  Sternberg,of  nounty, 
born  in  181ti,  married  in  1842,  died  in  1872;  children 
three— Christina  P..  Eunice  E.,  and  Anna  E.  Pa- 
rents Peter  and  Christina  (Snyder)  Mann  of 
county. 

Mann  George  W.,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer  110  acres,  born  in 
Schoharie  in  1841,  has  baen  commissioner  of  high- 
ways: wife  Pervilla  Griffeth,  of  county,  married 
in  l86r^;  children  five.     Father  Jacob  G.  Mann. 

Mereness  George  E.,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer,  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county  in  1849,  settled  in  countyin  1874; 
wife  Helen  Bergh,  of  county,  married  in  1877;  chil- 
dren one  Stewart  L.  Her  father  David  Bergh, 
born  in  county  in  1797,  died  in  1879. 

Murphy  William  B.,  p  o  Schoharie,  county  clerk,  owns  75 
acres,  born  September  26,  1834,  settled  in  county 
in  1846,  has  been  justice  of  the  peace;  wife  Julia  E. 
Swart,  married  July  31,  1866;  children  three. 
Grandfather  Timothy  Murphy,  of  Revolutionary 
memory. 

Mix  F.  G„  p  o  Schoharie. 

Norwood  Dr.  Jacob  E.,  p  o  Schoharie,  physician  and  sur- 
geon, born  in  county  in  1840;  wife  Emma  L.  Nor- 
man Smith,  married  in  1874;  children  four. 

Patrick  Jacob  H.,  p  o  Howe's  Cave,  farmer  and  builder,  105 
acres,  born  in  county  in  1836;  wife  Gertrude  Knis 
kern  of  county,  born  in  1844,  married  in  1861;  chil- 
dren five. 

Rich  Charles,  p  o  Central  Bridge,  farmer  and  proprietor  of 
hotel,  owns  100  acres  and  hotel,  born  in  county  in 
in  1814,  purchased  hotel  in  1850,  which  had  been 
rebuilt  about  1830,  by  Mr.  Smith;  wife  Salvina 
Warntr,  born  iu  county  in  1818,  married  in  J834. 
Father  John  Rich,  born  in  Duchess  county  in  1770, 
settled  in  county  in  1814,  died  in  1823. 

Rickard  Hamilton,  wagon  and  sleigh  manufacturer,  45 
acres,  born  in  county  in  1821,  died  in  1853;  wife 
Rebecua  Mattice,  born  in  county  in  1821.  married 
in  1848;  children  two—  Leonard  H.  and  Charles.  Fa- 
th6r,Leonard  Rickard;wife  Julia  Beeoraft,  of  coun- 
ty, married  in  1778.  William  Mattice,  father  of  Re- 
becca, born  in  county  in  1774,  died  in  1848;  wife 
Magdalene  Rinehart,  of  Germany,  died  in  1829. 

Rickard  Jacob,  p  o  Schoharie  farmer  and  machinist,  306 
acres,  born  in  Wright  in  1840,  has  been  supervisor; 
wife  Mina  Freddendall  of  connty,  married  in  1867; 
children  two— Emma  and  Forrest.  Father,  George 
D.  Rickard,  born  iu  county  in  1812,  died  in  ISffl), 
farmer,  son  of  D.  G.  Rickard. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


XXI 


Hoot  Orson,  p  o  Schoharie,  retired  stage  and  mail  con- 
tractor, born  in  Chenango  county  in  1814,  settled 
in  county  in  1834,  has  been  sheriff  of  county;  wife 
Eliza  A.  ijweet,  married  in  1684;  children  six. 
Schaeffer  Jacob  H.,  p  o  Schoharie,  retired  farmer,  100  acres, 
born  In  county  in  1808;  wife  Ann  AlidaGroosbeck, 
born  in  Schenectady  county  in  1807,  married  June 
26.  1828:  children  ten— Hendrick,  James,  Ann  E., 
Christian  H.,  Mary  M.,  Gertrude,  Jacob  Henry 
and  Martin  Luther,  (twins),  Gideon  and  Fannie. 
Jacob  Henry  was  born  in  county  in  1845;  wife 
Maria  M.  Becker,  of  county,  married  in  1875;  chil- 
dren three. 

Sohaefler  Martin  Luther,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer,  160  acres, 
born  In  Schoharie  in  1834;  wife  Charlotte  Landon, 
born  in  Vermont  in  1826,  married  in  1851;  children 
eiglit— Lottie  L.,  C.  Hoyt,  Jennie  L.,  Frank  C, 
Laura  v.,  Richard  0.  H.,  William  L.,  and  Marcus 
A.  Father,  (.'hristian  H.  Schaeffer,  of  county, 
born  March  12,  1787,  died  July  4,  1862;  wife  Jane 
Schaeffer,  of  Cobleskill,  born  in  1786,  married 
in  1805,  died  in  1870;  children  five.  Grand- 
'father,  Hendrlcus  Schaeffer,  of  county,  born 
In  1752,  died  in  1832. 

Schoolcraft  Hiram,  p  o  Schoharie,  proprietor  of  hotel  and 
farmer,  bora  in  county  in  1824,  has  been  super- 
visor and  assessor;  wife  Electa  Becker,  of  county, 
born  in  1831,  married  in  1S51;  children  one — Mary, 
born  in  1860.  Father,  John  Schoolcraft,  born  in 
Wright,  October  14,  1789,  died  November  5,  1862; 
wife  Mary  Settle,  of  county,  born  in  1790,  died  in 
November,  1864;  children  four,  living  two.  Grand- 
father, .Jacob  Schoolcraft,  was  a  Revolutionary 
soldier. 

Settle  J.  H.,  p  o  Schoharie,  general  carriage  and  sleigh 
manufacturer,  born  in  county  in  1824;  wife  Fran- 
ces Best,  of  Columbia  county,  married  in  1856. 
Father,  John  H.  Settle,  boru  in  county  in  1802, 
died  in  1878.  Grandfather,  Henry  Settle,  born  in 
Albany  county. 

Stafford  Robert  N.,  p  o  Schoharie,  general  carriage  and 
wagon  manufacturer,  born  in  Vermont  m  1821, 
settled  in  county  in  1846;  wife  Sarah  H.  Simmons, 
of  county,  married  in  1853. 

Sternbergh  John,  p  o  Schoharie,  retirf.d  farmer,  110  acres, 
born  in  Schoharie  in  1826;  wife  Mary  Schaeffer,  of 
county,  born  in  1821,  married  January  12,  1846; 
children  one — a  son  born  in  1846.  Father,  Adam 
Sternbergh,  of  county,  born  April  19,  1788,  died 
June  7,  1872;  wife  Catharine  Schaeffer,  of  county; 
married  October  30,  1808,  died  May  28,  1865;  chil- 
dren living,  two.  Grandfather.  Lambert  Stern- 
bergh, born  in  county  in  1757,  died  July  1,  1829. 

Swart  Peter  S.,  physician,  born  In  Schoharie  July  15,  1801, 
has  been  county  treasurer ;  first  wife  Maria  Snyder, 
married  1824;  second  wife  Eva  Eliza  Michaels,  of 
Schoharie  C.  H.,  married  December  14,  1869. 

Vroman  Jacob,  p  o  Schoharie,  retired  farmer  and  owner  of 
branch  R.  B.,  260  acres,  born  in  county  in  1808; 
wife  Maria  Vroman,  of  county,  born  in  1809,  mar- 
ried in  1827;  children  six— David  B.,  Lucian, 
Charles,  Cornelius  P.,  Peter  C,  and  William  J. 

Vroman  Peter  C,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer,  162  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1848;  wife  Annie  M.,  daughter  of  Jacob 
M  Snyder,  born  in  county  in  1847,  married  in  1869; 
children  three.    Father,  Jacob  Vroman. 

West  Jeremiah,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer,  100  acres  born  in 
Albany  county  in  1820,  died  in  1871,  settled  in 
county  when  quite  young;  wife  Catharine  West, 
born  in  Sharon  In  1822,  married  in  1845;  children 
three— Mary,  Millard,  and  Addison. 

Widmann  George,  p  o  Schoharie,  cigar  manufacturer,  born 

"'°  in  Germany  in  1830,  settled  in  county  m  1854;  wife 

Theressia  Widmann,  of  Baden,  Germany,  married 
in  1854  died  in  1866;  children  six;  second  wife 
Catharine  Schance,  of  Bavaria,  Germany,  married 
in  1866;  children  two. 

Wood  Francisco,   p  o  Schoharie,  proprietor  of  hotel,  born 

WoodDranoi^sc^  P  1824,  has  held  several  county  and 
iown  offices;  wife  Rebecca  Oaterhout,  of  Albany 
county,  married  in  1849;  children  three-Edwin  D., 
Benjamin  R.,  and  Edna. 

WiUsev  J  D  ,  P  o  East  Cobleskill,  farmer,  100  acres,  born  in 

WillseyJ.  Y^,P  j^  jgj4   gg^jied  in  county  in  ^32, 

has  been  assessor  and  commissioner;  wife  Ger- 
trude Livingston,  born  in  county  In  1818,  married 
In  1834- chillren  seven-Isaac  R.,  Emma  t.,  Maria, 
Perry  Malinda,  David,  and  Philip.  Father,  Abra- 
ham WUlsey,  of  Duchess  county,  came  to  oountjsr 
inia^a  died  n  1870.  Grandfather,  Hendrick  Will- 
sey  was  a  descendant  of  Holland  emigrants  at  an 
Sy  day,  and  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 


Williams  James  C,  p  o  Schoharie. 

Youngs  Daniel,  p  o  Schoharie,  farmer,  177  acres,  born  in 

county  in  1844,  has  been   county  commissioner; 

wife  Romelia  Landrum,    of    Schoharie,    married 

March    9,    1872;    children    one.      Father,    Smith 

Youngs. 
Zeh  Joseph   H.,    general   custom   miller,    born  in  Albany 

county  in  1827,  settled  in  county  in  1875;  wife  EI- 

mira  E.  Angle,  of  Albany  county,  married  in  1848; 

children  one — Amelia. 


SHARON. 

Anthony  John,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  82  acres,  born  In 
Sharon  December  13,  1835,  settled  on  present  farm 
in  1838;  wile  Kate  Button,  of  Montgomery  county, 
married  October  26, 1860;  children  three— Minnie, 
irederick  C,  and  Anna  A.  Father,  Christian,  son 
of  Jacob  Anthony. 

Banta  Jacob  J.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  85  acres,  born 
on  same  farm  August  11,  1829;  wife  Mary  M  Stam, 
of  Sharon,  married  February  28,  187U;  one  daugh- 
ter— Grace.  Father,  Jacob,  son  of  Jacob  Banta, 
of  Saratoga  county,  who  settled  on  same  farm  in 
180U. 

Baxter  John  Dewitt,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  75  acres, 
born  on  farm  adjoining  present  one  in  1836,  has 
been  collector;  wife  Catharine  Vroman,  married 
in  1856.  Father,  Abram  Baxter,  was  son  of  John 
Baxter,  the  first  settler  on  lot  26. 

Baxter  Mathias,  p  o  Seward,  farmer,  124  acres,  born  In 
Greene  county,  November  27,  1830,  settled  on  pres- 
ent farm  in  1857;  wife  Charlotte  E.  Strobeck,  of 
Seward,  married  October  28,  1868;  children  three 
—Magdalene  E,,  Hiram  S.,  Anna  Maria.  Father, 
John,  son  of  John  Baxter. 

Baxter  Lawrence  U.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  132  acres, 
born  on  farm  adjoining  present  one  August  J,  1814, 
settled  on  last  farm  in  1841,  has  been  assessor; 
wife  Lydia  Empie,  married  November  13,  18d8; 
children  five.  Father,  Uriah  Baxter,  came  from 
Montgomery  county  and  settled  on  farm  adjoining 
present  one. 

Becker  Garret,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  186  acres,  born 
on  same  farm,  has  been  assessor  and  inspector  of 
elections.  Father,  Peter  Becker,  of  A.bany  county, 
settled  on  same  farm  in  1803;  wife  Elizabeth  Mere- 
ness. 

Bellinffer  Henry  P-,  P  o  Sharon,  farmer  57  acres,  born  on 

"^"^  farm  where  father  lives  April  27,  1847.  settled  on 
present  farm  in  1874;  wife  Mary  E.  Parsons,  mar- 
ried January  5,  1875.  Father,  Peter  H.,  son  of 
Henry,  the  son  of  John  Bellinger,  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  the  county. . 

Bellinger  Peter  H,,  p  o  Sharon,  farmer,  100  acres,  born  in 
Seward,  February  4,  1820,  settled  in  town  in  1848, 
has  been  supervisor  two  years;  first  wire  Maria 
Button;  second  Melissa  Reynolds;  children  five- 
Sarah,  Henry,  Lydia,  Elijah,  Elisha.  Father, 
Henry  Bellinger. 

Berser  Lewis  C,  p  o  Seward,  farmer,  248  acres,  born  on 

Berger  i-e^^'^^^'^j-^.V  B,gi,ruary  21, 1864;  wife  Alice  Strobeck 

married  in  1879.   Mother,  Permelia  Berger,  adopted 

daughter  of  David  Becker,  who  lived  on  farm  50 

years,  died  there  in  1872. 

Bereh  Seneca,  p  o  Sharon,  farmer,  130  acres,  born  in  Scho- 
harie  December  4,  1837,  settled  on  same  farm  m 
1867'  wife  Luoinda  Lawyer,  married  in  1850;  chil- 
dren three-Jefferson  L.,  Frank,  Mary.  Father, 
David,  son  of  Abraham  Bergh. 

Borst  George,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  100  acres,  settled 
Borst  ''^"JS"-^^^  in  iggg.  „i(e  Cornelia  DeQrafl,   married 

October  14,  18B7;  children  two— Cora  M  ,  Clark  A. 

Father,  David  Borst,  born  March  5,  1805,  son  of 

George,  one  of  the  early  settlers. 

Brown  Wm.  K.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  190  acres,  born 
erowu  YT,^  Mintgomery  county,  February  22,   1845;  wife 

Emeline  Houghtailing,  married  In  November,  1872; 

children  two— Frank,  and  Seward  Brown.    Parents 

Daniel  and  Jemima  Brown. 


xxu 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Button  Pnelps,  p  o  Ames,  Montgomery  county,  farmer,  160 
acres,  born  on  same  farm  August  JJ4,  1834;  wife 
Margaret  Ann  Voorhees,  married  in  December, 
1857;  children  five— Edwin,  Charles,  Clarence, 
Henry,  Lula.  Father,  Mathias,  son  of  Benjamin 
Button,  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution. 

Borst  John  H.,  p  o  Sharon  Hill,  farmer,  160  acres,  born  in 
Otsego  county,  in  September,  1824,  settled  in 
county  in  I8a7;  wife  Mary  Ann  Empie;  chil- 
dren three,  one— Emma — by  first  wife;  second 
wife  Elizabeth  Kitts;  children— Catharine  M., 
Wesley  D.  Father,  Henry  D.,  son  of  David  Borst, 
an  early  settler  in  Seward. 

Borst  Luther,  p  o  SewarJ,  farmer,  and  dealer  in  musical  in- 
struments, 8  acres,  born  in  Seward,  November  23, 
1843,  settled  on  present  place  in  1879;  wife  Ger- 
trude BerE;er,  married  in  1865;  one  child— Alice. 
Father,  Martin,  son  of  George  Borst,  an  early  set- 
tler. 

Borst  David  H.,  p  o  Seward,  farmer,  147  acres,  born  in 
Sharon,  November  9,  1832,  has  been  overseer  of 
poor;  wife  Gertrude  Somers,  married  in  1864;  chil- 
dren two— Adelpha,  Howard.  Father,  Peter  G,, 
son  of  George  Borst. 

Borst  M.  L.,  p  o  Seward. 

Best  George  J.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs. 

Collins  Alexander,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer  76j<  acres,  born  in 
Sharon,  October  1,  1844,  settled  on  present  farm  in 
1867;  wife  Loritta  Neville,  married  in  1867;  chil- 
dren two— Julia,  Hattie.  Parents,  Peter  and  Re- 
becca Collins. 

Collins  Peter  J.,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  104  acres,  born 
in  Sharon,  September  ^^8^  1811,  settled  on  farm  in 
1848;  wife,  Rebecca  Oitman,  married  September 
26,  1838;  children  four— Walter,  Alexander,  Jean- 
netto,  Henry.  Father,  John,  son  of  Michael  Col- 
lins, one  of  the  early  settlers. 

Craig  Charles  H.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  113  acres,  born 
in  Carlisle,  April  30.  1817,  settled  in  Sharon  in  1830, 
has  been  school  commissioner  and  supervisor;  wife 
Gertrude  J.,  daughter  of  David  Pero,  married  De- 
cember 22,  1841;  children  three— Eleanor  M  ,  David 
I.,  William  H.  Father,  Redford  Craig. 
Crounse  Henry  V.,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  born  in  Al- 
bany county,  March  27.  1818,  settled  in  county  in 
1892;  wife  Clarissa  Summers,  married  in  1844;  chil- 
dren two— Wellington,  and  Alexander.  Parents, 
John  and  Margaret  Crounse. 

Coons  Alonzo  B.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs. 

Crounse  Wellington,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  48  acres, 
born  in  Albany  county  May  27,  1845,  settled  in 
county  in  18o2,  and  on  present  farm  in  1871,  was 
member  of  Company  K,  142d  regiment,  N.  Y.  Vols., 
in  Rebellion;  wife  Lucinda  Ressegieu,  married  in 
1865;  children  three — Anna, Eva,  Stanley.  Father, 
Henry  V.  Crounse. 

Dempster  William  A.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  owns 
house  and  lot,  born  in  Albany  county  October  30, 
1832.  settled  in  county  in  1870;  wife  Margaret 
"Wilder;  second  wife  Charlotte  E.  Stam;  children 
six -George  W.,  Mary  J.,  Harriet  O.,  Mina  O., 
Leonard  C.,  Charles  R. 

Dillenbeck  Yates,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer,  204  acres,  born  in 
Montgomery  county  March  37,  1825,  settled  in 
county  in  1878,  has  been  commissioner;  wife 
Agnes  Van  Wie,  married  January  1,  1835;  children 
two— George  A.,  Arie  V.  Father,  George  Dillen- 
beck. 

Dockstader  Adam  A.,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  120  acres, 
born  on  present  farm  March  1,  1820,  hasbeen  town 
clerk  and  justice  of  peace;  wife  Sally  Winnie,  of 
Cherry  Valley,  married  in  1840;  children  nine. 
Father,  Adam  F.  Dockstader,  settled  on  same 
farm  in  1810. 

Dockstader  Ephraim,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  175  acres, 
born  June  27,  1825;  wife  Dolly  Maria  Borst,  mar- 
ried in  1855.  Father,  Marcus,  was  son  of  George 
Dockstader,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution. 

Dockstader  George,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  96  acres, 
born  in  Sharon  August  25, 1818,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1860,  is  railroad  commissioner;  wife  Joan- 
na Simmons,  married  in  1S4S;  children  three— 
Alvin  W.,  H.  Francelia,  Ann  Nettie.  Father,  Mar- 
cus Dockstader. 

Dockstader  Alvin  W.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  106  acres, 
born  in  Carlisle  April  7,  1844,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1876;  wife  Ellen  Empie,  married  m  1867; 
daughter— Joanna.  Father,  George,  son  of  Marks 
DocEstader. 


Drake  Albert,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  100  acres,  born  in 
Cherry  Valley  in  i818,  settled  on  present  farm  in 
1843;  wife  Elizabeth  C.  Nash,  married  in  1840;  chil- 
dren six — Cornnlia  A.,  Melvin  D.,  Walter  K.,  Helen 
E,,  Albert  N.,  Mary  V.    Father,  Solomon  Drake. 

Eldredge  Robert  A.,  p  o  Seward,  farmer,  5  acres,  born  in 
Montgomery  county  July  26, 1848.  settled  in  county 
in  1850;  wife  Anna  C.  France,  of  Seward,  married 
July  1,  1868;  children  two— Watson  and  Robert. 
Father.  Robert,  was  son  of  Robert  the  son  of  Bar- 
nabas Eldredge,  one  of  first  settlers  of  Sharon. 

Eldredge  Hi»nry  A.,  p  o  Sharon  Hill,  farmer,  born  on  the 
John.  Pinder  farm  November  ],  1842,  settled  on 
present  farm  in  1844,  has  been  assessor  nine  years; 
wife  Alvina  J.  Lehman,  married  in  1865;  children 
four— Duryea  B.,  Elizabeth,  Ellen,  Van  Ness  A. 
Father,  Van  Ness,  was  son  of  Judge  Robert 
Eldredge. 

Eldredge  Van  Ness,  p  o  Sharon,  farmer,  born  in  Sharon 
July  24,  1819,  settled  on  present  farm  in  1844;  wife 
Margaret  E.  Moellir,  born  January  11,  1824,  mar- 
ried January  16,  1839;  children  five — Henry  A.,  Og- 
den,  John  M.,  Hazelions  J.,  Ellen  E.  Father,. 
Judge  Robert  Eldredge. 

Eldredge  Nelson,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer  and  assessor, 
100  acres,  born  in  Sharon  May  3,  1824,  settled  on 
present  farm  in  185i;  wife  Philothe  T.  Killer,  mar- 
ried October  4,1843;  children  three— William  H., 
Fayette  S.,  Percy  C.  Father,  Seth,  was  son  of 
Barnabas  Eldredge. 

Empie  Myron  0.,p  o  Sharon,  farmer,  103  acres,  born  in  Shar- 
on. September  29,  1843,  settled  on  present  farm  in 
1870;  wife  EmmaKling,  of  Carlisle,  married  Febru- 
ary 23,  1870;  children  five— Romeyn,  Charles,  Edgar, 
Angle,  Louis.  Father,  Gideon,  was  son  of  John 
Empie. 

Empie  Philip  A.,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  115  acres,  born 
in  Sharon  September  24,  1841,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1854;  wife  Rettie  Van  Zant,  of -Carlisle, 
married  April  3,  1878;  children  two— Clarence  and 
Clara.     Father,  John  I.,  was  son  of  John  Empie. 

Empie  Gideon,  p  o  Sharon  Hill,  farmer,  375  acres,  born  on 
same  farm  January  31,  1816;  wife  Snsan  Kilte.  mar- 
ried November  24,  1840;  children  five— Sophia  E., 
Myron  O.  L.,  Martha  H.,  John  J.  Father,  John  I. 
Empie. 

Empie  Leander,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  130  acres,  born 
in  Sharon  February  28,  1840,  settled  on 
present  farm  in  lt356;  wife  Elizabeth  A.  Fritcher, 
married  November  26,  1861;  children  seven. 
Father,  David  Empie,  was  son  of  Adam  Empie, 
one  of  early  settlers  in  Sharon. 

Empie  Dewitt  C,  p  o  Seward,  farmer,  106  acres,  born  on 
same  farm  April  26,  1846;  wife  Kate  A.  Borst,  mar- 
ried June  21,  1871;  second  wite  Julia  A.  Atkins, 
married  June  30,  1880;  children  one— May  Ethel. 
Father,  Peter  Empie,  settled  on  same  farm  about 
1830,  was  son  of  Peter  Empie. 

Engell  Moses,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer.  135  acres,  born  on 
present  farm  September  26,  1814;  wife  Lucinda 
Empie,  of  Sharon,  married  in  1840;  children  seven. 
Father  Petpr  Engell,  died  inDncember,  1853.  Came 
from  Albany  county  in  1799,  built  the  first  grist- 
mill in  I8ii2,  built  a  new  mill  in  1822.  Moses  Engell 
built  the  present  mill  in  1869. 

Engell  Peter  J.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer  80  acres,  born  in 
Sharon  December  29,  l8<^4,  settled  on  present  farm 
in  1836;  wife  Nancy  E.  Hinds,  of  Seward,  married 
in  1847;  children  ten.  Father  Joseph  Engell  was 
son  of  Peter  Engell. 

Fethers  Daniel,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  proprietor  of  hotel,  and 
has  been  in  same  business  thirty  years,  born  in 
Schenectady,  February  4,  1807,  settled  in  county 
in  181S,  had  beer,  deputy  sheriff  two  terms,  consta- 
ble siiteenyears,  and  collector;  wife  Laura  Adams, 
married  October  4, 1829;  children  four— Charles  B., 
Margaret  E ,  Daniel  L  ,  and  Ogden  H.  Parents 
Aaron  and  Betsey  (Wadsworth)  Fethers. 

Foland  Darwin,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  91  acres,  bom 
in  Sbaron,  December  21,  1885,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1872;  wife  Sarah  Winnie,  married  October 
17, 1855;  one  daughter — Alice  Hone.  Father  Philip 
Foland,  born  in  Sharon,  where  he  still  resides. 

Fonda  Andrew  M.,  po  Sharon  Springs,  grain  farmer  and 
hop  grower  230  acres,  born  in  Albany  county  No- 
vember 6,  1814,  settled  in  county  in  1847;  wife 
Catharine  Ottman,  married  in  1843;  children  five. 
Parents  Jacob  I.,  and  MHria  (Myers)  Fonda,  natives 
of  Watervliet,  Albany  county. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


Frederick  P.  H..  p  o  Cobleskill,  manufacturer  of  spriDgbeds, 
born  in  Seward,  January  5,  1W5;  wife  Charlotte 
Empie,  of  Seward,  married  January  20,  1861;  chil- 
dren two — Clara  and  Lee.  Parents  Henry  and 
Nancy  Frederick. 
Fritcher  David,  p  o  Sharon  Centre. 

Ganer  Christian,  p  o  Sharon  Springs. 

Gardner  John  H.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  one  of  the  proprietors 
of  Pavilion,  senior  member  of  firm  of  J.  H.  Gard- 
ner &  Sons,  who  own  190  acres  of  land;  born  in 
Troy,  June  11,  1813,  settled  in  county  in  1813,  has 
been  candidate  for  Congress;  first  wife  Julia 
Jaqui  s;  second  wife  Almeda  T.  Landon;  children 
'  six.     Parents,   George    and    Christina  Gardner. 

Prior  to  coming  to  bharon  Springs,  Mr.  Gardner 
was  proprietor  of  the  City  Hotel  on  Broadway, 
which  was  for  fifty  years  the  principal  hotel  of  New 
York  city. 

Gardner  John  H.  Jr.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  one  of  the  ijro- 
prietors  of  the  Pavilion,  born  in  New  York  city, 
October  24,  1840.  settled  in  county  in  1843,  is 
president  of  the  village;  wife  Susan  B.  MoClure, 
married  in  1873;  children  three.  Parents  John  and 
Julia  (Jaques;  Gardner. 

Gilbert  Eugene,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer,  134  acres,  born  in 
Sharon.  August  39, 1848;  wife  Janet  Collins,  mar- 
ried October  9.  1872.  Father  Norman,  son  of  Rich- 
ard Gilbert,  of  Connecticut. 

Gilbert  Edwin,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer,  65  acres,  born  in 
Sharon,  May  33,  1853,  settled  on  present  farm  in 
1880;  wife  Melvina  C.  Sohermerhorn,  married  in 
1875.  Parents  Norman  and  Jane  Ann  Gilbert. 
Grandfather  Richard  Gilbert. 

Hagadorn  Meozo,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  and  owner  of 
saw-mill,  55  acres,  born  on  part  of  present  farm; 
wife  Charity  E.  VanSchaick,  married  October  19, 
1864;  children  two,  adopted— Birdsley  and  Dora. 
Father  Richard,  son  of  Simon  Hagadorn,  who 
settled  on  part  of  same  farm  about  1813. 

Hansen  Matthew,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  108  acres, 
born  on  present  farm  in  1823;  wife  Nancy  Somers; 
children  three— Marinda,  Mary,  Lillie.  Father 
Richard  Hansen,  settled  in  town  about  1805,  and 
settled  on  present  farm  in  1813. 

Harper  William,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  superintendent  of  the 
White  Sulphur  Spring  bath  hiiuse,  born  in  town 
September  30,  1840,  settled  in  village  in  1855,  been 
interested  in  bath  houses  since  1866;  wife  Julia 
Like,  married  in  1861;  children  two— Addie  and 
Anna.    Father  George  Harper. 

Hiller  George  P  ,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  100  acres,  born 
on  same  farm  August  7,  1827;  wife  Gertrude  M. 
Race,  married  in  1848;  children  four— Charles  M., 
Anna  E.,  Lenora,  Penton.  Father  John  D.,  was 
son  of  David  Hiller,  one  of  early  settlers  of  town. 

Hiller  Elijah,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  88  acres,  born  on 
part  of  same  farm  March  17.  1833,  has  been  inspec- 
tor of  election;  wife  Bllen  Lane,  married  in  1859; 
children  five— Julia  T,  GifEord  H,  Frank  M.,  Wil- 
liam L.,  John  D.    Father  John  Hiller. 

Hiller  Frederick,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer  125  acres,  born 
in  Sharon  Centre,  November  29,  1804,  settled  on 
present  farm  in  1828.  has  been  commissioner  of 
highways;  wife  Lydia  Taylor,  married  in  1823; 
children  two— Philothethia,  and  George  P.  Father. 
Frederick  Hiller,'  was  son  of  Frederick,  who  was 
killed  in  battle  at  Oriskany. 

Hilsinger  Adam,  p  o.  Sharon. 

Hoffman  Marvin  N.,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer  and  hop 
raiser,  30  acres,  born  in  town  November,  24,  1854; 
wife  Cythera,  daughter  of  Hiram  Hummel,  mar- 
ried in  1875;  children  one— Esty  B.  Father  Barna- 
bas Hoffman. 

Hoffman  Marvin,  p  o  Sharon  Centre. 

Hone  Garrett,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  180  acres,  born  in 
Cherry  Valley,  January  8, 1819,  settled  in  town  m 
1829  has  been  supervisor  and  commissioner  of 
hieliways;  wife  Maria  Dockstader,  married  Janu- 
ary 5,  1847;  children  six.  Father,  Henry,  son  of 
Jacob  Hone.  Grandfather,  Blass,  settled  on  same 
farm  about  1800. 

Hone  Jacob,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  200  acres,  born  in 

"°  Shkron,  January  11,  1821;  wife  Sarah  Eckerson, 

married  in  1862;  children  two-J  William,  and  Or- 
oelia.    Father,  Jacob,  son  of  Jacob  Hone. 

Horton  Avery,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  resident,  190  acres  land, 
Horton  Avery,  p  ^^         y^^^^   otsego  cpunty,  November 

i9  1812,  settled  on  present  farm  in  1837,  has  been 
commissioner  of  highways;  .^i'%Kl'^|b«'^<l^°j°^' 
of  Albany  county,  married  jn  1838.  Parents,  Jonn 
and  Mary  Horton. 


Hyney  James  S.,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer  and  assessor, 
104  acres,  born  in  Sharon,  June  4.  1829;  wife  Mary 
S.  Empie,  married  in  1851 ;  children  two — Ella  V., 
and  Charles  A.  Parents,  George  and  Margaret 
Hyney. 

Hyney  Richard,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  90  acres,  born 
at  Gilbert's  Corners,  October  2,  1822,  settled  on 
present  farm  in  1856 ;  wife  Almira  Race ;  children 
six.    Father,  George  Hyney. 

Jackson  L.  H.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  attorney  and  counselor, 
born  in  Summit,  April  4, 1836.  settled  in  Sharon  in 
1861,  has  been  president  of  village,  and  postmaster; 
wife  Jennie  Sharp,  married  June  29, 18b4;  children 
two.  Read  law  at  Fowler's  law  school,  of  Pough- 
keepsie,  and  with  John  H.  Salisbury,  of  Sharon 
Springs,  was  admitted  to  practice  in  May,  1862, 
and  to  U.  S.  Dist.  Court  January  31, 1871.  ' 

Jones  Delos.  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  140  acres,  born  in 
Sharon,  June  6,  1848,  settled  on  present  farm  in 
1871;  wife  Libbie  Wormoth,  of  Minden,  married  in 
1871 .  Father,  Benjamin  Jones,  was  first  settler  on 
farm,  having  bought  300  acres  in  twenty-one  deeds. 

Kilts  Wesley  H.,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  210  acres,  born 
in  Carlisle,  January  IS,  1842,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1870;  wife  Mary  E.  Voorhees,  married  in 
1865;  children  three— Harvey  G.,  May,  Floyd. 
Father,  William,  son  of  John,  the  son  of  Adam 
Eilts. 

Kilts  Peter  A.,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer.  166  acres,  born  on 
same  farm.  Father,  Adam  Kilts,  was  born  in  Pal- 
entine,  in  1785,  died  in  1869;  wife  Margaret  Hel- 
singer;  children  three^Peter  A.,  Catherine,  Eliz- 
abeth. 

Eilts  Joshua,  p  o  Sharon  Hill,  farmer  80  acres,  born  on  same 
farm,  February  14,  1830;  wife  Catharine  Ball;  sec- 
ond wife  Mary  Borst.  Father,  Conrad  Kilts,  sou 
of  Adam. 

Kilts  George,  p  o  Sharon,  farmer,  85  acres,  born  on  same 
farm,  October  20,  18:34,  has  been  overseer  of  poor; 
wife  Nancy  E.  Borst,  married  in  1853- children  two 
— Emmett,  and  Martha.  Father,  John,  son  of 
Adam  Kilts. 

Kilts  Daniel,  p  o  Sharon,  farmer,  105  acres,  born  on  same 
farm,  November  7, 1816,  has  been  collector;  wife 
Maria  Ball;  second  wife  Nancy  Sharp;  children 
five- Daniel  F.,  George  H.,  Edward,  Ida,  Minnie. 
Father,  Peter,  son  of-Adam  Kilts. 

La  Grange  Leonard,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  123  acres, 
born  on  same  farm  February  23,  1818;  wife  Lucy 
Garlock,  of  Canajoharie,  married  in  1851;  children 
two— George  and  Jennie.  Parents,  Michael  and 
Jane  La  Grange. 

Lefevre  Sifroit,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  36  acres,  born  in 
Quebec  July  20,  1817,  settled  in  county  in  1837,  is 
postmaster;  wife  Melissa  Driggs,  of  Fulton,  mar- 
ried in  1848;  children  one — Roswell  T.  Parents, 
Thomas  and  Angelique  Lefevre. 

Lehman  Leander,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer  100  acres, 
born  on  same  farm  February  19,  1837;  wife  Mary 
E.  Gilborne,  married  in  1863;  children  one— Bozell. 
Father,  Peter,  Jr.,  son  of  Peter  Lehman,  who  set- 
tled on  farm  when  it  was  all  woods. 

Lehman  Stephen,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  150  acres  born 
in  Sharon  December  3,  1823,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1853;  wife  Jane  Webster,  born  February 
20,  1828,  married  November  5,  1845;  children  four— 
Libbie,  Ida.  Ella,  Bennie.  Father,  Benjamin,  son 
of  John  Lehman. 

Lehman  Sylvester,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  175  acres, 
born  on  same  farm  May  16, 1831,  has  been  assessbr; 
wife  Mary  A.  Lane,  married  October  15,  1851;  chil- 
dren eight.    Father,  Benjamin  Lehman, 

Lipe  Alfred,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  born  in 
Montgomery  county  June'  16,  1837,  settled  in 
county  in  1857;  wife  Agnes  Elizabeth  Baxter, 
married  in  1860;  children  five.  Parents,  John  A. 
and  Catherine  Lipe,  natives  of  Montgomery 
county. 

Lipe  John,  p  o  Seward,  farmer,  126  acres,  born  in  Montgom- 
ery county  April  6,  1829,  settled  on  present  farm 
March  1,  1868;  wife  Julia  Kilts,  of  Palentine,  mar- 
ried June  14,  1863;  children  six.  Father,  John  A. 
Lipe. 

Louoks  Daniel,  p  o  Sharon  Hill,  farmer  and  hop  grower,  1.30 
acres,  born  on  same  farm  February  10, 1840,  ha» 
been  justice  of  peace  four  years;  wife  ElvinaDar- 
row,  married  March  28, 1867;  children  five.  Father, 
Isaac,  son  of  Daniel,  the  son  of  Peter  Loucks,  on» 
of  early  settlers. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


Low  Peter  F.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  45  acres,  born  in 
Sharon  October  19,  1833,  settled  on  present  farm  in 
1865;  wife  Mary  Vroman,  married  in  1853;  children 
seven.    Father,  William,  &on  of   Peter  Low,    an 

early  settler. 

Lycker  Henry  C  ,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer  203  acres,  born  in 
Montgomery  county  September  6,  1821,  settled  in 
town  in  IS47,  has  been  supervisor  several  terms; 
wife  Sally  M.  Meilick,  married  September  23, 
1846.  Father,  Captain  Cornelius,  son  of  Colonel 
Henry,  formerly  a  Member  of  Congress,  and  a 
colonel  of  regiment  at  Sackett^s  Harbor. 

Lynnk  Philip  H,,  po  Sharon  Springs,  farmer  111  acres,  born 
in  Columbia  county  April  28,  1824,  settled  on  farm 
in  1863;  wife  Lavantia  Ward,  daughter  of  Joshua, 
who  settled  on  same  farm  in  1794,  married  Novem- 
•  ber  26, 1851:  children  one— Martin.    Father,  Jacob 

Lynnk,  a  native  of  Clermont  county.  Martin  Lynk 
was  married  March  80,  1875,  to  Anna  Belding; 
children  three. 

Lynnk  Thomas,  p  o  Sharon,  proprietor  of  wayside  hotel, 
owns  10  acres  land,  born  in  Cherry  Valley  Septem- 
ber 20,  1836,  settled  in  county  in  1880,  has  been  as- 
sessor; wife  Martha  Van  Yalkenburgh,  married  in 
1859;  children  three— Blanche  Isabelle,  W.  B.,  and 
B.  T.    Parents,  Jacob  and  Christina  Lynk. 

Mallette  Daniel  P  ,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer  5fi0  acres,  born 
in  Canajobarie,  Montgomery  county  March  9,  1823, 
settled  on  present  farm  in  1869;  wife  Saloma  Hem- 
street,  married  in  18h9,  children  one— Jennie. 
Parents,  Philo  and  Rhoda  (Taylor)  Mallette. 

Mereness  Gilbert  A.,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  130  acres, 
born  on  same  farm  December  12,  1823,  has  been 
assessor:  wife  Agnes  Milligaa,  of  Canajoharie, 
married  in  1852;  children  three — Alice,  Harvey, 
Komine.  Father,  Abraham,  son  of  Abraham 
Mereness,  who  settled  on  farm  in  1786. 

Maloney  John,  p  o  Sharon,  dealer  in  general  merchandise, 
born  in  Ireland  October  15,  1839,  settled  in  county 
io  186a,  is  postmaster;  wife  Mary  Croby,  married 
in  1862;  children  four— Hattie,  Eva,  Gracie,  Luella. 
Parents,  James  and  Hannah  Maloney. 

Neville  Grantier.  p  o  Argusville,  farmer,  160  acres,  born  on 
present  farm  March28,  1845;  wife  Eliza  M,  Hutton, 
of  Cobleskill,  married  in  1872.  Father,  John,  son 
of  John  JSevUle,  a  native  of  Sharon. 

Ottman  John  W.,  p  o  Sharon,  farmer,  born  in  Seward  De- 
cember 4,  1847,  settled  in  town  in  1868;  wife  Eliza 
Bellinger,  married  in  1868;  children,  five  living- 
Henry,  Elizabeth,  Ferdon,  Jay,  and  an  infant. 
Father,  Peter  W.,  son  of  William  Ottman. 

Ottman  Jeremiah,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  56  acres, 
born  in  Sharon  October  11,  1836,  settled  on  present 
farm  In  1875;  wife  Mary  J.  Low,  married  June  30, 
1859;  children  seven.    Father,  Peter  W.  Ottman. 

Ough  Daniel,  p  o  Buel,  Otsego  county,  farmer,  134  acres, 
born  in  Minden  December  ]9,  1816,  settled  in 
county  in  1850;  lirst  wife  Susan  Snyder;  second 
wife  Catharine  Young;  children  three- Rufus, 
Mary,  Charles.    Parents,  Peter,  and  Mary  Ough. 

Pindar  John,  p  o  Seward,  farmer,  106  acres,  born  in  Otsego 
county  April  29,  1807,  settled  in  county  in  1808, 
has  been  assessor,  highway  commissioner  and 
justice;  first  wife  Angelica  Sixby;  second  wife 
Mrs,  Margaret  Eldredge;  children  five— Elizabeth, 
Catharine,  John  S,  Helen,  Emma.  Parents, 
William  and  Katie  (Becker)  Pindar. 

Planck  Wesley  C,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  100  acres, 
born  in  Sharon  November  3,  1839,  settled  on  pres- 
ent farm  April  1,  1864;  children  two— John  P.,  San- 
ford  E.    Parents,  John  and  Mary  Ann  Planck. 

Planck  John,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  175  acres,  born  on 
same  farm  January  19,  1813;  wife  Mary  Ann 
Frltcher,  married  in  1834,  died  September  10,  1877; 
children  five.  Father,  Godfrey  Planck,  settled  on 
same  farm  in  1801,  was  son  of  Adam  Planck  who 
emigrated  from  Germany  previous  to  the  Revolu- 
tion and  settled  in  Johnstown. 

Planck  Thaddeus  W.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  100  acres, 
born  in  Sharon  July  9,  1844,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1871,  has  been  Inspector  of  elections;  wife 
Anna  E.  Leuman,  married  June  27,  1865.  Father, 
John  Planck. 

Pruyn  Henry,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county  October  1,  1812,  settled  in  county 
in  1864,  and  on  present  farm  in  1874;  wife  Ann  Put- 
nam, married  in  1835;  children  two — Abraham  P., 
Frances  T,  Parents,  Francis  and  Tenet  Pruyn. 
Grandfather,  Jacob  Pruyn,  of  Albany. 


Purcell  Thomas  C,  p  o  Sharon  Hill,  blacksmith,  farmer  and 
hop  growe"r,  40  acres,  born  In  Parish  Ballagrf^t, 
county  of  Kilkenny,  Ireland,  December  25.  1828, 
emigrated  to  New  York  June  37, 1847,  settled  in 
county  in  1858,  and  on  present  farm  in  1871;  first 
wife  Caroline  Carson,  married  October  7,  1854; 
children  two — Edmund  C.  and  Anna  C;  second 
wife  Sarah  Ann  Cronk,  married  May  1, 1859;  chil- 
dren two — Thomas-C.  Jr.  and  Richard  H.  Thomas 
G.  received  at  the  international  exhibition  a  medal 
and  diploma,  the  latter  dated  September  27,  1876, 
for  the  best  sample  of  hops.  Father,  Thomas  Pur- 
cell, was  born  on  the,  old  homestead  in  Parish 
Ballagret. 

Rase  Casper,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  116  acres,  born  In 
Columbia  county  December  9,  1798,  settled 
in  county  in  1818,  has  been  assessor,  com- 
missioner of  highways,  and  commissioner  of 
schools;  wife  Magdalen  Van  Yalkenburgh,  married 
in  1823;  children  nine.  Father,  William,  son  of 
Benjamin  Rase. 

Ressegieu  George  F.,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer,  75  acres,  born 
In  Sharon  June  2,  1838,  settled  on  present  farm  in 
1856;  wife  Letitia  Montanye,  of  Charleston,  Mont- 
gomery county,  married  In  November,  1873;  chil- 
dren one— Merle.  Parents,  John  and  Eva  Res- 
segieu. 

Sauer  Chrletlan,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  proprietor  of  Union 
Hotel,  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  November  17, 
1821,  came  to  New  York  city  in  1843,  settled  ia 
county  in  1876,  was  First  Lieutenant  company  G, 
5th  Regiment  N.  G.  S.N,  Y.;  wife  Dorotha  Bls- 
choff,  married  in  1850;  children  seven — Maria,  Al- 
bert, Matilda,  Willie,  George,  Christian,  and 
Annie. 

Sharp  Joseph  A.,  p  o  Sharon,  farmer,  154  acres,  born  in 
Oneida  county  August  3,  1814,  settled  in  county  in 
1830,  and^jou  present  farm  in  1846;  wife  Maria 
Wakeman,  married  in  1842;  children  five — Mary, 
Charles,  Clara,  Eliza,  Jedediah.  Parents,  John 
and  Mary  (Wales)  Shaip. 

Sharp  Peter  G.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  proprietor  of  Sharon 
Hotel,  also  hop  dealer  and  grower,  born  in  town  of 
Sharon,  September  4,  1816,  has  been  supervisor 
and  constable;  wife  Christina,  daughter  of  Marcus 
Brown;  children  living  four — Mary  Jane  Jacki^on, 
Julia  Kilmer.  Gertrude  A.  Smith,  and  John  W. 
Sharp.    Parents  John  and  Eva  Sharp. 

Shibley  Henry  Milton,  p  o  Sharon,  farmer,  81  acres,  born  in 
Charleston,  Montgomery  county  October  8,  1833, 
settled  on  present  farm  in  1866;  wife  Clara  Smith, 
married  in  1866.  Parents,  Henry  and  Jane  (Frank) 
Shibley,  of  Montgomery  county. 

Simmons  Anthony,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  143^  acres, 
born  In  Sharon  October  39,  1808,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  April,  1855;  wife  Julia  Ann  Adams,  mar- 
ried November  25,  1834;  children  six.  Father, 
Martin  Simmons,  cleared  farm  here  among  early 
settlers. 

Smith  Lorenzo,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer  and  lime  manu- 
facturer, 158  acres,  born  in  Sharon  July  29,  1821, 
has  been  overseer  of  poor;  wife  Maranda  Harper, 
married  in  1842;  children  ten.  Father,  Seymour 
Smith,  whose  lather  came  here  from  Duchess 
county  among  the  early  settlers. 

Snyder  George  W.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  106  acres, 
born  in  Delaware  county  February  15, 1829,  settled 
in  county  in  January,  1866;  wife  Clarissa  Campbell, 
of  Otsego  county,  married  in  1850;  children  three — 
Duane  H.,  Dorr  R,  Alonzo.  Parents,  John  L.  and 
Gety  Snyder. 

Sommer  David ,  p  o  Seward,  farmer,  90  acres,  born  in  Sharon 
October  1,  1806,  settled  on  present  farm  in  1835; 
wife  Julia  Ann  Yan  Slyke,  married  June  1,  1837; 
children  seven.  Father,  Nicholas,  son  of  Rev. 
Peter  Nicholas  Sommers,  who  was  born  in  1709, 
settled  in  county  in  174'j,  and  died  in  1795. 

Staley  William  H.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer  and  assessor, 
113  acres,  born  in  Montgomery  county  August  8, 
1819,  settled  in  county  April  12, 1833;  wife  Rebecca 
Ottman,  of  Seward,  married  October  11,  1849; 
children  four— Yirginia,  Maria  A.,  Wesley,  Leslie. 
Parents,  Henry  I.  and  Sally  Staley. 

Staley  James  S.,  p  o  Ames,  farmer  and  teacher,  90 acres, 
born  in  Florida,  Montgomery  county  March  20, 
1835,  settled  in  county  in  1833,  has  been  commis- 
sioner of  schools,  ot  highways,  and  railroad  com- 
missioner; wife  Ann  Eliza  Hodge,  of  Montgomery 
county,  married  March  20,  1856;  children  one- 
George  E..    Father,  Henry  I.  Staley. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


Staley  Valeiitine,  p  o  Ames,  farmer  125  acres,  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county  January  8,  1815,  settled  in  county 
in  1832;  wife  Laney  Hone,  of  Sharon,  married  in 
1846;  children  four — Mary,  Henry,  Arabella, 
Charles.    Father,  Henry  I.  Staley. 

Staley  Alexander  B  ,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  150  acres, 
born  on  same  farm  April  16,  1836;  wife  L.  Jane 
Swift,  married  in  October,  1872.  Father,  Henry  1. 
Staley,  bought  farm  of  J.  Cady,  and  settled  here 
in  1832. 

Stevens  Edward  H.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  150  acres, 
born  on  same  farm  May  18,  1887;  wife  Almira 
Alger,  of  Canajoharie,  married  December  29,  1865; 
children  two— Grant  and  Frank.  Father,  Edward 
Stevens. 

Snyder  Edward  P.,  p  o  Sharon,  farmer,  75  acres,  born  in 
Canajoharie  May  3,  1843,  settled  in  county  in  1877, 
has  been  constable;  wife  Henrietta  Buddie,  mar- 
ried January  1,  1863;  children  one— William. 
Parents,  Allen  and  Lucinda  Snyder,  natives  of 
Montgomery  county. 

Stam  David,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  64  acres,  born  on 
same  farm  January  10,  1835,  has  been  collector  and 
excise  commissioner;  wife  Elizabeth  Low.  of 
Sharon,  married  in  1859;  children  four — Carrie, 
Jennie,  Charles,  John.  Father,  John,  son  of 
George  Stam,  the  first  settler  on  farm. 

Stratton  Nathan  W.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  merchant,  born  in 
Esperance  October  12,  1827,  settled  in  town  in  1846, 
has  been  supervisor  two  years;  wife  Anna  E. 
Moeller;  second  wife,  Margaret  E.  Jones;  children 
one— Ethel.  Parents,  James  B.  and  Peace  Strat- 
ton. 

Taylor  John  F.,  Sharon  Springs,  mechanical  engineer,  160 
acres  of  land,  born  in  England  October  2,  1826, 
settled  in  county  April  1,  1878,  having  come  to 
America  in  1847;  wife  Mary  Catto,  of  England, 
married  in  1855;  children  one— Sally  C.  Parents, 
William  and  Elizabeth  Taylor. 

Taylor  John  F  ,  p  o  Argusville,  dealer  in  stock  and  farmer, 
90  acres,  born  in  Sharon  July  20,  1821,  has  been 
commissioner  of  highways  and  assessor;  children 
two— Luther  S.,  and  Cora.  Parents,  Luther  and 
Magdalen  Taylor. 

Vanalstine  David  H.,  p  o  Sharon  Hill,  keeper  of  bees,  owns 
house  and  lot,  born  in  Sharon  October  15,  1835, 
settled  in  village  in  1875,  is  justice  of  peace;  first 
wife  Catharine  Empie;  second  wife  Louisa  Weber; 
children  one — Catharine  E.  Father,  Michael  Van- 
alstine, a  native  of  Albany  county. 

Van  Schaick  Mary,  p  o  Sharon,  milliner,  born  in  Sharon. 
Father.  Joseph  W.  Van  Schaick;  wife  Betsey 
Slingerland;  children  five — Elizabeth,  Mary,  Cath- 
arine, John,  Emily. 

Van  Schaick  J.  W.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  76  acres, 
born  in  Sharon  October  1,  1848,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1857;  wife  Emma  H.  Canary,  married  in 
1876;  children  two— Myra  W.,  Maud  C.  Father, 
L.  G-.  Van  Schaick. 

Van  Schaick  Alonzo,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  76  acres, 
born  in  Sharon  March  11,  1846,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1857;  wife  Nancy  Planck,  married  in  1871; 
children  two — Ira  and  Leon.  Parents,  Leffert  and 
Dorothy  Van  Schaick. 

Van  Slyke  David,  p  o  Sharon  Hill,  retired  farmer,  96  acres, 
born  in  Sharon  March  7,  1817,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1849,  has  been  assessor,  poormaster,  and 
excise  commissioner;  wife  Nancy  Empie,  married 
October  29, 184C;  children  one— Catharine  G.  The 
son,  Peter  Austin,  died  October  3,  1852,  aged  ten 
years  and  sixteen  days.  Father,  John  I.,  son  of 
John  Van  Slyke, 

Van  Valkenburgh  Cort,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer,  126 
acres,  born  in  Sharon  August  25,  1823,  settled  on 
present  farm  in  1835;  wife  Catharine  Winne,  of 
Cherry  Valley,  married  February  38,  1850.  Father, 
Christian,  son  of  John  Joseph  Van  Valkenburgh, 
an  early  settler  in  town. 

Van  Valkenburgh  Joseph  W.,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer 
and  shoemaker,  15  acres,  born  in  Otsego  county 
March  13,  1849,  settled  on  present  farm  in  1873; 
wife  Frances  Smith,  married  November  34,  1875. 
Father,  George  H.,  son  of  Christian. 

v^rx  Vftlkenbnrgh  John  J.,  p  o  Sharon,  farmer,  81  acres,  born 

^*^  ^*  in  Sharon  October  36,  1844,  settled  on  farm  in 
Anril  1873;  wife  Sarah  Bellinger,  married  in  1865; 
children  two— Seth  J.  and  Arthur  S.  Father,  John 
J.  Van  Valkenburgh. 


Van  Valkenburgh  John  J.A.  p  o  Sharon  Hill,  farmer,  106  acres, 
born  in  Sharon  January  ]4,  1602;  wife  Sophia 
Smith,  married  December  23,  1824;  children  nice. 
Father,  Adam,  eon  of  John  J.  Van  Valkenburgh, 
who  was  born  January  10,  '1744,  settled  on  same 
farm  in  1790,  died  March  28,  1815, 

Van  Valkenburgh  Jacob,  p  o  Sharon,  physician  and  surgeon, 
owus  15  acres  land,  born  in  Sharon  June  13,  1839, 
has  been  notary  public,  secretary  of  eclectic  medi- 
cal society  of  New  York,  and  a  censor  of  twenty- 
third  senatorial  district;  wife  Harriet  Moulton, 
married  April  23,  1861.  Jacob  read  medicine  with 
Dr.  William  H.  Parsons  and  Dr.  J.  S.  Herrick,  at- 
tended lectures  at  Bloekly  medical  college,  eclec- 
tic medical  college  of  Philadelphia,  known  as  the 
Paine  school,  commenced  practice  in  Montgomery 
county  in  1862,  at  Sharon  Hill  in  2867. 

Van  Valkenburgh  Joseph  P.,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  91 
acres,  born  on  same  farm  February  21,  1606.  Par- 
ents, Peter  and  Sarah  Van  Valkenburgh. 

Vroman  Elizabeth  T.,  p  o  Seward  Station,  farmer,  140  acres, 
born  on  same  farm  August  21,  1836;  husband  John 
W.  Vroman,  of  Orleans  county;  children  three — 
Jeisie,  Willis,  L.  J.  Father,  Nicholas  N.  Moak,  a 
native  of  Bethlehem,  Albany  county. 

Vroman  William  L.,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,  farmer  and  hop 
grower,  26  acres,  born  in  New  Hartford,  Oneida 
county  February  7,  1843,  settled  in  county  in  1858; 
wife  Sarah  C.  Betle,  of  Carlisle,  married  April  21, 
1881.    Parents,  Peter  and  Eliza  (Low)  Vroman. 

Vroman  Low,  p  o  Sharon  Centre,  farmer,  152  acres,  born  on 
same  farm  March  24,  1813;  wife  Irena  Dunburgh. 
married  December  16,  1832;  children  six.  Father, 
Josiah  Vroman,  settled  on  same  farm  when  it  was 
all  woods,  was  son  of  Albert  Vroman. 

Vroman  Solomon,  p  o  Seward,  keeper  of  bees,  6  acres  land, 
born  in  Sharon  May  22,  1834,  came  to  present  resi- 
dence in  1865;  wife  Nancy  Relyea,  married  Janu- 
ary 27,  1859;  children  four— William  D.,  Ella,  Anna, 
Eugene.  Father,  Nicholas,  was  a  son  of  Josiah 
Vroman. 

Ward  Joseph,  p  o  Sharon  Springs,   farmer,  106  acres,  born 
in  Sharon  October  2,  1820,  settled  on  present  farm 
in  April,  1860;  wife  Catharine  L.  Seeley,  of  Cherry* 
Valley;  children   one — Estelle.      Father,   Joshua 
Ward,  settled  here  in  1794. 

Wessel  Isaac,  p  o  Argusville,  farmer,  117  acres,  born  in 
Montgomery  county  October  15,  1809;  wife  Phcebe 
Scott,  married  in  1831;  children  eight.  Parents, 
Abram  and  Cornelia  Wessel. 

Wood  Theodore,  p  o  professor  of  music,  owns  house  and 
lot,  born  in  Kingston,  Ulster  county  April  18,  1824, 
settled  in  county  in  1878;  wife  Carrie  Brower, 
married  April  20,  1875;  first  wife  Helen  A.  Van 
Buskirk;  children  three — Theodore,  Jr.,  Ora Louis, 
Ida  lola.  Parents,  William  S.  and  Catharine 
Wood. 


SUMMIT. 


Allen  William,  p  o  Summit,  farmer,  591  acres,  born  in  Sum 
mit  October  11,  1820,  settled  on  present  farm  May 
2,  1842;  wife  Jane  Wharton,  married  July  4,  1849; 
children  one— Warren  W.  Parents,  Ezra  and  El- 
mira  Alien,  the  former  a  grandson  of  Samuel  Allen, 
the  first  settler  in  CharlotteviUe. 

Baldwin  Daniel  W.,  p  o  Summit,  farmer,  269  acres,  born  in 
Summit  January  24,  1825,  settled  on  present  farm 
in  1866;  wife  Margaret  E  Payne,  married  April  19, 
1848.  Parents.  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Rifenbark) 
Baldwin,  the  former  a  son  of  Daniel  Baldwin,  one 
of  first  settlers  in  Summit. 

Barner  Dr.  George,  p  o  CharlotteviUe,  physician  and 
farmer,  10  acres,  born  in  Cobleskill  June  20,  1821, 
settled  in  town  in  August,  1867;  wife  Mary  J.  Pat- 
rick, married  February  27,  1841.  George  studied 
with  Abraham  Patrick,  attended  lectures  in  Phila- 
delphia and  graduated  in  1874.  Parents,  David  I. 
and  Christina  Barner,  the  former  a  son  of  Joseph 
Barner,  the  first  settler  in  Barnerville. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE  COUNTY. 


Barger  James,  p  o  Summit,  merchant  and  farmer,  80  acres, 
born  in  Rensselaer  county  March  30,  1813,  settled 
in  county  in  1818,  has  been  highway  commlBsioner, 
assessor  and  supervisor:  first  wife  Caroline  Judd; 
second  wife  Elizabeth  Barger,  married  April  1^ 
1876;  children  two— Eliza  and  Elorsa.  Father, 
Thomas  Barger,  an  old  resident  of  Rensselaer 
county. 

Beard  Jacob  L.,  p  o  Eminence,  farmer,  S50  acres,  born  in 
AichmoDdvlUe  January  15,  1819,  settled  in  Summit 
in  March,  1860,  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  and 
justice  of  sessions;  wife  Polly  Wiltsey,  or  Summit, 
married  May  23,  1840;  children  seven.  Parents, 
John  and  Abigail  Beard,  the  former  a  son  of  Jacob 
Beard,  the  first  settler  of  Beard's  Hollow. 

Beard  Franklin  P.,  p  o  Summit,  physician  and  surgeon,  born 
In  Jefferson  November  29,  18b2,  settled  in  village 
in  April,  1876,  has  been  coroner  of  county;  wile 
Alice  Chickering,  married  in  1873;  children  three . 
Franklin  P.  read  medicine  with  Dra.  Cornell, 
Spaulding  and  Wood,  attended  lectures  at  medi- 
cal department  of  Albany  University,  and  was 
graduated  from  there  in  1875. 

Brown  James  H.,  p  o  Summit,  dealer  in  hardware  and  gen- 
eral merchandise,  owns  180  acres  land,  born  in 
Summit  November  2, 1838,  has  been  supervisor  and 
member  of  assembly;  wife  Julia  E.  Havens,  of 
Summit,  married  September  16,  1861.  Father, 
Eiisha  Brown. 

Burrows  James  L  ,  p  o  Eminence,  merchant  and  blacksmith, 
1  acre  of  land,  born  in  Guilford,  Chenango  county 
February  26,  1817,  settled  in  county  in  1866,  has 
been  post-master  since  1869;  wife  Fanny  Maria 
Cornell,  of  Giiboa,  married  May  19, 1840;  children 
one— Emma  Kingsley.  X'arents,  Elijah  and  Betsey 
(Smith)  Burrows. 

Crowe  David,  p  o  Summit,  farmer  214  acres,  born  on  same 
farm  September  28,  1831,  bas  been  supervisor;  wife 
Polly  Gallup,  married  December  3l,  1860;  children 
two— Addie,  Nora.  Father,  Francis  Crowe.  Moth- 
er's father,  Terpenning  Gallup,  was  one  of  early 
settlers  in  Summit. 

Fox  Charles,  p  o  Summit,  farmer  196  acres,  born  in  Summit 
December  11,  1828,  settled  on  present  farm  in  1835, 
has  been  highway  commissioner,  assessor  and 
inspector  of  election;  wife  Mary  Ann  Moot,  mar- 
ried November  15,  1851 ;  children  eight.  Father, 
James  Fox,  son  of  William,  who  came  in  town 
about  1800. 

Ferguson,  Thomas  H.,  p  o  Summit,  post-master  and  painter, 
30  acres  land,  born  in  Summit  January  24,  1841,  has 
been  notary  public.  Parent^,  Thomas  and  Sarah 
(Borst)  Ferguson,  the  former  a  son  of  Liitle  Fer- 
guson. 

Gaige  Benjamin  W.,  p  o  Chariot teville,  farmer  140  acres, 
born  in  Pennsylvania  August  31,  1822,  settled  in 
county  in  1840;  wife  Sally  Albert,  of  Worcester, 
married  October  29,  1852;  children  six;  first  wife 
Magdalen  VanPatten,  was  married  February  22, 
1840,  Parents,  Abraham  and  Hannah  (Vantassle) 
Gaige. 

Hannis  William,  p  o  Richmondville,  hop-grower  and  dairy 
farmer,  140  acres,  born  in  Ireland  May  14,  1827, 
settled  in  county  in  1864,  has  been  commissioner  of 
highways;  wife  Jane  Burneson,  of  Otsego  county, 
married  April  11,  1854;  children  seven.  Parents, 
Samuel  and  Mary  Hannis. 

Harder  Willington  P.,  p  o  Summit,  farmer  150  acres,  born  in 
Summit  December  20, 1829,  settled  on  present  farm 
April  1,  1865,  has  been  highway  commissioner  and 
assessor;  wife  Hannah  Jane  Payne,  of  Hudson, 
Columbia  county,  married  January  1, 1855;  children 
one— George  D.  Lost  one  daughter— Gittie  M., 
aged  12  years.  Father,  Peter  I.  Harder,  was  a 
native  of  Duchess  county. 

Hartwell  Miles,  p  o  Charlotteville,  farmer  80  acres,  born  in 
Summit  November  15,  1809,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1874,  has  been  supervisor;  wife  Catharine 
Warner,  married  February  17,  1842;  second  wife 
Caroline  A.  Ives,  married  March  30, 1870  Parents, 
John  and  Sebee  (Osborne)  Hartwell.  Mrs.  Hart- 
weirs  grandfather,  Levi  Ives,  settled  at  Summit 
four  corners  in  1806,  where  Charles  Crowe  and  T. 
Ferguson  live. 

Havens  C  W.,  p  o  Summit,  physician  and  farmer,  225  acres, 
born  in  Long  Island  April  20, 1813,  settled  in  county 
in  1815,  has  been  supervisor,  town  clerk  and  town 
superintendent;  wife  Martha  Baldwin,  of  Summit, 
born  in  1816,  married  October  4,  1838;  children 
four.  Charles  W.  studied  at  Jefferson  with  Dr, 
Boice  and  finished  with  Dr.  Samuel  Wells,  of  Mid- 
dleburgb,  attended  lectures  at  Castleton,  Vermont, 
and  commenced  practice  in  Summit  in  1838. 


Jackson  David  C,  p  o  Charlotteville,  farmer  and  nursery- 
man, bom  in  bchoharie  May  S7,  1812,  settled  in 
Summit  in  1816,  has  been  supervisor,  justice  of 
peace  and  postmaster;  wife  Rosetta  Gardner, 
married  June  28,  1865;  children  five;  first  wife  was 
Sally  Ann  Haner.  Parents,  David  W.  and  Annie 
(Carson)  Jackson. 

Jump  Annanias  P.,  p  o  Summit,  merchant,  bom  in  Fulton 
March  19, 1833,  settled  in  Summit  December  1, 1853, 
has  been  town  clerk  and  justice,  was  married  in 
December  1854;  children  six.  Father,  Annanias, 
was  son  of  William  Jump,  who  settled  in  Summit 
from  Greene  county  in  1810. 

Mitchell  Peter  H.,  p  o  Charlotteville,  farmer  and  banker, 
1^0  acres,  born  in  town  of  Summit  February  23, 
1812,  settled  on  present  farm  in  1865.  has  bfen  rail- 
road commissioner  and  director  of  five  banks;  wife 
Lucy  Robinson,  of  Otsego  county,  married  Octo- 
ber 11,  1834;  children  six.  Father,  Harmon,  was 
son  of  Emanuel  Mitchell  an  early  settler  on  same 
farm. 

Multer  Joseph,  p  o  Charlotteville,  farmer  and  owner  of  saw- 
mill, born  in  Otsego  county  December  22,  1832, 
settled  in  county  March  27,  1862;  wife  H.  Maria 
Phinkle,  of  Jefferson  county,  married  January  15, 
1862.  Father,  Joseph,  was  son  of  Dr.  Multer,  who 
came  from  Germany  and  settled  here. 

Oeborn  Eleazer,  p  o  East  Worcester,  farmer,  born  in  Har- 
persfield,  Delaware  county  May  4.  1799,  settled  in 
county  in  1822,  has  been  assessor,  highway  com- 
missioner and  overseer  of  poor;  wife  Zilphia  Sher- 
man, of  Rensselaer  county,  married  in  November, 
1821;  children  five.  Father,  Eleazer  Osborn,  was 
a  native  of  Danbury,  Connecticut,  and  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolution. 

Rifenbark  Hiram,  p  o  Charlotteville,  merchant,  owns  1  acre 
land,  born  in  Summit  April  30,  1889,  commenced 
business  as  a  merchant  in  1872,  has  been  justice  of 
peace  and  town  clerk;  wife  Amelia  Burnett,  of 
Summit,  married  March  24,  1863.  Parents,  Aaron 
and  Mary  (Banks)  Rifenbark,  the  former  a  son  of 
Henry  Rifenbark,  who  came  from  Columbia  coun- 
ty about  1800. 

Stickles  Elan  N.,  p  o  Summit,  farmer,  101  acres,  born  in 
Columbia  county  August  19, 1804,  settled  in  county 
in  1810;  wife  Hannah  Mickle,  of  Fulton,  married 
January  15,  1856.  Parents,  Nicholas F.  and Debora 
(Dean)  Stickles,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of 
Nicholas,  a  resident  of  this  county,  and  lived  to 
be  ninety-six  years  of  age. 

Stilwell  Stephen,  p  o  Charlotteville,  farmer,  120  acres,  born 
in  Charlotteville  November  23, 1815,  settled  on  this 
farm  in  1845,  has  been  aasepsor,  supervisor  and 
overseer  of  poor;  first  wife  Polly  M,  Phelps;  sec- 
ond wife  Angeline  Hicks,  married  December  6, 
1875;  children  nine.  Father,  Samuel,  was  son  of 
Thomas  Stilwell,  who  came  from  Duchess  county. 

Shafer  S.  G.,  p  o  Charlotteville,  printer, 

Terpenning  James  W.,  p  o  Summit,  firmer  and  dairyman,  425 
acres,  born  in  Summit  September  29,  1828,  settled 
on  present  farm  in  1849,  has  been  supervisor  and 
highway  commissioner;  wife  Delaney  f^eer,  of 
Summit,  married  April  23,  1838;  children  five — 
Jerome,  Walter,  Everet,  Achsa,  Jennie.  Father, 
Cornelius,  was  son  of  Jacob  Terpenning,  who  was 
lieutenant  under  Washington. 

Tinklepaugh  Alexander,  p  o  Summit,  farmer,  280  acres, 
born  in  Fulton  May  15,  1826,  settled  in  Summit  In 
1827;  wife  Delia  Ann  Snook,  married  January  12, 
1848;  children  one— Rebecca.  Father,  Jacob,  son 
of  Henry  Tinklepaugh,  one  of  first  settlers  in 
town. 

Tousley  Rev.  George  G.,  p  o  Eminence,  clergyman,  born  in 
Giiboa  September  28,  1852,  settled  in  village  in 
May,  18S1,  is  minister  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church;  wife  Adelaide  Thorne,  of  Conesville,  mar- 
ried May  19,  1874;  children  one— Claude  G.,  who 
died  March  11,  1881.  Parents,  Albert  A.  and 
Esther  C.  Tousley, 

Warner  George  H.,  p  o  Charlotteville,  farmer  90  acres, 
born  in  Summit  March  2,  1838,  settled  on  present 
farm  in  1870:  Father,  Hiram,  son  of  Peter  War- 
ner, who  settled  in  Summit  about  1800. 

Wharton  Robert  E.,  p  o  Summit,  farmer,  200  acres,  born  on 
same  farm  April  11,  1850,  has  been  excise  commis- 
sioner; wife  Mary  N.  Conroe,  of  Summit,  married 
December  8,  1874;  children  two— James  and  a 
baby.    Parents,  James  and  Mary  A.  Wharton. 


PERSONAL  STATISTICS. 


Wharton  John,  p  o  Charlotteville,  farmer,  98  acres,  born  in 
,  Summit  January  28,  1819,  settled  on  present  farm 
in  1861,  has  been  assessor,  commissioner,  and 
overseer  ;  first  wife  Lancy  Lapp;  second  wife  Pru- 
dence A.  Lape;  children  two— Ella  Moot  and  Anna 
Pox.  Father,  John  Wharton,  came  from  England 
and  settled  in  Summit  about  1803. 

Wharton  Robert,  p  o  Richmondville,  farmer  and  brick 
manufacturer,  260  acres,  born  in  Greene  county 
January  14, 1811,  settled  in  county  in  1819;  brother 
to  Hiram.  Father,  John  Wharton,  came  from 
England  when  sixteen  years  ol  age.  Wife  of  Hiram, 
is  Louisa  Neer;  children  one — Clara  E. 

Wharton  William,  p  o  Summit,  dairy  farmer,  140  acres, 
born  in  Summit  December  23,  1833,  settled  on 
present  farm  in  1872,  has  been  commissioner  of 
highways;  first  wife  Charlotte  Hinds;  second  wife 
Valetta  Gallup;  children  one— Foster.  Father, 
Edward  Wharton,  settled  in  Summit  in  1815. 


WRIGHT. 


Becker  Daniel,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  300  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1829.  Father,  Jacob  Becker,  was  born  in 
1783,  died  in  1867;  wife  Elizabeth  Spatlesholts,  of 
county,  born  in  1788,  married  in  1809,  died  in  1878; 
children  thir*.een,  living  nine. 

Becker  David,  p  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  30  acres,  born  in 
county  in  179!);  wife  Elizabeth  Salsbury,  of  county, 
born  in  1805,  married  in  1883;  children  six. 

Becker  David  R.,  farmer,  110  acres,  born  in  Wright  in  1834, 
has  been  assessor;  wife  Mary  Becker,  of  county, 
born  in  1840,  married  in  1863;  children  six.  Par- 
ents, George  and  Elizabeth  (Hiltz)  Becker.  Grand- 
father, William  Becker,  was  born  on  farm  now  oc- 
cupied by  David  R.,  which  then  contained  400 
acres,  and  was  purchased  before  the  Revolution. 

Becker  Gideon  E.,  p  o  Gallupville. 

Becker  John  W.,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  103  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1886;  wite  Elizabeth  M.,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Hannah  Hiksley,  of  county,  born  in 
1830,  married  in  1819;  children  one  — 
David  E.  Parents,  David  and  Elizabeth  (Sals- 
bury)  Becker,  David  E.  was  born  in  county  in 
1851;  wife  Julia  Sears,  of  county,  married  in  1878. 

Becker  Minor,  p  o  West  Berne,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1829,  has  beeen  town  collector;  wife  Elizabeth 
Sternbergh,  of  Albany  county,  married  in  1841; 
children  six. 

Blanchard  Levi,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  born  in  county  in 
1835;  wite  Cordelia  Rider,  ot  county,  born  in  1840, 
married  in  1863;  children  three— Ward,  Eugene, 
and  Mary  B.  Parents,  Leblous  and  Rhoda  (Duel) 
Blanchard.  Grandfather,  Abner  Duel,  was  bom 
in  Rhode  Island  in  1765,  came  to  county  in  1797, 
died  in  1857. 

Chesebro  Sherman,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  born  in  Albany 
county  in  1839.  settled  in  county  in  1843;  wife  Sallie 
Armstrong,  of  Albany  county,  born  in  1839,  mar- 
ried in  1858;  children  three— Andrew  A.,  Ambrosa, 
and  J.  W.    Father,  Ambrosa  Chesebro. 

CuUings  Peter,  p  o  Gallupville. 

Davidson  Samuel,  p  o  Gallupville. 

Davis  Samuel,  p  o  Gallupville,  120  acres,  born  in  county 
in  1883,  has  been  supervisor;  wife  Mary  Gage,  of 
Tioga  county,  married  in  1856.  Father,  Peter 
Davis  of  county,  torn  in  1787,  died  January  15, 
1863-  wite  Margaret  Toung,  of  Albany  county, 
born  in  1798,  married  in  1816,  died  April  15, 1876. 

Dearing  Elias,  p  o  Gallupville.  farmer,  168  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1820;  wite  Margaret,  daughter  of  David 
and  Elizabeth  Becker,  born  in  1832,  married  in 
1844-  children  one— Elmina,  born  in  1847.  Parents, 
Frederick  and  Catharine  Bearing,  born  in  Duchess 
county  in  1775,  came  to  county  in  1783,  died  m 
1869. 

■n^^nc  lacob  I.  P  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  160  acres,  born  in 

Devoe  •"■«°°  ;-  county  in  1803,  settled  in  county  in  1832, 
has  been  assessor;  wife  Polly  Tigert  of  Albany 
county,  born  in  1805,  married  m  1823;  children 
?o"r--Amos,  born  in  1828,  Catharine  in  1837, 
Elizabeth  in  1842,  and  Morgan  in  1846. 


Dominic  John  J.,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  born  in  county 
in  1841,  has  been  member  of  assembly,  and 
supervisor,;  wife  Anna  E.  Zimmer,  born  in  coun- 
ty in  1843,  married  in  1863;  children  two— Eloise 
and  Neil.  Parents,  Peter  and  Elizabeth  (Camp- 
bell) Dominic. 

Frink  Eugene,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  220  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1848;  wife  Sarah  Flansburgb,  of  county, 
born  in  1S45,  married  in  1870;  children  two — Par- 
ents, Charles  and  Maria  Frink,  of  county. 

Frink  Jacob,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  216  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1828;  first  wife  Harriet  21mmer,  of 
county,  married  in  lfc62,  died  in  1871;  children 
two— Charles  and  Albert;  second  wife  Sophia  Zim- 
mer of  county,  married  in  187:^.  Father,  Charles 
Frink,  owned  and  run  the  Gallupville  mill  previous 
to  1838. 

Flansburg  Henry,  p  o  Gallupville,  retired  farmer,  owns  and 
operates  a  custom  and  saw-mill  on  Fox  creek,  first 
mill  was  built  about  50  years  ago,  and  the  present 
one  a  few  years  since  by  Gallup  &  Wheeler,  born 
in  Albany  county,  August  26, 1S14,  settled  in  county 
in  1838 ;  wif  e  Jeanette  Rosekrans,  of  Albany  county, 
married  in  1837;  children  six. 

Frink  Jabez,  p  o  Gallupville. 

Gallup  Charles,  p  o  GallupvillOj  undertaker,  born  in  county 
in  1842.  has  been  justice  of  peace  and  town  clerk; 
wife  Christina  A.  Becker,  of  county,  married  in 
1864;  children  two.  Father,  Thomas,!.  Gallup,  born 
in  Connecticut,  came  to  county  in  1813,  died  in  1836, 

Griffeth  David  O.,  p  o  Quaker  Street,  farmer,  94  acres,  born 
in  county  in  1844;iwifc  Melissa  Harden,  of  Schenec- 
tady county,  married,  in  1867,  children  four — Ada 
L.,  born  in  1869,  Horace  S.,  in  1871,  Florence  and 
Flira  (twins)  bom  in  1876.  Father,  Stephen  Grif- 
feth, born  in  Schenectady  county  in  1811,  came  to 
county  in  1838;  wife  Susan  Soules,  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county  in  1816;  children  two— Amanda  M., 
born  in  1835,  and  David  0.,  in  1844. 

Haverly  Theodore,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  born  in  county 
in  1835,  has  been  town  collector;  wife  Nancy 
Rickard,  of  county,  born  in  1844,  married  in  1860; 
children  three.  Parents  Jacob  I.  and'  Catharine 
Haverly,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Ira  and  Catha- 
rine Rickard. 

Haveriy  Jacob  I.,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  340  acres,  born  in 
Albany  county,  June  8,  1809,  settled  in  county  in 
1816;  wife  Catharine  Rickard,  of  county,  born 
in  1814,  married  January  30,  18.32;  children  nine. 
Fatlier,  Christjohn  Haverly,  of  Albany  county,  set- 
tled in  county  in  1816,  died  in  1865.  aged  77  years; 
wife,  Hannah  Haverly,  married  in  1808,  died  in 
1867,  aged  79  years. 

Hill  John  S.,  p  o  Gallupville.  farmer,  120  acres,  born  in  county 
in  lb30;  wite  Mary  E.  Clykeman,  born  in  1840,  mar- 
ried in  1&56;  children  eleven. 

Hotaling  Dr.  John,  p  o  Gallupville,  physician  and  surgeon, 
was  graduated  from  Albany  Medical  College  in 
1863,  born  in  Bethlehem,  Albany  county,  in  1837, 
settled  in  county  in  1863;  wife  Selind  E.  Zeh,  ot 
county,  born  in  1843,  married  in  1864;  children  two. 

Hunting  Fletcher,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  90  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1833;  wife  Jane  VanAuken,  of  Albany 
county,  married  in  1856;  children  three— Estella, 
Viola,  born  in  Illinois,  and  May  L.,  born  in  Albany 
county.  Father,  Joseph,  was  son  of  Joseph  Hunt- 
ing, who  was  born  in  Long  Island,  and  settled  in 
county  in  1770. 

Hunting  Ambrose  R.,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  born  in  Wright 
in  1833,  has  been  school  commissioner  and  super- 
visor; first  wife  Amanda  Severson,  of  Albany 
county,  born  in  1837,  married  in  1859,  died  in  1865; 
children  two — William  J.,  and  Edward  F.;  second 
wife  Melissa  Northrup  of  county,  born  in  1853, 
married  in  1869;  children  one— Florence  A.,  born 
in  1880.    Father,  Joseph  H.  Hunting,  of  county. 

Hunting  Joseph,  p  o  Gallupville,  born  in  county  in  1806;  wife 
Mary  A.  Chesebro,  of  Albany  county,  born  in  1811, 
married  in  April,  1829;  children  two— Fletcher  and 
Ambrose  R.  Father,  Joseph  Hunting,  of  Long 
Island,  settled  in  county  before  1800,  died  in  1846. 

Eelsch  Jacob,  p  o  Gallupville,  general  merchant,  born  in 
Germany  in  1833,  settled  in  county  in  1854,  has  been 
justice  of  peace  and  town  clerk;  wife  Susan  Enis- 
kern,  of  county,  married  in  1868;  children  one — 
George  W. 


HISTORY  OF  SCHOHARIE   COUNTY. 


Markham  Prof.  C.  E.,  professor  of  music,  born  in  Fulton  in 
1843.  lather  Alden  Markham,  of  Otsego  county, 
born  in  1817,  came  to  county  in  1840,  died  In  1866; 
wife  Catharine  D.  Cook,  of  county,  born  in  1824, 
married  in  1848,  died  in  1804;  children  four— C.  E., 
Asber,  born  in  1846,  Luther  in  1851,  and  Libbie  in 
1857. 

Martin  Peter,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  110  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1830;  wife  Melinda  Schell,  of  county, 
born  in  1841.  married  in  1859;  children  one — Bertha 
N.  Father,  John  Martin,  born  in  Albany  county  in 
1800,  came  to  county  in  1803,  died  in  1861;  wife 
Hannah  Zimmer,  of  county. 

Mattice  James,  p  o  Gallupville. 

McDonnel  Benjamin,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  43  acres,  bom 
in  Albany  county  February  19,  1810,  settled  in 
county  in  1835;  wife  Sallie  Forsythe,  of  county, 
born  May  18,  1819,  married  in  1838;  children  one- 
Oliver,  born  in  1839,  is  a  watch  and  clock  repairer; 
wife  Fannie  A.  Johnson,  of  Grebne  county,  mar- 
ried in  1870;  children  one— Frank  J. 

Packard  Samuel  T  ,  p  o  Gallupville,  born  in  Grafton,  New 
Hampshire,  in  180",  settled  in  county  in  1832;  first 
wife  Julia  A.  Jones,  died;  second  wife  Phebe  Shaf- 
fer, of  county,  married  in  1858. 

Palmer  George  B.,  p  o  Gallupville,  born  in  Albany  county  in 
1834,  settled  in  county  in  1864,  married  February  4, 
1858. 

Plank  Oliver  F.,  p  o  Gallupville,  dealer  in  hardware  and 
farming  implements,  born  in  Wright  in  1837,  has 
been  postmaster;  first  wife  Emily  A.  Hubble,  of 
county,  born  in  1840,  married  in  1861,  died  in  1873, 
children  one— Edwin;  second  wife  Mary  West, 
of  county,  married  in  1875;  children  one— Kate. 
Father,  James  Plank,  born  in  Greene  county,  set- 
tled in  county  at  an  early  day,  and  died  in  1874. 

Plugh  Jacob  H.,  p  0  Gallupville,  born  in  Albany 
county  June  24,  1821,  settled  in  county  in 
1841;  wife  Christina  McCarty,  of  county,  born  in 
1830,  married  January  1, 1842;  children  two— Gran- 
ville, born  in  October,  1853,  and  John  M.,  born  in 

1854.  Parents,  John  and  Margaret  (Syble)  Plugh. 

Posson  Chester,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  229  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1821,  has  been  supervisor  and  assessor; 
wife  Dorothy  Zimmer,  of  county,  born  in  1823, 
married  in  1845;  children  four— Melinda,  Emma, 
Wesley  and  Etta.  Father,  Peter  Posson.  of 
Duchess  county;  wife  Ann  West,  of  county.  Wes- 
ley Posson  was  born  in  1847;  wife  Sarah,  daughter 
of  Lyman  Baker,  of  county,  married  in  1868;  chil- 
dren three— Edwin,  Fanny,  and  Ellis. 

Posson  Harvey  L.,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  born  in  county 
in  1854;  wife  Betsey  E.  Hulbert,  of  county,  born  in 

1855,  married  in  1878;  children    one— Effa.    Par- 
ents, Rufus  and  Mary  J.  (Lemon)  Posson. 

Biokard  George  E  ,  farmer,  340  acres,  born  in  county  in 
1812,  died  March  19, 1880;  first  wife  Hannah  Haver- 
ly,  died  leaving  four  children;  second  wife  Louisa 
Snyder,  of  county,  born  in  1820,  married  June  a?, 
1847;  children  eight. 

Righter  William  H.,  farmer,  135  acres,  born  in  Columbia 
county  in  1836,  settled  in  county  in  1837;  wife 
Sophia  M.,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Miller, 
of  county,  born  in  1840,  married  in  1860;  children 
three— Henrietta,  Libbie,  and  John  S.  Parents, 
Stickle  and  Polly  Righter,  of  Columbia  county, 

Righter  Jonas,  p  o  Quaker  Street,  farmer,  157  acres,  born  in 
Columbia  county  in  1833,  settled  in  county  in  1837; 
wife  Elizabeth  Hayes,  of  county,  bom  in  1836, 
married  in  1!!64;  children  three— Gertrude,  Will- 
iam, and  Mary  E.  Parents,  Stickle  and  Polly 
Righter,  of  Columbia  county. 

Righter  John  S.,  p  o  Gallupville. 

Schell  Daniel,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  120  acres,  bom  in 
county  in  1811 ;  wife  Margaret  Steiner,  of  Albany 
county,  born  in  1822,  married  in  1841,  died  in  1866; 
children  five.    Parents,  Peter  andSoph'ia  Schell. 

Schell  David,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  and  runs  a  saw-mill, 
bDrn  in  Wright  in  1801;  wife  Hannah,  daughter  of 
David  Becker,  born  in  1808,  married  in  July,  1821, 
died  October  1,  1880;  children  eight,  living  five — 
Seneca  L..  Sophia,  Margaret,  Malinda,  and  Maria. 
Father,  Peter  Schell.  Grandparents  came  from 
Germany  at  an  early  day. 

Schell  Simeon,  p  o  Gallupville,  retired  gentleman,  born  in 
county  in  1831 ;  wife  Julia  A.  Sand,  married  in  1861 ; 
children  one— a  son.  Father,  William  N.,  son  of 
Frederick  Schell. 


Schoolcraft  Peter  P.,  p  o  Gallupville,  retired  farmer.  170 
acres,  has  been  member  of  assembly;  wife  Chris- 
tina Becker,  of  county,  born  in  1815,  married  in 
1835;  children  four— Amanda  M„  Eve  M.,  Sherman 
M.,  and  Ida  May. 

Stephens  Ira,  p  o  Gallupville,  stone  mason,  born  in  Wright 
in  1827,  has  been  town  collector;  wife  Alida  H. 
Sheldon,  of  Schenectady  county,  born  in  1832, 
married  in  1862;  children  six.  Parents,  Eliphalet 
and  Marcia  Stephens;  children  fifteen — of  whom 
Ira  was  the  youngest.  Grandparents  were  from 
Stonington,  Connecticut. 

Swann  Miner.p  o  Gallupville,farmer,  born  in  Albany  county 
in  1834,  settled  in  county  in  1844,  has  held  several 
town  offices;  wife  Catharine  Zimmer,  of  county, 
born  in  183D,  married  in  1856;  children  one— John 
A  ,  born  in  1877.  Father.  John  Swan,  of  Albany 
county,  born  in  1793,  came  to  oouniy  in  1844,  died 
in  January,  1876;  wife  Mary  Coe,  born  in  1792,  mar- 
ried in  1818;  children  two— Minor,  and  Peter  born 
in  1819. 

Treddenyer  William,  p  o  Gallupvilje,  farmer,  96  acres,  bom 
in  Germany  in  1819,  settled  in  county  in  1840;  wife 
Margaret  Bush,  of  county,  born  in  1835;  children 
three— William  H.,  born  in  1857,  Celia,  in  1861,  and 
Elmer,  in  1873. 

Waldeu  Hiram,  Jr.,  p  o  Gallupville,  retired  £;entleman, 
born  in  county  in  l82ti;  *ife  Elmira  D.  Zimmer,  of 
county,  married  in  1880.  Father,  Hiram  Walden, 
was  born  in  Vermont  in  1800,  came  to  county  in 
1805,  died  in  1880;  wife  Sophia  Dominac,  of  county, 
born  in  1802,  married  in  1822. 

Weidman  Peter  I.,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  92  acres,  born  in 
Albany  county  in  1815,  settled  in  county  in  1818; 
wife  Edith  Hotaling,  of  Albany  county,  born  in 
1820,  married  in  1841;  children  two — Daniel,  bom 
in  l84'->,  and  Albert,  born  in  1851.  Father,  Jacob 
W.  Weidman,  died  in  1851;  wife  Elizabeth  Weid- 
man, died  in  1847. 

Zeh  Dr.  Ira,  physician  and  surgeon,  born  in  Albany  county 
in  1880,  died  in  1872;  wife  Christina  Litebrant  of 
county,  born  in  18-.J9,  married  in  September,  1851; 
children  three — Anna  M.,  Lama,  and  Edgar.  Peter 
and  Elizabeth  (Zeh)  Litebrant,  parents  of  Chris- 
tina. 

Zeh  Alfred,  p  o  Gallupville,  general  custom  miller, 
born  in  Albany  county  in  1835,  settled  in  county  in 
1836;  wife  Rebecca  Holenbeck,  of  county,  married 
in  1862;  children  two— Minnie,  born  in  1864,  and 
Clarence,  born  in  1873.  Mill  is  located  on  Fox's 
creek,  is  8X  stories,  40  by  40  feet,  has  four  run  of 
stone,  75  horse  power,  and  is  a  first-class  mill. 

Zimmer  Peter  F.,  dealer  in  stoves,  tin,  and  hardware,  born  in 
county  in  1825,  has  been  town  clerk;  firsr  wife  M.  J. 
Chamberlin,  of  Rensselaer  county,  married  in  1857, 
died  in  1868;  children  cne — a  daughter;  second 
wife  Anna  F.  Zeh,  married  in  1870. 

Zimmer  John  G.,  farmer,  200  acres,  born  in  county  in  1792; 
wife  Margaret  Bassler,  of  county,  born  in  1794, 
married  in  1815;  children  five,  living  two — Elmira 
and  Lavina.  Great-grandfather,  Jacob  Zimmer, 
was  born  in  Germany,  settled -in  county  at  an 
early  date,  and  was  the  owner  of  Lawyer  and 
Zimmer  patent. 

Zimmer  John  J.,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  born  in  county 
in  1825;  wife  Christina  N.  Zimmer,  of  county, 
married  in  1861;  children  six.  Parents,  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Schoolcraft)  Zimmer.  Christina  was 
daughter  of  Adam  P.  and  Catharine  Zimmer. 

Zimmer  John  A.,  p  o  West  Berne,  farmer,  117  acres,  born  in 
county  in  1821;  wife  Harriet  Houghtailing,  of 
county,  born  in  1825,  married  in  1842;  children 
three — Rebecca,  Minor  G.,  and  Ada.  Minor  G. 
was  born  in  1858;  wife  Evalina  Zimmer,  born  in 
1861,  married  in  1880. 

Zimmer  Jacob  N.,  p  o  Gallupville.  farmer  and  horse  farrier, 
born  in  county  June  30,  1814.  has  been  justice  of 
peace  and  justice  of  sessions;  wife  Leah,  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Elizabeth  Rickard,  born  in  1818, 
married  in  1835,  died  November  11,  1864;  children 
thirteen,  living  twelve.  Father,  John  Jost  Zim- 
mer, born  in  county  in  1784;  wife  Magdalene  War- 
ner. Grandfather,  Adam  Zimmer,  was  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier. 

Zimmer  Minor,  p  o  Gallupville,  farmer,  830  acres,  born  in 
Wright  in  1832,  has  been  collector  of  town;  wife 
Hannah  E.  Becker,  of  county,  bom  in  1835,  married 
in  1853;  children  two — Austin  Y.,  born  in  1855, 
married  Emma  Marsellis,  of  county;  and  Masford. 
Parents,  John  W.  and  Catharine  Zimmer,